Chapter 60 Chapter 60 Avoiding Cards

Soon, Cao Cao also heard the news that Liu Xuande was in Hebei. Cao Cao called Zhang Liao and asked, "How is Guan Yu doing recently?" Zhang Liao replied: "It seems to be immersed in the memories of some past events. He stopped drinking and stayed silent all day long in the guard's duty room in the inner courtyard to read." Cao Cao seemed a little anxious in his heart. Of course, Zhang Liao noticed this.Since Cao Cao was in a very bad mood, Zhang Liao comforted him kindly: "I plan to visit Guan Yu soon, and gently inquire about his state of mind." After speaking, Zhang Liao withdrew.

A few days later, Zhang Liao leisurely came to the guard duty room in Guan Yu's inner courtyard. "Ah, you came just in time." Guan Yu put down his book and welcomed Zhang Liao into the hut. The hut was very small, and after the two sat cross-legged, there was no more room left. Zhang Liao asked with concern: "What book are you reading?" "I read "Spring and Autumn"." "Do you like to read "Spring and Autumn"? In "Spring and Autumn", the story of Guan Zhong and Uncle Bao's relationship that has been passed down through the ages is written. Do you have any thoughts when you see it?"

"Nothing special." "Don't you think how enviable their relationship is?" "...I don't really envy..." "Why is that? No matter who reads "Spring and Autumn", they will be envious of Guan Baozhi. Especially Guan Zhong's famous saying, "Parents who gave birth to me, Uncle Bao who knows me." Anyone who reads will envy them trust between the "For me, having a realistic confidant like Liu Xuande is enough, and the contacts of the ancients are really not enough to make me feel envious." "Haha, I understand what the general means. You mean that your relationship with Liu Xuande is far more than that of Guan Bao in ancient times, right?"

"Of course. Because Guan Zhong, Bao Shu and others have never said a word about living together and dying together." Like a rock in a torrent, despite being washed by the torrent for hundreds of years, the rock remains motionless. Zhang Liao was also deeply moved by Guan Yu's heart of iron and stone today.But based on his own standpoint, he still persisted in asking: "Then, how do you see my friendship with you?" Zhang Liao thought that this was a sharp question, as long as he asked it, he could test out his sincerity. After Guan Yu heard this, he replied without hesitation: "I met you by chance and formed a close friendship. We protect each other in good and bad times, and know each other in adversity. But if you want me to do something that violates the righteousness of the monarch and his ministers, I, Guan Yu It cannot be done.”

"You mean that the friendship between you and Liu Xuande is beyond the comparison of the general relationship between monarchs and ministers, isn't it?" "Isn't it stupid to ask such a question?" "If that's the case, when Liu Xuande was defeated in Xuzhou, why didn't you risk your life to fight to the death?" "Isn't it your Excellency who stopped me from doing this?" "Hmm, if the relationship between you and Liu Xuande really reaches the level of unity..." "If I knew that Uncle Liu Huang was dead, then I, Guan Yu, would also decide to die today."

"Maybe you already know that Liu Xuande is in Hebei now, don't you want to find him as soon as possible?" "You are right. If the past promise still exists, I swear to fulfill it. It just so happens that you are here today. Please tell the prime minister about my difficulties and ask the prime minister for leave. I sincerely beg you .” As Guan Yu spoke, he changed his sitting position and thanked Zhang Liao again and again. (It seems that this person has decided to leave the capital in the near future and turn to his old master.) Zhang Liao knew Guan Yu's determination very well without looking at it now, so he left Guan Yu's guest house in horror and ran to the prime minister's mansion in a hurry.

Guan Yu has made up his mind, and his heart has already flown to the sky over Hebei. Zhang Liao reported the truth to Cao Cao. Cao Cao listened silently, heaved a long sigh, and frowned worryingly: "Ah, Guan Yu is indeed a loyal man. Isn't my true love enough to keep him?" If he realized something, he said to himself: "Good! Good! I have a plan to keep him." From that day on, a notice was pasted on the doorpost of the Prime Minister's Mansion: Visitors are not allowed to knock on the door! "Is there any news now? What will Zhang Liao tell Cao Cao?"

Guan Yu waited patiently, but after a few days passed, the Prime Minister's Mansion never sent an envoy. One night, when Guan Yu left the guard's duty room and was about to return to his own room, a man suddenly ran out from the dark, approached Guan Yu, and said softly to him: "General Guan, please take a good look at this after you go back." .” As he spoke, he secretly stuffed a letter-like object into Guan Yu's hand, and then floated away like a breeze. Guan Yu stared blankly at the disappearing figure, feeling a burst of astonishment. That night, Guan Yu lit the lamp alone in his room, weeping and reading the letter over and over again.

This letter is exactly the handwritten letter of his elder brother Liu Xuande who he misses day and night. In the letter, Liu Xuande narrated the old relationship between their brothers in a continuous and sincere manner, and wrote in the letter: Bei and his subordinates became sworn brothers from Taoyuan, their love surpassed that of flesh and blood, and they swore to live and die together.The foolish brother is not talented, and he has been defeated repeatedly, which makes the righteous brother exhausted and suffers hardships.Today, if you wish to be rich and honored with one step, I would like to present the head of the preparation to complete the success.The book is not exhaustive, so look at it carefully.In the evening, he looked up at Yuntian in Henan and waited for his orders.

Reading Liu Xuande's heartfelt words, Guan Yu's heart is full of resentment rather than joy - what is wealth and what is merit, if these can change the relationship, why should I endure such hardships? Guan Yu thought about it for a second, and changed his original thoughts: "That's really a pity. My love is only kept in my heart now, and how can my brother who is far away know?" That night, Guan Yu stayed up all night.The next day, when he was sitting alone in the hut in the guard's duty room, he couldn't read the book in his hand. At this time, the mysterious man disguised as a businessman sneaked in from nowhere. He approached the window of the duty room and asked Guan Yu in a low voice, "Does the general want to write a reply?"

Guan Yu took a closer look and found that the person who came was the person he had seen last night. "Who are you?" Guan Yu asked in a low voice, while looking around vigilantly. The other party replied in a low voice: "I am Chen Zhen, Yuan Shao's retainer. I just want to leave this place as soon as possible and return to Hebei to spread the word for the general." "Although I am eager to go, I must protect the safety of the two ladies. If I am alone, I can leave now." "Then what should the general do? Is there a way to escape?" "I have nothing to do. It's just that when I came to Xudu, I made three agreements with Cao Cao. The few credits I made a few days ago were to repay Cao Cao secretly. The next thing I have to do is to ask him for leave. When I came, I clearly Bai Bai, you have to be clear when you go, and you must handle things properly." "But if Cao Cao disagrees with the general's leave, what should you do?" Guan Yu smiled and said: "At that time, I may give up my body and return to the old master as a spirit." Chen Zhen disappeared from the capital immediately after receiving Guan Yu's reply. The next day, Guan Yu wanted to meet Cao Cao to ask for leave for himself, but when he walked to the gate of Cao Cao's prime minister's mansion, he saw a "card to avoid visitors" hanging on the doorpost, which read: "No visitors are allowed to knock on the door!" When the host closes the door and refuses all guests, he usually hangs such a sign on the door. In terms of etiquette, when a guest sees such an avoidance sign hanging at the door, no matter how important the matter is, they will leave silently. Cao Cao expected that Guan Yu would ask him for leave soon, so he put up the sign of avoiding guests in advance. Guan Yu stood in front of the card to avoid customers for a while, and had no choice but to return sadly.In the early morning of the next day, Guan Yu came to the prime minister's mansion again, but he was still turned away by the avoidance card. On the third day, Guan Yu deliberately chose to arrive at the Prime Minister's Mansion in the evening. The strange thing is that the door in the dusk is still closed quietly, as if suffering from blindness and dumbness. Guan Yu returned empty-handed again. After returning home, Guan Yu immediately summoned more than 20 personal attendants that he had kept in Xiapi City, and solemnly ordered them: "We will leave the inner courtyard with the two wives in the car in a few days, so everyone should quietly prepare for departure." An ecstatic smile appeared on Madam Gan's face, and she asked Guan Yu, "General Guan, when are we going to leave here?" Guan Yu replied calmly: "It's just a matter of day and night." Then, Guan Yu explained the preparations for departure to the two wives in detail, and sternly instructed his followers: "Not to mention the supplies in this courtyard, even the gold, silver and satin horses that Cao Cao usually rewards me are all sealed up and kept, and I am not allowed to take anything away." In addition, he ran to the gate of the Prime Minister's Mansion to have a look every day like a daily class, and finally had to return empty-handed, and this continued for seven or eight days. Guan Yu was discouraged and thought to himself: "There is really no other way, I'd better go to Zhang Liao's private residence and talk to him." But I didn't expect Zhang Liao to avoid meeting him because he said he was sick. No matter what he said, Zhang Liao's family refused to pass on the message to the master. "There's really no way out!" Guan Yu let out a long sigh, and secretly made up his mind to leave. He is a very upright person. At first, what he thought day and night was how to meet Cao Cao, and then fulfill the gentleman's agreement and say goodbye happily.Unexpectedly, the current situation was really unexpected, and he had to think that Cao Cao's gate might not open in another hundred years. "In any case, I have made up my mind not to change the date of departure." Guan Yu finally made up his mind. That night, he wrote a farewell letter as soon as he went back, and then put it in the warehouse together with the seal ribbon of Hanshou Tinghou. Then, he registered the crates of jewels, jade, gold and silver, all kinds of silk, bundles of satin and piles of precious treasures that filled the warehouse one by one, and finally sealed them tightly. stand up. Then he ordered his followers: "Let's do a thorough cleaning of the courtyard together." The general cleaning was done after midnight, and the surrounding area looked spotless under the silvery moonlight. "Okay, let's go together!" Following Guan Yu's greeting, a car drove towards the gate of the inner courtyard.The two wives hid behind the curtain of the car, and twenty attendants followed closely behind the car. Guan Yu led the red rabbit horse, got on the horse, held the Qinglong Yanyue knife in his hand, and walked in front to clear the way for the two wives.They were going to go out through the north gate. The soldiers guarding the city gate concluded that there were two ladies hidden in the car, so they blocked the way and tried to stop the car driver. Guan Yu stared angrily and cursed: "Who dares to stick your paws into the car and try it out? I'm going to make you little brains fly into the sky!" Guan Yu cursed and smiled mockingly.The soldiers guarding the city were all frightened and fled in all directions in the dark. Guan Yu said to his followers again: "As soon as the sky is bright, the enemy will definitely catch up. Just protect the car and drive ahead, and don't disturb the two ladies!" After Guan Yu gave detailed instructions, he stayed behind and walked leisurely along the official road of North Street.