Cao Rui, as an emperor, naturally does not have to worry about anything.
Cao Rui raised a finger and pointed at Wang Su: "What do you, Marquis Wang, have to say? Feel free to speak and we will hear you out."
Wang Lang initially thought that the emperor was referring to himself. However, when he realized that the emperor's gaze was directed towards himself behind, he knew that the emperor was calling for his son, Wang Su.
At the moment, Wang Lang's heart was quite confused. He hoped that Wang Su would not say anything shocking or outrageous.
Wang Su bowed and said, "I have something to say, but I am not sure if I should. Now, the court is full of followers of Zheng School, and the Zheng School has been enshrined as the touchstone. Since Zheng Kangcheng proposed to restore corporal punishment, he has repeatedly made suggestions, without end!"
Cao Rui faintly furrowed his brow and asked, "What does Marquis Wang mean? Is there a problem with Zheng School?"
Wang Su said bluntly: "Zheng school may not be without problems."
Cao Rui was not interested in discussing any academic issues with Wang Su at the moment. Instead, he asked directly, "Just now, you mentioned that the disciples of Zheng School are all proposing to restore corporal punishment, isn't that right?"
"I remember in the thirteenth year of Jian'an, Kong Rong, who was then the Vice Minister of Justice, opposed Zhao Lingjun's proposal to restore corporal punishment. When Kong Rong served as the Governor of Bohai Prefecture, wasn't he also extremely praising Zheng Xuan?"
Wang Su showed no fear and replied immediately, "Your Majesty, Kong Wenju's admiration for Zheng Kangcheng was because Zheng Kangcheng was erudite and skillful in commentary. However, Kong Rong also criticized the Zheng School, saying 'Zheng Kangcheng often made conjectures, and people saw his name as a sign of scholarly attainments, but he did not necessarily have anything substantial to offer,' and did not agree with all of Zheng Kangcheng's views."
Cao Rui felt a bit headache for a moment.
Wang Su was indeed well-educated, but after all the talk about academic matters, what was the point of it?
Cao Rui shook his head slightly, "I want to ask you, why does studying the Zheng School lead to the proposal to restore corporal punishment?"
Wang Su replied, "Your Majesty, I believe there are two reasons."
"Firstly, the Zheng School emphasizes chapters and sentences while neglecting the essence of morality. As a result, the disciples of the Zheng School are unaware of the great wisdom of sages. Since Jian'an, social customs have shifted, and only punishment and name seem to be valued."
"Secondly, many scholars who study the Zheng School have almost become factions! Xun Wenruo, Zhong Yuanchang, and Chen Changwen, all of them are part of factions!"
As soon as Wang Su finished speaking, the whole room was stunned, and everyone turned their gaze towards Wang Su.
Seventy-year-old Wang Zhongshu was also stunned and rose from his seat. He turned around and loudly scolded his son, "Son Yan, how dare you speak impudently of senior officials!"
Wang Lang turned around and bowed deeply towards the emperor: "Your Majesty, my son has spoken impertinently; please forgive him."
Cao Rui remained silent. He looked at Wang Lang, then at the grave-faced Wang Su, and then at the three ministers who had come with him.
Wang Su answered, "Your Majesty, I believe there are two reasons."
After a long moment of silence in the hall, Emperor Cao Rui addressed Wei Zhen and the two ministers who had come with him, "Today's words have reached the ears of all present, and that is where they end. Are you clear on this?"
The emperor's words are like gold and jade. It is obvious that he does not want Wang Su's criticism of the officials' remarks to be spread abroad.
Wang Lang, of course, would not spread his son's words around.
Wei Zhen has a teacher-student relationship with the emperor, and Liu Xie and Yang Fu are both palace officials. Keeping secrets is part of their duty. If any leakage were to occur, all three would likely be hard-pressed to escape blame.
Wei Zhen stood up and answered, "Your servant will comply with Your Majesty's command."
Liu Xie and Yang Fu, upon seeing this, also stood up and agreed.
Emperor Cao Rui looked at Wang Su calmly and slowly said, "Marquis Wang, do you know what you are saying?"
Wang Su immediately replied, "Your servant knows."
Since Emperor Cao Rui ascended the throne nearly a year ago, the court had been dominated by two "factions" - scholars and military officials.
Among the civil officials, people from Yingchuan hold the most power. Therefore, from various angles, Emperor Cao Rui subtly and indirectly sought to relieve the Yingchuan people of their significant power.
Luring Zhong You and remotely sending Chen Qun are just political techniques.
No matter what is right or wrong. Who among the emperors can stand by and do nothing when they see scholars in one party dominate the government?
Wang Su's words just now gave Emperor Cao Rui some new inspiration.
Cao Rui whispered, "Zhi Zhen is also a learned scholar, and Wang Su seems to be well-versed in knowledge. You mentioned that the people of Zheng School have almost become factions, but is there any evidence for this?"
"If there is no concrete evidence but false speech about the three senior officials, I will punish you."
Wei Zhen, Liu Xie, and Yang Fu were now holding their breaths.
Since following the emperor, they had never seen the emperor speak in such a manner or heard such serious accusations.
What is happening today?
Emperor Cao Rui stared into Wang Su's eyes. Wang Su was of medium stature, though thin in build, with bright and lively eyes that also conveyed a sense of determination.
Emperor Cao Rui looked over at Wang Lang.
I heard that Duke Wang once repelled Sun Ce's attacks in Kuiji multiple times?
The Wang family is indeed formidable.
Thinking of this, Emperor Cao Rui couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Among the three top officials of the early Wei Dynasty, Jia Xu, also known as Jia Wenhao, managed to easily overthrow Chang'an with just a few words.
Hua Xin, under the order of Cao Cao, personally pulled out the Empress of the Great Han who was hidden in the wall cavity and then the empress died on the spot.
Wang Lang may not have the "glorious" achievements of the first two, but if he were just an ordinary person, how could he be ranked among the top officials of the Wei Dynasty alongside these two?
Everyone was waiting for Wang Su to speak up.
And it seemed that Wang Lang already knew his son's thoughts, standing still without any expression.
Wang Su was also thinking quickly at this moment. After all, he was the son of the Minister Wei, just expressing opinions, how could the emperor possibly cut off his head?
From the emperor's recent governing style over the past few months, does His Majesty really want to see the disciples of Zheng School take control of the imperial court?
Wager it!
After thinking through the matter, Wang Su slowly said, "Your Majesty, I do have evidence to present."
Emperor Cao Rui squinted at Wang Su and lightly nodded.
Wang Su said, "In the past in Ye City, my teacher, the great scholar Song Zhongzi, had disagreements with the Zheng School on academic opinions, and therefore he was often regarded as an enemy by the disciples of the Zheng School."
"During the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an, relying on the case of Wei Xian, my teacher was also framed and executed due to this affair!"
Upon saying this, Wang Su bowed and made a salutation: "After so many years, I also believe that this matter should not be investigated further or reopened. However, I think Your Majesty should be aware of it!"
Emperor Cao Rui stood up, his expression serious as he looked at Wang Su: "How were the disciples of Zheng School framed and implicated in this matter?"
Wang Su lowered his head and said: "This involves the previous dynasty, and I dare not speak about it."
The atmosphere in the hall became as cold as ice for a moment. Wei Zhen, Liu Xie, and Yang Fu had all lowered their heads to look at the tiles on the ground, unwilling to speak at this time.
Wang Lang was also standing there, hands bound, unable to do anything. Since his son's words had already been spoken, let him see how the emperor would act.
Emperor Cao Rui had his back to the audience, standing silently and staring intently at the top of Wang Su's hat.
Wang Su slowly stood up straight, though he still had his head down, his back was ramrod straight, standing tall like a pine tree in the hall.
In fact, Emperor Cao Rui had harbored suspicions about the Wei Xian case long before.
Wei Xian was a man who was clearly seen by all the ministers of the Great Wei as a 'traitor'.
In the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an, during the time when Cao Cao's main army was far away in Hanzhong, the then Chancellor Zhong You recruited Wei Xian as a western bureaucratic officer. However, Wei Xian and Ch'en Yi, the prefect of security for Changle, conspired to stage a rebellion.
It was at this time that the person who was left in charge of Ye City was the late Emperor Cao Pi.
In order to quell the rebellion, Emperor Cao Pi quickly executed Wei Xian and also punished the dozens of people involved in the affair.
Among the people punished, there were Song Zhong from the Hubei School, Liu Wei, and the two sons of Wang Can. Song Zhong was Wang Su's teacher.
Even though Emperor Cao Pi killed so many people, and even the Chancellor Zhong You was demoted to a commoner for recommending Wei Xian, Cao Cao still had to bite the bullet and accept it.
There was no other reason but that in the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an, Cao Cao had just finished his failed confrontation with Liu Bei in Hanzhong and quickly rushed to Henan to command his troops against Guan Yu. He even once wanted to relocate the capital.
After returning to Luoyang, before Cao Cao had a chance to return to Ye City, he died in Luoyang. The story that followed was Emperor Cao Pi succeeding as the King of Wei and eventually becoming the emperor. Who could then hold Emperor Cao Pi accountable for any wrongdoings?
At first, the newly-ascended Cao Rui thought that this was just an ordinary plot against the throne. Wei Xian was indeed a bad person, and it was only right that he faced punishment.
Later, Cao Rui thought that this was Cao Pi's attempt to seize power. Wei Xian and many of the people punished had supported Cao Zhi. Cao Pi took the opportunity when the frontlines were in a critical situation and there was no time to handle other matters to eliminate those who posed a threat, which was within reason.
Now it seems, could there have been an academic dispute involved?
Zhong You, Chen Qun, and others from Yingchuan all advocated for Zheng School.
Could it be that Cao Pi took the opportunity to eliminate these Yingchuan scholars, who were his academic adversaries, during the rebellion suppression?
If Liu Xie, Fu Xin, and others all believed that Wei Xian would rebel, why did Zhong You still recruit him? Was Zhong You so foolish as to not see it at all? Was this fishing?
Cao Rui took a deep breath.
What I just said was just a guess based on what Wang Su said.
The waters here are too deep, and they cannot be dug up! At least not for the next few years!
After thinking things through, Cao Rui looked at Wang Su with a stern face and said coldly, "The matter that has been decided by the court cannot be reopened by you. The late Emperor was wise and powerful, and the Wei Xian case could not have been wrong."
"I will punish you!"
Seeing the emperor speak in such a manner, Wang Su immediately knelt down to beg for forgiveness. Wang Lang also widened his eyes, and his face, full of wrinkles, stared straight at the emperor.
"Wang Su, how did you read your sacred books?" Cao Rui spoke with a stern tone. "Wang Su has gone mad and is talking nonsense. He will be confined to his home for half a year and not be allowed to leave!"
Wang Su had expected the emperor to impose a heavy punishment on him, but instead, he was told to stay home. This sudden turn of events left Wang Su somewhat bewildered.
Wang Lang, being an old and experienced person, had already sensed some signs from the beginning when the emperor silenced Wei Zhen and the other three. Now, with the excuse of 'punishing' Wang Su, the emperor had him confined to his home.
It's too vague to be confined to one's home.
Wang Su, kneeling on the ground and looking up at the emperor in confusion, saw that Cao Rui was already speaking to Wang Lang.
Cao Rui asked, "Minister Wang, do you know about the incident in mid-March when the Ministry of Rites submitted a memorial to build a mausoleum for Empress Wen Zhao in Ye City?"
Wang Lang, in a few seconds, calmed down his emotions and answered, "Your Majesty, I do not know."
Cao Rui nodded: "This matter is of great importance, and there are many affairs in the court that occupy my attention. Will Minister Wang undertake the task of holding the imperial seal and traveling to Ye City to offer sacrifices to Empress Wen Zhao with three animal offerings?"
Wang Lang bowed and replied, "As a member of the Three Ministers, it is my duty to ease Your Majesty's burdens. I, am willing to go."
Cao Rui nodded gently. (Chapter completed.)
