Cao Mengde put down the stick in his hand and said to King Liu Yu of Shu with a serious face: "Just stand here and listen carefully to the true thoughts of us Wei officials." His words were full of majesty and firmness, as if emphasizing the importance of every word.
Cao Mengde first turned to Changsun Dechong, the Minister of War who was also the commander of the Kaifeng City Guard. He asked directly: "Young man Changsun, as the Minister of War, you are in charge of the Kaifeng City Guard. If we talk about rebellion, you have the best chance of success. So, let me ask you, will you rebel?" There was a hint of temptation in his tone, but more of it was serious and earnest.
Seeing that Cao Mengde took this question so seriously, Changsun Dechong put away his smile and answered Cao Mengde's question seriously.
Changsun Dechong replied without hesitation, "Lord Cao, do you think I'm a fool? Now both of Changsun's daughters have been taken into the harem by His Majesty. His Majesty always thinks of his daughters whenever there's something good going on. What reason do I have to rebel?"
If I truly rebel, not only will the army led by General Mu Yunfeng come to suppress me, even the people of the three Acropolis will tear me apart. Your Majesty saved them when they needed help the most, and now they not only have a stable life, but also a new house to live in. Do you think they will just watch me rebel without stopping me?"
Changsun Dechong's words were filled with loyalty to His Majesty and understanding of the people. He knew that if he truly embarked on a rebellion, he would not only be suppressed by the army but also face strong opposition from the people. The people's gratitude to His Majesty and their cherishment of a stable life would be the greatest obstacle to his rebellion. Therefore, he made his position clear without hesitation, demonstrating his loyalty to Wei.
Cao Mengde was very satisfied when he heard Changsun Dechong's answer.
Cao Mengde turned his head and stared sharply at Qin Hui. His tone was tentative and serious as he asked, "Prime Minister Qin, as the Prime Minister of Wei, and the head of all officials, your influence and power are obvious. If you harbored any other ambitions, then there is no doubt that you could mobilize numerous civil and military officials to rebel."
However, now that His Majesty has established the Royal Government Affairs Office, this will undoubtedly greatly weaken your power as Prime Minister. Faced with this situation, don't you feel the slightest bit of dissatisfaction? Don't you have the slightest thought of rebellion in your heart?"
Qin Hui remained unfazed by Cao Mengde's questioning. He smiled humbly and replied, "Lord Cao, you are truly flattering me. Although I, Qin Hui, have the honor of serving as Prime Minister, my power and position have always been bestowed upon me by Your Majesty."
Your Majesty established the Royal Government Affairs Office to better manage state affairs and improve administrative efficiency. As a subject, I should unconditionally support Your Majesty's decisions, not harbor dissatisfaction. Furthermore, my Qin family has been loyal for generations, deeply favored and trusted by Your Majesty. How could I, for my own selfish reasons, undermine the foundation of the state? If I truly harbored thoughts of rebellion, wouldn't I be betraying Your Majesty's trust in me and failing to live up to the teachings and expectations of my ancestors?
Qin Hui paused, took a deep breath, and continued, "Moreover, I myself clearly realize that I am not competent as Prime Minister. In the past few months, I have accomplished nothing and made no contribution worth mentioning to Your Majesty.
I have also seen myself clearly. In a peaceful and prosperous era, I might be able to barely fulfill the position of Prime Minister, but in a time of turmoil, I would feel incapable of it. Now that Your Majesty has established the Royal Government Affairs Office, it will just lighten my burden and allow me to have more time to handle the things I should do.
Cao Mengde was very satisfied after hearing Qin Hui's words. Regardless of whether Qin Hui's words were sincere or not, it was a fact that he simply did not have the conditions to rebel at the moment. Furthermore, the Qin family had indeed been loyal to the imperial family for generations. Furthermore, there was an ancestor within the Qin family who was aware of Chu Fan's prophecy. Even with that ancestor, it was impossible for Qin Hui to rebel.
Cao Mengde then turned to the Imperial Censor Wen Zhengqing and asked, "Imperial Censor, what are your thoughts? After all, His Majesty has entrusted you with the method for producing refined salt. If you were to defect to another country with the method, I believe any country would accept you.
And they will definitely give you a high position and generous salary, do you really have no other ideas?"
Before Cao Mengde could finish his words, Wen Zhengqing pointed at his nose and cursed, "Old man Cao, what do you mean by that? Are you questioning my disloyalty to the emperor and my patriotism, or do you think I'm a fool? Your Majesty trusts me so much, how could I possibly do something that would let Your Majesty down?"
Besides, apart from the Emperor of Wei, who dares to trust his own ministers so much, what other emperor would dare to let his own ministers know the method of making refined salt? If I really defected to another country, Your Majesty would not have to do anything. The monarchs of those countries would find a way to obtain the method of making refined salt from me and then kill me. Old man Cao, our censor is just pedantic, not stupid.
When Wen Zhengqing pointed at Cao Mengde and scolded him, the King of Shu came in front of Wen Zhengqing. Although Cao Mengde did not mind being scolded by Wen Zhengqing, he was very happy that his son-in-law stood up to defend him.
However, the King of Shu was really clueless. He asked Wen Zhengqing, "Do you really know how to make refined salt?"
Wen Zhengqing was speechless at this point and could only reply, "Yes, His Majesty taught my daughter the method of making refined salt and put me in charge of making and supervising the sale of refined salt."
Hearing this, the King of Shu was unwilling to believe it. The production method of a strategic material like refined salt would be told to a minister in the court, rather than the royal family producing it themselves.
Wen Zhengqing continued, "Your Majesty also taught the method of producing refined salt to your daughters, the two daughters of the Changsun family, and the daughter of General Mu. This is why Wei State did not sell refined salt to Shu State. Originally, Your Majesty wanted the Third Princess Liu Xueyu to return to Shu State and produce and sell refined salt herself."
After hearing Wen Zhengqing's words, the King of Shu stared blankly at Liu Xueyu. Liu Xueyu nodded and replied, "What Censor Wen said is all true. Furthermore, His Majesty also taught me how to make the miracle drug penicillin and rewarded me with a bountiful harvest of sweet potatoes and corn for me to plant back in Shu."
Before Liu Xueyu finished speaking, the King of Shu had already fainted from a brain freeze. He couldn't believe that an emperor would actually pass on so many things concerning the fate of the country to an outsider.
Looking at the unconscious King of Shu, Cao Mengde could only sigh in his heart, thinking that it was too early to be happy just now.
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