Death is as important as life, only by treating each other with sincerity.
As for whether Empress Wu Xuan was satisfied, only heaven knows, which was beyond the influence of Cao Rui.
Cao Rui stood silently in front of the tripod for a moment, and finally understood the mood of Emperor Wu Cao Cao when he passed by the tomb of his old friend Qiao Xuan many years ago.
The act of worshiping is more like communicating with oneself in one's mind rather than with the deceased. In essence, one is communicating with oneself.
In four years, all kinds of experiences, scene by scene, flash past my eyes. Until the last trace of red light on the hemp paper ashes cools down, I turn around.
"Let's go to the Qiyang Mausoleum." Cao Rui nodded slightly.
"Understood the command." Sima Yi bowed and then walked quickly forward, addressing the group of officials standing behind him.
The departure was at the hour of the Dog, and after paying respects at Gaoling and Qiyang Mausoleum, when returning to the west of Ye City, the time had already approached the evening.
Before Cao Rui's imperial carriage reached the Western Gate, Xiahou Xuan arrived on horseback and softly called out to the carriage on the right.
"What are you doing?" Cao Rui was half lying in the carriage, with his eyes half closed, while slightly bumping along in the carriage was the easiest way to fall asleep.
Xiahou Xuan spoke in a low voice outside the window on the right side of the carriage, "Your Majesty, there is a relative named Cao Zhen in the rear of the procession who wishes to see Your Majesty and has something to request."
Cao Zhen?
Cao Rui collected his thoughts for a moment, and then remembered the person. If one were to carefully consider it, Cao Zhen could be considered a cousin of Cao Cao, and is now about sixty years old.
Paying homage to the Gaoling, according to protocol, all members of the Cao family residing in Ye City are required to participate in the ceremony. Therefore, all of the people with the surname Cao living in Ye City took part, totaling around six hundred.
The Cao family from Qiao County, Chaozhou Prefecture, in the state of Yu, was the number one aristocratic family in the Qiao County of Chaozhou during the time when Cao Cao had not yet risen to power. There were hundreds of people with the surname Cao, both close and distant branches, altogether.
After Cao Cao rose to power and the situation stabilized, there have been thirty years. The number of people in the Cao family has increased by several times in the past thirty years.
Cao Rui remembered that Cao Zhen had three sons who were all officers in the Great Wei army. The highest-ranking one became a Marshal of the Thousand Stones and died in Hanzhong with the former General of the Western Frontier, Xiahou Yuan. The other two sons served in cavalry units, one dying in Hebei and another in Jingzhou. Cao Zhen was left to live with his only grandchild in Ye City.
An entire family of heroic figures.
Cao family took up arms for forty years. Besides Cao Ren, Cao Hong, and the two Xiahou, there were also many other ordinary but crucial supporters from their own clan who formed the backbone of the military.
"Halt the carriage."
Cao Rui softly ordered, and the bodyguard responsible for driving heard it and immediately shouted out to the outside, causing the entire procession to stop quickly.
Cao Rui got out of the carriage and stood by the wooden railing at the door, looking at Xiahou Xuan: "What does Cao Zhen have to request?"
Xiahou Xuan shook his head: "I don't know, the messenger didn't say either."
"Then summon him alone to Your Majesty's carriage," Cao Rui said.
"Understood the command." Xiahou Xuan left after receiving the order.
Not long after, Cao Zhen arrived alone before Cao Rui, immediately kowtowing and saluting, "Cao Zhen humbly greets Your Majesty!"
Cao Zhen also had the title of Guan Nai Hou, so calling himself a subject was not excessive.
Since he would be leaving Ye City to return to Luoyang the next day, Cao Rui was not willing to waste time with Cao Zhen and asked directly, "Rise, what do you wish to discuss with Your Majesty?"
With white hair, Cao Zhen stood up and stood straight, carefully saying, "Your Majesty, since the year 18 of Jian'an, our family has lived in Ye City. If we count it, we have been residing in Ye City for more than ten years. About Ye City..."
Cao Rui interrupted him: "Please speak directly. There's no need to beat around the bush."
"Yes, yes," Cao Zhen said, as if hesitating for a moment before opening his mouth, "Your Majesty, may I inquire if it's possible for our family to move to Luoyang to live?"
Move to Luoyang?
Cao Rui was somewhat puzzled for a moment and asked, "If you want to move to Luoyang, just move. Is it necessary for the emperor to provide financial support for you?"
Cao Zhen smiled wryly for a moment and bowed, "The court had an edict before, which did not permit us to move to Luoyang. My position is low and my rank is humble, so I rarely have the opportunity to see the face of the emperor. That's why I've chosen to come and beg for Your Majesty's favor today."
"What was the time for that? Did it only prohibit your family from moving?" Cao Rui asked again.
Cao Zhen glanced at his surroundings, seemingly hesitating, and also unsure of the emperor's temperament. He could only tentatively say: "Your Majesty, it was the edict in the second year of Huangdi. All members of the Cao family in Ye City are not allowed to move to Luoyang."
After looking at Cao Zhen for a few moments, Cao Rui seemed to have understood something in his heart and beckoned his hand towards Xin Pi, who was not far away. Xin Pi noticed and immediately approached.
"Xin Qing, does the court have an edict prohibiting the migration of the Cao family in Ye City to Luoyang?"
Xin Pi was startled for a moment, and then leaned in close to the emperor and whispered for a moment.
Cao Rui nodded slightly, indicating that he understood.
Essentially, this was still a measure taken by Emperor Cao Pi when he confined the royal family, which also included regulating the Cao clan.
Initially, after Cao Cao made Ye City the capital of Wei and moved some close relatives from Qiao County Cao family to Ye City, after the founding of the Great Wei, these close relatives continued to live in Ye City and were not allowed to go to Luoyang.
Then a peculiar situation arose.
Cao Pi was the emperor of Wei in Luoyang, and there were also many Cao family members who were stationed in Luoyang and served in the middle army.
Except for the families of the Cao family's important generals such as Cao Zhen, Cao Xiu, and Cao Hong, the rest of the Cao family members either lived in Ye City or in Qiao County and were not allowed to move to other places. It was as if the families of the Great Wei's frontier army were confined to Henan and Weipu.
Cao Rui sighed and asked, "Xin Qing, you were a chamberlain during the Yellow Emperor's reign. What did the late emperor think at that time?"
Xin Pi thought for a moment and replied, "The late emperor at that time wanted to prevent the relatives from taking advantage of the Cao family name and committing unlawful acts in various places, which local officials could not control. That's why he prohibited migration."
Cao Rui shook his head slightly, "I see that everywhere are people with the surname Liu, and they are countless. Liu Bei has the surname Liu, Liu Biao has the surname Liu, Liu Ye has the surname Liu, and Liu Fang also has the surname Liu. Since the Cao family has a son of heaven, how can they be confined to one place like an ordinary surname and not be allowed to migrate?"
Xin Pi whispered a reminder, "Your Majesty, the Han Dynasty granted states to the Liu family, so they could be found everywhere. Our country has only just been founded, so how can we compare with the Han Dynasty?"
Cao Rui said, "I understand the meaning of Xin Qing. I don't want to make large-scale feudal allotments, but I also don't want to confine the Cao family to Ye City alone. Does Xin Qing have any strategies?"
Xin Pi bit his teeth and thought for a moment before bowing and saying, "Since Your Majesty wishes to show leniency, why not grant a major favor?"
"Xin Qing has a plan," Cao Rui smiled slightly, "What does Xin Qing suggest?"
Xin Pi said, "I understand that Your Majesty wants the Cao family to take root and thrive in various places, just like during the Han Dynasty. Since that's the case, it would be best to simply lift the ban and allow them to choose their own place of residence freely throughout the world. This way, it will show Your Majesty's grace."
"If they choose Luoyang, Xuchang, Chang'an, these major cities, let them be. If they opt for more remote places like Qishan City in Qinzhou, Wuwei City in Liangzhou, Jixian County in Youzhou, or Xiangping in Yingzhou, Your Majesty can use the funds from the Ministry of Finance to assist them."
Cao Rui laughed and said, "Xin Qing is sensible. He knows how to think about Your Majesty."
After communicating with Xin Pi, Cao Rui looked at Cao Zhen in the distance: "It seems that your family has quite a bit of wealth. Do you want to go to Luoyang?"
Cao Zhen looked slightly nervous: "Your Majesty, my family does indeed have some wealth, but it has all been earned through business and accumulated from several rewards. It is all legitimate wealth."
"My clan, having wealth is good." Cao Rui continued asking, "However, not everyone among the Cao family in Ye City is as wealthy as you. Are there any who are not as well-off?"
Cao Zhen only relaxed when he said, "Your Majesty is joking. Although they are part of the same family, each family's wealth is not interconnected, so naturally there are those who are poor and those who are rich. How can they be the same?"
Cao Rui looked at Xin Pi and said, "Xin Qing, have you seen? I remember that during the time of Emperor Wu, his family was not as wealthy as General Wei. Now, it is inevitable that there will be such a situation within our clan."
Xin Pi replied, "This is how it is for each family and surname, the world is like this."
Cao Rui nodded and said to Cao Zhen, "As you requested earlier, I will grant your wish. From now on, the Cao family can move to wherever they choose, and the court will no longer impose restrictions."
Cao Zhen, who had not yet seen the current emperor's decisive and resolute style of dealing with matters, couldn't help but be surprised: "Your Majesty, will you grant it right now?"
Cao Rui couldn't help but laugh and said, "My words are like gold and jade, can I deceive you?"
"You may leave now."
"Understood, I thank Your Majesty for Your kindness!" Cao Zhen knelt and respectfully bowed, and then ran lightly to the rear of his own formation.
This person is indeed shrewd, knowing that the entire 2,000-person team was stopping for his matter, he even ran faster and faster.
Cao Rui glanced at the back of Cao Zhen, who had just left, and ordered the procession to resume. At the same time, he called Xin Pi into his carriage to ride together.
Xin Pi guessed that the emperor might still have something to ask, so he did not hesitate. He handed over his horse to a tiger guard standing by and quickly climbed into the carriage.
Cao Rui said, "Historically, the migration of the gentry and large families has mainly relied on opportunities to take official positions abroad. It is rare for them to move directly. As the emperor of Great Wei and the head of the Cao clan, I am inclined to let the Cao family members settle in various places."
Xin Pi said, "People are considered lowly when they leave their hometown. If they move away from their ancestral land and residence to live in a new place, the costs of buying houses and land are considerable. Many officials retire and return to their hometowns instead of living in Luoyang, which is often due to financial reasons."
Who doesn't know that buying a house is difficult?
Cao Rui nodded, "That's why I said Xin Qing's plan is good. I will sponsor them with the assets to buy houses and establish businesses, which will make it less difficult for them to start. If they settle in places like Xiangping to the north and Wuwei to the west, Cao family members moving to various places will take root and bear fruit. After that, I will not refuse talented people among them to take office."
Xin Pi replied, "Your Majesty is wise."
Cao Rui sighed and said, "Since we have talked about this topic today, I also want to establish some rules for the imperial family."
Xin Pi nodded thoughtfully: "During the Yellow Elder years, the imperial family was suppressed. In the Taohao years, they were released again. If no system is established, I'm afraid that future generations will continue to alternate between suppression and release. We should choose a method that can last for generations." (This chapter is complete)
