Mid-July, Luoyang.
Outside the Ning Palace, Cao Rui was pacing nervously near the steps.
As the sunset lengthened the palace's shadow on the ground, the waiting maids inside, coupled with the sound of people moving about, only increased Cao Rui's anxiety.
The four senior officials from the West Pavilion and the East Pavilion were all waiting together beside the emperor at this time.
Seeing the emperor in such a state, Cao Zhen coughed lightly and said, "Your Majesty should not be so anxious. Mrs. Mao is destined to be safe and sound."
Sima Yi also bowed his hands and said, "This matter is a natural part of human relationships. Your Majesty may feel uneasy for the first time, but it will be easier after experiencing it a few more times."
Cao Rui stood still, stretched his head and looked inside the hall, the official who served him inside, Bi Jin, immediately stepped aside and blocked it: "Men don't go to the delivery room in good luck, so let's send someone to call out the doctor and ask?"
Cao Rui stared at Bi Jin for a moment, then shook his head and walked back in front of several ministers.
At this moment, inside the Ning Palace, Mrs. Mao is about to give birth, being ten months pregnant.
As the second emperor of the great Wei dynasty, Cao Rui was about to welcome his first heir, which was a critical matter for both the royal family and the political landscape.
Cao Rui awaited outside the palace, with the four ministers from both the West Pavilion and the East Pavilion also waiting beside the emperor.
Cao Rui opened his mouth and asked, "I have a question. How do you choose names for your own children?"
The several officials exchanged glances and Sima Yi bowed his hands and said, "Your Majesty, in fact, there is no specific principle to follow when choosing a name. A boy's name should be robust and vigorous, while a girl's name should be gentle and graceful. Almost both of them are suitable."
Cao Rui then asked, "Sir Sima, do you have three sons now? The eldest is Sima She, the second is Sima Zhao, and last month you had a new son named Sima Zhuo?"
"Why did Sir Sima choose these three characters for his son's name?"
Sima Yi felt embarrassed this time, thinking for a long time before answering, "At the time of naming my son, I also spent quite a bit of effort. My family has many people, so the primary concern was to avoid having the same name as others, and secondly, it had to have a good connotation."
"My eldest son, She, was born in the thirteenth year of the Jian'an era. At that time, I was in Jingzhou following the army of Emperor Wu, so I named him 'She' in memory of that time."
"My second son, Zhao, was born at the time of the first rays of the sun appearing in the morning. According to Xu Shen's 'Cihai Jieci,' Zhao means 'bright sun,' so this name was given to him."
"As for my third son, Zhuo, which also means 'helmet,' it is my hope that he will achieve wealth and prosperity and that it will be passed down to future generations."
After hearing this, Cao Rui nodded and said, "Let's name Dong's son Dong Zhuo! What a good name that is. The Dong family will enjoy wealth and prosperity for generations."
Dong Zhao embarrassedly smiled and said, "Whether I am wealthy or not depends entirely on Your Majesty's grace. As I am old and my body is weak, I only hope to be able to follow closely behind you and benefit from your blessings."
"How about General Dajun?" Cao Rui's gaze turned to Cao Zhen. "What names did you give to your four sons?"
Cao Zhen replied, "It's much like that of Sir Sima, roughly the same. My eldest son, Zhao Bo, was also born at dawn, just like Sir Sima's second son."
"Since 'Xuanming' means 'bright and enlightening,' and 'Zhaoming' means 'brilliant,' I named him Shuang and gave him the courtesy title of Zhao Bo."
Cao Rui nodded, looked up at the sky over Luoyang, and then glanced at the palace above. After confirming there were no unusual celestial phenomena, he slowly said, "Since they are all like this, regardless of whether Mrs. Mao gives birth to a boy or a girl this time, I have already prepared a name for each possibility."
Cao Zhen playfully asked, "Your Majesty's naming must be more meaningful than ours. May I ask what names Your Majesty has chosen?"
Cao Rui smiled and waved his hand, saying, "There are some meanings to it, but it is just a lucky character."
"If a son is born today, I will name him Cao Qi. If a daughter is born, let's name her Cao Shu for now."
Wei Zhen had been silent for a long while beside him and seldom spoke, but he finally asked, "Your Majesty, which Qi are you referring to?"
"The 'Qi' in 'Qi,'" Cao Rui replied, "This is because it is the first year of the Taihe era. Let's hope it will open a new era of prosperity."
Qi?
Sima Yi, upon hearing this character, began to calculate in his mind.
The son of Yu was named Qi, and Emperor Wen's son in the Han Dynasty was named Liu Qi.
Is Your Majesty going to be the Yu who forged nine cauldrons, or are you determined to be Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty?
Not long after, Empress Dowager Bian and Empress Guo also rushed to the scene from their respective palaces and stood with Cao Rui and others.
While the group was chatting casually, the painful cries from the women in the hall suddenly included a loud cry from the newborn baby.
Cao Rui, upon hearing the sound, hurriedly turned around and went to the door of the hall to go in. However, he was held back by Empress Guo who grabbed his sleeve.
Although anxious, Cao Rui suddenly realized at this moment that he indeed should not go in anymore.
In this era with poor hygiene conditions, the customs rule that men are not allowed into the delivery room indeed reduces some risks of infection.
In no time, the maid attending to Mrs. Mao quickly ran out, kneeling and bowing to the ground, saying, "The prince! Your Majesty! It's a prince!"
Cao Rui asked in return, "How is Mrs. Mao now?"
The maid replied, "The honored consort is doing well, just weak and needs to rest. The doctor says that no one can enter the room yet."
Cao Rui smiled and said, "If I'm not allowed in, I won't go in."
"Come!"
The four officials beside him all bowed in response.
Cao Rui looked at the four officials, "Sir Sima, River Internal is your home district. Then go to Mrs. Mao's family on my behalf and bring them joy. Award her father and brothers thousand pieces of gold!"
"According to your order!" Sima Yi bowed and replied.
At this time, the faces of the people around Cao Rui all showed excitement.
Empress Dowager Bian and Empress Guo, as Cao Rui's grandmother and wife, were delighted that the Cao family's bloodline would continue.
The four ministers, on the other hand, were more concerned with the political situation.
A moment later, an elderly midwife stepped out of the hall with a bundle wrapped in swaddling clothes in her arms. The newborn baby's eyes were still closed.
"Cao Qi..."
Cao Rui gently called out the name of this infant, carefully took him over, walked to the sunlight, and let the golden sunset shine on the face of the baby.
...
The second morning, Cao Rui had been looking after Mrs. Mao in the palace for a long time before coming to the study.
Wei Zhen, who had been waiting at the door of the study for a long time, greeted Cao Rui as he entered.
Cao Rui asked in some surprise, "Professor Wei, what business do you have that requires you to wait for me here? How long have you been standing here?"
Wei Zhen bowed and said, "We have been waiting for a while, but there are indeed important matters we must report to Your Majesty."
"Then please come in," Cao Rui nodded and walked into the study. At this moment, a waiting room in the corner of the study had Zhong Yuyu standing by.
Wei Zhen glanced at Zhong Yuyu and then bowed to the emperor to indicate his attention.
Cao Rui understood and said, "Zhong Yuru, you go out first and close the door! Don't let anyone else in!"
"Following your order." Zhong Yuyu carefully retreated.
Cao Rui had now leaned back on the chaise lounge, leisurely asking Wei Zhen, "Professor Wei, what is it that you wish to discuss with me?"
Wei Zhen paused for a moment before saying, "The matter I wish to report to Your Majesty today concerns both Your Majesty's family and the affairs of the great Wei."
Upon hearing the words "family matters," Cao Rui asked in return, "Does this concern my son?"
Wei Zhen nodded, "Since ancient times, the matters of a royal family, especially the issue of succession, are most critical. The rise and fall of a dynasty can be attributed to this, both success and failure."
"At the end of the day, it's actually two things: the throne and the position of a successor."
"Wei Zhen, who has the honor of being in the East Pavilion, will present this matter to Your Majesty. I hope Your Majesty does not mind."
Cao Rui waved his hand, "Professor Wei, you overthink things!"
"When I was not yet the emperor, I also passed through the hands of the late emperor. I am well aware of the inner workings. All the struggles for the throne between Emperor Yong and his brother, as well as fluctuations in politics and changes in personnel, I have all memorized."
"I will not make decisions about the successor until my sons come of age."
Wei Zhen had intended to advise the emperor not to rush into naming a successor. However, upon hearing that the emperor would not consider this matter until his sons came of age, he feared the emperor might misunderstand, and so he quickly began to explain.
"Wei Zhen, it's not necessarily a requirement to wait until the prince comes of age and has such a clear standard..."
"I understand," Cao Rui laughed and interrupted Wei Zhen, "I've just had one son. I'll wait until I have more sons so that I can choose from a larger pool."
Wei Zhen was at a loss for words, seeing the emperor speaking so casually about such an important matter.
Wei Zhen continued to probe, "And what about the matter of choosing a consort?"
At this moment, Cao Rui nodded, "Mrs. Mao is virtuous and kind-hearted. Since she has given birth to a son, it wouldn't be a problem to elevate her to the position of a consort."
Cao Rui smiled and shook his head, "Professor Wei, you don't know. In my harem, there are so many people who want to see and speak with me every day. At first, it was exciting, but later on, it became more and more tiresome."
"By elevating her to the position of a consort, she will manage the harem for me, and it will give me some peace of mind."
"By the way, Professor Wei, how is your eldest son Wei Lie doing with his studies in Chenliu?"
Wei Zhen sighed and said, "Let him study in his hometown of Chenliu and cultivate his character. At the age of twenty, it is a good time for him to study."
While the two were talking, Cao Rui heard Cao Zhen's voice outside the study, followed by a low murmur that sounded like Zhong Yuyu was explaining something quietly.
Cao Rui called out loud, "Let the General come in!"
Cao Zhen heard the voice and opened the door himself, carrying a document and walking in quickly.
"Cao Zhen! Par State has sent a victory report!" Cao Zhen laughed, "The Xianbei Ko Bi Neng raided Yanmen. They were defeated by the Uguandong Camp Commander Tian Yu, who happened to be visiting Yanmen on his mission. General Liu Ye and General Guan Juian also led troops to assist in the victory."
"Please, Your Majesty, allow me to present the detailed report."
Cao Zhen said, "After that, he placed the war report in both hands and brought it close to the emperor."
Cao Rui read it twice carefully, closed it and then threw the report to Wei Zhen.
"I hadn't expected that while Qian Zhao was not at Yanmen, Liu Ye and Guan Qiu Jian could handle this matter so well!"
"Zhong Gong personally led the charge and caused the enemy to suffer a great defeat, earning the first place honor!" Cao Rui smiled and said, "I didn't realize before how capable Zhong Gong was."
Cao Zhen explained, "The general's courage inspires the soldiers, and the soldiers' strength comes from their general. Only with a brave general and strong soldiers can they achieve such tactical brilliance."
Cao Rui nodded and then, as if remembering something, turned to Cao Zhen and said, "Tian Yu said that Zhao Bo has established merit this time and can be promoted from a team leader to a district captain!"
Cao Zhen smiled and said, "It seems that sending Zhao Bo to the border for experience was indeed effective."
Cao Rui got up from the chaise lounge and said slowly, "Yesterday, I had a son, and today, the border report was victorious. Professor Wei, please pass this message to everyone. Tonight, I will prepare a banquet at Beiju Palace. All three public officials and nine high-ranking officials as well as officials of 2000 stones should attend the banquet!"
Wei Zhen smiled and replied, "Your Majesty is wise, and I will arrange it right away." (End of chapter)
