Chapter 151: Suppress first and then increase
Huang Xiu looked around tentatively, feeling somewhat at a loss. It was not until a young man with a green ribbon and silver seal on his waist standing behind the emperor made a "please" gesture with his right hand that he followed him in with small steps, as if he suddenly understood.
"Is your uncle doing well in Yongqiu? Is he in good health?" Cao Rui asked with a smile.
Cao Zhi had one hand held by Cao Rui, so he had no way to bow. He could only respond, "Thanks to your majesty, I am living very well in Yongqiu."
"When I was in Shouchun, I heard that the Empress Dowager was missing my uncle in Luozhong." Cao Rui still had a smile on his face.
"This..." Cao Zhi showed a slightly confused expression on his face: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern."
After a while, several people entered the hall.
Cao Rui pointed to the seat on the side and said, "Uncle, please don't be shy when you see me. Please take a seat."
Cao Zhi bowed and said, "Your Majesty has not yet taken your seat, how dare I take your seat first? I will follow your Majesty."
Cao Rui nodded, sat down and pointed to the seat behind Cao Zhi, and Cao Zhi then sat down.
The emperor and Cao Zhi had both sat down, but Huang Xiu and Guanqiu Jian, who were following them, were still standing behind them.
Cao Rui looked at Huang Xiu: "Huang Qing is from Zhending, right? How many years have you been in Yanzhou?"
Huang Xiu replied respectfully: "Your Majesty, I was ordered by the court to come to Yongqiu to serve as prime minister in the fourth year of Huangchu. I was an official in Yecheng before, and I have been in Yanzhou for four years."
Cao Rui continued to ask: "What has Huang Qing done in Yongqiu in the past four years?"
Huang Xiu was a little panicked by the emperor's question, and even wanted to kneel down for a moment, but he still suppressed his panic and replied: "I have been the prime minister in Yongqiu for four years. I was ordered by the court to assist the King of Yongqiu, and I also did a lot of things for the country."
Cao Rui nodded gently: "It's been four years, it's time to move to a new place."
"Mr. Huang, I know your name. The court is planning to set up military farms in Liang County. I would like to appoint you as the commander of the Liang County Agricultural Department. Are you willing to go?"
Huang Xiu never thought that when he went to Chenliu with Prince Yongqiu, the emperor didn't even say a few words to Prince Yongqiu, but asked about his official position first and wanted to promote him!
The Captain of Agriculture was in charge of military farms and managed the military and civilian households all day long. He also had to deal with corvée and taxes. He was busy all year round and was ten times busier than his current position as prime minister.
But even if two thousand shi is rotten, it is still two thousand shi! Your Majesty is so generous, how can you refuse it?
Huang Xiu's thoughts turned around, and after a few moments of thinking it through, he immediately knelt down and kowtowed: "I thank your majesty for your grace. I am willing to serve your majesty and the court."
"Stand up." Cao Rui said softly.
Huang Xiu stood up slowly.
"Zhong Gong, take Huang Qing with you." Cao Rui looked at Guanqiu Jian.
The two bowed and left.
Huang Xiu, the only familiar person in the hall, also left. Cao Zhi turned around a little nervously and glanced at the backs of the two people walking out.
The hall door was open, and the afternoon light shone diagonally into the hall. Cao Zhi saw four tiger guards in full armor standing on each side of the hall from the corner of his eye. His eyes widened slightly, and he seemed a little panicked.
Cao Rui keenly noticed the change in Cao Zhi's expression, and then waved his hand outside: "I want to talk to my uncle, all of you go out."
The Tiger Guards retreated silently, but the sound of armor rubbing against each other was unavoidable as they walked.
The door slowly closed, and at this time, only Cao Rui and Cao Zhi, uncle and nephew, were left in the hall.
Cao Zhi immediately bowed and said, "I heard in Yongqiu that your majesty was on the southern expedition, and I prayed for your army day and night. Now that your majesty has returned victorious, I would like to congratulate you."
Cao Rui shook his head slightly.
For him, the love-hate relationship between Cao Pi and Cao Zhi over the years was nothing to worry about and had nothing to do with him. He had always been wary of Cao Zhi out of his instinct to protect the imperial power.
Cao Zhi submitted a petition to march south, but this was naturally to be stopped, because there was no evidence to prove that he was capable of leading troops, and his sensitive identity made it impossible for him to be in charge of the army.
Rumors related to Cao Zhi spread in Luozhong, and Cao Rui was willing to believe from the bottom of his heart that it had nothing to do with Cao Zhi.
If he wanted to rebel, Cao Zhi would have had every opportunity to do so as early as when Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Cao Cao, died in Luoyang.
When Cao Cao was seriously ill, he summoned Cao Zhang from Chang'an to Luoyang. Before Cao Zhang arrived, Cao Cao fell seriously ill and died.
When Cao Zhang came to Luoyang, he advised Cao Zhi, "The previous king summoned me because he wanted to establish you as the king." It was obvious that he wanted to support Cao Zhi to become the new King of Wei.
However, Cao Zhi cites the example of the endless quarrels between Yuan brothers after Yuan Shao's death and refuses it with great righteousness. This is also the source of goodwill that gradually eases the relationship between Cao Pi and Cao Zhi.
Cao Rui himself had no feelings of like or dislike towards Cao Zhi. If anything, he even had some admiration for Cao Zhi because of his literary talent.
Of course I appreciate it!
If a person with little knowledge of literature saw it, Cao Zhi was just a loser in the struggle for imperial power, a hapless member of the royal family who was imprisoned and unable to move. But from Cao Rui's perspective, Cao Zhi's literary talent was unrivaled in his time.
If he were to praise him a little more, whether it was Emperor Wu Cao Cao's majestic aura, sad and simple nature, or the previous emperor Cao Pi's tactful sincerity, beautiful and concise nature, compared with the "extraordinary talent" of his uncle Cao Zhi, the two combined could not compare to this one.
Literary talent is one thing, but it is wrong to interfere in other matters.
Cao Rui said: "The emperor's uncle is the late emperor's brother and also my uncle."
"I am the new emperor. The old things between the late emperor and my uncle during the Jian'an period, whether good or bad, should be turned to a new page. I have no intention of bringing up these old things. My uncle does not need to worry about them anymore, and he definitely does not need to be so cautious in front of me."
After hearing the emperor's words, Cao Zhi thought for a moment and showed some sadness. Cao Zhi's literary talent is so good, if he is not a person with rich emotions, keenness and subtlety, how can he write so many beautiful words?
Cao Rui did not stop him, but just watched Cao Zhi's expression change quietly.
At first, his face looked sad, then he shed two lines of tears as if relieved, and even sobbed softly at the end.
Obviously, the pressure that had been accumulating in his heart for many years now had an outlet to be released, and it was out of control.
Cao Zhi raised his sleeve to wipe his tears, and after adjusting his expression, he looked at the emperor and said, "I lost my composure. I just thought of Emperor Wu and Emperor Wen, and I couldn't suppress my sadness for a moment. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
Cao Rui waved his hand and said, "It's okay. I summoned the emperor's uncle this time not to embarrass him, but to talk to him about state affairs."
Cao Zhi then said, "Your Majesty, do you have anything to ask me? I will tell you everything I know."
Cao Rui nodded and asked, "I asked my uncle to annotate the Five Classics and translate classical Chinese into vernacular Chinese. How is his work going?"
Cao Zhi thought for a moment and said, "After receiving your majesty's order, I also thought about it carefully for several days before I came to this conclusion. I don't know whether it is right or not, so please judge for me, your majesty."
"Uncle, please speak." Cao Rui raised his hand.
Cao Zhi said carefully: "I did not understand your majesty's meaning at first. I thought that the words of the saints were profound and profound, and the annotations of the ancient sages were meticulous and detailed. The various meanings in the classics are often subtle and can only be understood but not expressed in words. How can they be included in the translation into vernacular?"
Seeing that the emperor was listening quietly, Cao Zhi continued, "But after thinking for several days, I finally realized that subtle and profound meanings and simple and easy to understand are not contradictory."
Cao Rui smiled slightly: "Uncle Emperor, why do you think these two things are not in conflict?"
Cao Zhi said slowly: "I think not every student who studies the classics wants to become a doctor."
Cao Rui clapped his hands and laughed, and even clapped his hands a few times.
On the day of the southern tour, Cao Rui was somewhat dissatisfied after seeing Cao Zhi's petition for war. Therefore, when assigning tasks to Cao Zhi, he only made it clear what Cao Zhi should do, but did not explain why he should do it.
When Cao Rui was talking with Sun Zhi, Sun Zi only thought that vernacular was easier to understand, and he did not think as deeply as Cao Zhi.
Cao Rui smiled and said, "Uncle Huang and I have the same idea. I think Confucianism or classics should be learned by more people through reading books."
"In other words, knowledge needs to be made accessible."
Cao Zhi also responded: "At that time, I was thinking that if the Five Classics were translated into vernacular, it would not only be convenient for students in the Imperial College to study on their own."
"In addition to the Imperial College, there are countless students studying classics in the provincial schools and the schools in the counties. However, there are often no famous teachers to teach in these places, and the scholars who are not up to the mark often make many mistakes when teaching."
"By translating the Five Classics into vernacular, students in all states and counties will have a common standard, and teachers in various places will have a basis for teaching. Your Majesty, this is a great thing that benefits the country and the people."
Cao Rui said with a smile: "Is this all that the Emperor's uncle has thought of?"
Cao Zhi was stunned for a moment, then said: "I have one more thing to say. If the classics become easier to understand, even mediocre students can learn the saints' meaning of loyalty to the emperor and filial piety, and thus can spread education."
Cao Rui nodded: "What the emperor's uncle said is right, but not entirely right."
Cao Zhi asked: "Your Majesty, please help me solve my doubts."
Cao Rui asked, "Does the emperor believe in prophecies?"
"Prophecy?" Cao Zhi did not understand what this meant, but he still responded: "Your Majesty, I do not believe in prophecy. Not only do I not believe in it, but Emperor Wu and Emperor Wen also do not believe in it. In the past, I even wrote articles to refute various supernatural things."
"As for 'The Debate on the Way', I have also read it." Cao Rui said, "Before I arrived in Chenliu, I was discussing prophecies with my clan members in Qiao County, and one of the ministers mentioned the 'Meng's Book of Changes', which has been passed down in the Yuan family for generations."
Cao Zhi nodded: "That's true. The Yuan family relied on Meng's Yi to obtain the position of three dukes for four generations."
Cao Rui smiled and said, "If the Yuan family had not monopolized the Mengshi Yi, and the Mengshi Yi was not listed as the focus of modern text classics, how could the Yuan family have so many students and former officials?"
Cao Zhi suddenly realized: "As Your Majesty said, the popularization of Confucian classics is not only about Confucian classics itself, but also about preventing the gentry from monopolizing academic studies?"
Cao Rui nodded.
(End of this chapter)
