Mythical Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1337: Chapter 1290: Sima Yi’s Refusal

”Truly bold indeed.” While Chen Xi and the others were discussing fiefs, Sima Lang, who had some free time on Cao Cao’s side, was also chatting about this matter with his brother.

”What boldness?” Sima Yi turned his head and glanced sideways at the official announcement again, then sneered and said, ”The Emperor still doesn’t understand what he relies on. Similarly, he probably misjudged the intentions of the Feudal Lords.”

Sima Lang remained silent for a while and then said, ”The Emperor, ah, has a significant difference from what I imagined. Rather than saying he is the Son of Heaven acting for Heaven, it’s better to say he is a mere mortal.”

Sima Lang sighed deeply after speaking, somewhat nostalgically remembering the Han Dynasty at its peak. The current Emperor, ah, lacks the demeanor of ’I am the state’.

”Instead, it is the current Feudal Lords who possess that awe-inspiring demeanor.” Sima Lang sighed, ”Zhongda, if this matter is not handled well, we might suffer the consequences.”

Sima Yi felt a bit heavy-hearted. Rather than saying this official announcement was gradually transmitted, it would be better to say it was presented to the Emperor by Liu Xuande. However, the Emperor had no other choice. Under the insistence of Dong Cheng, Fuu Shou, and others, to maintain the Emperor’s dignity, the already-established official announcement would only be accepted.

But after it was accepted, the Emperor would inevitably see all Feudal Lords as rebels, and Liu Xie, already discontent with Cao Cao, would undoubtedly accelerate his efforts to seize power to prevent such events from happening again. As for Liu Xie and his allies’ intelligence...

Well, in Liu Xie’s view, this isn’t about seizing power; it’s merely reclaiming what is rightfully his. So, for Liu Xie, doing this doesn’t require intelligence. For Liu Xie, both thunder and rain are blessings from the Emperor, and all ministers in the realm should submit to his whims.

Unfortunately, for Cao Cao, who has walked out of life-and-death situations, it certainly isn’t so. Although Sima Yi found it hard to ascertain Cao Cao’s temperament, he was certain that Cao Cao wasn’t someone who would allow himself to be taken advantage of at will. He acknowledges the Emperor’s authority, not because Liu Xie is the Emperor, but because the Han Officials are still alive.

Xun Yu, as the greatest Han Official under Cao Cao, considerably restrains Cao Cao, but compared to Cao Cao, Sima Yi can clearly understand Xun Yu’s mindset. It’s not that Xun Yu is not clever; rather, Xun Yu is unwilling to disguise his true intentions.

Therefore, Sima Yi knows that if the Emperor moves against Cao Cao first, Xun Yu would permit it as long as it doesn’t harm the Emperor, because Xun Yu understands that if there’s anyone who could restore the Emperor’s position now, it would probably only be Cao Cao.

Though this prospect seems rather dim, to ensure Liu Xie remains the Emperor, Xun Yu would rather harm the Emperor’s dignity to guarantee Cao Cao’s absolute power.

Of course, from Sima Yi’s perspective, this approach is entirely unfavorable on both sides. For now, Cao Cao might not say anything, but if someday he truly holds great power, current conflicts will plant the seeds of catastrophe for Xun Yu’s future.

Similarly, if one day Liu Xie becomes enlightened and regains power, then Xun Yu would certainly be someone he needs to eliminate, regardless of anything else. It won’t change the fact that Xun Yu is enabling Cao Cao to gain absolute control at the Emperor’s expense.

Regarding Xun Yu’s course of action, Sima Yi had nothing much to say. The Legalists hardly regard themselves as human; as long as their ideals could be fulfilled, they wouldn’t hesitate to die for their cause.

Though Xun Yu always considered himself part of the Confucian School, everyone knows his conduct aligns closely with Legalist principles. If his beliefs are similar to a Legalist, frankly, it wouldn’t be too surprising.

As for perhaps one day dying at the hands of these two, Sima Yi believes Xun Yu would only feel a touch of sorrow about it.

After all, whether it’s being killed by Cao Cao or the Emperor, Xun Yu’s goals would have largely been achieved from his point of view. He achieved everything he set out to do, and whether he lived or died probably wouldn’t matter much at that point.

”Someone will surely address this; it has nothing to do with me.” Sima Yi turned and said to Sima Lang, ”Don’t underestimate the civil and military people under Lord Cao’s command. Surely they can see through Liu Xuande’s malicious intent in this announcement.”

Sima Lang sighed, not too concerned. In their family’s case, should they lose, they could just admit defeat and show humility. After all, they hadn’t done anything outrageous; at worst, Chen Xi would just have them brothers sent home to study.

Although Sima Lang was quite content with Cao Cao, he wasn’t willing to give up his life for him.

”Alright, go read your books. If you don’t want to serve under Lord Cao, I can arrange for you to join Liu Xuande’s side. Considering the close relationship between the Chen Family and the Sima Family, how about that?” Sima Lang sighed and said.

His younger brother had reached the age to enter officialdom, and even if it weren’t chaotic times, given the Sima Family’s standing, it was time to donate a position for Sima Yi to become acquainted with officialdom. Yet, Sima Yi showed absolutely no intention of entering official service.

”...” Sima Yi was momentarily silent.

Honestly, Sima Yi was a bit tempted. He believed that if he could join Liu Xuande’s side, he would undoubtedly receive excellent treatment. Moreover, Chen Xi was the type who didn’t mind capable people using backdoor means. As long as he went over, he would quickly rise to prominence, akin to Zhuge Liang.

”If you’re tempted, I’ll write you a letter. I still have some contact with Chen Zichuan and exchanged letters with him before.” Sima Lang, seeing Sima Yi hesitate to speak, smiled and said to him.

Back at Mount Tai, even though he wasn’t optimistic about Liu Bei, Sima Lang, a model of maxed-out social skills, still gifted his personal jade pendant to Chen Xi as a token of friendship. Consequently, there was some correspondence between Chen Xi and Sima Lang.

Sima Lang had no idea that the main reason for lazy Chen Xi’s correspondence with him was actually to tempt Sima Yi.

Even though Chen Xi himself had become quite influential, thinking of Sima Yi, who had a love-hate relationship with Zhuge Liang, as a distant relative, Chen Xi felt the need to support him to prevent him from going astray. If he could be transplanted to his side, that would be ideal.

After all, this was the Late Eastern Han Dynasty, a time when family and kinship were significant. In a distant place, meeting someone from your hometown was one of life’s great joys, so trying to recruit Sima Yi wasn’t much of a problem.

”I think I’ll pass...” Sima Yi briefly displayed a hint of struggle, with the image of someone in white robes flashing in his mind. Zhuge Liang was thriving with his distant cousin there; going now would put him a step behind, wouldn’t it?

[Just wait, Zhuge Liang. I must defeat you to the ground! Losing once isn’t losing. No, losing twice doesn’t count. Ah, damn, even losing three times doesn’t mean anything. Let’s see who wins on the battlefield next time. It’ll only count if I lose again!]