Cao Rui, upon hearing Pei Qian's words, said with a sense of emotion:
"Nowadays, scholars in the Imperial Academy can enter the Imperial Academy at the age of twenty-something, and after completing their studies, they are allocated positions by the government. Although farming on the granaries can be somewhat arduous and tiring, they don't have to experience disasters like this war or have to farm themselves."
"Xiangzi," Cao Rui looked at Sima Yi, "Righteousness is your hometown, right? I have heard before that he once farmed and read in the county."
The current head of the nine ministers, the Grand Minister of Rites, is a fellow countryman from He Nan with Sima Yi, Chang Lin, Chang Bo Hui.
Sima Yi nodded: "Report to Your Majesty, Chang is an elder from the hometown of the subject. Early in the turmoil of war, he farmed in the Shang Party Mountains to avoid misfortune. When Liang Zhu was the prefectural governor, he recommended him for official appointment, and Emperor Wu appointed him as a magistrate."
Cao Rui nodded: "Compared to the scholars of that time, the current academicians of the Taixue are truly worry-free."
"Just now, the Grand Minister mentioned the evaluation of their merits. I can still remember the names of a few people. Does Fu Gu among them?"
"Some of them," Sima Yi nodded, "Fu Gu, known as a child prodigy in Luoyang, has quickly learned to handle miscellaneous affairs. Yang Yishan mentioned this person in his report. The report stated that the five academicians with the highest scores are Fu Gu, the nephew of Fu Xianzhi; Zhuge Xu from Lanyue; Chen Ben, the eldest son of Chen Jibian; Gong Jun, the son of Gong Tu; and Li Xin's son Li Qin."
They are all descendants of famous families.
Cao Rui felt a sense of emotion in his heart, and then said: "Since these academicians from Longyou have already returned, it's also time to plan their future."
"What does the Grand Minister think?"
"This..." Sima Yi hesitated for a moment.
"According to the previous statement of the court when it sent academicians to Tongyou for grain farming, after serving three years in Longyou, they can return to Luoyang and be appointed officials, and they can also be promoted in priority."
Three years later, the court still hasn't figured out how to settle them down, so it made a promise first.
To appoint them as officials in Luoyang? There are nearly a hundred of them, and it's hard to find enough government offices to accommodate them. If they were sent to the provinces and counties, they would be like a drop of water in an ocean, making little splash and not having much impact.
Sima Yi was silent for a moment, and nodded slightly: "Your Majesty, I am not quite sure. Please make the final decision."
Just now, when Sima Yi didn't speak, Liu Ye was pondering over this matter. Seeing the emperor's gaze turn towards him, Liu Ye bowed and said: "In my opinion, it would be better to let all the scholars of Taixue enter the military."
Sima Yi looked slightly surprised, raising his eyes to gaze at Liu Ye.
Cao Rui's lips curled into a smile: "Liu Zheng is it that you want the scholars of Taixue to enter the military? Explain, what is your plan?"
"Your Majesty," Liu Ye said, bowing, "The first batch of academicians were the cream of the crop selected from all over the country. People like Xiahou Taichu, Jiang Bohe, and others have already served in the court and by Your Majesty's side. Such outstanding academicians should ideally go to the military."
Xiahou Xuan, who was sitting at the back, heard these words and straightened his back a little more.
Jiang Wei was still in the army of Manchu Mantian at that time. He had already reached the position of a general of 2,000 stones, just like Guanhou Jianzhen, who was particularly promoted. However, Jiang Wei was not as fast as Guanhou Jianzhen.
Upon hearing these words, Sima Yi felt a slight flash of disapproval in his heart. His eldest son, Sima Shi, might have been able to serve as a member of the Imperial Bodyguard or as a LAN in the Secretariat if he had not encountered the case of Dissolute Conduct. How could he be made to endure such hardship by accumulating seniority in Yangzhou?
That's right. In the eyes of people in today's world, the capital region and the footstep of the emperor is the best place to serve as an official. Yangzhou is a remote area, better than Yuanshen but not much. It is only because Yangzhou is not as cold in the south that it is preferred over Yuanshen.
Cao Rui nodded: "Liu Zheng's suggestion makes sense. With a strength of one hundred, spreading out in the provinces and counties will not make much impact. It sounds reasonable to put them in the military. However, if we want to place them in the military, what kind of official positions should be assigned to them?"
Liu Ye smiled, "Why not let them all handle military supplies?"
Cao Rui squinted his eyes at Liu Ye, "What do you mean by that, Liu Zheng?"
Liu Ye said: "Your Majesty, since Emperor Wu's uprising, it has been forty years. The system of the central and external armies of Wei has been established for ten years. Today, the state is not yet unified, and the court must deploy a large number of troops to the border. How to control the external troops without causing trouble has become a major task."
"I have been in Youzhou for a long time before, and I didn't see the court establish the Imperial Secretariat or change the General Supervisor to the Military Supervisor with my own eyes. Chen and Zhao were appointed as supervisors over the military affairs of Yangzhou and Jingzhou, which must be out of considerations for internal and external balance."
Although Liu Ye's words now are somewhat sensitive, this is in front of the emperor during a cabinet meeting, and the people present are all people trusted by the emperor. Discussing sensitive topics is appropriate here.
Cao Rui nodded: "Indeed, I have this consideration. The power of the military governor is too large, and I intend to control it."
"The central army is more accessible to Jingzhou and Yangzhou, so I only set up military supervisors there. Guanxi is remote, so I have the Grand General overseeing the Chen Cang military district. And Yingzhou is even farther away, so I have Wang Chang overseeing Yingzhou. However, compared to the above three places, Yingzhou is indeed smaller in terms of territory and military strength, and it poses no major hindrance."
Liu Ye continued: "Your Majesty thinks about things comprehensively. I was in Youzhou for over two years and accompanied Your Majesty to pacify the Dongyin. During my return journey, I have been thinking about future matters constantly."
"Liaodong has been pacified, and the great situation of Wei is without danger. However, Wu and Shu regions are all remote places. Can the emperor personally lead troops to conquer them every time? If it is a heavyweight general who leads the troops, how should the court maintain equilibrium? The subject believes that controlling grain supply and logistics is of paramount importance, so I suggest letting all students of Taixue be in charge of grain supply and logistics."
Liu Ye has spoken so much, and Cao Rui has understood.
The reasons are very simple: grain supply and logistics are the lifeline of the army, and the Taixue scholars are the direct descendants of the emperor politically. If they were put in charge of grain supply, it would also provide an additional means to control foreign armies.
Cao Rui knew that Liu Ye's words made sense, but did not directly respond to the matter at hand, but instead said with a smile: "Today is the fourth year of Taiping. The emperor first campaigned in Minyuan, then in Longyou, then in Liaodong, and also gathered the Hun people on the grasslands. The situation where Wei was surrounded by four enemies has also improved greatly."
"If in the future we have to pacify Wu and Shu, wouldn't it be wonderful for the emperor to be a sage who rules from Luoyang without lifting a finger?"
Everyone else laughed and praised the emperor as wise.
Cao Rui obtained a good answer, so he skipped the topic: "Since we have arrived in Ye City, I will dine with you and a few others today. I will also invite the administrator of Zheng Prefecture in Wei District tomorrow morning. I will set out for Gaoling again."
"Your Majesty, as you command!" The crowd responded in unison.
...
The next morning at sunrise, Guanhou Jianzhen led two thousand cavalry in the vanguard to guard the emperor's carriage. The imperial escort slowly left the west gate of Ye City and headed towards Gaoling.
The four characters, "Empress Wu Xuan," summarize the life of the Ban clan.
After personally performing the sacrificial rites for Emperor Cao and Empress Wu Xuan Bing, Cao Rui turned to look at Sima Yi, who was responsible for reciting the formalities:
"Grand Minister Sima, I overlooked it yesterday and did not ask about it. Did Empress Wu Xuan Bing have any wishes or last words before her passing?"
Sima Yi hesitated for a moment: "Your Majesty, Empress Wu Xuan Bing indeed had a testament."
However, the emperor might be unhappy to hear this testament. If the emperor doesn't ask, Sima Yi can use the excuse of not remembering to explain it away and wait for Guo Empress in Luoyang to speak.
Since the question has been asked, there is no choice but to answer.
Cao Rui noticed some slight changes in Sima Yi's expression and whispered, "Is there something you can't say?"
Sima Yi shook his head: "Your Majesty, Empress Wu Xuan Bing's testament stated two things. The first is to please the emperor to look after the Ban family, and the second is to be kind to King Yongchou and King Rencheng."
Cao Rui let out a light sigh, feeling somewhat speechless.
The first thing is quite understandable. The Ban family did not enjoy much wealth during the reigns of Emperor Wu and Emperor Wen, or even some harshness.
Cao Rui had already appointed Cuan's Cuan Xiang as an official. So had he appointed the offspring of the Ban family to official positions. This was something that Cao Rui had done before he heard the last will and testament, with a feeling of spiritual communication.
As for the second thing, it felt somewhat awkward, or not as natural.
Empress Wu Xuan Bing's only three children were Cao Pi, King Yongchou Cao Zhi, and King Rencheng Cao Chang.
Perhaps because during the reign of Emperor Cao Pi, he was overly harsh on his relatives, and also because King Cao Chang's death seemed suspicious, Empress Bing had always been indignant. To protect the interests of King Cao Zhi and his son Cao Kai, she specifically left a testament. This seemed to show a lack of trust in the current emperor.
Moreover, this was still a testament that Empress Bing left after Cao Rui had relieved the restrictions on the imperial clan and appointed the offspring of Emperor Wu's sons, including King Yongchou, to positions.
Does she not trust me?
Cao Rui took a deep breath: "King Yongchou has been appointed as the Grand Secretary of the Ministry of Ceremonies by me, and Empress Wu Xuan is unaware of this. Grand Minister Sima, go fetch a piece of mulberry paper and some ink and brushes for me."
Sima Yi was somewhat perplexed: "Your Majesty, what is this for?"
"Quickly!" Cao Rui frowned and raised his voice.
"Yes." Confused, Sima Yi turned around quickly, went to the crowd of attendants, and fetched the paper and inkbrushes, even thoughtfully asking Xiahou Yuan to help him carry a small folding table.
After the small table was placed in front of him, Cao Rui kneeled down and took the mulberry paper held by Sima Yi in his left hand, and the inkpot and brush held by Sima Yi in his right hand, dipped it in ink, and wrote a piece of calligraphy with neat cursive characters. He immediately wrote a proclamation appointing King Yongchou Cao Zhi as one of the nine officials of the Ministry of Ceremonies.
After finishing his writing, Cao Rui took a small seal from his breast pocket. Without using ink, he directly dipped the brush in some ink and applied it to the seal, then pressed it directly onto the bottom left corner of the mulberry paper.
"Zhang Yuanzhong's Seal," Sima Yi clearly saw the four seal characters on the seal from where he stood.
Yuanzhong was the table character of the emperor himself, and the characters printed by this jade seal were something Sima Yi had never seen in any context before. However, the emperor had taken it out from his breast pocket, so what had it been used for previously?
Cao Rui made a slight gesture with his hand, and Xiahou Yuan understood and took a step forward. Cao Rui wiped the seal dry on Xiahou Yuan's sleeve, and then carefully put it back into his bosom.
Later, Cao Rui personally stepped forward and placed the piece of mulberry paper into the bronze tripod to burn it. The smoke ascended, and it didn't dissipate for a while, as if Empress Wu Xuan Bing had received this message. (This chapter ends)
