In the third year of Emperor Guanghe of the Han Ling (AD 180), after the fall of the eunuch Wang Fu who had been in power for many years, the 26-year-old Cao Cao was once again recruited by the court because of his proficiency in ancient studies. He was about to leave his wife and children in his hometown and go to Luoyang to serve as a Yilang - served as an advisor to Emperor Liu Hong of the Han Dynasty. Although he was glamorous in name, he was a position with no real power. The day before he left his hometown in Peiguoqiao County①, Cao Cao teased his infant son Cao Ang for a while. He was really bored, so he took his younger brother Cao De and called his friend Ding Chong to play Cuju.

"I'm going to Luoyang this time. I don't know when I'll come back. Come on, let's play for a while!" Although it was late autumn at this time, Cao Cao was running around, and half an hour later he was already sweating profusely. , sore all over.Seeing the hydrangea flying across the sky like an arrow, Cao Cao saw the opportunity and came up with another "kick the purple gold crown backwards". Cao Deke panicked, took small steps and chased for a long distance, but he still couldn't catch the ball, and the ball disappeared into the woods all at once.Qin Yilu and Lou Yi saw the two servants, and hurried into the woods to search.Ding Chong simply gave up, sat down on the ground panting heavily, took out the wine from his arms and poured it with all his might.Cao Cao unbuttoned his clothes, put his hips on his hips and laughed loudly: "You guys are far behind!"

Cao De panted and shook his head: "They are all about 30 years old, and their physical strength is not as good as when they were young." Cao Cao was actually a little panting, but he straightened his waist and said, "Don't talk about being discouraged... Zi said 'thirty And Li', that's still the age to make meritorious deeds. As Yilang this time, I have to start from scratch." Under the shade of the trees beside the forest, the two wives, Mrs. Ding and Mrs. Bian, were sitting and chatting. In her arms, Ding is holding her son Cao Ang, who was born less than half a year ago. In fact, this child is not her own. His biological mother, Liu, is Mrs. Ding's maid and Cao Cao's concubine. She died of dystocia in order to give birth to this son. Before entrusting Xiao Cao Ang to the Ding family.Ding took good care of him, and really regarded him as his own flesh and blood, but he was just short of milk.Born as a singer of the Bian family, she has a much more active temperament than the Ding family who is a good wife and mother. She fanned her round fan and watched them play a few cujus calmly.

Cao Cao kicked the hydrangea away again, so he walked to them and said, "It's so hot... oh! These guys can't do it!" Ding said with drooping eyes, "They don't know how to play cuju at all, and they came out to accompany them. You are bored, and you still pick and choose. Now that the family has more property, the letter from the father-in-law, the Deer brothers bought the house and the land, you don’t know how to help, and you don’t want to do anything when you leave tomorrow. Good thing. You dragged them out to accompany you to suffer on a hot day, I really don’t take the trouble seriously!" She patted the child in her arms, "Anger Anger heard from my mother that when I grow up, I won’t learn from your father ..."

Bian who was on the side smiled and said, "Sister, he is leaving, so please let him go." Cao Cao lifted up the corner of his clothes and wiped the sweat from his head. When Ding saw it, he said, "You don't know how to hurt people. You are a father. You are not serious at all. The clothes are just for you to wipe your sweat." What? You didn’t wash it, you never cared about it.” Cao Cao frowned and said, "What are you doing? It's fine to teach me a few words at home, and you talk so much when you go out, why don't I just wipe off my sweat?" Mrs. Ding just ignored the child, but Mrs. Bian Said: "Husband, you really don't know anything, my sister is reluctant to let you go!"

Cao Cao knelt down silently and sighed: Emperor Liu Hong was instigated by the eunuch Wang Fu to abolish the Queen of Song Dynasty, and what is the new queen.The Song family was charged with witchcraft and treason, and the Cao family was unlucky because of their marriage with the Song family. All the scholars, young or old, were dismissed from office. Cao Cao's three family uncles Cao Chi, Cao Ding, and Cao Yin successively died.In the end, because his father Cao Song bribed the eunuch Cao Jie to help him, the unjust case was settled.Because of Cao Cao's proficiency and ability to understand ancient learning, the court recruited him into the court as Yilang, in which Qiao Xuan helped a lot.Now he is also a father, but the hope of official career is still slim.

Mrs. Ding heard him sigh, raised her head and said: "Nowadays is even worse than before. Back then, there were so many high officials in our family, but now there is only father-in-law, and he has no influence. You are not a good little negotiator." "Learn literary and martial arts well, and sell the goods to the emperor's house. Confucius still said that you can buy it for a price. At my age, I have to make a career no matter what." Cao Cao fanned his clothes like a fan. "Did I tell you not to go?" Ding rolled his eyes at him, "I told you to be careful! If you make troubles like in the past, what will we do as a big family? My dead sister ah……"

When Cao Cao heard her cry, Mrs. Liu, he quickly persuaded her, "Why are you making trouble? Teach me why you made yourself cry?" Mrs. Bian also said, "Sister, don't cry, isn't father-in-law restored to his post? The husband is capable, so why worry about not having a good future in the future? Let's just hope for him at home! Even if he doesn't become a climate, that's fate, so don't be in a hurry! What kind of temper is he, and he can't control himself when he goes outside , what's the use of being anxious? A good man has ambitions everywhere, so tell him to go out!"

Cao Cao smiled, and said to Ding: "I said, grandma, do you hear that, your sister is so knowledgeable. With such a good wife, why doesn't your husband worry about dying under remonstrance?" "Don't talk nonsense!" Both wives raised their eyebrows.While talking, Cao De also came over, but still couldn't find the ball with his empty hand, he shook his head and said, "You can really do it! This is not Cuju, it's become hide-and-seek, I won't look for it anymore. Let's forget it, tomorrow You are about to leave, go back and rest early." Cao Cao stood up and looked at his younger brother, and said, "Ziji, tell me, what should I do as Yilang?"

"I'm not an official, so I care so much about you?" "Brother, you are not an official, but you read more books than I do. Do you think there are any books specially for officials?" "The books read by officials..." Cao De smiled, "If you really have the know-how to be an official, you should not spread it to the outside world, and go find your own career!" "Sigh... the emperor is too stingy, the old man went on an expedition to me to enter the court, so he only gave it to a little Yilang." "It's because our Cao family has a bad reputation." Cao De lowered his head, "If it is a family of classics, from Zheng Yilang to worshiping Jiuqing, the fastest time is half a year. Forget about our family, don't say that you are a Beijing official He also asked someone to kick him out. It is our father, who has been in the Jiuqing for ten years, right? He is only one step away from being a Sangong, and this step will not make it up."

Cao Cao's grandfather, Cao Teng, was an eunuch who was notorious for helping his relative Liang Ji welcome the establishment of Emperor Xiaohuan.In fact, that's all right, but Cao Cao's father, Cao Teng's adopted son, Cao Song, didn't cultivate literature and morality, and flattered those eunuchs all day long. At the beginning, he kept the great eunuch Wang Fu, but he flattered him on the horse's palm, and fell into a tussle instead.It was a good thing to recover later, but it was entrusted to the favor of the great eunuch Cao Jie, which always made the Cao Cao brothers feel anxious. Cao Cao nodded and said, "I have no background, and no one to support me, so how can I get along?" Cao De laughed when he heard this: "Brother, you are a smart person, don't you know the truth? Let me tell you." But he didn't say anything, and turned his head and shouted at the distant forest: "Yilu! Yilu! You kid, come out!" Upon hearing the shout, Qin Yilu hurried out and trotted all the way to their brothers: "Master, Master, what do you want?" "In Cuju in this cold weather, some people actually said that our buddies are indecent, do you think this is okay?" Qin Yilu laughed and said: "Why is it indecent? You two are happy! The sage always said that a gentleman is good at 'ball'. Your two brothers are so good at the ball. Isn't this a gentleman? It is indecent to say you two People are talking nonsense." "Hahaha..." Everyone laughed loudly, "What a gentleman and good shot!" Cao De glanced at his brother, and then said to Qin Yilu: "Do you know who said it was indecent? Our father said it." "Master said that." Qin Yilu was taken aback, and faltered and said: "Then, that...then he is right! This Cuju has to be upright, this open-chested one is not quite right. Alright. Even though the female relatives are all from our own family, it's better to avoid it!" Cao Cao sneered: "Hmph! If our brother agrees and my father disagrees, who do you think is right?" "This..." Qin Yilu knelt down, "What is the little one! How dare you meddle in the affairs of the master's house? I'll treat you like a fart, don't ask the little one." Cao De waved his hand: "Go, go!" Waiting for him to walk away, he said to Cao Cao, "Brother, have you seen that? This is the way to be an official. It's Qin Yilu's specialty to say good things, you Yilang has gone to work, and if he confronts others when something happens, they will think you are troublesome, as long as you are willing to speak up. Who can annoy you? Brother, you used to be too sharp." Cao Cao thought for a while, then shook his head and said, "Even though you say this, if you don't support the upside down, and don't hold on to the danger, how can you use that?" "Brother, you have to see what kind of emperor is today. If Wen Jing is enlightened, you can go against it, but if Xiaowu is violent, you have to go along!" "What you said is unreasonable. If Xiao Ai has the habit of Longyang, do I have to volunteer myself?" Cao Cao said and glanced at Mrs. Bian, who pursed her lips and laughed. Cao De sighed: "That's okay... Lou Yi! Lou Yi!" "Wait, Second Master!" Lou Yi agreed, but it took a long time to get out of the forest.The clothes all over his body were also scratched, and he seemed to have sprained his feet, but he found the hydrangea ball, "Second Lord, the ball is found." Cao De said to his elder brother again: "Did you see that? That's fine too. Keep your head down and do your own work without saying a word. Don't show your merits and don't talk too much. If you get benefits, you should look up to them! For example, you, Yilang, have an errand. Just keep your head down and do it, don’t care what others say, and you can rise up like this.” Cao Cao shook his head again: "That's not good either. Although I don't try to squeeze others, I can't make them squeeze right. If you keep your head down and do errands, and your eyes are dark, then you don't know anything. It's your fault that you can't do the errands. It’s not enough for others to show their credit for doing it! I won’t do such stupid things.” "Brother, this doesn't work, that doesn't work, what do you think?" This time it was Cao Cao's turn to shout: "Ding Chong! You drunk cat, what are you doing drinking in the middle of the afternoon? Cuju!" Ding Chong didn't even turn his head, playing with the wine gourd in his hand and said: "I love drinking Just drink! Can you control it?" Cao Cao smiled and said, "Ziji, do you hear that? This is what I want." Cao De was stunned, shook his head for a while and said, "This is not the way to earn a salary... Let's go home." "Wait!" Cao Cao grabbed the hydrangea that Lou Yi had just found and kicked it hard, only to see the ball fly far away and enter the forest again.Cao Cao immediately shouted: "Let's go! Let's all go home! Qin Yilu is looking for the ball, and he is not allowed to go back unless he finds it!" Because of the female relatives, the family drove two cars, talked and laughed, and went back to Cao's manor.Now the Cao family is different. Cao Song had the experience of being stumbled, and gave a large amount of money to his youngest son, Cao De, and asked him to ask Tian Wenshe to accumulate family wealth in case of emergencies.Cao De became the landlord of one party.Building walls and planting fences, many things have not yet been settled.Cao Cao didn't like this kind of job, so he got out of the car and went into his small courtyard. Just as he saw his brother-in-law Bian Bing playing the flute for the servant girl Huan'er, he interrupted, "You boy is here again. There are so many things going on in the outer courtyard." , your second brother is almost too busy, why don’t you go and help?” Bian Bing, like her sister Bian, was born in singing. Hearing this, Huan'er quickly hid, Bian Bing put away his flute and said, "I'm looking for my brother-in-law, I have something to tell you." "What can you do?" "I went to the county the day before yesterday to deliver something to Xiahou Yuanrang (Xiahoudun). I heard from him that the great eunuch Cao Jie died." "Oh? Is there such a good thing?" Cao Cao laughed: Once Cao Jie died, there would be no relationship between their family and eunuchs, and they would have a good reputation in the future. "It's really dead, the emperor gave him the rank of chariot general." "What? The title of General Cheqi would be given to an eunuch!" Cao Cao was a little annoyed. You can't get such a high position!" "Don't be annoyed. In this world, you can't be angry! Brother-in-law, I have nothing to do tomorrow. I'll send you to Beijing!" "I don't need you!" Cao Cao snorted angrily. "Brother-in-law, are you taking your family away this time?" "Without." "Really don't bring it?" "Why are you such a mother-in-law? If you say you don't take it, you don't take it." After Cao Cao said this, Bian Bingxi couldn't help but clapped his hands and went away.Cao Cao was surprised when he saw Mrs. Ding come out and said, "He is afraid that you will bring Xiaohuan'er with you! Everyone misses someone, but you don't know who they miss." "Grandma," Cao Cao said with a smile, "I'll go to your room tonight. I won't hear your lesson this time around, I'm afraid I'm not used to it!" "Fuck you!" Ding smiled and turned to go.Cao Cao grabbed her hand and said, "My wife! I entrust all of my family to you." Ding let out a long breath: "Let's go! No matter how long your arms are, they won't be able to hold your heart!" The next morning, Cao Cao left Qiao County and rushed to Luoyang with two long followers, Qin Yilu and Lou Yi.They were used to coming and going when there were troubles at home, and the three of them rode horses instead of carts, heading for Luoyang like arrows.Without rest day and night, it took two days to arrive in Luoyang. It has been more than a year since I left the capital, and the bustling market is still there, but it is different from the past, now I am clean, relying on the Ming Jing to promote my official position, my family and eunuchs are not involved, I can be said to be at ease.He rode to Cao's mansion in Yongfu Lane in the east of the city, and saw two official cars parked in front of the house from a distance.When the family saw that the young master had returned, they hurried in to let him in.Lou Yi and Qin Yilu settled things, and Cao Cao went to the study to meet his father—Old Cao Song had a lot of secrets in his officialdom, but he always met guests in the study, and rarely used the living room. Cao Cao just walked to the door of the study, and suddenly heard his father say inside: "Mr. Cao is dead, and I will count on Mr. Zhang and Mr. Zhao for the elders." Cao Cao was quite surprised, and probed: "Father! I'm back!" "Hey! Come in, come in!" Cao Song hurriedly called him in, "I give you two introductions, this is Cao Cao Cao Mengde." Cao Cao came in and gave a deep salute, looked up and saw two officials sitting in the room, They are all in their forties, with graceful bodies and casual clothes, but they look a little awkward. "The tiger father has no dogs!" When Cao Cao heard them talking, his voice was shrill—an eunuch again!no beard! Cao Song recommended with a smile: "These two are Mr. Zhao and Mr. Zhang, who are with the emperor, you should know." Cao Cao, the two eunuchs Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong, has naturally heard of them. The party members imprisoned them back then, and these two eunuchs did not play any good role in it.Although not as domineering and domineering as Wang Fu and Cao Jie, the two old eunuchs, they are definitely not kind. Zhao Zhong smiled and said, "Young Master Cao is the Luoyang county captain who killed Jian Tu?" "I'm here." Cao Cao always said politely. "I heard that Yilang was recruited, right?" Zhao Zhong smiled half-smile. "yes." "Old Qiaoxuan has recruited many talents for the country, Chen Wen, Bao Xin, and you Cao Mengde! They are all recommended by Qiaoxuan..." Zhao Zhong looked back at Zhang Rang meaningfully when he said this. , Zhang Rang nodded knowingly. Cao Song's heart was as bright as a light, although Qiao Xuan resigned, he was the eunuch's deadly enemy back then, and they had been eyeing his son since he arrived.He quickly laughed and said, "Oh! Look at what you said, isn't the one who recommends someone from the imperial court? Since it is for the emperor's family, it is inevitable that you will be entrusted to take care of it!" "Don't dare!" Zhang Rang pushed his hands modestly.As soon as Cao Song turned around, he took out two small brocade boxes from nowhere, handed them to Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong, and said, "Here is a small item, it's not worth much, you two keep it for fun!" The two opened it and looked at it—a pair of golden bulls, with pearl eyes and agate horns, which weighed on the wrists in their hands.Zhang Rang immediately smiled and said, "Is this suitable?" Cao Cao looked angry, and said to himself, "It's not suitable, you hand it back, why did you put it in your arms?" Zhao Zhong said with a smile: "My son, we will definitely speak kindly in front of Long Live, but..." He frowned, "Jian Shuo is not the same as before, now he is in charge of the emperor's guards, and recruited in the West Garden A group of people, called Xiyuanqi, neither of us can afford to provoke him!" But Zhang Rang said: "Jian Shuo is a dead-headed man, he only knows how to do errands, he doesn't care about other things, he can't get in the way of foreign court affairs." "Hey! How do you know what's going to happen tomorrow?" Zhao Zhong glanced at Zhang Rang, "I won't fight with you (bicker)...Master Cao, Mr. Cao, it's getting late. The two of us bid farewell, tonight Master Fan Ling is the host, and invited us to the banquet!" "Hahaha..." Cao Song smiled apologetically, "Since that's the case, I won't keep the two, let's go slowly..." He got up to see them off, but Cao Cao just sat there and ignored them.Cao Song sent the two of them away, and came back happily, saying, "One generation is not as good as the next generation! Back then, your grandfather received gifts by carload by carload, while Wang Fu received presents in boxes by boxes. Sent it away. You said that our family's things are perfunctory for them, isn't it a drop in the bucket?" Cao Cao was a little displeased: he finally got rid of Cao Jie, and got attached to Zhao Zhong and Zhang Rang. When will Dad not curry favor with these eunuchs?Although he thought so, he solemnly kowtowed to his father, and said in a low voice, "My son greets father, how is your old health?" "Okay, okay." Only now is Cao Song able to take care of his son carefully - he is thinner than two years ago, and the rebellious arrogance is not so obvious, he is no longer the one who knows what's on his mind The hairy boy.But this kind of experience is full of pain and helplessness, and the whole family has experienced catastrophe.Thinking about it, Cao Song was a little sad, but he tried his best to calm down and murmured: "You are a serious Yilang now, take your time. When Dayuan came back, go in and wash and change, and rest. .” The emotion between father and son is always so reserved. Slowly suffering... Cao Cao and his father's thoughts are still far away, he said slowly: "Since the boy came here by order, shouldn't he make a suggestion?" Cao Song smiled wryly for a while: "You've learned to do what you want, kid! But let me tell you, you don't have to do anything now, just stay honest and spend your time." Cao Cao was surprised for a while: "This is not like your old man's words! Don't you look ahead in everything? Don't you want me to be promoted quickly?" "Get promoted soon?" Cao Song curled his lips, "I have a way to get promoted quickly. I will make you a servant within one month." It must be spending money to buy an official again... Cao Cao shook his head. "Since buying an official is afraid of bad reputation, then you can settle down and endure it." Cao Song sighed, "Although Tai Lang is a high-ranking official, he is the most senior official...but it's too bad for you to catch up. Now the royal The West Garden has been completed, and the emperor won’t even return to the palace, why would you give him advice if you can’t see him?” "The emperor didn't even return to the palace?" Cao Cao frowned. "Just a few days ago, Beauty Wang gave birth and he went back." Cao Song murmured into his ear, "Empress He has fallen out of favor again. Beauty Wang gave birth to a little prince, and he will be rich in the future. This is incredible!" Cao Cao lowered his head, he didn't like to hear these court trivia.But the disagreement between father and son has been going on for a long time, and he is also a father, so he will no longer be outspoken and confronted like before, but just cupped his hands and said: "Let's talk less about the royal family's private affairs... I brought some things from home, And the snacks your daughter-in-law made for you, I'll bring them for you." After saying that, he got up to get them. Cao Song knew that his son didn't like to hear these words. Looking at Cao Cao's back as he walked out, he said to himself with a wry smile, "Silly boy, you still have to practice! You only know the outer court, and the inner court can sometimes prosper and destroy the country!"