Zhong Yu was unaware of the twists and turns involved.
After reporting the matter to Cao Zhen, Dong Zhao, Sima Yi and Wei Zhen, the young man's mission was completed.
The West Pavilion and the East Pavilion tacitly did not go to see the emperor, but started discussing their own affairs.
Cao Zhen asked Dong Zhao tentatively: "Mr. Dong, there is one thing I don't understand. Please help me solve it."
Dong Zhao slowly raised his head upon hearing the voice, the wrinkles on his forehead forming a few horizontal lines, and he said in an old voice, "General, what do you want to ask me?"
Cao Zhen coughed lightly and said, "Mr. Dong, I just don't understand why the power of the Secretariat should be reduced to fill the Shizhong Temple?"
"How big of a difference can there be between Zhongshu and Shizhong?"
Dong Zhao thought for a few moments and said, "If we talk about the difference, there must be a difference. The Zhongshu is in charge of confidential matters. If confidential matters are mixed with supervision, it will definitely be very powerful. The Shizhong is originally a position of cleaning and dispersion. Adding some power to the review can actually prevent the power of the review from falling into the hands of others."
Cao Zhen saw that Dong Zhao seemed to have something to say, so he continued to ask, "Mr. Dong, do you have anything else to say?"
"Do you really want me to say it?" Dong Zhao glanced at Cao Zhen.
Cao Zhen smiled and said, "Mr. Dong is an elder, please give me some advice."
Dong Zhao shook his head gently: "If you want to talk more, what does this have to do with the general?"
"Let them fight for the positions of Zhongshu and Shizhong. It won't affect the army anyway, so why should the general worry about it? Your Majesty is just informing you and me."
Cao Zhen sighed, "Mr. Dong's advice is really good! Apart from Mr. Dong, I'm afraid no one else can speak to me so directly."
Dong Zhao said, "Isn't that unpleasant to hear?"
Cao Zhen said: "It's better than flattery. In recent years, people in my house have rarely advised me."
Dong Zhao responded: "This is just the consequence of being in a high position."
"By the way, is the general's eldest son Zhaobo going to Youzhou soon?"
Cao Zhen thought for a moment and said, "It will probably take a few days."
Dong Zhao picked up the bamboo slips beside him and pretended to hand them to Cao Zhen: "General, please take a look at this."
Cao Zhen stood up with a hint of doubt, walked to Dong Zhao's desk, took the bamboo slips, and after flipping through them for a few moments, he frowned, "Kebineng led his army to defeat the Xieguini tribe of the Western Xianbei. Did the Xieguini tribe want to surrender to Tian Yu?"
"Does Mr. Dong think that the Xiegui Ni tribe should be accepted?"
Dong Zhao replied: "Since they have surrendered in defeat, I think they should be surrendered. Didn't Tian Yu write it? Budugen, who has long been loyal to Wei, has guaranteed Xie's return to the Ni."
Cao Zhen nodded: "In this case, let Tian Yu accept the Xieguini tribe. Report to His Majesty and then send a message to Tian Yu."
Dong Zhao said, "I don't want to tell the general about these border county matters. Zhao Bo went to Tian Yu's place, and Tian Yu's place has been in turmoil recently. It all depends on what the general chooses."
Cao Zhen narrowed his eyes and thought for a few moments, then snorted and said, "How can I, the son of Cao Zidan, not go to the battlefield? Let's see what happens to Zhao Bo."
Dong Zhao also laughed: "How can a father be like this? I will tell Tian Guorang and ask him to be more careful."
After Dong Zhao said this, Cao Zhen did not stop him.
On the other side, in the East Pavilion, Sima Yi and Wei Zhen were completely different from Cao Zhen and Dong Zhao.
After Zhong Yu left, the two did not say anything.
After a while, Sima Yi looked at Wei Zhen and said, "Gong Zhen, I will report to His Majesty in a few days."
Wei Zhen didn't know what he was thinking, but he also replied: "Sikong, I will also submit a memorial."
Sima Yi nodded slightly.
That night, Sima Yi invited the Chief Justice Gao Rou to his house.
Although Sima Yi was on good terms with Gao Rou, he was not as close to him as Jiang Ji. The two of them just sat in the hall, talking behind closed doors, and did not enter the study.
Sima Yi said: "Brother Wenhui, have you heard? Sun Zi is going to be exiled."
Gao Rou was surprised and raised his eyebrows and asked, "Did your majesty send Sun Zi away? What did Sun Zi do wrong?"
Sima Yi shook his head slightly: "I don't know what he did wrong. But your majesty appointed Sun Zi as the governor of Yanzhou, I think it is not a serious matter."
Gao Rou took a look at Sima Yi's expression and asked, "Why did Zhongda call me home?"
Gao Rou was five years older than Sima Yi, and the two had known each other for almost twenty years, so Gao Rou could directly call Sima Yi by his courtesy name.
Sima Yi said slowly: "Your Majesty has taken the power and responsibility of the Central Secretariat away. Wasn't the power of the Central Secretariat originally in charge of Sun Zi? It was split into three parts."
"After Liu Ye left, there were three attendants left. Xin Pi had one, Chen Jiao had one, and Yang Fu had one."
Gao Rou frowned: "It's just a school matter, but you split it into three parts? If it's up to me, this school matter is a disaster for the country and the people, and it's totally useless. It should have been cancelled long ago!"
Sima Yi said: "I don't care about the school affairs. Liu Fang and Sun Zi are close ministers in the palace, so they hold great power. Officials in Luozhong often hear the name of "Zhongshu" and often dare not disobey."
"Brother Wenhui, I will send someone to investigate Sun Zi!"
Sima Yi knew that Gao Rou had always been dissatisfied with school affairs, and these words were intended to incite Gao Rou.
Gao Rou stared at Sima Yi for a long while and said, "Okay! I will go to report to the Secretariat myself. However, who does Zhongda want to report to Sun Zi?"
Sima Yi stroked his beard and said, "Let Xu Jingshan go when the time comes!" Gao Rou thought for a moment and smiled, "Xu Miao, Xu Jingshan? He is in the Imperial Censorate, the same position I held before."
"It is reasonable to use this position to impeach the Secretary!"
Sima Yi nodded and said, "However, Wei Gongzhen told me clearly today that he will also submit a report on this matter."
Gao Rou showed a trace of helplessness on her face: "Zhongda, can you control Wei Gongzhen? Even if he doesn't submit a petition, if there is anything, talking to His Majesty in private will be more effective than many ministers submitting a petition!"
Sima Yi did not comment: "I can't control him, and he can't control me. But according to Wei Gongzhen's cautious personality, he won't do anything drastic."
Gao Rou nodded in agreement.
……
The next day, in Beigong, in the study.
Only the emperor and Wei Zhen were present, so Wei Zhen spoke quite directly.
Wei Zhen bowed and said, "Your Majesty, after I heard about your Majesty's splitting up the school yesterday, I also had many thoughts."
Cao Rui said, "Master Wei, please speak. There's no need to be so polite."
Wei Zhen nodded and said, "Since Your Majesty has taken the authority and responsibility of school affairs into the palace and is in charge of it personally, it would be better to take over the authority of the Sili Xiaowei."
Cao Rui frowned: "What do you mean, Master Wei? The Si Li Xiao Wei has the power to inspect and impeach all officials. It is an indispensable position by my side. That's why I appointed Master Wei as the Si Li Xiao Wei!"
Wei Zhen explained: "Your Majesty, don't you think that the power of the Sili Xiaowei and the school affairs have a lot of overlap?"
"What do you mean?" Cao Rui asked.
Wei Zhen said: "The Sili Xiaowei corrects the superiors and inspects the subordinates, and punishes them severely. He is the eyes and ears of the emperor. But when it comes to supervision, there are already three positions in Luozhong that have the power of supervision, which is bound to cause chaos."
"Three?" Cao Rui asked, "The Imperial Censorate, the Inspector General of the Capital, and the School Affairs Office?"
Wei Zhen nodded: "Your Majesty is right, these are the three institutions and positions. Your Majesty, do you know where the position of Sili Xiaowei came from?"
Cao Rui said: "Master Wei, please stop keeping us in suspense and just speak directly."
Wei Zhen said: "The so-called Si Li Xiao Wei, although called Xiao Wei, has the duties of the Si Li governor, but in reality he is still in charge of the duties of the emperor's eyes, ears and teeth."
"Emperor Wu of Han established the Si Li Xiao Wei because the 'Witchcraft Disaster' at the time involved the prime minister and the royal family, and the Censorate was inconvenient to govern both, so the Si Li Xiao Wei was newly established to handle the matter."
"Over the past few hundred years, the power and responsibilities of the Sili Xiaowei have gradually increased."
"During the reigns of Emperors Huan and Ling, there were frequent conflicts among eunuchs, relatives of the emperor's wife, and scholars. It was inconvenient to mobilize troops in Luozhong, and whichever faction held the post of the Inspector of the Capital could use this power to put opponents into prison."
Cao Rui asked: "So Master Wei thinks this position is redundant?"
Wei Zhen asked in return: "Your Majesty, I would also like to ask, as for the duties of supervision, isn't it enough for the outer court to have the Censorate to handle this matter, and the inner court to have the School Affairs Supervision? Why do we need to keep the Sili Xiaowei?"
Cao Rui looked at Wei Zhen quietly, not knowing what to say for a moment.
Since ancient times, it has been common for ministers to seize power for themselves after gaining the trust of the emperor.
People like Wei Zhen, who was an important official who served as Shangshu You Pushe and concurrently as Sili Xiaowei, were willing to give up their positions out of public interest. He was a rare and precious person.
Wei Zhen explained: "Your Majesty, I am not unwilling to be the Sili Xiaowei. It's just that when I think about it carefully, this position is indeed a bit weird."
"Its powers and responsibilities can be divided into two. One of them is to appoint an Inspector General of the Capital Region to supervise the officials of the counties and prefectures, just like in other states."
"Secondly, we can appoint supervisors to supervise the officials and nobles in the court and Luozhong."
"I just think that the second responsibility can be included in the school affairs."
Cao Rui thought for a few moments, then slowly replied, "I cannot answer."
Wei Zhen kept silent and looked at the emperor quietly waiting for explanation.
Cao Rui said: "I have been on the throne for less than a year, so I can sort out the responsibilities of the local areas, but the Sili Xiaowei is an important position that I use to protect those around me. It is very useful for me to let Master Wei take this position."
"Master Wei, I understand what you said just now. It is reasonable and can be done this way, but not now." Cao Rui looked at Wei Zhen: "Master Wei, do you understand what I mean?"
Wei Zhen cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty is wise, I made a mistake."
Cao Rui waved his hand: "It's okay, it's really okay. Master Wei is also thinking about the country."
In fact, Cao Rui also realized that there was something wrong with the overlap of this supervisory system.
For example, in a certain dynasty in later generations, there were censors and imperial officials outside and the Embroidered Uniform Guard inside.
The Imperial Guard was not enough, so the East Factory was also set up. The East Factory was not enough, so there was the West Factory. The West Factory was not enough, so there was the Neihang Factory…
Cao Rui would never do such a thing.
While the two were talking, Zhong Yu came in and reported, "Your Majesty, the court judge has a letter for me to deliver."
Cao Rui frowned: "Tingwei Gao Rou? Why didn't you submit the petition through the Secretariat?"
Zhong Yu replied, "Your Majesty, I don't know. Gao Tingwei went to the palace gate himself and delivered the memorial."
Cao Rui took the letter, unfolded it, read it for a long time, and then slammed it heavily on the table. (End of this chapter)
