Listening to the conversation between Chang Lin and his father Sima Yi, Sima Shi was a little confused for a moment.
But after sitting at the table and gradually sorting out the cause and effect, Sima Shi's eyes gradually changed from confusion to determination.
What test, what patience? If He Yan had not been implicated and the court had not imprisoned me, why would I need to return to Wen County to live in idleness?
No matter how wrong it is, it’s not my fault!
Be patient for a moment, and plan for a lifetime!
Sima Shi bowed and said, "Mr. Chang's words are valuable and good, and I have kept them in my heart. It is indeed an opportunity to return to my hometown to study, cultivate myself and raise my reputation."
"I wonder if there are any relatives of Mr. Chang in Wen County who are of the same age as me? After I go back, I should go out and visit more people."
Chang Lin smiled and said, "My eldest grandson, Chang Jian, is about your age, only 21 years old, and is studying in the countryside and has not yet entered the government."
"He will probably come to the Imperial College in a few months. I would like to ask Ziyuan to give him some pointers when he returns to Wen County."
"Of course, of course." Sima Shi responded repeatedly.
Sima Yi also smiled and said: "I have also gained a lot from listening to Lord Chang's teachings."
"Speaking of which, your majesty's reorganization of the Secretariat seems to be intended to strengthen the authority of the Secretariat."
"Hasn't the Shangshutai started to seize the power of the Nine Ministers a long time ago?" Chang Lin said softly, "Since you and Chen Qun entered the Shangshutai, the power of the Nine Ministers has been getting less and less."
Sima Yi smiled awkwardly: "This is not what I meant."
"Humph." Chang Lin said, "The six new ministers have the same official rank as the nine ministers. I'm afraid the nine ministers will really become decorations this time."
Sima Yi cupped his hands and said, "There are still vacancies for the positions of Minister of Finance and Minister of Personnel. Would Lord Chang be willing to become one of them?"
Chang Lin pointed at his chest and said with a wry smile: "Zhongda, look at my appearance. How can I go to the Shangshutai to do those complicated things?"
Sima Yi said: "Mr. Chang is not even seventy yet, and Wei Ji is already over seventy and still serving as an official in Taichung..."
Chang Lin raised his hand to stop Sima Yi: "Zhongda, don't persuade me anymore. I am nearly seventy years old and I am already waiting to die. I no longer have the energy to serve as an official."
But I’m only seventy years old, so what?
Sima Yi thought this in his mind, but he could only change the subject helplessly and chat with Chang Lin about trivial matters in the court and the Secretariat.
……
The next day, North Palace and East Pavilion.
Wei Zhen sat at his desk, writing something on a large piece of paper. Sima Yi stood to one side with his hands behind his back, also looking down at the table.
"If so, the division of the six ministries and twenty-five departments will be completed." Wei Zhen said softly: "Sikong, shall we go to the study and report this proposal to His Majesty?"
"Gong Zhen, wait a moment." Sima Yi said, "Let me take a closer look."
"Yeah." Wei Zhen nodded.
A moment later, in the study.
Cao Rui carefully read the drafts brought by Sima Yi and Wei Zhen several times and said, "You two have no problem with the division of the six ministries, but the name is a bit difficult to pronounce."
Sima Yi smiled and said, "Then please give names to the six ministries, Your Majesty."
"The name of the Ministry of Personnel does not need to be changed."
"The Minister of Finance was changed to the Minister of Civil Affairs, the Minister of the Five Armies was changed to the Minister of War, the Minister of the Guest Department was changed to the Minister of Rites, and the Minister of Civil Affairs was changed to the Minister of Works."
"As for Tian Cao..."
Cao Rui looked up at the two of them and said, "The farming and agricultural affairs that Minister Cao of Agriculture was originally in charge of should be transferred to the Ministry of Civil Affairs."
"Let Wei Ji, the Minister of Agriculture, be the Minister of Civil Affairs. This Minister of Justice..."
Sima Yi asked quickly, "Your Majesty, since the word 'Xingbu' is in its name, does it mean that it is responsible for matters concerning criminal justice?"
Wei Zhen also looked over.
Cao Rui said softly: "The Court of Justice is in charge of the criminal justice, and the Ministry of Justice will temporarily be in charge of the law and verification."
After a moment, Cao Rui looked up at the two of them and asked, "Have you two chosen any candidates for the position of Minister of Justice?"
While Wei Zhen was still thinking, Sima Yi spoke first: "Your Majesty, I have a suitable candidate."
"Who?"
Sima Yi replied, "Xu Miao, Xu Jingshan, from the Imperial Censorate."
Cao Rui thought for a moment and said softly, "For the position of Minister of Justice, I am actually interested in Liu Shao or Lu Yu, who are currently revising the law."
"But the law has not been revised yet. The Ministry of Justice doesn't have much to do, so let Xu Miao set up the framework of the Ministry of Justice first."
"Then I will inform Xu Miao later." Sima Yi responded with a bow.
Sima Yi had just beaten him to the punch, so Wei Zhen quickly followed up by asking, "Your Majesty, the position of Minister of Personnel has also not been decided. Does Your Majesty have a candidate in mind?"
Cao Rui smiled and said, "Master Wei, do you have anyone to recommend to me?"
Wei Zhen shook his head: "It all depends on your majesty's wishes."
Cao Rui nodded and said, "Let's not talk about the Minister of Personnel for now. I will assign the six ministries to each of you two."
Sima Yi and Wei Zhen both looked solemn and stood in front of the emperor's desk with their hands behind their backs.
The Secretariat was divided into six departments, which were led by You Pushe and Zuo Pushe. The two of them were the first to take the plunge.
The current distribution may affect the court changes in the next few decades or hundreds of years.
Cao Rui tapped the table with his fingers: "The Ministry of Personnel is still led by Master Wei."
"Ministry of Civil Affairs, Ministry of War, and Ministry of Works." Cao Rui looked at Sima Yi and said, "Does the Minister of Works have any objection to you leading these three ministries?"
Sima Yi responded without hesitation, "Your Majesty is wise and enlightened. I will obey your orders." "Master Wei." Cao Rui looked at Wei Zhen again, "Master Wei is in charge of the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Justice. Do you have any questions?"
Wei Zhen also replied in a serious tone: "I obey your order!"
Cao Rui nodded in satisfaction: "Two Shangshu Pushe, the six ministries of civil affairs, military affairs, engineering, personnel, rituals, and punishments, all the affairs of the world are now gathered in the Shangshutai."
"As for the Shangshu Zuo and You Cheng, You Pushe will recommend You Cheng, and Zuo Pushe will recommend Zuo Cheng. You two can each recommend one person. Once you have decided, just inform me of the name. I will not be involved."
"As you wish." Sima Yi cupped his hands and said, "I have one more thing to ask Your Majesty."
"Sikong, please tell me." Cao Rui said.
Sima Yi said: "In fact, since the Huangchu period, the Secretariat has begun to gradually encroach on the power of the Nine Ministers. Now that the Six Ministries have emerged, I am afraid that the power of the Nine Ministers will be reduced again."
Just as Sima Yi was speaking, a muffled thunder sounded in the sky outside the study, but no raindrops fell.
It is normal to have many thunderstorms in June.
But Cao Rui suddenly had an idea and asked, "There is thunder in the sky but no rain on the ground, the upper part is Zhen and the lower part is Qian, what is this hexagram?"
Sima Yi cupped his hands and responded, "The upper Zhen and lower Qian form the Da Zhuang hexagram. There are two lines in total."
"First, great strength is beneficial and righteous, great means righteousness."
"Second, a gentleman does not do anything that is not proper."
Cao Rui nodded, then stood up, walked to the study door with his hands behind his back, and looked up at the dark clouds in the sky.
"From the perspective of the hexagram, it is the right thing to do to have the Shangshutai gather all the power in the world. And the Shangshutai must also abide by their duties and not overstep the boundaries."
Sima Yi and Wei Zhen also slowly came over.
Cao Rui did not turn around, and said softly: "It is fine for the Shangshutai to seize the power of the Nine Ministers, and I agree. But if the two of you fail to control the Shangshutai well, I will also blame you."
"Do you know?"
The two of them responded, "I understand."
Cao Rui said, "As for the Minister of Personnel, let the Cavalry Captain Yang Ji go! Master Wei should take good care of him."
"Yes, sir." Wei Zhen said.
Raindrops are already falling from the sky.
Seeing Sima Yi and Wei Zhen going out to return to the East Pavilion, the two eunuchs tactfully handed each of them a green umbrella.
The raindrops hit the umbrella, making a puffy and crackling sound. The dense and intertwined sounds actually brought a sense of calmness.
The case of Fuhua has been resolved, the six divisions have been determined, and peace seems to have finally returned to the court.
But is it possible to really calm down?
When Sima Yi walked to the door with an umbrella, he did not go in, but stood outside the eaves and listened to the sound of rain.
Ziyuan should have passed the Mengjin Ferry by now, and will reach Wen County in another hour or two, right?
Wei Zhen closed his umbrella and walked in. He turned around to look at Sima Yi, but without even asking, he went back to his desk to work. With so many things to do, how could he have the energy to watch the rain?
Under the same roof, the two states of mind are as distinct as the boundary between the two.
……
On a rainy day, Cao Rui did not go to the martial arts arena, but took a carriage back to the harem.
In the morning, Empress Dowager Guo sent a eunuch to report that the remaining nine women had been sent to the palace and were waiting for the Emperor to come and see them.
The events of the past few days in the court had come to an end, and Cao Rui also felt like traveling for a rare occasion.
If we talk seriously about the North Palace and South Palace of Luoyang, they are actually two palaces covering a very large area in Luoyang City, connected by a corridor in the air.
Not only was it the residence of the royal family, but institutions such as the Secretariat and the Censorate were also located in the Nan Palace.
Since the time of Emperors Huan and Ling, the emperors began to live in the North Palace in Luoyang. During the Huangchu period, Cao Pi also followed the old practice, and Cao Rui did the same.
The palace where Empress Dowager Guo lived was called Changle Palace, and the palace where Empress Dowager Bian lived was called Changxin Palace, both of which were located in the North Palace.
This time, Cao Rui went to the Changle Palace of Empress Dowager Guo.
"Rui'er is here?" Empress Dowager Guo stood up from the main seat in the hall and said with a kind face.
"Greetings, mother." Cao Rui bowed his hands and said, "Mother, did you ask me to come here to meet these new ladies in the harem?"
"Exactly, exactly."
Empress Dowager Guo said, "Concubine Mao is pregnant and will give birth in less than a month. I told her to rest assured and take care of the baby in the palace. She doesn't need to come here."
Twenty women were already kneeling on both sides of the hall.
Cao Rui took a quick look and noticed that Da Hu and Guo Yao were both standing at the front of the line. Feeling the emperor's gaze, Da Hu even blinked with a smile on his face.
Cao Rui pursed his lips slightly and looked in Guo Yao's direction again.
Unlike Dahu, Guo Yao's style has always been restrained and polite. When Cao Rui brought her and Dahu to see Queen Mother Guo, Guo Yao was so nervous that her voice trembled when she spoke.
But in stark contrast to her reserved image during the day, every time they made love at night, Guo Yao's passionate response and demands in bed were like two completely different people.
The Liangzhou woman and the Yangzhou woman, one from the northwest and the other from the southeast, have opposite personalities not only during the day, but also at night.
It's really amazing. (End of this chapter)
