Four years ago, Cao Rui held a grand wedding and married Yu, who was born into a prominent aristocratic family in the country of Henan. This arrangement was made under the sponsorship of the late Emperor Cao Pi.
Ju Shi, as the Empress of Cao Rui, wanting the position of empress after Cao Rui acceded to the throne could be understood.
The problem is, Cao Rui and Yu Shi are not at all familiar with each other now!
Furthermore, Wei Kingdom inherited the Han system, and the Han Dynasty did not have a rule that the empress would automatically be crowned as the queen.
Just as Cao Rui entered the sleeping quarters, you Yu Shi threw a seductive glance and immediately asked for the position of Empress? The establishment of an Empress is an extremely serious political issue!
Moreover, Cao Rui is determined to be an emperor who enjoys his time. Why would he want to bring trouble to himself by early coronation of a queen?
Cao Rui coughed lightly and retreated slightly backwards.
"Alright... The matter of establishing the empress can wait. I will consult with the empress dowager before making a decision."
Ju Shi's beautiful face showed a hint of anger, and she let out a light snort before standing up by herself and sitting back down in front of the dressing table.
It was obvious that she was waiting for Cao Rui to come and comfort her.
From Cao Rui's perspective, it was like in modern times, two people were getting to know each other and dating. The girl opposite was also very beautiful, but as soon as they sat down and ordered a cup of coffee, the girl asked Cao Rui to add her name on his property certificate.
Cao Rui suddenly felt a bit bored, turned and walked towards the bed without looking back, and said to Yu Fei without turning around.
"Yu Fei, you can go out and find a place to sleep by yourself! I am tired, I will go to bed first."
Ju Shi became angrier and stood up to glare at Cao Rui.
"Cao Rui, did you forget about me just because you became the emperor?"
"Are all the people of the Cao family like this?"
"Cao Rui at the moment also angered."
Cao Cao or Cao Pi were both somewhat notorious in this regard. Cao Cao's original wife, Ding, had divorced him and refused to see him again. Cao Pi even executed Cao Rui's biological mother, Zhen.
Ju Shi was making a veiled insult, and as an emperor, Cao Rui could not tolerate this.
"Send for the guards, where are they?"
The two guards on duty outside the palace pushed open the door and ran in, their armor clashing loudly.
"Remove Yu Fei... please take her out and send her back to her own palace!"
"Yes!"
The two guards exchanged a glance, and walked over to the side of Yu Fei.
Yu Fei looked around to her sides, her almond-shaped eyes wide with anger, staring at Cao Rui: "Oh, Your Majesty, I will leave myself. There's no need for you to send people to escort me!"
"I will go find the Empress Dowager tomorrow and seek justice!"
A moment later, there was a loud slam as the door to the palace was shut.
The palace chamber fell silent.
"Oh." Cao Rui lay alone on the bed, sighing slightly with a worried expression.
Yu Fei's demand for the position of Empress was a domestic matter that Cao Rui could handle by himself.
As early as the third year of the Huangchu reign, the late Emperor Cao Pi issued an edict stating, "The involvement of a wife in politics is the root of chaos. The families related to the Empress should not be allowed to assist in governing." In the current Wei Dynasty, there was no power for the palace women or their relatives; there was no need to worry about it.
However, there are many officials in the outer court. Even the late Emperor Cao Pi left four assistant ministers of government.
Cao Zhen and Cao Xu, two members of the imperial family, have been leading armies for a long time. Sima Yi and Chen Jun have been in charge of the government for many years.
Let alone the numerous veteran ministers who had contributed greatly to the foundation of the state by following Cao Cao in his entrepreneurial endeavors.
Who doesn't have personal interests?
Ju Shi wanted to become the empress and shouted at Cao Rui for it.
Can others be without personal interests? Cao Zhen and Cao Xu wouldn't want more power over the military?
Sima Yi, when did he start thinking of usurping the throne?
Thinking and thinking, Cao Rui was unable to fall asleep for a long time. In the days without air conditioning, the heat at night was enough to drive one crazy.
...
At the same time, within Sima Yi's mansion.
The candle in the study was still burning. Sima Shi picked up the wick, and looked at his father, who was writing down something at the desk.
Sima Shi said with a smile, "Father, you've been back home only a few days after returning from the palace. I haven't had the chance to congratulate you on becoming one of the assistant ministers of state."
Sima Yi snorted coldly: "What's there to congratulate?"
"When the late emperor was alive, I and Chen Jun jointly controlled the Secretariat. What difference does it make with being an assistant minister of state?"
"Although I was given the title of Military Commander-in-Chief by the late emperor before he passed away, my duties and powers have not changed in the slightest."
Sima Yi dipped his brush in ink and continued writing on the bamboo tablet.
Sima Shi nodded: "Father, you're exactly right. It seems that whether the late emperor is dead or not, it doesn't make much difference to our family."
Sima Yi's pen hesitated, leaving a heavy ink spot on the bamboo tablet.
"Subelem, keep your mouth shut. Disrespectful words cannot be spoken even in a dark room. The late emperor was just ascending to heaven like a dragon."
"Yes, yes, yes, ascending to heaven like a dragon. Son knows his mistake."
Sima Shi acknowledged the mistake with his mouth, but his expression didn't change at all.
"Father, assistant ministers of state are mostly set up for young monarchs. But the emperor is already twenty-three years old, yet there are four assistant ministers of state, a kind of political landscape that has never been seen before."
Sima Yi put down his brush and looked at his nineteen-year-old eldest son, whose sharp eyes were particularly striking in the candlelight.
"Ziyuan, come and analyze the current political situation."
Sima Shi was silent for a moment: "Before Emperor Wu of the Western Han died, he appointed Ho Guang, Jin Ridi, Shangguan Jie, and Sang Hongyang as assistant ministers of state. Jin Ridi died early, and Ho Guang carried out a coup to kill Shangguan Jie and Sang Hongyang, from then on the state affairs were all under Ho Guang's hand."
"Even among the assistant ministers of state, there are struggles for power. Father has been in charge of the Secretariat for a long time without any military power, which is the crisis."
"But the current emperor is already twenty-three years old and is capable of governing the state himself. Cao Zhen and Cao Xu are loyal to the late emperor, so they should not cause any trouble."
Sima Yi nodded: "Ziyuan is right."
"The threats from the Western Shu and Eastern Wu are all around, and there will be no major changes within the Great Wei. Cao Zhen going to Yongnan and Cao Xu going to Xuchang is their original purpose, which lies in the battlefield."
"Me and Chen Jun have jointly recorded the affairs of the Secretariat for many years. It's unlikely that there will be any significant changes in the political landscape in the short term."
Sima Yi continued to say.
"Ziyuan, as a father, I always ask you to read history books."
"Do you remember how Emperor Wen of the Han dynasty governed the country when he first came to power?"
Sima Shi inherited the academic genes of the Sima family and had a good memory since he was a child, so this question was not difficult for him.
In his mind, a simple organization followed. Sima Shi cleared his throat and said: "Before the accession of Emperor Wen of the Han, he was a vassal king in the state of Dawei. After Zhou Bo et al. killed the Princes Li and Liang, they welcomed Emperor Wen to Chang'an."
"On the night of Emperor Wen's accession, he appointed Xiang Chang, his confidant, as the General of Guards, and Zhang Wu as the Master of the Palace, giving them control over the military inside and outside the palace."
"For martial officials like Zhou Bo, he first rewarded them for their merits and then sent them back to their respective realms, from then on Emperor Wen held the reins of power."
"Why did you ask about Emperor Wen of the Han?" Sima Shi looked at his father, and the flickering candlelight made his face bright and dim.
Sima Yi took a deep breath: "Liu Ye was summoned by the emperor in the afternoon, had a half-day talk with him, and I and Chen Jun stopped Liu Ye at the Secretariat."
"According to Liu Ye's account, the current emperor is very much like Emperor Wen of the Han."
Sima Shi's face showed surprise: "Liu Ye is saying that the current emperor wants to govern the country himself and take power?"
Sima Yi snorted lightly: "Liu Ziyang didn't say anything. He's as slippery as an eel. Let's see how the emperor governs tomorrow."
Sima Shi laughed: "Being like Emperor Wen is better than being like Emperor Huang Hao or Emperor Ling, and you're not going to be Ho Guang."
At this point, Sima Shi paused for a moment before continuing:
"Son, I've heard these two days that the people of Luo are spreading rumors about a diviner named Zhu Jianping who gave the late emperor a reading."
Sima Yi raised an eyebrow and looked at his son.
"In recent days, I've been in the palace, and I haven't paid much attention to the matters of the outer court. Tell me everything."
Sima Shi continued to speak.
"In Luo, it is rumored that when the late emperor was still a Judge of the Five Departments, at a banquet, he invited the fortune teller Zhu Jianping to read the faces of everyone present."
"The late emperor asked about his own lifespan, and Zhu Jianping said that the late emperor would live to be eighty years old. However, he would face a minor setback at the age of forty."
"It is also said that it was the late emperor's decision to replace Han with Wei that angered the heavens, causing the minor disaster to become a major one. Some even claim that Zhen Shi has come to take her revenge..."
Sima Yi's brow furrowed: "Enough! Such profane and rebellious talk is forbidden from now on and must not be mentioned to anyone else."
Sima Shi was somewhat aggrieved after being scolded by his father: "Father, it wasn't I who said those words. It's just that the late emperor died too early!"
Sima Yi got angry, slammed his hand on the table, and said, "Ziyuan, why haven't you learned the lesson of refraining from speaking ill of others? Disaster comes from careless words!"
"You are not allowed to step out of the door for the whole month. You must reflect on your actions."
Sima Shi, seeing that his father was truly angry, quickly stood up, bowed, and said goodbye: "Son knows his mistake. Father, please rest early and don't stay up too late."
Sima Yi waved his hand, and Sima Shi quietly left the house, closing the door behind him.
Only Sima Yi remained, staring into space in front of the candlelight on the desk, and it was unclear what he was thinking.
