"Where are Xiahou Xian and Manqiu Jian?" Cao Rui said in a deep voice.
Xiahou Xian and Manqiu Jian listened to the summons and, with Xiao Zhen and Yang Fu as an example, they speculated that they would also be rewarded. Therefore, they agreed without hesitation by bowing their hands.
Cao Rui said, "Xiahou Xian and Manqiu Jian are both loyal and brave. I hereby appoint Xiahou Xian as the General of the North and send him to assist the Administrator of Youzhou, Liu Ye, in handling frontier affairs in Youzhou."
"Appoint Manqiu Jian as the Commander of the Central Cavalry."
Both bowed to thank him.
Xiahou Xian didn't think much about it, from the middle of the military responsibility for central jian ying, turned into a formal title general, although just an General of the North, but also the title general!
It's different from those honorary generals!
Of course, they were all delighted.
But Cao Zhen, Sima Yi, and Xin Zhi, who have spent a long time in the Central Military and in Luoyang, had subtly noticed something was amiss.
The issue lies with Manqiu Jian's position.
The position of the Commander of the Central Cavalry is a high-ranking one. Since the emperor ascended to the throne, after he took away Chen Qun's position as Commander of the Central Cavalry, this position has not been established again.
The position of Commander of the Central Cavalry has been effectively vacant for two years. Besides protecting the emperor, this position also holds some commanding authority over the Central Military!
Among the four ministers aiding in government, both Cao Zhen and Cao Xiu have held the position of Commander of the Central Cavalry or General Leading the Cavalry. This post has also been held by people like Wei Zhen and Xiahou Shang.
In other words, who holds the position of Commander of the Central Cavalry is clearly an emperor's close confidant, personally approved by the emperor.
Now the emperor has filled the position that has been vacant for two years with Manqiu Jian, giving him the power to protect the emperor. He also promoted Xiahou Xian and transferred him...
Sima Yi thought to himself, "Is this an indication that the emperor's assessment of Xiahou Xian and Manqiu Jian's recent actions and behavior has been inconsistent?"
If Manqiu Jian is better than Xiahou Xian and the emperor is not satisfied with Xiahou Xian, then what makes Manqiu Jian satisfactory to the emperor and what has Xiahou Xian done to anger the emperor?
Sima Yi was unaware of this.
In the past ten days, outside of the city of Chen Cang, various reactions from every important minister have emerged in response to the emperor's illness.
Due to the suddenness of the situation, except for Cao Zhen and Xin Bi who had discussed privately beforehand, all others acted according to their own thoughts, feelings, and instincts.
What each person did, others could not fully know. Just now, the emperor had everyone called in one by one, compared and asked questions, which actually already grasped all the information of everyone.
In other words, although the emperor has been lying on the bed for nine days, he is more aware of the full picture of what everyone has done during these nine days than anyone else present.
Sima Yi felt deeply moved by the emperor's ability to govern his ministers, almost as if it were innate.
Even Emperor Cao Pi did not have such a clever mind. How did he have such a son? It's truly a miracle.
......
As the emperor's health gradually improved, everything around Chen Cang City returned to normal.
The only thing that was left to be settled was the military strategy that Du Xi and Yang Fu had been arguing about. The emperor ordered it to be temporarily set aside. It would be carefully studied once the new Administrator of Anhui, He Qian, took office.
On the twenty-third day of the sixth month, Emperor Cao Rui ordered the Central Military to return to Luoyang. However, this time Cao Rui did not ride on horseback but sat in a carriage instead.
On the twenty-ninth day of the sixth month, the Central Military arrived outside Chang'an City.
During these six days, thanks to his youth and regular physical exercise, Cao Rui's physical condition had recovered fairly well. Of course, this was also inseparable from the privileged resources and medical care of the emperor.
Not everyone has the privileges of the emperor.
Most of the Central Military camped outside Chang'an City, but only the newly appointed Commander of the Central Cavalry, Manqiu Jian, led 5,000 horsemen to follow the emperor into the city to escort him.
The last time he went to Lueyangedu, Cao Rui didn't have enough time to properly explore the ancient capital of Chang'an.
Now that he has returned with a victory, his mood is particularly relaxed, and it's inevitable to unwind a bit.
Cao Rui led the officials and generals to tour Chang'an City. Servant Xin Bi, who had been in Chang'an for nearly half a year, was clearly the best tour guide.
After a moment's reflection, Cao Rui asked, "I wonder if there are any ancient sites in Chang'an that can be visited. Preferably those from the Western Han Dynasty that have historical records."
Xin Bi thought for a moment and replied, "Your Majesty, perhaps it would be good to show you the remains of the former imperial palace?"
"There are some subtle differences in the details of the architecture, compared to the palace in Luoyang under the Greater Wei Dynasty."
Cao Rui nodded, riding on horseback and turning his head to look at the crowd, "What do you think?"
You're the emperor, why ask us?
Everyone agreed, and the atmosphere became very harmonious for a while.
Xin Bi rode alongside the emperor, acting like a guide, and started introducing the Western Han Dynasty palace one by one.
After walking for a long time, Xin Bi pointed to the dilapidated palace in front and said, "Your Majesty, that's the Jian Zhang Palace ahead. Now, only the remains of the Shuang Feng Archway, Shenming Pavilion, and Taiye Pool are left. The rest have been destroyed in battles."
"Jian Zhang Palace." Cao Rui repeated, then asked, "When was Jian Zhang Palace built? Who built it during the Han Dynasty?"
Beside him, Sima Yi replied with a smile, "Your Majesty, Jian Zhang Palace was built by Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty. However, during the rebellion of Wang Mang, Jian Zhang Palace was also destroyed in battles."
"The Jian Zhang Palace Your Majesty is now seeing was rebuilt during the Later Han Dynasty, but it was also destroyed in many places by war. During the Huang Chu period, due to the country's financial constraints, it has not been repaired."
Cao Rui nodded and said, "Even if we had the money, it wouldn't be worth repairing. What's the point of restoring ancient palaces?"
"It would be better to cultivate more land along the Wei River instead!"
Sima Yi bowed and laughed, "Your Majesty is most wise."
Cao Rui squinted his eyes and pointed to a tall, thick object in front of him, asking, "What is that thing over there?"
Since Sima Yi had answered the question just now, Xin Bi's speech speed increased noticeably and he responded with clean and decisive words, "The Jinglu Pan! That is the Jinglu Pan."
"What is the Jinglu Pan?" Cao Rui asked again.
Xin Bi only knew about the Jinglu Pan, but the specific historical context behind it, he didn't remember it very well.
Sima Yi was the same. Although Sima Yi was also well-studied, he had always disliked memorizing these irrelevant historical facts. He was a scholar who valued practicality above all.
Now it was the turn of Cao Zhi, who was following behind. Such a display of literary knowledge was more suited to Cao Zhi, the younger cousin of Emperor Cao:
"Your Majesty, I know about this Jinglu Pan," Cao Zhi smiled and said, "I can explain it in detail for Your Majesty if you get closer."
Cao Rui looked at Cao Zhi and smiled, "The Royal Uncle is indeed well-educated! After returning to Luoyang, I will ask Cai's scholarly master Ou Zhong for a Confucian scholarship for you!"
Cao Zhi slightly awkwardly bowed and smiled, "I am at the Chongwen Pavilion, not at the Taixue (Academy of Great Learning), so what is the use of having a doctorate?"
Cao Rui smiled and said, "What do you think, if all the people at the Taixue are studying Confucian classics, would it not be a bit monotonous? Why make it so utilitarian?"
"According to my opinion, such 'meaningless' poetry and writing can also be taught at the Taixue! Only then can the literary brilliance of Greater Wei be displayed."
Cao Zhi laughed, "I've thought about this before, but I dared not mention it. Now that Your Majesty has spoken, I can go to the Taixue and teach the scholars how to write poetry."
Cao Rui nodded in agreement and said, "That's right! Greater Wei should not only have martial virtues, but also literary brilliance. You, the Royal Uncle, are the greatest literary brilliance of Greater Wei!"
Today the emperor was indeed in a great mood, surrounded by his entourage and conversing with Cao Zhi, publicly praising him.
The emperor's fondness for the literary talents of the Marquis of Yongqiu is well-known among court officials. But isn't this still a tour?
Cao Zhi looked at the gathering gaze of the crowd and felt his face flush slightly. He pointed to the front and said, "Please have Your Majesty go up first!"
"Good!" Cao Rui lightly slapped the horse's flank, and the crowd moved forward again.
As the group drew closer, the full view of the Jinglu Pan was revealed to Cao Rui.
Cao Rui sat on horseback, tilting his head and staring upwards in wonder without stopping. He could be heard making continuous exclamations.
In this era, Cao Rui had not seen anything as tall as this for a long time. Even when compared to the high buildings in the old city, it did not fall short.
The Han Dynasty indeed favored the construction of various high platforms, which were not like the high-rise buildings of later times. They were more like a pyramid-shaped large earthen mound, with palaces built on top of them.
There are four high platform sites, each over a hundred feet high, among the ruins of Jian Zhang Palace.
The height of the Jinglu Pan, which extends twenty feet above the Shengming Pavilion (twenty feet high), is further extended upward by another twenty feet.
From the ground level, it is a full forty feet tall, which is equivalent to about twenty to thirty stories of modern buildings.
Indeed, it is worth admiring.
Cao Zhi said, "Your Majesty, this is the Jinglu Pan built by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. There was a bronze pillar twenty feet high on the Shengming Pavilion. On top of it stood a bronze figure of an immortal holding a bronze basin to receive the sweet dew from heaven."
"Ganlu?" Cao Rui laughed, "It's a rare literary touch by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. Which immortal would fill his bronze basin with sweet dew from the heavens?"
"This is just for fun,"
Cao Zhi said, "I have only read about this in books. However, considering Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's life span, it is likely that the immortal did not grant him the sweet dew."
"However, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty did indeed take the 'Ganlu' from the basin."
Cao Rui asked, "How do they get the 'Ganlu' from such a high place on the Jinglu Pan?"
Cao Zhi flushed and laughed awkwardly, "I don't know about that. But the sweet dew is taken together with jade dust." (The end of this chapter)
