Within the Western Study, Dong Zhao, Man Chong, and Wei Zhen all looked towards Sima Yi together.
Drawing lines is easy, it's just a matter of setting a standard.
But where should the standards for civil and military officials be set? This is quite troublesome.
Can't select those who haven't served as military governors? Can't select those who haven't been appointed as honorary generals?
Or should we select from the prefectural governors, the nine principal secretaries, and the chancellor?
It was Dong Zhao who first proposed the idea of being enshrined in the ancestral temple of the emperors. At this moment, he asked Sima Yi, "Setting a standard is correct, but during the years of Jian'an and Huangchu, there were frequent changes in official positions and titles. Where can there be a universally applicable standard?"
Wei Zhen also agreed and said, "Either by official position or by merit."
"If the standard is to be set by official positions, let's take the first four as an example. Xiahou Yuanrang and Cao Zixiao are both old retainers, and they are both members of the imperial family and commanding generals. They have served as the Grand General of Wei. Wang Jingxing is a Three-Principles official, and Zheng Zhiding can be considered on par with him. No matter which one we choose, these four are beyond reproach."
"But if we go by merit, many individuals with great contributions often haven't reached the rank of prefect or honorary general, and they haven't even lived to see the foundation of the Great Wei. Then what should we do?"
After saying that, Wei Zhen sighed lightly: "As for military officers, it's easy to say. What about civil officials? Should we only consider those from the Wei Dynasty?"
Sima Yi fell silent upon hearing this, Dong Zhao and Man Chong exchanged a glance without speaking.
Because they suddenly realized that the task entrusted to them by Their Majesty was actually very difficult to accomplish.
Wei Zhen saw through things very clearly and pointed out three important issues in his words.
The first is the issue of longevity.
Xiahou Dun, Cao Ren, Cheng Yu, Wang Lang and others have died, but many of the old ministers who worked with Emperor Cao Cao to establish his foundation are still alive.
Let's take Zhu Yin, who once had overall control of the Pass of Gao, as an example. He is now eighty years old and still alive and well in Luoyang.
Dong Zhao, who is sitting in the Western Study, had served as the Governor of Jizhou as early as the fourth year of the Jian'an era.
Cao Hong still drinks and eats every day in Luoyang.
In other words, Cao Cao's era, and even up to the present, has lingering effects and has not fully ended or been concluded.
The second issue is about the number of people.
The emperor wants to select 18 people for the second batch, but he doesn't know where the number '18' comes from.
How can one exactly and neatly select exactly 18 people?
The third, and the most troublesome thing, is to make a final conclusion about the character.
If we start with military officers, Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren are followed by Xiahou Yuan, the General of the West Campaign.
However, Xiahou Miaocai, a former warrior in Hanzhong, died in battle and was called the White Ground General by Cao Cao. This caused Cao Cao to personally lead a strong force to support Hanzhong, which indirectly led to the loss of Hanzhong and the deterioration of the situation in Xiangfan, almost bringing about the danger of relocating the capital.
Whether Xiahou Yuan's achievements were too great or too small is hard to say. Can he be included? It's hard to say.
Civil officials are also equally troublesome.
When talking about the entrepreneurial journey of the Cao family, Xun Yu, known as Xun Wenruo, is an absolute must-select candidate. If we were to erase Xun Yu's contributions, even the historical records wouldn't recognize them.
The entanglement between Xun Yu, the Lord of Chuan, and Emperor Wu has become a well-known fact. Even more so when it comes to the sons of Xun Yu, who were exiled to the Liangzhou region in the year 231 due to a plot against the throne during the Taihe era and were not granted amnesty.
The judgments on Xiahou Yuan and Xun Yu have already been difficult to make, let alone when these two cannot be determined. How can we talk about selecting other people then?
Seeing that everyone was unable to make a decision, Dong Zhao, who had first raised the issue, said, "You are right, Lord Wei. Why don't you two go back to the Eastern Study first? I will go to the palace myself to ask His Majesty and seek his guidance and expression of intent."
"There's no need to rush, we can report it tomorrow."
Sima Yi instinctively wanted to go with Dong Zhao, but thinking about his position as the 50-year-old Grand Chancellor, he held back.
Sima Yi bowed and said, "Very well, it's kind of Lord Dong. I'll return with Gong Zhen first."
"Please take your time," Dong Zhao replied, standing up and gesturing for Man Chong to follow.
With permission granted, Dong Zhao followed the side of a palace attendant and slowly made his way towards the training ground.
By the time Dong Zhao arrived, Emperor Cao Rui had just sheathed his sword.
Cao Rui seemed not to be surprised, smiling and looking at Dong Zhao: "How come, Lord Dong, what urgent matter do you have to see the emperor? I've only been walking for half an hour."
Dong Zhao approached and bowed, "Your Majesty, the officials and I are deciding on the difficult issue in the Western Study. The number of eighteen people cannot be determined. Therefore, we have come to seek your guidance."
Cao Rui took the silk handkerchief from the eunuch's hand, gently wiped the sweat from his forehead, and asked calmly, "If eighteen people cannot be selected, can eight be chosen?"
Dong Zhao shook his head slightly, "Even eight cannot be chosen."
Cao Rui nodded, "Let's go. Come inside and discuss it with me."
Dong Zhao followed behind the emperor, stepping in unison, and walked into the room used for rest on the side of the training ground.
After sitting down, Cao Rui sipped a mouthful of honey water with a little salt added and asked, "The idea of dividing it into two batches for the enshrinement at the ancestral temple was proposed by Lord Dong, and dividing it into two batches was also Lord Dong's idea."
"Why do I have to find the emperor now?"
Dong Zhao sighed, "I meant well, but I didn't think about the complexities involved as much at the time."
As Dong Zhao slowly explained, the issues of the number of people, age, and the conclusion of Xiahou Yuan and Xun Yu were all presented to Cao Rui.
Cao Rui nodded slightly, "You're right. If we really want to select the most perfect people, it would be equivalent to making a decision on the many events since Jian'an."
"It truly cannot be decided by the Western Study or the Eastern Study."
Dong Zhao apologized slightly and said, "Please excuse me for troubling Your Majesty again."
Cao Rui looked at Dong Zhao for a moment: "You may be troubled, but I may not be."
"Come, I will give you a definitive answer today."
Dong Zhao slightly widened his eyes, surprised for a few moments before understanding what the emperor meant and asked:
"Please inform Your Majesty, how should Xiahou Yuan and Xun Yu be discussed?"
Cao Rui spoke solemnly, "Regarding the attendance at the ancestral temple, anyone similar to Xun Yu should be counted based on the time of their death."
"Xun Yu died in the seventeenth year of Jian'an, and the Wu dynasty was established as the Wei state in the eighteenth year under Wu Di."
Dong Zhao asked, "Does that mean that anyone who passed away before the eighteenth year of Jian'an will not be considered for the enshrinement at the ancestral temple?"
Cao Rui looked at Dong Zhao and said, "The life of a person requires both personal effort and timely opportunities. To pass away early is to have no such opportunities."
Dong Zhao said, "I understand."
Cao Rui continued, "Regarding Xiahou Yuan, whether the loss of Hanzhong or the unrest on the western front affects the fundamental interests of the Great Wei or not is irrelevant. However, without Xiahou Yuan's assistance at the beginning of Emperor Wu's entrepreneurial endeavors, how could he have succeeded?"
"Xiahou Yuan's achievements greatly outweigh his mistakes, and he should be included in the enshrinement at the ancestral temple."
Dong Zhao nodded and asked, "Your Majesty, will the number of eighteen still be used for the second batch? How will the numbers of civil and military officials be balanced?"
Cao Rui said, "I've understood what Lord Dong has said. Since many ministers who contributed to the founding of the dynasty with the late emperor are still alive, we can delay determining the second batch's enshrinement."
"For those who made great contributions during Emperor Wu's reign, they should be enshrined at the sacrificial hall of Emperor Wu. For those who made great contributions during the Huang Chu era, they should be enshrined at the sacrificial hall of Emperor Wen."
"Is there anything else?"
Dong Zhao stood up and bowed, "I have no further questions, Your Majesty. I would like to withdraw."
Cao Rui looked at Dong Zhao's departing figure and pondered silently.
Previously, Cao Rui had agreed to the idea of the enshrinement at the ancestral temple in order to motivate his ministers and stimulate loyalty among officials in various regions to the Great Wei.
Since it is difficult to make a decision, it doesn't matter if the matter is delayed for a few years.
The sentence that Dong Zhao didn't explicitly say just now is that Your Majesty is young and energetic, and it's not too late to make a final decision when the old officials from the year of Jian'an are almost gone.
Cao Rui deeply agreed.
In any case, officials like Cao Xu and Xiahou Shang are definitely going to be enshrined with Emperor Wen. The rest, such as Xiahou Yuan, Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, Le Jin, and Li Dian, will be enshrined with Emperor Wu.
Once the four people for this month's enshrinement at the ancestral temple are announced, everyone will know about it. The next batch, which has yet to be decided, will become a tempting bait.
One's posthumous reputation is still based on their actions during their lifetime.
It will depend on their own efforts.
