Sima Yi was the elder of the Four Dynasties of Cao Wei (Cao Cao, Cao Pi, Cao Rui, and Cao Fang), and Cao Rui was the second emperor of Cao Wei, young and promising, and Cao Wei's national strength flourished under his rule. Some people say that Sima Yi, who is not afraid of heaven, is very afraid of Cao Rui, why is he so afraid of Cao Rui?
First of all, Sima Yi was only a courtier, and Cao Rui was the emperor, and the courtiers were naturally afraid of the emperor.
Sima Yi had the ability to do things again, and he was also a courtier, and during Cao Cao's time, he looked down on Cao Cao as a eunuch's grandson, did not want to do things for Cao Cao, and pretended to be ill at home. Unexpectedly, Cao Cao forcibly recruited Sima Yi as a literary warrior, and if Cao Cao knew that Sima Yi would empty his descendants in the future, he would not forcibly make Sima Yi an official. During the Cao Rui period, Sima Yi was promoted to sima yi as a general, the governor of The Capital, and the fake Huang Yu, and fought against Shu together with the general Cao Zhen. No matter how big his official was, he was also a courtier, and he could not turn out the palm of the Buddha's hand, and he had to obey the orders of the monarch and do things for the emperor.
In this regard, Sima Yi was not afraid of Cao Rui, but of imperial power, of the supreme power in this world. Other ministers, such as Chen Qun and Cao Zhen, would also be afraid when they saw Emperor Cao Rui.
Secondly, during the period when Cao Rui was in power, there were still many Cao clan and Xiahou clan relatives who held military power, and Sima Yi naturally did not dare to fly and stagger.
During Cao Rui's reign, Cao Zhen also monitored Sima Yi and defended Shu Han with Sima Yi. When Cao Rui was seriously ill and dying, the first minister he chose was Cao Yu the Prince of Yan (Cao Cao's son), as well as the leading general Xiahou Xian, the Wuwei general Cao Shuang, the Tun Riding Colonel Cao Zhao, and the Xiao Riding General Qin Lang, all of whom were relatives of the Cao clan and loyal to Cao Wei.
At this time, Sima Yi was just a laborer who led troops to fight in the frontier, but his qualifications were a little old. He only led his army to fight in the enemy country when there was a war, and these soldiers were not his private soldiers, not his iron fans. As long as Cao Rui said a word, Cao Wei's army would be on the side of the emperor, and he would not listen to Sima Yi.
Third, Cao Rui was a wise and divine emperor who firmly held great power.
When Cao Rui ascended the throne, he was already a 22-year-old adult, and he was fully capable of taking over his father Cao Pi's class and governing Cao Wei in an orderly manner. He was calm and resolute, and he was well versed in the way of imperial checks and balances, and soon after becoming emperor, he put the four auxiliary ministers into a group and repeatedly transferred Cao Xiu, Cao Zhen and Sima Yi to the border, effectively reducing the influence of the three on the central government and facilitating his own power. Cao Xiu and Cao Zhen also accumulated fatigue and illness in frequent transfers, and died soon after, leaving only Sima Yi and Chen Qun as two auxiliary ministers. These two people are foreign surnames, do not pose a threat to Cao Rui, and are very obedient. At this time, Cao Rui was in a position of great power and said one thing in the middle of the country. The relevant descriptions in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms are as follows:
In May of Xia, Emperor Zhidu summoned the great general Cao Zhen of the Chinese army, the general Chen Qun of the Zhen army, the general Cao Xiu of the Zhendong Army, and the general Sima Xuanwang of the Fu army, and was entrusted with the will of the heir.
In the end, Sima Yi made the appearance of being afraid of Cao Rui, which was a wise move by Mingzhe to protect himself, and finally won the victory.
Sima Yi, good at disguise, especially in front of Emperor Cao Rui, was as well-behaved as a little rabbit, and what Cao Rui said, he listened to. Sima Yi was well versed in self-preservation strategies, and he did not confront Cao Rui, on the contrary, he deliberately made a look of fear. Sima Yi successfully deceived Cao Cao, Cao Pi, Cao Rui, and Cao Shuang, and in 249 AD, successfully launched the Gaopingling Rebellion, destroyed the three tribes of Cao Shuang, and seized the power of Cao Wei.
Summary: When Cao Rui had just ascended the throne, Sima Yi was not afraid of Emperor Cao Rui, but a courtier's respect for the emperor at least. Later, when Cao Rui seized power from the four auxiliary ministers and seized the power of Cao Wei, Sima Yi really felt that Cao Rui was powerful, and in order to survive, he always appeared as a well-behaved child. Sima Yi was wise, he survived three generations of Cao Cao, Cao Pi, and Cao Rui's descendants, and finally launched the Gaopingling Rebellion, seized the power of Cao Wei, and laid the foundation for the Western Jin Dynasty.