Chapter 23 2. The downfall of the queen mother's party
Sima Yi suffered from the daily urging of the generals in the front line to fight, and Cao Rui also suffered from the civil and military officials arguing about the Guanzhong war every day in the court.
The imperial court was marked by the attitude towards Sima Yi's strategy of Yushu, and was clearly divided into two factions: one faction, headed by Taiwei Huaxin, Sikong Chen Qun, and Shangshuling Chen Jiao, fully opposed Sima Yi's strategy for Shu; The censor Dong Zhao and Situ Wang Lang, headed by them, fully supported Sima Yi's strategy towards Shu.Chen Qun and Hua Xin's faction publicly accused Sima Yi of occupying the Shanggu pass with sole military power. Seeing that the Qishan camp was in critical condition, they neither sent troops to rescue nor sent troops to make a surprise attack. It has the meaning of "raising bandits to seize power and self-respect".They strongly demanded that the emperor quickly issue an order to temporarily replace Sima Yi as the commander-in-chief of Guanzhong and replace him with General Zhang He, who is quick-witted and flexible in his military use.
On the other hand, Zhong Yao, Dong Zhao, and Wang Lang's faction firmly believed that Sima Yi's strategy to control Shu this time was exactly the strategy of the famous general Zhao Chongguo of the Han Dynasty who defeated the Western Qiang. The brilliant move of attacking the emptiness, when the Shu army is exhausted and retreats without food, it can return with a complete victory without bloodshed.
The opinions of the two factions confront each other in the court, and the fight is so intense that sparks fly.Cao Rui was tired of hearing this day, so he waved his hand to let the two groups of courtiers retreat, leaving only Sun Zi and Liu Fang to discuss in the imperial study.
Sun Zi looked at his words and saw Cao Rui's tiredness and confusion. It seemed that his confidence in the strategy of "surrendering the enemy without fighting" had been shaken. Are you troubled by the controversy over General Sima's refusal to fight?"
Cao Rui nodded slowly.Sun Zi smiled lightly, and said: "Your Majesty, don't worry. From my humble minister's point of view, what General Sima did was an act of public loyalty to the country. Chen Sikong and Hua Taiwei accused General Sima of not fighting, and the reason was grand-sounding— ——Showing weakness to the enemy is detrimental to the prestige of the country, but in fact, what they think in their hearts is only to protect their power and position, and they don't want others to rise up and threaten them. They are purely seeking their own selfishness and disregarding the overall situation. Their opinions are all focused on selfishness, and they have no sense of justice, loyalty and justice, so why should they rely on it?" At this point, Sun Zi raised his eyes and looked at Cao Rui's somewhat relaxed expression. , and said: "They don't know what's going on. Did your majesty forget it? It was you who wrote the secret edict, ordering General Sima to keep fifty thousand horses in Chang'an in case of unexpected changes. You asked General Sima How can the remaining 50,000 soldiers face Zhuge Liang's 100,000-strong army of tigers and wolves? He did not hesitate to let himself bear the infamy of being fearful of Shu like a tiger! As the saying goes, a soldier can be killed but not humiliated. How loyal and loyal General Sima is to bear the burden of humiliation! Just imagine, Your Majesty, how many ministers in the court can be as fair as him Loyalty country?"
After Cao Rui listened, he remained silent, his face was as quiet as a deep pool, without any expression.After a long time, he slowly opened his mouth and said: "Is Sima Yi really as loyal, industrious and clean as Ai Qing said? I recently received a secret letter, and someone reported that he took bribes wantonly when he arrived in the Guanzhong army. Searched a lot of rare treasures, greedy, very hateful!"
Hearing Cao Rui's words, Sun Zi and Liu Fang were neither surprised nor angry, they just looked at each other and smiled as usual.Cao Rui looked at the expressions of the two of them quietly, and couldn't help being slightly shocked. He was secretly surprised, but his face remained calm, and he said: "What do you two Ai Qing have to say at this moment?"
Seeing Cao Rui's questioning tone was very sharp, Sun Zi didn't dare to take it lightly, so he calmed down and straightened his face, and said solemnly: "My minister, may I ask your Majesty, the secret note accused General Sima of confiscating rare treasures?" Among the rare treasures, is there a treasure named 'Qinglong Amber'?"
When Cao Rui heard it, his face changed slightly, and he nodded: "That's right. According to the secret memorandum, the 'Qinglong Amber' is a natural auspicious and rare treasure - Sima Yi took it as his own, and it seems to be hidden Arrogant self-importance, aspiring to the top of the sky! Hey, how did the two lovers know this?" He stared at Sun and Liu with burning eyes, and his face became more and more serious.
Sun Zi met Cao Rui's sharp gaze calmly, and asked calmly, "My minister dares to ask Your Majesty again, who wrote the secret memorial? Did it mention a battalion officer named Guo Ping?" "
Cao Rui's complexion changed again, and he said slowly: "That's right. The name Guo Ping was mentioned in the secret memorial. But I can't tell you the name of the author of this secret memorial."
Sun Zi didn't ask any more questions, but a slight smile appeared on his face, and he sighed deeply: "General Sima really knows things like a god, and all conspiracies and tricks can't escape his eyes." After finishing speaking, Cao Rui was astonished In his eyes, he slowly took out a memorial and a red sandalwood box from his robes, held them in his hands and presented them respectfully, saying: "Your Majesty, this is a secret memorial written by General Sima and presented here The secret box. I believe that as long as His Majesty reads this secret melody and opens this secret box, the truth will come to light!"
After Cao Rui listened, he pondered for a moment, first took the secret performance, opened it and read it.Looking at it, his face was cloudy and gloomy, but it was changing.At the end, only a long sigh was heard, and Cao Rui's face returned to contemplation, and the melody in his hand was slowly put down. He leaned on the dragon bed, closed his eyes and meditated for a long time, and suddenly opened them again. Come on, pointing to the red sandalwood box in Sun Zi's hand, he said slowly, "Open it for me."
Liu Fang stepped forward and reached out to open the red sandalwood box.Cao Rui looked into the box, and saw a piece of amber that was crystal clear and pure as ice, and the little blue dragon inside was even more vivid, with an unusually vivid posture.
Seeing this treasure, even Cao Ruigui, who is the son of heaven and rich in the world, couldn't help but marvel at it.There are countless treasures in his palace, but compared to this piece of "Blue Dragon Amber", they are all useless.Cao Rui opened his eyes wide, watched it quietly for a while, then waved his hand, and said, "Pack it up." Sun Zi responded by closing the lid of the red sandalwood box, still holding it in his hand, waiting for Cao Rui to speak.
Sure enough, there was a moment of silence in the imperial study, Cao Rui's eyes fell on the secret note written by Sima Yi, and he spoke slowly: "It turns out that Guo Ping is a member of Guo Biao's clan. The bait was used to frame General Sima...Fortunately, General Sima saw the adultery with his eyes like a torch, so he made a plan to lure the snake out of the hole, so that the treacherous villain has nowhere to hide!" After a pause, Cao Ruicai said lightly again: " I was really wrong to blame General Sima. General Sima is upright, clean and spotless, and he is worthy of being a pillar of our Great Wei Dynasty!"
Liu Fang also said aside: "Your Majesty, now that the truth is revealed, the problems exposed in it are worthy of deep thought and vigilance! The Queen Mother Guo and Guo Biao's party are already sharpening their knives and are waiting for an opportunity to endanger us. Great Wei Sheji, you must guard against it!"
Cao Rui nodded when he heard it, and said seriously: "My intention has been made, and the court will issue an order tomorrow morning. Anyone who makes false comments on the war in Guanzhong will be demoted to three ranks, expelled from the court, and exiled to the border; if anyone spreads rumors and slanders General Sima , once verified, they will be severely punished!"
"Your Majesty is wise." Sun Zi nodded and said again, "I would like to ask again, who is the person who gave you the secret memorial to falsely accuse General Sima? Judging from his secret memorial, he and Guo The Empress Dowager has a close relationship with the party, so it should be thoroughly investigated and punished!" Cao Rui sighed deeply, and said, "This secret memorial was written by Hua Taiwei. However, the two lovers should not be too suspicious of Hua Taiwei. I believe that Taiwei Hua was deceived by Guo Biao and others to write this secret memorial, and he did not intend to falsely accuse General Sima. This matter is over, don't get entangled any longer."
Sun Zi was shocked when he heard this: It stands to reason that Taiwei Hua and General Sima knew each other very well, so he should at least believe in General Sima's character and virtues, and that Guo Biao and Guo Ping set a plan for General Sima. The trap was also full of loopholes, and Taiwei Hua directly reported it to the emperor without verifying it. This is not like his usual deep and steady style!If you have to ask the question to the end, there is only one explanation: Taiwei Hua knew that there was a fraud and deliberately used this matter to make a big fuss, forcing General Sima to surrender his military power!So, what is his purpose in doing this?Even though Sun Zi was resourceful and resourceful, he was also puzzled by this question.
While he was thinking about it, he saw Cao Rui yawned, seeming impatient.He knew that Cao Rui had recently selected hundreds of beautiful girls from outside the palace to serve in the palace, and he must have thought of going to have fun at this moment.Thinking of this, he couldn't help sighing in his heart, pondered for a moment, and had no choice but to bite the bullet and say: "Now I want to bring someone to meet His Majesty, I wonder if Your Majesty would like to see you?"
"Who?" Cao Rui asked lazily.Sun Zi raised his eyes and looked around, took a step forward, and said in a low voice, "This person is a personal maid surnamed Liu who was next to the Empress Dowager Zhen back then."
Cao Rui's heart shook, and his body leaning on the dragon bed straightened up. He immediately grabbed the armrests on both sides of the dragon bed with both hands, and said nervously, "Really? I wish to see you!"
After hearing this, Sun Zi stepped forward and put the red sandalwood box on the imperial book case, then turned his head sideways and winked at Liu Fang.Liu Fang understood, bowed and said: "Your Majesty, today's matter is very important. I want to explain to the guards around me that they will guard the imperial study from a distance and not come near."
Cao Rui had a solemn expression on his face, he didn't say a word, he just nodded slightly.Sun and Liu withdrew from the imperial study together and went to their own affairs.
Hearing the footsteps of the two of them gradually fade away, the awe-inspiring look on Cao Rui's face gradually receded, replaced by endless thoughts and worries.The unjust death of his biological mother, Empress Dowager Zhen, had always been a huge stone on his heart since he was a child.He deeply hated Queen Mother Guo who had slandered and killed his mother at that time.However, how the Queen Mother Guo killed his mother, because Cao Rui was young at the time, and everyone in the palace deliberately concealed it from him, so he has never been very clear.However, today, Sun Zi is going to reveal the truth about the relationship between Zhen and Guo back then.For some reason, Cao Rui's heart became tense.
He stood up from the dragon bed, and walked in the imperial study room with his hands behind his back, thinking deeply.The steps under his feet also fluctuated with his own thoughts, walking slowly for a while, and hurried for a while.
Finally, there was a sound of light footsteps outside the door of the imperial study.Cao Rui knew that it should be Sun Zi and others who came back.He turned around and stopped, standing in the center of the imperial study, quietly looking at the door, waiting for the sound of footsteps outside the door getting closer.
The light outside the door dimmed, and Sun Zi and another person walked in slowly.Standing beside Sun Zi, the man was slightly smaller, and his whole body was covered in a loose black robe, and his face was also covered by a green veil.
Cao Rui looked at the two of them quietly, his face was like an ancient pond, and the water was calm.
Sun Zi and the man knelt down together and said: "My minister brought Liu Shi, the maidservant of Empress Dowager Zhen, to meet His Majesty." Cao Rui stared silently for a moment, then said slowly: "Pingshen. Sun Aiqing, let Liu Shi see me in her true colors. "
Sun Zi nodded, pulled Liu Shi to stand up, and lifted her veil and black robe for her.Cao Rui took a closer look, but saw that the woman was about thirty-five years old, with a gentle appearance and a decent manner.He pondered for a moment, then slowly said: "Mr. Liu, since you claimed that you were the maidservant of Empress Dowager Zhen back then, what evidence do you have?"
Mrs. Liu replied to Cao Rui neither humble nor overbearing: "When your Majesty was three or four years old, your servant served you along with Empress Dowager Zhen. I am afraid that your majesty was young at that time, and your servant had been wandering outside the palace for many years, so your majesty has long forgotten about your servant. But I still remember some things about His Majesty. There is a large cyan birthmark on His Majesty's abdomen that looks like a dragon, and there are seven red moles on his back that are arranged in the shape of a Big Dipper... These are all signs that His Majesty is the Son of Heaven..."
Cao Rui listened, waved his hand violently, and said, "Stop!" Then Mrs. Liu hurriedly fell silent.As soon as Sun Zi saw it, he knew that what Liu said was true, and his status as the maidservant of the Empress Dowager Zhen was beyond doubt.Cao Rui pondered for a moment, then asked again: "Please tell the truth about how the Empress Dowager Zhen was wronged and died suddenly. I will listen carefully."
So, Mrs. Liu wept and lamented about the tragedies that happened ten years ago when Zhen and Concubine Guo were fighting for favor and losing harmony in the first emperor's reign.At that time, Guo Gui concubine reported to the first emperor that Queen Zhen's words and deeds were disorderly, and her poems were full of romantic feelings, which seemed to have an adulterous relationship with others, which aroused the late emperor's rage.Later, in order to prevent Empress Zhen from suing Emperor Wei Wu, the great ancestor who was wronged by her under Jiuquan, on the day of her funeral, Guo Guipin had people drape Empress Zhen's hair and cover her face with chaff, doing her best to insult and blaspheme .Afterwards, Guo Guipin went on a massacre again, almost exterminating all the slaves around Empress Zhen, only Mrs. Liu and a few court ladies escaped desperately.And the Liu family kept their identities incognito, hidden among the people, and endured the humiliation, so that one day they could meet Empress Zhen's son, the current emperor, and avenge their mother by affirming their grievances.
Cao Rui listened, only to feel that the anger was raging in his chest, and he could hardly restrain himself.Seeing that his face was livid and ugly, Sun Zi hurriedly stopped Liu Shi and asked her to wait outside. Then, he persuaded Cao Rui, "Your Majesty, this is the case, please don't let the thunder's anger lightly, so as not to hurt the dragon's body."
"I am the son of heaven, and I have power over the world. How can I not take revenge for my biological mother who died unjustly?" Cao Rui's eyes were red like blood, and he said word by word, "Guo's bitch, she is really snake-hearted. Coveting glory and wealth, how dare you murder my mother! His crime is unacceptable, and I swear it will be eradicated!"
Sun Zi waited for him to calm down a little, and said: "Your Majesty, please calm down for a while. Sima Zhao, the captain of the Forbidden Army, also brought a man and asked to have an audience with His Majesty. Is Your Majesty allowed or not?"
"Who is it?" Cao Rui calmed down, slowly regaining his majesty and calmness as a king, and asked coldly.Sun Zi said slowly: "This person is the younger brother of the Empress Dowager Guo and a family member of the Zhongba General Guo Biao's house. It is said that he has a very important confidential matter to report to His Majesty!"
Cao Rui pondered for a moment, then said: "Xuan." Sun Zi responded to the sound and walked to the door of the imperial study, beckoning to the outside.After a while, Sima Zhao led a sluggish-looking man in soap and rushed in, prostrating himself to the ground.
Cao Rui looked at Sima Zhao and saw that he seemed a little nervous, so he said kindly, "Sima Aiqing is at peace, and you don't need to be formal when you come to report something."
Emperor Zhongzheng's peaceful voice pierced through the space like a mysterious sound of nature, each word slowly resounding in Sima Zhao's ears, making his heart tremble slightly, and an inexplicable excitement arose Come.He raised his head and looked at Cao Rui—after all, since he stayed in the capital more than a month ago and was named the captain of the Forbidden Army in the palace, he had never observed this man of his age so closely as today. Wei Tianzi naturally felt a little uneasy.
In his opinion, this young emperor who holds the supreme power in the Central Plains Shenzhou has a shrewdness and maturity that is not commensurate with his own age between his handsome and refined face. With a hint of worry and sadness that cannot be erased, this imperceptibly dilutes his majesty and solemnity.After all, the emperor is still too inexperienced!Sima Zhao secretly sighed in his heart: After all, he can't escape the ills of living in a deep palace, being young and inactive, and his mind and intelligence are far from honed to the state of "quietness is as stable as Mount Tai, and movement is as smooth as a dragon".At the moment, he didn't think about it any more, just met Cao Rui's magnanimous eyes, stood up, and said proudly: "Your Majesty, when I was patrolling near Yong'an Palace last night, I saw this person dressed as an eunuch. Dressed up, probing his head, looking sneaky, he took down the questioning. Unexpectedly, after questioning, he found out a huge conspiracy from his mouth. The matter is so important that I have to tell Mr. Sun and ask to come See His Majesty and report the details."
As soon as his words fell, the field suddenly became quiet, so quiet that water droplets could be heard.Cao Rui was sitting on the dragon bed, his face froze, and gradually became deep and dignified, making it difficult to see the end.If he can still express his feelings in front of Sun Zi and Liu Fang, it is because Sun and Liu are close ministers and old ministers he regards as his right-hand men—then, facing a somewhat unfamiliar Sima Zhao As a fourth-rank official, he still has to maintain his majestic image and make people respect him at a distance.Therefore, he suppressed his strong curiosity, held himself proudly, and asked slowly: "What is the conspiracy?" That tone, that attitude, seemed to regard all conspiracies as trivial, not worth mentioning.
Sima Zhao turned around and pointed at the soap-clothed man who was kneeling tremblingly on the ground, and said, "This man is Guo San, the family member of Zhongba General Guo Biao's residence. He has now confessed that he sneaked into Yong'an Palace last night to patrol, and he is going to ask for help. Queen Mother Guo sent a secret letter in. In the secret letter, Guo Biao and Queen Mother Guo cooperated internally and externally, preparing to spread rumors, slander His Majesty, disturb the government and the public, and then take the opportunity to send troops into the palace to abolish the emperor and establish a new monarch. A great conspiracy!"
Suddenly, there was a deathly silence in the imperial study room.Finally, the sound of "bang" broke the silence - but Cao Rui slapped the desk, his face was full of anger, and he yelled: "Presumptuous!" His actions shocked Sima Zhao and Sun Zi's hearts. , the two hurriedly knelt down.
Cao Rui stood up from the dragon bed, and quickly walked back and forth a few times after the desk, then slowly suppressed the anger in his chest, and said: "This kind of rebellious officials and thieves dare to take risks and commit chaos! I can't feel angry when I hear that, It was a momentary slip of the tongue just now, and it has nothing to do with Qing and others. Qing and others are safe. Sima Aiqing, what kind of ugly rumors do they want to spread to slander me?"
Sima Zhao kicked Guo San hard, and sternly reprimanded: "You dog slave, tell Your Majesty everything you know."
Guo San didn't dare to raise his head, his whole body was shaking like chaff, and he couldn't speak well: "He...they will...send...send people to post notices everywhere in Sifang Prefecture, slander...slander His Majesty It is not the real flesh and blood of the late emperor, but the evil... evil seed born by the Empress Dowager Zhen and the traitor Yuan Xi back then. All civil and military officials are required to take action to publicly abolish... abolish Your Majesty, and... establish a new king! "
Cao Rui listened, his mouth full of steel teeth "clucking".With his face flushed and his hands behind his back, he hurriedly paced up and down the imperial study, saying, "I wanted to deal with Xiao Qiang's worries after defeating the Shu invaders. Unexpectedly, these rebellious officials and thieves knew their doomsday." When it was approaching, unwilling to give in, he was eager to move and took the opportunity to make trouble. I can only strike ahead of time!" He stopped and paused, and then said: "It seems that I asked General Sima to leave 50,000 troops to guard Chang'an. Be prepared for the unexpected, this move is right. This gives me the confidence to attack with a thunderbolt!"
As he said that, he suddenly turned his head to look at Sima Zhao, and praised: "Sima Aiqing revealed to me the conspiracy against the party in time. You are commendable for your loyalty and bravery. I will reward you very much! It seems that everyone in your Sima family is really good!" You are the minister of the pillars who are deeply hoped by me! You have solved my problems through life and death, and I will repay you in the future!"
Nothing in the world is more confusing and turbulent than a palace coup—everything has turned upside down overnight.Woke up this morning, as soon as the civil and military officials of Wei State went to court, they heard that the eunuchs guarding the gate of the main hall reported two important news that shocked the world:
One piece of news is that in the middle of the night last night, Sima Zhao, the captain of the Forbidden Army, was ordered to lead a "Soldier from Heaven" to suddenly surround the mansion of the middle base general Guo Biao with lightning speed. More than a hundred members of the whole family and nearly a thousand servants, slaves and maidservants were all beheaded. Dropped out for three days.
Following these two pieces of news came an imperial decree from Cao Rui: Sima Zhao replaced Guo Biao as the general of the middle base, and directly took charge of the 20,000 forbidden troops in Luoyang City; Sima Fu temporarily dispatched 30,000 troops to Luoyang to appease the capital.
And Cao Rui, under the premise that the forbidden army was in his hands and the great army stationed outside to respond, immediately proceeded to clean up the Guo family's party members who were above the third rank and above in the middle of the court. Within three days, thirty Six high-ranking officials were demoted to the people, and their homes were confiscated.
Of course, the downfall of Queen Mother Guo's party was inseparable from the fact that it had a weak foundation in the army, but it was also due to the fact that the senior ministers of the imperial court stood by Cao Rui's side to carry out a joint attack.In view of the profound lessons of foreign relatives' disasters and chaos in the country at the end of the Western Han Dynasty, and the fact that the Queen Mother Guo was domineering and domineering, on the issue of eradicating foreign relatives and treacherous parties, Sikong Chen Qun, Taiwei Huaxin and other important officials, He actually maintained a rare and highly consistent unity and cooperation with Sima Yi, the political enemy who was far away in Guanzhong Yushu, and supported Cao Rui's drive to kill Guo's party members either explicitly or covertly.This is one of the extremely rare joint efforts of the elders and ministers of the DPRK and China, and there are only a few records left in the historical records of the Wei State-everything was carried out tacitly by the people, and will The memory of all events is buried deep in my heart.Naturally, the best and most important result of the co-operation between the elders and ministers of the imperial court and Cao Rui this time is that in the decades since the founding of the Wei Dynasty until its demise, there has never been a foreign relative like Wang Mang at the end of the Western Han Dynasty. A rebellious minister who lost the power of the court.
Because this time the palace coup was too steep and violent, almost all the civil and military officials were a little dizzy.Few of them realize that among the three pillars of the power of the Wei dynasty—clan, relatives, and important ministers—the faction of relatives has been unable to rise with the complete collapse of the Queen Mother Guo's party.And the power chariot of the Wei court will be driven into the future by the two steeds of the clan and important ministers.However, how long can the "two horses" go hand in hand to support the court?Which of them will eventually "take the lead"?These issues seem to be far away from Wei's subjects, and there is almost no need to worry about them so early.And many courtiers have already sharpened their heads, trying to find ways to exploit the thirty-six black hats vacated by Guo's rebels.