Chapter 5 Voting and Deliberation The design of Chongde Hall is amazing. The sun shone in from the gate and the skylight. Cao Rui looked at the ministers in the hall. The light was bright enough to see their every move. The ministers looked up at Cao Rui sitting on the dragon throne, but it was dim and they couldn't see any details. In other words, Cao Rui is now the class teacher of all the officials of the Wei Dynasty. Anyone who is distracted or passes notes will not escape his eyes. At this moment, Cao Rui really wanted to call out the craftsman who designed the Chongde Hall, praise him personally, and reward him with ten taels of gold. "My birth mother, Zhen, was beautiful and respectful, and she was virtuous and hardworking. I will posthumously give her the title of Empress Wen Zhao." "Your Majesty is wise." Cao Zhen, Cao Xiu, Chen Qun and Sima Yi responded in unison. Cao Rui looked at them and said: "The four regents have worked hard and made great contributions, they deserve to be rewarded." "The Minister of the Secretariat." Cao Rui was calling Liu Fang. Liu Fang walked to the side of the four regent ministers with a roll of bright yellow silk in his hand and began to read. The four of them knelt down one after another, and the ministers in the hall followed suit. From Cao Rui's perspective, there was an especially neat and beautiful feeling.
"Zhongshu: Here are General Cao Xiu, General Cao Zhen, General Chen Qun, General Sima Yi, who have made great contributions to the Wei Dynasty and their achievements are known throughout China." "I rule the country with culture and suppress rebellions with military force. The regents are the pillars of the court and the pillars of the country." "I specially promote Cao Xiu to Grand Marshal and give him the title of Marquis of Changping, Cao Zhen to General and give him the title of Marquis of Shaoling, Chen Qun to give him the title of Marquis of Yingyin, and Sima Yi to give him the title of Marquis of Wuyang. The four regents will also have their own government offices opened, and each of them will have an additional fief of 500 households. I respect you." The four of them accepted the order and thanked him before slowly standing up. The scene is over, and it's time to arrange the formal part. Cao Rui smiled and looked at the four regents: "Although I am in charge of the government, I still need your assistance in military and state affairs. I hope you will not hesitate to work hard." Cao Xiu bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I am a relative of the royal family, and I have received great favors from the late emperor and Your Majesty. How dare I not be loyal and do my best for Your Majesty?" Cao Zhen also took over the conversation: "I also have the same thought. I just hope that our great Wei will prosper and pacify the rebellious bandits in West Shu and East Wu as soon as possible." Chen Qun and Sima Yi also bowed and said, "We are willing to serve your majesty wholeheartedly." "Hahaha." Cao Rui laughed and continued, "Since the four regents are so loyal, I will rest assured to entrust the affairs of state to you." Cao Rui then stood up from the dragon throne, walked down the steps, and slowly walked to the side of the four ministers. Cao Xiu was thin and Cao Zhen was fat. Although they wore court robes, they could not hide their majestic aura as military generals. Chen Qun has a round and honest face, while Sima Yi's facial features are more three-dimensional, with a pair of eagle eyes under his thick eyebrows. This is the so-called "eagle-eyed and wolf-like" appearance. Cao Rui stepped forward and held the hands of Cao Xiu and Cao Zhen. "Uncle Wenlie, Uncle Zidan, the legacy of Emperor Wu and Emperor Wen has been passed down to me. The Cao family's kingdom is built on the back of your two uncles." Cao Xiu and Cao Zhen were a little flustered and quickly responded to Cao Rui's words. In this era, shaking hands between the emperor and the ministers was a rare honor. Cao Xiu said: "I am willing to die for your majesty and for the great Wei." Cao Zhen replied, "The same goes for me." Cao Rui turned his head and looked at Chen Qun and Sima Yi. For a moment, they couldn't tell whether Cao Rui was really speaking from the bottom of his heart or just putting on a show in the court.
"There are so many state affairs, so I rely on Lord Chen and Lord Sima." Chen Qun and Sima Yi also agreed. Cao Rui smiled and then walked back to the dragon throne. For an emperor, it was indeed unusual to walk to the center of the hall during a court meeting and shake hands and talk with ministers. Cao Xiu and Cao Zhen did not think about it carefully. After all, one was the Grand Marshal and the other was the Grand General, which was the highest promotion a minister could get, and they were too proud to be satisfied. But when Sima Yi looked at Cao Rui's back, his eyes narrowed slightly. Sima Yi had seen all three generations of Cao's emperors. Cao Cao was bold and magnanimous, but always suspicious and angry. Cao Pi was gentle and a gentleman, but occasionally went to extremes. What kind of character does Cao Rui just show? Is he sincere or hypocritical? Sima Yi thought for a moment and realized that the most suitable word to describe Cao Rui should be frivolous. It is frivolous. Although he is the emperor, he seems to care about nothing. But at this time, Cao Rui was not in a hurry to drive away these regent ministers. Before the court meeting, Cao Rui asked for advice from the Minister of State Xin Pi. Xin Pi's answer was to kick out all the regents. Drive Cao Zhen to Yongliang, drive Cao Xiu to Yangzhou, and drive Chen Qun or Sima Yi to Xiangyang. There was only one regent left in the court, who worked diligently for Cao Rui, while Cao Rui himself held the power. Cao Rui was just thinking about what kind of reason he could find to drive out the three regent ministers. But during the enthronement ceremony and conversation just now, Cao Xiu, Cao Zhen, Chen Qun and Sima Yi expressed their loyalty one after another, with such sincerity that it was impossible not to believe it. Cao Rui wanted to see how loyal they were to him. "Grand Sima, you are in Luozhong, is the southeastern border safe?" Cao Xiu patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. The southeastern defense line is as solid as a rock. Sun Quan of Jiangdong uses his troops like a child. Dongwu will not be able to pass Hefei City in a hundred years." Cao Rui turned and looked at Cao Zhen again. "General, is Yongliang safe?" Cao Zhen cupped his hands and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. Shu just conquered Nanzhong last year. The country is weak and unable to attack. Even Hanzhong is much emptier." Cao Rui nodded with a satisfied expression. "Since there is no military concern, the Grand Marshal and the Grand General should stay in Luozhong to assist in the administration." Cao Xiu and Cao Zhen were stunned. Even Chen Qun, who was usually as calm as a mountain, opened his eyes wide in surprise. "Where is the Shangshu Ling?" Shangshu Ling Chen Jiao, who had no sense of existence under the suppression of Chen Qun and Sima Yi, stepped out and saluted Cao Rui. "Find a big house in Nangong, the best house, either inside the Shangshutai or next to it." "Let the four regents gather together to work. From now on, all military and state affairs will be decided by the four regents together." "I have thought about it and I am afraid that this is the meaning of the late emperor's will!" Chen Jiao thought Cao Rui wanted to see him for something important, but he didn't expect that he was here to arrange a house. It didn't matter what the four of them did, since he, the Shangshu Ling, couldn't do anything about it.
But at this moment, the four regent ministers were confused by Cao Rui's "random orders". From the perspective of Cao Xiu and Cao Zhen, they were promoted to Grand Marshal and Grand General, and nominally controlled the military power of the whole country. Staying in Luoyang to assist in the administration, they could also control half of the power of the Secretariat, which was a godsend. From the perspective of Chen Qun and Sima Yi, the Wei Kingdom was most concerned with military affairs, and this was also an opportunity to intervene in the military. Although half of the power of the Secretariat was divided, who had just said in front of all the ministers that he was willing to die for the emperor? There was really no way to refuse. Cao Rui then added: "Emperor Wu and Emperor Wen were both talented writers. I am filial and will spend more time studying their writings. I will leave the affairs of state to you four!" The four people were silent for a moment, and then expressed their support for the emperor's wise decision. Chen Qun bowed and asked, "Your Majesty, how should we deal with any disagreements when we four make a decision together?" Cao Rui smiled slightly: "Mr. Chen, have you ever heard of voting?" "If there is an undecided matter, you can vote. If it is three to one, then the majority opinion will be followed." "If it's two against two, you can ask me to arbitrate." "How's this arrangement?" (End of this chapter)