"Rei, let these women come in front of you one by one and identify themselves?" Empress Guo tentatively asked.
"All according to your arrangement, Mother." After nodding, Cao Rui saw two chairs placed one on each side in front of him and sat down proactively.
Empress Guo saw this and also sat down on the chair to the left of Cao Rui, lightly waving her hand. Sun Lu Bān followed the lead of the female officials and walked slowly towards the two people.
Cao Rui turned his side and asked: "Mother, who are the five people on the right?"
Empress Guo smiled, "These five come from families of military officers."
It seems that Empress Guo has included Dàhǔ in the five people of the military families, which is not wrong either. His father Sun Quan did indeed receive the title of 'General of the Great Army' from Da Wei, but now he is a traitor.
"Dahu meets the Emperor and meets the Empress," Sun Lubaun placed her right hand on top of her left, palms facing each other, and bowed her hands in a respectful gesture over her chest.
Although "Dahu" is Sun Lubaun's courtesy name, it has been referred to as a pet name for her.
Empress Guo nodded and said with a serious expression, "Sun Concubine, although you have been in the palace for several months today, your visit to the emperor is also to uphold the norms of the imperial family."
"Rei, you should publicly announce his rank."
Cao Rui sat opposite and stared directly into Dàhǔ's eyes, holding back a laugh as he said, "Sun Lubaun, I hereby appoint you as a Concubine."
Dahu curtsied, bowed her head and said, "I bow to the Emperor and Empress."
Empress Guo said, "Get up. This is not the first time I've seen you. There's no need for further words. Go down now."
"Yes, Your Highness." Sun Lubaun stood up and bowed before leaving.
Empress Guo waved her hand again, and the woman sitting below Sun Lubaun followed suit, also approaching the two with the guidance of female officials.
"Concubine Jia Cheng bows to the Emperor and bows to the Empress."
Empress Guo looked at Cao Rui and said, "Rei, this girl is the daughter of General Jia Qia, and is only seventeen years old. She can be considered virtuous."
Cao Rui nodded and asked, "Jia Cheng, right? I have something to ask you. Just answer truthfully."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Jia Cheng's face was slightly flushed, but there was no trace of timidity in her demeanor. She replied with elegance and confidence.
Cao Rui asked, "How did you get selected to enter the palace?"
Jia Cheng replied, "Your Majesty, my father serves in a position outside the capital, and my mother, brother, and I reside together in our home in Luoyang."
In the history of the Great Wei, it has been customary for the families of military commanders to reside in Luoyang or Ye City.
Cao Rui nodded and said, "I know this. Your father's appointment as a commander of the Zhennan Garrison was personally bestowed upon me at the beginning of the year."
Jia Cheng glanced up at the emperor's face, but lowered her gaze after a moment, continuing, "Previously, a civil servant from the Ministry of Rites came to our home and sought my mother. He said that he found out I was unmarried from the register of the Secretariat and left a record of my birthday and portrait."
"A few days ago, I was brought to the palace by a carriage sent from the palace, and about the rest, I am not aware of it."
Cao Rui turned to look at Empress Guo, smiling and saying, "Please take a look, Mother. The daughter of Jia Qi's family is quite astute and speaks with great elegance."
Empress Guo said, "Whether good or bad, I will have the pictures and samples of their appearance sent to the study. It is up to the emperor to choose."
"As for whether they are elegant and unburdened or cautious and meticulous, these matters are not within my control."
Cao Rui nodded and said, "This matter does indeed trouble Mother. It has taken nearly two months for some trivial matters to be sorted out."
"Not at all, not at all." Empress Guo had been waiting for Cao Rui's compliment, smiling and saying, "The inheritance of the imperial bloodline is the most important matter."
"I wonder how many of these twenty concubines in my palace this year will be able to give birth to a prince or princess next year."
Cao Rui coughed lightly and said, "Things like this are mostly fate, and there's no fixed number."
Jia Cheng, I bestow you the title of beauty and please go down."
Jia Cheng followed the example of Sun Lubaun, bowing and kowtowing, then left immediately.
It has to be said that such formal and bureaucratic matters are indeed necessary in the palace.
If one does not personally see and ask each of them, there would be no sense of ritual to maintain harmony and stability in the inner palace.
One by one, the women approached Cao Rui and Empress Guo, inquiring about their names, place of origin, and background. They chatted for a few sentences at a minimum, and for some, the conversation went on for dozens of sentences.
At present, the Wei court divides the harem into five grades: Empress, Imperial Concubine, Grand Empress Concubine, Consort, and Beauty.
Besides Mao Xuan's Imperial Concubine, Sun Lubaun and Guo Yao's Consort, the rest of the women were all conferred the title of Beauty.
If the titles in the harem are like a ladder, today's newcomers still have many steps to climb upwards.
The future is long.
By the time this was over, the sky had gradually darkened.
After seeing the daughter of the officials, including the daughter of the officials from the Department of the Secretary of State, Du Ji, Cao Rui stretched out a long yawn and stood up to say, "Mother, I would like to trouble you to dine with these women in the palace tonight."
Empress Guo, though she dared not hinder him, also stood up and asked, "Rei, are you not going to dine together with me in my palace tonight? Where are you going?"
Cao Rui replied, "Mother, I promised Mao Xuan last night that I would have dinner with her tonight."
"Regarding today's matters in the palace," Cao Rui pointed to the twenty women in the hall and said, "I will entrust you with looking after them, Mother."
Empress Guo nodded with a smile, "I wonder if Mao Xuan will give birth to a prince or princess. Since you have promised her, go ahead, Rei."
Cao Rui nodded and bowed to Empress Guo before leaving.
Walking a few steps, as he passed by Guo Yao, Cao Rui turned and looked at her, his gaze containing some unspoken meaning.
Guo Yao's heart jumped, but she immediately nodded in understanding.
It seems that the emperor will come to my palace tonight... After returning from Changle Palace, I'll first take a bath and then burn incense!
...
Three days later, in the study of the northern palace.
Cao Rui was reading the newly translated "Shijing" by Cao Zhi at the desk when Zhong Yu entered from the doorway with a small step.
"Your Majesty, Marquis Qian and General You are waiting outside."
Marquis Qian and General Zhu Gai have arrived?
Cao Rui nodded, "Let Marquis Qian and General Zhu Gai come in, and also summon the General of the Army and the Guardsman at the same time."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Zhong Yu took the order and left. In a short while, the two generals followed behind Zhong Yu as they entered.
General Zhu Gai was robust in stature, strong and plump, with beard growing from both sides of his face.
Compared to Zhu Gai, Qian Zhao was slimmer and older, with signs of years of exposure to the northern elements on his face and skin.
"Lord Qian Zhao and Lord Zhu Gai bow to the emperor."
Both of them bowed.
Cao Rui rose with a smile, stepping forward to support the two: "I've met General You many times in Huai Nan, but this is the first time I've seen Marquis Qian."
Cao Rui extended his left finger to point at the chair next to him: "Please take a seat, both of you. There's no need for formality when you are in front of me. All generals who come to my presence will have a chair to sit on."
"Subject thanks the emperor for his grace."
After a glance between them, Qian Zhao sat in a position closer to the emperor, while Zhu Gai sat behind Qian Zhao.
Cao Rui did not hesitate and immediately asked, "What do you two know about this matter assigned by the General of the Army for you to come to Luoyang?"
Qian Zhao bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the subject only came in compliance with the command, and does not know what has been summoned for the subject in court."
Zhu Gai also hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, the subject is the same. However, I am guessing it might be because there is some war going on somewhere and troops are to be deployed?"
Cao Rui smiled and looked at Zhu Gai. "How did you guess that, General You?"
Zhu Gai smiled, his face full of naivety: "When I was in Shoushen, I heard General Dajun mention some changes in the court in Luoyang."
"However, I roughly guessed that it should have nothing to do with me. I'm only good at fighting. The emperor summoning me here should also be about military affairs."
Cao Rui smiled and nodded, but his mind began to criticize.
Zhu Gai's ruthless command when he was in Huai Nan, which I had witnessed, why would he pretend to be naive when he arrived at the northern palace of Luoyang?
One can't be sure if it's because Cao Xu taught him, or perhaps it's because the former emperor, Cao Pi, liked this style of martial general, and Zhu Gai continued to use that experience from the past.
Cao Rui slowly said, "I won't beat around the bush with you, and I don't have time to play guessing games with you."
"Let me just say it straight. Last month, the Administrator of Yongling, Zhang He, reported to the court that Zhuge Liang led troops to Nanzheng County in Hanzhong and seemed to have the intention of invading Great Wei."
"The forces in Yongling are few, and the royal army also achieved a great victory over Wu in the southeast at the beginning of the year. Therefore, after discussing with all the ministers, I have decided to dispatch a total of twenty thousand troops from Jingzhou and Yangzhou to be stationed in Chang'an."
"I want to choose you two as my generals." Cao Rui's face also gradually became serious. "Lord Qian Zhao and Lord Zhu Gai, I have carefully reviewed your CVs. Both of you have received high praise from the General of the Army and the Guardsman."
"Can you defend the invasion of our enemies from Shu in Yongling on my behalf?"
For a moment, both Qian Zhao and Zhu Gai fell silent.
At this moment, Qian Zhao's heart was already stirred.
Unlike Zhu Gai, Qian Zhao was actually not a pure general, but more of a composite leader who has been in charge of You and Bing for many years, with military, political, civil and administrative affairs all on his shoulders.
What Qian Zhao didn't know was that after staying in Youzhou and Bingzhou for so many years and having quite a few officers in the court, why Cao Zhen and Dong Zhao would think of him and recommend him to the emperor.
Qian Zhao took a deep breath, bowed and asked solemnly, "As ordered by the emperor, the subject will go to any length. However, I don't know why the emperor would choose me."
Of course, Zhu Gai also had his doubts, and his gaze turned to meet Qian Zhao's.
Cao Rui stood up and walked to the tall map in front of the study, waving his hand to invite them: "Please come over too!"
Qian Zhao and Zhu Gai rose and moved to a spot not far from the emperor, their eyes almost being completely captivated by the extremely detailed map.
Cao Rui pointed to the direction of Yongling with his finger and said, "Now, there are two hundred thousand foreign troops and two hundred thousand state troops in Yongling."
"Zhang He has led fifteen thousand foreign troops and camped in the east of Longshan, specifically in Mei County and Chenpeng."
"The Governor of Yongzhou, Guo Hui, along with Generals Hao Zhao and Lu Pan, are all stationed in Long You."
"The Governor of Liangzhou, Xiahoubag, is stationed in Wuxi. The Protector of the Qiang, Lu Sun, is stationed in Xiping Prefecture."
Cao Rui spoke in a low voice, "If Shu invades from the north, it will undoubtedly be aimed at the areas of Long You and Guanzhong."
"Guo Hui in Long You is the first line of defense, and Xiahoubag and Lu Sun can also provide immediate support to Guo Hui."
"If it's not enough, Zhang He can advance westward into the Longshan. If this happens, I will need the troops stationed in Chang'an to either block the passage between Guanzhong and Hanzhong or wait for the right opportunity to advance westwards for reinforcement."
"Is this responsibility clear to you both?" (Chapter ends)
