Cao Rui looked at Wang Lang.
After a few moments, Wang Lang also gave the answer: "I learned from interrogation that before the late emperor ascended the throne, Empress Dowager Guo assisted the late emperor in handling school affairs."
"That's why the late emperor did not forbid Empress Dowager Guo from contacting the school."
Then it all makes sense.
In the process of fighting for the position of the crown prince, Queen Guo made suggestions for Cao Pi, and then assisted Cao Pi in handling some school affairs. A few years later, she used this power to harm Queen Wen Zhao Zhen.
Cao Pi tried to win over the school officials before he ascended the throne, and Empress Dowager Guo gave orders directly to the school officials. How much of the school affairs are still under his control?
And last month, Wang Lang went to Yecheng with the imperial seal, which was an event that no one could predict.
Taking advantage of the discussion of corporal punishment, the emperor went to Situ Wang's house in order to reconcile Taifu Zhong and Situ Wang.
The next day, Wang Lang went to Yecheng with his imperial seal.
After arriving in Yecheng, he ignored the matter of building a mausoleum for Empress Wen Zhaozhen and went straight to interrogating the school.
One thing after another happened, leaving everyone no time to react. It could be considered an unintentional move.
Cao Rui asked in a deep voice: "Can I trust Wang Situ?"
Wang Lang heard this and stood up and bowed: "Your Majesty, I guarantee with the lives of the Wang family of Donghai that Your Majesty trusts me."
Cao Rui nodded: "I have long wanted to change the school. I want to ask the Minister of Education, if it is to be changed, how should it be changed? Should we cancel it and establish a new one?"
Wang Lang said, "Your Majesty, I have something to say from the bottom of my heart."
"Situ, please speak."
Wang Lang cupped his hands and said, "I think the school affairs should not be abolished. Although the people in charge of the school affairs in various places may have some different intentions, from the perspective of the entire organization and the majority of officials, there should not be any big problems."
"If it happens all over again, I'm afraid there will be many more unjust and wrong cases. If people like Lu Hong and Zhao Da appear again, things will slowly return to normal."
Cao Rui said: "So it has been changed?"
"It should be changed." Wang Lang said, "During the Han Dynasty, there were embroidered uniform envoys, and during the reign of Emperor Wu, there was the School Affairs Office. These spying and supervising illegal activities still need someone to do it."
"During the reign of Emperor Wu, people from humble backgrounds were often chosen to serve as school officials. Their relationship with Emperor Wu was only about personal favor, but not about justice in the court."
"I think that if we choose someone to take charge again, we should not choose someone from the grassroots to take charge of school affairs."
Cao Rui looked at Wang Lang and asked, "Does the Minister of Education want me to select someone from among the scholars to be in charge of the school?"
Wang Lang asked back, "Is there anything wrong with this?"
Cao Rui opened his mouth and was about to say that the relationships among scholars were complicated and that choosing scholars to do the job might lead to a tendency to get close to them, which would make things difficult for him.
But before he could say it, Cao Rui discovered that the two were not actually contradictory.
When Cao Cao established the School Affairs Office, it was mainly to ensure his own smooth access to power, and his main target was the scholars and ministers who supported the Han Dynasty.
But where are these people now? They died in Yecheng and Xuchang long ago.
Cao Rui asked again: "Situ, I think that proofreading should not be placed in the Secretariat."
Wang Lang said without hesitation: "Power and authority come from above, Your Majesty should still take charge of it personally."
Cao Rui nodded and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Situ. You are seventy years old, and you still made such a trip for me."
"I have temporarily put the matter of corporal punishment on hold. Let General Hua take the lead. Does the Minister of Justice blame me?"
Wang Lang actually laughed: "Your Majesty, I am already this old. What does it matter if I do one more or one less? As long as nothing goes wrong, I am happy to see it happen."
At this moment, Cao Rui thought of Wang Su who had stood up straight and said that there was something wrong with Zheng Xue in Situ's Mansion that day.
Cao Rui asked, "Do the people implicated in the Wei Feng case have anything to do with academic views?"
Wang Lang nodded: "It is related! But I think it is not appropriate to discuss this matter any further. The people on that day are now all loyal and important officials of the Wei Dynasty."
Cao Rui said, "The list will be given to me later. The beginning and end of Situ's trip to Yecheng will also be recorded and given to me later."
After Wang Lang agreed, Cao Rui said, "After the Minister of Internal Affairs returns home, have Wang Su come here to see me."
Wang Lang raised his eyebrows and asked, "Your Majesty, are you going to let my son take charge of school affairs?"
Cao Rui laughed loudly: "Not really, really. Wang Su is a scholar, how can a mere school job be enough to accommodate his talent?"
Wang Lang also pretended to pat his chest, and the atmosphere in the study became a little more relaxed.
Cao Rui said, "It's not about the school affairs. The Minister of the Interior returned to Luoyang yesterday, so he may not know the details. I have already sent Liu Ye and Guan Qiu Jian to patrol the borders of You and Bing."
"At present, there is still a vacancy for the Minister of the Interior. Why not let Prince Yong come to my side and serve as the Minister of the Interior?"
Wang Lang's eyes turned and he also laughed: "Serving as your Majesty's attendant is the best position in the world. Of course I am willing to let him come, but your Majesty still needs to examine him."
Cao Rui smiled and nodded.
……
Yangzhou, Jiangbei, Wancheng.
The Central Army left Wancheng in February, but in just over two months, a fort was built at Qiankou. There is the Wan River beside Wancheng, which flows straight south, turns east at Qiankou, and flows dozens of miles before flowing into the Yangtze River at Wankou. The construction of Qiankou Fort was also the result of Cao Rui's agreement with his ministers when he was in Huainan.
Sima Zhi was standing outside Qiankou Dock at this time, looking around the dock.
During the Jian'an period, Sun Quan still lived in Jianye, opposite Huainan-Guangling.
But since the Battle of Yiling between Wu and Shu, Sun Quan moved his command center westward to Jingzhou, and proclaimed himself King of Wu in Wuchang, spending more and more time in Wuchang.
In the past, diplomatic missions to the State of Wu had to go from Hefei to Ruxu and then cross the river to Jianye.
Now, when going on a diplomatic mission, the route has changed to from Shouchun to Wancheng, and then crossing the river from Qiankou and Wankou.
General Jia Kui, the Zhennan general, took Sima Zhi on a tour around the fortress.
Sima Zhi asked, "Brother Liang, you built this city in just a few months. I really admire you."
Jia Kui said with a smile: "Zihua, I am just doing my job here. Your Majesty and Sikong and others who really make the decisions are the ones who are truly planning and strategizing."
Sima Zhi smiled and said, "Brother Liang Dao is still so humble."
The banquet had already been set. Qiankouwu was not very big, and Jia Kui usually lived in Wancheng, but he came to Qiankouwu for inspection today.
The two men ate and chatted. Sima Yi and Jia Kui had a good personal relationship and they had worked together for a long time. Sima Zhi was borrowing his brother's face again.
Sima Zhi briefly told Jia Kui about several major events that had taken place in Luozhong, and then asked, "Brother Liang, I am about to cross the river to Wuchang. I wonder if Brother Liang can teach me anything?"
Jia Kui asked in return: "Zihua, what did His Majesty instruct you to do?"
Sima Zhi said: "It is nothing more than asking Sun Quan to bow his head and giving the betrothal gift to Sun Quan."
"Dowry?" Jia Kui was puzzled.
Sima Zhi said: "Sun Quan's daughter, Sun Luban, was captured by Cao Tai in Wankou, presented to Your Majesty and taken into the palace."
Jia Kui was not surprised: "If this is the case, then we should pay more attention to the matter of status and be careful that Sun Quan will use this as an excuse to make Your Majesty unhappy."
Sima Zhi nodded: "Brother Liang, rest assured, I won't give you any excuses."
Jia Kui said slowly: "Since Your Majesty did not mention it, I do have something that I would like Zihua to help me do, or to help me take a look."
"What's the matter?" Sima Zhi asked.
Jia Kui said: "In fact, it is the follow-up of the war at the beginning of the year, which is related to the power structure of Wu."
"According to the previous assignment, Sun Quan promised Lu Xun the post of governor of Jingzhou, and then asked Lu Xun to guard against Shu in Yiling, the westernmost part of the country, which is now also called Xiling."
"But besides Lu Xun, Zhu Huan is dead, and Pan Zhang is also dead. We can check whether there are any changes in the officialdom and leaders of Wu State, and how the Wujun Lu family is doing now."
Sima Zhi secretly groaned in his heart.
Following the suggestion of his elder brother Sima Yi, if he could tell Sun Quan what His Majesty said and come back alive, it would be a great achievement. If there were any mistakes, he could just blame it on Sun Quan.
Sun Quan was uncooperative, impolite, spoke wildly, and got angry because of this. Isn't this reasonable? He is the enemy!
But Jia Kui's distribution really made Sima Zhi at a loss as to what to do.
Seeing Sima Zhi in a dilemma, Jia Kui said with a smile: "Don't worry, Zihua, this matter is not forced. If Sun Quan asks where you are from, you can tell Sun Quan about the situation of Wancheng, Qiankou and Wankou."
Sima Zhi just nodded, but rejected Jia Kui's proposal in his heart.
He would never seek such unhappiness.
……
Luoyang, Beigong.
Cao Rui led three attendants and came to the duty room of the Secretariat for the first time.
On the desks of Sun Zi and Liu Fang were piles of internal and external documents, with clerks shuttling between them, giving the place a feeling of being in a confidential center.
Both of them were looking at the documents carefully. The clerks passing by also noticed the look and dared not say anything. It was Liu Fang who first noticed the emperor's arrival.
Liu Fang coughed lightly, and Sun Zi finally reacted. The two of them stood up together.
Liu Fang, as the Chief Secretary, was the highest-ranking official in the Secretariat, and he immediately said, "Your Majesty is here in person today. I am overwhelmed with fear."
Cao Rui smiled and waved his hand: "Why are you so worried, Liu Qing? I have nothing to do today, so I came over here to take a look."
After Liu Fang bowed, he stood next to the emperor and said, "I wonder if your majesty would like to know something? I will explain it to you."
Cao Rui asked directly: "How do Secretary Liu and Secretary Sun manage the school affairs office on weekdays?"
Liu Fang turned to look at Sun Zi after hearing this. Sun Zi cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I am in charge of the duties of the School Affairs Office. Secretary Liu is just reviewing with me."
Cao Rui nodded: "I see that the Secretariat has so many things to do, can Sun Zhongshu take care of the Colonel's Office?"
Sun Zi probably knew about the death of the schoolmaster in Yecheng only a few days later than Wang Lang. In addition, Wang Lang had already returned to Luoyang, so Sun Zi roughly guessed what the emperor meant.
Sun Zi sighed and pointed to the pile of documents on his desk with his right hand: "As your majesty can see, I am busy with documents every day. The matters of the review are often not as important as the major events in the court. In fact, there are times when I cannot take care of them."
Cao Rui smiled and looked at Sun Zi and said, "If Sun Zhongshu can't take care of it, how about separating the School Affairs Office from Zhongshu's duties?" (End of this chapter)
