"Your Majesty." Sun Zhi heard the emperor's words and raised his head in surprise.
"Go and spread the order." Cao Rui said, "For an eunuch to act in such a manner, communicating with foreign officials through the imperial harem, is already a death sentence."
Sun Zhi asked: "What does Empress Dowager say about that?"
"What else can be said?" Cao Rui looked at Sun Zhi, "After all, she is the empress dowager, my grandmother. Can I issue an edict like the former emperor to prohibit her from communicating with those outside the palace? What kind of decorum would that be?"
"I am also using this eunuch's life to give the empress dowager a warning. Just look at the door outside. Do as I say and report back to me when it is done."
"Following the imperial command, I will withdraw." Sun Zhi performed a bow and slowly left.
The Empress Dowager, Cao Hong... and now that Cao Zhi has also returned to Luoyang, the matters concerning the Cao family are indeed complex.
Cao Hong himself will definitely be punished. After asking him tomorrow, the matter will be explained further.
"Clock Yuyu." Cao Rui glanced at the corner where the son of the Grand Tutor stood.
"I am here," Clock Yu replied respectfully.
Clock Yu is now fifteen years old. After not seeing him for three months, his voice has thickened significantly.
"Go and bring the Administrator of Henan, Si Muzhi, to the palace immediately. Use a fast horse," Cao Rui ordered. "By the way, call Liu Ye and Chen Jie in the guardhouse."
"I receive the imperial edict," Clock Yu said, bowing his hands before turning around and leaving the room.
Just before reaching the residence of the assistant minister, Clock Yu even hesitated for a moment.
'It's Liu Ye and Chen Jie, right?' Clock Yu thought for a moment and found it strange, but he still summoned Liu and Chen out.
It's not surprising that Clock Yu hesitated. Traditionally, Liu Ye has been paired with Huang Quan, and Xin Pi with Chen Jie. Now that Huang Quan has gone to Yuzhou, Liu Ye is left alone, so it has become a daily routine for the three assistant ministers to be present together.
Liu Ye and Chen Jie walked into the study and bowed together towards the emperor.
Cao Rui waved his hand and casually pointed to the chair placed on the side.
After Liu Ye and Chen Jie sat down, Cao Rui asked, "Do you know about the God of Wuji? I heard from Sun Zhi that this god is a deity in the Buddhist pantheon of the Western Regions."
Liu Ye bowed and replied: "Your Majesty, the only information I have is that there is a Baihe Temple located outside of Luoyang City. The monks there are called sandaomen, and they also practice Buddhism from the Western Regions."
Cao Rui nodded, his eyes turning to Chen Jiao: "Did you serve in Guangling, Minister Chen? Do you know of Zhong Rong?"
"I know this person," Chen Jiao slowly said, "Zhong Rong is one who follows Buddhism."
"I have heard of this person, so I asked you about it." Cao Rui said, "This person follows Buddhism. What do you know about him?"
Buddhism, how could Cao Rui not know about it? But no matter what Buddhism looks like in the Wei Dynasty at this time, there is one thing that can be firmly believed - it must be different from that of later times.
Chen Jiao thought for a moment: "As a native of Guangling in the Huai Commandery, I am also familiar with Zhong Rong's affairs."
Cao Rui nodded and didn't speak, waiting for Chen Jiao to continue his statement.
"Sometime during the years of Chuping, the then Governor of the Huai Commandery, Tao Qian, known as Tao Gongzu, appointed Zhong Rong to office. Initially, he was in charge of the tax collection and transportation for the three places of Xiyi, Pengcheng, and Guangling. Later on, he became the Chancellor of Xiyi."
"Zhong Rong initially constructed a pagoda tower in Xipi, with nine levels and a hall that could accommodate thousands of people at the same time. Whenever the Buddha's Birthday was celebrated, there were long tables set up along the road for tens of thousands of people to eat and drink, with many more coming to visit and pay respects to the Buddha."
Cao Rui interjected, "So Zhong Rong is quite devout then?"
Chen Jiao shook his head, "Zhong Rong believes in Buddhism, but the money he used for Buddhist ceremonies and the construction of temples and pagodas came from the exploitation of various commanderies in the Huai Commandery."
"When the former emperor fought against Xu Zhou Commandery, Zhong Rong fled to Guangling. As a native of Guangling, I know that during that time, Zhong Rong looted the county capital and plundered all the wealth in the region."
"I remember that Chen Deng was in Guangling, wasn't he?" Cao Rui asked.
"Your Majesty," Chen Jiao bowed, "At that time, Chen Deng was serving as the Commandant of Military Planting in Xipi. He went to Guangling two years later. That's when I started working under Chen Deng as a County Official."
Cao Rui nodded and said, "Then do the people of Xu Zhou still follow Buddhism after that?"
"How can they not believe?" Chen Jiao said, "After Zhong Rong's fall, the local people of Xu Zhou all said that Zhong Rong was born with excessive bad karma in a previous life. He just died to pay off his debts."
Blaming all misfortunes on past bad karma... Buddhism is indeed a good religion, much easier to deal with than the Taiping Way and the Way of the Five Measures of Rice.
"However, there is one thing I would like to say about Zhong Rong." Chen Jiao said.
"What is it? Please speak, Minister Chen." Cao Rui said.
Chen Jiao said: "Zhong Rong first fled to Guangling from Xipi, and then went on to Mo ling, which is also known as Jianye, where Sun Quan was located."
"Later on, Zhong Rong went to Yizhang Commandery and helped the then-Chancellor of Yizhang, Zhu Hao, drive back Guan Xuan, who was the uncle of Zhuge Liang," Chen Jiao said. "At that time, it is estimated that Zhuge Zhan was by Guan Xuan's side."
"That's interesting," Cao Rui said with a smile, "The world is full of mysteries and we cannot understand everything."
Chen Jiao nodded: "The people of Xu Zhou not only believe in Buddhism but also in the Way of the Celestial Master and the Taiping Way."
"The Taiping Way?" Cao Rui furrowed his brow, "The Taiping Way isn't it the Yellow Turban Movement?"
"It's the Yellow Turban Movement," Chen Jiao said with a smile, "When the Yellow Turban Movement erupted, how many places used the name of Yellow Turban or followed the Yellow Turban bandits? The ban on them was impossible to be completely stopped."
"I've never heard of this before!" Cao Rui was surprised. "Didn't the court do anything about it before?"
Liu Ye turned his head to look at Chen Jiao and said, "Your Majesty, this matter must be regulated. Although there are still people who believe in the Taiping Way in various states, they are not allowed to wear yellow turbans or form organized groups."
Chen Jiao also chimed in, "The Taiping Way does exist, but it is much less prevalent than the Way of the Celestial Master in Xu Zhou."
"If we were to rank them, the Way of the Celestial Master would be the most followed, the Taiping Way the second, and Buddhism the least."
Cao Rui was hesitant for a moment.
These gods and Buddha statues are essentially just a form of spiritual reliance.
It's impossible to teach scriptures or moral values like loyalty, filial piety, and respect for the elderly to farmers who can't read. Praying to Buddha or believing in a religion is a simple matter, and it seems that it's impossible to ban forever.
Then what should be done about it?
It seems that the emperor was troubled, and Liu Ye bowed and said, "Your Majesty has no need to worry about this matter."
"Oh?" Cao Rui looked confused towards Liu Ye.
Liu Ye said: "Whether they believe in the Way of the Celestial Master or the Taiping Way, ignorant peasants are seeking psychological comfort and, more importantly, organization for their self-preservation."
"With the taxes and labor duties in various parts of the Great Wei, both common people and commandery civilians are almost at a point where they will not starve, but also have no energy or resources to do anything else."
Cao Rui snorted coldly: "Are you saying, Your Excellency, that the people are already too exhausted to organize a rebellion like the Way of the Celestial Master or the Taiping Way?"
Liu Ye nodded: "That's exactly it. With the current conscription of the people in the Great Wei, there are no longer as powerful warlords as there were during the Han Dynasty. Moreover, if there is a year of disaster and famine, the states and commanderies can simply distribute grain from their treasuries to relieve the people."
Cao Rui sighed and shook his head.
This is the so-called 'low human rights advantage' of the Great Wei today, where the people are too exhausted to even consider a rebellion.
"It can't always be like this! The heavy taxation in the country is ultimately due to the partitioned territories of Wu and Shu, and we have no choice but to do so."
"The various problems of the Great Wei can be traced back to the fact that they have not been able to unify the nine provinces!"
Liu Ye said: "Your Majesty need not worry. The Great Wei, with its strong power and central location, will flourish while Wu and Shu decline as time passes. This is a matter of course."
Cao Rui sighed, "We must hurry up! But, for the current matters, they still need to be addressed."
"Chen Jiao," Cao Rui looked at Chen Jiao, "On behalf of the emperor, draft a list and an edict specifying which gods are allowed to be worshipped in each region, and those outside of the list are not allowed. Any violations will be treated as immoral worship."
"Is this feasible?" Cao Rui asked.
Chen Jiao nodded and said: "Certainly feasible!"
"Then go ahead and do it!" said Cao Rui, while looking outwards as he spoke.
The figure of Zhong Yu can already be seen outside, accompanied by a middle-aged official.
"Two of you can go back first," Cao Rui said.
Liu Ye and Chen Jiao bowed and then withdrew.
Before leaving, Liu Ye looked and recognized this person to be the Mayor of Henan, Sima Zhi.
"Sima Zihua? What's he doing here?" Liu Ye wondered in his mind, but he still walked towards the guardhouse with Chen Jiao.
After a moment, Zhong Yu led Sima Zhi into the study room.
"Your Majesty, I come to pay respects to you." Sima Zhi bowed.
"Minister Sima has arrived?" Cao Rui picked up the memorial written by Sima Zhi and asked, "The Yellow Gate Officer Wu Da, I have had him beaten to death. For General Cao Hong, there will also be corresponding measures."
"But now I want to ask you, Minister Sima, why do you not see the Yellow Gate Officers in the palace of the Imperial Grandmother?"
"Your Majesty," Sima Zhi bowed respectfully and replied, "I have volunteered to confess to my crime."
"What crime?" Cao Rui's tone was calm.
"The Majesty, according to the law, all criminals who should be sentenced to death must first be reviewed by the Majesty before they can be executed." Sima Zhi said: "But the Imperial Grandmother sent a Yellow Gate Officer to seek me. I dare not see this officer."
"Your Majesty, I am afraid that the Imperial Grandmother might issue an order to protect the criminals. If that is the case, upon hearing her command, you would be forced to protect the accused against your will, which would be contrary to the national laws."
"Therefore, I have ordered Luoyang County to execute these two people in prison, so that Your Majesty need not be troubled. I, Sima Zhi, kneel on the ground and loudly declare: Please Your Majesty punish me for my crime."
Cao Rui felt a bit moved upon hearing Sima Zhi's words.
Since the end of the Han Dynasty, there has been a very bad trend in the government officials' circle.
This may be due to the chaos of law or due to the turbulence of the state. Governors and magistrates in various states and counties have long valued their decisiveness and overreach in judicial matters, as if this were the only way to display their talents.
Based on past experience, it is said that the power and responsibility of the governors are substantial, and they can effectively stabilize turbulent situations across various regions.
But this is Luoyang, the footstep of the emperor!
Are you Sima Zhi so eager to kill people?
Cao Rui ignored the kneeling Sima Zhi and turned to Zhong Yu, saying, "Summon the officials from the Western and Eastern Studios to come here, all of them!"
"Under orders." Zhong Yu turned and left.
Sima Zhi lay on the ground, his heart racing with anxiety.
This is how it's different from what my cousin said yesterday!
I wish all of my fellow bookworm friends and seniors a happy Mid-Autumn Festival, and that everything goes well for you, safe and fulfilled.
(The End of This Chapter)
