The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 5: In vain
In the eyes of the crowd, who were either shocked, terrified, or confused, Cao Mao walked to the front of the Huabiao.

Huabiao's face was full of smiles.

He spent a lot of effort to get this job of delivering the imperial edict.

Is the merit of welcoming the new emperor enough to allow him to move up a level?
Just as Huabiao was about to present the imperial edict to the new emperor, he saw the new emperor kneeling down in front of him.

When the new emperor looked up, his face was already covered in tears.

"How could a humble boy like Mao be so favored by the Queen Mother?!"

"The royal family of the Great Wei is filled with virtuous people. There are those with noble character, but I am not as good as them. There are those with brilliant literary talent, but I am not as good as them. There are those who are brave and powerful, but I am not as good as them. There are those who can manage relatives and friends, but I am not as good as them. I am still young and have no talents. How can I dare to ask for the throne of the Son of Heaven?"

"With my humble virtue and mediocre talent, I'm truly ashamed to be favored by the Empress Dowager and have you all come to visit me!"

"It's not that I'm disobeying orders, but I lack the moral integrity to hold the throne of the Son of Heaven. Please return and tell the Queen Mother the truth. I'm willing to accept the punishment for betraying her kindness!"

"what?!"

Huabiao was confused.

Did he refuse?
Not only the Huabiao, but the crowd watching were also dumbfounded. The news that the emperor was deposed and Gao Guixianggong ascended the throne was already shocking enough, but now Gao Guixianggong actually refused?
Huabiao was at a loss as to what to do. This was a situation he had never imagined. He quickly looked at Wang Su standing beside him.

Among the three ministers who came, Zheng Mao, the Shaofu who had remained silent, now looked at the young man in front of him again with some surprise in his eyes.

Wang Su remained as calm as ever.

He spoke slowly.

"Your Majesty, I've heard that a younger generation cannot refuse a gift from an elder, or it would be considered unfilial."

This is the "correct iron fist" from the Han, Wei and Jin Dynasties.

The Han Dynasty paid great attention to the morality of officials. Morality was more important than talent, and filial piety, loyalty, and trustworthiness were all included in the assessment.

Wei believed that it had inherited the orthodoxy of the Han Dynasty and preserved these things, but did not dare to loudly shout out its loyalty.

When they arrived at Sima's house, the fart in Luoshui destroyed Ji Bu's promise.

The killing of the king in the street made them afraid to express their loyalty.

Then it became "I humbly hope that the holy dynasty will govern the world with filial piety."

But no matter what time it is, Xiao's iron fist is always very useful.

Cao Mao immediately became terrified.

"You are right, but I dare not accept the order for this very reason!"

"In the palace, I often hear wise men speak of the founding of our ancestors. The three holy kings opened up the current prosperous era, which has deeply inspired me. However, my talents are not enough to inherit the cause of my ancestors. I am afraid that I cannot unify the world and continue the prosperous era."

"If the great cause of the Three Saint Sovereigns were to be interrupted by me, wouldn't that be the greatest act of filial piety?"

"The Queen Mother values me so highly, believing I can be entrusted with important matters. In reality, I lack such talent. If I act unjustly and do nothing, I am willing to accept the condemnation of the world, but what about the Queen Mother? If I disappoint the Queen Mother, how can I bear it? How can I dare to mention filial piety?"

Cao Mao spoke very quickly and gave his answer quickly.

Cao Mao was intelligent since childhood, and Zhong Hui commented on him as follows:

His talent is similar to Chen Si, and his military skill is similar to Taizu.

As talented as Cao Zhi, as brave as Cao Cao.

Cao Mao was very good at talking.

Sure enough, after hearing what he said, Wang Su also felt overwhelmed.

"I truly feel bad for bothering you all to come here. Please go back and tell the Queen Mother that I am willing to accept punishment!"

As Cao Mao spoke, he bowed deeply in the direction of Luoyang. After standing up, he quickly turned around, walked into the mansion and closed the door.

Outside the gate, everyone looked at each other in confusion.

Huabiao reluctantly put away the imperial edict and walked to Wang Su's side.

"Prince, we are here."

Wang Su looked directly at the magistrate who was slumped on the ground. "You're done, right? Find us a place to live."

After finishing the task, he quickly got up and said, "Yes, yes."

The angels left the place, but the onlookers never left.

Today, they saw the most explosive news here.

"The noble Duke actually refused?"

"I never realized that the noble lord is so virtuous."

"This is a true wise man!"

"The virtue of Yao and Shun!!"

For some unknown reason, they kept silent about the dethronement of the former emperor Cao Fang and instead praised Cao Mao's virtues.

Because humility is also an important part of the Han Dynasty's unique moral society.

Officials all used humility as a way to gain fame. If someone became famous in the local area, the court would send people to recruit him. If you refused the recruitment, you would become famous.

Even Emperor Wen of Han, Cao Pi, who was very kind and benevolent to the royal family, refused the abdication from the Han Emperor three times.

Some people think Cao Mao's behavior is mentally retarded, but from the perspective of the scholar-official class, it undoubtedly meets their moral standards.

At this moment in the mansion, Liu Lu was looking at Cao Mao with complicated eyes.

If Cao Mao was not his lord, he really wanted to ask, do you need to find a doctor for you?

That's the throne of the emperor, how can you just refuse it?
Guo Ze lowered his head at this moment, looking dazed.

"Mr. Guo?"

It was only when Cao Mao called him that he reacted.

Guo Ze raised his head, his eyes full of confusion.

"Why depose him?"

"what?"

"Your Majesty ordered construction of new palaces and towers to be halted, freed official slaves over sixty years old, established a county town to resettle the fugitives, and never forgot to honor the generals who had accompanied Emperor Wu in his campaigns. What grave fault had he committed to deserve his dethronement?"

In the huge Yuan City, it seems that only Guo Ze still cares about the fate of the deposed emperor.

Cao Mao's mood also became heavy.

"His fault is that he has grown strong, and when one grows strong, there will be changes, so he will naturally be deposed."

"Previous dynasties often had young emperors ascend the throne, and they would use eunuchs to fight against foreign ministers. The Wei Dynasty learned a lesson and did not allow eunuchs to hold high positions or hold real power. The emperor faced powerful foreign ministers alone, without any real power. It was good enough to just depose them, at least there was no..."

Cao Mao did not say anything further.

Guo Ze didn't say anything either. He looked dazed, as if he had suffered a great shock.

This person has a very strong Han scholar style, a kind of simple idealist that is hard to describe.

He even truly believed that the Han emperor voluntarily abdicated to his grandfather.

His condition at the moment was very wrong. The usually modest gentleman seemed like a volcano about to erupt.

Liu Lu couldn't help himself and asked, "Why did Cao Gong refuse?"

"Why, you want to get the credit for following the emperor? Is it delaying your chance to become a general?"

Liu Lu grinned, "How can a rough man like me be a general? I just think that if you could become the emperor, you could stand up for the people of the world and fight for justice. Wouldn't there be no more injustice in the world?"

Cao Mao was suddenly speechless.

"You idiot! Stop talking nonsense and bring me another jug of wine!"

Yang Gong, who was lying on the ground, started yelling. Liu Lu cursed him in a low voice, but still left obediently.

Cao Mao smiled bitterly and simply sat down next to Yang Gong.

"Mr. Yang, is there anything you want to teach me?"

"Oh?"

"Why do you think I have anything to teach you, Lord Cao?"

"Everyone was in a panic just now, but you were the only one who said that this might be a good thing. Did you anticipate that those people were coming to welcome me to the throne?"

"So what if I knew it? What's the point? Just like what you are doing now, it's futile."

“How do you know what I want to do?”

"Don't you just want to stay away from Sima Shi and protect yourself?"

Cao Mao was horrified. "What do you mean? The general is a loyal minister renowned throughout the land, deeply loved. I am deeply grateful to him and will never forget his kindness. How could I possibly want to distance myself from him?"

Yang Gong burst into laughter.

"Okay, just as Cao Gong said."

"However, I want to remind Lord Cao that Wang Su may appear simple and honest, but he is actually very cunning. If I can see through it, he can definitely see through it too."

"During this year, Lord Cao was extremely uneasy and fearful. He was anxious to accumulate strength and even found a group of knights to keep in his mansion. It's no exaggeration to say that he was so hungry that he was not picky about food."

"But I want to tell you, it's useless, absolutely useless."

"Your henchmen are useless, your reputation is useless, your royal family status is useless. Sima Shi wants to kill you, just like slaughtering a fish on a chopping board, there is no resistance."

"Since you are afraid, you might as well accept Wang Su's kindness and follow him to Luoyang."

"All matters should be governed by Sima Shi. Marry his daughter and enjoy your life in peace. In another twenty years, follow the example of the Han Emperor and yield the throne to them. They will surely grant you a high position. Spend your remaining years in peace."

"Bang!!!"

Before Yang Gong could finish his words, Cao Mao punched the ground.

Yang Gong turned around and saw a face that looked ferocious due to anger.

(End of this chapter)