Cao Mao and Zhong Hui were both the sort to act as soon as they decided.
Zhong Hui left straightaway, saying he would seek out Zheng Mao and prepare to take office as Minister of the Imperial Clan.
Cao Mao, however, had no intention of disturbing the Empress Dowager again. He would let her rest for a day, give her time to settle the terror in her heart, and come back tomorrow to discuss these appointments.
Cao Mao knew that this was his best opportunity to put his people in place.
The ministers at court were now like a heap of loose sand. Sima Shi's death, the unrest in the provinces, and their internal struggles over interests had left them utterly without cohesion. Under these circumstances, Cao Mao could do as he pleased.
But once they calmed down and began to unite, it would be very difficult for Cao Mao to do anything more.
The force the ministers formed would be even stronger than Sima Shi, hemming Cao Mao in on every side. When fighting Sima Shi, Cao Mao had liked to drag things out; the longer he delayed, the worse it was for Sima Shi.
Now, however, the longer things dragged on, the worse it would be for the emperor.
Fortunately, Sima Shi had lent a hand. His final blow had inflicted devastating losses on many clans, especially those few great families in Hebei, which had all but been wiped out. Most importantly, this would trigger another round of infighting among the ministers as they fought to seize the inheritance those great families had left behind.
Of course, they could forget about land and population.
At present, clan territories were still rooted in geography. A great family from Henan could not reach its hand into Hebei. Even marrying into