In the brightly lit Deonguan Hall, it was as if the day was just beginning. Deng Zhao's surprised expression was clearly visible to the officials sitting in the front row.
Add more load? What load?
Dong Zhao instantly recalled the meaningful words His Majesty had said to him this afternoon when they greeted Him in the north of the city. However, as was always the case with His Majesty's thoughts, they were never easy to understand, and Dong Zhao was no exception.
Dong Zhao put down the wine cup in his hand and bowed his hands towards the emperor, who was sitting at the highest place in the hall. He said, "Your servant is a bit drunk and dull-witted. I hope Your Majesty can enlighten me."
Dong Zhao called himself stupid, but in the eyes of Cao Rui, Dong Zhao was very clear-minded.
As the two conversed, the ministers in the hall also put down their wine cups and chopsticks one by one. The court banquet was more ritualistic than actual, and everyone wished they had eight ears to attend, all looking towards the direction of the emperor.
As a member of the Western Pavilion's cabinet and an elderly minister, Dong Zhao stood on the left and Sima Yi on the right. The two were positioned closest to the emperor.
Cao Rui slowly stood up from behind the table, put his hand on his belt, pointed to Dong Zhao and said to the ministers: "Today, the emperor banquet is held in Deonguan Hall, public officials and ministers are all in the hall. Everyone says good officials should be done, but Dong Gong has been the first since the beginning of Taiping year to resign. I not only rejected this message but also punished him for a year's pay."
"I have been the emperor for four years, and half of that time has been spent in military campaigns. Even I, with all my responsibilities, have had to endure such hardships. If you ministers want to shed your burdens and not do your jobs, do you think I can just accept that?"
"Minister Sima!" Cao Rui looked at Sima Yi and said, "What do you think of Dong Gong? Should I accept his resignation?"
By now, it was already the fourth year of Taiping, and Sima Yi was no longer surprised to be asked by the emperor in court discussions or such public gatherings. After all, why should he be surprised? He was the Marquis of Wanshi, the highest-ranking official in the hall among all ministers, and also the one closest to the emperor.
Sima Yi stood up and bowed his hands in response: "Dong Gong is now seventy-five years old and still working for the country in the Western Pavilion. He is a loyal and devoted minister."
Cao Rui laughed lightly and looked at Wei Zhen: "What do you think, Master Wei?"
Wei Zhen showed a difficult expression, hesitated for a moment, then stood up. He first bowed deeply and said, "Your Majesty has had too much to drink today. Minister Dong is an elderly and distinguished official. I beg Your Majesty to discuss this later."
Only Wei Zhen dares to say something like "Your Majesty is drunk." Dong Zhao really doesn't know what the emperor means today. He stands with his hands behind him, slightly lowering his eyes to look at the reflection of the lamps on the floor tiles in the hall. Inside, he feels both tense and indifferent. In short, it's hard to describe.
"Master Wei, what do you think I am talking about?" Cao Rui smiled and waved his hand: "Among all the official positions in the court, only the three high positions are the highest. Only those with virtue can hold them. But how does one show virtue? Is there a rule for it? Can any of you tell me what it means to be a minister of virtue?"
Sima Yi subconsciously pulled his body back a little and even had the idea of avoiding it. However, since he had already stood up, it would be bad if he sat down again, lest the Marquis of Wanshi in charge of the three high positions be asked again by His Majesty. It's not a good idea to answer his own official position.
Having observed from his seat for a long time, Liu Ye immediately stood up and bowed: "Your Majesty, the virtues of a subject are countless. If I had to mention just one, I believe that being loyal to the kingdom's affairs is virtue; there is no other way to say it!"
It must be said that among the officials in the court, no one can surpass Liu Ye in terms of grasping opportunities and guessing the emperor's intentions. Moreover, during his time in Quanzhou, the emperor had already discussed this matter with him and Xin Bi.
Xin Pi saw Liu Ye stand up, but he lowered his head by himself. People's characters are all different. What Liu Ye is doing, Xin Pi will not do, nor does he wish to do so.
"Bravo, to be loyal to the royal affairs!"
Cao Rui said: "When it comes to being loyal to the royal affairs, there is someone in this hall who can be considered the most among all the ministers!"
Cao Rui looked at Dong Zhao, who remained silent, and then spoke: "In the first year of Jian'an, he proposed to Wu Di that the Han emperor be moved to Xu County. In the third year of Jian'an, he was appointed as the prefect of Henan. He later served as a governor of Hebei, Xuandu, and other provinces. In the twelfth year of Jian'an, he proposed restoring the five-tiered feudal system…"
Dong Zhao stood still with an unchanged expression, took a deep breath, and his hands, which were full of wrinkles and tucked into his robes, involuntarily trembled slightly out of control. His nose felt a little sore, and he found himself surprisingly feeling a sense of nostalgia and sadness.
Dong Zhao has served the Wei family for nearly four decades, and he has waited too long for this day.
Has one's achievements and shortcomings been commented on after a lifetime?
How could the ministers still not know who the emperor was referring to? Upon hearing his words, they all looked towards Dong Zhao, their eyes filled with admiration or envy, and some even carried a touch of sadness.
As he spoke, Cao Rui actually walked towards Dong Zhao's direction, holding a wine cup in his hand.
"In the seventeenth year of Jian'an, he first proposed that Wu Di be given a public title, and then again advocated for him to be crowned as a king. During the Taiping years, he again took charge of military and political affairs in the court and established many meritorious achievements. All of these accomplishments are beyond enumeration, how can Emperor Wei not feel nostalgic for such a day?"
"Dong Gong, drink up!" Cao Rui looked at Dong Zhao with a smile: "With Dong Gong by my side, how could I possibly grant you your resignation?"
"Your Majesty!"
A kind of indescribable and inexplicable emotions filled Dong Zhao's heart. Dong Zhao gestured to the palace maid serving at the banquet to retreat, poured wine into his wine cup with hands that trembled slightly, nodded slightly in a gesture of respect to the emperor, and then drained the wine cup upside down.
At this moment, with the exception of the emperor and Dong Zhao, there was not a single word spoken in the entire hall.
Cao Rui said softly: "The Grand Duke Hua is of great age and virtue. He should be promoted to the position of Taifu. The Duke of Weiyu, Dong Zhao, has shown great virtue to the Wei family. He should be appointed as Taibu."
Taibu? The Taibu, the highest of the three public offices?
In the past, when Dong Zhao was in the Wu Ku discussing 'names and realities' with the emperor, he had thought about the various consequences of his future. However, among all these possible outcomes, Dong Zhao never imagined that he would become the Taibu, the highest office among the three public offices.
It is fate and destiny. How can one refuse this destiny if fate has been bestowed upon them?
Dong Zhao walked to the center of the hall without hesitation, bowing down, and his movements became much more agile:
"I, Dong Zhao, accept and thank the order! With my humble achievements, I have been chosen and promoted by Your Majesty. How fortunate I am!"
Cao Rui helped Dong Zhao up as he spoke: "I wish to show the world the decades of experience of Dong Gong. The emperor and the court will never forget the contributions of loyal ministers! Dong Gong, please get up quickly!"
"Your Majesty is wise!" Liu Ye bowed deeply towards the direction of the emperor.
With Liu Ye leading the way, the ministers in the hall followed suit, bowing in respect. At age seventy-plus, Dong Zhao had already experienced many things. What difference could one more term as the highest office in the land make?
According to common sense, Dong Zhao's achievements deserved a three-public official position in Huangchu years. However, similar to scholars who can be divided into the pure and the pragmatic, court ministers can also be divided into loyal and treacherous ones.
For many ministers of that time, accepting the replacement of the Han dynasty by the Wei was not so difficult. Since the mandate of heaven was with the Wei, they would simply kowtow to the new emperor. However, for Dong Zhao, who artificially accelerated this process and made great contributions to it, most mainstream ministers felt disdain.
In short, they could accept it, but they feared that it would soil their own hands.
With the passage of time and the aging of a wave after wave of old ministers, the wind in the court has changed and changed again. To put a powerless Duke of Weiyu on Dong Zhao was indeed somewhat unfair.
Now, the reason for appointing Dong Zhao as Taibu is completely different from the past appointments of Chen Qun and Sima Yi.
Chen Qun and Sima Yi were both considered "four friends" of the previous emperor and trusted ministers. This relationship, which could only be encountered but not copied, was something that other courtiers could not learn.
But Dong Zhao was completely different from them.
To the ministers, such an generous emperor is almost like a saint. To place such importance on meritorious officials, to bring up once criticized actions from years ago to discuss their contributions—there must be a possibility that if one day they reached the level of 'elderly with virtue,' they might also be able to become one of the three public offices.
Right choice!
Everyone praised him, and Sima Yi was no exception. However, Sima Yi was thinking in his mind at that moment: why didn't it come in order? The Grand Duke Hua became the Grand Duke Hua, and Chen Shang became Chen Taibu. The Marquis of Wanshi should have become the Marquis of Zhao!
Although the emperor seemed to be a bit tipsy, everyone knew that such a decision had been planned for a long time and could not have been made on a whim. Announcing it at a banquet was no different from announcing it at a court session.
Later, Cao Rui once again raised his cup, and the ministers joined him in offering a toast to the newly appointed Dong Taipu, causing the scene to once again become heated.
As the banquet drew to a close, everyone knew that the vacancy left by Dong Zhao's promotion as Taipu would be filled at the next day's court session. Xin Pi waited for a long time, but he had not received his appointment from the emperor at the banquet, and he couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.
After the ministers left, only Liu Ye noticed Xin Pi's disturbed emotions. He comforted Xin Pi by patting his shoulder as he drank, using the wine as an excuse.
Cao Rui sat in a magnificent carriage with intricate decorations, swaying slightly as he left the De Chong Pavilion and headed towards the palace.
The carriage curtains were pulled aside, and Biji, the eunuch official, sat kneeling next to the charioteer. He held a long-handled feather fan and kept fanning the inside:
"Your Majesty, shall we arrange for concubines to attend to Your bed tonight?"
Cao Rui half-closed his eyes and looked at Biji, smiling and said, "You old servant, does the emperor not want to rest after being outside for more than half a year?"
Biji chuckled slightly and said in a flattering tone, "I'm sorry. Then will I not inform the palace tonight?"
Cao Rui stroked his chin, as if thinking of something: "Come closer, I'll teach you a method."
Biji dare not enter the carriage. He tried to lean into the carriage as much as possible. Even his high hat tilted on his head. The scene was quite funny.
"You go to the Ministry of Civil Affairs tomorrow and have a lottery tube made. The design should be like the game of archery, just smaller. Then inscribe the names of the concubines in the palace on the slips. If you want to favor one but can't decide, draw a slip from it and choose."
"How does this method of the emperor?"
Biji's eyes lit up, and he smiled flattering and nodded vigorously: "Your Majesty is wise, Your Majesty is wise! If this method is used, the minister will only need to present the lottery tube to Your Majesty. Once Your Majesty makes a selection like this, you can select the person you favor!"
"Then tonight...?"
Cao Rui looked at Biji with disdain and said, "I said I needed to rest, do you think I'm joking with you?"
"Go to Su, the beautiful woman, I wanted to visit her tomorrow. Long nights ahead, I guess she would be hard to bear knowing I returned but did not come to see her. I will go and accompany her for a while. Let's go!"
"Understood!" (The chapter ends)
