The world has thirteen states, with the Wei state occupying nine of them.
The sheer number of officials is so vast that even if only key positions were to be filled with loyal ministers, the workload was something that Cao Rui could not handle alone.
Before bestowing honors and rewards on a minister, one must examine their age, place of origin, background, merits and demerits, and make a fair assessment of their personal abilities and character. This requires reviewing various records and documents as well as preparing detailed summaries.
Therefore, the grand rewards this time were jointly created by the emperor and four attendants in the North Palace. They worked overtime for three consecutive days to complete all the tasks.
It is both a reward and a comprehensive review of the key officials in all positions.
A few days ago, in the Northern Palace, Attendant Xin Pi initially thought that such a reward was not appropriate. In Xin Pi's view, rewards should be bestowed upon ministers who have rendered great service to the state; otherwise, if everyone gets a share like watering, isn't it too cheap?
Long before Cao Pi succeeded his father, Xin Pi felt that it was inappropriate. When Xin Pi wanted to advise the emperor, he was directly stopped by the emperor.
Not a literal plugging of the mouth, but the emperor having already decided the rewards for four attendants and two chancellors himself before letting the attendants study the rewards for officials in the Outer Court.
What was once a Marquis of the Interior has now become a Marquis of the Pavilion; what was once a Marquis of the Pavilion is now a Marquis of the Village.
When such a reward falls on one's own head, who would want to make trouble with the title? Although Xin Pi's ancestral home is in Longxi, he was born in Yangdi, Yingchuan. From a Marquis of Guangping Pavilion, he has become a Marquis of Ying Village. Just the word 'Ying' is enough to buy Xin Pi off.
When Xin Pi asked the emperor why he was rewarding the officials, Cao Rui smiled and said, "After I granted Xin Zhi Chen a higher title, I thought of rewarding all the officials in the hall. They all want to thank Xin Zhi Chen!"
In the face of such jokes from the emperor, Xin Pi only felt helpless and unable to laugh or cry.
Cao Rui had a large screen made for the eunuchs, covered in Zuo Bo paper. The first step was to select the list of those to be rewarded, and the second step was to determine the specific rewards. Drawing and marking on the screen made it clearer and more straightforward.
Although most of the rewards were given out smoothly, there were still some exceptions that caused some doubts.
For instance, Meng Da.
One must seize opportunities in life, and especially in officialdom. Meng Da was a master at taking advantage of opportunities.
Long before Cao Cao's death, when Cao Pi was newly appointed King Wei and had not yet been crowned emperor, Meng Da, sensing that Cao Pi needed prestige and accomplishments, led his army of four thousand families in Upper Wu to pledge allegiance to Wei.
Cao Pi was in urgent need of prestige at the time. The tribute from all four corners and the surrender of enemy generals brought both face and substance to him, making him a big winner.
When Meng Da arrived in Qiao County to meet Cao Pi, he conducted himself with decorum and was outstanding in argumentative skills, causing everyone present to be impressed. Even when Cao Pi was out and about, he would ride in the same carriage as Meng Da and even joked with him, saying, "Are you not afraid that you are being followed by assassins for Liu Bei?"
Meng Da's favor with Cao Pi was well reciprocated, earning him the title of Senior Attendant, General of Jianwu, and the honorific title of Pingyang Pavilion Marquis. Cao Pi also merged the three regions of Fangling, Shangyong, and Xicheng into a new Xincheng region and appointed Meng Da as its Governor, entrusting Meng Da with all the administrative responsibilities in the southwest.
But after Cao Pi's death, the current emperor Cao Rui was all too aware of what kind of person Meng Da was. In just four words: a fickle and unscrupulous individual.
When discussing Meng Da's reward, Liu Ye initially expressed opposition.
Liu Ye addressed the emperor, saying, "I believe that Meng Da is a man who has repeatedly surrendered and defected. He relies on his talent and skill, and such a person cannot be influenced by rewards. Moreover, Meng Da is stationed in Xincheng. If he were to change sides, what would be the impact on Xiangyang and Jingzhou?"
Cao Rui was also rather surprised; Liu Ye's ability to discern people was indeed precise. In the original history, during Zhuge Liang's first Northern Expedition, he persuaded Meng Da to defect to Shu Han again, and Meng Da was actually swayed by Zhuge Liang's words and rebelled.
As it is only the end of Year 7 of the Yellow Calendar, the new emperor has not yet changed the era name. Assessing Meng Da's situation at this time should still be relatively stable.
Cao Rui then asked Huang Quan, who had previously served in Shu Han: "What do you think about granting Meng Da additional honors?"
After pondering for a moment, Huang Quan said, "I am quite familiar with Meng Da."
"Meng Da is from Feng County, and his father Meng He was appointed as the magistrate of Liangzhou by bribing Zhang Yan. Meng Da's future behavior is similar to that of his father, being very opportunistic."
"Meng Da, together with Fa Zheng, invited Liu Bei into Yizhou, but Meng Da was only appointed as the magistrate of Yi in charge of the defenses. On the other hand, Fa Zheng, who was involved in the same plot, was appointed as the magistrate of Shu and General of Yangwu by Liu Bei. He accepted the highest honors along with Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei."
"Liu Bei appointed Fa Zheng as the Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief to lead the northward occupation of Hanzhong. After Liu Bei was titled the King of Hanzhong, he appointed Fa Zheng as the Minister of Ceremonial and Commander-in-Chief. Meanwhile, Meng Da was still stationed in Shangyong, a remote and secluded area far from Chengdu."
"Meng Da had known Fa Zheng for more than thirty years. The disparity between Meng Da and Fa Zheng had caused Meng Da's heart to be quite unbalanced. In addition, when Guan Yu launched his attack on Xianggan and Xuchuan during the Northern Campaign, Meng Da and Liu Feng together had refused Guan Yu's request to deploy troops. After Guan Yu's death, Meng Da often feared being punished and had a poor relationship with Liu Feng. As a result of their disagreement, Meng Da was deprived of the drum beaters, leading him to choose to surrender to Wei."
Yellow Quan was also a defector from Shu Han, so it is somewhat strange to let a defector comment on another defector. However, Yellow Quan's words show no signs of hiding his disdain for Meng Da.
The most interesting thing about Meng Da is that before he defected to Wei, he actually wrote a personal letter to Liu Bei!
In the end of Meng Da's personal letter to Liu Bei, he wrote, "I am indeed a small person, unable to remain loyal." He also wrote, "Every time I hear about breaking off relations without bad news and leaving without complaints."
In essence, Meng Da meant, "I am indeed a small person, but you Liu Bei are a gentleman! Even though I have defected to Wei, you will not be like me and treat me poorly, right? The sarcasm is biting."
Yellow Quan summed it up with these words: "Your Majesty, if you wish to stabilize the three eastern commanderies, it would be better to summon Meng Da back to the capital to serve as an official, and then choose a wise and capable person to govern the eastern commanderies, rather than granting him additional honors to make him proud and rebellious."
After hearing Yellow Quan's words, Cao Rui faintly smiled and said, "Yellow Zhi Chen, you truly are a gentleman. You are using a gentleman's heart to estimate a small person. However, I think that if I were to summon Meng Da back to the capital and grant him additional honors during the time of rewarding the officials, would you believe that Meng Da would immediately turn against me upon receiving the edict?"
"How should we handle this?" Yellow Quan asked, frowning: "Does that mean we can only continue to grant Meng Da additional honors?"
Cao Rui smiled and shook his head, "Since Meng Da is undoubtedly a small person, he is neither loyal to me nor to Shu. If Meng Da wavers between Wei and Shu, it is merely because he sees who offers a higher price."
"Speaking of, what is the current title of Zhao Yun, a commander of Shu Han?"
Liu Ye, who had studied the enemies of Wei extensively, said, "Your Majesty, if my memory serves me well, Zhao Yun should have been given the title of a Marquis of the Pavilion after Liu Shuan succeeded him as emperor."
Cao Rui thought for a moment and said, "Zhuge Liang is also just a Marquis of the Village, isn't he? Marquis of Wu Village, correct?"
Liu Ye nodded in agreement, "As Your Majesty said."
Cao Rui smiled and said, "Then I have a better understanding of the situation. Note this down: change Meng Da's title of Marquis of the Pavilion to Marquis of the Village, placing him on the same level as Zhuge Liang. Additionally, grant Meng Da the title of General of Anxi that was previously held by Xiahou Mao."
"Liufeng once took away Meng Da's drum beaters, didn't he? Then let me bestow the drum beaters on Meng Da again to show that I have not forgotten him. Liu Zhi Zhong, you write a private letter to Meng Da for me."
"I don't believe that the price offered by Zhuge Liang to Meng Da could be higher than mine."
At this moment, Liu Ye also responded, "Your Majesty's actions will temporarily alleviate our concerns about Meng Da."
Cao Rui said, "Indeed, as long as we have no worries for the time being. All these things are just for the southern and eastern military campaigns."
……
December 2nd, Luoyang, the Imperial Academy.
The Imperial Academy in Luoyang was established during the reign of Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty. Emperor Liu Shao, also known as Emperor Guangwu, visited the Imperial Academy several times to watch discussions on Confucian classics and examined students' coursework himself. During the reigns of Emperor Shun and Emperor Ling, the number of students in the Imperial Academy reached a peak of over 30,000.
The terrifying scale of more than 30,000 students was larger than many universities or colleges in later times. To accommodate so many students, the Imperial Academy underwent another expansion, with 240 classrooms and 1,850 dormitories. For a time, the academic atmosphere in Luoyang flourished.
With so many students and teachers, and without the invention of the printing press at that time, it was extremely difficult to provide uniform textbooks. Therefore, Emperor Ling approved the proposal of Yanlang Cai Yong and ordered the establishment of forty-six stone tablets outside the gate of the Imperial Academy. Each tablet was about ten feet high and four feet wide.
Unfortunately, during the Dong Zhuo Rebellion, the tablets were destroyed and about half of them were damaged. When Cao Pi was in power, they ordered the restoration of the tablets and repaired the damage. The Imperial Academy was also rebuilt with new buildings and teachers were summoned to teach there again.
Originally, the affairs of the Imperial Academy were managed by Zhong Yin, a great tutor of the Imperial Academy. However, Zhong Yin was indeed old and the daily affairs of the Imperial Academy were handled by Gaotang Long, a great scholar of the Imperial Academy. The teaching duties were managed by Zheng Chao, a nephew of Zheng Xuan, who was referred to as "Jing Shen" or "Distinguished Scholar of Classics".
Although the Imperial Academy is a school, it is ultimately funded and operated by the court, so it inevitably involves many matters beyond education, one of which is enrollment.
The enrollment at the Luoyang Imperial Academy had no tradition of entrance examination, grading, or a unified study period and graduation. Given the chaotic system of education, who to enroll and who not to enroll was a matter decided by the court.
That's all about distributing pies.
Since the new emperor wants to improve and expand the Imperial Academy, the quality of the students must also be controlled. So, where is the best source of students? Of course, from Yu and Ying, as well as Wan and Luo.
Out of the first batch of five hundred slots, Yu and Ying, Wan, Luo, and Nanyang in Yuanchuan prefecture accounted for 200 slots out of these four prefectures.
The remaining seventy or eight other prefectures and kingdoms had to be split from the remaining three hundred slots. After much distribution, when it came time for the outlying area of Tian shui in Yongzhou, that one prefecture was left with a mere one slot.
Learning is supposed to be equal for everyone, but in matters of enrollment, some places are more equal than others.
The young military commander, Sima Shi, arrived at the Imperial Academy a bit early today and decided to stand outside to admire the stone scriptures.
Not long after, while reading the stone scriptures, Sima Shi heard someone calling him from behind.
Sima Shi turned around and saw that the person calling him was none other than Xiahou Xuan.
Dear readers, I am currently writing 6000 words per day, which is the best effort I can make, especially since I can only write at night. Those who think it's too short, take it as it comes! In the future, I will strive to improve my typing speed!
(Chapter ends)
