Chapter 7 first quarter

Since yesterday, Xun Yu has never left Shangshutai. Cao Gong's army is now stationed in Guandu, and the work of appeasing Xu Du and even the entire rear area falls on his shoulders.Documents from all over the country flew into this small Shangshutai like snowflakes, and almost every one was stamped with the seal of "Urgent Report", requiring him to make decisions on behalf of Cao Gong-this is trust and a heavy responsibility. What's more, the emperor is seriously ill, and he has already sent edicts to see his foreign ministers, and he has to approve many court petitions and proposals.

"The world is in chaos, the country's affairs are unfinished..." Xun Yu rubbed his sore eyes, brightened the oil lamp, and tightened the big fur that was wrapped around his body.Staying up late for several consecutive days made this gentleman with a gentle face look haggard. Fine wrinkles quietly formed between the corners of his eyes and forehead, and the long black beard hanging down his jaw was slightly curled. Xun Yu is not only Cao Cao's right-hand man in politics, but also the minister of the imperial court.This dual identity made him extremely busy, not only to share Cao Cao's worries, but also to ensure the dignity of the court.

A servant poked the remaining ashes in the bamboo stove, and a few feeble sparks flickered and then went out.He turned his eyes to Xun Yu helplessly, Xun Yu glanced at the inkstone ink pool that was about to be frozen, sighed, and waved his palm.The servant quickly fetched a few charcoal sticks and threw them into the furnace, laying down on the ground and blowing desperately. Xun Yu has always refused to use the refined charcoal produced in Luoyang Mountain. The charcoal has a lot of firepower, but the output is very low. Xun Yu transferred the limited few hundred catties to the Imperial Palace and Sikong Mansion.Ordinary charcoal is easy to produce smoke, which affects the review of official documents, so Xun Yu only adds a few when the room is too cold.He felt that since he was a minister, he should set an example for all officials.

Flames burst out of the furnace again, and the temperature in the room rose slightly.Xun Yu rubbed his hands, stretched out his hand to fetch another roll of documents, and deftly tore apart the silk rope tied around it. At this moment, there was a faint shout from outside the window.Xun Yu frowned slightly, and turned his ears to listen. He is a cautious person. This is in the palace, so it is not proper to make such a loud noise. "It's out of water!" A clearer shout came from outside, and the brush in Xun Yu's hand trembled, almost dripping ink onto the laid bamboo slips.In winter, the wind is dry and things are dry, and the palace is mostly wooden buildings, which are most afraid of fire.If it burns, it will be continuous and endless.

Xun Yu stood up quickly, opened the door and walked out quickly.As soon as the door was opened, the cold wind outside the door took the opportunity to blow in. He was shocked to see that the direction of the Forbidden Palace was ignited by the north wind, and the flames lit up half of the sky. ※※※ The palace was already in chaos, the soldiers and guards of the old guards were running around, shouting loudly, shouting everywhere, some ran outside the palace, some ran inside the palace, like a swarm of headless flies.Most of them are town soldiers and villagers who came to serve in corvée. They have not received any training at all, and they are completely at a loss when encountering such a thing.

There was only one little yellow door standing on a high place, shouting and trying to control this chaos, but unfortunately no one listened to him at all.Xiao Huangmen jumped off the high platform and ran towards the outside, almost bumping head-on with Xun Yu who was rushing over. "Where's the emperor?" Xun Yu grabbed the small yellow door and asked loudly.Xiao Huangmen quickly replied: "Your Majesty is still in the bedroom, Mr. Zhang refuses to open the door, and the little one is going to call the guards to rescue him." This made Xun Yu's heart skip a beat.Xun Yu looked around and shouted loudly, "Who is on duty today?"

"Lieutenant Zhong." "where is he?" Before Huangmen could answer, a general in armor ran over in a panic. Xun Yu recognized him as Captain Changshui Zhong Ji, and asked coldly, "Where are your people?" He was woken up in his sleep, and his mind was still a little confused. Hearing Xun Yu's question, he gasped while clutching the crown of his helmet, "They are all outside the palace. Sima Wuzhao dare not open the gate of the palace without permission." "Absurd! The chief officer stays in the palace, why are the subordinates stationed outside the palace!" Xun Yu was furious, "Pass my order, open the middle door wide, let them come in immediately to escort!"

Lieutenant Changshui originally belonged to the Northern Army and was in charge of public security in the capital.Zhongji's soldiers were all recruited by the emperor along the way after he fled from Luoyang.Therefore, the imperial court made it simple, and assigned part of the original Wei Wei and Guang Luxun's responsibilities to him, and asked him to be in charge of the guard.Compared with those idle guards, the soldiers under Zhongji's command are relatively elite, and they are the only reliable force of the imperial court in Xudu. Zhong Ji hurriedly took the order, and Xun Yu captured a few more officials, telling them to gather their subordinates and gather in front of the gate of the forbidden province.With Shang Shuling in charge, the panicked crowd gradually restored order.

It is very close from Shangshutai to Provincial Gate.Xun Yu rushed over in three steps at a time, and saw that the two yellow-framed doors were still tightly closed.At this time, the fire was getting bigger and bigger, and he could feel the heat wave even outside the forbidden area. Xun Yu was so anxious that he raised his head and shouted: "I am Shang Shuling Xun Yu, who is at the door?" Half of the door slowly opened, revealing a frightened old face, he was Zhang Yu from Zhonghuangmen. "Is it Lord Xun Ling?" "Open the door quickly! Do you want the entire forbidden area to be burned to ashes?" Xun Yu shouted with his eyes wide open.

"It's fine if it's you, it's fine if it's you..." Zhang Yu felt relieved, and quickly ordered someone to open the door, muttering, "I'm afraid that someone will take advantage of the chaos to harm the emperor. Not everyone is in Xudu's ghost place." All the same as you." Xun Yu knew that the old man had always been full of complaints, so it was inconvenient to delve into it at this time, so he stepped into the door and asked, "Where is Your Majesty at this time?" "Your Majesty and the Empress both escaped in time, and are now resting in the next hut."

Xun Yu felt at ease and looked inside.Sure enough, it was the sleeping hall that caught fire. The whole building was completely enveloped by fire dragons, surrounded by smoke and fire, and there were occasional crackling sounds.A group of eunuchs were beaten desperately with brooms and wet hemp in panic. Xun Yu glanced around, and suddenly asked, "Why is there no water in the tank?" He pointed in the direction of a row of large tanks, which should have been filled with water in case of fire.Zhang Yudao: "The washing and bathing in the palace all come from the tank. It's freezing cold today, and there is no one to replenish water..." At this time, the little yellow door interjected: "There is a lot of snow in the palace, and people can boil the snow to melt water for temporary needs." Xun Yu gave him an admiring look, and ordered him to follow this method. . At this time, Zhong Ji led a group of soldiers to rush over. Seeing that they still had steel knives hanging from their waists, Xun Yu was furious: "You are also an old courtier, and you don't understand the rules? Do you want to assassinate Your Majesty?" Is it?" Chong Ji blushed and ordered the soldiers to take off their weapons and throw them on the ground, and there was a "crackling" sound on the bluestone ground. "Rescue the driver first, and then put out the fire." Xun Yu gave instructions with a sullen face.So the soldiers were divided into three teams, one team went to support the eunuchs and tried their best to prevent the fire from spreading to the surrounding palaces, one team went to rescue the prince and concubines, and the other team followed Xun Yu and Zhong Ji directly to Luguo. Lugu is the resting place of the guards, close to the palace wall, separated from the palace by a road and a pond, and it will not be affected for a while.Zhang Yu transferred the emperor here as soon as the fire broke out. After all, he was an old eunuch who was in charge of the forbidden province when he was Emperor Ling. After all, he was very experienced. Xun Yu saw the emperor wrapped in a brocade quilt, sitting on the stone steps outside the hut, staring blankly at the fire in the bedroom in a daze.Standing on the back and Tang Ji were serving on both sides. Both of them had disheveled temples and disheveled clothes, and they could tell at a glance that they were running extremely hastily. Regardless of etiquette, he stepped forward and knelt down on one leg: "My minister is late for escorting, and I deserve death." Xun Yu raised his head and saw that the emperor was pale and there were a few gray marks on his face. Slightly sour.Recalling that when the emperor came to Xudu, he also had such a distressed expression, and Xun Yu felt very guilty. At this time, he leaned back and said, "Mr. Xun Ling, are these four weeks safe?" It is a prudent act not to evacuate in a hurry after seeing the ambush, but to ask the surroundings for peace first.Xun Yu was quite appreciative, bowed his head and replied: "Changshui Captain Zhongji is also here, with their guards, you can have everything you need. Please move your majesty to Shangshutai to avoid accidents." Xun Yu didn't notice that Zhongji and Fuhou behind him exchanged glances very quickly. "Zunza." Liu Xie coughed a few times, his voice was weak and inaudible.Xun Yu felt that the voice was a little strange, so he couldn't help but take a second look, and said, "Your Majesty's holy body is not yet safe, and he has been disturbed again, so he must be properly settled." Xun Yu knew that the emperor had been ill for a long time, and this was not the time to pursue it. , let Zhang Yu lead the way, Zhong Ji led his troops to protect the left and right, and the group hurriedly withdrew from the forbidden area. As soon as he went out, Xun Yu found that the outskirts of the forbidden center had already been surrounded by an army.Those soldiers were indifferent to the fire, they just put their spears horizontally and blocked all the people who tried to escape from the imperial city. "Lord Xun, it's too late for the general to save you." A mid-spirited voice came, which was still clearly heard in such a noisy environment.Xun Yu knew that this was Yangwu Zhonglang General Cao Ren, Cao Cao's younger brother.He was originally stationed in the southern part of Xu County, but later the main force of Cao's army went north, so he was transferred back to defend Xudu. It was Cao Sikong's most powerful force left in Xudu.Xun Yu did some calculations, and from the moment Huo arrived to the arrival of Cao Ren's troops, it took less than three sticks of incense. Xun Yu turned around and explained to the emperor, then walked over and said to Cao Ren, "The general is here very quickly." Cao Ren grinned and said, "The emperor has something to do, so how dare you be unhappy." When he said this, he still used his eyes Glancing at the emperor behind Xun Yu, that look was by no means loyal or friendly. Xun Yu didn't seem to notice the change in Cao Ren's eyes. He pointed to the guards: "The emperor is frightened, and it's not good for swordsmen. Please trouble the general." Cao Ren nodded and waved the horsewhip in his hand: "Sheath it." More than a thousand soldiers in black armor put their sabers into their sheaths at the same time, their movements neat and neat. The army formation split in two silently, leaving a narrow passage.This kind of scene made Zhongji's expression not very pretty.He asked his subordinates to surround the emperor, and walked slowly under the watchful eyes of Cao Jun on both sides.It wasn't until the emperor successfully entered the Shangshutai that Zhong Ji let out a long sigh of relief.When Xun Yu saw his cautious look, he thought it was a little funny. Cao Ren didn't stay for too long. With so many armored soldiers surrounding the emperor, it was inevitable that he would be suspected of treason.When all the guards of Zhongji arrived one after another, Cao Ren said goodbye to Xun Yu and led his army back to camp.The black armor was like a tide, and it quickly receded completely. In Shangshutai, after the emperor was settled down, Xun Yu asked Fuhou what happened.Fu Hou said that tonight Tang Ji brought nocturnal rest grass to offer to His Majesty, but accidentally knocked over the censer and ignited the curtain.Tang Ji's attendant Xiao Huangmen risked his life to escort the three of them out of the bedroom, but he was burned to death inside. Xun Yu didn't have any doubts about this statement, he asked the emperor and the empress to rest at Shangshutai for a while, and then left in a hurry, ordering the palace staff to continue to put out the fire.Due to her status, Tang Ji also resigned first, leaving only the emperor and queen.No one approached this noble couple, only Zhang Yu from the Zhonghuang Gate stood guard at the door of Shangshutai, complaining with snot and tears. The fire burned for a full night before it was extinguished, and the sleeping hall and a side hall around it were almost burned to the ground.In the ruins of the sleeping hall, people found a charred corpse, which must be the little Huangmen who sacrificed his life for righteousness. After dawn, Liu Xie walked out of the Shangshutai with the support of Fuhou, and looked towards the ruined bedroom, silently. Fuhou's tactic can be described as decisive: In order to completely cover it up, she simply set fire to the bedroom and burned the body of Liu Xie in official uniform. Xie's body was castrated.Liu Ping was a little dumbfounded, he didn't expect her to do this. Thus, this Ninth Five-Year Master disappeared quietly into the fire.Among the more than twenty emperors of the Han Dynasty, no one has ever died so bleakly or so unknown like him.In Liu Xie's short eighteen-year life, he passed from one prince to another, sad and miserable, and never experienced the majesty of Vega at home, nor was he happy for a moment.The only thing he can do is to watch the Han Dynasty gradually decline.After Liu Xie's death, Hugh said that he deserved to enjoy the Taimiao, and he was not even entitled to the posthumous title, because he was still "alive", and the one who died was just an insignificant eunuch. Liu Ping looked at the lingering smoke curling up from the ruins, wondering if it was the soul of his brothers who did not want to leave.He silently recited the requiem scriptures, which were taught to him by monks in Wenxian County, which are said to allow the dead to rest in peace.These self-proclaimed Buddhist believers, their scriptures are awkward and weird, but they contain the power to make people feel peaceful. "Brother, what kind of person are you?" He thought, full of worry and confusion about the future. She leaned back and held his hand, and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, it's cold outside, hurry up and enter the house. There are quite a few ministers who are going to meet with you today." Her tone was gentle, but there were many hidden meanings. After reading a scripture, Liu Ping raised his head and raised his voice slightly: "Help me back to the house." From this moment, "Yang Ping" and "Liu Ping" also died with Liu Xie, replaced by a brand new "Liu Xie". At the same time, Xun Yu was standing on the ruins of the bedroom, directing a group of people to remove the rubble and search for the relics.Ordinarily, this should not be something that Shang Shuling should do, but Xun Yu believes that the fire in the ban has a lot to do with it, and he must be there in person to be at ease.Zhong Ji held a book and counted the number of palace attendants.The remains of the small yellow door lay nearby, covered with a white cloth. At this time, a person walked over on the rubble, his footsteps were very steady and light, like a grass snake swimming through the ruins, rustling.When he was about to approach, Zhong Ji suddenly realized that his face twitched uncontrollably, cursed in a low voice, then raised his face with a smile on his face. "My lord, why are you here?" The person who came was tall and thin, with a sallow complexion, and the wrinkles on his face were layered on top of each other, almost covering his facial features.His name is Man Chong, and his name is Bo Ning. He is currently Xu Du Ling, in charge of the security of Xu Du city. Luoyang's old officials were not afraid to fight against the Cao party in the court, but they kept silent about this man.In the past four years, he has been like a night owl hovering over Xudu. No movement in this city can escape his eyes, and Luoyang's old officials have suffered in secret. Man Chong didn't seem to notice the change in Zhong Ji's expression at all. He cupped his hands and cast his eyes on the little Huangmen's corpse. "Is he the eunuch who died to save His Majesty?" "Yes." He answered as briefly as possible. Man Chong squatted down with great interest, and lifted a corner of the white cloth, revealing a charred arm.The palace people around Zhong Ji turned their heads away one after another, but Man Chong didn't change his face, he pulled hard and tore off all the white cloth, blowing up a cloud of gray and black corpse powder from the corpse. The entire coke-like corpse was just exposed, lying quietly on the ground, with two empty eye sockets looking at the sky, and the tightly closed jaw seemed to be telling something.Man Chong stretched out his right hand, caressed slowly on the body of the deceased, and occasionally picked up some powder and put it under his nose for sniffing.Zhong Ji couldn't help but said: "My lord, the dead are the most important, let alone a loyal minister who is in danger and serving the Lord, why should this be so." Zhong Ji didn't know the situation in the palace last night, but he intuitively realized that there must be something hidden behind the fire, and he couldn't let Man Chong have too much contact with the corpse.Man Chong didn't answer his question, but instead asked: "What was the specific situation last night?" Although the Forbidden Palace is not within the scope of Man Chong's duties, he has the right to intervene.In order to divert his attention from the corpse, Zhong Ji had no choice but to tell the story of the fire. His description, which he heard from Fu Hou, was no different from what Xun Yu knew.Man Chong listened to the story very carefully, and asked a few questions, not even letting go of any small details. "So, last night, Lieutenant Zhong, your subordinates did not stay in the palace as guards, but were stationed outside the palace. They didn't enter the palace in a hurry until the fire broke out, according to Xun Lingjun's order." "yes." "But aren't you on duty that night? It's unreasonable for the chief officer to stay outside the palace while his subordinates stay outside the palace?" Man Chong's question made Zhong Ji pause.In fact, it was an order from Fu Hou that he sent the guards outside the palace. She asked to delay the time as much as possible. He didn't know the reason, but he still faithfully carried out the order.Man Chong must never let Man Chong know this. "Because the palace is narrow, there will be chaos if there are too many people. Your Majesty has not been in good health recently, and he likes to be quiet." Zhong Ji explained, and then thought quickly in his heart to see if there were any loopholes. Fortunately, Man Chong didn't pursue this detail, said "hard work", then straightened up and walked towards Xun Yu.Zhong Ji looked at his back, heaved a sigh of relief, and quickly ordered his subordinates to carry the body away, so as not to cause any trouble. Xun Yu was walking up and down the ruins, his face was stained with black marks and dust, and the corners of his eyes were still looking tired.From time to time, someone presented scraps of paper and bamboo slips that had been picked up from the rubble. These things had been burnt to pieces, but they could only be thrown away after Xun Yu checked them personally and confirmed that they were useless.The fire last night turned many court documents into ashes, including many internal documents that had been transported from the old capital after a lot of hard work, which made Xun Yu very sad. Man Chong walked up to him quietly, bowed and said, "Mr. Xun Ling." "Bo Ning, you're here." Xun Yu nodded. He respected Man Chong, but he couldn't say he liked him.The two stood side by side, facing the ruins in silence. "What do you think of this fire?" Xun Yu asked, rubbing his temples casually. "I don't believe the palace's explanation at all." Man Chong said expressionlessly.