"Your Majesty... look, how is this written?"
Sima Yan took a sip of warm wine, breathed out a cloud of hot mist, then looked at Cao Mao, who sat before him.
Cao Mao held an essay in his hands and read it carefully.
"The criticism is good, but you're trying too hard... you can't just criticize me. You have to criticize yourself too, and convey the helplessness and pain of someone close to me."
"You can't present yourself as forceful. You have to present yourself as a victim."
Cao Mao analyzed this essay remonstrating with him, while Sima Yan merely felt a headache coming on.
"Your Majesty, this is already the version I brought after having the scholars in my father's service revise it five times... I say we leave it at that. Why be so particular?"
Cao Mao looked at Sima Yan solemnly.
"Anshi! Have you forgotten your ambition?!"
"How can you make do when it comes to criticizing the emperor?"
Sima Yan said, sounding rather aggrieved, "I never wanted to criticize you in the first place. You're the one insisting I submit a memorial criticizing you..."
"Anshi, if you want to become one of Great Wei's foremost celebrated scholars, this is what we have to do."
Cao Mao set the essay aside and began earnestly analyzing the matter for Sima Yan.
"Your background is an advantage. Unfortunately, when you were young, your family was so busy that they never found allies to appraise you. Your younger brother, on the other hand, has already been appraised by several celebrated scholars. In terms of reputation, you're already a step behind."
"Still, given the current situation, we can't say there's no opportunity at all."
"Do you know how to become a foremost celebrated scholar?"
Sima Yan asked hesitantly, "Write essays... study