Huang Xiu looked left and right in a tentative manner, feeling somewhat at a loss. It was not until a young man with an elegant demeanor and a silver seal on his belt stood behind the emperor, extending his right hand to make a 'please' gesture, that he suddenly seemed to understand and followed in small steps.
"How is Your Royal Uncle doing in Yongqiu? Is his health still good?" Cao Rui smiled and asked.
Cao Zhi had one hand pulled by Cao Rui and couldn't make a bow. He could only respond with voice: "With Your Majesty's blessing, I have lived very well in Yongqiu."
"When I was in Shouchun, I heard that the Imperial Grandmother missed Your Royal Uncle in Luozhong," Cao Rui smiled slightly.
"Uh…" Cao Zhi's face showed some confusion: "I thank Your Majesty for your concern."
In no time, the few entered the hall.
Cao Rui pointed to the side seat and said, "Your Royal Uncle, please do not be reserved. Please take a seat."
Cao Zhi made a bow and said, "Until Your Majesty is seated, how dare I sit first? Please allow me to follow Your Majesty."
Cao Rui nodded, sat down, and then pointed to the seat behind Cao Zhi, at which point Cao Zhi took his seat.
Both the emperor and Cao Zhi had already taken their seats, but Huang Xiu and Feng Qi Jian, who were following behind, were still standing at the back.
Cao Rui looked at Huang Xiu: "Mr. Huang is from Zhendi, right? How long have you been in Yanzhou?"
Huang Xiu respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, I was appointed as the national minister in Yongqiu in the fourth year of the Huangchu reign, under the order of the court. I have been serving in Yanzhou for four years, having worked in Yecheng before coming here."
Cao Rui continued, "What have you done in Yongqiu over the past four years?"
Huang Xiu was a bit flustered when asked by the emperor and even wanted to kneel down at the moment, but he still controlled his panic and replied, "I have been serving as the national minister in Yongqiu for four years, fulfilling the order of the court to assist King Yongqiu. I have also done many national affairs."
Cao Rui gently nodded: "Four years is a long time; it's about time for a change of place."
"Huang Xiu, I know your name. The court is now setting up irrigation farms in Liang County, and I want to appoint you as the prefect of the Liang County granary. Are you willing to take on this position?"
Huang Xiu never expected that after following King Yongqiu to Chenliu, the emperor, who didn't even have a few words with King Yongqiu, would first ask about his official position and then offer him a promotion!
The position of Prefect of the Granary is one that involves dealing with the affairs of irrigation farms, managing both military households and civilian households, and handling corvée labor and taxes throughout the year, which is ten times busier than his current position as the national minister.
But even a poorly-paying two thousand carts is still two thousand carts! How could one refuse such generosity from the emperor?
Huang Xiu's thoughts raced for a moment as he quickly realized the situation. He immediately dropped to his knees and bowed his head: "I thank Your Majesty's grace, I am willing to serve the emperor and the court."
"Rise," said Cao Rui in a soft voice.
Huang Xiu slowly stood up.
"Cao Rui looked at Feng Qi Jian and said, "Feng Qi Jian, take Huang Xiu down with you."
The two men bowed and then withdrew.
Among the people in the hall, the only familiar one to him was Huang Xiu, and Cao Zhi looked at the two figures as they walked out with some nervousness.
The hall door was open, and the afternoon sunlight slanted into the hall. Cao Zhi glanced out of the corner of his eyes and saw four fully armed tiger guards standing on each side of the hall, causing his eyes to slightly widen and a hint of panic to appear in his expression.
Cao Rui noticed the change in Cao Zhi's expression and immediately gestured with his hand towards the door, "I wish to speak with Your Royal Uncle. All of you, go out."
The tiger guards quietly retreated out of the hall, but the sound of armor rubbing against itself could still be heard as they walked.
The door slowly closed, leaving only Cao Rui and his nephew Cao Zhi in the hall.
Cao Zhi hurriedly bowed and said, "In Yongqiu, I have been hearing about Your Majesty's southern campaign. I have been praying for the royal army day and night. Now that Your Majesty has returned victorious, I solemnly congratulate Your Majesty."
Cao Rui slightly shook his head.
To him, the long-standing love-hate between Cao Pi and Cao Zhi was of no concern to him. It was not relevant to him. His constant vigilance against Cao Zhi had always been due to his instinctive need to protect the imperial power.
Cao Zhi submitted a memorial to request the southern campaign, which was naturally something that needed to be prevented. There was no evidence to prove his ability to lead troops, and his sensitive status made it impossible for him to be in charge of the army.
There were rumors about Cao Zhi in Luozhong, and Cao Rui wished to believe that they had nothing to do with him.
If he were to rebel, he had ample opportunity to do so when Emperor Cao Cao died in Luoyang.
When Cao Cao was seriously ill, he summoned Cao Zhang from Chang'an to Luoyang. Before Cao Zhang arrived, Cao Cao died of illness.
Cao Zhen arrived in Luoyang and once persuaded Cao Zhi, saying 'The late king called me here because he wanted to make you the new king', clearly intending to support Cao Zhi as the new Wei King.
However, Cao Zhi cited the example of the endless disputes among the Yu brothers after the death of Yuan Shao, and he refused with a sense of righteousness. This is also the source of goodwill that later led to a gradual easing of relations between Cao Pi and Cao Zhi.
Cao Rui himself has no particular likes or dislikes towards Cao Zhi. If he had to say, it might even be because of his literary talent that he has some admiration for Cao Zhi.
Of course, it's admiration!
For those who are coarse and lack literary talents, Cao Zhi might be just a failed claimant to the throne in a power struggle, and a unlucky prince who is confined to one place and cannot move freely.
But from Cao Rui's perspective, Cao Zhi's literary talents were truly outstanding.
To praise even more, whether it's the dignified, solemn, melancholic, and simple style of Emperor Cao Cao, or the subtle, sincere, beautiful, and concise style of his predecessor Emperor Cao Pi, when compared to the 'talents of eight pecks' of his royal uncle Cao Zhi, their combined efforts do not match up to just one.
As for Cao Zhi's literary talents, they are truly outstanding. However, intervening in other matters is not right.
Cao Rui said, "Your Royal Uncle is a close sibling of the late emperor and also my beloved uncle."
"As the new emperor, the old affairs between my father and Your Royal Uncle during the Jian'an years, whether good or bad, should be turned over to a new page. I have no intention of bringing up those old matters again, and Your Royal Uncle also need not worry about them. And by no means should you be so careful in my presence."
After hearing the emperor's words, Cao Zhi pondered for a moment and then showed some signs of sorrow. Cao Zhi's literary talents were so excellent that unless he was a person of rich emotions and acute sensitivity, how could he have written so many beautiful sentences?
Cao Rui did not interfere, just silently observing the changes in Cao Zhi's expression.
At first, his face showed sorrow, and then he shed two tears freely, even crying softly at the end.
Clearly, the years of pressure accumulated in his heart now had a chance to be released, and he couldn't help but let it all out.
Cao Zhi lifted his sleeve to wipe away the tears, combed through his expression, and then looked at the emperor and said, "I lost my composure. I just thought of Emperor Cao Cao and Emperor Wen, and my sadness was overwhelming for a moment. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness."
Cao Rui waved his hand: "It's all right. I summoned the royal uncle today not to trouble you, but to talk with you about national affairs."
Cao Zhi immediately said, "Does Your Majesty have something to ask me? I will speak openly and truthfully."
Cao Rui nodded and asked, "Before, I asked the royal uncle to annotate the Five Classics and translate classical Chinese into modern language. How is that going?"
Cao Zhi thought for a moment and said, "After receiving Your Majesty's order, I also pondered about it for several days before I could come up with something. Whether it is correct, I beg Your Majesty's judgment."
"Your Royal Uncle, please proceed." Cao Rui lifted his hand.
Cao Zhi spoke cautiously, "At first, I did not understand Your Majesty's intention. I thought then that the words of the sages are profound in meaning and the annotations of the ancient scholars are intricate. The meanings in Confucian classics often lie in subtleties, and they can only be understood rather than explicitly conveyed. How could translating them into plain language encompass all that?"
Seeing that the emperor was now quietly listening, Cao Zhi continued, "But after thinking about it for several days, I finally realized that profound meanings and simple understanding do not contradict each other."
Cao Rui's mouth curled into a smile, "Your Royal Uncle, what makes you think that profound meanings and simple understanding do not conflict?"
Cao Zhi slowly said, "I believe that not every student who studies the classics aspires to become a doctor."
Cao Rui clapped his hands and laughed, even clapping a few more times.
On the day of his southern tour, after seeing Cao Zhi's declaration of war, Cao Rui harbored a bit of dissatisfaction. Therefore, when assigning tasks to Cao Zhi, he only clarified what needed to be done, without explaining why it had to be done in that manner.
At the time, when Cao Rui was chatting with Sun Zhi, Sun Zhi only thought that plain language was easier to understand, without Cao Zhi's deeper thoughts.
Cao Rui smiled and said, "Your Royal Uncle and I think alike. I believe that Confucianism or the study of classics should be learned by more people through reading books."
"In other words, knowledge should be spread widely."
Cao Zhi also responded, "At that time, I was thinking that translating the Five Classics into plain language would benefit not only the students of the imperial academy who learn on their own."
"Besides the imperial academy, there are countless students studying classics in the regional academies and schools of counties and districts across the states. Often, these places lack distinguished teachers, and even scholars of lesser repute make mistakes and omissions in their teaching."
"And if the Five Classics are translated into plain language, students in all the states and counties will have a common standard, and teachers can follow it in their lectures. This is a great benefit to the country and the people, Your Majesty."
Cao Rui, with a smile on his face, said, "Your Royal Uncle thought of these?"
Cao Zhi hesitated for a moment and then said, "I have one more thing to say. If Confucian classics become more easily understandable, even students with average talents can learn the meaning of loyalty to the ruler and filial piety, thus broadening the scope of education."
Cao Rui nodded, "Your Royal Uncle's words are all correct, but not entirely so."
Cao Zhi asked, "Please Your Majesty explain it to me."
Cao Rui said, "Does Your Royal Uncle believe in prophecies and the Canon of the Supreme Constellation?"
"Prophecies and the Canon of the Supreme Constellation?" Cao Zhi was confused by this, but still replied, "To Your Majesty, I do not believe in prophecies and the Canon of the Supreme Constellation. Not only do I not believe in them, neither did Emperor Wu nor Emperor Wen. In the past, I wrote articles to refute various supernatural events."
"The Debate on Dao" Cao Rui said, "I have also read it. "The Emperor said when he had not yet arrived in Chenliu, he discussed the Canon of the Supreme Constellation with relatives in Qiao County. A controller mentioned that the Yuan family had passed down 'Meng's I Ching' from generation to generation."
Cao Zhi nodded, "Yes, there was such a thing. The Yuan family indeed rose to the position of three grand officers for four generations because of 'Meng's I Ching'."
Cao Rui smiled and said, "If it were not for the Yuan family's monopoly on 'Meng's I Ching', and the fact that it was included among the important works of modern Confucian classics, how could the Yuan family have so many disciples and officials?"
Cao Zhi suddenly enlightened: "As Your Majesty said, the popularization of classics is not only about the classics themselves, but also about preventing the gentry from monopolizing academia?"
Cao Rui nodded.
(Chapter complete)
