Cao Rui's voice was a little loud. Not only the chamberlain standing behind him heard it, but also the important ministers sitting in front of him heard it.
There were hundreds of officials gathered in the court, including countless clan members, important ministers, and princes. However, Sima Zhi was just a mere Marquis of Guannei, but he was able to make Cao Rui say his name with praise in his tone, which immediately aroused the attention of many people. dissatisfied.
This sentence caused more people to become gloomy.
Among the Cao family members, one person even had fire in his eyes. He looked hatefully at Sima Zhi who stood up to make the suggestion, and said loudly on the spot, "I don't agree with Henan Yin's words to appease the barbarians."
Everyone took a closer look and saw that it was Cao Hong, a clan member of the Cao family.
In the Han system, the emperor raised issues during court meetings, and ministers had to come forward if they had proposers.
People who have questions or different opinions can directly sit in their seats and ask questions.
Cao Rui had just passed the weak crown and had just ascended the throne. He naturally wanted to do something. When he heard Sima Zhi's proposal, he thought it made sense and wanted to praise him. Unexpectedly, someone objected on the spot, so he had to shut up. language, ready to listen to Cao Hong's speech.
Sima Zhi's status in such a large court meeting was not high, and now he was opposed by his relatives and ministers, but his expression did not change. He bowed his hands to Cao Hong and said slowly, "Dare you listen to the general's opinions?" ?”
Cao Hong returned the gift perfunctorily and glanced at Sima Zhi with a sneer, "Regardless of the two dynasties before and after the Han Dynasty, they all drove the barbarians like dolphins and dogs to achieve the prosperity of the Han Dynasty."
"It is only said that Emperor Wu (Cao Cao) kept the Xiongnu Chanyu in Huchuquan in Yecheng, divided the Xiongnu into five tribes, and then selected Han people as Sima to imprison him, because he knew very well that 'the ambitions of Rong and Di are not the same as those of Hua, and they are not mine. Races, their minds must be different'."
"Emperor Wu not only used troops to merge the two states in You many times and defeated Wuhuan, he even moved more than 100,000 Hu people and border people outside the Great Wall into the interior. As for Liangzhou, let alone, he sent troops to conquer the west. The general (Xia Houyuan) repeatedly defeated the Qiang and Hu."
"Even Ma Chao, the Shu bandit, repeatedly provoked Qiang and Hu rebels and was defeated by Emperor Wu. In my opinion, Emperor Wu never said that he wanted to appease the Hu people because they were dissatisfied. Such actions are really depraved. The majesty of my great Wei."
"Your Majesty is just assuming the throne when the world is watching. If he gives in so easily because of the rebellion of the barbarians, I am afraid that both Wu and Shu will laugh at me for losing the courage of the Wei Dynasty."
When Cao Hong said this, he saluted Cao Rui above him, "Your Majesty, Sima Zhi does have a reputation for being upright and upright, but he was born in a poor family and has little knowledge of the major events of this country."
This last sentence almost pointed at Sima Zhi's nose and scolded him for his low background.
When the courtiers saw it, many of them cheered directly in their hearts: Well done! Damn this country bumpkin!
There is naturally a reason why everyone hates Sima Zhi so much.
As a Yin of Henan Province, Sima Zhi usually acted in accordance with the laws. He even ignored the Huangmen in the palace who asked him to do things, let alone the rich and powerful. If he violated the laws even slightly, he would be caught and punished.
Many people were afraid and hated him.
What's more, this Sima Zhi usually protects the head of Guizhou, but now he openly talks about restricting wealthy families in the court?
Today he can suppress the Liangzhou clan, and tomorrow he can take the opportunity to attack the Guandong clan!
When everyone thought of this, they felt even more angry.
As for Cao Hong, he hated Sima Zhi even more deeply, because Sima Zhi took advantage of his face, so he let the new emperor remember his name!
This matter should start with Cao Pi.
When Cao Pi was young, he borrowed money from Cao Hong because he knew that Cao Hong's family was wealthy. Cao Hong was unwilling to borrow money, which made Cao Pi resentful ever since.
After Cao Pi ascended the throne, he found an excuse to put Cao Hong on death row and prepared to execute him.
This made the then Queen Mother Bian furious. She not only cursed Cao Pi, but also threatened Cao Pi's Queen Guo, "If Cao Hong is really killed by the emperor, then I will deprive you of your position as queen."
Empress Guo was born in poverty and had little to rely on. She was afraid that Empress Dowager Bian would really do this, so she pleaded for Cao Hong several times.
What if the most powerful wind in the world is pillow wind?
Empress Dowager Bian's pleas were in vain, and many courtiers' pleas were in vain. In the end, it was Empress Guo's pillow wind that allowed Cao Hongneng to escape death. However, he was deprived of his official title and title, and was deposed as a commoner in the first month of last year.
However, he was lucky. Within a few months, Cao Pi died of illness. Cao Rui ascended the throne. In order to win people's hearts, he also granted Cao Hong special advancement, the rank of general, the title of Marquis of Lecheng, and the settlement of thousands of households.
Cao Hong's wet nurse heard about this, so she went to worship Wujian God with Princess Linfen's servants, hoping that the ghosts and gods would bless Cao Hong, but she didn't expect to be exposed.
Ever since Emperor Xiaowu of the former Han Dynasty had a witchcraft disaster that forced Prince Liu Zhi to rebel against him and forced Queen Wei Zifu to death, the government has been particularly wary of all kinds of witchcraft temple sacrifices, and has repeatedly issued strict orders not to perform private sacrifices.
Cao Pi also issued such a ban during his lifetime, calling such sacrifices obscene sacrifices.
So Wet Nurse Cao Hong was quickly arrested by Henan Isima Zhi.
Cao Hong had newly obtained an official position and title. When he encountered this kind of thing again, he was so frightened that he almost lost his soul. He quickly ran to the Empress Dowager to plead for mercy.
The Empress Dowager then sent Huang Men to convey her orders to the government. However, what the Empress Dowager did not expect was that Sima Zhi gave her no face at all.
Not only did they block Huangmen from entering, they even had Cao Hong's wet nurse beaten to death.
Then he gave a memorial to Cao Rui, saying that he had sentenced people to death without giving a memorial in advance, just because he was afraid that the Empress Dowager would save people.
In order to prevent the Empress Dowager from embarrassing the emperor, he ordered Luoyang Ling to beat the person to death directly.
Cao Rui had just ascended the throne, he was young and vigorous, and wanted to make a difference.
After seeing Sima Zhi's memorial, he wrote a reply in his own hand: In order to comply with the late emperor's edict, you acted expediently. What crime did you commit? If someone from the Yellow Sect comes to beg you again in the future, be sure not to meet him.
It was precisely because of this incident that Sima Zhi fell into Cao Rui's eyes. At the same time, Cao Rui took advantage of his accession to the throne to confer many ministers, and also gave Sima Zhi the title of Marquis of Guannei.
Therefore, Sima Zhi's title and Jian's position in the emperor's heart were all obtained in exchange for Cao Hong's face.
Although this incident did not affect Cao Hong's lost official position and title in the end, it also caused him to lose face. How could he not hate Sima Zhi deeply?
Now that Cao Pi is dead, Cao Rui is his grandnephew, and with the support of the Empress Dowager, Cao Hong can be regarded as a royal family member for three generations.
Therefore, even if he could not do anything to Sima Zhi on weekdays, taking the opportunity to humiliate him while discussing government affairs could be regarded as a small revenge.
When Sima Zhi heard this, his face turned red and he glared at Cao Hong, "General Hou, why are you so insulting?"
Do you really not know why I want to humiliate you?
Cao Hong's face darkened and he asked, "Sima Zhi, what do you mean by this? Did I say anything wrong about Emperor Wu?"
In his early years, Cao Hong followed Cao Cao in various battles and made many military exploits. He even saved Cao Cao's life. He was deeply valued by Cao Cao and also understood Cao Cao's heart.
Cao Hong's words closely followed Cao Cao's past actions, making it impossible to refute them.
Sima Zhi's eyes widened as he hurried forward, seemingly about to fight with Cao Hong.
Seeing that Sima Zhi looked wrong, the censor who maintained order in the court quickly shouted, "Henan Yin Sima Zhi, please answer your questions during the court meeting!"
Sima Zhi finally woke up and was forced to stop, took a deep breath, and calmed down.
He knew that most of the people in the court today were family members, dignitaries and aristocratic families. There was no longer the grand occasion of Emperor Wu's meritocracy, but even so, would he shrink back?
"Of course Emperor Wu was right. But what General Hou said about Zhi's origin is a big fallacy! When Emperor Wu was sweeping the world, he issued a 'Seek for Talents' three times. Regardless of origin, only those who are worthy will be promoted."
"General Hou has been following Emperor Wu since his early years. Isn't he unaware of this? Although Zhi was born into a poor family, it was precisely because of Emperor Wu's appreciation that he was able to become an official."
"Now that the general is talking about Zhi's background, do you think Emperor Wu's approach was wrong?"
Cao Hong was speechless for a moment and said angrily, "Of course Emperor Wu was right."
Cao Hong killed Cao Cao's attitude towards the Hu people, leaving Sima Zhi unable to refute.
But Sima Zhi also withheld Cao Cao's "order to seek talents", leaving Cao Hong unable to refute.
For a while, this issue was deadlocked.
When everyone saw Cao Hong giving in, they were disappointed again. At the same time, they secretly said in their hearts, "This Sima Zhi usually doesn't know what to do. I didn't expect that he can be so sharp with his tongue."
Cao Rui, who was sitting at the top, saw everyone's expressions in his eyes, frowned slightly, and looked around among the important ministers, feeling his heart tremble again.
Among the four auxiliary ministers in the late emperor's edict, two were from the Cao family, and the remaining two, Chen Qun, came from the Yingchuan family, and Sima Yi came from the Hanoi family.
Cao Rui naturally knew why the Wei Dynasty could so easily replace the Han Dynasty.
It was precisely because he knew that when he became the emperor, he sat in this position and thought about the problem. Only then did Cao Rui realize that the conditions that were beneficial to the Cao family in the past were not necessarily beneficial to the emperor.
That's why the late emperor arranged for half of the clan members and half of the aristocratic families to assist him in government, so that they could check and balance each other.
After thinking about this, Cao Rui looked at the important ministers below again, his eyes passed over the clan members and important ministers in front, and finally stopped on one person.
"Liu Shizhong, what do you think?"
Emperor Wu swept away the heroes and established his hegemony. In addition to the help of many fierce generals, there were also many outstanding advisers such as Xun You, Jia Xu, Guo Jia, Cheng Yu, Xun, Sima Yi, Chen Qun, Liu Ye, Dong Zhao and so on.
Among the most commendable senior advisers, only Sima Yi, Chen Qun, Liu Ye, Dong Zhao and others are left.
Sima Yi and Chen Qun are auxiliary ministers, and their words carry too much weight. If they set the tone by speaking out, it will be difficult to adjust later.
Moreover, the two of them are backed by aristocratic families, so their stance is somewhat biased.
Dong Zhao's niece married Sima Zhi. The two were related by marriage and needed to avoid suspicion in this matter.
Only Liu Ye, although he is also a famous member of the Gao clan, has a special and sensitive identity, that is, he is the successor of Emperor Guangwu and can be regarded as a member of the Han family's royal clan. Therefore, although he has the talent to help others, he is cautious and cautious.
It was precisely because of his caution that he considered the issue more comprehensively. The late emperor regarded him as a confidant and would ask him if he had any questions.
When Liu Ye heard the emperor's inquiry, he quickly stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that Emperor Wu's law cannot be abolished. The barbarians have no etiquette and are afraid of power but not moral. They should not be easily compared with the people of the Wei Dynasty."
This was said somewhat tactfully, and on the surface it seemed that he agreed with Cao Hong's words.
But in fact, the last sentence secretly agrees with Sima Zhi's words of kindness to the people.
When Cao Rui heard this, his heart moved and he nodded, "Forget it, we will discuss this later."
After leaving the court, Cao Rui secretly announced Sima Zhi.
"Sima Aiqing, I was in the court hall just now. I saw that you have been in trouble a lot, and you seem to have unfinished words. I wonder if you can tell me here?"
Cao Rui screened all the palace people away and asked.
After Sima Zhi walked out of the Tai Chi Hall, he was already a little disheartened. He didn't expect to be summoned by the emperor in private. When he heard this question again, he was trembling with excitement.
"Replying to Your Majesty, I do have some advice that I would like to express to Your Majesty, but my words of advice are off-putting to Your Majesty's ears, and I'm afraid they won't be pleasing to Your Majesty's ears."
Cao Rui smiled and said, "Since it's a loyal suggestion, why do you say it with displeasure? Please give it a try."
"Then I will speak out boldly."
Sima Zhi collected his thoughts and then said, "Emperor Wu specially appointed farm officials to specialize in farming and mulberry farming. Only during the Jian'an period did the warehouses become more abundant and the people were more in need."
"However, since the beginning of the Huang Dynasty, the imperial court has allowed agricultural officers from various places to make a living privately, so some agricultural officers have colluded with local noble families, embezzled farmland, and forced villagers to work for them."
"This is an act that harms the public and enriches private interests, and is not suitable for the country. Therefore, I ask your majesty to restrain the big families and make them stay in peace, so as not to lose the support of the people."
It has been thirty years since Cao Wei implemented farming in the first year of Jian'an.
After twenty years of stability in the north, except for the border areas, the farming system in the inner counties gradually declined.
In addition, in order to ascend to the throne of God, Cao Pi adopted a policy of compromise with the aristocratic families and relaxed his control over the local areas, which led to the growing trend of local wealthy families embezzling farmland and hiding Dingkou secretly.
Seeing this situation, Sima Zhi wanted to petition Cao Rui and ask for containment.
Unexpectedly, he only mentioned the topic of suppressing the wealthy families in the court, and he was constantly made things difficult for him, so that he could not say anything else at all.
After hearing this, Cao Rui sighed, "Sima Jun is really loyal to the country!"
It's just that the aristocratic family has hundreds of years of history and is deeply rooted, and the Cao family relies on the aristocratic family to be what it is today. It's easier said than done to suppress it.
Sima Zhi saw Cao Rui's face and knew what he was thinking, so he suggested, "Your Majesty, in order to enrich the treasury, the late emperor ordered the five baht coins to be abolished and only traded in grain and silk."
"The intention was good, but it gave the unskilled people a convenient opportunity to soak the millet to increase its weight, make thin silk for profit, disrupt the market, and the people suffered greatly."
Sima Zhi did not say clearly who the fake person was, but Cao Rui could understand.
"Besides, the accumulation of grain and silk in the treasury is not only easy to perish, but also easy to be eaten by rats. The loss is too great, and it is not as convenient as walking with five baht."
"More importantly, if the five-baht coin is issued and the minting is unified and controlled by the court, it will not only save the government's efforts, but also enrich the treasury, and even reduce the oppression of the local wealthy families on the people."
When Cao Rui heard this, his heart finally beat.
