Sima Zhou was first appointed as Ningshuo General (寧朔將軍) and put in charge of the security of the Wei nobles living in Ye city.
[5] Cao Mao eventually met his end at the hands of Cheng Ji (成濟), a subordinate of Sima Zhao's adviser, Jia Chong.
The day after his coronation,[6] Emperor Wu enfeoffed his uncle Sima Zhou as the Prince of Dongguan (東莞王) with a princedom comprising 10,600 taxable households.
On 17 March 268,[7] Emperor Wu appointed Sima Zhou as Right Supervisor of the Masters of Writing (尚書右僕射) and General Who Pacifies the Army (撫軍將軍).
In c.April 269,[8] he reassigned Sima Zhou to be Senior General Who Guards the East (鎮東大將軍) and granted him imperial authority to replace Wei Guan in supervising military affairs in Xu Province.
On 5 October 277,[9] Emperor Wu heeded a suggestion by the minister (and his uncle-in-law[10]) Yang Yao (楊珧) and started reshuffling the various princes and their princedoms.
Some months later, Sima Zhou was reassigned to supervise military affairs in Qing Province and was given an additional appointment as a Palace Attendant (侍中).
When Sima Zhou became critically ill in 283, Emperor Wu bestowed several gifts on his family and even sent officials to visit him and enquire about his health.