Chapter 12 third quarter

After retiring from the court, Zhao Yan did not leave immediately, but guarded the Zuoye Gate near the palace city.Zhang Yu is from the Zhonghuang sect and has lived in the palace for many years.As a Yilang, it is inconvenient for him to enter, so he can only wait outside. After a while, he saw the left tuck door being opened, and then an old man in a coarse linen shirt came out. He only carried a small package on his body, and his movements were slow.The little eunuch guarding the gate rudely pushed and shoved him, telling him to hurry up.The old man staggered, holding the package tightly in his hands, and almost fell to the ground.

Zhao Yan suddenly became angry from his heart, these eunuchs were deceiving too much.Although Zhang Yu was punished, he was also a veteran of the two dynasties, but he was bullied by these people.These newcomers were all arranged by Cao Cao for the emperor. They didn't understand the rules at all, and they were often reprimanded by Zhang Yu on weekdays.Now that Zhang Yu is down and out, and they are successful as villains, they naturally have to set foot on it. He was about to speak out, when suddenly he saw a woman coming out of the door, and slapped the little eunuch hard and fast three times.The little eunuch sat down on the ground, completely blindfolded.

"Drag it out and beat it to death." The woman said coldly, the guards behind her rushed up, ignored the little eunuch's panic-stricken begging for mercy, and dragged her away.The woman walked two steps quickly, supported the old man, and then pressed her bloated stomach, frowning slightly. "Shao...uh, Concubine Dong?" Zhao Yan exclaimed in surprise. Concubine Dong raised her brows when she saw him, "Zhao Yilang, you are so free that you came here." Zhao Yan smiled wryly, and quickly explained a few words.Originally, when the Zhao family and the Dong family were in Luoyang, they used to marry Zhao Yan and Dong Shaojun. Later, when the government was in turmoil, Zhao Yan moved with his family to Beihai to avoid disaster, while Dong Cheng stayed in the capital and married his daughter to the emperor. The marriage contract was natural. void.Although the two are now married, every time Zhao Yan sees Concubine Dong, he always feels a little embarrassed.

Concubine Dong didn't have this kind of embarrassment, she was always outspoken, and she didn't shy away from her former fiancé when she met her.She glanced contemptuously at the corner where screams came from a distance, and said calmly: "The palace is dead, it's really shameful for foreign ministers to see such jokes." This sentence seems self-effacing, but it is actually mocking Fushou.Zhao Yan could tell, how could he dare to pick up the conversation, and quickly changed the subject: "Your Majesty is resting in the Sikong Mansion, what are you doing in the Imperial City?" He knew that Concubine Dong was resting in the Dong Cheng Mansion and rarely returned imperial city.

"I'm here to see off Mr. Zhang." Concubine Dong said loudly, her almond-shaped eyes widened, "I'll ask His Majesty why you want to drive Mr. Zhang away after I send you off. People say that the birds are gone and the bows are hidden, and now the ground is full." They are all jackals and foxes, but he started hiding bows and arrows first, what is the reason for this!" There seemed to be a few heads sticking out from behind the door, and then quickly retracted.Zhao Yan felt that he was really a gentleman, first there was Kong Beihai who insulted Chaoyi, and then there was Concubine Dong who criticized Yucheng.

He had no choice but to turn around and face Zhang Yu, bowing solemnly: "Mr. Zhang, Master Shaofu asked me to greet you." Zhang Yu replied indifferently: "Your residence is bothering you." Zhao Yan said: "Mr. Zhang, why don't you go to my place?" Rest for a while. Regarding the fire in the sleeping hall, Master Shaofu thought that the sentence of the three ministers was wronged. He has already gone to the Sikong Mansion to meet His Majesty and defend you." But Zhang Yu replied: "Your Majesty, you don't have to be like this. Being able to give the little old man a way to live and return to his hometown is already a rare and good death among eunuchs in the past." Zhao Yan saw that he was unmoved and his face was calm, so he tried: "Your Majesty acts with benevolence and virtue." Bu Tianxia, ​​I think I will adopt the proposal of the Shaofu, why do you leave Beijing sadly?"

Hearing the word "Your Majesty", Zhang Yu couldn't help hugging the package even tighter, with a trace of bitterness on his lips: "Your Majesty is in the prime of his life, so you shouldn't be dragged down by me, an old man." Zhao Yan's heart moved, it seemed that Zhang Yu Between you and His Majesty, something really happened.He wanted to insinuate again, but Zhang Yu shut his mouth and said nothing. Zhao Yan had no choice but to take out three horseshoe gold cakes from his bosom: "Nowadays the army is in turmoil and the future is dangerous. The Shaofu specially prepared a little panchuan, please accept it with a smile." Zhang Yu did not refuse, took the gold cakes and put them in in the arms.Concubine Dong glared at Zhao Yan, as if she thought he was trying to show off his wealth, although she didn't wear makeup, her puffy face had a special charm.Zhao Yan's heart skipped a beat when she stared at her, his eyes swept from his face to her swollen abdomen, and he stopped immediately, not daring to think any more.

Concubine Dong said: "Mr. Zhang, I ordered a light car for you. It's a little old. It belongs to my father's house." She shook her jade finger lightly, and a carriage that had been waiting for a long time came rumblingly.Zhao Yan held Zhang Yu by his arm, and wanted to untie the package for him and put it on the car, but Zhang Yu's eyes suddenly changed, he pushed his hand away decisively, and shouted: "Don't move!" Zhao Yan stood there in a daze. Zhang Yu realized that his expression was a bit fierce, so he explained: "This package contains a little Huangmen who was burned to death in the fire in the bedroom. He is my distant relative. His mother entrusted me to take care of him. I can neither To save his life, at least his bones should be sent back to his hometown, so that he can be buried with dignity."

Speaking of the last sentence, Zhang Yu's eyes were filled with tears, and his whole body became exhausted.Zhao Yan knew that the eunuch had no offspring, so he took care of the children of the same clan, so he said a few words of comfort. Suddenly there was a sound of horseshoes from a distance.The three turned their heads to look, but saw a group of knights running aggressively along the street, immediately surrounding the light vehicle.The leading knight said loudly: "By order of Xu Duwei, Zhang Yu will be deported from Beijing." Concubine Dong was furious. As a nobleman, instead of dismounting to pay her respects, the knight turned a blind eye to her, which was extremely rude.It is true that the royal family is in decline, but when will it be Xu Duwei's turn to be domineering?She pointed at the knight and shouted loudly: "Who are you, dare to gallop under the palace?"

The knight on the horse hesitated for a moment, and replied, "The King's Clothes of the Vanguard Battalion." "Frontier battalion? When did the vanguard battalion become Xu Duwei's running dogs?" Concubine Dong's mouth was extremely sharp, and she was about to continue scolding, but was stopped by Zhang Yu.Zhang Yu said slowly: "Don't get angry, it's not good for Your Majesty to be startled." Then he patted her hand, and said again, "After the old minister leaves, don't always act your temper. Your Majesty is lonely, and the government is in trouble. Steady, don't let the outsiders benefit by getting into a quarrel with the empress."

"It's not that I deliberately opposed her, it's clearly..." Concubine Dong's voice became sharp again, but when she saw Zhang Yu's sad eyes, she swallowed the rest of the words and said with her head down, "...I The best thing to do is let her go." She has been familiar with Zhang Yu since she was a child, and she is closer than her father, but she has never seen such a sad and calm expression on the old man's face.Concubine Dong felt that Zhang Yu must know something to hide from her, but she couldn't guess what it was. "Come on, help me carry the package." The old man handed her the package, turned around and got on the light car.Concubine Dong didn't understand what he meant, and when she thought that she, as a nobleman, had to hold the ashes of a little Huangmen, she felt a little disgusted in her heart.She held the burden in her hands and kept it as far away from her body as possible.The old man saw that the fur skin was slightly attached to her lower abdomen, and murmured in a low voice: "Your Majesty, this is the last time I see your children." Wang Fu was riding on the horse, watching the farewell between Concubine Dong and Zhang Yu of the former Huangmen with a blank face, but he was thinking about other things in his heart. According to the result of the discussion between Wu Shuo and Man Chong, Xu Duwei will transfer a group of people to supplement the old guard team, and then Cao Ren's subordinates will deploy double the troops to support Xu Duwei.The problem was that the professional soldiers under Cao Ren would rather face the sharpness of Zhang Xiu, the spear king of the North, than work with that sinister guy, Man Chong.Cao Ren himself expressed dissatisfaction with using field troops to supplement local defenses. After a lot of pushing and pushing, Wang Fu was elected to take on this job.Wang Fu is a well-known ranger, and he brought a group of people to Cao Cao, so the compilation is under the control of Cao Ren, but it is not Cao Ren's part.Most of his subordinates are school disciples or friends from the rivers and lakes. They are self-contained, and they are usually somewhat separated from Cao Ren's generals. Since Wang Fu is willing to stand up, everyone is naturally happy in all aspects.So Wang Fu and his three hundred disciples entered Xudu and changed into the uniform of Xu Duling.Cao Ren also generously assigned an extra one hundred people to Wang Fu, thanking him for taking such a big scapegoat. The first task of Wang Fu when he came to Xu Duwei was to escort Zhang Yu out of Beijing.Seeing that General Dong Cheng's daughter was there, he didn't step forward to urge her, but waited patiently beside her.Looking at Concubine Dong, he thought of His Majesty; when he thought of His Majesty, he thought of King Hongnong Liu Bian; when he thought of King Hongnong Liu Bian, he inevitably thought of Tang Ji... Now his team has barely reached the number Dong Cheng requested, and has entered Xudu in a grand manner.Dong Cheng's method is really ingenious.The matter of rectifying the guards blinded everyone's eyes. Everyone was speculating that the Luoyang Department was fighting with Xu Duwei, but no one would have thought that the real move would be made in the military camp outside Xudu City. Yang Xiu not only calculated Man Chong's reaction to rectifying Xu Duling, but also predicted that Wang Fu's embarrassing position under Cao Ren would definitely be selected to take the blame.In this way, every step of Dong Cheng's plan seems to be passive, but in fact every step is active.On the surface, the Luoyang system could not lose money by stealing chickens, but in fact, they succeeded in making a move, and mastered at least a thousand people in the city of Xudu. This is much more valuable than throwing out those two discarded children. The value of a chess piece is entirely determined by the player's motivation.When chess players focus on political struggles, an emperor's servant and a general of the imperial army are undoubtedly extremely important bargaining chips; but when chess players plan to launch a coup, a reliable armed force is the most precious. What worries him most now is only one thing: the suspicious Man Chong didn't let these soldiers from the vanguard battalion join in the assassination work, but sent them to various streets and squares in the city.These four hundred people were like yellow sand scattered into the city of Xudu, scattered in all directions, which would undoubtedly increase the difficulty of the uprising. "Before the plan is launched, let's bear it for a while." Wang Fu thought. Zhang Yu sat in the car, turned his head to Wang Fu and said, "Can I go?" Wang Fu woke up from his deep thoughts, saluted Concubine Dong slightly, and drove his horse to the front. Concubine Dong and Zhao Yan watched the old man disappear in the street ahead, they faced each other, speechless for a while.Concubine Dong ordered the only maidservant beside her to call a car.When the servant girl left, Concubine Dong suddenly turned her beauty away, and said to Zhao Yan in a low voice: "Yanwei, I'm a little scared." Zhao Yan was a little surprised, he didn't know why Concubine Dong suddenly expressed such emotion, and quickly replied: "There are many famous doctors in Xudu, so you don't have to worry so much." "Bastard! That's not what I'm talking about!" Concubine Dong kicked Zhao Yan fiercely, just like the two of them when they were young, she would never hide her strength and bide her time because of her noble status.Zhao Yan broke out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, the Han Dynasty is not prosperous now. If it is normal, Concubine Dong's ambiguous behavior may cause Dong and Zhao's entire family to be executed. Zhao Yan had an exquisite mind, but he was not so good at figuring out women's minds, so he subconsciously took a step back.Concubine Dong laughed at herself, didn't allow him to ask any more questions, and said to herself: "My father has been very busy recently, meeting various guests non-stop, either holding a big banquet, or hiding in the study for secret talks. He even I don’t even have time to check at night... But I always feel jittery, and often panic for no reason.” Zhao Yan secretly lamented that Shaojun has a straight temper but a shallow mind. He doesn't understand the situation of his father Dong Cheng and the viciousness of the political struggle at all.For her, life always stays in the beautiful memories of Luo Yang's childhood, where everyone dotes on her and coaxes her.But for such a person, intuition is often very effective. It seems that Dong Cheng is really planning something big. "Madam is overthinking. General Dong bears the great trust of the Han family, so he is naturally taking care of everything. The only thing His Majesty can rely on is Duke Dong." Hearing the word Your Majesty, Concubine Dong was a little annoyed again. She put her chin on her hand and frowned: "Your Majesty has also changed, it seems to be a different person. His Majesty used to be radiant, but now he is a little Like a puppet, Fu Shou said whatever he said, and his appearance changed..." "Your Majesty has not recovered from a long illness, and it is normal for his appearance to decrease." Zhao Yan persuaded.Concubine Dong opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shook her head and gave up. This feeling can only be understood by men and women who are in close skin to skin, and it is really impossible to convey the subtleties to others. "Elder Zhang is gone, His Majesty has changed, and father can't see it anymore... Yanwei, what do you think I should do?" Concubine Dong's voice became lower and lower, leaning against the wall of the left door, like a person who didn't want to Children who have moved to a new environment.Zhao Yan felt pity in his heart, but he knew that what he could do was really limited.With an idea, he leaned over to pick up a dead leaf from the ground, folded it in threes and twos, and folded it into a grass cricket. "Grass crickets, wearing yellow belts, the sun rises in the east, and the nobles come in the west." He recited nursery rhymes from his childhood. At that time, Concubine Dong liked to ride on the wall with a grass cricket, her feet up, singing songs while waiting for the nobleman to pick her up.Concubine Dong took the simple grass cricket, smiled and gave him a light kick, the distress on her face dissipated a little. At this time, the maid came with the carriage, and the two of them silently closed their mouths. Concubine Dong was helped into the car and left quickly.As the carriage went away, Zhao Yan's faint nostalgia gradually dissipated, and he began to have a headache how to explain to Master Kong that he didn't come to inquire about news, but now he became more confused than before. Concubine Dong's unintentional sentence, "Your Majesty seems to have changed," caused waves in Zhao Yan's heart. ※※※ At the same time, the vortex core of all Xu Du's undercurrents was sitting in the main hall of Sikong Mansion, covered with a blanket.Kneeling in front of him were several Han officials, chattering about trite topics. "Qing and others played very well. I will issue an imperial edict and write a letter to the Shangshutai." Liu Xie opened and closed his lips mechanically, a little bored. The ministers knelt and thanked, and then retreated respectfully.Fu Shou picked up a silk towel that had been soaked in hot water, dipped it in some refreshing ambergris powder, and wiped Liu Xie's forehead.Madam Bian specially ordered her servants to prepare this. No matter how Cao Cao treats the Han family, at least this madam's courtesy to the emperor is impeccable. The little yellow gate at the door was about to sing down with the famous thorn in hand, but Fushou instructed: "Your Majesty is tired, let the people outside wait a moment." The little yellow gate led the order and came out. Seeing that there was no one in the room, Fu Shou said to Liu Xie: "Your Majesty, you were a little distracted just now." Liu Xie rubbed his eyes, half apologetic and half complaining: "I have met seven or eight ministers this day, and they all Saying almost the same thing, I almost fell asleep." Fu Shou is like a doctor of the Five Classics who earnestly teaches his disciples: "Now you need to get in touch with these officials more, and get familiar with everyone's disposition as soon as possible. At the same time, it is very important to let them be familiar with your current face and style. Subtle , they won't be suspicious of you." "Okay, okay... who is going to meet next?" Liu Xie pressed his temple helplessly, it was much more difficult for the emperor than imagined.He would rather spend a day hunting in the ice and snow than sitting on the bed and receiving ministers for a day.His current complexion is an unhealthy red, which Fushou rubbed with ginger.His task in the past few days is to gradually increase the number of interviews with his officials so that they can get used to the emperor's new changes. "The next two people are very important. One is Dong Cheng, you have already met, and the other is Shaofu Kong Rong." "Kong Rong, Beihai Kong Rong?" Liu Xie stopped rubbing his acupoints. Kong Rong is a celebrity today, and he has heard of it a lot in Hanoi.The Sima family has always admired him, only Sima Yi looked down on him, saying that he is a rotten scholar with big talk. "That's right, this man is arrogant and arrogant. He doesn't even look down on Cao Cao. He is the only civil and military official who dares to be informal and scold in public. It is a good check and balance for the Cao family." Fu Shou talked eloquently. , like a few treasures, "There is no doubt that this person is loyal to the Han Dynasty, but it is a pity that he is headstrong and does not know how to use power. Your Majesty once said that this person is amiable and not usable." Knowing that "Your Majesty" refers to his dead brother, Liu Xie couldn't help but listen carefully. "This man is proficient in Confucian classics and is addicted to alcohol. When your majesty sees you later, you might as well talk to him about drinking and Confucianism. Just don't mention state affairs. It's useless for him to know, and it will cause a lot of complaints." Fu Shou He pursed his lips, showing a rare smile. Liu Xie nodded, keeping these in mind.He pulled the silk towel and wiped his eyes vigorously, and said loudly, "Xuan!" Dong Cheng and Kong Rong walked hand in hand through the corridor and entered the main hall.One of the two men lowered their heads in thought, while the other walked straight up, the contrast was very strong.The two of them originally planned to act alone, but they bumped into each other in front of the Cao Mansion.The two refused to give in to each other, and no one was willing to be in the back. In the end, only the two could meet together. When the two met the emperor, they first kowtowed according to the rules.Just as Dong Cheng was about to speak, Kong Rong jumped ahead of him. "Your Majesty, I have a copy to play." Liu Xie nodded to indicate that he was quite curious about this person, so he ignored Fushou's eyes and waved him to play.Kong Rong unhurriedly took out a roll of memorials and read it.Liu Xie was very interested in hearing it at the beginning, but later found that there were many gorgeous rhetoric, but nothing related to political affairs, so he became a little impatient.He cast his eyes on Fushou, but Fushou turned his head away, with an expression of "you deserve it for not listening to persuasion". Seeing that Liu Xie was a little restless, Kong Rong was dissatisfied and said: "Ziwei is standing on the Xingyuan, and it will never be easy. Fang Youyun holds the gate and is guarded by stars. The emperor should sit upright like a ceremonial instrument and be a model for the world! "Liu Xie had to regain his spirits and straighten his back. After listening for a long time, the drowsy Liu Xie suddenly realized that this person was not so pedantic, and it was impossible for him to write such a long memorial to the emperor.He deliberately delayed it for so long, because he didn't want the other person to talk.Liu Xie glanced at Dong Cheng who was quietly waiting aside, and found that Dong Cheng had a calm face, as if he didn't care about Kong Rong. Taking advantage of Kong Rong's pause, Fu Hou waved his sleeves to persuade him: "Your Majesty is just recovering from a serious illness, so it's not advisable to hear the memorial for too long. Mr. Kong can leave the memorial for you to take a closer look at later." Kong Rong said with a straight face: "Si What's the use of a hen for a minister's business!" After repelling one emperor and one emperor, Kong Rong's morale was boosted, and he continued to read.Fortunately, no matter how long the memorial is, there is a time when it is finished.After Kong Rong read the last few words, he fell on the ground and said, "The narration in the minister's memorial is all the stories of the previous dynasty. Please learn from it and realize it. If the traitors are eliminated and the virtuous are employed, the Han Dynasty will be honored, and the days can wait." They went around in a big circle and told more than a dozen allusions, but in fact, they just wanted to scold Dong Cheng for being a treacherous official who opened the door and robbed him, and satirized him for driving Zhang Yu away.Courtiers use allegorical stories to state facts. This is a very classical way, which is rare in modern times.Only people like Kong Rong would use this method.Liu Xie couldn't help but waved his hand, and asked: "Mr. Kong's kind words, I understand." He was afraid that Kong Rong would be long-winded again, so he said to Dong Cheng, "General Dong, what are you going to do today?" Dong Cheng said calmly: "Mr. Kong speaks history in a very organized manner. Although I am dull, I am willing to explain one or two things about ancient times for Your Majesty." Liu Xie smiled wryly, why are these ministers scrambling to start talking about old things today.He asked lazily, "Which passage did you say?" "Mu Zongchao Zhengzhong Dou Xianshi." As soon as the horoscope came out, the atmosphere in the room became condensed.Liu Xie has dabbled in national history, and knows this period of history in detail.At the time of Mu Zongxiao and Emperor Liu Zhao, the power minister Dou Xianquan was in power and held military power.Mu Zong appointed Zheng Zhong, the official servant of Zhongchang, to lure Dou Xian into the city, close the four gates, accept his seal and ribbon, and punish his cronies.The Dou family then collapsed, and the imperial power was restored. Liu Xie recalled his attitude when he saw Dong Cheng last time. He seemed to be planning a major event related to imperial power, but Fu Shou said that the time had not come and refused to elaborate.Today he deliberately talked about Dou Xian's story, maybe he was sending some message to the emperor. But Cao Cao is now far away in Guandu... Far away in Guandu? That's right, Dou Xian also returned to the court with a large army back then, but was captured by Zheng Zhong.Mu Zong can do this, why can't I? This is exactly what Dong Cheng wanted to imply. When Liu Xie thought of this, the blood all over his body boiled up, and he had a strong urge to stand up.Fu Shou lightly pressed his shoulder, and indicated with his eyes that the partition wall has ears. Dong Cheng also saw that the emperor was agitated, and said in a deep voice: "There is a fire in the sleeping hall, and the surroundings are restless. I will take orders to rectify the guards, and it will be effective in a short time. Please sit in the Sikong mansion and wait for the good news." Liu Xie heard the overtones and regained his composure.Coups are always risky, one's own status is precious, and ignorance of the details, all one needs to do is to remain calm.Since this matter was agreed between Dong Cheng and his elder brother, he didn't have to force himself to add to the chaos, and the specific measures were left to these loyal officials to operate. Dong Cheng said again: "Zong Ji resigned. The minister recommended a person to take charge of the guard on Zhong Ji's behalf." This is a critical step.When the plan was launched, the whole city was in chaos. If the emperor had no armed guards, it would be difficult to guarantee that there would be no accidents. Therefore, the guards must be in the hands of reliable people.There will be another important task at that time, and there must be another loyal minister to lead this team. Before Liu Xie could say anything, Kong Rong interrupted and said, "I also have someone to recommend. This person is a dragon and a phoenix among the people. He has the talents of the world. If your majesty can let him go, the treachery in the court is not enough!" The two looked at each other, feeling that the other was in the way.Liu Xie was a little anxious, thinking that General Dong was about to see a big event, and you, a rotten scholar, are still wagging your tongue and lips, it's really annoying.He gradually found some feeling of the emperor, his expression was serious, and he was about to reprimand, but Fushou smiled and said first: "I don't know if you two recommended it, but the one His Majesty is thinking of?" Liu Xie was at a loss, and after another thought, the "Your Majesty" in Fu Shou's mouth must be referring to his brother.This arrangement was probably made by the real Liu Xie before his death. "The son of Taiwei Yang Biao, Yang Xiu and Yang Dezu." The three spoke in unison, and then Dong Cheng and Kong Rong were relatively stunned. In a certain casino in Xudu, a young man sneezed loudly, threw the dice out of his hand, spun it a few times, and it turned out to be a six.The gamblers around scolded angrily.