Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 14 Prologue 14 Sincerity is the Ultimate Weapon
A few months is not a long time, but a lot can happen in that time.

During the months that Shi Shouxin was imprisoned in Yeting, a series of major events occurred in Luoyang.

First, there was Empress Dowager Guo, a useful tool of the Sima clan. After publicly breaking with the Sima clan, she died of illness for unknown reasons.

Officials observed mourning for Empress Dowager Guo, and the entire city was draped in white for three days.

Empress Dowager Guo was old and her death was not surprising. What was truly astonishing was what happened after her death.

Empress Dowager Guo lived most of her life in the shadow of the Sima family, essentially a yes-man. She rarely caused any major trouble for the Sima clan.

However, perhaps sensing that her time was running out, she risked her life and fought back fiercely!
When the palace maids were cleaning up Empress Dowager Guo's body, they found a "last will and testament" under the insoles of the shoes she was wearing.

In this suicide note, Empress Dowager Guo stated clearly:

Because I offended the Grand General (Sima Zhao) in the matter concerning the Duke of Gaogui, I am likely to die a violent death. Only when death is imminent do I realize how much of my life I have wasted, and there are some things I must say.

I am but an old woman, and my death is my fate, nothing to regret. I only regret my inability to stop the Sima family from usurping power all these years, and I have let down the Cao family.

The death of Cao Mao is my responsibility. Every time I think of these things, I am moved to tears and my heart aches.

I hope that I can receive forgiveness from the Cao family ancestors in the afterlife. While I was alive, I was able to help some upright officials in the court, but after my death, they will surely be suppressed and slaughtered by the Grand General.

I am just an old woman; I can't even beat a three-year-old child, let alone the powerful Sima clan. I am utterly powerless when it comes to matters of the court.

Hopefully, these upright officials will be more cautious in their official duties after reading this suicide note, and will not needlessly lose their lives.

Late Emperor, I have truly failed you.

My only wish is that when the court buries me, they will cover my face with paper and bury me with the rites due to a commoner, so that the late emperor in the afterlife will not be angered by seeing me.

The exposure of this suicide note shocked the government and the public! An uproar ensued!
Upon learning of this, Sima Zhao was so enraged that he smashed all the utensils in the study of the General's Mansion that very day!
As the saying goes, a dying man's words are good. Empress Dowager Guo knew that her health was failing, so she wanted to vent all the anger she had endured for decades.

Sima clan, return the dignity you owe me!

Before her death, Empress Dowager Guo used a poisoned dagger to stab Sima Zhao in the back!
This blow truly wounded Sima Zhao deeply!

Never underestimate the madness and unbridled abandon a woman can have when she's driven to madness!
What nonsense about the nation and the world, about political stability and social harmony! I don't care how many people die!

With death looming, Empress Dowager Guo had only one thought:
Sima Zhao, let me slap you a few times to vent my anger!

Empress Dowager Guo had only been dead for a few days when Chen Tai of Yingchuan, a heavyweight among the Sima clan's political allies, was brought in.

He died of vomiting blood in his hospital bed at home.

He died at this particular time, which seems to confirm the statement in Empress Dowager Guo's will that "upright men may die at the hands of the general."

Perhaps Chen Tai wants to use his own life to cleanse his family of the bad luck that the Sima family has tainted?
Since the dead don't speak, the most awkward person is Sima Zhao.

This is not over yet.

Ji Kang, a renowned scholar and official of the Zhongsan Dafu lineage, resigned from his post at court, simply placing his official robes on the desk in the government office before leaving to live a secluded life in his hometown.

They didn't even say hello.

Previously, in order to consolidate his rule, Sima Zhao recruited a large number of so-called "famous scholars" from the common people, who were actually those who had not yet become officials and those from poor families, to serve as advisors in the General's Mansion.

People like Li Yin started their official careers in this way, which was an important means for the Sima clan to win people's hearts.

However, once Empress Dowager Guo's will was released, many famous scholars who had already agreed to serve in government resigned and returned to their hometowns, no longer willing to associate with Sima Zhao!

Seeing that the situation was in danger of collapsing, Zhong Hui suggested to Sima Zhao: Submit a memorial to the court and resign as Grand General!

Of course, this wasn't a real resignation, but rather a way to get the new emperor, Cao Huan, to decline, as a way of giving an explanation for the matter.

Then, handle it discreetly. No matter what Empress Dowager Guo said in her will, she was, after all, dead.

As long as Sima Zhao isn't embarrassed, then it's others who will be!
You're really something, I can't win an argument with you, you dead person, so at least I'll cover my ears, okay?
The dead will eventually be forgotten by the living.

Criticism will eventually subside.

Sima Zhao decides to play the rogue and feign death!
It must be said that the Sima family's tactic was indeed effective; if they couldn't win a direct confrontation, they could simply drag it out.

Yang Hu had already told Shi Shouxin the whole story. Shi Shouxin simply commented: "What goes around comes around."

By this time, the two had already left the Yeting Palace and were working at the Shaofu Yamen (Ministerial Office) south of Luoyang Palace.

It's called going to work, but it's really just copying books and drawing diagrams.

Yang Hu selected important books from the library, and Shi Shouxin transcribed them onto paper. This was not the silk used for imperial edicts, but actual paper. Paper was lightweight and easy to carry, and copying bamboo slips into paper books was also part of the work of the Imperial Household Department.

On his first day out of Yeting Prison, Shi Shouxin entrusted Yang Hu to act as matchmaker and go through the marriage proposal process at the Li family. Now he can no longer see Li Wan, let alone visit her.

Li Wan was also confined to her home and forbidden from leaving until the wedding day.

Today, Shi Shouxin lives on a farm in the eastern suburbs of Luoyang, where he has two tenant farmers as neighbors who "jointly" manage this hundred-acre plot of fertile land. Shi Shouxin doesn't need to manage the land himself; he only needs to collect the rent after the autumn harvest.

The salary given by Yang Hu was very meager, consisting of only twenty bushels of hulled grain per month, including millet and wheat, and it was paid out daily!
You collect your "salary" every day after get off work; skipping work means no salary—it's a very realistic situation.

On average, one bushel of grain is consumed per day, which seems like a lot, but... not all of this grain is used as food!

We need to buy livestock for work, set up a stone mill at home, repair the house, and many other necessities, such as firewood, which are indispensable. We must sell grain to get money before we can buy these necessities.

Shi Shouxin understood a little better where Li Wan's rough hands came from, because if Li Yin hadn't been greedy, his meager salary wouldn't have been enough for a luxurious life.

Children in families who didn't become officials usually had to do some farm work.

Li Yin may have great power, but wealth is another matter. In this day and age, unless you're a high-ranking official, you can't live a life of luxury, even if you become one.

The fact that Yang Hu was so stingy with the salary wasn't because he was stingy, but because that was the standard treatment the court offered. If you really wanted to nitpick, Yang Hu had actually given Shi Shouxin a larger salary!
If calculated by salary, even the highest-ranking officials would only receive ninety bushels of grain per month. Of course, the Heavenly Dragons possessed countless fields and houses and did not rely on such a meager salary for their livelihood.

As the wedding day drew closer and the wedding ceremony was completed one by one, Shi Shouxin's mood gradually became restless.

On this day, Yang Hu granted him a half-day off and gave him five strings of cash to prepare for some miscellaneous matters at the wedding.

Shi Shouxin took one hundred coins and put them in his purse for pocket money; the rest he locked in the Shaofu yamen (official residence office).

He hummed a little tune as he left the Shaofu Yamen (the government office) and walked briskly towards his home in the east of the city.

Shi Shouxin has overcome all kinds of hardships.

Li Wan was genuinely in love with him, and the entire Li family, including Li Yin and his brother-in-law Li Gu, also approved of him.

Shi Shouxin was very satisfied with the marriage.

Even though I've come into this world and haven't yet achieved anything significant, it's quite gratifying that I've unexpectedly found a compatible partner in my life.

Unexpectedly, just as he left the city and passed a pond, Shi Shouxin was stopped by a disheveled old man wearing a patched and tattered hemp robe with messy hair.

"Young man, look at that shimmering thing in the pond, what is it?"

The old man grabbed his arm and pointed to something reflecting the sunlight in a pond not far away, asking a question.

"Sir, those are prize vouchers. You can go to any convenience store outside the Fifth Ring Road in Beijing and redeem them for a great prize of 50,000 yuan."

Please crouch down and reach out to pick it up slowly. I have something to do, so I won't keep you company any longer.

With the wedding approaching, Shi Shouxin was in high spirits. He teased the old man and then turned and left.

What the hell! I never imagined that such a "feigned indifference" scam existed in ancient times.

Shi Shouxin chuckled inwardly, too lazy to bother with the old man.

"What do you mean by 'old man' or 'young man'? Young sir, please, have some mercy and help this old man get him out, okay?"

The old man, with a fawning smile, showed no sign of disdain. As for the nonsense Shi Shouxin was spouting, he didn't understand it at all and simply pretended not to hear it.

Did I flaunt my wealth?

Shi Shouxin remembered that he still had one hundred coins in his sleeve!

He sighed, rolled up the legs of his trousers, waded into the shallow pond, bent down, and picked up the glittering object.

It's not big, but it's very heavy!
It was a brocade pouch embroidered with a huge pearl, and inside were... lots and lots of gold beans, and pearls. The flash just now was the result of that big pearl reflecting sunlight.

Seriously? This doesn't seem like one of those scams. The contents of this money bag... are worth far too much to estimate.

Because that large pearl alone is something that is priceless and unavailable for purchase; the highest bidder wins.

Shi Shouxin was extremely wary, but he still handed the brocade pouch to the old man.

"Grandpa, here's the brocade pouch. I have something to do, so I'm going home now."

Shi Shouxin waved to the old man and turned to leave. He touched the money pouch in his sleeve; thankfully, it wasn't missing. Although he didn't understand the situation, it seemed to have nothing to do with him.

"Young master, don't go, don't go!"

The old man quickly caught up, walking briskly without even breaking a sweat.

He held up the brocade pouch and whispered to Shi Shouxin, "Young master, you also have a share of this windfall. How about we split it equally?"

"It's nothing, please accept it, sir. I have other things to do."

Shi Shouxin broke free from the old man and walked faster and faster.

"Ouch, my leg!"

I heard an old man shouting behind me; he seemed to have fallen to the ground.

Shi Shouxin had no choice but to turn back and help him up.

"Young man, you helped me retrieve the money bag just now, so I won't let you work for nothing. We'll split the money in half."

The old man winked at him playfully.

Shi Shouxin carefully examined the old man. Although his hair was messy, his skin was well-maintained, but he was dressed very sloppily.

Her real age is probably much younger than she appears.

Although his linen robe was torn and patched, it was very clean, almost spotless.

It looks like a popular spot for online influencers to take photos.

His beard and eyebrows looked meticulously groomed, even more so than Li Wan's hair, and he exuded the scent of sandalwood.

More importantly... he looks quite similar to Sima Zhao, except that he doesn't look as mature.

This person looks a bit mentally challenged. Did Sima Yi also have a mentally challenged son?
Several strange thoughts flashed through Shi Shouxin's mind, but in the end he decided to be frank and stop playing tricks on this fool.

"Lord Sima, please speak frankly. Hasn't the General told you that I have met him many times, and I have also met the Crown Prince many times?"

You two really do look very alike.

Shi Shouxin sighed softly and revealed the answer directly.

He's very busy and really doesn't have time to play games with this so-and-so from the Sima family. The Sima family genes are very strong (dominant), and you can see some facial similarities among the brothers.

"Is it that obvious?"

The "old man" looked genuinely surprised.

Shi Shouxin was speechless, unsure how to even comment on this guy. He clearly thought he was a great actor!

"Uh... I am Sima Liang, currently serving as General Who Guards the West. You should have heard of my name."

The old man, no, Sima Liang said seriously.

"I have heard that when Sima Zhongda was fighting against Zhuge Kongming, Lady Fu gave birth to a son. That is why Zhongda named the child Liang. Is that right?"

Shi Shouxin asked in confusion.

This statement must be a very shameful thing for the person involved.

This was actually Sima Yi's way of saying that he couldn't defeat Zhuge Liang in a direct confrontation, so he named his son Liang out of self-congratulation.

The kind of self-deception that "Zhuge is my son" is a form of mental victory.

The person involved should feel that they were tricked by their father.

Unexpectedly, Sima Liang proudly said, "That's right! Although they are enemies, they respect each other. My father has high hopes for me, hoping that I can be as wise as Zhuge Liang."

Sima Liang felt no shame at all; on the contrary, he felt extremely honored, as if he had been praised by Shi Shouxin.

Incidentally, even Shi Shouxin's gaze softened a bit!
"Well, that's probably not what Sima Yi meant back then," Shi Shouxin thought to himself, but didn't say it aloud.

He thought that if Zhuge Liang knew in the afterlife that Sima Liang was like this, he would feel insulted.
Oh well, as long as Sima Liang is happy, nothing else matters. He lives within his own emotional values, and that's perfectly harmonious.

In a very short time, Shi Shouxin had traversed Sima Liang's emotional journey. At this moment, Sima Liang was also caught up in this inexplicable emotion, finding Shi Shouxin increasingly pleasing to the eye.

"Master Sima, why don't we go over to the pond and chat for a while?"

Shi Shouxin pointed to the pond where he had just retrieved the brocade pouch.

"That's exactly what I was thinking."

Sima Liang nodded.

The two sat down on a large rock by the pond. Sima Liang sighed and asked, "Are you really not afraid of angering me and losing your life? Is that lady from the Li family that important to you?"

"Yes, it's very important. Because whether she's good or bad, she's a part of me; while whatever Sima Gong thinks, it has nothing to do with my thoughts."

No matter how small the light of a candle is, it belongs to me; no matter how big the moon is in the sky, it belongs to the heavens.

It doesn't matter which is better or worse; I only cherish what's mine.

Shi Shouxin pointed to a sparrow that had just flown past and continued, “Lord Sima, please look. I am that sparrow. You can easily shoot it down. But the sparrow is flying and doesn’t care what you think. Even if you shoot it down, it still won’t care.”

"Ok."

Sima Liang nodded, seemingly understanding some of what he had said.

He said helplessly, "Your marriage to Lady Li, whatever the outcome, has absolutely nothing to do with me. But I'm only here in Luoyang to attend the funeral of the Duke of Gaogui. The General, for his own selfish reasons, wants me to marry my daughter to you, and won't let me refuse. I'm helpless, but can I refuse?"

"The General is now hoping that Lord Sima will kill me with his sword."

Shi Shouxin made a sarcastic remark.

"Yes, then the general investigated the case, made it public, and made me the target of criticism from the court and the public. Finally, he stepped in to protect me."

I did the bad thing, but he played the good guy.

Tell me, am I not innocent? Aren't I just like those slightly larger sparrows that fly in the sky?

Sima Liang complained.

"So, is Master Sima here to express his gratitude?"

Shi Shouxin asked in confusion.

"Isn't that right? I already gave you the brocade pouch, but you didn't want it."

Sima Liang smiled wryly.

Fortunately, Shi Shouxin withstood Sima Zhao's threats; otherwise, how would he have ended this charade? Would he really marry his precious youngest daughter to this commoner in front of him?
Or should we just kill this person with one blow?

Sima Liang had no intention of getting involved in this matter at all.

"Lord Sima, in a few years, there will be a lot of military affairs in Guanzhong. If I were to join the army there at that time, I would be grateful if you would take good care of me."

Shi Shouxin took the brocade pouch filled with gold beans and pearls from Sima Liang's hand and chuckled at him. He was just trying to get the pouch out of the way, regardless of whether it was useful or not.

Sima Liang immediately realized what was going on and burst into laughter.

it is more than words.

Li Yin, Shi Shouxin's future father-in-law, will soon travel to Guanzhong and become the military governor of Guanzhong.

Sima Liang was the General Who Guards the West in the Wei army in Guanzhong. He was nominally under the control of Li Yin, but in reality, they checked and balanced each other, and neither could become the sole ruler.

Betting on Li Yin's son-in-law, Shi Shouxin, will lead to some interesting developments in the future!
Sima Zhao knew how to win people's hearts, and so did Sima Liang.

They destroyed Li Yin's beloved daughter's marital happiness, indirectly pushed her into the abyss to become Sima Yan's concubine, and finally eliminated the family support that Li Yin favored, thus weakening the Li family's power.

This hatred is so intense that even the phrase "irreconcilable enmity" wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Then, he also hoped that after Li Yin, the Grand Commander, entered Guanzhong, he would treat him, Sima Zhao's half-brother, well and cooperate sincerely to complete military affairs.

Sima Liang had no idea what Sima Zhao was planning. Had his second brother become so confused as to think everyone was a fool and that they would all be at his mercy?

In Sima Zhao's eyes, was his fourth brother really that stupid?
Sima Liang was plunged into deep confusion.

(End of this chapter)