Sima Yi's Three Kingdoms Collection Collection

Chapter 173 Collecting public opinion and helping Cao Cao rise to power (9)
"Thank you, Lord Sima! Thank you, Lord Sima!" Cao Laosan was overjoyed when he heard that, and kowtowed on the ground like a chicken pecking at rice, "I am willing to accept the punishment."

"Xin Changshi said, either deduct all your salary this year and confiscate it, or slap yourself 150 times." Sima Yi said calmly, "You choose!"

"I...I am willing to slap myself 150 times." Cao Laosan muttered for a while before nodding his head.

Sima Yi called a servant and ordered: "You untie him and just watch him here and slap yourself 150 times on the mouth. If you don't hit enough, don't let him go!"

Then, with a flick of his robe sleeves, he went to work in the Dongcao Office.But I saw Wang Chang running up quickly, and after turning around the long corridor, he said to him with a smile: "Your Excellency, you have a good way, and you have taught everyone Cao Laosan, a talkative villain, so very happy." !"

Sima Yi didn't turn his head back, but said indifferently: "Why did I ever want to embarrass a villain like him? It's just his own fault..." Even though he said so, no one saw it. A look of pride flashed by.

In the lobby of the Dongcao Office, Sima Yi and Wang Chang buried their heads in the pile of papers, brushing like flying in their hands, and they don't know how many official letters they reviewed, let alone how long it took.It wasn't until Sima Yi's wrist holding the pen barrel was so sore that he couldn't lift it up that he put down the pen, stretched his wrist and elbow, sat up straight and was about to take the teacup.

At this time, he glanced over, but saw that there was no one at the entrance of the hall, and he couldn't help saying to himself: "Hey! Why hasn't this Uncle Cao come back to watch the door? It took him so long to slap himself 150 times on the mouth." Is it time?"

While he was talking to himself, there was a sudden roar of loud laughter from outside the hall: "Well, you Sima Zhongda! Thank you for thinking of it, let Cao Laosan slap himself in the mouth to cure him!"

Hearing this voice, Sima Yi straightened his face in horror, then got up and left the table without hesitation, took Wang Chang to the boxwood floor on the left side of the entrance of the hall, and knelt down respectfully.

I saw more than a dozen armored warriors entering the hall with swords and swords, lined up on both sides.In the middle is a red lacquered chariot carried by eight people, and an old man in his sixties with a high crown in black robes and a beard sits proudly on the chariot.He is not tall, his hands are on his knees, his waist is straight, his gaze is like a torch when he is looking forward, and his aura is like a tiger when he is looking up.

"My subordinates are waiting to see the Prime Minister!" Sima Yi and Wang Chang hurriedly shouted in unison.

Cao Cao was carried straight into the hall by the crowd, and without getting off his chariot, he just sat in mid-air, looked down at Sima Yi who was kneeling on the ground, and said slowly, "Sima Zhongda, you just found Xin Pi interceding with Cao Laosan?"

"That's right." Sima Yi raised his head, met Cao Cao's sharp gaze, and replied fearlessly, neither humble nor overbearing, "My subordinates think that although Cao Laosan violated the prohibition by greedy drinking, his crime is not worthy of death. Serving the old Lieutenant Cao’s hard work, so I begged Xin Changshi to punish him a little bit."

"Well... If you were in normal times, there would be nothing wrong with you doing this. But today, he was captured and kidnapped by Yin Jinyi from the Jingzhao Mansion and sent to my prime minister's mansion. Everyone in the capital is staring at the truth. Let him go! You're fine, you only fined him 150 mouths." After listening to Sima Yi's answer, Cao Cao's face suddenly became serious, and he said coldly, "If you want to protect his favor, I'm afraid no one will be able to betray you. Yes. By the way, the truth has already been ordered by Cao Hong to chop off his head and send it to Jin Yi. Now, Jingzhao Mansion has nothing to say, right?"

"What... what?" Wang Chang was so startled that he lost his voice for a moment, almost collapsing to the ground, "You...you cut off his head?"

Seeing that Cao Cao was still sitting on the chariot, looking at Wang Chang paralyzed on the ground with cold eyes, he almost dismissed the answer, with an understated expression as if he had just crushed an ant to death, and suddenly asked leisurely: "What? Do you think the handling of the truth just now is a bit inappropriate?"

When Sima Yi heard Cao Cao's words just now, his whole body trembled violently, he closed his eyes tightly, his face was full of pain, he gritted his teeth secretly, but he bent down, kowtowed his head and said in a deep voice: "Your Excellency is stern and selfless!" , The law enforcement is like a mountain, and it is a model for all officials in the world. Who dares to disobey inside and outside the court? Who dares to object? It is the subordinates who have not thought carefully about this matter, and they are soft, and I hope the prime minister will forgive their sins!"

Cao Cao sat high on the chariot, listened carefully to Sima Yi's answer, but was silent for a moment, then glanced at him with great interest for a long time, and then said lightly: "What do you say, forgive me?" Forgive me, this statement is a bit false. Cao Laosan was just a little unlucky, and happened to be in this season. Forget it, let's not talk about him.

"Sima Zhongda, in fact, I came to your Dongcao office today to ask you a few things. I heard that Mr. Xun Ling is planning to transfer you to the Shangshutai to take up the post of Duzhi Shangshu. For the real two thousand stones, it is much better than when you are in my prime minister's mansion right now as the Tocao genus of the real two thousand stones, but you actually rejected him—why is that?"

Sima Yi didn't expect Cao Cao to overhear the private conversation between himself and Xun Yu in the Yuxian Hall, and he couldn't help being shocked as if being shocked by an electric shock. He calmed down, and then slowly replied while thinking: " Since my late father was alive, our Sima family has always been loyal to Prime Minister Cao, and the love of dogs and horses in our hearts will never be separated from any external temptation. Moreover, our subordinates and elder brother have lived in the prime minister's mansion for many years, and have long been deeply I deeply understand that it is safer to stay under the Prime Minister to do any errands than to go outside to be any high-ranking official."

"Very good, very good. It's very rare that you didn't make up some empty words like 'Ming Gan Wu Nei' and 'Great kindness' to fool the truth." Cao Cao nodded deeply and waved his hand as a gesture.All the warriors and attendants understood, hurriedly and slowly lifted the lacquered golden chariot, and put it down on the right seat in the lobby.

Cao Cao still couldn't get up, but sat facing south and north, staring at Sima Yi from a distance, and slowly said: "The 'safety' you mentioned, this is the point. What is 'safety'? The truth Governance and law enforcement have always been the most vigorous, upright, impartial and selfless. This is "safety". You all know that Cao Laosan is a distant relative of the real family. He has served the old Taiwei diligently for decades. The truth was also raised by him when he was a child—" At this point, Cao Cao didn't know which string was plucked in his heart, but he was actually moved, his eyes were full of tears, and he was slightly choked up, "However, in order to protect the imperial court No matter how much I can't bear it, I have no choice but to exterminate my relatives! There is also Zhang Xiu, who not only endangered the truth repeatedly during the separatist regime in Wancheng, but also murdered the eldest son of the truth, Cao Ang. However, later He suddenly came to his senses, surrendered to the truth, and took refuge in the court. The truth did not care about his old enmity, but asked the court to reward him as a Marquis of Ten Thousand Households. You have all seen all this. Although the truth is full of power, it is powerful. Bahuang, this is nothing to be admired or envied. What is admired and envied is that the Grand Duke who is in charge of punishment and rewards in this world follows the outline of ordering chaos in this world. Who can you follow more safely than following the truth? '?"

After all, he straightened his figure, his eyes flickered sharply, stared at Sima Yi and Wang Chang, and said solemnly: "The truth is here today to tell you straight, stay in the prime minister's mansion to do business, sure It’s a bit harder than outside. Whether it’s done well or not, people outside will inevitably gossip. But as long as you don’t neglect the errands in the mansion, the truth will not let you down. Follow the truth and work hard You have a bright future. As long as you are doing common affairs, as long as you do your best, you will definitely have purple waist and gold in the future. As long as you are a military officer, as long as you do your best, you will not be short of feudal lords. The truth is, not only will you not be rewarded with a penny of copper baht, but you will also be punished for your crimes, stripped of your status, stripped of your clothes, and dispatched to the villages of Bingzhou, Youzhou and other places to suffer !"

(End of this chapter)