Chapter 1031 Changes in the palace (1)

  Without getting any response from Sun and Liu, Cao Rui turned his attention to Lian Zhao again.

   Lian Zhao, who always knew Cao Rui's heart best, glanced at Sun and Liu, and then said in a low voice:

   "Your Majesty, the various departments in Xuchang City have not yet been settled, and many people have not even settled down. It may be difficult to find Cao Changshi for a while."

   "Your Majesty is in poor health, it is better to rest as much as possible, if you wait for Cao Changshi to enter the palace in the future, His Majesty will meet him again..."

  Cao Rui's eyes were complicated, and he was silent for a while, and finally said:

   "Then let Cao Zhaobo come in."

   Cao Shuang, who was guarding outside the door, had wiped the sweat from his forehead for some time.

  Although it has entered winter, he is still sweating constantly.

  He kept trying to take a deep breath, trying to stabilize his emotions, but in vain.

   Cao Shuang, who was in a daze, didn't hear Lian Zhao's call at all. He didn't wake up until he felt someone approaching him.

   "General Cao, Your Majesty welcomes you."

   "Oh, oh, well... what? Your Majesty?"

  After Cao Shuang reacted, his expression changed.

   "General Cao please."

  When the situation came to an end, Cao Shuang felt his throat was dry. He swallowed with some difficulty, and then started to move his legs.

   I don't know whether his legs are numb from standing, or his legs are weak, but when he took a step, his body shook and he almost fell.

  As a member of the Cao clan, and his own adults are former great generals and former great Sima, he can freely go in and out of the court since he was a child, and he has a good friendship with Cao Rui.

  Cao Shuang grew up with smooth sailing, and never saw any big storms.

  Although Sun Liuer had told him a long time ago, everything had been prepared for him.

  But when he really got involved in such a big event, he still couldn't help being a little scared.

  Following Lian Zhao into the bedroom, Cao Shuang said tremblingly:

   "Chen Shuang sees Your Majesty, may Your Majesty live forever and be happy!"

  Hearing Cao Shuang's congratulatory speech, Cao Rui's eyes were a little sarcastic, and he muttered to himself:

   "Long live Qianqiu, Long live Qianqiu... Hehe..."

  Don't say it's thousands of years, even a hundred years old is enough!

   Seeing Cao Rui's appearance, Sun Zi was afraid that the night would be long and dreamy, so Yue Li reminded: "Your Majesty!"

  Cao Rui sighed, moved his eyeballs, and looked at Cao Shuang:

   "Uncle Zhao, you may take on a big responsibility?"

  Cao Rui's voice was not loud and hoarse, but to Cao Shuang's ears, it sounded like thunder and weight.

  The words that had been arranged a long time ago, but under the tension at this time, they were all forgotten.

  Cao Shuang felt his thoughts were lost and blank, and he opened his mouth:

   "Chen...Chen..."

  I waited for a long time, but couldn't say a second word.

  Standing beside him, Liu Dafa was in a hurry, looking at Cao Shuang's fat body, he secretly cursed that this son was really like a dolphin dog.

   At the critical moment, he was like a paralyzed mud.

  But it was Cao Shuang's weak temper that was favored by Sun and Liu.

  Liu Fang knew that in this situation, there was no delay at all, otherwise, Cao Rui, who was finally persuaded, might change his mind again.

  He secretly kicked Cao Shuang and said in a whisper:

   "Quickly say that you are willing to serve the country with your death!"

   Cao Shuang was reminded by Liu Fang, subconsciously shouted:

   "I am willing to serve the country with my death!"

  Cao Rui didn't know if he saw Liu Fang and Cao Shuang's small movements. He looked at Cao Shuang and became silent again.

   Liu Fang and Sun Zi knew that Cao Shuang was weak, and Cao Rui naturally knew it too.

  If he is given great power in this regard, Cao Shuang may not be able to fight against the extremely vicious Sima Yi in the future.

   "Your Majesty?"

   "Great Sima was left to me as a minister by the late emperor. Now he is leading the army to resist the enemy. It would be impolite to keep silent about such important national affairs. What can we do?"

  Sun Zi and Liu Fang looked at each other.

   "Your Majesty, it is now a time of crisis for the country. If the Great Sima is recalled, who can stop the Shu captives? If you don't order him to guard Luoyang, the most important thing is to reject the Shu captives."

   "At that time, as long as Da Sima is given the title of assistant government, if he comes to Da Sima, he will know that the overall situation is the most important thing, and he will not be overwhelmed."

   "Really?" Cao Rui's mouth twitched, but he didn't know if he wanted to sneer or what.

  He hoped that Sima Yi would be more considerate.

  A courtier who is determined to fight for power in the court is at least much better than a courtier who is determined to support himself.

   It's just... Even if he orders Sima Yi to come to Xuchang now, Sima Yi won't come, right?

   Not to mention that I may not dare to issue such an edict now.

  Cao Rui sighed inwardly.

  Sun and Liu's proposals are indeed old-fashioned words for seeking the country.

  The imperial guards were wiped out, and the throne, whose foundation had always been unstable, would only become more precarious in the future.

  Based on the current situation of Wei, there is probably no better way than to appease Sima Yi temporarily and let him lead the army to defend Luoyang to prevent the Shu captives from continuing to advance eastward.

  If an imperial edict is issued to force him to come to Xuchang, if he disobeys the order, it will be a disgrace to the emperor.

   What I am most afraid of is that if he comes with a large army, who will be able to stop him then?

   Dong Zhuo led the army into Beijing, still in sight.

  How could Cao Rui commit such a stupid thing again?

  He did not hesitate to lose face, and when the war was unfavorable, he retreated to Xuchang, which was closer to Jingzhou and Yangzhou than Luoyang.

  In case something happens, the armies from these two places can support them faster.

   "Will Sima Yi really stay in Luoyang with peace of mind?"

   "Your Majesty, Da Sima is already an extremely human minister. If he surrenders to the captives, can the Shu captives give more than Da Wei?"

   "What's more, there are many rumors that the Shu captives exploited the powerful families and destroyed their families. The Sima family is a big family in Hanoi. If they surrendered to captives, how can they maintain their prosperity today?"

  In short, Sima Yi surrendered captives not only is not good, but may also have disadvantages, so why did he surrender captives?

   Not only will he not surrender, but in order to maintain his current status, he will try his best to reject the captives.

   "Your Majesty, in extraordinary times, extraordinary things must be done. The Sima family came from Hanoi, and now the Shu soldiers are coming to the east of the river, only one pass away from Hanoi."

   "If Sima Yi retreats again, he will surrender the foundation of his family, so I think that he will definitely stick to Luoyang."

  Sun and Liu each said one sentence, which finally convinced Cao Rui.

  Cao Rui once again looked at Cao Shuang who had been silent all this time:

   "Cao Zhaobo, since you said that you are willing to serve the country with your death, then I will make you a general to assist the young emperor in the future. How dare you take on such a great task?"

  Cao Shuang finally heard Cao Rui's words, and immediately fell to the ground in ecstasy:

   "I would like to die with all my heart and soul!"

  Beads of sweat on the face finally dripped to the ground because of too much force.

  Cao Rui nodded invisibly, closed his eyes, and lay down on the couch with an extremely tired face:

   "I'm tired, you go down first."

  Sun and Liu saw that the big event had been decided, so they agreed with Cao Shuang.

   Coming out of the bedroom, Cao Shuang bowed to Sun and Liu repeatedly:

   "If it weren't for the two Zhongshu, Shuang'an would be where he is today? Just wait for His Majesty to really tell the world, Shuang will definitely come to the door to thank him in person."

  Sun Zi and Liu Fang looked at each other, both stroked their beards and smiled.

   "The general's words are serious. The two of us are just Zhongshu, how can the general treat each other like this?"

   "It's worth it, it's worth it. The two Zhongshu are the elders who follow Emperor Wu. They are not as good as the younger generation. In the affairs of the court, we will have to rely on the two elders in the future."

   "You are welcome, General. We are both old, but we have more knowledge. How dare we rely on it?"

   "Extremely, extremely. In the future, the court will still rely on the general to support the overall situation. If the general asks questions, we will know everything."

   To be precise, Sun and Liu now call Cao Shuang a general, which is more polite.

  Because there is a process for worshiping the general.

  Worshiping the general requires a gathering of officials, and the emperor sent by the emperor, Guang Luxun and others read out the imperial edict in public, and then Shang Shulang pays the censor with the seal and ribbon.

   Then the imperial servant will give the seal and ribbon, and finally gift utensils and other things, and this will be regarded as the official appointment as the general.

  But in the eyes of the three, since His Majesty has already agreed, it seems to be a certainty, and there is not much difference between calling early and calling late.

  Besides, in the current palace, would anyone dare to chew on the ears of the three of them?

  When Sun Liu and Cao Shuang thought they were successful, Cao Rui, who was already too tired to speak, suddenly opened his eyes in the emperor's bedroom behind them.

   "Lian Zhao."

   "Your Majesty?"

   Lian Zhao, who had been guarding the side of the couch, immediately joined in.

   "Now go and declare Cao Changshi to come to the palace immediately, remember, don't let anyone know."

   "No."

   At this time, Cao Yu, who had just come out of the palace, just turned a corner along the wall of the imperial city, and ran into a person head-on.

   "King Yan!"

  When Cao Yu saw Cao Zhao, he was shocked at first, and then his face showed a clear expression:

   "Chang Si has been staying here?"

   "Exactly."

  Cao Yu looked around, then lowered his voice:

   "Why didn't Chang Si enter the palace?"

  Cao Zhao had a worried look on his face, and said a little irritably:

   "Since I arrived in Xuchang, I have not been as convenient as in Luoyang. I can enter and leave the palace at will. In addition, your majesty has been in poor health, and the ministers are not allowed to enter the palace unless an edict is issued."

   "In the past few days, I have repeatedly requested to enter the palace to see His Majesty, but His Majesty has never issued an edict, and I have no choice."

  Cao Yu listened, his lips moved, but he didn't know how to say it to Cao Zhao.

  Cao Zhao didn't notice Cao Yu's expression, he just asked a little anxiously:

   "King Yan, what happened to His Majesty's body?"

"this…"

  Cao Yu hesitated for a moment, but stopped talking.

   "Prince Yan, I know that your majesty's physical condition is a secret of the palace, so don't inquire about it at will, but..."

  Cao Zhao tapped his left palm several times with his right fist, and stomped his feet at the same time, showing his inner anxiety:

   "I haven't seen His Majesty for too long, and I am worried about His Majesty's health."

   Seeing that Cao Yu still refused to speak out, Cao Zhao knew his difficulties, so he didn't continue to press him, but just changed the topic:

   "King Yan, when His Majesty was in Luoyang, he had the intention of appointing assistant ministers. His Majesty once revealed to me that he wanted to make King Yan a general and the head of the assistant ministers."

   Having said that, Cao Zhao glanced at Cao Yu.

  Cao Yu's face did not fluctuate much, he sighed:

   "I entered the palace today because of this."

   "Oh?" Cao Zhao immediately beamed with joy when he heard that, "Your Majesty has already made up his mind?"

  The haze in my heart for many days suddenly seemed to see the day of the clouds.

  As long as King Yan becomes a general, what worries do I have in the future?

  Cao Yu nodded:

   "Your Majesty wanted to make me a general, but I refused."

  Cao Zhaocai's face, which had just been stained with joy, froze immediately.

  He suddenly opened his eyes wide, opened and closed his mouth, but couldn't utter a word.

   After a while, he forced a smile and said:

   "King Yan, this joke is not funny at all."

  Cao Yu shook his head:

   "I'm not joking, I mean it."

  Is there any reason for an uncle to assist a nephew who is less than eight years old?

   At that time, the world will only laugh at him for being greedy for power and ignorant of reason.

   Besides, Cao Yu watched with his own eyes how Cao Pi and Cao Zhi fought to the death for the position of son.

  Cao Zhi's tragic situation after he failed in the battle for the throne was even more a warning to him.

  Based on the current situation of the Great Wei Dynasty, this battle between court and court is probably more dangerous than the battle between princes.

  He didn't even have a standing position back then, why should he still have to walk in this kind of cement pit that is destined to be impossible to climb up now?

   Do you want to live longer and get back?

  The most important thing is that Cao Yu has no confidence to deal with Sima Yi, Liu Fang, Sun Zi and other old foxes in the court.

  Not only do these people hold real power, but they are also old people who followed Emperor Wu in their early years. Could they be simple people?

  I just called myself to the court because of my friendship with the emperor when he was not a dignitary in the early years.

  How many foundations can there be?

   This is only from the court.

   Not to mention foreign enemies, no matter who is the general, they cannot avoid the big trouble of Shu captives.

   To put it bluntly, the Shu captives captured the Guanzhong River East, the emperor was forced to march eastward, and the Great Wei is now a mess.

   Whoever thinks he can take care of him will become that general. Cao Yu knows that he doesn't have the ability to take office by force, maybe it will only add chaos to the country.

  From this aspect, Cao Yu is indeed as self-aware as Sun and Liu said.

  But how could Cao Zhao know Cao Yu's complicated thoughts?

  He turned around in a hurry, his eyes turned red, like a wounded beast trapped in a narrow cage:

"How can you…"

   Probably felt that the tone was too blunt, so he lowered his voice, approached Cao Yu, and said eagerly:

   "How could His Highness refuse? This... this..."

  Cao Yu smiled:

   "I know that I don't have enough talent. For such an important task, let His Majesty choose another talented person."

  Before leaving, Cao Yu finally said a useful sentence for the sake of their friendship:

   "His Majesty will most likely choose the candidate for the general within these two days. If you want to make some suggestions, you should find a way to enter the palace to meet His Majesty as soon as possible."

  After speaking, he didn't stay any longer and left in a hurry.

  Cao Zhao looked at the back of Cao Yu leaving, and knew that King Yan was unreliable.

   When he was depressed, he had to regain his spirit immediately:

   "No, I must find a way to meet His Majesty."

  He was thinking about it, when he just turned the corner of the city wall, he suddenly froze.

   It turned out that the two of them stopped to talk just now, and it took a long time. The three of them, Sun, Liu, and Cao, also happened to leave the palace gate at this time.

  Cao Zhao retreated subconsciously.

  What he didn't see was that the three of them, Sun, Liu, and Cao, were about to leave, and Shang Shulang Lian Zhao, who had been staying by Cao Rui's side, was trotting to leave the palace.

   "Where does Shang Shulang want to go?"

  Cao Shuang was in a good mood, looking left and right, saw Lian Zhao with sharp eyes, and couldn't help but greeted with a smile.

   Lian Zhao's reaction was a bit strange.

  He shrank back in embarrassment, as if he had done something wrong.

  Cao Shuang hasn't noticed Lian Zhao's abnormality yet, but Sun and Liu are old and mature.

  Lian Zhao should be standing by His Majesty's side at this time, waiting for orders. Why did he leave the palace in a hurry?

  Must be...

   "Where does Shang Shulang want to go?"

  Sun Zi stepped forward slowly, with a smile on his face, as if chatting, and asked Cao Shuang's words again.

   "No...no, I just want to go out of the palace."

  Lian Zhao shook his head again and again.

  When Liu Fang saw Lian Zhao's appearance, he became suspicious:

   "Oh? Really? Just right, we also want to relax, why don't we go together?"

   "Hehe...this..."

   Lian Zhao took a step back, and Sun and Liu took a step forward.

  Lian Zhao had no choice but to retreat, and finally confided:

   "Your Majesty, I want to announce Cao Changshi to the palace."

"What?!"

   Cao Shuang, who had been unable to see the situation clearly, yelled immediately when he heard this.

   It caused Sun and Liu to look at him dissatisfied.

  Cao Shuang knew he had made a slip of the tongue, quickly lowered his voice, and looked anxiously at Sun and Liu:

   "You two Zhongshu, this... what should I do?"

  Although Sun Zi and Liu Fang were a little surprised, there was not much surprise on their faces.

  The two have been working together for a long time, and they already knew each other's mind when they met each other's eyes, and they said in unison: "Let's go!"

  (end of this chapter)