The music started again.
The Uyghur women danced to the Western dance, and the Uyghurs continued their own excellent performance, even spitting fire out of their mouths.
Unlike the fervent scene of the Hu swallowing a knife earlier, the officials in the court were quiet and held their breaths, watching Cao Rui with an angry face and Liu Fang presenting documents.
No one spoke, and no one called for the Hu performance to stop.
Cao Rui took the document, quickly read it once, and then slam it down on the table.
After a moment, he picked up the bamboo slips from the table and read them word by word from beginning to end.
With a 'click' sound, he slammed the bamboo slips onto the table.
Cao Rui swept his gaze across the stage and locked eyes with the Minister of Personnel Wei Zhen.
"Master Wei, do the secretaries of the Secretariat have the right and responsibility to advise and caution?"
Wei Zhen stood up and bowed respectfully, answering in a leisurely manner, "Your Majesty, according to the examples of the former Emperor, the responsibility of advising and cautioning usually falls on the close advisors such as Your Imperial Majesties' ministers and gentlemen."
"The Secretariat has many officials, besides the Secretary and the Secretary of State, only the Secretaries who manage the six Cangs can directly submit their views to Your Majesty."
"Counting, there are nine officials in the Secretariat who have the right to directly submit documents to Your Majesty."
The structure of the Wei Secretariat is the same as that of the Han Dynasty. The main official is called the Secretary-General, and the vice official is called the Secretary of State.
The six departments of the Secretary-General are called 'Six Cang', and the main official of each Cang is called a Secretary.
At the same time, each Cang has six subordinate grassroots officials, known as Secretaries of the Cang.
This is the core power of Wei Country.
When Cao Rui first ascended the throne and held his first audience with Zhongshou Liu Ye in the palace, Sima Yi and Chen Qun invited Liu Ye to the Secretariat. Liu Ye said that the emperor was similar to Emperor Huandi of Han Dynasty, and at that time, Wei Zhen was present.
It can be said that Wei Zhen is both a close confidant of Cao Pi and also a close confidant of Cao Rui, making him an extremely rare species among all the ministers in the court.
After listening to Wei Zhen's explanation, Cao Rui realized that the person who submitted the memorial had not overstepped his authority. However, Cao Rui was still angry because this was the first time he had appointed close advisors in a large scale, and was criticized by this person in a memorial.
Just as the new official takes office, I lit the first three fires. How could you stop me?
Not giving face to the emperor.
Cao Rui looked at the slightly worried expressions of the people in attendance and knew that this memorial not only refuted the emperor's face but also blocked the path of those present.
Cao Rui decided to publicly disclose this memorial and listen to what his old confidants had to say.
See how they would view this bold individual.
Cao Rui said, "Where is the Minister of State? Read this memorial for the emperor."
Among the attendants present were three Ministers of State. Liu Ye stepped forward quickly, heading towards Cao Rui's desk. Xin Pi and Huang Quan were slower by a half-beat and could only watch Liu Ye's back.
Liu Ye did not speak, walked forward to Cao Rui, bowed respectfully, and then picked up the bamboo slips from the desk and read out loud.
"Subject Sima Fu advises…" Liu Ye had just finished the first sentence when murmurs could be heard among the officials.
"Sima Fu?"
"Isn't this Sima Fu's younger brother?"
"What is Sima Shuda's reason for this?"
Cao Rui listened to the murmurs from the ministers below and signaled for Liu Ye to continue reading.
Liu Ye continued reading, "Even with the great emperors Yao and Shun, there must be Yuchi and Shi. Now that the new king has been newly established, he should appoint outstanding talents from all over the empire. How can we rely on such opportunities to self-advocate? The loss of official positions is not valuable for those who gain them."
After hearing Sima Fu's advisory, the ministers were like an open pot, expressing that Sima Fu's words were absurd.
Sima Fu's memorial criticized everyone present at today's gathering.
Firstly, it targeted Cao Rui, saying that Cao Rui's intention was to appoint close old confidants without using talents from all over the empire.
The speech attacking Cao Rui was slightly more subtle.
Next, it criticized everyone present.
Today, Cao Rui invited the crowd of close advisors to the palace to watch the Hu people's acrobatic performance. Everyone was happy, and we could all get promoted. Is that not wonderful?
But look at what Sima Fu said: "How can we rely on such opportunities to self-advocate?"
It means that you lot, the old advisors, are taking this opportunity to seek official positions for yourselves.
It's not surprising that everyone was angry. Sima Fu equally criticized everyone in the hall, saying that they were seeking official positions for themselves, which was ruining everyone's reputation.
Wan Qi Juan was the first to stand up, stepping to the center of the hall and bowing to Cao Rui, saying, "Your Majesty, Sima Fu is slandering Your Majesty with fabricated words. Please punish Sima Fu."
Mao Qiu Jian had once been a literary subordinate to Cao Rui when he was the Marquis of Pingyuan, and the two had a very good relationship, showing a mutual respect between sovereign and minister.
Cao Rui listened to Mao Qiu Jian's words and did not express his approval or opposition, instead remaining silent on the stage.
Cao Yong, son of General Cao Zhen, sat in the lower rows. He saw Cao Rui remained silent and glanced at the people present, saying loudly, "Sima Fu himself was born into a high family and had an official position to hold. Who cares about the lives of others!"
Cao Rui glanced at this close relative of his: "Zhao Bo, don't be disrespectful."
Cao Shuang also stood up and said, "Your Majesty, Sima Fu was the one who was disrespectful first. I was only pointing out the facts."
In Cao Rui's memory, the general trend of future events is clear.
In the original timeline, with Cao Rui alive, the Wei Dynasty could have been stable. After his death, he would have entrusted the throne to Cao Shuang and Sima Yi.
No matter what, Cao Shuang may have been greedy and made some poor decisions in seeking power and wealth, but he had no intention of overthrowing the throne. Such a subject is common in the four hundred-year history of the Han Dynasty. Compared to the Han Dynasty's heavyweights who changed or even poisoned emperors, Cao Shuang was just a kid.
Sima Yi, on the other hand, was cunning and calculating. He seized power in the highland rebellion and did not adhere to political morality. He executed Cao Shuang and his allies, eventually leading to the usurpation of the Cao family's dynasty.
During the most critical power struggle of the highland rebellion, Cao Rui remembered that it was his brother Sima Yi, also known as Sima Fu, who controlled the capital and surrounded the city with troops.
Originally, Sima Fu was pretending to be sincere and self-righteous, claiming that he had been loyal to the Wei Dynasty all his life.
Can such a loyal subject exist?
Cao Rui had always been suspicious of Sima Yi's heart, and he became more and more convinced that Sima Fu was not a good person, even wanting to kill him.
However, Cao Rui found that he had no reason to kill Sima Fu, and according to political tradition, he should even reward Sima Fu for his advice! This is absurd.
Seeing that Cao Rui showed impatience after hearing Mao Qiu Jian and Cao Shuang's words, Wei Zhen quickly tried to persuade him.
Wei Zhen said, "Your Majesty, Sima Fu dares to speak out and criticize, and his bravery in doing so should be rewarded."
Wei Zhen was a close confidant of Cao Rui, and his opinions had to be taken into account by Cao Rui.
Cao Rui Suppressing his anger, he slowly said, "Sima Fu, as a Secretary, is able to speak out and offer advice. His actions are commendable. But selecting the wise and talented does not need to avoid one's relatives; there is no change to my original decree, and the Secretariat should continue to carry out its duties."
Liu Ye, standing by Cao Rui's side, had lately been speculating about his thoughts and emotions many times. He was one of the closest advisors who understood Cao Rui the best.
Liu Ye bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I dare not agree with Sima Fu's words. He can offer advice; I can also write a book to refute his opinions."
Cao Rui glanced at Liu Ye: "What is it that Minister of State wants to write, and what concern does it have with me?"
Liu Ye quickly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."
Originally, the lively hall was disturbed by Sima Fu's advisory.
As the performances of the Hu people stopped, Cao Rui signaled that they need not be constrained and continued their performance.
The music resumed, but the graceful dance of the Hu women and the exquisite performances of the Hu men seemed unable to captivate the audience anymore.
