At dusk, as Sima Yi rode back to his mansion, he kept thinking about things.
Although there were four candidates for the leadership of Chang'an, among the four - Manchou, Cao Tai, Zhu Gai and Qian Zhao - given the new trend of the emperor's taste, it is likely that he would lean more towards a general with the surname Cao.
The trend of the royal relatives like the Xiahous and the Cao family leading troops is likely not something that can be changed in a short while...
"Father, why do you look so worried?"
Sima Yi was deep in thought as he approached the gate of his mansion. As soon as he stepped in, Sima Shi, who was in the courtyard, asked him.
Sima Yi looked up at his eldest son: "It's just trivial matters in the court. By the way, Ziyuan, come with me to the study. Father has something to ask you."
Sima Shi answered: "I understand, father."
A moment later, Sima Yi sat behind the desk, and Sima Shi slowly closed the door to the study.
Sima Shi asked, "Father, during the past few days when you were out hunting with the emperor, how have you been resting?"
Sima Yi replied, "It's like marching, how can there be rest?"
"It takes half a day to go and half a day to return, with each day devoted to hunting and drinking. That adds up to a rushed trip."
Sima Shi curiously asked, "Did you also hunt, father?"
Sima Yi laughed and said, "I shot a deer myself. The rest were obtained by the knights accompanying us."
"They were divided into three groups, one group with the emperor, one with the general, and one with me. I obtained the least amount of game, and so I was punished by drinking more wine in the evening."
Sima Shi's eyes were filled with envy. To a twenty-year-old young man, being able to lead a team in a hunting competition with the emperor is still an unattainable height.
Sima Yi asked, "How about you, Ziyuan, do you want to go hunting as well?"
"Sima Shi replied: "I don't want to go hunting. My shooting skills are not up to scratch, and I won't have the soldiers to drive the game. It would be difficult for me to catch any wild animals."
"And besides, the hunting grounds near Luoyang are all reserved for the emperor. How can an ordinary person gain access to them?"
Sima Yi secretly sighed in his heart. Not only are the hunting grounds near Luoyang all the emperor's, but so are those in other states and counties.
One word can decide life and death, one sentence can determine the rise and fall.
Over the past year since ascending the throne, Your Majesty's authority has become increasingly heavy, to the point where I sometimes feel apprehensive myself.
Sima Yi looked at Sima Shi and said, "Let's not talk about court matters for now. You've only been married for three days, and father has already left to accompany the emperor. How have you been getting along with Huigui?"
Sima Shi felt a bit embarrassed: "We get along very well. This... This is not something that worries you, father."
Sima Yi smiled slightly at his son and advised, "Treating each other with respect is the basic requirement. It's important to have children as soon as possible. With this familial connection, you should also visit Tai Chu and the general's family more often."
Sima Shi nodded: "In recent months, I've been spending more time with Tai Chu. We often discuss classical works, evaluate people, and make friends with scholars together."
Sima Yi suddenly remembered something: "Oh, did you tell me about the thing with the Master of the Academy before?"
"I heard today at the Northern Palace that Your Majesty has more or less settled the matter of the scholars at the Imperial Academy."
Sima Shi's eyes brightened: "Can scholars at the Imperial Academy be directly appointed?"
"Don't rush, let me finish slowly." Sima Yi smiled and gave Sima Shi a sharp look.
"According to the emperor's plan, students who graduate from the Imperial Academy have two paths to choose from: military service and political career."
"If they choose military service, they can enter the ranks of various officials at the level of 2,000 grains of rice per month and serve as a senior official assistant or clerk."
"If they choose a political career, they can serve as county officials in various counties."
"This is not as good as being recommended for filial piety!" Sima Shi directly said: "If one wants to serve as a county official, they can simply ask for a recommendation from someone, without having to go through the Imperial Academy."
"According to the previous practice, the offspring of noble families would first be recommended as county officials, and then chosen for filial piety at an opportune time. After that, they would enter the imperial capital as officials."
"After serving a few years as an official, whether they were selected to serve in various departments in the capital or were posted to states and counties to become county magistrates or county officials."
Sima Shi looked puzzled and asked Sima Yi: "Father, what is the purpose of this system? Why does Your Majesty specifically choose people from various states and counties to study in the Imperial Academy, only for them to graduate and not even be considered for filial piety?"
Seeing the unusual look in Sima Yi's eyes, Sima Shi hesitated for a moment and asked, "Father, is there any other arrangement behind this?"
Sima Yi sighed lightly, "For a scion of a noble family, it's too smooth. They can enter the service whenever they want, become a county official after coming of age, and becoming a filial piety candidate is just a matter of time."
"And how many people have such a family background?"
Sima Shi slightly dissatisfiedly interrupted: "The scholars in the Imperial Academy are almost all from the gentry or large families. Where are there any common people?"
Sima Yi shook his head: "The emperor said it that way, perhaps the emperor has some other thoughts in mind."
"In July, that is next month, the first group of scholars will be able to graduate from the Imperial Academy. According to the emperor's words, half of them will graduate each year."
"After the examination, they can be appointed as scholars at the level of 300 grains of rice per month. At 300 grains of rice per month, their positions may be lower in each county or military division, but their rank is not low."
Sima Shi puzzledly asked, "If it's only one-fifth of the number, that would be only a hundred graduates? What about the remaining four hundred?"
Sima Yi answered, "After three years of study, if they still cannot pass the exam within three years, they will leave the Imperial Academy. The emperor calls this situation 'graduation'."
"Ziyuan, I will also ask for your opinion. Do you want to become a scholar at the Imperial Academy?"
"If you don't want to, I will ask the emperor to appoint you as a court rider, and then look for someone to recommend you for an official post. Last month, I just recommended Gao Ruo's son to the Marquis of Bao's office."
Sima Shi thought of the people he had been spending time with all day.
Xiahou Yuan is a court rider with a rank of 400 grains of rice, and Zhuge Dan, whom he has met a few times, is the minister of the Ministry of Personnel. He also remembered He Yan, who is a scholar at the Cultural Observatory with a rank of 1,000 grains of rice.
"If I were to spend more time in the Imperial Academy as a scholar, I have the family background to do so without much effort. Why should I put myself through such hardship?"
Sima Shi made a bow: "Father, I do not wish to become a scholar at the Imperial Academy. It seems there isn't much of a future in it. Let's follow the usual way to enter government service."
Sima Yi nodded, then fell silent for a moment before suddenly asking, "Do you know that the son of the general, Cao Shao, has gone to the Youzhou military region to serve as a soldier?"
Thinking of the smiling, rotund face of Cao Shao, Sima Shi felt a little uncomfortable and immediately said, "The son of a military general, how could he not dare to serve as a soldier?"
"Father, I do not want to serve in the military."
Sima Yi nodded: "That's good, father knows your thoughts. When you graduate from the Imperial Academy, I will arrange for you then."
"Ziyuan, what do you think? Last time, he also said he wanted to enter the Imperial Academy. Although his talent is not as good as yours, he can still try to gain experience by serving as a scholar-officer."
Sima Shi laughed and said, "Father didn't first prohibit me from entering the Imperial Academy? Let's wait until he graduates to talk about it."
