Chapter 33 Chapter Thirty-Three

"Ah, it's dangerous!" Dong Cheng returned home with the feeling of escape from the tiger's mouth. As soon as he entered the house, he immediately locked himself in a room and re-examined the imperial clothes and jade belt. "Hey! Why is there nothing?" Dong Cheng looked carefully at the imperial clothes, and repeatedly checked the inside and outside of the jade belt, but found nothing. "Are you thinking too much?" Dong Cheng himself had no idea. So he refolded the two gifts from the emperor and carefully placed them on the table.For some reason, Dong Cheng's thoughts were so chaotic that night that he couldn't sleep all night.When the emperor bestowed two gifts, there seemed to be something mysterious in his words, and his eyes seemed to be implying something. ——Dong Cheng could clearly see the emperor's facial expression at that time, and he will never forget it.

One night four or five days later.Dong Cheng sat at the table and rested his chin on his hands, thinking about something.Perhaps a little tired, he fell asleep unconsciously. At this time, the oil lamp next to him suddenly dimmed.The flames swayed with the wind that leaked into the house, and suddenly, the oil lamp flicker fell off with a "pop". "..." Dong Cheng was soundly asleep.Suddenly, he seemed to smell a burning smell.After he woke up, he looked around, only to find that the lantern had fallen on the jade belt, and the jade belt was emitting green smoke... "what."

Dong Cheng let out a scream, and hastily extinguished the fire with his hands.But it was too late, a burnt hole the size of a thumb had been left on the purple brocade embroidered with Double Dragon Playing Beads on the jade belt. "This is a big disaster!" Dong Cheng cried out secretly. Dong Cheng knew very well that although the burnt hole was a small hole, what he had committed was a serious crime. He was so frightened that he lost all sleepiness, and just stared at the hole in the jade belt.In the process of gazing, he moved little by little with the light again, carefully observing the burnt hole with wide eyes.From the cave, he could vaguely see the slightly exposed white silk, and also saw the color like blood permeating the white silk.

After Dong Cheng discovered it, he inspected it carefully again, and finally saw that the one-foot-long seam on the jade belt was sewn with new needles and threads. I see!There were layers of waves in Dong Cheng's heart. He took out the knife and opened the seam of the jade belt.Sure enough, that white silk was a secret edict written in blood by the Son of Heaven.Dong Cheng put down the oil lamp, bowed respectfully to the secret edict, then picked up the secret edict tremblingly and read it. I have heard that in the greatness of human relations, father and son come first; in the difference between honor and inferiority, the ruler and his subjects are the most important.Recently, the Cao thief has taken power and ran rampant in the palace gates. Under the guise of assistance, he actually deceived the monarch and father; he formed a private party and corrupted the government;I worry about it day and night, fearing that the world will be in danger.Qing is the patriarch of the country and my dearest relative.Remember the difficulties of Emperor Gaozu's entrepreneurship, unite the martyrs who have both loyalty and righteousness, wipe out the traitorous party, and restore the country, so as to protect the great benevolence of the ancestors in the business forever.

In a hurry, he broke his finger and spilled blood, and wrote an order to Fu Qing, and be careful, don't disappoint me. In the spring and March of the fourth year of Jian'an Dong Cheng was moved to tears after watching it.Drops of clear tears fell on the blood edict.He bent down and bowed again, unable to get up for a long time. "How can it be so serious?...Why is this? How sad the emperor will feel." While weeping for the emperor, Dong Cheng also issued his own firm oath: In order to repay the kindness entrusted by the emperor, I will not be afraid of all difficulties and spare my life!

Dong Cheng understands that it is not easy to fulfill the great trust of the emperor.So, he secretly hid the secret edict in the emperor's blood book in his sleeve, and went straight to his study. The servant Wang Zifu is Dong Cheng's close friend.Because of being an official of the imperial court, there are many constraints when going out.One day, the imperial court gave him a little leisure time, so the prince had time to visit his friend Dong Cheng's house during the day.He and Dong's family spent a whole day in Dong's mansion. "What did your master do?" It was almost dusk, and Dong Cheng was still nowhere to be seen, Wang Zifu couldn't help asking anxiously.

One of the family members replied: "The master has been staying in the study. Since the day before yesterday, when he said he wanted to check something, he locked himself in the room and saw no one." "That's a strange thing. What is he looking for?" "We don't even know what he's looking for." "It must be bad for him to work so hard, right? I'm going to persuade him to come out and have a happy night with us." "No, Mr. Wang, if you go directly to the study without notifying him in advance, he will be angry." "It doesn't matter if he's angry, he and I are best friends. I'll go and see him right away. Will he break up with me for such a trivial matter?"

Since Wang Zifu knew Dong Cheng very well, he always regarded his home as his own, so he didn't need the guidance of Dong's family, and went straight to the master's study.Although Dong's family members felt a little embarrassed, they thought that he was a good friend of the master who never saw him, so they were busy preparing dinner and let him go. From a few days ago, Dong Cheng locked himself in his study all day long.From morning to night, he thought hard about how to wipe out Cao Cao's power from the palace, how to repay the emperor's ardent expectations, and ensure that the Sacred Heart is safe.He spent sleepless nights thinking about the plan to destroy Cao, and he still leans on the book and thinks hard.

"Hey, are you dozing off in the study?" Wang Zifu, who entered the room to find friends, stood behind Dong Cheng and asked suddenly. Immediately, he found that Dong Chengzhi seemed to be pressing something under his elbow on the book table. Looking carefully, it was a piece of white silk with a few lines of blood written on it, and the word "朕" was exposed in it.He couldn't help being taken aback. Dong Cheng seemed to feel that someone was behind him, and he turned his head nonchalantly. "Ah, it's you!" He let out a cry of surprise, and hastily hid the white silk with blood on it on the book table into his sleeve.

Wang Zifu looked at the piece of silk and asked gently: "What is that? You now..." "Oh, nothing..." "You seem very tired to me." "Kind of, I read here every day." "Is it reading grandson's book?" "Ok." "Don't hide it from me, you can tell from your face." "No, I'm just too tired." "Really? But I advise you not to worry too much. If you don't handle it properly, it will lead to the destruction of the court, the extermination of the nine clans, and even chaos in the world."

"This... why are you making such a joke?" "Uncle Guo, what should you do if I go to Cao Cao's place as an informer?" "informer?" "Yes. Until now, I thought that you and I were close friends, but I didn't expect you to have a hand in me." "..." "You trust me and regard me as your best friend, and I have always been proud of it. Now that you don't, then I will be an informer and report you to Cao Cao immediately." "Ah, wait a minute," Dong Cheng grabbed his sleeve and said to him with tears, "If you find out my secret and report it to Cao Cao, then the Han Dynasty will surely perish. You are also a generation of deep Are you a court official who has been favored by the emperor of the Han Dynasty?... We are close and good friends, and your anger at your friend should be just a personal grudge. I firmly believe that you are not a person who forgets righteousness for personal grudges." Although the two are close friends, Dong Cheng seems to be particularly sensitive to Wang Zifu's answer at this time, and put on a posture of two confrontation, fighting for life, Wang Zifu smiled quietly. "Don't worry, how could I forget the great grace of the Han Dynasty? What I said just now was just a joke. But you are too cautious about this important matter, and even kept it a secret from me. You are just worrying about the country and the people alone. As your close friend Friends, of course there will be dissatisfaction." After Dong Cheng heard this, he let out a long sigh of relief, and thanked him with his forehead: "Please forgive me, I definitely don't doubt your loyalty, but I haven't come up with a clear plan until now. These days, I have been thinking about it day and night. , the mind is in chaos. If you can use your strength to conspire with great things, it is really a great fortune in the world." "I have generally noticed your worries. If you want, I can help to show my loyalty." "Thank you! Now I will tell you everything I have concealed just now, and close the door behind you." After Dong Cheng finished speaking, he stood upright, showed him the blood edict of the emperor, and spoke his heart with tears and trembling all over. Prince Fu also had tears in his eyes, and the two talked by candlelight. After a while, Wang Zifu swore again: "Thanks to you for telling the truth, I am also very happy to participate in the righteous deeds, and vow to fight Cao Cao to the death, so as to reassure the Sacred Heart!" Then, under the candlelight in the secret room, the two made their blood alliance again.Dong Cheng took out a piece of silk and wrote the meaning of the alliance on it.Then, Dong Cheng was the first to sign, followed by Wang Zifu, and both of them also pressed blood seals under their own names. Dong Chengdao: "Now that you and I have formed a righteous alliance, are there any other like-minded people who can conspire in this matter?" Wang Zifu answered affirmatively: "Yes. General Wu Zilan is my good friend. He is honest and especially loyal. If we explain the righteous deeds to him, he will definitely become our backbone." "Then I'll leave it to you. I think there are Xiao Wei Zhongji and Yilang Wu Shuo in the imperial court. They are also loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty. Let me tell them clearly when I choose an auspicious day." It was already late at night, and Wang Zifu was spending the night at Dong's house.The next morning, the two talked secretly in the study again.At noon, the servant brought the visitor's badge.When Dong Cheng saw the famous assassin, he couldn't help clapping his hands and laughing: "It's a coincidence that it's really a coincidence that whoever is talking about it will come." Wang Zifu asked curiously: "Who is the visitor?" "It's Yilang Wu Shuo and Xiaowei Zhongji that I told you about last night." "Did they come together?" "Exactly. Are you familiar with them too?" "It's just meeting in the palace. Before I know their true feelings, I'd better hide behind the screen for a while." "That's fine." The two guests came to the study led by the servants. Dong Cheng came out to greet him in person. "Ah, I'm sorry to welcome you. I'm very bored today, so I have to read a book in the study to relieve my boredom. It just so happens that you two are here. I'm so happy." "You are reading. It is an elegant thing to read on this rare quiet day. We have disturbed you." "Where is it? I'm really tired of reading it now. But I think reading history books is very interesting no matter what time it is." "Are you watching "Spring and Autumn" or "Historical Records"?" "I'm reading the biography of "Historical Records"." "By the way," Wu Shuo suddenly changed the subject, and said abruptly, "The last time the emperor hunted, uncle Guo also accompanied the emperor." "Well, are you talking about Xu Tian's royal hunter?" "Yes, how did you feel that day?" Dong Chengwan didn't expect the question he wanted to ask, but the other party first asked it.He was startled suddenly and couldn't help frowning. ... The other party's mind is unpredictable, and the current human heart is difficult to understand.Thinking of this, Dong Cheng schemingly said perfunctorily: "Oh, Xu Tian's imperial hunting is a recent grand event, and it's rare for us ministers to go to the mountains to relax. It was a pleasant day." After hearing Dong Chengruo's nonchalant answer, Wu Shuo and Zhong Ji couldn't help but change their tone, "Is this all you have?" The two seemed to ask bluntly, "It's probably not Uncle Guo's original intention to talk about happy days. .We still hate that day to this day. What a happy day? The day when Xu Tian was hunted by the imperial court was a day of shame for the Han Dynasty." "Why do you say that?" "You ask why, didn't Uncle Guo see Cao Cao's arrogant behavior with his own eyes that day, so he didn't have any thoughts?" "Speak softly! Cao Cao is a hero in the world, so don't make rash comments. Walls have ears, and it will be troublesome if others overhear your radical words." "Is Cao Cao that terrible? Although he can be called a hero, he is a traitor that heaven and earth cannot tolerate. Although we have only meager strength, we are all loyal court officials who are loyal to safeguarding the country's ancestral temple, so in this regard, Cao Cao is just a man. A traitor to fear." "What you said really came from your heart?" "Is there any joke about such a big event?" "Cao Cao is powerful today, although you have a loyal heart, what can you do?" "We are the party of justice, and we firmly believe that there is the protection of heaven. Now we can only wait for the opportunity, and take advantage of it when he is slack... Whether he is a towering tree or a tall building, he will eventually be hit by the wind of righteousness. He fell down with a bang. To be honest, the two of us came together today just to question Uncle Guo’s conscience and find out your true intentions.” "..." "Uncle Guo, you were quietly summoned by the emperor that day, and went to the pavilion of meritorious officials in the Taimiao. What was the situation at that time, did you receive a special edict from the emperor directly?... Please tell us without reservation that we are also the world's Courtiers who eat Hanlu." The two young and strong ministers in the palace finally forgot to lower their voices, and asked Dong Cheng aggressively with fierce words. The prince's clothes, who had been hiding behind the screen to eavesdrop, flashed out of the screen and shouted: "All of you traitors who are trying to murder Prime Minister Cao are not allowed to move. There are spies and soldiers from the Prime Minister's mansion coming to arrest you. You should go obediently!" Welcome them!" Zhong Ji and Wu Shuo didn't panic when they heard this, they turned to Wang Zifu and said coldly: "Loyal ministers do not hesitate to die, we are always ready to serve the court with death. If there is a spy, let him stand up and let us see." experience." The two held sharp swords, and their eyes were full of murderous intent. It seemed that as long as the prince turned around, they would immediately swing their swords to kill from behind. Wang Zifu changed his words to Dong Cheng: "Now I really see the sincerity of the two of them." At the same time, he tried his best to comfort Zhong and Wu to dispel their anger. Then, several people re-entered the secret room.After Dong Cheng apologized to Zhong Ji and Wu Shuo, he showed the emperor's blood edict and the blood-sealed alliance agreement in front of them one by one. Dong Chengdao: "Here is the emperor's secret edict, please read it carefully." The two sighed after seeing it: "No wonder!" After they cried and worshiped the emperor's blood edict, they signed and sealed the alliance agreement. Coincidentally, at this time a servant came in to tell: "The prefect of Xiliang Ma Teng is here to say goodbye before returning." "It's really not the right time." Dong Cheng said impatiently.Wang Zifu, Wu Shuo and others looked at the master's face and frowned, "If he just said goodbye before going back, wouldn't it be nice to see him?" Dong Cheng shook his head: "No, I don't see you. I won't suddenly pretend to socialize with people." In order to take strict precautions, Dong Cheng specially told the servant to refuse Ma Teng with excuses: "You said that since Xu Tian's royal hunting, the master has been sick and rested at home." However, the servant who delivered the message still ran back and forth many times.He reported: "Master Ma said, 'You can just come to the hospital bed to have a look, you have to meet me', so I declined him again and again and still didn't go back." "Master Ma also said domineeringly, 'Your master said that Yu Lie has been ill since then, but I saw him going to the palace to meet the emperor not long ago. Although it was just a flash and I couldn't see clearly, I feel that he didn't seem to be seriously ill. degree.' It seems that Mr. Ma has no intention of leaving easily." The servant added with a sour face and in a crying voice. "If you really can't do anything about him, then go to another room and meet him." Dong Cheng couldn't hold on any longer, so he had to pretend to be sick, and ordered his servants to lead Ma Teng to meet him in another room. The prefect of Xiliang, Ma Teng, walked into the guest courtyard with loud strides.As soon as he saw his master, he said frankly: "Uncle Guo, you are a relative of the emperor, and everyone respects you as the elder of the country. This time, I came here to say goodbye to you, but I didn't think about it, but I was shut down. Is it too much for you to do so?" Too much? Could it be that you have any overnight hatred with me, Ma Teng?" "There's no overnight feud, it's just that I'm sick, and I'm being rude to your visit." "I was guarding Xifan for the imperial court in a faraway border. Normally, I seldom have the opportunity to visit the emperor, even less so, so I came to visit this time. Unexpectedly, my uncle refused to see me because of his illness? Looking at it now, he looks completely sick. I don't know why Uncle Guo is so contemptuous, I really don't know why." "..." "You have nothing to say?" "..." "You keep your head down and say nothing like a dumb man. Why? Ah, I see. It can only be my fault that Ma Teng misjudged the person." Ma Teng was very angry and got up and left the table angrily.Facing the master's silence, he threw down a sentence as if spitting and was about to leave: "You are not the pillar of the country either! You are just a useless stubborn stone covered with moss." Dong Cheng suddenly raised his head when he heard Ma Teng's heavy footsteps, and said loudly, "General, please stay!" "What's the matter? You useless rock." "You say that I am not the pillar of the country. What is your basis? I want to hear your reasons." "Are you angry? Seeing you angry at least shows that you are a stubborn rock with good conscience. Open your eyes and take a good look. Cao Cao's clumsy performance when he shot the deer on the day of the royal hunting has reached the point where both gods and men are angry." You have to listen carefully with a clear mind and ears, and listen to the voices of those righteous people whose blood is racing for this." "Cao Cao is the pillar of the army, a famous figure of a generation, why are you so angry with him?" "You're so stupid." Ma Teng raised his eyebrows and shouted loudly, "I can't talk about big things with people who are greedy for life and fear of death. I'm sorry to bother you. You can bask in the sun to bask in the fat all over your body, nourish your head, The white moss on the cheeks is healed." After Ma Teng finished speaking, he strode away. Dong Cheng hurriedly chased after him and said to Ma Teng: "Wait a minute, please listen to me, this stubborn rock, and say another word. I have something to tell you, let's discuss it again." As Dong Cheng said, he pulled Ma Teng by the sleeve and led him into the secret pavilion deep in the courtyard.It was there that Dong Cheng confessed the secret edict and his own heart to Ma Teng for the first time. After Ma Teng listened to Dong Cheng's heartfelt words, he bowed to the emperor's secret edict, and this mighty man couldn't help crying bitterly. In the eyes of the Westerners in the far border, Ma Teng is a fearsome general from Xiliang.In fact, he is also a bloody man who can be moved to tears and is as brave as iron. "Knowing that you have the same ambition as me, my heart, Dong Cheng, is really full of enthusiasm. I asked you to wait outside the door for a long time, please don't worry about the unreasonable actions. These are all things I have to do to test the general's sincerity. If We are fortunate to have the great help of the general, so the success of the big event is half assured, and the time of victory is not far away. General, can you sign and seal our covenant?" As soon as Dong Cheng's words fell, Ma Teng bit the tip of his tongue without hesitation, dipped his finger in the blood on the tip of his tongue, and directly pressed the blood mark. Then, he said solemnly to Dong Cheng: "Once the day comes when you decide to take action against Cao Cao in the capital, I will definitely ignite a beacon fire in Xiliang to fulfill today's oath." When Ma Teng said this, his eyes widened and his hair stood on end, reminiscent of his heroic image in the midst of the storm.Dong Cheng called Wang Zifu, Zhong Ji, and Wu Shuo again, and introduced them to Ma Teng. So far, there have been five loyal men who have sworn a blood oath on the letter of justice. Dong Cheng said excitedly: "Today is really a good day. Everything will go smoothly on such an auspicious day. Next, how about asking Wang Zifu to invite Wu Zilan, who has never met before, here to discuss important matters?" Since it was Dong Cheng who spoke, everyone agreed.Wang Zifu immediately rode a horse to meet Wu Zilan. Wu Zilan also joined the alliance that day.In this way, there have been six loyal people with one heart and one mind. In this secret chamber, a small banquet is now being held to celebrate the bright future to come. "If there are ten loyal people like this, wouldn't our great event be a success?" Everyone was discussing with each other excitedly as they toasted each other. "It makes sense. Now let's check each place according to the order of the mandarin ducks and herons in the palace." Thinking this way, Dong Cheng ordered someone to immediately fetch a list of mandarin ducks and egrets. The so-called order of mandarin ducks and herons is the roster of ranks arranged by hundreds of officials when they went to court.After Dong Cheng opened it, everyone looked at it line by line, and finally felt that although there were many officials, there were no truly reliable candidates. At this time, Ma Teng suddenly shouted: "Yes! There is only one suitable candidate here." His voice was extremely loud, no matter how much the people next to him reminded him, the volume was still more than double that of ordinary people. Hearing his loud voice in the secret room, everyone couldn't help being startled. "Who are you talking about?" As they spoke, they all moved their heads to the roster he was holding in his hand, and looked at it carefully. Ma Teng said again: "This person is still a clan member of the Han family, God helped me. Look! Isn't the name of Liu Xuande, governor of Yuzhou, listed in the list of relatives?" "Oh……" "This person is far more than the ten of us. As long as we welcome such a person, it will undoubtedly add a thousand weights to our oath....As far as I know, Liu Xuande and his sworn brothers have attacked Cao Cao This is especially rare at a time when the nation's fortunes are in crisis." "How did you find out about this?" "On the day of the royal hunting, when Cao Cao stood in front of the emperor, proudly accepting the cheers of the crowd as his own, Liu Xuande's brother-in-law Guan Yu showed a look of resentment to punish the thief. From this, Liu Xuande must have It was also a conspiracy, but it was just that he held back at the time." After hearing Ma Teng's words, the six loyal men headed by Dong Cheng seemed to see the dawn, and their confidence and fighting spirit for the future increased. Dong Cheng knew very well that now he only had some understanding of Liu Xuande's personality, but it was not easy for him to join the Cao Cao League, so he had to be very cautious about it.So after breaking up that day, he decided to wait patiently for a good opportunity.