Chapter 5 Five, divorced brothers

"Thank you, Master Sima, for the 'Golden Silk Nephrite Armor' that you gave me. It is really tough and invulnerable!" In the side bedroom in the backyard of the Cao Mansion, Cao Pi said gratefully to Sima Lang while sitting on the couch, " That Zhao Yan is really cunning! In order to escape the search and attraction of the "Fengyi Pavilion" magnet gate, he abandoned the steel knife and iron sword, and sharpened the bamboo slips to assassinate me—thanks to this "golden soft jade armor" It was blocked by Pi, so it didn't go in..." "Eldest son, you don't need to be so courteous." Sima Lang hurriedly replied with extreme humility, "Everything is due to your own great blessing, eldest son, that's why you can be blessed in death! This is just a 'golden silk nephrite armor', You are so grateful to Lang!"

"Master Sima, Pi invites you here tonight because we have something important to discuss." After some polite conversation with Sima Lang, Cao Pi turned to the main topic, with a solemn face, fixed eyebrows, and looked straight at Sima Lang said, "This afternoon, Pi's Uncle Cao Hong has been yelling to take advantage of Zhao Yan's assassination to 'dig deep and catch more' in one breath, and catch all those who try to harm my Cao family." .However, Pi thought that such an approach like him would not be appropriate after all, so he temporarily took Zhao Yan and sent him to the "inner prison" of the prime minister's mansion and locked him up secretly. But how should the next step of the strategy be carried out? Pi At this time, I didn't think about it, so I asked Master Sima to give me advice."

Sima Lang had already figured out the ins and outs of this incident through his "eyeliner", and he even knew more about the situation behind the scenes than Cao Hong and Cao Pi.But at this moment, he could only pretend to have just learned about it, and seemed to have listened carefully to every word he said, pondered for a moment, and slowly opened his mouth to ask: "Then, can the eldest son and General Cao Hong learn from Zhao Yan today?" Did something come out of your mouth?" Cao Pi turned pale, and shook his head: "This Zhao Yan usually looks weak, but unexpectedly his mouth is very hard. Uncle Cao Hong smashed all his teeth, and even his two One leg was broken, and he just stood there without saying a word!"

Sima Lang sighed deeply: "This...Lang Zao should have already guessed it. Someone like Zhao Yan who dared to stab you with a 'bamboo sword' must have long since put personal safety and death aside. It seems that if General Cao Hong wants to "dig deep and catch more" from his mouth, even if he is killed, he may not be able to "dig" anything out." "Although I can't 'dig' it out of his mouth, now Pi doesn't need to 'dig' it anymore. In fact, I can guess who the behind-the-scenes masters are behind him!" Cao Pi frowned, and his eyes suddenly became serious. Cold as a sword.

"Oh? My lord, can you guess who these behind-the-scenes people are?" "Does it need to be said? It must be Yang Biao, those old men who have been subdued, and the remnants of Kong Rong's party." "That's right! Now that they saw the prime minister's soldiers coming down to Jingxiang without bloodshed, they felt a little displeased, that's all. But, what if... what if His Majesty is involved in this matter?" ?” "This... this..." Cao Pi suddenly stuttered: Sima Lang was right—the biggest mastermind behind the instigation of Zhao Yan to assassinate him might really be Liu Xie, Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty!If he is involved, what can I do with him?He is the Son of Heaven, the Supreme Being of the Four Seas...

"Lang has to remind the eldest son to pay attention. If at this time, you follow Zhao Yan's matter behind Xudu's "investigation and investigation" style, it will definitely cause panic inside and outside the court, and it will be difficult to deal with it! If there is any hidden behind the scenes The treacherous gangsters are waiting for the opportunity to make waves, and you will be even more difficult to deal with!" Sima Lang said solemnly. "So, according to Master Sima's intention, do you want Pi to swallow his anger?" "That's right. In order to avoid the sudden intensification of the situation inside and outside Xudu, and to prevent Prime Minister Cao from being caught in a dilemma, you can only uphold the tenacity of doing your own thing, including humiliation. On the one hand, you will strictly block the matter of your assassination from the outside world." , Tomorrow, I will still calmly enter Fengyi Pavilion to deal with general affairs, so as not to be turbulent, making it difficult to see the depth; In this way, we will definitely be able to deter those dissidents who try to harm the Cao family."

After listening to Sima Lang's advice, Cao Pi fell silent.He lowered his head and thought for a moment, then swung his right fist suddenly, and broke the armrest of the couch he was sitting on in two with a "click"—then, with a gloomy face, he said coldly: "Thank you, Master Sima!" If you give me advice, Pi will definitely follow through on it.” Sima Lang was slightly moved, and hastily knelt down flat on the seat, touched his forehead to the ground, and respectfully praised: "Young Master has the strength of Goujian in his heart, the ambition of perseverance in his heart, and he has the unrivaled majesty of a prime minister! Lang can't help but feel deeply Admire."

Cao Pi's expression finally gradually calmed down: "Then, is it still necessary to ask your father for instructions on Zhao Yan's matter?" "You should ask Prime Minister Cao for instructions." Sima Lang raised his head from the ground and looked straight at Cao Pi and said, "The matter of Zhao Yan can be kept under wraps in Xudu City, but in Prime Minister Cao's place, everything must be reported to him in time, and the matter must be kept under control. I respectfully request his holy heart to be clear." "But...but, if Pi pushes such difficult matters to his father, won't his father think that Pi is unable to solve his problems behind Xudu?"

"The eldest son is right. You can't just push things around without thinking like ordinary people. According to Lang's humble opinion, you can follow the example of the former prime minister, Sun Hong. Every time the court discusses, you always start the matter and let people decide on their own. The method of "choice" is to carefully list the various solutions that he intends to solve Zhao Yan's matter in the letter, try to be as thorough as possible, and then send it to the Prime Minister for his own judgment. In this way, both Prime Minister Cao can see the eldest son with his own eyes You are mature and wise, and Eldest Young Master, you will not make mistakes of dereliction of duty or disrespect."

Hearing what Sima Lang said, Cao Pi couldn't help nodding his head again and again: "Master Sima's words are very true, and Pi has been taught again." While he was speaking, he suddenly looked up and saw Sima Lang staring at him directly, his face full of tears. There was clearly a weird look on his face, as if he was hesitant to talk. "Master Sima, do you have any embarrassing things to say?" Cao Pi was startled, "It's okay to say something in front of Pi." "Well...it's like this, Lang is really happy to see the kind and virtuous demeanor of the eldest son!" Sima Lang's voice was a little choked up, and he raised the corner of his sleeve to wipe his eyes. "It's a pity, think about it for the eldest son, your life is not easy. Not only do you have to deal with open and dark arrows from all sides outside the Cao mansion, but you are also in danger inside the Cao mansion. "

"How do you say that?" Cao Pi's face changed suddenly. "You... have been busy with official duties in the 'Fengyi Pavilion' of Weiyang Palace recently, and you may not know that such an incident happened in the prime minister's mansion: Ding Yi and Ding Yan were conscripted into the prime minister's mansion by Shangshu Hua Xin last month. Three days ago, the brothers gathered a large number of literati, scholars, scholars, friends and companions, and went in a group. They actually asked for leave and went to Yecheng to visit the third son. They also publicized that the third son is "the most talented man in the world through the ages and the present." ’, although Qu Yuan and Sima Xiangru can’t match it..." Cao Pi listened coldly without saying a word, but his face became more and more livid. Sima Lang glanced at him secretly from the corner of his eye, and continued to talk sullenly: "So... So, Lang feels very distressed because of you, Eldest Young Master, and he doesn't know whether to say something..." "But it doesn't matter." These four words seemed to come out from between Cao Pi's teeth, heavy and hard like pebbles. "Then... then Lang just said it bluntly. If there is anything wrong, I hope you will forgive me. My son, in fact, this southern expedition to Prime Minister Cao, in Lang's mind, is deeply looking forward to Cao Cao's death." The prime minister can win a big victory, and he will definitely settle down in the south of the Yangtze River, and...he secretly hopes that Prime Minister Cao's victory can...be enough...yes, the victory should be enough... "My lord, don't be surprised, that's what Lang thinks—if Prime Minister Cao can really live up to everyone's expectations, and win a complete victory in one fell swoop, then when he returns to Xudu, he will be in line with the sky and stand on behalf of the Han Dynasty." Day! Once he establishes a foundation and establishes a business, he is afraid that he will inevitably hide his selfish love and disobey the etiquette. The absurd act of "love" is something that we, the Sima family, who have passed down the poems, rites and music, have the heart to sit idly by? Unfortunately, I am afraid that at that time, if we swear to the death and argue, we will just sacrifice our lives for loyalty. In the end, it will not be able to help the big things..." A loud "boom" interrupted Sima Lang's tearful confession. Cao Pi's cheeks were flushed, his beard and hair stood on end, and he punched out again in resentment. Half of it was smashed down abruptly... But there was a "buzzing" in his ear drums, and he couldn't hear Sima Lang's hasty reassurance at all. He could only clearly echo in the "Qingyun Temple" over and over again that day. What Zhou Xuan said: "... If you want to hold Tai Ah forever, hold power forever, and make it grow like a towering giant tree with deep roots and luxuriant leaves, evergreen all the year round, you have to find another way to be the leader..."