The civil and military ministers in the Taiji Hall clearly felt that the emperor's state seemed a little different today.
This year, the time spent with the emperor has not been short. All the ministers, especially the emperor's cronies, such as Liu Fang, the eunuch of the Zhongshu, and Sun Zi, the Ling of the Zhongshu, all knew that the emperor's brows had rarely been so frowned as today.
Could it be that something happened that made the emperor very upset?
The power of the king is unpredictable. After all, no one can really guess the emperor's thoughts.
Normally, the emperor would not be so secretly angry even when faced with difficult military and political matters. Could it be some unknown palace secret?
Above the temple, tens of thousands of horses were silent for a moment, causing the entire court to be filled with an eerie silence. Everyone felt like a huge stone hanging over their heads that was ready to fall at any time, weighing them down so much that they did not even dare to breathe.
Suddenly, there was a "crash" sound, and a bamboo slip was thrown down from the throne on the high steps. While breaking the silence, it happened to land on Shaoling Hou Cao Zhen and Wuyang Hou. Not far from Sima Yi's feet. Some of the ministers who were bowing their heads in deep thought couldn't help but shuddered at the sudden appearance of the bamboo slips.
There was another moment of almost suffocating silence. Before the emperor spoke, no one dared to pick up the bamboo slips.
Sima Yi raised his eyes and glanced at the bamboo slips. He recognized this kind of regulated bamboo slips and silk. This is the bamboo slip of the 'School Affairs Office'.
Regarding the 'School Affairs Office', no one is unaware of the power of this institution. It is the eyes, ears and minions of the emperor, and it is also a sharp sword hanging over everyone's head at any time.
[Note 1: Yu Zhengxie's "Guisi Cumulative Manuscripts·School Affairs" records: "Wei and Wu had school officials, similar to the marquis officials of the Northern Wei Dynasty and the factory guards of the Ming Dynasty..."]
This school official system was created by Emperor Wu Cao Cao when he was still the prime minister of the Han Dynasty.
When Emperor Wu was serving as the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty, he felt that there were widespread rumors between the government and the public, so he wanted to suppress them. Therefore, he established school officials to spy on the words and deeds of his subjects and report them.
The two school officials at that time, Lu Hong and Zhao Da, had eyes and ears all over the people and the public. They were very well-informed and had the power to directly arrest suspicious persons. Therefore, all officials and subjects were very afraid of Lu Hong and Zhao Da, so much so that There is a saying widely circulated in the government and the public:
"I'm not afraid of Duke Cao, but I am afraid of Lu Hong. Lu Hong is okay, Zhao Da kill me!".
Emperor Wu set up the school affairs office back then and kept it under his control from beginning to end. No matter how vicious Lu Hong and Zhao Da were, they were at best nothing more than Emperor Wu's minions. By the time of Emperor Wen Cao Pi's reign, the control of the school affairs office was no longer as easy as that of Emperor Wu. The school official Liu Ci was even more powerful and offended many civil and military ministers.
After Cao Rui ascended the throne, he also felt that the power of the school officials was too great, which made the subjects too frightened. After careful consideration, Cao Rui decided to reduce the power of the school officials. Therefore, after Emperor Jianzuo ascended the throne, the first thing he dealt with was the former school official Liu Ci. In this way, not only the officials felt happy, but also the common people in Luoyang felt a lot more relaxed.
But this does not mean that the emperor gave up the official office of the school affairs office. For Cao Rui, the existence of the School Affairs Office is undoubtedly a sharp sword that can increase his authority and majesty as emperor.
There is no doubt that the school affairs office still exists today, and its intimidating effect on the subjects and officials has not dimmed with the disappearance of the former school affairs officer Liu Ci.
But now, the memorial of the school official is lying quietly in the court. No one knows what happened, and no one knows who is related to it.
But at this moment, everyone knew clearly that this matter was definitely not a good thing.
Finally, the emperor spoke:
"Marquis Wuyang...you and Marquis Shaoling might as well look at this memorial together..."
"According to the decree..."
Sima Yi and Cao Zhen had been sweating for a long time. When they heard the emperor speak, they hurriedly bent over to pick up the bamboo slips from the school affairs office.
The emperor's voice was still so smooth and soft, it even gave people the illusion that nothing had happened.
But at this moment, everyone's hearts were hanging.
―――
Huanggong Jiulong may not be the most famous among the wine shops on Xuanyangmen Street, the main street of Luoyang City, but it is definitely the one most popular among princes, ministers, scholars and celebrities.
As early as the early years of Taihe more than two years ago, the trend of young intellectuals socializing and chatting with each other had already emerged. Today, this trend is even more prevalent.
Countless young men from wealthy and prestigious families, whether they hold official positions or are still studying at Taiyuan University, come here almost every day to drink and talk with each other, and to evaluate talents and learning.
At this moment, under the brocade curtain in the wine cellar, a musical girl was playing a pure and beautiful Qin music. The young masters from various families, as well as the scholars from Taiyuan College, were drinking and talking in the wine bar, discussing the world.
"I don't know what your Majesty thinks. In Luoyang today, who can be the leader of the rising celebrities?"
On the attic, there were several young scholars sitting around a middle-aged nobleman who looked like jade and was radiant. He was talking eloquently. They listened to the nobleman talking about the famous figures of this dynasty:
"Only profound means that it can reach the aspirations of the world, and Xiahou Taichu is so; only few means, so it can accomplish the affairs of the world, and Sima Ziyuan is so; only divine means that it can be done quickly without moving, and I have heard his words , I haven’t seen him yet. What do you think? Hahahahaha..."
[Note 2: The language can be found in Shishuo Xinyu. 】
Listening to what this noble man meant, it was obvious that he was comparing himself to that 'god-only' person.
"Xiahou Taichu and Sima Ziyuan are both talented, thoughtful and literary. They are indeed rare among our scholars. We admire, admire..."
At this time, the middle-aged nobleman seemed to still have something to say. He raised the lacquered wood wine glass on the table, drank a full glass, stood up, held his hands on the railing, and began to talk eloquently while he was drunk. :
"Not only that, but in my opinion, among the noble men of this dynasty, Sanqi often served Xiahou Xuan, and Shangshu Zhuge Dan and Deng Yang were the most famous. Therefore, I think that Xiahou Taichu, Tian Chou, Zhuge Dan, and Deng Yang are the most famous. The four people can be collectively called the "Four Cong" of the Wei Dynasty, namely Huan Fan Huan Yuanze, Li Sheng Li Gongzhao, Ding Mi, Ding Yanjing, Bi Gui Bi Zhaoxian, Li Feng Li Anguo, Fu Gu Fu Lanshi, Pei Qian, Pei Wenxiu, Cao Xi and Cao Zhaoshu There are eight others, who can be called "Bada", including Liu Xi, the son of Liu Fangzi, the eunuch of the Zhongshu, Sun Mi, the son of Sun Zi, and Wei Lie, the son of Wei Zhen, the official secretary. Although they are not as prestigious and literary as the previous ones, But it can still be called "Three Yus". I don't know how many of you think that I can comment on it like this. How do you think?"
[Note 3: Since the historical data about Bada’s people are unclear, the person who commented on Bada in this section is a fictitious speculation by the author. 】
The noble man said that he would praise Xia Houxuan first, but he was not deliberately trying to please him. Moreover, with his status and reputation, there was really no need to please a junior young man. However, in the past few years, Xia Houxuan's poems and articles have spread throughout Luoyang City due to their ingenious conception and brilliant writing. Naturally, his reputation grew day by day.
It is also believed that although Xia Houxuan is young and weak, he is a well-deserved leader among the famous people in the future. Even if everyone talks privately on weekdays, they will definitely respect Xia Houxuan as the leader of the rising literary world.
However, Li Feng and Li Anguo, who were famous in their early years, have somewhat declined in recent years. He was originally as famous as Xia Houxuan when he was young, but today he is lumped together with second-rate literati such as Bi Gui, the former literary attendant of the East Palace.
At this time, Li Feng happened to be drinking at Huanggong Jiulong. After listening to the noble man's comments, his heart felt as painful as a sharp knife, but he couldn't do anything except drinking heavily. . I can only blame myself for everything. I failed to live up to the high expectations of His Highness King Pingyuan and failed to protect His Highness Cao Jian, King of Dongwuyang, so that I lost the respect of my lord.
As for the Li Sheng, Li Gongzhao, Ding Mi and Ding Yanjing mentioned by He Yan, they are close friends and close friends of His Majesty and his cousin, General Cao Shuang of the Military Guard. They had known Cao Shuang since they were young.
"Okay! What Master He said is really refreshing!"
In the wine cellar, several wealthy young men on the second floor of the pavilion heard the noble man's remarks, and they all agreed with him and kept praising him for drinking.
But the middle-aged nobleman with extraordinary bearing, elegant manners, elegance and good looks was still drinking wine and talking and laughing happily. It turns out that this noble man is no one else. He is the grandson of General He Jin of the Han Dynasty, the adopted son of Emperor Wu of this dynasty Cao Cao, the husband-in-law of Emperor Wu's beloved daughter Princess Jinxiang, the prince-in-law, the literary attendant He Yan, and Uncle He Ping.
Although this He Yan came from a poor family, he was favored by Emperor Wu and gained the status of a nobleman.
Almost everyone in Luoyang knows that Uncle He Yan and He Ping were a child prodigy when he was young. At the age of seven, he had already received an extremely complimentary comment from the Yuedan Commentary, saying that he was "as bright and wise as a god".
At that time, Emperor Wu Cao Cao also loved his adopted son very much. However, He Yan relied on Emperor Wu's favor and did not know how to restrain himself. When he was young, he often wore the clothes of the crown prince. Because of this, when Emperor Wen Cao Pi was in the East Palace, he deeply hated He Yan, his sworn brother, and even called He Yan the "fake son" of the Cao family many times in person. In this regard, Emperor Wu's other two adopted sons, the general Cao Zhen who entered the royal family lineage, and the valiant cavalry general Qin Lang and Qin Yuanming, were completely different from He Yan and did very well.
Because of this, the two of them were deeply trusted by the emperor in Emperor Wen's dynasty and this dynasty. Nowadays, Cao Zhen has been honored as the Marquis of Shaoling, and has been promoted from a first-grade general to a great Sima, in charge of all the army and horses in the empire, and is a very popular minister; Qin Lang is also a general of the heroic cavalry, and is in charge of the heroic cavalry camp in the capital Luoyang. There are ten thousand forbidden troops, and they can also visit the emperor at any time and participate in state affairs.
As for the arrogant young He Yan, although he was talented, Emperor Wen Cao Pi never gave He Yan a formal official position throughout his life, and the emperor of this dynasty only granted him a sinecure.
Therefore, He Yan spent his whole day making friends and chatting with scholars, and he was quite happy.
And he was also a well-known handsome man in the capital. I heard that once, Emperor Cao Rui saw that his face was fair and suspected that he had a thick layer of white powder on his face.
Once, on a hot day, Cao Rui sent someone to find him and rewarded him with hot soup noodles. After a while, he was sweating profusely and had to wipe the sweat with the scarlet court clothes he wore.
But after wiping away his sweat, his face looked paler. Cao Rui finally believed that he was not powdered, but rather "Tianzi" Baimei.
So He Yan was called "Fu Fenhe Lang" in the capital.
While He Yan and others were criticizing the famous people in the world, Xiahou Xuanzheng took advantage of his three-day holiday to meet with Zhuge Dan, the Minister of Civil Affairs, Cao Xi, the deputy general of the Wuwei Army, Fu Gu, Sikong Ju, and two other people at the banquet downstairs. A brother-in-law: Sanqi often served Sima Shi and He Kui, as well as Sima Zhao, Xun Can, Gao Xun, Yu Huan and other friends, drinking and talking here.
Today, Xia Houxuan is already a person with a high official position.
Among all the people present, the most distinguished ones are none other than Zhuge Dan, who has been promoted from Shangshulang and Yushi Zhongcheng to one of the eight Shangshus of the dynasty, and Huangmen Shilang, a regular minister of Sanqi who is able to counsel the country's secret military affairs at a young age. There are three people, Xia Houxuan and Sima Shi.
Sanqi Huangmen Shilang, although this official position is not high, it is a close minister of the emperor, and it is a smooth road for the nobles' career advancement.
Several friends are now at a high-spirited and wild age, so at this moment everyone is changing glasses and talking, which is very comfortable and unrestrained.
While everyone was talking about literature and theory and drinking, Xia Houxuan suddenly heard a comment about himself from someone upstairs.
Xia Houxuan's heart sank.
It is certainly a beautiful thing to talk about literature here, but if you take this opportunity to show off your friendship with each other, I am afraid it will be a big or small crime.
Xia Houxuan knew in his heart that what His Majesty the Emperor today is most taboo about is making friends with party members and those who are hypocritical and unrealistic.
Today I happened to hear other people's comments about me, which means that there are many such things that I don't know, but just because of others' praise, I am afraid that I can't escape the involvement.
Since he has become the most famous person among the scholars who rose up in Luoyang City in recent years, when everyone talks about literature, they regard him as the master. He feels that this kind of talking about literature and commenting on articles is not a normal thing. It's a bad thing, so I do it happily.
But recently, he realized that this originally pure conversation had unknowingly changed its nature and turned into a means of flaunting each other and gaining fame!
Thinking about this, Xiahou Xuan suddenly stood up, turned his head towards the attic and said loudly:
"The brother upstairs, I'm afraid he has gone too far. A mere brat down below cannot deserve such a prestigious reputation!"
Xia Houxuan clearly knew that the person above the pavilion was Prince Consort He Yan and Uncle Ping, but after hearing what this man said, his previous good impression of him was gone, so he retorted coldly.
He Yan was not angry when he heard this. He knew that the person downstairs was none other than Xiahou Taichu, whom he admired very much. It was a rare opportunity to meet him by chance at Huang Gong Jiu Lao today.
Just when He Yan was about to go downstairs to argue with Xia Houxuan, there was a sudden noise outside the Jiulong Pavilion, and everyone outside the pavilion also exclaimed.
"Pedestrians get out of the way! Under the orders of His Majesty, the school affairs office is here to detain those who form private associations and comment on current affairs!"
