Cao Rui faintly nodded: "White Horse King Biao, born in Year 20 of Xingping, was awarded the title of Shouchun Marquis in the 21st year of Jian'an, and was promoted to the title of Youyang Marquis in the second year of Huang Chu. He was then transferred to the title of Baima."
"If Emperor Wu conferred the title of Shouchun on you early in life, then you should serve as a lieutenant in Shouchun, under the command of General Cao Tai of the East.
"Are you willing to go?"
Cao Biang kept bowing repeatedly: "My lord, I am willing to go! As long as I can serve the great Wei, I am willing to go!"
Cao Rui smiled and shook his head: "White Horse King, please get up quickly. If others see this scene, they may say that I am being harsh to the imperial family."
"I dare not, and I thank Your Majesty for your imperial grace!"
After Cao Biang stood up and straightened his back, the excitement he couldn't suppress was still visible on his face.
"Very well, the next one," Cao Rui said in a deep voice.
Cao Yu stepped forward and saluted, stating that he wished to have an official position in Luoyang like an ordinary scholar, and nothing more.
Cao Yu and Cao Rui are of similar age, and they have known each other since their childhood. They didn't expect this relationship to be useful in more than a dozen years later.
Cao Rui said, "Single Father King wants to serve as an official like a scholar, so you can go to the Ministry of Rites as a Lang. However, what specific duties you will have, it is still up to the left Emperor's arrangement."
"Understood?"
Cao Yu bowed in gratitude and said, "I had never thought that I would be able to serve in the Ministry of Rites. I will certainly use all my wisdom and effort to fulfill my duties and repay Your Majesty's great grace."
Cao Rui looked at Cao Yu and nodded slightly in response.
With Cao Zhi, Cao Biao, and Cao Yu shining as precedents, the remaining few also felt more emboldened in speaking up, and Cao Rui granted their requests one by one.
Prince Huaiyang Cao Gun went to study in the Chongwen Observatory.
Prince Jilou Cao Gan, being young, was granted a mansion in Luoyang and later entered the Grand Academy several years later.
However, the three Princes of Juancheng Cao Lin, Xiangyi Cao Jun, and Shou Zhang Cao Huixi all indicated that they did not wish for official positions and only desired to enjoy the comfortable and luxurious lifestyle of the imperial family.
Cao Rui could understand their feelings very well.
Having been confined to their fief for nearly ten years, they had grown tired of being officials and abandoned all their fantasies about the imperial court. What harm in enjoying some wealth and rank, given their identity as the son of Cao Cao?
As a member of the imperial family, seeking wealth and stability is acceptable. It is just a title of a small county, and with the vastness of the Wei Dynasty, it should not be a problem.
But in the future, there is no possibility of further promotion or advancement.
Cao Rui spoke with a calm demeanor, "Since they are of my kin, enjoying wealth and rank is only natural."
"The Imperial Visit Observer and Guardian Assistant are all institutions established by the late emperor. I wish to abolish this system. After you return to your fiefdoms, with the assistance of the Imperial Minister, each of you will govern your respective counties without any constraint from me."
Cao Lin and the others were about to thank Cao Rui when he stopped them: "Wait a moment. I haven't finished speaking yet."
Cao Rui continued, "Since the Wei Dynasty has granted you the title of a king with a county as your territory, if you fail to govern your fief better than an ordinary county magistrate, you don't need me; even Sun Zi, the Governor of Yanzhou, can punish you."
"Are you willing?"
Cao Rui's words earlier were clear.
I am lifting your surveillance, and out of respect for the bloodline of Emperor Wu, I am giving you freedom and wealth. If you do not govern your fief well, what awaits you is a reduction in your territory and the stripping of your title.
But who would think that they cannot even govern a county?
Cao Lin, Cao Jun, and Cao Huixi all bowed in gratitude.
...
Luoyang is the most informed place in the whole country, and the emperor has released the restrictions on the near-kin relatives and appointed them to actual positions.
This news quickly spread throughout Luoyang.
Cao Gong himself has already taken office at the Chongwen Observatory, and Cao Biao has gone to the Military Secretariat, and Cao Yu has gone to the Ministry of Rites. All of these appointments have taken place in front of a large crowd.
The emperor has shown no intention to hide anything at all.
The next morning, Cao Rui summoned the Western Study Hall and the Eastern Study Hall to his study for a meeting.
Cao Rui whispered, "Yesterday's event of me granting titles to the feudal lords, have you all heard about it?"
All four nodded in response.
Cao Rui said, "Out of the seven besides Yongqiu King, only three are willing to serve the Wei Dynasty as officials. I am already satisfied."
"The abilities and moral character of these three people, I cannot understand them at the moment. I can only observe their actions and determine who they are."
Sima Yi bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise. These three feudal lords have almost never served in the imperial court before, and their abilities and moral character can only be observed over time. The position of a lieutenant or a treasurer is neither high nor low. It is appropriate to assign them now."
Cao Rui nodded: "Yes, indeed. I've found positions for them. Shouldn't my two sons also be enfeoffed?"
Dong Zhao remained silent for a few seconds before speaking: "Your Majesty, it is not common in the Later Han to grant titles to imperial princes who are young."
"If the princes are growing up, I am afraid it may arouse their desire for power and contention."
Cao Rui shook his head: "Contending for power is a matter of contention. Those born into the imperial family can't be without desires for the throne, can they? Does that mean that if they are not granted the title of a king, they will not compete?"
Dong Zhao said, "Your Majesty is wise."
There is no room for discussion on this matter.
The sons of Emperor Wu could be granted the title of a king, and so could the sons of Emperor Wen. Why should the current emperor be constrained by age?
There is no such logic.
Cao Rui asked out loud, "How about using a county as a fief?"
"My eldest son, Cao Qi, and my second son, Cao Yan, are of different ages and should have a sequence. Give Cao Qi a large county, and Cao Yan can have an ordinary one."
"The fiefdom should preferably not be too far from Luoyang."
Sima Yi spoke up: "Your Majesty, will it be enfeoffed in Yanzhou?"
Cao Rui quickly denied it: "Don't enfeoff them in Yanzhou. Make it Hebei instead! There's no sense in enfeoffing all the princes in the same province."
Dong Zhao laughed and said: "If we are to grant the eldest son a large county, none in the whole country surpasses Yè County."
"How does Your Majesty think of Yecheng?"
Cao Rui smiled and said, "The Yecheng King? Yecheng is a good place. It will complement my eldest son very well. Let it be Yecheng!"
Sima Yi thought for a moment and smiled, "Yecheng is the foundation of Wei's starting wealth. It is indeed appropriate. The fiefdom of the second prince should not be too close to Yecheng."
Cao Rui faintly nodded, but said nothing.
Since the emperor did not speak, the others did not dare to say anything. Choosing the best county is easy, but choosing an ordinary one always carries some hesitation.
Seeing that no one was willing to speak, Cao Rui whispered softly, "Since he is the second son of the emperor, I hope he will be happy and safe. Isn't there a Changle County in Chen District?"
"How about the title of Changle King?"
All four nodded in agreement.
"Very well." Cao Rui nodded and looked at Du Xu standing in the study: "Wuyu, go and call Liu Shuzhu to come. I want him to draft the imperial edict."
Not long after, Liu Fang hurriedly arrived.
Cao Rui said, "Liu Zhongshu will draft the imperial edict. Let's select a good day in this month to enfeoff the eldest son, Cao Qi, as the Yecheng King, and the second son, Cao Yan, as the Changle King, to manifest the eternal prosperity of the Wei Dynasty."
"Following the imperial edict." Liu Fang replied.
With the matter of enfeoffing the princes as kings concluded, Cao Rui looked at Dong Zhao and then said to the four from the Western Study Hall and Eastern Study Hall, "The matter of accompanying in the Ancestral Temple that I discussed with you before, I have now made up my mind."
"The four who will be initially enshrined in the Ancestral Temple, I have chosen Xiahou Yuanrang, Cao Zixiao, Cheng Zhongde, and Wang Jingxing. What are your opinions?"
The people in the study exchanged glances before Sima Yi bowed and said, "The four chosen by the emperor are stalwart ministers of Wei, and I fully support this choice."
"I second that," Dong Zhao said.
"I also concur," Man Chong and Yi Zhen answered in unison.
Cao Rui faintly nodded: "Then, let's begin the sacrifice on a auspicious day in this month."
"The first batch consists of four people, and I want to select another eighteen for the second batch."
"Please draft a list of the eighteen individuals, with the Western Study Hall and Eastern Study Hall discussing it together, and submit it to me tomorrow."
Saying this, Cao Rui slowly stood up: "I'm going to practice swordsmanship. You go to the Western Study Hall to discuss it."
"Following the imperial edict, we will retire."
...
Cao Rui went to the martial training ground in the imperial palace to practice his swordplay. His swordsmanship was constantly improving and could not be neglected. It was the hard work of wearing away stone through persistence.
While Cao Rui practiced swordsmanship in the royal palace's martial arts ground, the four in the Western Study Hall each had their own thoughts about the list of eighteen individuals.
Sima Yi cleared his throat and said, "Your Majesty asked us to select these eighteen people, but how do we choose and evaluate them? There must be a basis for it."
"Nine civil officials and nine military officers? How about that?"
With such a division, Wei Zhen naturally had no objections.
However, Dong Zhao and Man Chong from the Western Study Hall looked at each other, seemingly not approving of this way of distribution.
The logic is also simple.
The reason is simple. It involves a sensitive issue of the contributions made by Wei and Han ministers since the founding of the Wei Dynasty.
The generals who directly followed Cao Cao's stronghold, of course, can be considered as the founding heroes of Wei.
But what about the civil officials? Are they serving in positions of Cao Cao's domain or Han Dynasty's positions?
It is difficult to say.
Moreover, Emperor Wu Cao Cao founded the state with great difficulty, almost with no year without war. The turbulent times are precisely when a general's skills are put to the test, so the generals' achievements are almost undebatable and more significant!
How can such a simple division of half civil and half military be used to assess their contributions?
Man Chong cleared his throat and said, "Chancellor, they are all national heroes, and it is only necessary to consider the degree of their achievements, not whether they are civil or military."
"How about we first compile a list, and then choose the most suitable eighteen from it? Will that do?"
The four from the Western Study Hall and Eastern Study Hall, Dong Zhao, Man Chong, Sima Yi, and Wei Zhen, are all acting like seasoned veterans.
Their recognition and concession are just a balance of interests and benefits, and they rarely make mistakes in calculation.
Sima Yi pushed and Man Chong blocked, bringing things back on track.
Sima Yi nodded: "General Man speaks truly. Since we need to select eighteen people, given the numerous followers of the Wei Dynasty, we still need to draw some lines."
"How to choose military leaders and civil officials? Should there be a standard?" (End of this chapter)
