Luoyang, the Secretariat.
The Secretariat, the imperial administrative core since the Han Dynasty, was led by a high-ranking official known as the Secretary of State.
While Xun Yu assisted Cao Cao in governing the empire, he occupied the position of the Grand Secretary.
At this time, however, Chen Jiao, the Grand Secretary, sat in a lower position in the hall, while the two principal ministers, Sima Yi and Chen Qun, occupied the higher seats.
Chen Jiao tapped impatiently on the writing desk with his finger: "Zhongda, tomorrow's audience, we will see the emperor ourselves. Why ask Liu Ye today?"
Sima Yi smiled, "Grand Secretary, be patient. I have sent someone to fetch him, and he will be here shortly."
Chen Qun sat silently by his side, while Wang Si, the Steward of the Ministry, and Wei Zhen, the Minister of Personnel, looked at each other without responding.
The sound of footsteps grew louder as the crowd turned to look. It was Lius Ye, the Grand Master of the court.
Sima Yi stood up first and went to greet at the door. The others, some from the front and some from behind, also got up one after another.
Sima Yi smiled and said, "Ziyang, we have been waiting for you at the Secretariat for half a day."
Lius Ye forced a smile and bowed his hands: "Zhongda, you can call me Lius Ye. I am not worthy of the title 'Gentleman'. What business does everyone have waiting for me at the Secretariat?"
Sima Yi said, "Ziyang, I heard that you were summoned by the emperor separately, and we are quite envious."
Compared to Sima Yi, who was speaking in diplomatic terms, Chen Qun, who was usually composed and stable, directly raised the issue.
"Ziyang, may I ask who is the emperor?"
This question is very direct and pointed.
Today, Emperor Cao Rui summoned Lius Ye to the palace because, on one hand, as the Grand Master of the court, it is Lius Ye's duty to guide affairs and provide counsel and responses.
On the other hand, Lius Ye has long served by the side of Cao Cao and Cao Pi, and thus has a deeper understanding of Cao Rui's grandfather and father.
And the various ministers of the Secretariat, whether Sima Yi or Chen Qun, have countless administrative tasks to handle every day.
Although their positions are higher, in terms of the frequency of contact with Emperor Cao Pi, they are much lower than the officials like the Grand Master of the court who serve at the emperor's side.
Even Lius Ye doesn't know Cao Rui, how much more can Sima Yi and Chen Qun, who are less familiar with him.
Lius Ye felt a surge of alertness in his heart. The court was always filled with undercurrents, and more so at this time when the new emperor had just ascended the throne.
If Lius Ye leaks the content of his conversation with the emperor, it will only bring trouble.
Not saying a word would clearly offend several senior officials at the Secretariat. If one does speak, it must be carefully pondered over.
Sima Yi saw that Lius Ye was still silent and turned to address the Minister of Personnel, Wei Zhen, who was standing behind him.
"Gong Zhen, during the East Palace, you have multiple times discussed classics with the emperor, which makes you the closest to the emperor among the external officials."
"Before, when we asked about the emperor's condition, you never revealed a single word. Today, Ziyang has also had a talk with the emperor. Shouldn't you say something as well?"
Wei Zhen looked at Sima Yi expressionlessly, and his face became even more expressionless. At this time, he was the Minister of Personnel, who was responsible for the Ministry of Personnel. The Secretariat has six departments, each led by a Secretary-General, and Wei Zhen was the Minister of Personnel at this time.
"Zhongda, the late emperor once asked me the same question."
"At that time, I told the late emperor that the Marquis of Pingyuan was wise and virtuous, and I said no more. Today, when you, Zhongda, ask Wei Zhen again, Wei Zhen still responds with these four characters: The emperor is wise and virtuous."
Chen Qun rubbed his beard and said, "The emperor is naturally wise and virtuous." Then he looked directly at Lius Ye.
Lius Ye was no fool; the situation was becoming clear.
There were five people present: the two ministers assisting in the government, Sima Yi and Chen Qun; the Grand Secretary, Chen Jiao; the Steward of the Secretariat, Wang Si; and the Minister of Personnel, Wei Zhen.
While Wang Si and Chen Jiao are added for numbers, discussing the emperor in the presence of two ministers and in the main hall of the Secretariat would be considered official business rather than private discussions about the emperor.
Wei Zhen had taught Emperor Cao Rui classical texts in the East Palace several years ago and was almost a second teacher to him. Having Wei Zhen there would be seen as a sign of honesty and openness toward the emperor.
The key figures are Sima Yi and Chen Qun.
The crowd gathered at the Secretariat for two hours, clearly it was Sima Yi and Chen Qun, the two assistant ministers, who wanted to gain more understanding of Cao Rui before the morning audience the next day.
Thinking about this, Lius Ye already knew how to respond. After a moment's contemplation, he slowly spoke, one word at a time.
"The emperor is a peer of Emperor Xianwen of the Han, but his talent is slightly less."
Lius Ye immediately bowed repeatedly to the others.
"The emperor is a peer of Emperor Xianwen of the Han, but his talent is slightly less." Lius Ye said and immediately bowed repeatedly to the others. "I'll go first," Lius Ye said and turned around, quickly walking out of the main hall.
Lius Ye's footsteps gradually faded away. Having obtained the desired response, the others did not try to stop him.
Lius Ye's words can be divided into two parts.
" 'A peer of Emperor Xianwen of the Han' refers to the similarity between Emperor Cao Rui and Emperor Wen of the Western Han."
" 'But his talent is slightly less' means that Emperor Cao Rui's talent is slightly inferior to that of Emperor Wen of the Western Han."
Emperor Wen of the Western Han ascended the throne as a local prince after being brought to Chang'an by a general during the Zhong Lün Rebellion. He then established the prosperous period of Wenchang, which was widely recognized as the sage emperor in the four centuries of Eastern and Western Han Dynasties. Saying that Emperor Cao Rui is slightly inferior to Emperor Wen of the Western Han is not at all offensive.
But... when Lius Ye said that Emperor Cao Rui was similar to Emperor Wen of the Han, he was referring to which aspects of their similarity?
The others looked at each other for a moment, seeing that no one wanted to speak, and Sima Yi broke the silence first.
"The words spoken by Liu Ziyang were heard by all of you. The time is late, please return to your homes."
At this moment, Lius Ye, who had just walked out of the gates of the Secretariat, began to laugh coldly.
Cao Rui summoned Lius Ye and talked about fortune-telling, ghosts, and gods for the whole afternoon. He also carefully inquired into the details of bedroom techniques.
What's the difference between Emperor Cao Rui summoning the esteemed scholar-official Jia Yi and asking about ghost and god matters for half a night, and this? In fact, it's even worse!
Lius Ye's statement that Emperor Cao Rui is like Emperor Wen of the Han but slightly worse refers to this meaning.
It remains to be seen how Sima Yi and Chen Qun will interpret Lius Ye's words.
Thinking about this, Lius Ye let out a cold snort on the way.
Let them guess!
...
On the other side, Emperor Cao Rui of Wei, the emperor of the Wei Dynasty, was enjoying a very comfortable life.
After enjoying a sumptuous lunch, chatting with the Grand Master Lius Ye for the entire afternoon, and then having another lavish dinner, Emperor Cao Rui was content and ready to go to the palace chamber.
The night shroud covered the entire Luoyang City, and the starry sky without light pollution revealed the whole Milky Way.
Emperor Cao Rui was being carried in a sedan chair by four palace attendants, swaying as he moved forward.
The attendant officer, Bi Jin, bent down next to the sedan chair and whispered softly, "Your Majesty, the palace chamber has arrived. Nei's waiting inside."
"Yufei?"
After working for a few days, Emperor Cao Rui suddenly realized that he had a harem and that made things more complicated.
Four years ago, when Emperor Cao Rui was 19 years old, he married Yufei from the Hei River's large clan as his consort.
Now that Emperor Cao Rui is 23 years old, and Yufei has just turned 20, they are both in their prime, like blossoming flowers.
Yufei was sitting at the makeup table, admiring her appearance in the mirror. Upon hearing the sounds outside, she raised her hand and signaled the maid to open the door.
Emperor Cao Rui walked into the palace chamber, spreading his arms wide as he went. Two maids recognized the cue and took his outer robe from behind him, leaving quietly and closing the door.
At this moment, there were only Emperor Cao Rui and Consort Yufei in the chamber.
Emperor Cao Rui walked behind Yufei and saw the reflection of himself and Yufei in the copper mirror.
This was also the first time Emperor Cao Rui had taken a good look at his own appearance.
Emperor Cao Rui's grandfather, Cao Cao, was not tall but had a bright and heroic demeanor. In other words, he was not handsome, but his temperament was outstanding.
Cao Cao married a singing girl named Bianyi, and Bianyi's appearance was top-notch. Therefore, his son Cao Pi naturally had an outstanding appearance and was more heroic than ordinary people.
Let alone Cao Rui's biological mother, Zhenyi. Zhenyi's appearance could be compared to that of the Goddess of Lo River, and she could be said to have unprecedented beauty.
The beautiful genes of Bianyi and Zhenyi shaped Emperor Cao Rui's appearance into being exceptionally handsome.
At this moment, Yufei slowly stood up from the seat and performed a polite bow towards Cao Rui.
"I kowtow to greet Your Majesty."
Before rising, Yufei raised her head and her almond-shaped eyes, which were curved like willows, looked up at Cao Rui.
For a moment, Emperor Cao Rui did not know what to do.
Caught in a daze, Yufei still thought that Cao Rui was staring at her beauty, so she smirked and stared at Cao Rui's eyes with a slight voice.
"Your Majesty, when will you make me the empress?"
