Cao Rui smiled and pointed to Liu Ye with his finger, deliberately putting on a solemn face: "Liu Yin is used to flattering me. Is this going to make him a rebellious minister?"
Liu Ye knew the emperor was only joking, so he laughed and bowed in return, saying: "Whether I am a sycophant or not, I am not sure. I only know that I am a loyal subject."
Looking at Xin Pi's face full of doubts and misunderstandings, Cao Rui pointed to Liu Ye and said: "Let Liu Yin explain it to Xin Yin."
Liu Ye spoke concisely and clearly to Xin Pi, explaining the mass of information coming in. Xin Pi was left directly speechless.
"What does Minister Xin have to say?"
Xin Pi thought for a moment before speaking out, "Your Majesty, I think your judgments are excellent."
Cao Rui had expected Xin Pi to say more, but was surprised to only hear one sentence. With a trace of doubt, he asked, "Is there nothing that Minister Xin wants to express?"
Xin Pi shook his head: "I have no opinion. As Your Majesty said to the ministers in Youpingbei, Youzhou is too remote. If we were to go to Ye City, we would have time to deal with anything that might happen."
Cao Rui said: "Minister Xin is practical."
"Let's not talk about this for now," Cao Rui said, looking at Xin Pi. "Perhaps Minister Xin is not aware that when I was praising the achievements of the ministers in Xiangping City in Liaodong, Liu Yin's achievements were ranked first, left Feiyun General Wenchen's second, and Minister Xin's third."
After saying this, Cao Rui smiled and pointed with his right index finger at Liu Ye, "Firstly, Minister Liu was sent on an envoy mission by my command, then he became the Governor of Youzhou, also served as the General Leading the Northern Expeditionary Forces across the Liao River, and now he has been appointed as the Right Supervising Marshal of the Privy Council."
"You two were both serving as ministers before me. Minister Xin, in the past few years, you have never been transferred to an external post. Today, I will ask Minister Xin what his plans are and what kind of official positions he wants to pursue."
Xin Pi was silent for a while and then sighed lightly, bowing his head and saying: "I am a minister of the emperor. I have served the kingdom with loyalty and do not seek position. I wish to continue as a minister."
Is it better to be a Minister or a Higher Nine Minister, or is being a Governor better?
At the time of Tahe Four, there was no obvious answer. Governors were appointed by the emperor due to his trust and favor, as evidenced by the examples of Huang Quan, Chen Jiao, Yang Fu, Liu Ye, Sun Zhi, and Jiang Ji.
Fundamentally, being close to the emperor offers greater prospects. Unlike Liu Ye, who is just over fifty years old, Xin Pi is sixty years old. In terms of evaluation at this time, he can be considered a standard elderly minister with high moral standing.
Whether discussing his current status or his posthumous reputation, for Xin Pi, it should be more about considering his own interests.
Cao Rui shook his head and said, "This is something Minister Xin can say for himself, but I cannot do so. It would be too harsh for me to do so."
"I'll ask one more question, Minister Xin, is there really nothing you want to say? Considering your numerous campaigns and contributions, whether it's the Governor of Youzhou or a General, I can promise you anything."
Cao Rui's words were sincerely spoken, and Liu Ye and Xin Pi in front of him also believed in the emperor's sincerity.
Regardless of the topic of emotions, just from the perspective of action style, the usual generous emperor can also do such things.
Xin Pi shook his head again: "I am a minister of the emperor. How could a subject ask the emperor for a position? I hope the emperor will stop asking."
Cao Rui smiled, "Then, I understand what Minister Xin means."
"Minister Xin Pi, listen to the imperial edict!"
Cao Rui suddenly raised his voice and said this abruptly, causing Liu Ye and Xin Pi to stand up, with Xin Pi even kneeling down to worship.
Cao Rui said, "Minister Xin has served as the Minister of Ceremonial Affairs for a long time, enduring much labor in serving before the throne. Now I am appointing you as the Marshal of the Capital, to show my commendation."
Xin Pi said, "The Marshal of the Capital? The current Marshal of the Capital is Dong Zhao. If I become the Marshal of the Capital, where will Dong Zhao go?"
Xin Pi was about to decline, but as soon as he looked up, he saw the emperor's serious and stern gaze. His heart shivered, then he bowed his head and accepted the command.
After Xin Pi stood up, Liu Ye asked curiously on the side, "Your Majesty, isn't the position of Marshal of the Capital held by Dong Gong from the Western Study? Where should Dong Gong go?"
Cao Rui lightheartedly replied, "Since I have been calling him 'Dong Gong' for so long, it's about time to promote him to one of the three high officials. When we return to Ye City, I will issue a decree to elevate him to the position of the Taiyuan Grand Commandant, and then he can become the Taiyuan Grand Commandant."
Liu Ye nodded in agreement: "Dong Gong has long served the king, with years of service and high moral character. He deserves this reward. The emperor's decision is wise."
Cao Rui nodded.
At the beginning of Cao Rui's reign, the three high officials were Zhong You, Huaxin, and Wang Lang. After four years, Zhong You and Wang Lang passed away respectively, and Huaxin was afflicted by illnesses, with his days numbered.
And the appointments of these three were largely determined by the good and bad preferences of Emperor Cao Pi himself. Like Dong Gong, an old minister from Jian'an who did not get along with the Yingchuan people and whose frequent suggestions during the Jian'an years were not to his liking, he naturally stepped aside.
If Dong Gao became the Marshal of the Capital, the three high officials of the great Wei would be Dong Gao as the Marshal of the Capital, Chen Qun as the Minister of Justice, and Sima Yi as the Minister of Public Works.
Although promoting Dong Gong was beyond the ordinary, how could Liu Ye, known for his flattery, or Xin Pi, renowned for his integrity, be offended by such an incident?
On the contrary, they were probably cheering and praising in their hearts. The emperor is so considerate and just, rewarding those who have contributed. If they reach the age of seventy in the future, might they also be eligible for the position of a senior official?
"The three high officials take turns sitting at home today?"
...
Cao Rui stayed in Quanzhou for only one night before continuing to lead his army south along the official roads and canals.
With Cao Rui's continuous campaign, he was exposed to more and more news every day, almost every day bringing new updates.
Empress Wu Xuan, also known as Ping Sheng, was buried in Gaoling to the west of Ye City. A grand ritual was also held in Ye City, with all members of the Cao family and officials' families who remained in Ye City, including the members of the Cao family, gathering to pay their respects.
In the distant Luoyang, Empress Su gave birth to a son, although the child was slightly underweight and looked weak, it was still a joyous event.
If one takes a close look, Empress Su, also known as Su Huan, was from the prominent Min Yan family in the capital. She had some distant relatives with Su Zhe during the early years of the Huang Chu reign. There is also an interesting incident about Su Zhe.
During the early years of Huang Chu, Dong Gong also briefly served as the Minister of Ceremonial Affairs. Once, Dong Gong was in his official residence and wanted to sleep with his head resting on Su Zhe's knees. However, Su Zhe angrily pushed him away and scolded him, saying, "The knees of Su Zhe are not the pillow of a flatterer."
This also serves as another side confirmation of Dong Gao's reputation at the time. After all, a person who in the late Han dynasty, went to great lengths to help Cao Cao plan to become a marquis and establish a state, how could he not be seen as a "flatterer" in the eyes of traditional scholars?
One can only say that with the changes in circumstances, the old officials who felt sympathy for the Han family are almost all gone, even Dong Gao, a 'flatterer', could become a marquis and hold the position of the Marshal of the Capital.
This is simply a matter of perspective.
Apart from the two matters regarding Empress Wu Xuan and Empress Su, the two subsequent events caused Cao Rui even more concern.
One of them is the flooding disaster.
The heavy rain that began in the vicinity of Xuchang in early August gradually spread across the entire Henan, the entire Henan state, and the entire Jingzhou state.
From the Sili state, which is closest to Ye City, the Yellow River's water level is getting closer and closer to the embankment, rising a bit each day, and it is uncertain when it will overflow. The Yishui and Luo rivers, which are closest to Luoyang, are already full and about to overflow.
The situation in Henan was even more serious. According to the latest report, the Kei River, Ying River, and Wodi River were all overflowing, and there was no sign of stopping. The old and unrenovated walls of Xuanchang, which had not been large-scale renovated before, were damaged even more.
The report from Jingzhou was a few days earlier, but it was no more optimistic. The Jingzhou military camp on the west side of Fan City and at the bend of the Han River had almost all of its shipyards flooded. The Han River had already begun to overflow its banks, threatening to invade the land.
Floods are after all natural disasters. Acceptance is the first step. Efforts should be made to minimize the damage.
But the letter from Dong Gong in Luoyang caused even more concern for Cao Rui.
Huang Quan, the Governor of Yu Province, accused Dong Zhao, the Prefect of Yingchuan, and sent the accusation document directly to Dong Gao in Luoyang, almost as a challenge. Without hesitation, Dong Gao wrote an official letter of resignation and even wanted to send his son Dong Zhao to guard the borders in Youzhou!
In Cao Rui's thinking, both Huang Quan and Dong Gao seemed to be out of touch with the current situation.
Cao Rui traveled more than seven days from Quanzhou to Ye City, covering a distance of one thousand li. When he finally arrived in Ye City, it was already September 4th.
On the evening of September 4th, the exhausted cavalry of the central army, numbering four thousand, along with the emaciated emperor himself and a group of officials such as ministers, secretaries, and riding officers, arrived ten li east of the city gate of Ye City.
Cao Rui reined in his horse and turned to ask Xin Pi and Liu Ye, "What do you two think? Am I right in rushing back, or have I made a mistake?" (This chapter ends)
