That evening, at the Northern Palace, the study.
"Lady Dong has arrived? Please, sit down!"
Seeing Dong Zhao enter the study, Cao Rui hurriedly pointed to an adjacent seat to indicate for Dong Zhao to sit down.
"Thank Your Majesty." Dong Zhao wasn't polite either, and he directly sat down and looked at the emperor.
Cao Rui stood up, and then picked up a bowl of porridge that was still steaming hot from his own desk, placing it on the small table next to Dong Zhao.
Dong Zhao bowed his hands: "Thank the Emperor for the porridge. But as I am getting older, it's not good to digest food at this time; I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep well all night."
"No, no." Cao Rui smiled and shook his head: "This porridge of mine is not like ordinary porridge."
Dong Zhao looked at the emperor's face, which was thinner than it had been the previous year and had more prominent angles.
"What makes this porridge different?" Dong Zhao asked with a touch of politeness.
Cao Rui smiled and looked at Dong Zhao and said: "Have you ever met Lu Bu?"
Dong Zhao was somewhat surprised, for a moment he couldn't figure out the emperor's intention, but still replied: "Your Majesty, I haven't seen Lu Bu. When I began my official career in Jizhou, after leaving Jizhou and joining Emperor Wu's command, Lu Bu had already been defeated."
"Marquis Wen Lu Bu, right?" Cao Rui pointed to the bowl of porridge, "This porridge is made from yam (shanyao), which is quite nourishing. It's fine for the elderly to eat it at night."
"The origin of this yam, is actually in the former territory of Marquis Wen Lu Bu, in Wen County."
"Wen County in Henan Prefecture?" Dong Zhao squinted and thought for a moment before saying: "I remember that the Minister of Works is from Wen County, right?"
Cao Rui nodded: "Yes, indeed. Wen County in Henan Prefecture is truly a good place."
Dong Zhao also showed a faint smile: "Since Your Majesty has bestowed it, I will also taste this yam porridge from Wen County."
After eating a few spoons, Dong Zhao said: "It's indeed different from ordinary porridge, thicker and more viscous. It seems that it can nourish fluids."
Dong Zhao put down the bowl: "Your Majesty, do you have any important matters to discuss with me? Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, this is the first time I have entered the palace at night."
Cao Rui smiled and nodded: "Yes, there is something. Inviting Uncle Dong to come over at night is also to see if his body is still robust."
Dong Zhao's eyes seemed to brighten for a moment, and then he replied: "My body is still sturdy, and I can still serve Your Majesty for a few more years."
"Ha ha ha," Cao Rui smiled and waved his hand: "I like to talk to Uncle Dong. Uncle Dong is indeed a wise man of the world."
Cao Rui spoke leisurely, "I have chosen a room on each side of this study, east and west, for the General and the Minister of Works to work in the palace."
"The General is in the West Pavilion, and the Minister of Works is in the East Pavilion. What do you think, Uncle Dong?"
Dong Zhao immediately asked: "What will happen to the General's mansion when the General and the Minister of Works enter the palace?"
Cao Rui said: "The General's mansion will remain as it is, leading the national military affairs as usual."
Dong Zhao asked further, "Will future imperial edicts and military orders all come from the palace from now on?"
Cao Rui nodded.
Dong Zhao bowed and said: "The emperor's design is indeed brilliant!"
Cao Rui looked up at Dong Zhao, clearly indicating that Dong Zhao had understood his meaning.
Cao Rui wasn't wasting any time: "If only the General and the Minister of Works enter the palace, there might be some neglect. I have appointed Wei Zhen Wei Gong as the Minister of Works' assistant, but there is still no deputy for the General."
"Uncle Dong, come as the General's deputy, and help the emperor oversee military affairs!"
Dong Zhao rose without hesitation, bowed to the emperor, and said: "Your Majesty has given me a great responsibility, and I will not decline it at all costs."
Cao Rui hurriedly said: "What do you mean by 'dying'? Uncle Dong is over seventy years old. Doesn't he mind?"
"What's the difference between being superstitious and not? In the end, everyone will die," Dong Zhao said. "What does Your Majesty want me to do?"
Cao Rui looked at Dong Zhao's eyes: "Uncle Dong, what do you want to do?"
Dong Zhao shook his head: "Although I also have a rudimentary understanding of military affairs, I am not an expert in them. Please let Your Majesty make the decision."
Cao Rui said: "During my southern campaign, I found that there are many outdated practices in the central army, the outer armies, and the regional troops, and most importantly, they are related to personnel matters."
"Personnel matters?" Dong Zhao raised his eyes and noticed that his bags under his eyes became more prominent under the candlelight.
"That's right." Cao Rui nodded: "Isn't it personnel? Didn't I transfer the original Administrator of Henan State Jia Qi to Wu Kou as the main general? Does Uncle Dong know what Jia Qi has been doing in the Southern Campaign?"
Dong Zhao shook his head: "I only know that Your Majesty has achieved a great victory. The specific actions of each general, I truly do not know."
"Then I will tell Uncle Dong," Cao Rui said. "After Jia Qi arrived in Shouchun, he was immediately sent by the Grand Marshal to Wu Kou to build a camp for 20,000 people. It took him about twenty days."
"After the camp was built, he began to repair the roads. After the roads were repaired, he built another camp," Cao Rui shook his head. "Jia Qi's forces never engaged in much fighting throughout the campaign."
"Does Uncle Dong think this is absurd?"
"This..." Dong Zhao thought for a moment: "In the military, the general usually commands unconditionally. Such things may be difficult to stop."
Cao Rui nodded: "That's exactly it. I myself in Shouchun, have witnessed the Grand Marshal using his official power to suppress his subordinates. If I were not in Shouchun, I'm afraid I wouldn't know how the battle would turn out."
"I didn't understand before why Emperor Wu and the former emperor would personally lead troops in major battles."
"Emperor Wu is a military strategist of great talent, which is well known to the world. I also know this. But the former emperor was not renowned for his military prowess, yet he still accompanied the army in battle."
"Apparently, it was to ensure that the officials do not cause trouble!" Cao Rui sighed. "If I don't personally supervise, using personal relationships, suppressing colleagues, and allowing friendly forces to be sacrificed in battle, is this something you would believe or not?"
Dong Zhao, on the other hand, smiled: "I would like to congratulate Your Majesty. With such insight, it seems that none of the generals in the army can escape Your Majesty's control."
"Not necessarily." Cao Rui gently shook his head: "Although I am the emperor and have won a victory, I haven't yet reached the point where I am confident that everyone in the army shares my loyalty."
"Take your time, take your time." Dong Zhao advised: "Your Majesty is in the prime of his life and there's no rush. If six months isn't enough, wait a year. If three years isn't enough, wait five."
Cao Rui nodded slightly: "That makes sense."
"That's right, Uncle Dong!" Cao Rui said. "Between names and reality, only the army is the reality. Therefore, this time I will let Uncle Dong help me keep an eye on the army, on the eleven states of Wei, and these three hundred thousand troops."
Dong Zhao's expression also gradually grew serious: "I am honor-bound to do so! I understand, Your Majesty is using me to monitor any unreasonable matters among the various generals."
"Yes," Cao Rui said: "Anything related to personnel, deployment, military orders... everything related to the army must go through Uncle Dong."
"I really don't want to see the same thing happen with Grand Marshal and Jia Qi. Whenever I think about it on my way back, I wonder if the Grand Marshal will order Jia Qi to fight to the death if I were not there."
"If such things happen repeatedly over several battles, even if the army is still officially part of the Great Wei, it would be like the personal army of the commanding general."
Dong Zhao bowed and said: "I understand. Your Majesty uses me because of my experience and insight. I will certainly do my best and be responsible for guarding the palace."
Cao Rui said: "I understand Uncle Dong's intention. I remember that Uncle Dong has only one son, right? What position does he currently hold?"
Dong Zhao replied: "My son, Dong Zhou, is now forty-two years old and serves as a Provincial Surveyor of Fields in Qingzhou."
"That's too low. This position is too low." Cao Rui asked: "Does Uncle Dong want his son to join the army or be a herdsman?"
Dong Zhao's mind was clear like a mirror, knowing that the emperor was giving him a favor.
But wasn't he recommending himself to the emperor at the arsenal last year, waiting for this moment of the emperor's heavy trust, all in order to benefit his descendants?
Dong Zhao slowly answered: "I am well aware of my son. He truly lacks the ability to lead troops and fight battles."
Cao Rui said: "How about this? I will call in the Administrator of Yingchuan into the palace in a few days, and let Dong Zhou serve as the Administrator of Yingchuan."
Upon hearing the emperor's words, Dong Zhao immediately knelt down and made a deep bow.
There is a significant difference between a two-thousand-weight official and another two-thousand-weight official, and administrators are not all the same.
The most prestigious administrators in the world are those of large prefectures such as Nanyang, Henan, Wei Prefecture, and Ping'an.
As for the smaller, poorer prefectures like Yongliang and Youbing, their positions are nowhere near as good as those of the larger, prosperous prefectures.
Yingchuan is just next to the Administrator of Henan, making it one of the best counties near the Imperial Palace. It is worth bowing three times to accept this position from the emperor for one's son.
Cao Rui saw this and took a few steps forward to help the elderly man get up. "Uncle Dong, please rise. I believe there is some mutual understanding between Your Majesty and Uncle Dong, so there's no need for such formalities."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness," Dong Zhao said. "When should I enter the palace to take up my post?"
"Tomorrow is a day off for rest and preparation. We will start on the day after tomorrow! As for the specifics of the West and East Halls, Your Majesty has only a rough outline in mind."
"As long as they are near Your Majesty, the details of workflows and other minor matters can be adjusted slowly in the future."
"Uncle Dong, as Your Majesty commands."
...
Two days later, at the Ministry of Works.
Sima Yi came down from the palace, stood in the courtyard of his home, and looked at the cart of wine brought by Jiang Ji, involuntarily furrowing his brow.
"Zitong, what are you doing?" Sima Yi asked.
"Come over and pay homage to the Prime Minister," Jiang Ji said with a smile. Seeing Sima Yi frown, he explained: "I'm not sure how long it will take me to return from Yangzhou. I can't take these wines with me, and my wife and children don't drink wine. So I'll keep them here for now."
"Sent to me?" Sima Yi looked at the tightly sealed jars of wine and casually replied, "Whether I drink them myself or give them to someone else, that's up to me."
"A cartload of wine, it has already been delivered to your estate. Of course, it is up to you to do with it as you please," Jiang Ji smiled and shook his head.
The two men walked towards the study.
Sima Yi slowly said, "You're leaving tomorrow?"
Jiang Ji nodded, "Yes, we need to leave early tomorrow morning."
"In the Yellow Seal era, officials had more than a fortnight to prepare before taking office. In the Taiping period, after receiving an appointment, they were only allowed to stay in the capital for three days."
(End of chapter)
