"Your Majesty, why do I think he seems a little reluctant?"
"how could be?"
"Didn't you see how happy he was when he left?"
Cao Mao said with a smile.
The two of them were sitting in the Tai Chi Hall, and Cao Mao suddenly asked: "Are you still scolding your uncle these days?"
"Oh, no more. Father Zhong called me to reprimand me and told me not to mess around."
The Zhongfu mentioned by Sima Yan was Sima Qian who stayed in Luoyang.
Cao Mao nodded thoughtfully and asked, "What about your uncle?"
"Huh? You have to scold him too? Isn't that bad?"
"Who asked you to scold him? I'm asking you if you have any news about him!"
Sima Yan shook his head, "Not yet. This journey is not easy. There are traitors on the road. I don't know when we will arrive."
Cao Mao nodded, "That's it."
Sima Yan looked at Cao Mao aside and hesitated to speak.
"What's wrong?"
"Recently, many scholars have been scolding Your Majesty, saying that Your Majesty is close to eunuchs, does not pay attention to studies, is just greedy for enjoyment, and so on."
Sima Yan told about the recent changes in Luoyang. Since the imprisonment was broken, the scholars began to vent their anger crazily. After scolding their relatives, they targeted the emperor again.
Want to gain fame by opposing the emperor.
Cao Mao laughed, isn't this the trick of ministers in the late Ming Dynasty?
Deliberately angering the emperor to create a loyal character for himself and take the opportunity to become famous?
Sima Yan was very puzzled, "Your Majesty, aren't you afraid that if you are to take charge personally in the future, the ministers will write crazy letters to advise you and make you unable to do anything?"
Cao Mao shook his head, "If you are really in charge and have the power, who will listen to advice?"
"An Shi, you have to remember that as long as you are strong enough, nothing can limit you, but if you are weak, then anything can limit you."
"The most important thing is yourself, An Shi. You are now famous in Luoyang and are a celebrity among many people. You can even compete with Pei Kai and Wang Rong who became famous at a young age, but you still can't relax. "
"You must constantly improve yourself. There are many ways to improve yourself. You can practice more martial arts, you can read more, you can continue to become famous. In short, use all methods to improve yourself."
Sima Yan nodded, "I know all this, but we are not very old, so why are we anxious?"
"There's no need to hurry."
Cao Mao said seriously: "When Duke Huan of Cai met Bian Que, if he had obeyed in time, he would not have died violently."
"Diseases are located in the body, where soup and iron can reach them; in the blood vessels, where needles and stones can reach; in the intestines and stomach, where wine and mash can reach; they are in the bone marrow, and there is nothing you can do about it even if you are ordered to do so."
"Today's danger to the great clans has reached the bloodline. If we don't hurry, we won't be able to cure it."
Sima Yan nodded thoughtfully
Wang Xiang sat in front of the desk with a straight face, picked up the tea, and took a sip.
He looked in front of him again. Several documents were empty, except for Wang Guan sitting aside.
Chen Qian didn't come, Zheng Miao didn't come, Wang Jing didn't come, and Cui Zan didn't come either.
Cui Zan didn't come over, and Wang Xiang still knew the reason. He had some fluctuations because of Zhong Yu's words. He hasn't figured it out yet, but he will come back when he does.
But a few others.
Wang Xiang gathered his forces today and wanted to start with Taixue to prove his ability to the Chancellor.
However, after waiting for so long, Wang Guan was the only one who finally came.
Even Wang Xiang's face looked a little confused at this moment.
A soldier came in, stood beside Wang Xiang, and whispered a few words.
Wang Xiang's expression suddenly became extremely complicated.
Wang Guan looked at him curiously, "Taichang, what happened?"
Wang Xiang smiled and replied: "No problem, I just said something happened in the house."
Wang Guan didn't expose it, he said to himself: "Gong Lu's family background is not easy to handle."
Wang Xiang knew that Cao Mao had met with several of his allies, but Wang Xiang did not take this matter to heart. He believed that this was just a matter of the emperor forcing him to complete the sacrifice.
Although the emperor has bargaining chips, he does not have the power. He cannot give to his allies what he can give to his allies.
These allies of mine are not foolhardy like Sima Yan, and they will definitely not betray themselves just because the emperor has made a big deal.
Therefore, Wang Xiang was very confident and ignored this matter.
He was not afraid of the emperor's threat and acted as if nothing had happened.
However, when his allies refused his summons, Wang Xiang was stunned.
What can the emperor give them? How can you convince them so quickly? With just a few words, you asked them to bow down with courtesy?
There's something wrong with this situation.
Wang Xiang believed that he had never despised the emperor and already valued him very much, but what on earth was going on?
Wang Xiang always believed that the emperor's communication with the ministers was under his control. He believed that he was the direct person responsible for the entire incident. Both Chen Qian and Zheng Miao were able to contact his majesty through him. .
But he didn't know that Cao Mao had met with them many times under various false pretenses, and even stated many times that he was the real person in charge.
The relationship between the emperor and these people under his command was not as weak as Wang Xiang thought.
Wang Xiang looked at the empty inner room with a complicated expression.
He is becoming more and more confused about this emperor. How many trump cards does he have?
He just met these people once, and he instantly became a loner, and the power that was huge enough to compete with Gao Rou disappeared in an instant.
Does this mean that if the emperor is determined, he can also establish a separate royalist party in the court? To compete with the ministers?
Looking at Wang Xiang who suddenly fell silent, Wang Guan didn't say much.
In fact, in terms of qualifications, Wang Guan is enough to compete with the three masters, and he is not afraid even when facing Gao Rou.
Gao Rou was not the only veteran of the three dynasties in the court. Wang Guan was also a veteran who began to assist the temple during the Cao Cao period.
This person has done everything, from local county magistrate to censor, to military leader and minister. In terms of merit and qualifications, he can be regarded as a big shot in the court.
But this boss was not from a rich family. During Cao Cao's time, he promoted many poor families, and he was promoted based on his talents. Wang Guan was also recruited at that time.
However, he did not have a powerful clan to back him up, and he never made friends, had disciples or old officials, nor did he marry into a wealthy family. He just did his duty in the ministerial office.
I followed Wang Xiang this time probably because Wang Xiang is the only one who wants to do practical things at the moment.
He didn't want to get involved in this kind of fight, and he hoped that this kind of thing would end soon.
Wang Xiang reacted and looked at him.
"My lord, I have something to discuss with you."
"Too often."
"When Your Majesty ascended the throne, he was the heir of the great ancestor, so should this sacrificial ceremony be held in time?"
Wang Guan was silent for a moment and then looked at Wang Xiang.
"You are too often. You are naturally responsible for this matter. Why are you asking me?"
"I'm just afraid that the ministers will criticize me."
Wang Xiang decided to bow his head for the time being. The emperor just met with those people and asked them to refuse his summons. This was intimidating himself. If he did not go according to the agreement, it would not be as simple as refusing the summons. .
But it is not that easy to organize this sacrificial ceremony.
Now that the ministers have discovered the threat posed by the emperor, how can they help him strengthen his legitimacy?
The current situation is exactly the opposite of what happened later.
The ministers believed that Cao Mao was from a different faction and should ascend the throne as the grandson of Emperor Wen. His father might be posthumously granted the title in the future.
However, Cao Mao believed that he was definitely the son of Emperor Liezu. He was adopted, and it was absolutely impossible for him to be the emperor with a foreign identity.
Wang Xiang needs to think carefully about this matter, and there must be no problems.
Wang Guan did not give Wang Xiang any suggestions. He even felt that Wang Xiang was not doing his job properly and should handle the affairs of the Chancery earlier.
Wang Guan also left the mansion, and Wang Xiang also hurriedly got in the car, left the mansion, and hurried towards Sima Fu's mansion.
Wang Xiang suddenly realized that he could no longer fight alone and had to find a big boss with enough weight to join forces.
Between Gao Rou and Sima Fu, Wang Xiang still preferred Sima Fu.
Although Gao Rou failed to become Shangshu Ling as he wished, relying on his personal prestige and the strength accumulated over the years, he was still the number one minister. If he went to join forces with him, he would become Gao Rou's assistant.
Wang Xiang doesn't want to assist Gao Rou. He doesn't necessarily want to make the decision himself, but he feels that Gao Rou is not a person worthy of assistance.
Sima Fu's power is weaker, but he has divided part of the Sima family's power. He has a good reputation and ability, and in order to serve as a qualified fallback, he will definitely stand on the side of the big family. Therefore, he It is Wang Xiang's best alliance partner.
When Wang Xiang arrived at Sima Fu's residence, there were still many scholars blocking the place and cursing him.
Wang Xiang was not angry, he was even a little happy when he saw these people.
The emperor thought that etiquette was protecting his ministers, and wanted to cause trouble for his ministers by encouraging and admonishing them.
In fact, what this etiquette protects is the emperor.
The weakening of etiquette will not have a fundamental impact on the aristocratic families. On the contrary, the aristocratic families themselves are scholar-bureaucrats. If the emperor takes off the shackles of the scholar-bureaucrats, the aristocratic families will become stronger.
When Wang Xiang got off the carriage, the scholars immediately stopped scolding him, and some even worshiped him.
Wang Xiang encouraged them with a smile and then knocked on Sima Fu's door.
Sima Fu came out to greet him. He looked refreshed and did not take the insults seriously.
"Why is Wang Taichang here? Could it be that he is also here to gain fame?"
"Hahaha."
Wang Xiang laughed, "How dare you, how dare you, I came here specifically to pay homage to the Grand Master today."
"You are a distinguished guest. Come, slaughter the livestock and entertain the distinguished guest!"
The two of them seemed to be friends they hadn't seen for many years, and they looked so close.
