What Cao Rui said just now can be said to be a heart-breaking remark.
If Gao Rou made excuses to shirk responsibility, it would be impossible to explain why Gao Rou did not report the emperor's accession to the throne for almost a year, which would raise the suspicion of incompetence.
If Gao Rou stated that it was his own fault, he would be digging a hole for himself.
No matter how Gao Rou answered, it seemed inappropriate.
Everyone looked at Gao Rou. Has this court judge, who was always famous for his strict law enforcement, been forced into a corner today?
Gao Rou, however, calmly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, there is indeed a reason why I did not tell Your Majesty about this matter."
"Tell me." Cao Rui simply said one word.
Gao Rou said: "Since your majesty ascended the throne, both the inner court and the outer court have been impressed by your majesty's wisdom, and your majesty rarely uses the school affairs, so I have always regarded the school affairs as useless, between what is possible and what is not, and I will wait for its power and responsibility to disappear."
"But I heard recently that Your Majesty took back the editing work from the Secretariat and assigned it to the Minister of the Interior. This is just a change of name, and the editing work is showing signs of resurfacing."
"That is why I am submitting this memorial to Your Majesty today."
Cao Rui asked calmly, "Then the court judge thought that I did not want to employ the school officials anymore, so he did not report it to me. Now that you know I want to employ the school officials again, you submit the petition?"
"Even if my reign is reasonable, what about the previous emperor's reign?"
Gao Rou said, "I was appointed as the Minister of Justice in the fourth year of Huangchu. In the first year after taking office, I ordered the officials of the Ministry of Justice to investigate the unjust, false and wrong cases in the court and reported them to the late emperor, but he rejected it."
"Then in the fifth and sixth years of Huangchu, the late emperor personally led a large army to attack Wu twice. I did not want to distract the late emperor and cause unrest in the court because of this matter, so I did not report it."
Is it enough to just put the blame on the late emperor?
Cao Rui nodded expressionlessly: "Yes, it was the late emperor who ignored this matter. The late emperor is gone, what else can I say?"
"According to the logic of the court judge, if there is a problem with the school affairs and the late emperor did not care, I should not bring up the past, right? When the late emperor was alive, would anyone dare to say this about Emperor Wu?"
"You thought I was a sage king, but after you found out that I was doing something stupid, you realized I wasn't?"
Cao Rui looked at Gao Rou with a cold expression: "Tingwei Gao Rou concealed the truth and failed to report it, which was a dereliction of duty. He will be fined three months' salary. Are you convinced?"
Gao Rou bowed and said, "I did something wrong, and I am willing to accept the punishment."
Cao Rui's expression softened a little: "Tingwei, let me ask you again, why do you have to cancel the school affairs?"
Gao Rou said sternly, "Your Majesty, the harm caused by the school affairs has been going on for a long time."
"The people selected for the post of Lieutenant General are all minor officials, lowly and untrustworthy. Lieutenants use your majesty's authority to gain influence outside, and gather treacherous people inside to form their confidants. Ministers in the court are ashamed to argue with them, and most of them tolerate Lieutenants. The common people and minor officials are afraid of their sharp edge and often have no place to seek redress for their grievances."
"Now, the outer court has ministers and generals leading the officials, and the inner court has ministers and ministers managing all affairs. In addition, there is the Inspector General of the Capital to monitor the capital, and the Chief Censor to supervise the officials."
"If these wise and virtuous ministers are not competent, how can the mere clerks be trusted? If the ministers are competent, what is the need for the clerks?"
It seems that this makes some sense?
Cao Rui asked, "Didn't I give the power of the school to the ministers? Aren't my ministers Xin Zuozhi, Chen Jibi, and Yang Yishan all wise and capable officials?"
"Isn't it wrong for me to use wise and capable officials to lead school affairs?"
Gao Rou bowed again and said, "If this is the case, wouldn't it be another Censorate and another Inspector General of the Capital? What benefit would this bring to the Wei Dynasty?"
Cao Rui finally understood what was said.
Ultimately, it comes down to the question of who should have the power of supervision.
According to Gao Rou's theory, the power of supervision is enough to have the Censorate and the Inspector General of the Capital!
What Gao Rou didn't ask should be, what do you, the emperor, want to do with a group of "villains" in your hands? Are you keeping them to deal with people?
Cao Rui snorted coldly: "Tingwei, I want to ask you, if the ministers, officers, and officials in the court do something inappropriate, who should be responsible for supervising them?"
Gao Rou also felt that he was in a difficult situation, so he simply said, "The Inspector General of the Imperial Guards and the Imperial Censorate."
Cao Rui asked again: "What if the Censorate and the Inspector General of the Imperial Guards have not done their job properly? Or if the Censorate and the Inspector General of the Imperial Guards have also done something wrong, who should be in charge?"
Gao Rou cupped his hands and said, "If the Censorate and the Inspector General of the Capital are at fault, Your Majesty should dismiss the relevant people and select wiser ones."
Cao Rui knocked on the table with his knuckles a few times: "Then how can I find out these things?"
Gao Rou broke out in a cold sweat: "Your Majesty is a man of great talent and wisdom, naturally..."
Cao Rui said angrily: "What do you mean by natural intelligence? Do I have three heads and six arms? I also have two ears and two eyes. How can I know so many things by myself?"
"Don't I need eyes and ears, minions, to help me keep an eye on this huge Luoyang city?"
"Does the Minister of Justice really not understand, or is he pretending to be confused while knowing the truth?"
After hearing the rebuke, Gao Rou knelt on the ground and bowed down, with her forehead touching the floor tiles.
"I was talking nonsense. Your Majesty, please punish me!" Gao Rou's voice trembled.
This matter has nothing to do with the four attendants, Cao Zhen and Dong Zhao of the Western Pavilion.
Among the two people in the East Pavilion, Wei Zhen could not take a different position from the emperor, and at this time he had no reason to dissuade the emperor. After all, the emperor and Gao Rou had said everything.
Sima Yi was the one who encouraged Gao Rou to submit the petition. The emperor was furious at the time and could not rescue Gao Rou. It was impossible for him to add insult to injury. If that happened, Gao Rou would sell out Sima Yi without hesitation.
Cao Rui looked at Gao Rou and said, "You are asking for punishment again and want me to punish you! Instead of helping me, you are causing me trouble and frustration!" "I don't believe you are unreasonable, but you still did it."
"Keep your head up!"
Gao Rou slowly raised her head, glanced at Cao Rui, and then lowered her gaze half an inch.
Cao Rui said slowly with a blank expression: "How can someone who does not help me solve problems but instead causes trouble for me be one of my nine ministers?"
"Tingwei, I am willing to give you a decent look and another chance. Please stop saying things like the ministers are wise and the emperor is decisive."
"If I don't use the school, how can I monitor the inside and outside?"
"If you can speak well, I will not only not punish you, but also praise you. But if you can't speak at all, then you don't have to be the court judge anymore."
Facing the furious emperor, no one dared to say a word. Even Wei Zhen, who was closest to the emperor, kept silent, not wanting to get into trouble.
Gao Rou knelt in the center of the study, feeling that the gazes of the emperor and everyone else were like flames that were about to burn him, while the cold floor tiles beneath him were emitting chills without restraint.
Gao Rou knelt there quietly. Cao Rui did not say anything, just stared at him.
Just when Cao Rui's patience was about to end, Gao Rou suddenly raised his head and said anxiously: "Your Majesty, you can revise the examination method! Clarify the duties of internal and external officials, and then evaluate them, and add regular inspections, which will definitely play a supervisory role!"
Cao Rui raised his eyebrows and looked at Gao Rou with slight surprise.
Did it really make you think of it?
Using performance appraisal as a whip to force civil and military officials to move forward, right?
But I have to say that this is a good idea, but I don’t know if it is applicable in today’s era.
Since Gao Rou brought it up, let him give it a try.
Cao Rui stared at Gao Rou with a complicated expression: "The court wants to revise the examination method? How long will it take?"
Gao Rou knew that this was a matter of political life. If he said too much, the emperor would be resentful. If he said too little, he might not be able to succeed.
Gao Rou replied: "Please give me a deadline, Your Majesty. If I cannot complete it, then punish me."
Cao Rui thought about it for a moment and said, "I can only give you one year at most! Is that enough?"
Gao Rou simply said, "One year is enough! Your Majesty, please observe my performance in the future."
Cao Rui nodded and said, "In that case, I am willing to give you a chance. Within one year, your position as the Tingwei will be changed to Xingtingwei, and you will temporarily take over this position."
"Get up! Don't kneel anymore."
Gao Rou slowly stood up: "I thank your majesty for your grace."
……
Gao Rou returned to the Supreme Court, and the officials in the study also dispersed.
By evening, Sima Yi had left half an hour earlier and arrived at the Supreme Court.
After closing the door, Sima Yi asked, "Brother Wenhui, why did you propose the examination method today? If this method is released, I am afraid that Brother Wenhui will become the target of public criticism!"
Gao Rou was no longer as timid as she had been in the study just now. She stared at Sima Yi with an angry frown in her eyes and said, "If I hadn't said this, I would have been demoted to a commoner by His Majesty and had to go back to my hometown Chenliu to farm!"
"It's an emergency, what else can I do?"
Sima Yi sighed softly, cupped his hands and said, "I am here at the Court of Justice to apologize to Brother Wenhui."
"Your Majesty has exiled Sun Zi and returned the school affairs to the Minister of the Interior. No matter how I think about it, I feel that Your Majesty is dissatisfied with Sun Zi and the school affairs. Therefore, I ask Xu Jingshan to impeach the Secretary of Interior, and Brother Wenhui to impeach the School Affairs."
“I never expected it to turn out like this!”
Gao Rou is also a wise man, but because of his different perspectives and positions, he does not share the same thoughts as the emperor.
Now that he knew the emperor's sensitivity to power, Gao Rou had made up her mind that she would never have to deal with such bad luck again in her life. She was lucky to have gotten the chance this time.
Gao Rou snorted coldly: "Yeah! Who could have expected such a situation?"
"You, Sima Zhongda, are very smart. You didn't submit the petition yourself, but instead instigated me and Xu Jingshan."
"Please, Zhongda, consider that we have known each other for many years and don't ask me to do this again. I, Gao Wenhui, can't bear it!"
Sima Yi had no choice but to bow to Gao Rou and said sincerely, "Brother Wenhui, please forgive me. It was I who put you in danger!"
"I remember that Brother Wenhui's eldest son is still at home in Chenliu and has not yet entered the government, right? How about I recruit him to the Sikong Mansion?"
Gao Rou looked Sima Yi up and down.
Now he wants to compensate me? No matter what he thinks, it's better to get some benefits!
Gao Rou then cupped his hands and said, "Then I would like to thank Zhongda." (End of this chapter)
