"Two mistakes in a row? A reprimand from his eldest brother Sima Yi has further confounded Sima Fu's already befuddled mind."
Sima Fu looked up at his elder brother: "I... I really don't understand, what does elder brother mean by this?"
Sima Yi heaved a long sigh, thinking that though his younger brother was capable in his own right, he still fell short of even a small fraction of his own cunning and political intrigue.
But who made you my brother? Sima Yi had to restrain himself from explaining the situation, piece by piece, and feeding them into Sima Fu's mouth.
Sima Yi paced slowly in the study: "Uncle, I ask you, do you think Chen Jiao is reliable?"
Sima Fu replied, "I had thought that working with Chen Jiao for many years and finding his words trustworthy, but who knew that His Majesty would harbor a grudge against me because of this! I'm sure Chen Jiao also didn't expect such an outcome."
Sima Yi shook his head gently: "You are just a minister, while Chen Jiao is the Minister of the Imperial Secretary's Office and the Duke of Chen! There are two levels between you, how can you compare with him?"
"Does Chen Jiao know that you have been sitting idle in the Chaoyi for a day?"
Sima Fu thought for a moment, "Chen Jiao should know. The third day after entering the palace, I met Chen Jiao at the palace gate, and I mentioned that incident to him."
Sima Yi asked again, "Since Chen Jiao knows about this, has he ever spoken on your behalf before the king?"
Sima Fu replied, "How can I directly ask? I believe Chen Jiao might have said something." He paused a moment, "Or maybe he hasn't."
Sima Yi said slowly, "So you shouldn't have done this in the first place. I remember the words you two said, 'When Chen Jibei's bone was fractured by his courage, he dared to speak openly to Sima Fu.' Chen Jiao's name comes before yours!"
"Conspiring with your superior, if the matter succeeds, you won't get the biggest share; if it fails, you will be in trouble yourself. Why should you put yourself through such hardship?"
Sima Fu was rather disheartened at this moment: "What my elder brother said is very true, that is also the reason I regret it."
Sima Yi stood still from his pacing, his eyes, sharp as needles, fixed on Sima Fu's face: "What is there to regret!"
"Serving in the imperial court, experiencing ups and downs is just a normal thing. Moreover, the king only asked you to sit idle in the palace, he hasn't removed you from your position."
"Even if you sit idle in the Chaoyi for a few years, what's the harm? When the emperor feels that this matter is no longer important, I will speak up for you again. If not, I will recommend you as a local magistrate or have you serve in the military during wartime."
"haven't you heard of the emperor's oath by the Luo River? We are on the brink of both using troops and using men. Why are you, Sima Da, so impatient?"
Sima Fu also sighed softly, "It's my thoughts that have been disordered. Elder brother, I can only speak openly to you. The current emperor is truly different from the previous emperor. His wisdom not only enables him to reject advice but also to ignore the advice of his officials."
Sima Yi spoke after hearing: "Uncle, do you know why the emperor does not listen to your advice?"
Sima Fu said, "I know, it's because I have blocked the emperor's appointment of his close friends and relatives."
Sima Yi shook his head, "Your career has been quite smooth these years, and I, as your brother, have been busy as well. Our communication is already limited due to our frequent absence from each other. Today, as your brother, I will explain everything to you in detail."
Sima Yi asked, "Do you remember several years ago, the case of Wei Min when he was the crown prince? At that time, it was I who pulled your name out from among Wei Min's accomplices."
Sima Fu nodded repeatedly, "Elder brother, of course, I remember this incident."
"At that time, it was the year 219 of the Jian'an era, when the Emperor was on his way to Western Han Commandery. Wei Min was secretly amassing followers in Yecheng and planning to attack Yecheng with Chen Yi, the Chief Imperial Guard. At that time, many people were implicated in this conspiracy, more than ten of whom were eventually executed."
Sima Yi asked, "Wei Min's faction accused him of treason. Do you think Wei Min was actually plotting against the king?"
Sima Fu exclaimed, "Wei Min is just an educated person, and Yecheng has been the capital that Emperor Wu has cultivated for many years. Moreover, it is located in Hebei, far away from the border. How could Wei Min have the audacity to plot a rebellion!"
"Moreover, as my elder brother said, I am also on the list. Could my elder brother possibly think that I would plot against the king?"
Sima Yi snorted derisively, "Even if you wouldn't dare to plot against the king, you haven't even got the courage to think about it. Tell me, who were implicated in Wei Min's case?"
The case of Wei Min was one of the largest cases during the reign of Cao Cao, handled by Cao Pi. Not to mention that you were nearly implicated in it, even those who were not directly involved with the matter were fully aware of everyone who was implicated in Wei Min's case.
It's just that many people can't understand the cause and effect of this case, and it has a strange feel to it everywhere.
Sima Fu thought for a moment, "Elder brother, I remember quite clearly. There were the two sons of the Palace Attendant Wang Can, the son Zhang Quan of the General Zhang Xiu who defeated the Qiang tribes, the younger brother Liu Wei of the Yellow Gate Councillor Liu Wei, the famous scholar Song Zhong and his son."
"These people, without exception, are all related to Jingzhou. And with Chen Yi's army, perhaps some things can be done."
"But I also feel that these people are completely incapable of doing anything, a bunch of incompetent people dare to revolt? This is also the biggest mystery in Wei Min's case over the years."
Sima Yi sniffed, "Yecheng is the capital of the Wei kingdom, and everywhere there are secret agents and informants. Fine, I'll remind you: who killed Wei Min?"
Sima Fu thought for a moment, then slowly said, "I have had this doubt for a long time. Perhaps it was because the previous emperor disliked Wei Min for some reason."
Sima Yi asked again, "Why?"
Sima Fu spoke tentatively, "Could it be that it was Young Master Cao Zhi of Yongqiu?"
Sima Yi nodded, "It's not entirely so. Wei Min had the talent to deceive the masses and was well-known. All the officials, including ministers and below, were attracted to him. It's not surprising that he had a close relationship with the talented Yongqiu Wang Cao Shuang."
"I will remind you again that before the case of Wei Min implicated so many people in Yecheng, who was killed by Emperor Wu?"
Sima Fu pondered for a moment, "There was Kong Rong, and there were Cui Yan and Mao Jie."
Sima Yi said, "Kong Rong and his kind brought it upon themselves. They wrote articles to provoke Emperor Wu, and they have nothing to do with this case."
"Kui Yan and Mao Jie, these two men were indeed harmed by Ding Yi. The previous emperor had just ascended the throne and killed Ding Yi, which can be said to have a deep grudge with Ding Yi."
"Kui Yan and Mao Jie are named as important officials, but where does their importance lie? It lies in the fact that they belonged to the Eastern and Western Secretaries of the Prime Minister, which meant they controlled personnel appointments throughout the empire. If Ding Yi harmed Kui Yan and Mao Jie, didn't he take away the previous emperor's power to appoint personnel?"
Sima Fu suddenly understood and said, "I understand now. When the Emperor Wu heard about the rebellion in Yecheng, the previous emperor didn't say much and let it be. Perhaps he felt that his time was running out and decided to let the previous emperor develop his power."
"And Yang Jun! When I was in Yecheng, Yang Jun frequently championed my name. However, Yang Jun has always been good friends with the Yongqiu Prince Cao Zhi. After the case of Wei Min, instead of pleading for forgiveness from the previous emperor in Yecheng, he traveled a thousand miles to Zhongnan Commandery and personally sought forgiveness from King Wei."
"Yang Jun must have been afraid that the previous emperor would execute him as well. But Yang Jun didn't escape for very long; during the previous emperor's first campaign against Wu, when the western army passed through Yanzheng City, the previous emperor executed Yang Jun."
Sima Yi nodded in agreement, "From what I see, Wei Min did not actually plot to rebel. The previous emperor used the pretext of killing Wei Min to consolidate his power in Yecheng and threatened the party of Yongqiu Prince Cao Zhi and those dependent on them with their lives."
Sima Fu bowed and said, "My elder brother has truly mastered the art of understanding people's hearts, and I admit that I am not up to it."
Sima Yi glanced at Sima Fu: "This is not even getting to the essence of the matter. I'll ask you, why are men of letters like myself and Chen Qun loyal to the previous emperor, while men of letters like Wei Min and Yang Jun are loyal to Yongqiu Prince Cao Zhi?"
At this point, Sima Fu's mind was already very confused. The amount of information his brother was analyzing today was quite large: "Returning to my elder brother, I really don't know."
Sima Yi said slowly, "This is related to the present emperor, why he has rejected your two pieces of advice twice. The emperor and Emperor Wu, as well as the previous emperor, share the same lineage. He despises 'flourish'!"
