The distinguished states of Gokujue, the promotion of Shuyu's stage, and the grievances of Huoji's head, are from today incorporated into the legitimate control of Wei Wei.
After the three people bowed and rose, You Junyou shifted his eyes and asked first, "Reporting to Your Majesty, in the three 'statutes' mentioned just now, it is stated that any disputes should be resolved by the Camp Prefect. However, we are still unaware of who the Camp Prefect is."
"King Xiong and King Yu Yuanbo, the previous Yubei Prefect of Youzhou." When Sima Yi turned to You Junyou and said, "You Junyou, have you heard of Wang Yuanbo?"
You Junyou quickly bowed and replied, "Vice Minister Wang once served as the Prefect of Youzhou for several years, conducting his affairs with fairness and propriety. I have heard of his great name within the country. Thank you, Minister Sima, for reminding me."
Cao Rui sat on the stage, smiling at the three men: "In that case, the three of you will stay here and rest for a few days. Wait until the formal edict is issued three days later, you will receive your official seal, crown, and robe, and then return to your country."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the favor." You Junyou and the other two men bowed together.
Cao Rui nodded slightly, turning his head to look at Nan Shengmi. The hairstyle of the Wa people in this era was indeed strange. They did not shave the top of their head, leaving their hair middle-parted, and excess hair was piled up on both sides, which was quite eye-catching.
"Nanshengmi, you are present here today as a envoy of Wa, which coincides with the opportunity to see me and three countries simultaneously issue decrees and conclude agreements. The fact that your Excellency Bimihu herself did not attend is indeed a great regret for your Wa."
Nanshengmi, as an envoy of Wa, is inherently clever and astute. Upon hearing these words, he immediately bowed and said, "Your humble servant is a commoner from the rural areas of Wa. It is a great honor to see Your Majesty today! If Your Majesty has any instructions, I will surely convey them to the Queen upon my return to Wa!"
"You are indeed sensible." Cao Rui chuckled, "How about this? Afterwards, you can receive some rewards from the Ministry of Justice. Three days later, you can set out and return to Wa. The Wei dynasty has inherited the heavenly mission of the Han dynasty, and Wa is also one of my tributary states."
"Tell Bimihu that the seal she wore in her past should also be changed."
Nanshengmi immediately agreed, "Your Majesty's divine will has been understood. I will certainly convey it to the Queen."
Having finished what needed to be said to the three men, Cao Rui subtly glanced at Sima Yi, who nodded in understanding. He then led the four people back to kneel, and slowly withdrew.
After the few people had left, Man Chong cast a glance at the receding figure outside the hall's door, then looked at the emperor and bowed to ask:
"Your Majesty, the three chapters of 'statutes' with the three countries of Gaogouli, Fuyu, and Baijiu were agreed upon yesterday. However, it seems that Your Majesty's words just now were hinting at the Wa people to come to court?"
The unspoken implication in this statement is that the emperor places great importance on Wa for some reason. This time, only one envoy from Wa came, and it was actually brought along while visiting Bandong District, Bihai and Hui Shun. It seems it shouldn't have been involved in the ceremony of other three countries to pay tribute to the emperor.
Cao Rui asked, "General Man, how much do you know about the land of Wa?"
"Your servant..." Man Chong wanted to answer, but after searching his memory, he realized that he had no impression of Wa at all.
"Your servant is indeed unaware of the details regarding Wa." Man Chong bowed.
Cao Rui nodded, looking at Man Chong and the other ministers in the hall, "Besides Minister Lu who has seen the record of Guangwu's (Emperor Liu Zhuang) edict to Wa, does anyone else know more about it?"
The ministers in the hall all shook their heads to show that they did not know.
Even Liu Ye, who had been in Youzhou for more than two years, knew nothing about it. This was not their fault. The Wei Dynasty had reached its limit in terms of recognizing and contacting Gaogouli, Fuyu, and Baiji. The Wa to the east of the sea was even less on their radar.
Cao Rui said calmly, "If you all do not know, then I happen to have some knowledge."
Man Chong bowed, "Please enlighten Your Majesty."
Cao Rui nodded, "The term Wa refers to an archipelago consisting of several large islands and countless small ones. East of the sea in three La regions. Just now, Nanshengmi said that Wa had been plagued by conflicts between its various small nations for decades, leading to the election of Bimihu as their king."
"Do you know the size of the territory of Wa in terms of area?"
Man Chong and others shook their heads.
Cao Rui said, "I'm not sure exactly how wide it is. But what I do know is that the land there should be broader than the territory under Sir Li, and also suitable for agriculture!"
Now not only was Man Chong puzzled, but so was Liu Ye who did not understand: "Is Your Majesty considering emulating Emperor Wu of Han in incorporating Korea as a commandery and county, and doing the same with Wa? But there are many barren lands in the Wei Dynasty, with many lands in Guanzhong, Henan, and Hebei yet to be fully cultivated."
"Your servant is afraid that this matter would be very costly and ultimately fruitless."
Cao Rui shook his head, "The Wei Dynasty now has plenty of land but few people. What if twenty years from now, fifty years from now, or even a thousand years from now? Will it still be the case of having too many people and too little land?"
Simya Yi, who had just entered the room, felt somewhat helpless upon hearing the emperor's words. Why drag it into a thousand years later? That seemed a bit excessive.
Cao Rui continued, "Just now, Minister Lu also mentioned that more than a hundred years ago, Emperor Liu Guangshi (Emperor Lu of the Han Dynasty) conferred the title of king upon the Wa. This has become evidence that Wa can be a vassal state of Wei."
"I have no intention of swallowing up Wa or sending troops there. It's beyond the capabilities of the Wei Dynasty at present. But can we do something now to lay down a foundation 'since ancient times' for the future? We can bestow titles now, and in five or ten years, could we relocate some Han and Qiang people from within the country to cultivate lands there?"
"Your Majesty, it seems feasible to me!"
Although Liu Ye did not understand the profound meaning of 'since ancient times' in relation to Wa, upon hearing the words 'bestow titles now', he lost any desire to offer advice. It was just a matter of stamping an seal, sending a set of crowns and clothes, and offering some rewards. There wasn't much that could be gained from advising on such a minor matter.
Liu Ye's plan was set, and he bowed, "Your Majesty's foresight is beyond compare. Your humble servant is deeply humbled."
Man Chong also bowed together.
Cao Rui waved his hand and said, "There's no need to be concerned. I have always been open and transparent with my officials in matters of state. Many things cannot be planned for five or ten years, but rather for one hundred or even one thousand years. This is what you, as the pillars of the country, should do."
The ministers bowed together, expressing gratitude for the guidance.
Cao Rui stood up and said, "Let's end it here for today. Minister Xu sent someone to urge Wang Chang and Wang Xiong to set off as soon as possible."
"Submitting to the command." Man Chong replied.
……
At the same time, in Qinzhou Prefecture, within the city of Qishan in Tianshui.
Deng Xie, while traveling to inspect the granaries in Chencang, stopped by to pay a visit to the Prefect of Qinzhou, Chen Jiao.
"Is it Sir Xiao who has arrived?" Chen Jiao, getting up from his seat in the main hall of the Prefect's office, smiled and said, "Please be seated."
"Greetings to Marquis Chen," Deng Ai bowed and saluted.
"In the past two years, Marquis Chen has been doing things quite well in Qinzhou. His demeanor has even become more calm and gentle."
This is inevitable.
Before being appointed as the Prefect of Qinzhou, Marquis Chen served alongside the emperor in the position of Minister of Imperial Secretaries. Before that, his positions in Luoyang had been of Officials of the Ministry or something similar.
While high in position and with great power, there are many constraints to follow, and as he is stationed in the emperor's footsteps, it is inevitable that things are not always done as smoothly.
However, Marquis Chen has truly been able to start afresh as the Prefect of Qinzhou. How to govern, how to select officials, and how to manage are all tailored according to his own wishes."
During the early years of the Huangchu era, the role of the Prefect was mainly to oversee and monitor, but by the Taihe era under Your Majesty's reign, the power of the Prefect in governing and implementing policies was further expanded. The rich life experience of governing a state is something that official positions in Luoyang can never provide.
"Deyao waved his hand and said, 'Send someone to bring the bamboo juice for Deng Qianjun to drink.'"
Just as Deng Ai was about to stand up and bow to express his gratitude, Chen Jiao waved his hand to signal for him to sit down.
"Sir Zai, how is everything going for General Zhang Fei in Chencang?" Chen Jiao asked with a friendly expression.
Deng Xie replied, "If Your Lordship asks about the General's health, naturally the General is in good health. However, if Your Lordship asks about matters at Chencang, there are also quite a few troubling things."
"Is it still about the grain?" Chen Jiao asked back.
"Yes," Deng Xie pursed his lips. "This time, when I came to visit Marquis Chen, there are two matters that I need Your Lordship's assistance with."
Chen Jiao nodded and said, "What matters do you have, Sir Zai? Please go ahead and speak!"
Deng Xie said, "The first matter is the imperial edict delivered from the Wei Secretariat by His Excellency Liu Wei."
"The graduates from the Taixue (Imperial Academy) in the first year of the Taihe era, who began serving as granary officials in Longyou in the second year, are now due to return to court and be appointed to official positions. These scholars of Taixue are all under your rule, Marquis Chen. This matter requires your attention."
Chen Jiao pondered for a moment before stroking his beard and sighing, "If we were to take all of these one hundred Taixue scholars away at once, I must admit I would truly feel reluctant."
Deng Xie smiled and asked, "Is it because these Taixue scholars are capable in their work, and Marquis Chen doesn't want to let them go?"
Chen Jiao said, "How should I put it? They weren't always very capable at first. Some learned quickly, and some slowly, but once they learned what they were supposed to do, they worked harder and more diligently than officials of much older age."
Deng Xie interjected, "They haven't yet learned the usual tricks of those common officials who are cunning and deceptive."
"Perhaps they haven't learned it yet, or they know that their future lies elsewhere and do not want to lose their credibility." Chen Jiao also laughed and said, "In any case, last year during the state examination in Qinzhou, the five best granary officials selected were all from Taixue."
"Let me think, the five of them are Fu Hu's nephew Fu Gu, Zhuge Jiu from the Langya Zhuge clan, my eldest son Chen Ben, Yu Dun's son Yu Jun, and Li Qian's son Li Xi."
Deng Xie also bowed respectfully and said, "Marquis Chen's eldest son indeed has outstanding learning and abilities. I have heard of him in Chencang."
Chen Jiao laughed heartily: "I heard that Sir Zai was stammering at first. How come he's become even more eloquent in the past two years?"
"Not at all, not at all. It's just that I admire the Marquis's family style." Deng Xie hurriedly bowed.
Chen Jiao said, "I was just joking with Sir Zai. We can wait another two weeks or so, until the first day of August. Then all of these Taixue scholars will return to Luoyang together."
Deng Xie thought for a moment and suddenly interrupted, "Marquis Chen, I wonder if the General's estate can draft some people in the middle. These scholars of Taixue have both talent and virtue, as well as practical skills, which is exactly suitable for assisting me in managing supplies."
Chen Jiao stared at Deng Xie for a few moments, confirming that Deng Xie was not just jesting, then shook his head and replied, "The emperor has specifically ordered them to return to Luoyang. How can I stop them?"
"In my opinion, Sir Zai shouldn't persuade the General to recruit people. Whatever number of people have come from Luoyang, send them all back to Luoyang. As for how to assign these scholars, let the people of Luoyang take care of it." (This chapter concludes)
