Chapter 1310 Cao's Empress

  When Sima Zhao returned to his residence, Wang Yuanji, who had been waiting for a long time, greeted him and asked in a low voice, "How is it?"

   Sima Zhao’s originally dazed expression quickly disappeared after seeing his little gentleman, replaced by confusion:

   "My lord means that I should not go back to Luoyang for the time being."

  Wang Yuanji breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the words: "That's fine."

  There was a wry smile on Sima Zhao's face:

   "My lord has given me another matter, let me do it."

  Seeing Sima Zhao's expression, Wang Yuanji suddenly felt relieved, "What?"

  Sima Zhao swallowed a mouthful of saliva: "My lord told me to go to Chang'an to see Feng Mingwen."

"What!"

  Wang Yuanji's pretty face was full of shock and disbelief.

   It was hard to leave the dangerous place of Luoyang, but I didn't expect to go to the tiger's den and wolf's den again.

  I knew so...

   It's better not to let my Alang come to Yecheng!

  The wry smile on Sima Zhao's face grew stronger, and he shook his head:

   "I don't know what your lord means."

  He naturally didn't say what he was going to do in Chang'an.

  He still has this sense of confidentiality.

  Wang Yuanji didn't ask, but even if she didn't ask, she could guess a thing or two in her heart.

  So she just asked in a low voice of concern:

   "Is it dangerous for Alang to go to Chang'an?"

"I think should not be?"

  Sima Zhao said no, but he was a little hesitant on his face:

   "Didn't I also meet Feng Mingwen a few years ago? Wasn't there nothing wrong at that time? After all, the two countries are at war, and they don't kill each other."

  Wang Yuanji's lips moved, but in the end she didn't say anything.

  One moment and another moment.

  At that time, the Han Dynasty first won Guanzhong and Bingzhou and other places, but at this time, the world between the Han and Wei Dynasties has been turned upside down, how can they be compared?

   If you really want to meet someone who is unreasonable, even if you don't kill him, it will be terrible to detain him.

   Just thinking about the notorious Feng, Wang Yuanji felt that what her family Alang said was not completely unreasonable.

   Just listening to the rumors, it seems that all the evil things in the world have been done by someone Feng.

  But Wang Yuanji is no ordinary woman, how could she easily believe those rumors?

  But the more it spreads, the more Wang Yuanji does not believe that Feng, who can write such peerless articles, will be a person who has done all kinds of evil.

  As the saying goes, words are the voice of the heart, books are the paintings of the heart, between the articles, you can see the nature of your heart.

  In the end, she could only remind her: "Although that is the case, Alang must be very careful when he goes."

  Sima Zhao himself can take it easy:

   "You don't have to worry too much about my safety during this trip."

   After a pause, he finally couldn't help but sigh:

   "Compared to my trip to Chang'an, I am more worried about what will happen to Wei in the future, and what will happen to our Sima clan..."

  Wang Yuanji looked at Sima Zhao's dazed look, and comforted him:

   "My uncle let Alang go to Chang'an, it must have been arranged, why should Alang think too much? And even if Alang thinks more now, what's the use?"

   "It's better to think about it first. How to do the things that uncle ordered is serious."

  Sima Zhao was slightly startled when he heard Wang Yuanji's words:

   "Xi Jun, did you guess it?"

  Wang Yuanji lowered her eyes and said softly: "Guess what? I don't understand what A Lang is talking about."

  Sima Zhao knew that his Xijun had always been intelligent and far-sighted.

  Seeing that she refused to admit it at this time, she knew it was because the matter was of great importance, so she just pretended not to know.

  The two were relatively silent for a while, and finally Sima Zhao broke the silence:

   "The current situation is like this, so you don't need to worry about anything. A few days ago, my uncle wrote a letter saying that the Xiahou family had fled. It has a big impact. I am afraid that some people in Shandong have already begun to waver."

  The Xiahou family fled to the Han Dynasty, which pointed out a way for the Shandong clan.

  In addition to choosing between Sima Taifu and General Cao, they actually have a third way to go.

   It’s just that the price of this road is too high. Most of them have not reached the last step, so they naturally don’t want to choose it.

  So Sima Zhao just said that someone wavered.

  The uncle he was talking about was naturally Wang Yuanji's father, Wang Su.

  Wang Su is the son of Wang Lang. After Wang Lang's death, he inherited his Marquis of Lanling.

  While Cao Rui was still alive, Wang Su advised Cao Rui a lot, such as "light corvee service", "safety for the common people", "careful punishment", "emphasis on credit", "advocate frugality", "simplify the palace" and so on.

   It is quite prestigious in the court.

  Now in Xuchang, he has just been transferred from servant to Taichang.

  Sima Zhao suddenly brought up this question, but he didn't know if he was justifying his trip to Chang'an, or he was trying to find a topic.

   "Your Excellency is in Xuchang, but the life is actually not comfortable."

  Wang Yuanji frowned slightly, with a slightly sad look on her face, "With the temperament of an adult, he must not be used to He Yan and others."

   "Sooner or later, I will offend the villain one day, and I only hope that I will not be hurt by the villain."

   "Don't worry, the three dogs in Taichung are all greedy for profit. They exclude the upright people in the court, mostly to make it easier for them to make money."

   "Unless it is absolutely necessary, he will not put people to death. Especially for a person as famous as my uncle, at best, he will not be able to stay in the court."

   Having said that, Sima Zhao sighed:

   "To be honest, it doesn't matter if you don't stay in places like Xuchang. At that point, we can take care of my uncle in Yecheng."

  Wang Yuanji lowered her eyes again: "Let's talk about it later."

  General Cao is monopolizing power, and the three dogs in Taichung are in chaos, so it is certainly difficult to protect the family and the country.

  But when the first emperor was alive, my uncle was still unable to keep Chang'an with the help of the whole country of Wei.

   Now it is difficult to defend Luoyang.

   Whether Yecheng can be defended in the future is hard to say.

  Thinking of this, Wang Yuanji couldn't help feeling a little dazed:

   Great Wei, where will we go?

—

  The sixth year of Yanxi, and also the fourth year of the puppet Wei Zhengshi, a new year, a new beginning.

  Pseudo-Wei Emperor Cao Fang was twelve years old. During the first month of the lunar year, he was formally dressed in Canadian dollars, that is, he performed the crowning ceremony.

  Wang Su, who had just taken office as Taichang, immediately wrote to the emperor after Cao Fang added Yuanfu, suggesting that he should be appointed queen.

  When Cao Rui was alive, probably out of the psychology of compensating his biological mother Zhen, he not only ranked the uncles in the order of relatives, but appointed them separately, and the cumulative rewards reached ten thousand taels.

   Moreover, Zhen Yi, the father of the Zhen family, was posthumously granted the posthumous title of Jinghou of Ancheng Township, and his grandson Zhenxiang inherited the title.

  Even when Zhen’s mother, that is, Cao Rui’s grandmother, died of illness, Cao Rui disregarded the dissuasion of his ministers, and, as the emperor, violated the etiquette system and personally attended the funeral in hemp and filial piety.

   This is still the case for the living people, and Cao Rui admires Mrs. Zhen to the point where it cannot be added more.

  In addition to constantly sending people to sacrifice and raise the height of the tomb, Cao Rui even issued an edict declaring that Wenzhao Temple and Ancestral Temple enjoy the same sacrificial etiquette, and their status is tied with the Ancestral Temple.

   And engrave this regulation on the golden tripod and hide it in the golden cabinet to pass on to future generations.

  The concubine of Cao Fang, the crown prince established by Cao Rui, was also arranged by Cao Rui to be a member of the Zhen family—the granddaughter of Zhen Yan, the brother of the Zhen family, and Cao Fang's cousin.

   Now that Cao Fang has performed the crowning ceremony, according to the etiquette system, the concubine Zhen should also be promoted to queen.

  Wang Su's proposal is also aimed at this.

   This was a matter of smooth sailing, but when it came to General Cao, something went wrong.

  General Cao at the top also thought that Wang Taichang's suggestion was quite normal, and there was nothing wrong with it, so he pretended to discuss a few words.

  The matter was settled in this way, and it was decided to ask Yousi to choose a good day to formally confer the queen.

  Unexpectedly, after he came down to court, He Yan hurriedly approached Cao Shuang:

   "Why did the general easily agree to Wang Ziyong's proposal? This is probably Sima Zhongda's conspiracy!"

   Cao Shuang was taken aback when he heard this:

   "Why did Uncle Ping make such a statement? I think it is the right thing for the emperor to perform the coronation ceremony and establish a queen. How did it become Sima Zhongda's plan?"

  He Yan stomped his feet, with an anxious expression on his face, and hurriedly explained:

   "General, Yan Fei is saying that the empress should not be made, but that the Zhen family should not be made the empress!"

   Probably came here in a hurry, He Yan breathed a sigh of relief, and then continued:

   "The general must have forgotten, where is the original family of the Zhen family?"

  After being reminded by He Yan, General Cao slapped his forehead and called out:

   "Oops! I actually forgot this section!"

  The Zhen family was originally a big family in Hebei, and after Cao Rui's vigorous promotion, all uncles, nephews, and nephews were all enshrined as marquises. Now they are already one of the top famous families in Wei State.

   During the Battle of Guanzhong, Cao Rui made a hasty tour to the east. Naturally, many members of the Zhen clan, who were relatives of the emperor, followed him to Xuchang.

   But don't forget, the clan of the Zhen family is in Zhongshan County, Hebei.

   Mrs. Zhen was buried in Yecheng, and many members of the Zhen family guarded her tomb there.

   That's all.

   However, Cao Shuang has done a lot of arrogance over the years.

   Among other things, just moving the empress dowager to live in another palace and preventing her from seeing the young emperor is enough to make the general stand on the opposite side of the royal family.

   Not to mention, Hebei is now in the hands of Sima Taifu.

  If you really want to establish Zhen Shi as the queen, it will not only strengthen the power to support the emperor, but at the same time, it will be used by Sima Taifu.

  The more General Cao thought about it, the more he regretted it. He stomped his feet resentfully, gritted his teeth and said:

   "Old man Wang, your thoughts are so vicious! How dare you deceive me like this?"

  He Yan nodded, affirming:

   "What the general said is true! Thinking that Prince Yong and Sima Zhongda are related by marriage, today's discussion must have something to do with Sima Zhongda."

   "These two people, one inside and the other outside, are connected to each other, and they want to put the general at a disadvantage."

  General Cao's complexion became ugly:

   "Prince Yong is a public servant, and he is quite prestigious in the court. If there is no fault, I'm afraid I can't move him."

   "And the urgent matter now is to establish the next thing..."

  Thinking and thinking, but I don't know how to solve this matter.

  After all, it is a matter of becoming a queen, but I personally agreed in the court.

   You can’t go back on your word in public, can you?

   Besides, what does it look like if the emperor is not allowed to be the empress?

  The climate in early spring was still a bit chilly, but Cao Shuang was obese and prone to sweating. When he was in a hurry, his forehead would sweat immediately.

  He looked at He Yan expectantly:

   "Uncle Ping, in your opinion, what should we do now?"

  He Yan said decisively:

   "General, according to Yan, first of all, the Zhen family can never be established as a successor."

  When General Cao heard this, he immediately looked embarrassed, and said with a little hesitation:

   "But, Uncle Ping, this Zhen family is the crown prince and concubine appointed by the late emperor. If you don't make him the queen, I'm afraid it will be difficult to block the mouths of the world."

   "At that time, I am afraid that the ministers of the court will also say that I do not follow the etiquette..."

  He Yan's eyes flickered, and he gestured to the left and right with his eyes.

  Cao Shuang understood, screened everyone, and then looked at He Yan:

   "Why did Uncle Ping teach me?"

  He Yan then approached General Cao and said softly:

   "What is the general worried about? In the past, Emperor Wen bestowed the death of Empress Wen Zhao to establish Concubine Guo; the first emperor abolished the concubine and established the Mao family, and then bestowed death on the Mao family, and then established the Yu family."

  In fact, there was Emperor Wu, but that was He Yan's adoptive father, so he dared not say it.

   "These repetitions can be said to be in accordance with the etiquette system? It can be seen that Cao's treatment of the concubines in the harem is mostly not in accordance with the etiquette."

  As Cao Cao's adopted son, He Yan was deeply loved by Cao Cao and treated him like other princes.

   It's a pity that Cao Pi hates him so much that he doesn't even want to call him by his name.

  So in Cao Pi's time, he didn't even have an official position.

  Fortunately, Cao Pi is a short-lived ghost, and he will pass after a while.

  Who expected that when his son Cao Rui came to the throne, he also didn't like him, thinking that he was a pompous person, so he deliberately didn't use him, and only let him hold some superfluous official positions.

   As a famous scholar of metaphysics in the Wei Dynasty, He Yan was originally eager to get rich and follow the trend. How could he not be full of resentment towards Cao Pi and Cao Rui when he was treated like this?

  At this time, he used the past events of the two to persuade General Cao. Apart from not wanting to establish the Zhen family as the empress, he might not have kept the evil of the two, so as to express his evil thoughts:

  I think that when Emperor Wu was still there, my clothes were imitated by the prince, but no one said anything about them.

  You waited for father and son to suppress me with personal grievances, did you think that I would still be here today?

  He Yan grew up with Cao Pi since he was a child, and the relationship between the two is not good. Compared with others, he naturally has less respect for Cao Pi and Cao Rui.

   "Hmmm..."

  General Cao didn't speak, he still seemed to be hesitating, but it could be seen that there was already a look of excitement on his face.

  Seeing this, He Yan quickly struck while the iron was hot:

   "If the general finds it inconvenient to come forward and regret the matter, there is actually one person who can make a name for the general."

   Cao Shuang immediately asked, "Who is it?"

  He Yan pointed in a certain direction and said softly: "It is the empress dowager."

  Cao Shuang was surprised:

   "The queen mother has a deep prejudice against me, how can she be willing to issue an edict for me?"

  He paused, and then asked He Yan tentatively:

   "Uncle Ping wants me to act in the name of the Empress Dowager?"

   If this is the case, there is nothing wrong with it.

   It's just that the officials in the court are not all fools, and they can see that this is the edict of the empress dowager.

   At that time, I am afraid that the ministers in the court will scold themselves for authoritarianism and chaos.

well…

  Although the power is now firmly established, there are always opportunities, and the forbidden soldiers, Xuchang is under his own control.

  But there are always some stubborn guys in the court, and they have no excuses, and it is not good to treat them, which is really a headache.

  Unexpectedly, He Yan smiled calmly:

   "Don't worry about it, the general. I have a plan. I can let the queen mother ignore the previous suspicions and personally issue this edict to the general."

  Cao Shuang was surprised and delighted:

   "The plan will be released?"

  (end of this chapter)