The Secretariat of the Court.
In the morning hours, officials coming and going from the Secretariat of the Chancellor were delivering official documents and various papers for the entire country.
As these people pass through the main entrance of the Secretariat, they would inevitably cross paths with Tan Jiao, standing quietly here.
Chen Jiao was notified early in the morning today that the emperor would personally visit the Secretariat in the morning.
As the Grand Secretary, Chen Jiao naturally had the responsibility to receive him.
However, the reactions of people of different grades when passing by Tan Jiao standing at the entrance are also quite different.
Lower-ranking clerks, carrying bamboo slips and official documents, rushed along the edge with their heads down, too afraid to even look up, fearing they might upset this irritable Grand Secretary.
The Secretariat officials, on the other hand, are more natural. As they pass by, they will bow and greet. Seeing that their immediate superior is keeping his eyes straight ahead without any reaction, they each go their own way.
When Chen Qun entered the Secretariat, he patted Chen Jiao's shoulder.
And Sima Yi simply walked by without uttering a single word to Chen Jiao.
Cao Xiu and Cao Zhen came together. As members of the Cao family who were not involved in government affairs, their lives were of no concern to Chen Jiao and Sima Fu. Even Cao Zhen walked around Chen Jiao before smiling and leaving.
The sun was gradually rising higher in the sky. The sunlight shone on Chen Jiao's face, causing fine beads of sweat to form on his forehead.
However, Chen Jiao had no choice. He had to stand here waiting for the emperor, for Sima Fu, and also for his own dignity as the Grand Secretary.
The matter of Sima Fu cannot be said to be related to Chen Jiao; it should be said that it was planned together by Chen Jiao and Sima Fu.
According to court regulations, when a directive from the Central Secretariat reaches the Secretariat of the Chancellor, theoretically speaking, the Secretariat does have the power to return the directive to the Central Secretariat. However, whether to reject an opinion is also dependent on the person involved.
At least during the reign of Emperor Cao Pi, Chen Jiao had never rejected an order from him.
Just yesterday, both of the Secretaries were at the emperor's banquet. From the perspective of onlookers, it was as if Chen Jiao and Sima Fu had dared to reject the emperor.
Now that the new emperor has ascended to power, Chen Jiao and Sima Fu use the pretext of giving advice to invite fame.
Both knew that the new emperor had just taken the throne and was unlikely to take a severe action against the advice of his ministers. On the contrary, he might even commend the courageous minister who dared to advise, winning a reputation as an 'enlightened sovereign'.
Moreover, they could also take back some power from the two grand ministers who record the affairs of the chancellery.
Therefore, when the edict from the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, Liu Fang, reached the Secretariat of the Chancellor on duty, Shen Zhi, did not follow the recent practice of delivering it to the four regents.
Instead, he gave the edict directly to Chen Jiao.
Giving the Grand Secretary is also according to the system! There is no mention in the regulations about giving it to the Recording Secretary or any other assistant minister.
But politics is often like this, the laws written on paper are usually not as important as the established customs.
It's fine to give it to Chen Jiao, as it complies with the system and the procedures. But what about the assistant ministers? Where do you place them?
Another factor that disrupted Chen Jiao and Sima Fu's plan was that after Emperor Cao Rui received the advice, he immediately ordered the Secretariat to execute the original edict.
This caused a problem.
Should the edict be given to the assistant ministers? If it is given, what should be said about the first instance where it was not given?
If it is not given to the assistant ministers, then well, all the consequences will have to be borne by the two of them.
After Chen Jiao discussed with Sima Fu in the morning, he decided to let Sima Fu hide in the Secretariat's waiting room to avoid trouble. The Grand Secretary Chen Jiao, the nominal leader of the Secretariat of the Chancellor, would stand at the entrance to receive the emperor.
It's rather humorous to think that Grand Secretary Chen Jiao, two months later, is still sharing the same office with the Secretariat Assistant Wang Si. It's genuinely due to a lack of extra space.
As Chen Jiao stood in the sunlight sweating, the imperial carriage slowly approached the Secretariat's door.
Seeing that the emperor's carriage had stopped at the entrance, Chen Jiao suddenly kneelled heavily on his knees and bowed deeply to the emperor.
Cao Rui had just lifted the curtain of the carriage when he saw Chen Jiao kneeling on the ground, and couldn't help but be surprised.
At this moment, Cao Rui did not know that the invitation to fame incident involving Sima Fu was planned together by Chen Jiao and Sima Fu.
Seeing Chen Jiao kneeling on the ground, Cao Rui thought that it wasn't necessary to greet him so grandly, so he got down from the carriage and helped Chen Jiao up with both hands.
Looking at Chen Jiao's respectful expression and the sweat starting to bead on his forehead, Cao Rui asked, "How long have you been waiting, Grand Minister Chen?"
At this time, Chen Jiao was still holding onto a sliver of the hope that he could just pass this by: "Your Majesty, as the Grand Secretary, it is my duty to welcome you."
Chen Jiao paused for a moment, then, his voice slightly trembling, he asked: "May I ask Your Majesty, what is the purpose of your visit to the Secretariat?"
Cao Rui did not give it much thought: "I am coming to the Secretariat to personally review the documents."
As soon as Cao Rui finished speaking, Chen Jiao immediately bowed deeply and loudly addressed Cao Rui:
"I, Chen Jiao, advise that the affairs of the Secretariat of the Chancellor are within my duties, and not something that Your Majesty should personally handle."
"If Your Majesty believes that I, as the Grand Secretary, am not competent, then please, Your Majesty, relieve me of my post."
"Your Majesty, it is time to return to the palace."
After Chen Jiao gathered the courage to say the above words, as he spoke, he found himself no longer afraid. He looked at Cao Rui with a determined expression.
This...
It seems so.
Cao Rui was a bit uncertain. He simply wanted to go to the Secretariat of the Chancellor to see yesterday's record of the documents, check if Sima Fu had concealed any information, and also see what the assistant ministers were doing yesterday.
Early in the morning, just as the palace gates had opened, Cao Zhao, Cao Shuang, Miao Qiu Jian, and Zhong Yu, who were sent out last night for questioning, came to report the situation from last night to Cao Rui.
Pretty much as expected.
Cao Xu, the Grand Marshal, and Cao Zhen, the General, two of the Cao clan relatives who were in charge of military affairs, turned a blind eye to the matter and said that Your Majesty was truly kind-hearted. They suggested that Sima Fu, who was seeking fame by opposing him, should be sent to the Imperial Tribunal for punishment.
Sima Yi's response was that it had nothing to do with him; he knew nothing about it.
Chen Qun was even more interesting. When Zhong Yu knocked on the door of Chen's residence, Chen Qun looked at this drunken teenager with a furrowed brow. Although Zhong Yu did ask questions, Chen Qun claimed that he had nothing to say.
Chen Jiao's waist remained bent, and he still had a posture of bowing. However, in Cao Rui's eyes at this moment, Chen Jiao was another person like Sima Fu.
What are you acting like a straight-talking minister for!
As the Emperor of Wei, Cao Rui's visit to the Secretariat of the Chancellor to review the documents, is something that you, as the Grand Secretary, should not threaten your position.
Cao Rui narrowed his eyes at Chen Jiao. Everyone around him dared not even breathe. The Grand Secretary standing up to the emperor and preventing him from entering the Secretariat of the Chancellor was something that hardly happened even once in a hundred years.
Cao Rui understood that if Chen Jiao had been straightforward, there would be no reason to obstruct the emperor's inspection, and he should welcome the emperor inside and report on his work actively.
Zhou Yahuo did not stop the emperor from entering the camp of Xiliu either!
If even the Grand Secretary, like Chen Jiao, behaves like this, then is there still a need for the position of Grand Secretary?
From now on, there should be no more Grand Secretaries! This position that obstructs the flow of government orders is about time to be swept into the dustbin.
Calculating in his mind what to do with the Secretariat, but Cao Rui's face showed no emotion.
Cao Rui advanced a step forward, smiled, and used his sleeve to wipe away the sweat on Chen Jiao's forehead.
"Grand Secretary Chen, what are you in such a hurry for? Yesterday, the emperor received advice and came to the Secretariat of the Chancellor not only to review the documents but also to commend Sima Fu's ability to speak out and give advice."
Chen Jiao suddenly looked up upon hearing this, but at this moment, there was a hint of regret in his eyes.
