Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 187 Step Back, It's My Turn

With the precedent of Shi Shouxin defeating Zhong Hui, no one questions his ability in this area.

All eyes in the room turned to him, their meaning practically written on their faces.

However, Shi Shouxin did not directly answer Sima Yan and the others' questions. Instead, he looked at everyone and asked in return, "In my opinion, neither Sima Fu nor Sima Fu have shown any signs of rebellion at present. How should we deal with them? As the saying goes, judge by actions, not intentions; if you judge by intentions, there are no good people in the world."

His words left all three people present speechless.

Sima Fu is still an old tortoise, staying in the Chang Le Duke's mansion all day, never going out or receiving guests. He looks so "kind and benevolent," what do you do about him?

Even Sima Fu was only in Luoyang to check on his father, who had been injured by bandits, as he was leading troops to the banks of the Yellow River to "suppress bandits." You think he overstepped his bounds? He can simply retreat; what's the big deal?
This family is so loving and filial, what's wrong with them?

Sima Yan and the others were speechless.

Sima Fu's caution, or perhaps his cunning, lay in this: as long as he didn't make a move, he had no leverage over anyone. He was, in a sense, invincible.

However, by the time he actually makes a move, it will be too late. The dead can't speak; whatever they say will be taken as gospel!

To put it bluntly, it's questionable whether the Incident at Gaoping Mausoleum would have succeeded without Sima Fu's involvement.

Judging from the horrific acts of exhumation and mutilation of the corpses of Wang Ling and others who participated in the Huainan Rebellion, Sima Yi's cunning may not have been as great as Sima Fu's.

How can we break through this impasse when facing such an opponent?
"Sima Shi, according to you, we have no way to deal with them?"

Yang Xiu retorted, her anger rising. It wasn't that Shi Shouxin's argument was unreasonable, but rather that he was in a very passive position!
The four people present were all young people, all in their twenties, and they were completely suppressed by the old man Sima Fu. Isn't that humiliating?
Anyway, Yang Xiu couldn't swallow this insult.

Moreover, they are waiting for "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle" Sima Fu to make a move. Either the other party will remain still, or once they do, it will surely be a bloodbath! They will strike ruthlessly!
It's very difficult to have the opponent make the first move and then be able to strike back first and subdue them!

"Shi believed that since the Prince of Jin was feigning illness to set up a trap, he must have a next move."

If I'm not mistaken, the rumors of Prince Jin's worsening condition should soon spread like wildfire throughout Luoyang.

The scheme was orchestrated by the Prince of Jin; cooperating with him is the first thing to do.

Shi Shouxin pointed out the most crucial thing at the moment: Sima Zhao is still in charge of the Sima family!

Whether it's Sima Yan or Sima You, any major actions they take now will only be seen as an attempt to undermine Sima Zhao, and they won't get away with it.

As a subject, one should know where the boundaries of a subject lie!
"Sima Shi is right."

Sima Yan, unusually, agreed with Shi Shouxin.

Now, everyone in the room, no matter how big their past conflicts may have been, must put them aside and deal with the current crisis first.

Sima Yan agreed with Shi Shouxin, because if he made a mistake, he would lose his position as crown prince, and the input and output would be completely disproportionate.

It can be described as high risk, low output, and not worthwhile.

"How about this, the two young masters, Anshi and Taofu, will continue to take turns fulfilling their filial duties in front of Prince Jin's bedroom, just as they are now."

Yang Xiu was responsible for investigating the movements of the Imperial Guards inside and outside the city, while I was responsible for operating within the city and acting as a go-between.

Every evening, we would meet at the Prince of Jin's residence to discuss what we had found out.

When news of the Prince of Jin's serious illness spread, many eyes were on the two princes. Your movements were very inconvenient, which could easily arouse Sima Fu's suspicion.

But no one will care about me, so I can do some inconspicuous but very important things in private.

Shi Shouxin offered his advice to the group.

Sima Yan and Sima You both nodded in agreement. After all, they only needed to act as filial sons in the Prince of Jin's residence, while Shi Shouxin had many other things to worry about.

If something really goes wrong, just push Shi Shouxin out; he'll be completely unscathed and it'll be beneficial without any harm.

However, in private, they could use various connections to pave the way for Shi Shouxin, so they weren't just waiting idly.

There are advantages to not showing up; not showing up doesn't mean not putting in effort.

In this way, the news didn't leak out, it didn't attract attention, and the matter was still accomplished.

Yang Xiu was in the same boat; his job was to gather information for Sima Yan, including details about troop movements. He was simply doing his job and wouldn't arouse suspicion.

Now there is only one question: can Sima Yan and Sima You completely trust Shi Shouxin?

If this were to be done, Shi Shouxin's personal loyalty would become extremely important!
For example, what if Shi Shouxin turns right after leaving the house and directly reports everything to Sima Fu?

At this point, whether or not you can trust the people you employ becomes the key to getting things done!
Yang Xiu thought for a moment, then gritted her teeth and said to Sima Yan, "Shi Gandang is both wise and brave. Back in Shu, he even managed to eliminate Zhong Hui. We can feign an attack while secretly advancing. I think Shi Shouxin can be trusted!"

Shi Shouxin glanced at Yang Xiu with some surprise. He had thought that Yang Xiu would stand up and object, but he didn't expect that Yang Xiu would actually agree.

“Brother, I also think this is more appropriate.”

Sima You also expressed his opinion.

Given this situation, even if Sima Yan disagreed, he would have to reluctantly consider it, especially since this arrangement required him to do absolutely nothing.

very safe.

"Then let's arrange it this way."

Sima Yan nodded.

After the business was concluded, no one touched the food and wine on the table. Sima You led Shi Shouxin out of the Prince of Jin's residence, intending to return to his private villa for a good night's sleep.

After Sima You and Shi Shouxin left, Sima Yan muttered to himself, "Shi Shouxin is capable and always the first to step up when something happens. He's a real talent. It's a pity he's following Tao Fu."

At that moment, he also felt a fondness for talent and forgot his "hatred for having his concubine taken away".

Yang Xiu curled her lip and said, "An Shi, Shi Shouxin is the right-hand man that the Prince of Jin arranged for Tao Fu. We must not let him return to Luoyang in the future."

Upon hearing this, a shadow crossed Sima Yan's face, and he nodded slightly.

Shi Shouxin is indeed very capable. He works for Sima You, and if he's not in Luoyang, everything is fine. But if he's by Sima You's side, and he's in Luoyang, who knows how much trouble he'll cause.

It's not scary to have someone who is capable but can't handle things, nor is it scary to have someone who can handle things but is incapable.

The real danger lies in those who are willing and able to shoulder responsibility; they are far from ordinary.

Walking on the empty street, Shi Shouxin looked at Sima You and said, "Now we need to invite a person of high moral character to act as a bridge between the Prince of Jin and the court. Otherwise, it will be difficult for the news to be spread in accordance with the Prince of Jin's wishes."

Shi Shouxin felt that although Sima Zhao acted very well, he forgot the saying, "Too much of a good thing is bad."

Sima Zhao was so focused on setting a trap for the old coin Sima Fu that he failed to consider that, under the current circumstances, if Sima Fu was truly as terminally ill as he appeared, then Sima Zhao's priority would not be to remain silent and feign death, but rather to quickly issue an "abdication edict."

Then he quickly designated a successor, summoned all his trusted ministers, and used his last bit of strength to ensure that the successor ascended the throne right under his nose!
This is what a truly seriously ill person should do; Sima Zhao was ultimately just an average person with insufficient ability.

Therefore, following the advice of a "wise person," Sima Zhao's condition should have worsened rapidly, and then he "miraculously" recovered.

This "good" condition could be a temporary resurgence of energy before death, or it could be a genuine recovery from a serious illness!

This is the moment when the true intentions are revealed.

Similar things have happened throughout history, and they are the most effective way to confuse the enemy.

"Mr. Shi is right."

Sima You nodded.

Judging from the current situation, if this continues, Sima Zhao's act may very well backfire and destroy him.

Without reliable and smooth channels of communication with important officials of the court, it is tantamount to severing the lifeline of the exercise of power.

At that point, Sima Zhao could simply announce that he has recovered from his serious illness, and the scheme would fall apart on its own.

Either continue to play dead and watch the situation deteriorate in a direction you don't want to see.

"Does Mr. Shi already have a solution?"

Sima You pressed for an answer.

Shi Shouxin nodded and said, "Prince Jin, there is still one thing that concerns your life and the success or failure of the plan that we have not done. Before we do this, neither Sima Fu nor the court officials will take any substantial action."

These words drew a sidelong glance from Sima You.

The person who was able to overthrow Zhong Hui after his successful coup was no ordinary person. In the arena of coups, Shi Shouxin was almost a king, and his ability to do practical things and offer advice was evident to all.

"What is it?"

Sima You asked curiously, his curiosity piqued.

Shi Shouxin leaned over and whispered a few words. Sima You suddenly realized what was going on and slapped his forehead in frustration.

"I knew it! That's how it should be. How come I didn't think of that!"

Sima You's face showed excitement. Just from what Shi Shouxin said, he knew that the other party had completely grasped Sima Zhao's thinking and understood the "rules of the game" in this situation.

The troops stationed at Fupingdu were indeed very likely under the command of Sima Fu, but this force may not have been there to participate in the coup.

It's possible they'll just wait on the other side of the Yellow River, showing off to the people in Luoyang.

If Shi Shouxin viewed Sima Fu as a greedy and self-serving person, then both Sima You and Sima Yan would have questioned his abilities.

Sima Fu was a man who made thorough preparations and observed the development of events before deciding whether or not to take action.

That's why his threat is so great, which is what is meant by "drawing the bow but not releasing it, yet poised to leap forth."

The army that crossed the Yellow River at Fupingdu may have entered Luoyang on business, or they may never have crossed it at all.

That was merely a bargaining chip that Sima Fu used to seek greater benefits for his descendants.

To put it bluntly, it was laid bare for Sima Zhao to see!

Only by fully understanding Sima Fu's nature—a nature that is both greedy and not greedy—can one fully appreciate the perilous nature of this situation.

Unsurprisingly, Shi Shouxin's thinking not only kept up with, but even surpassed, that of Sima Fu and Sima Zhao.

"Your Highness, there is no time to lose. I will go now, and we will meet at the Prince of Jin's residence tomorrow night."

Shi Shouxin bowed to Sima You and took his leave. Then, he turned into a small road that led to the residential areas north of Luoyang.

……

The next morning, Sima Fu was taking a walk in the courtyard of the Duke of Changle's mansion.

When he saw Sima Wang arrive, he acted as if he hadn't seen him and continued his stroll in the courtyard.

Sima Wang followed behind him without saying a word, but wherever Sima Fu went, Sima Wang followed.

"Has the Emperor made any moves lately?"

Sima Fu asked casually.

Sima Wang shook his head and said, "There's been no movement at all; they're still eating, drinking, and having fun."

"Ah That's good."

Sima Fu nodded, a slight smile appearing on his face.

"As for the Prince of Jin... Sima Yan and Sima You are taking turns guarding the door, and the Prince of Jin doesn't seem to have woken up yet."

Sima Wang said hesitantly.

"That's a matter for the Prince of Jin's residence. Why are you telling me this?"

Sima Fu looked at Sima Wang and asked, his tone reproachful.

"It was my fault for talking too much, nephew."

Sima Wang said awkwardly, his heart filled with unease.

(End of this chapter)