Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 185 I'm Not Teaching You to Cheat
Seeing that Sima You looked very nervous, Shi Shouxin poured him a cup of wine and then poured one for himself.

I rushed westward back to Luoyang. Not only was my body almost falling apart, but I was also mentally exhausted, and my eyelids were drooping.

The sun has already set, and night is about to fall.

With an uncertain future ahead, now is definitely not the time to sleep!
"I've remembered something, Taofu, please listen to it."

Shi Shouxin knelt down, raised his wine cup, and clinked it with Sima You's. Although the latter was very anxious, seeing Shi Shouxin's composure, he had to force himself to calm down.

"For example, Tao Fu is going to hold a big banquet for guests on a certain day. But there are too many guests and the mansion can't accommodate them all, so the banquet can only be held on the street."

At this point, you notice many insignificant people on the street, sitting or lying down, just waiting for you to throw them a feast.

What will you do then if they sneak into the banquet again?

Shi Shouxin asked with a smile, his expression showing no sign of panic.

Sima You thought for a moment and said, "Have the servants clear the area and make room for the real guests!"

This is to the point.

If they weren't invited guests, why should they participate in the banquet?

Of course, the place should be cleared out; it's only human nature, and anyone would do the same.

Shi Shouxin then asked, "But some people just don't want to leave. And you are a prominent figure in the village, and you're concerned about your reputation and don't want to resort to violence. What should you do in this situation?"

Sima You was now unaware of this.

Before they became wealthy, their family was a prominent family in Hanoi. Given the current situation, they naturally had to accept it reluctantly. They were all neighbors and relatives, so they all came to the feast together!
Sima You looked at Shi Shouxin and asked, "This situation is difficult to handle."

"So, if you throw a piece of gold on the ground, those who want to take advantage of it will stand up and scramble to grab it."

Then you can find a pretext, such as telling the government that the gold was yours or that they stole it from you, to drive these people away!

The principle is that simple; the specifics of how to implement it are another matter.

Shi Shouxin wore a mocking smile.

There are many people in the court whom Sima Zhao dislikes. There are even some who are resentful of the Sima family's rise to power.

Therefore, Sima Zhao wanted to learn from Sima Yi's feigned madness to deceive Cao Shuang, so he deliberately created a flaw.

Then let's see which fools are willing to step forward!

As for those who had no real intentions but wanted to change sides and choose the wrong side, what can be done about them?
Sima You wouldn't ask, and Shi Shouxin wouldn't speak; everyone understood the consequences of choosing the wrong side. Whether it was a momentary lapse of judgment or deliberate scheming, the final result was the same.

Choosing the wrong side means certain death!
"You mean, the Prince of Jin intends to... wipe out all those who oppose the Sima clan?"

Sima You asked in a deep voice, only to see Shi Shouxin wave his hand.

"They are not people who oppose the Sima clan, but people who oppose the Prince of Jin."

Shi Shouxin added a patch to Sima You's answer.

"Does it make a difference?"

Sima You looked puzzled.

Shi Shouxin nodded and said, "Of course there are differences. For example, there is a very special person in the Sima clan. He is highly respected in the court and can be said to have witnessed the establishment of the Wei Kingdom by Cao Pi. He always refers to himself as a subject of the Cao family. Has Tao Fu forgotten who he is?"

He reminded Sima You. This was someone Sima You shouldn't overlook.

As expected, Sima Zhao's second son's expression darkened.

Sima You showed some deference to his parents and brothers, but that doesn't mean he was naive or foolish.

He nodded to Shi Shouxin and said, "My great-uncle Sima Fu always considered himself a loyal minister of the Wei Kingdom."

Sima You's tone was slightly sarcastic, but his expression was complex.

How could Sima Fu possibly be a loyal subject of Wei? He was just claiming it.

If there were any members of the Sima family who were loyal to the Wei state, they should have committed suicide sooner or killed all the other members of the Sima family!

Therefore, the reality is not like that.

If the entire Sima family were traitors playing the good cop, then Sima Fu was the "person with a conscience" specifically chosen by the Sima family to play the bad cop.

However, playing the stern role is just a performance; one doesn't need to actually be Guan Yu, the stern-faced villain.

For example, although Sima Fu usually proclaimed himself a Wei subject, he would always stand up to support the Sima family at crucial moments, and even beat them to it.

During the Incident at Gaoping Tombs, Sima Fu plotted with Sima Yi throughout the entire process.

When Sima Yi died, Sima Fu strongly supported Sima Shi, allowing the latter to smoothly inherit the power of the Sima family.

When Cao Fang was deposed, among the court officials who submitted memorials, Sima Fu was ranked ahead of Sima Shi, and was the first on the list!
When Sima Shi suffered a major defeat at Hefei, it was Sima Fu who came to the rescue, defeating Zhuge Ke and saving the precarious rule of the Sima clan.

Later, Guanqiu Jian opposed Sima Shi and raised an army in Huainan, calling on Sima Fu to step forward and take power, but Sima Fu publicly refused.

After Sima Shi's sudden death, Sima Fu strongly supported Sima Zhao and helped him consolidate his power.

This person specializes in crucial matches and adversity situations. Not only is he highly capable, but every step he takes is on the path to victory.

He won't show up if he can't win the game!

However, this person wept bitterly at Cao Mao's death and declared himself a subject of Wei.

Wang Jing also wept for Cao Mao, but was beheaded by Sima Zhao. Why did Sima Fu live a good life?
This kind of "political bitch" behavior is very abstract. Not to mention Shi Shouxin, even Sima You knew about his great-uncle. His skin was thicker than a city wall.

Normally, Sima You did not like this uncle, for no other reason than that he was too hypocritical and had terrible methods.

In fact, it wasn't just Sima You, Sima Zhao, Sima Yan, and others who had similar ideas.

They all looked down on Sima Fu, and even held him in utter contempt.

Sima Fu would tell everyone he met that he was a subject of Wei, and he deliberately distanced himself from Sima Yi's faction, rarely interacting with them and keeping a low profile.

To outsiders, it seemed that he disapproved of the actions of Sima Yi and his descendants.

But Sima Fu always stood up to protect the core interests of the Sima family at crucial moments! Such a person was indeed a "loyal minister" of the family, but he was also chilling!
Shi Shouxin took a sip of wine, looked at Sima You, and asked, "If you were a subject now, and the emperor and your father both fell into the river, and you could only save one, the other would surely die if you didn't save him, would you save the emperor or your father?" This question was undeniably sharp.

Sima You didn't know how to answer, so he took a sip of wine with his head down, his expression not very pleasant.

A long time later, a long sigh escaped his lips.

Seeing that he did not answer, Shi Shouxin said, "If it were me, I would advise you: There is only one father, but everyone can be a ruler! Of course, you should save your father!"

There's only one father, but anyone can be emperor, so naturally, we should save our father! If the emperor dies, we can just replace him with another one! But if the family is gone, then everything is over!

Filial piety breeds strength. In the torrent of history, the answer given by the aristocratic Tianlong people is similar to that of being promiscuous.

The powerful families are like pretty prostitutes, following whoever is strong and having no loyalty whatsoever.

Sima You was so shocked that he couldn't say a word for a long time. After a long while, he smiled bitterly and said, "Mr. Shi is just too straightforward."

He's so straightforward! Every word he says is the truth. The truth is like a sharp knife, cutting into your heart and drawing blood!
Sima You was amazed by Shi Shouxin's talent and wit, but also somewhat intimidated by his outspokenness.

"Father is wary of his great-uncle's lineage."

After a long silence, Sima You muttered to himself, revealing a fact that even he himself was unwilling to believe!
When Cao Mao died in the street, Sima Zhao must have considered who would take over Sima Yi's position if he had been killed by Cao Mao.

The answer is Sima Fu!
It could even be said that at that time, the lives of Sima Yan and Sima You were in the hands of Sima Fu!

Even without speaking, Sima Zhao sensed the situation. If Sima Fu sided with Cao Mao and he himself became the regent, he might very well be able to overthrow Sima Yi's faction.

"The trouble with this matter is that the current situation does not mean that Sima Fu will rebel."

Of course, he'll be on guard. He'll be on guard against your brother losing control of the situation, and he'll be on guard against chaos ensuing.

But Sima Fu's precautions might very well provoke your father's wrath.

A conflict between your family and Sima Fu's lineage was inevitable. The only difference lies in whether those despicable acts are carried out discreetly or hastily.

Shi Shouxin shook his head helplessly.

The art of emperors involves mutual testing. Whether one harbors rebellious intentions is not important, or rather, not the primary reason; the ability to rebel is the most important factor.

Clearly, Sima Fu had the power to overturn the table, although he might not actually do it, but Sima Zhao would be worried!

Upon hearing Shi Shouxin's words, Sima You fell silent. He sat there motionless for a long time without saying a word.

Shi Shouxin truly lived up to his reputation as someone capable of overthrowing Zhong Hui; he meticulously analyzed the current situation, peeling back the layers of the problem.

Calling him a "master of coups" is probably not an exaggeration.

"Mr. Shi, please stay here tonight. We can discuss things tomorrow."

Sima You sighed deeply, feeling utterly exhausted. His mind was a complete mess, and he couldn't make sense of anything at all.

Sima Zhao, Sima Yan, Sima Fu, and those foreign officials all had different purposes and intentions.

If rebelling against Cao Wei makes someone a traitor, then the entire Sima family would be traitors to Cao Wei. Therefore, using a crude "loyalty-treachery" argument to distinguish friend from foe is inappropriate.

"Tao Fu, you should rest well. This matter cannot be resolved in a day or two."

Shi Shouxin comforted him.

Actually, he himself was thinking: If only I could kill all these insects.

"Mr. Shi, thank you."

Sima You said with a moved expression.

……

In the Jin Prince's residence, in Sima Zhao's bedroom, the powerful minister of Wei was lying on the bed, with Wei Fan silently serving him by the bedside.

"Prince Jin should take care of his health."

Wei Fan said softly.

Sima Zhao patted the bed to indicate that he had heard. Since he was faking illness, he needed to be careful that no one could overhear him.

Therefore, Wei Fan could speak, but Sima Zhao himself tried his best to keep his feigned illness convincing!

Two nights ago, he suddenly woke up from a nightmare late at night, then felt dizzy and his body became unresponsive.

It took about an incense stick's time for him to slowly recover, but he was drenched in sweat and so weak that he was panting heavily.

After this incident, Sima Zhao thought of something: feigning illness.

He did indeed fall ill suddenly, but it subsided quickly, which is a major hidden danger.

At this moment, Sima Zhao was indeed able to speak and act normally, and had not reached the point of being "unable to speak".

However, it is true that he is in poor health and could be bedridden at any time.

Sima Zhao was worried that Sima Yan would not be able to hand over power properly, so he set a trap to eliminate those who secretly opposed him.

Especially that old codger Sima Fu!

Sima Yan might not have realized Sima Fu's ruthlessness, but in Sima Zhao's heart, he was a true threat. The power of Sima Fu's lineage had grown so great that it could replace Sima Yi's lineage as the main branch of the Sima family.

It's about whether you want to, not whether you can.

"Ugh!"

Sima Zhao, lying on the bed, let out a long sigh.

"It is good for the Prince of Jin to think less and to cultivate his mind."

Wei Fan comforted Sima Zhao.

Sima Zhao lay on the bed with a bitter smile on his face, saying nothing.

How could this kind-faced old physician possibly understand the dangers of politics?

(End of this chapter)