Luoyang Beigong, side room of Chongde Hall.
Cao Ruixi raised his collar, turned around a circle in front of a huge copper mirror. The black and red clothes he wore emphasized his dignity, while the embroidered dragon patterns with gold thread were extremely majestic.
"How do I look in this outfit?"
Standing not far away, the Prime Minister Xin Pi smiled and praised, "Your Majesty is magnificent and awe-inspiring."
"Ha ha ha." Cao Ruixi laughed a few times and said, "Bring the crown decors over here."
The twelve-bead-crowned cap weighs heavily, taking a while to be worn on the head.
"What is on the agenda for today's imperial audience?"
Xin Pi picked up a roll of bamboo slips from the table and introduced the arrangements for the grand audience to Cao Ruixi.
"Your Majesty, today is the first imperial audience since your accession to the throne. The subject has prepared three agenda items and awaits Your Majesty's approval."
"Go ahead." Cao Ruixi did not nod; the weight of the crown jewels was too heavy on his head.
"One of the agendas is for Your Majesty to confer with the officials to determine the posthumous title and temple name of the late emperor, as well as to elevate the Empress Dowager to the title of Supreme Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Consort to that of Grand Empress Dowager."
"Agenda number two is to bestow rewards on meritorious officials as decreed by the sovereign, and to grant titles to members of the imperial clan."
These two agendas are just formalities, and Emperor Cao Ruixi did not speak. Xin Pi looked up at Emperor Cao Ruixi, then continued to state the agenda.
"Agenda number three is that before the late emperor's death, he chose four officials to assist in governance and granted them all the rank of generals. However, the powers and responsibilities of these four officials were previously unclear, and Your Majesty is needed to clarify their roles and responsibilities."
Cao Ruixi and Xin Pi exchanged glances. The third agenda item was the crux of today's imperial audience.
The Wei state was abundant in intelligent individuals. After Cao Pi ascended the throne, there were four permanent officials of the chamber: two strategists Dong Zhao and Liu Ye, and two advisors Xin Pi and Su Ce.
Dong Zhao was promoted to the position of the Grand Steward, while Su Zé had passed away. The remaining two permanent officials of the chamber are Liu Ye and Xin Pi.
Liu Ye, though a strategist, had a flexible moral standard. Xin Pi, not known for his intelligence, but with a high sense of integrity, a strong and decisive personality, and dare to correct the emperor's mistakes as an advisor.
Yesterday was Liu Ye's shift, and today it is Xin Pi's turn.
Cao Ruixi looked at Xin Pi with a slight seriousness in his face, "What do the officials have to say?"
Xin Pi clasped his hands and stood upright to the side. The nearly sixty-year-old Xin Pi had served three emperors of the Wei state. Facing national affairs, Xin Pi always maintained a serious and careful attitude.
"Your Majesty, with the rebellion in the country not yet settled, we should use military force externally rather than internally."
"The three border areas of Yongliang, Jingxiang, and Xu Yang should be administered through military might. However, one area should be governed through cultural means instead of military means."
"The remaining one should assist the emperor in governing within the court."
"I believe this is also the original intention of the late emperor in selecting these four ministers to assist in governance."
Cao Ruixi remained silent for a moment. The choice of these four ministers to assist the emperor by Cao Pi is very good, and it is not difficult to understand Cao Pi's intentions.
But the rarest treasure is Xin Pi's loyalty and courage to speak directly to the emperor without any hesitation.
Cao Ruixi said, "Ever since I was in the Eastern Palace, I have often heard of your upright and honest nature, as well as your earnest and selfless counsel, Minister Xin. Today, I have seen it with my own eyes."
Xin Pi deeply bowed to Cao Ruixi without any other words.
...
The imperial audience began, with Emperor Cao Ruixi seated on the throne. The ministers of both civil and military ranks stood on either side of the hall, bowing deeply to the new emperor of the Great Wei, as guided by the Marquis of Ceremony.
The echoes resounded repeatedly in the vast hall. Seated on the dragon chair, Cao Ruixi felt a great sense of pride and grandeur as he possessed the world.
A man should be like this, enjoying the pleasures of the world to the fullest!
But when Cao Ruixi thought of Liu Shan of Shu Han and Sun Quan of Eastern Wu, his mood was not as beautiful anymore.
Looking through the twelve strings of crown decorations at the officials, their figures were not very clear. Only one person stepped forward, holding a white ivory jade slab, and bowing towards Cao Ruixi.
Chen Qun walked to the center of the hall: "Your Majesty, the Records of State Affairs, Chen Qun, has something to report."
Cao Ruixi was facing this scene for the first time, feeling a hint of excitement mixed with tension.
"Please speak, Chen Gentleman." Cao Ruixi's tone was not very high-minded.
Chen Qun said, "Your Majesty, the late emperor has passed away. According to the ritual, the posthumous title and temple name of the late emperor should be conferred."
Cao Ruixi said, "Has there been a public discussion in the Secretariat of State?"
Chen Qun said, "I, together with the Major General Cao Zhen, the Major General Cao Xu, and the Major General Sima Yi of the Eastern Command, had a discussion yesterday regarding the posthumous title and temple name of the late emperor. We have already come to an agreement."
"His Majesty, who wove the heavens and the earth, possessed wide moral and knowledge. He can be posthumously titled as Emperor Wen. His Majesty, who founded the great foundation of Wei, stabilized Zhong Xia. His temple name can be High Ancestral."
Cao Zhen, Cao Xu, and Sima Yi also stepped forward from the sides and concurred, saying together, "We second the motion."
Cao Ruixi answered, "The posthumous title and temple name of Emperor Wen and Emperor Gao are both excellent. Accept the proposal."
Chen Qun paused for a moment before continuing, "The late emperor has passed away. Please Your Majesty, elevate the mother of the late emperor to the Supreme Grand Empress Dowager, and the wife of the late emperor to the Empress Dowager."
Sitting on the dragon throne, the twelve strings of crown decorations obscured his face, making it difficult for the officials below to see his expression.
In fact, Cao Ruixi was looking at the faces of the four ministers of state at this moment, observing their facial expressions.
Chen Qun saw Cao Ruixi sitting quietly on the dragon chair without speaking, slightly surprised and assumed that Cao Ruixi did not hear it clearly. He was about to speak louder and say it again.
But Sima Yi gave a light cough beside him. Chen Qun furrowed his brows, but did not look at Sima Yi. Instead, the eyes of Cao Zhen and Cao Xu were drawn over.
Cao Zhen and Cao Xu were both fierce generals, renowned for their military prowess on the battlefield. They knew little of the small intrigues in the hall. But Chen Qun's heart skipped a beat. A bad situation had arisen.
Yesterday at the Secretariat of State, Chen Qun had already had a subtle conversation with Sima Yi. At the imperial audience, as the Records of State Affairs, Chen Qun was supposed to report to the emperor on matters related to the late emperor and his mother and wife.
The problem is, the late emperor's queen, Lady Guo, was not Emperor Cao Ruixi's birth mother, and even Emperor Cao Ruixi's birth mother, Lady Zhen, had been poisoned to death by Lady Guo's intrigue!
This brings up three possibilities.
The first possibility is that Emperor Cao Ruixi did not mention his birth mother Lady Zhen, and everything was fine.
The second possibility is that Emperor Cao Ruixi actively proposed to posthumously title his birth mother, Lady Zhen. This would also be easy to handle; the grass on her grave has grown several times over, and any posthumous title would be suitable.
The third possibility, which is the worst-case scenario, is that Emperor Cao Ruixi would not agree to Lady Guo being elevated to the position of empress dowager, but instead would want his birth mother Lady Zhen to be posthumously titled as empress dowager.
After all, the late emperor Cao Pi had not been buried yet, and these former officials of the late emperor had been highly favored by him. Could they really not manage to have the late emperor's queen, Lady Guo, elevated to the position of empress dowager?
The silence of the emperor Cao Ruixi at this moment represented his choice, whether it be option two or option three, had already become something that could not be easily brushed aside.
Sima Yi gave a light cough, and Chen Qun immediately understood.
Chen Qun continued, "We have discussed among ourselves, and our dynasty holds filial piety in high regard. Your Majesty could simultaneously posthumously title the name for the late empress."
In fact, the silence between Cao Ruixi and Chen Qun was very short, only about five seconds. The officials naturally didn't have time to react, but in the process between the parties involved—Cao Ruixi and Chen Qun as well as Sima Yi—there had been two rounds of testing.
Cao Ruixi said, "Prepare accordingly for the promotion of the emperor's grandmother and the empress dowager according to precedent. As for the posthumous title for the empress, have the four ministers of state prepared anything?"
Cao Zhen and Cao Xu only understood now that Emperor Cao Ruixi was planning to posthumously title his own birth mother, Lady Zhen.
Chen Qun replied: "This matter we dare not discuss privately, please Your Majesty to show your mind."
Cao Ruixi looked at the four ministers of state standing in the center of the hall, sat back in the dragon chair, and laughed lightly.
You think I want to posthumously title my birth mother, Lady Zhen? How she turns out doesn't concern me.
I am Cao Ruixi, but I am also not Cao Ruixi.
Do you agree to cater to my wishes, whether you are willing to make concessions for the sake of the emperor, or whether you have secret alliances. These are the things I care about.
