In early summer and May in Luoyang, the capital of Wei, it is still hot and prosperous.
In the Tai Chi Hall, a public trial was being held.
The young emperor is sitting on the throne, his stern and mysterious expression is very similar to that of his father, Emperor Wen Cao Pi, and the soft brows he inherited from his mother make him even more charming. A bit of gentleness. At this moment, all the civil and military officials in the Manchu Dynasty were trembling and respectful to Cao Rui.
"Come here, bring the guilty minister Wang Li, the governor of Hanoi County, and the horse thief from Dongwu to the palace."
Cao Rui held the crime certificates, confessions and memorials of Cao Xi brought by Cao Xi from Yanzhou in his hands. He put his hand on his forehead and tried his best to control the anger in his heart. Sima Xun, the chief minister of Honglu Temple, was a minister he always valued! I didn't expect it to be related to this matter.
"The guilty minister...Wang Li...long live my emperor..." the voice of the Hanoi County Sheriff was filled with tears. His hair was disheveled, his eyes were lifeless, and his face was haggard. He was kneeling in the main hall. Live tall and trembling.
At this moment, the officials in the main hall have begun to discuss. After all, it is not common to directly bring prisoners to the court. It seems that something big is going to happen today.
"My dear friends, please be patient and don't be impatient." Facing the uproar in the court, Cao Rui did not yell loudly, but patiently explained to the ministers:
"Dear dear friends, you must be very curious now. Why did I bring this prisoner to the Taiji Hall today? Let me tell you now. A few months ago, I placed prisoners in the counties under the jurisdiction of Yanzhou and Bingzhou. The school official sent news to the capital, saying that in Hanoi County and other nearby counties, horse thieves from Soochow were running rampant, but the local government was helpless and allowed the horses of our great Wei officials to be smuggled to Jiangdong one after another. !”
As soon as Cao Rui said this, the ministers were even more frightened. They did not expect that such a ridiculous thing would happen.
Cao Rui continued to say sadly:
"After verification by the people I sent, I found that just above the court today, there is still the traitor and traitor who colluded with foreign countries! Tell me, should I punish this person in the Taiji Hall? !”
"Your Majesty, your Majesty, it is no longer an ordinary case involving diplomatic and state affairs. There is nothing wrong with Your Majesty choosing to have a public trial in the court!" Liu Fang, the Zhongshu Superintendent who has always been good at catering to the Holy Will, held a wat board and went out to build momentum for the emperor. .
This Liu Fang, whose courtesy name is Ziqi, is a native of Zhuo County. He was originally the son of Prince Guangyang Shun of the Han Dynasty and a descendant of Liu Hong, the Marquis of Xixiang. After the Wei Dynasty and the Han Dynasty, Liu Fang was promoted to be a filial and honest person. Official in the Wei Dynasty.
Liu Fang and Zhongshu Ling Sun Zi and Sun Yanlong were deeply trusted by the three generations of Wei rulers. Now, their reputation and status have naturally reached a higher level.
Zhongshu Ling and Zhongshu Supervisor were important positions in the Taige organization. During the reign of Emperor Wen, the organization of the palace's books was gradually not limited to eunuchs, but also began to use scholars. Therefore, the Shangzhongshu Province was no longer just a simple book organization. Instead of being officially established, it has evolved into an important Junheng Yousi who can discuss national policies. Because of this, Emperor Wen changed the secretary's name to Zhongshu Sheng, and also appointed two officers, Zhongshu Supervisor and Zhongshu Ling, to master the secrets of the Taige.
To this day, the actual power of the two positions of Zhongshu Ling and Zhongshu Supervisor is no less than that of the Prime Minister in the previous dynasty.
At this time, in the Wei court and the Tai Pavilion, Liu Fang and Sun Zi had the highest status and the most powerful authority. Therefore, the power in the hands of these two people is not an exaggeration even if they are called the prime ministers of Wei.
Cao Rui was originally filled with anger, but when he saw Wang Li's miserable and lost state, he couldn't help but feel pity. After all, he is also a minister who was promoted by himself. Cao Rui, who had mostly calmed down the anger in his heart, his tone was naturally not so cold:
"Wang Li, if you have anything else to say, you might as well say it directly in front of me and the officials."
"Your Majesty..., in this case of horse theft, my crime is unforgivable. However, there is also a mastermind above the temple. Your Majesty, the guilty minister has been held hostage by Wu thieves in Hanoi for many years. His life is worse than death. Fortunately, your Majesty sent someone to rescue the guilty minister and his family. I am extremely grateful to you for the water and fire, and I will never dare to deceive your majesty with even a single word!"
Cao Rui knew that the important person to be dealt with today was about to jump out.
"Wang Li, you just said that there is a mastermind above the temple, who are you referring to?"
"This person is...Wuyang Marquis's...brother, the Prime Minister of Honglu Temple, Sima Xun."
The governor of Hanoi looked at Sima Yi and Sima Xun timidly. After all, anyone would be afraid of offending the auxiliary ministers of the dynasty.
After hearing this, Sima Xun's eyes were as bright as a torch and he glared at Wang Li fiercely, as if he wanted to eat him alive. But Sima Yi, Marquis of Wuyang, only moved his beard slightly at the corner of his mouth, and then remained calm as usual.
"Sima Xun, what do you have to say?" Cao Rui shot Sima Xun's eyes like cold lightning. Sima Xun, who had been glaring at Wang Li a moment ago, couldn't help but shudder when he faced the emperor's gaze.
"Your Majesty, this is a thief who bites at will when he is about to die. I am unjust..." Sima Xun seemed to feel guilty. He knelt down on the ground and did not dare to raise his head to look directly at the emperor.
"Shut up!" Cao Rui, who was originally in a stable mood, suddenly became furious and furious. He threw the letter in his hand at Sima Xun who was kneeling at the foot of the steps and roared: "You have been an official for many years, how can I not recognize you?" Show your handwriting? This is your handwritten letter handed over by Thief Wu himself. At this time, you still refuse to admit your crime! "
"Your Majesty...Your Majesty...I have been wronged, Your Majesty...This is someone who framed me...Your Majesty!" Sima Xun, who was still confident at first, suddenly panicked. He didn't know how his affairs were known to the emperor. , originally thought that Wang Li did not have his own evidence, but who knew it would be like this. The panicked Sima Xun saw his second brother Sima Yi standing in front of the palace, and immediately crawled over to ask for help: "Second brother, help me Come on, help me...I was wrongly accused!"
"Obstacle!" Sima Yi was furious at this moment. He waved his sleeve and slapped Sima Xun on the cheek, yelling and scolding: "I didn't expect you to dare to do such an act of collaborating with the enemy and treason. What a shame to our Sima family!"
The ministers in the palace were talking a lot at this moment, and they were all very surprised. No one would have expected that the world-famous "Sima Bada", the younger brother of Sima Yi, the important minister of the day, would actually have a secret relationship with the empire!
"Sima Xun, it's in vain that I value you so much and entrust you with the diplomatic responsibilities, but what about you!" At this moment, veins popped up on Cao Rui's forehead. He no longer wanted to control the anger in his heart and shouted sharply: "Come on. People, take the criminals Sima Xun, Wang Li, and the evil thief from Soochow into the heavenly prison to await their punishment!"
"No!" The two rows of soldiers outside the hall shouted loudly, and dragged the three of them out of the hall like chickens and dogs.
"Marquis Wuyang, take care of your younger brothers and sons, don't let me down again!" Cao Rui glanced coldly at Sima Yi, who was standing under Danqi, feeling a lot of disappointment in his heart.
"I am a humble minister, I would like to obey your majesty's teachings!" Sima Yi knelt down on the ground. He was originally as calm as a flat lake, but at this moment his face was extremely ugly.
In the Yongshou Palace, the Queen Mother Bian, who was getting older and older, was lying on the bed. The palace was still as deserted and silent as ever.
"Li Huigu, daughter of the common people, please visit the Empress Dowager." Li Huigu followed Xia Houxuan's instructions. After kneeling and bowing, she looked up at Empress Dowager Bian and saw that she was smiling and taking a nap with her eyes closed.
It turned out that she was just a very kind old woman, not as vicious as she imagined. Li Huigu couldn't help but feel a little fond of her again, and all her previous worries were swept away in an instant.
After a while, Empress Dowager Bian, who had just woken up from her nap, opened her eyes. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw this gentle and lovely girl kneeling in front of her. She suddenly felt good and couldn't help but smile and said: "You are the one , Rui'er and Xuan'er, please come and take care of my sick child. Get up quickly, the ground is so cold. Come, sit next to Aijia."
"Daughter Li Huigu, I have met the Empress Dowager." Li Huigu saluted again, and then sat beside Empress Dowager Bian's couch. The Empress Dowager held her hand and smiled kindly: "Today is the first time for the Ai family. When I meet you, I always feel like you are alone... like... when the Ai family was young."
"The Empress Dowager, please let the daughter-in-law perform acupuncture on you." Li Huigu heard this and couldn't help but think of her parents who had died many years ago. She couldn't help but think that if her parents had not died young, she would have been more considerate to her than the Queen Mother. All right. Thinking like this, Huigu had already taken out the medicine box she carried with her.
After a session of acupuncture, Queen Mother Bian felt that her body felt much more relaxed and comfortable. Sure enough, the famous doctor Fan A's acupuncture skills were unparalleled in the world. Li Huigu brought the freshly prepared decoction to match the curative effect of acupuncture.
"You child, you really know a lot of superb medical skills, which are much better than those of the old men ordered by the imperial physician." Empress Dowager Bian picked up the medicine bowl, drank the medicine, and said with a smile: "My child, you can Have you ever heard of Emperor Wu of this dynasty?"
After hearing this, Huigu's originally bright eyes dimmed again.
"Emperor Wu's talents and strategies are well-known throughout the world, and women of the people naturally hear about him."
At this time, Empress Dowager Bian was exactly the opposite of Hui Gu. Her originally dark eyes now radiated like stars.
"Hahaha... That's just Meng De in the eyes of outsiders. He was also a handsome young man back then..." Queen Mother Bian also had a smile in her eyes, as if she was immersed in the memories of the past. The old man couldn't help but began to tell his past events:
"When I was twelve years old, my eldest brother and I fled westward from Qingzhou to avoid a military disaster. My eldest brother, in order to protect me, led away the rebels on his own and died in the military disaster. I fled all the way to Qiao County in Yuzhou. , and was taken in by a local dancer. That was Meng De’s hometown, and it was also the place where we first met.”
【The past is vague】
During the Xiping period of Han Dynasty. Qiao County.
In this year, Cao Mengde, the young magistrate of Dunqiu County, came here with several close followers to investigate the case. In a wine shop and dance hall, he accidentally met the girl who played the piano and made a private life-long engagement with her.
Later, the music girl kept waiting for him, but the young county magistrate did not come again for several months.
The music girl no longer plays the piano, but just sheds tears all day long.
Until later, she finally waited until the county magistrate sent a matchmaker, redeemed her body, sent her a betrothal gift, and married her in a glorious manner.
As Empress Dowager Bian spoke, a hint of blush appeared on her originally withered face. She continued:
"Back then, I played the piano in that music hall, and I played for eight years. I was used to seeing the people there, and I was used to playing the music there. I thought I might spend my life like this, but I didn't expect it. After meeting him, everything became different.
Maybe to outsiders, he is the all-powerful Prime Minister and King Wei, but in my heart, he is always the most trustworthy husband.
My child, thank you for being willing to listen to me seriously for a while. As people get older, they become nagging easily. "
In the Yongshou Palace, there seems to be a warmer color at this moment, making people feel no longer so lonely.
