The next morning, Sima Yi entered the North Palace early and came to the East Pavilion where he worked every day.
Gently pushing open the door, I found that there was not a speck of dust on the furnishings inside, obviously having been cleaned up by the eunuchs yesterday.
After waiting for a few incense sticks, Wei Zhen slowly walked in. Behind him were ten eunuchs holding various documents in their hands.
During the time when His Majesty was not in Luoyang, Wei Zhen was working in the Secretariat, so naturally there was no way he could enter the palace and come to the West Pavilion.
Today we are going to move all the documents from the Shangshu Tai here.
"Sikong, you come so early today." Wei Zhen stood about ten feet away and took the initiative to bow and greet Sima Yi.
"Gong Zhen is not too late." Sima Yi smiled and looked at the eunuchs following behind Wei Zhen: "Is the Shangshutai so busy?"
Wei Zhen smiled apologetically: "It's not that busy. The six ministers are all doing their jobs in an orderly manner."
After that, Wei Zhen pointed to the documents held by the eunuchs and said, "Most of these are archived records of the court's handling of various matters over the past six months."
"I brought it from the Shangshutai, firstly for the Minister of Works to review, and secondly for your Majesty to consult when he summons me."
Sima Yi smiled and said, "Gong Zhen is really thoughtful! Come in quickly, I have something to tell Gong Zhen."
"Dare you disobey my order? Please go in first, Sikong." Wei Zhen stretched out his right hand, motioning Sima Yi to go in first.
Sima Yi nodded slightly, then walked in, sat in his original seat, and touched the smooth armrest of the chair with satisfaction.
After the eunuchs filed out, Sima Yi did not shy away from the topic and said directly, "Gong Zhen, I heard your Majesty's words at the banquet last night, and it seemed that he was going to grant amnesty to the whole country."
"Is there such a thing?" Wei Zhen was not aware of it.
"That's right." Sima Yi nodded and said, "Gong Zhen, your eldest son Wei Lie is still studying in his hometown of Chenliu, right? My son Sima Shi is also in Wen County."
"How about you and I petition His Majesty together to release all the scholars implicated in the previous case of vanity?"
Wei Zhen sighed softly: "To be honest with you, Sikong, Lie'er has been in Chenliu for a long time and I haven't seen him. I miss him a lot in Luoyang."
"Don't worry, Sikong, I will go with you to talk to your majesty about this matter!"
Sima Yi was overjoyed, and then took the opportunity of looking at the documents to talk to Wei Zhen about many things that happened during the Western Expedition, and Wei Zhen also responded with about the events in Luoyang.
You reply and I reply, you say one sentence and I say another, and there is a sense of tacit understanding between us.
Just as the two were talking happily, a eunuch knocked on the door and said, "Your Majesty has ordered that the Minister of Defense be summoned to see you."
Wei Zhen and Sima Yi looked at each other, slowly put away the smile on his face, and bowed to Sima Yi and said: "Please take care of it yourself, Your Majesty, I will come as soon as I can."
"No hurry, His Majesty's summons is for serious matters. Gong Zhen, go ahead, don't worry about me." Sima Yi replied.
Wei Zhen bowed slightly, turned around and walked towards the study, but he didn't know that Sima Yi was staring at him for a long time with squinted eyes behind him.
In the study, Cao Rui came to the door to greet Wei Zhen. As soon as they met, Cao Rui grabbed Wei Zhen's hands.
"Master Wei has worked hard and made great contributions! With you in Luoyang, you have provided the army with adequate food and clothing. I will definitely give Master Wei some credit for his military achievements!"
"Your Majesty, thank you for your compliment." Wei Zhen declined, "I am just doing my duty. It is all within my responsibility."
"But the Minister of Works just told me something that I think makes a lot of sense, and I would like to report it to Your Majesty."
"What's the matter?" Cao Rui raised his eyebrows and looked at Wei Zhen curiously: "Master Wei, please take a seat!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty." After Wei Zhen sat down, he said, "The Minister of Works wants me to join him in suggesting that we take advantage of the amnesty to release the scholars implicated in the Fuhua case."
"I think it's just the right time."
Cao Rui was a little unsure.
Although Cao Rui was sure that Wei Zhen would not stand in the same trench with Sima Yi, after all, Wei Zhen's son Wei Lie was also on the list, so it was inevitable that he had some thoughts.
Cao Rui took a deep breath and said, "It is indeed a general amnesty! Master Wei, do you think Xu Yun and Yuan Kan will also be pardoned?"
Wei Zhen shook his head: "Whether these two are pardoned or not is really irrelevant. What I want to say today is about the safety of the country."
"Why do you think so?" Cao Rui asked.
Wei Zhen was quite straightforward: "Nearly 200 scholars were imprisoned in the Fuhua case, of which the 'Four Intelligent, Eight Da, and Three Yu' are needless to say, and the rest of the scholars are either from the scholar families of Wanluo, Ruying, or the sons of high-ranking officials of the Wei Dynasty in Luoyang."
"It has been more than a year since the Vanity case began. If confinement is used as punishment, I think it has been long enough."
Cao Rui sighed, "I know. During the first persecution of the Han emperor, Emperor Huan used the opportunity of changing the reign title and granting amnesty to release all the party members."
"If I delay any longer, will these people think that I am worse than Emperor Huan of Han?"
Wei Zhen explained: "Your Majesty is a holy monarch, why do you need to compare yourself with that kind of person?"
"However, the chaos at the end of the Han Dynasty was mostly caused by the Party Imprisonment Disaster."
"Scholars cannot hold official positions, so they naturally feel resentful towards the court and the emperor."
"And now, most of the people imprisoned by Your Majesty are the sons of important ministers and high-ranking officials. Regardless of whether these people repent or not, if this continues, I am afraid that the ministers will have complaints in their hearts."
Cao Rui remained silent.
Cao Rui knew all these things clearly, like a mirror in his mind.
But even though it was clear, when it came to actually doing it, they were still reluctant. In the original history, the power of the Cao family fell into the hands of the Sima family. It was not like the Cao family replaced the Han Dynasty by force, but more of a parasitic usurpation.
In the original history, Sima Yi took advantage of his position as an official in the Wei Dynasty, and with the help of his marriage, ruling power, and military power, he gradually won over a number of high-ranking officials of the Wei Dynasty to his side.
Sima Yi's network of contacts with the Sima family of Henei almost overlapped with those of high-ranking officials of the Wei Dynasty.
Before the Gaopingling Incident, Sima Yi's positive image made everyone believe in him.
After the coup, when Sima Yi's autocratic behavior had become apparent, there were still so many ministers who supported Sima Yi.
It cannot be explained by just the word "power".
How much dissatisfaction with the Wei Dynasty is contained in it?
In the original history, Liu Fang and Sun Zi, the two most important figures in the will, had their sons unable to serve in the government because of the Fuhua case. Sima Shi and Sima Zhao were also unable to serve in the government.
Even He Yan is average.
Do they resent the emperor and the Wei Dynasty? Humans are not plants, so they naturally resent it!
Cao Rui knew all this, but he really had no other way to deal with it. The basic requirement of politics is to win over the hearts of the people, and now is indeed the time to release him.
Cao Rui looked at Wei Zhen: "So you still want me to compromise?"
Wei Zhen bowed and said: "I want to help Your Majesty win over the people, not just for me!"
"Your Majesty clearly shows you!"
Cao Rui nodded: "I know what Master Wei means."
"No need to say more, I have agreed to this matter. However, after these people are released, although they are not restricted to their hometowns, they are not allowed to serve as officials for the time being!"
"Don't tell anyone about this. The Ministry of Personnel is managed by Master Wei. Master Wei has blocked my way. Do you understand?"
Wei Zhen thought for a few moments and then bowed in agreement.
Cao Rui added: "Regarding Wei Lie, does Master Wei want him to serve as a subordinate of the Grand Marshal or the General? I will let them recruit him."
"I thank your majesty for your grace on behalf of Wei Lie." Wei Zhen said, "Chencang or Shouchun are both fine. It's all up to your majesty to decide."
Cao Rui nodded: "Wei Lie went to Shouchun to report to me, and Chenliu is closer to Shouchun. Let him go to the Grand Marshal!"
"Master Wei, please go now. I will call you and Sikong here later. I will listen to what you two have to say and then make a decision."
"I understand." Wei Zhen said goodbye.
Wei Zhen knew that the emperor wanted him not to reveal the matter for the time being, and to agree to it when he and Sima Yi made the request together.
After Cao Rui sent Wei Zhen away, he stood up, put his hands behind his back, and walked towards the West Pavilion.
There is also a Dong Zhao there!
Dong Zhao is the most interesting person.
Judging from his appearance, this man was already very old. But every time Cao Rui talked to him, his wise eyes and powerful voice were totally inconsistent with his appearance.
Cao Rui walked into the West Pavilion, and Dong Zhao quickly stood up to greet him. After a few pleasantries, Cao Rui got straight to the point.
Cao Rui smiled and said, "I have not been in Luoyang for a long time. There is one less general in the West Pavilion. I am still a little uncomfortable with it."
Dong Zhao also smiled and responded: "The general is responsible for the affairs of state. He is in Chencang and is responsible for border affairs. I cannot always be the only one in the West Pavilion."
"I ask Your Majesty to select another person for the Western Chamber to fill the vacancy of the general."
"Mr. Dong is straightforward!" Cao Rui laughed. "I have traveled all over the Wei Kingdom, but I still like talking to Mr. Dong the most."
"I have a question first." Cao Rui stared into Dong Zhao's eyes and asked, "Do you want to be the Minister of Education, or do you want to continue to serve in the West Pavilion?"
Dong Zhao replied: "That day, I discussed the theory of name and reality with Your Majesty. I said so and I also intend to act in the same way."
"I am willing to serve Your Majesty in the West Pavilion, and I am unwilling to leave Your Majesty's side and become a mere official in name only!"
"I hope your majesty will grant you permission."
Cao Rui said with emotion: "I have a rough guess, but I still need to ask Mr. Dong in person."
"I'll tell Lord Dong straight out! I want to add one more person to the West Pavilion and three more attendants."
Dong Zhao cupped his hands and said, "I wonder if His Majesty has decided on the new Situ candidate?"
Cao Rui nodded and said: "Let Chen Huqi return to Luoyang to retire."
"That's exactly what it means." Dong Zhao nodded slightly.
"Yes." Cao Rui also nodded in response: "But what do you think of the four people I just mentioned, Lord Dong?"
Dong Zhao stood up and walked to Cao Zhen's original seat, pulled out a chair and motioned for the emperor to sit down: "Your Majesty, please sit down first and listen to my analysis."
Cao Rui nodded without comment and sat on Cao Zhen's chair.
Dong Zhao stood in front of the table and said bluntly:
"I have said something before. The Grand Marshal and the Grand General are both commanding troops outside. The most urgent thing now is not to continue to take control of the central army, but to control the outside with the inside!" (End of this chapter)
