Gao Rou heaved a deep sigh again, his brow and eyes filled with worry: "Zhongda, this is knowing only one aspect but not the other."
"After the document was sent back to Luoyang, I went to talk about the implementation with Wei Zhen, who only recognized the Ministry of Engineering and the Ministry of Justice, leaving all three states and Yangzhou's military affairs completely in my hands and making me go and communicate with them myself."
Sima Yi laughed: "Did Wei Zhen do anything wrong? He is just the administrator of the capital city of Luoyang. It is normal for him to ignore other things."
Gao Rou said, "I tried to reason with Wei Zhen, but he only used his busy schedule concerning military affairs as an excuse. He also said that as the Minister of Justice, he had no authority to interfere in such matters. Even if he doesn't want to handle it, what harm is there in talking to them?"
Sima Yi replied, "Wei Zhen has always been a wise person who knows how to protect himself. If he doesn't want to handle it, then just let him be. Does the issuance of documents from your office of the Minister of Justice not work?"
"Nothing works, it doesn't work at all," Gao Ruo directly said.
Sima Yi raised an eyebrow and looked at Gao Ruo, "Brother Wenhui, don't rush. What are the intricacies of this matter? I have always been with the army, and I'm not clear on many things in the court."
Gao Ruo answered, "Wei Zhen has agreed to handle the assessment of the Ministry of Engineering and the Ministry of Justice, saying he will give me a reply later."
"But when I went to the Office of the Prime Minister to ask Fu Seng and Xu Miang, they turned me away again, saying that the assessment of the Ministry of Engineering and the Ministry of Justice should be handled by the Office of the Prime Minister, not by my office of the Grand Justice!"
"And they also said that as Master Sima isn't present, the Office of the Prime Minister cannot comply."
Sima Yi laughed and said, "Brother Wenhui, you don't need to overthink it. Fu Seng and Xu Miang are both good people. From my perspective, they just want to delay things for a bit, and there should be no ill intentions."
Gao Ruo shrugged his shoulders, still showing a lot of dissatisfaction in his words: "Fu Seng and Xu Miang's refusal is one thing. We are all in Luoyang, and the six departments and nine principals are of the same rank. I can also tolerate good words."
"But the documents sent to Liangzhou, Yanzhou, and Yu Province were all rejected by them! And the Grand Marshal's office acts as if nothing has happened. I have sent several letters to Shouchun, but there has been no response at all!"
Sima Yi rolled his eyes and said, "Brother Wenhui, I can't be found for this matter. You will have to go to the palace tomorrow to seek the emperor. I can still exert some influence over the Office of the Prime Minister, but I have no say over the prefectures and states or the military in Shouchun."
Gao Ruo said, "I will go to seek the emperor tomorrow. If I don't see the emperor soon, perhaps he will summon me himself."
"Zhongda, do you know how the governors of these three states are evading me?"
Sima Yi tried to suppress a smile: "What did they say?"
Gao Ruo, full of grievances, opened his mouth and said, "Sun Zi directly rebutted me, claiming that matters in the provinces do not fall under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Grand Justice, only under the control of the Office of the Prime Minister and the imperial edicts!"
"Huang Quan said that he is highly trusted by the emperor and manages the people in one area, so he is a straightforward and upright gentleman. Letting him investigate himself is not appropriate. If the conclusion is excellent, it might cause criticism from the officials and common people. If the conclusion is not excellent, even Huang Quan himself might not believe it!"
"Huang Quan asked me to send someone to investigate him. I can't spare many people from my office of the Grand Justice!"
Sima Yi said softly, "Sun Zi has been posted to Yanzhou; he's just venting his frustration at you. Don't pay him any mind. Just request an imperial edict from the emperor when the time comes, and Sun Zi will be as compliant as anyone."
"Huang Quan's words aren't entirely wrong. There is no reason for self-investigation."
Gao Ruo said, "Huang Quan is indeed a gentleman. However, your younger brother Sima Shuda has no sign of the gentlemanly demeanor he normally displays. His words are even more over the top."
Sima Yi laughed and stretched his leg, "You've been talking so much, it turns out Brother Wenhui is here to complain about Shuda!"
Beside him, Sima Shi found the conversation interesting. Just as he was about to raise his lips, following his father's words, he was glanced at by Sima Yi and quickly suppressed his smile.
Gao Ruo sighed, "Sima Shuda's words were the most offensive."
"He said that the western region has no taxes to send to Luoyang and cannot divert even a single grain of grain. As the governor of this region, if he follows the examination method, he will immediately be relieved of his duties and removed from office."
"He wrote to ask, saying whether the Office of the Grand Justice is deliberately looking for trouble with Sima Shuda or if he is merely doing nothing in his position?"
Sima Yi couldn't help but burst into laughter, and after laughing for a moment, he looked at Sima Shi and said, "Do you think all officials are gentlemen who are refined and courteous?"
"You know how your uncle was in Luoyang. Once he arrived in Liangzhou, within less than a year, he became the governor, and his words have become so bold."
Sima Shi finally dared to laugh and gestured with a bow to his father.
Gao Ruo looked at the father and son in front of him, with a helpless expression, and said, "If you want to laugh, go ahead. But if I don't say anything today, you will eventually know it yourselves."
"But Zhongda, I don't care about these small matters. A few words are all it is. My tolerance is not that narrow."
Sima Yi, seeing Gao Ruo's expression, also ceased his laughter and became serious, "Brother Wenhui, what are you worried about? Feel free to speak your mind."
Gao Ruo said, "Besides Cao Xu being ignored and treated as if I don't exist, the others like Fu Xun, Xu Miang, Sima Fu, Huang Quan, and Sun Zi have some reasonable grounds for their actions."
"Firstly, the division of authority and responsibilities must be clearly defined."
"The Office of the Grand Justice is the place for compiling the examination regulations, not for examining all officials of the Great Wei."
"Zhongda, look," Gao Ruo looked at Sima Yi, "The Office of the Censor originally has the authority to impeach. If we let the Office of the Censor examine all officials of the Great Wei, then is it not as if the Office of the Prime Minister's Department of Personnel is just an empty position?"
"Who should examine the governors of the provinces? Every province has its own unique situation. For example, Liangzhou is on the western frontier, struggling to manage its own affairs, let alone the provinces on the border facing enemies. Provinces like Qinzhou and Yangzhou - can they really be examined according to ordinary standards?"
Sima Yi continued, "There are also the military. The military also needs to be managed."
Gao Ruo leaned slightly forward, getting closer to Sima Yi. Just as he was about to say something, he glanced sideways at Sima Shi, who was seated behind Sima Yi.
"No problem!" Sima Yi said directly, "I can talk to Zi Yuan without reserve."
Gao Ruo nodded and said, "Zhongda, after thinking about it, the examination of officials in various provinces and territories should be under the jurisdiction of the Department of Personnel. As for the central army, it can be temporarily excluded. The examination of foreign armies and local military commanders should be under the jurisdiction of the Department of Military Affairs."
"But the six departments under the Office of the Prime Minister, each led by you and Wei Zhen. The Department of Military Affairs falls under your jurisdiction, while the Department of Personnel is managed by Wei Zhen!"
"You see, should I suggest this to the emperor? It involves both you and Wei Zhen, which is why I came to ask you tonight."
Sima Yi rubbed his chin and muttered, "Who should examine the six departments? The Office of the Censor?" However, without directly responding, he turned to Gao Ruo and asked, "Who should examine the six departments?"
Gao Ruo said, "If you had not called Xu Miang to the Office of the Prime Minister, it would be better with him in the Office of the Censor. Now Xu Miang is at the Ministry of Justice, and the Chancellor of the Court of Censorship Han Ji is too old and incapacitated to handle affairs."
"Zhongda, are you acquainted with Han Ji?"
Sima Yi shook his head, "Han Ji has been away from Luoyang for many years, serving as the imperial official in charge of weapons manufacturing and inspecting iron mines throughout the country. I don't know him well."
"But the Office of the Censor is still the Office of the Censor. The examination of the six departments can be entrusted to the Office of the Censor, otherwise His Majesty will definitely have doubts."
Gao Ruo nodded in agreement, "The examination of the six departments can be easily handled."
"Zhongda, do you have any suggestions for me regarding the division of the Office of the Prime Minister?"
Sima Yi remained silent for a while, sitting in his chair and slightly closing his eyes to contemplate. Gao Ruo also closed his eyes to cultivate his spirit, noticing Sima Yi's behavior.
Sima Shi watched the two men thoughtfully, his gaze shifting between his father and Gao Ruo, the Minister of Justice, as if deep in thought.
"Brother Wenhui, I have already made a decision," Sima Yi said slowly, opening his eyes, with a low and steady voice.
"Zhongda, what do you think?" Gao Ruo asked.
Sima Yi said, "I recall that when His Majesty divided the six departments, the Minister of Personnel, Yang Ji, was personally appointed by the emperor. And Yang Ji once served as the Commander of the Military Horse Guards, and he had a close relationship with His Majesty."
"It is more accurate to say that His Majesty personally keeps an eye on the Department of Personnel rather than letting Wei Zhen manage it. I have seen Yang Ji in the palace several times, not just once or twice."
Gao Ruo had never known about this and exclaimed in surprise, "Is His Majesty this meticulous? Does Yang Ji inform His Majesty about everything?"
Sima Yi gave Gao Ruo a sideways glance: "I am not a guard at His Majesty's side. How could I know whether His Majesty asks about everything?"
"Regardless of whether the emperor asks or not, Yang Ji does not belong to Wei Zhen's true subordinates."
Gao Ruo nodded, "I understand Zhongda's words. Zhongda can manage the Ministry of Military Affairs to the end, while Wei Zhen cannot do this with the Department of Personnel."
"Ultimately, if the task of examining all officials in the empire is given to the Office of the Prime Minister, doesn't it still mean that Zhongda has a heavier burden on his shoulders?"
Sima Yi pretended to sigh and said, "Serving the country as an official requires wholehearted loyalty. How can we avoid our duties just because there are many tasks?"
Now it was Gao Ruo's turn to smile.
Gao Ruo pointed at Sima Yi and said to Sima Shi, "Ziyuan should learn a lot from this Sima. His ability to speak like this is something I can't learn!"
Sima Shi knew that his father and Gao Ruo had a kind of alliance-like understanding.
But it was still about his father, and even though there were no wrong words in the conversation, it was not appropriate for him to laugh along with Gao Ruo. So he could only nod awkwardly in response.
Sima Yi said, "It's fine to hand it over to the Office of the Prime Minister. When will Brother Wenhui go to see His Majesty tomorrow? In the morning or in the afternoon?"
Gao Ruo thought for a moment before asking, "When does His Majesty usually have a better mood? I will come then."
Sima Yi smiled and said, "Then Brother Wenhui, please come in the afternoon. Don't come too late, as His Majesty will return to the palace too late."
Gao Ruo coughed lightly and cautiously asked, "Zhongda, I've also heard some rumors about His Majesty being ill in Chencang."
"Some say Cao Zhen has sealed off the internal and external affairs, while others say that Xiahou Xian was also demoted because of Cao Zhen."
"This fact is a secret, and I have heard it confusedly. Zhongda surely knows more. Is there anything that can be revealed?"
Is His Majesty ill?
Sima Shi was also slightly surprised by the news. His father had not mentioned it to me just now.
And Gao Ruo used the words 'contracted an illness,' which seems to indicate that it's not just a common ailment.
Sima Shi looked at his father, just as Gao Ruo did on the side.
Sima Yi coughed lightly and slowly looked at Gao Ruo: "Brother Wenhui has come to me to talk about the examination of officials, so let's just talk about that. This matter is confidential, and I should not say too much. Brother Wenhui should not ask outside anymore."
"Knowing too much may not be a good thing." (End of this chapter)
