Chapter 3 Zhang Fu asks for advice

"Lord Cao is visiting." "Oh?" Zhang Wen was reading a book, and was surprised to hear his family's report, "Which Master Cao are you talking about?" "Sili Lieutenant Cao Song." "Hmph! For no reason, why is he here?" "If you go back to the master, our nephew and young master went to play in Cao's mansion. When Mr. Cao found out, he was afraid that the child would be in danger, so he personally sent the young nephew back." "Oh." Zhang Wen frowned.He hated Cao Song's behavior so much that he didn't have any contact with him in private; but today this old fox sent his nephew to the house in person, why can't people be suspicious?I didn't want to miss it, but after thinking about it again, I had the opportunity to become an official in the capital because of the recommendation of my adoptive father, the eunuch Cao Teng, to the late emperor. No matter what, the Cao family was kind to me, and it was not easy to refute Cao Song's face. Reluctantly murmured: "Please!"

Not long after, Cao Song came in style, and saw him wearing a heavenly crown, wearing a blue dark coat, a brocade belt around his waist, and cloud shoes on his feet. He was dressed meticulously. He bowed and said, "Uncle Brother Shen! Are you safe and sound?" "My nephew is naughty, and I'm worried about Brother Jugao... Sit! Sit!" Seeing that he was not close, Zhang Wen couldn't help being polite.The two greeted each other loudly, but they didn't have any like-minded words when they sat down. Cao Song just asked him how he was, whether he had a drinking party with anyone recently, whether his family members were okay, etc., which made Zhang Wen full of suspicion. , I had no choice but to prevaricate.Little did he know that Cao Song came here with a lot of thoughts in his mind, convinced that Han Xin's disorderly deployment of troops would sooner or later find a way to talk, and he rambled and talked nonsense.

"Everyone has their own hobbies, some like articles, some like shooting, some like throwing pots, some like Cuju (kicking football), like me who can't do anything, so I can only sleep and sleep...Boshen Brother, do you have any hobbies?" Zhang Wen teased: "It's nothing, we are all busy people with official duties, and reading books and writing articles in our spare time is considered a pastime." "It's good to have a good skill. I have the honor to look up at Brother Boshen's poems and essays. He is so radiant! I can't compare it in my life... But people say that food is not as good as beautiful utensils, and good articles have to have good words... Calligraphy is now Liang Hu's. I heard that his good handwriting is similar to Li Si's handwriting. They are as good as those written on the Chuanguo Yuxi's "Ordered by Heaven, and longevity will last forever". But when it comes to cursive script, the most popular Everyone knows the name of Zhangcao, the imperial brush of our Emperor Xiaozhang!"

"Yes..." The more Zhang Wen listened, the more confused he became. Could it be that he came to chat with me at noon to relieve boredom, "I may not be able to catch up with Liang Menghuang after practicing these two characters for 80 years, but I still think that the writing is good." "You're on the way!" Cao Song was overjoyed, but his face was calm, and he seemed to say casually: "If you want to talk about articles, I really admire the articles of the current Taifu Chen." "Brother Jugao has sharp eyes! Taifu Chen's spirit is extraordinary, and his writing style is sharp, and it is also due to his integrity and fortitude-this is also the same as the man."

"That's right! In the Danggu case, the memorial he wrote to protect Li Ying and others is really wonderful! I still remember a few words, 'Heaven is like Han, and there is no end to it, so I am diligent in showing changes to enlighten Your Majesty. Eliminating demons and evils is really cultivating virtue. The ministers are in the ranks of Taisi, and they have heavy worries and responsibilities. They dare not die and cherish their lives, and sit and watch success or failure. It is like being collected and recorded, splitting the body and head, and coming out of a different family. I don’t hate it.' Hahaha...these few words are out of the ordinary!" Cao Song laughed.

"It's a good word! Brother Jugao has a good memory." "Thanks for the compliment... I think these few sentences are wonderful because of the four words 'eliminate demons and eliminate evil'." "Oh?" Zhang Wen realized his purpose in a trance. "Since Liang Ji was punished, eunuchs have been favored more and more. They ran rampant in the court and extorted bribes in the states and counties outside, so as to block the saints, imprison the good, slander the loyal, and oppress the common people. Isn't it true that these eunuchs are called 'monsters'? Is it appropriate?"

Zhang Wen stared straight at Cao Song, as if he had never known this person before him.How come people who are so familiar with Wang Fu and Cao Jie are also scolding eunuchs today?Could it be that you want to change your mind and assist the new king... no?He himself is the adopted son of an eunuch, and Wang Fu secretly helped him to become the captain of Si Li Xiaowei. I really don't know how many benefits he has given to the eunuch these years, how could he turn back overnight?Thinking of this, Zhang Wen smiled: "Why did Brother Jugao talk about national affairs with fools like me? I just want to be free and free, and just mind my own errands."

"Haha..." Cao Song laughed dryly, "Brother Boshen, you are the one who hides everything! Now the general and Chen Taifu are in control of the government and boldly appoint party members. Li Ying and Du Mi are among the nine. Qing, it seems that the eunuch is really going to be attacked. How could you not know it at all?" Zhang Wen seemed to understand: What a cunning old man, it really is a night owl who comes into the house without incident.Seeing that the eunuch is in trouble, he came to me to borrow face and surrender to Dou Wu!Zhang Wen wanted to kick this duplicitous guy out, but he still had to smooth things over: "I'm just a fool, far inferior to Mr. Cao who can see what people don't see and see what people don't see."

Cao Song had heard his meaning of birth and said: "Brother Boshen is too famous! I just want to try my best to share the worries of the emperor." "Really? Master Cao's painstaking efforts are rare!" Zhang Wen's tone seemed to be sarcasm. "Brother Boshen made fun of me?" "Don't dare." Zhang Wen said coldly.Seeing his attitude of rejecting others, Cao Song was at a loss in his mind. When he looked down and saw a roll of silk cover on his desk, he suddenly thought of the words of Confucius, "A gentleman is a metaphor for righteousness", and turned his eyes quickly to stand up and look at Zhang. Wen Shi gave a big gift.

"You are..." "Brother Boshen, I beg you to give me some guidance!" "This... get up quickly, how can I afford to be a minister in the same palace!" Zhang Wen quickly reached out to support him. "I won't hide it from you! I know that I have been involved with eunuchs in the past, but this is not my intention. In the end, I just want to keep this official hat, live up to the kindness of my adoptive father, and leave a good future for my descendants. Since I entered the official career, everyone has said that I am a relic of the eunuch, and they have treated me coldly. For more than 20 years, I have been walking on thin ice. Although it is inevitable to suck hemorrhoids, I have not done anything harmful to nature. I also want to do things calmly and be an official. But...But who can do anything under the wind of the world? Brother Boshen is well versed in the scriptures, just think about it, isn’t the word "the last resort" mentioned in the eloquent "Doctrine of the Mean"? Brother Boshen, don’t read it, don’t read it. For the sake of my ancestors, show me the way..."

Zhang Wen was shaken, and thought to himself: "This man has been the son of an eunuch since he was a child, and he has been looked down upon by others for most of his life. He has developed the ability to be slick and smooth. In all fairness, why is he not worthy of pity? I was only a member of the Han family back then. My son, a down-and-out scholar, if it weren’t for his adoptive father Cao Teng, how could he be as noble as Jiuqing today?” Thinking about it, he couldn’t help but feel mixed, nodded and said: “Why do you do this... With your talents, you can do it with ease, let alone It’s this small wind and small waves. Alright! Brother Jugao, please think about it carefully, since our dynasty established the world, the eunuchs have been rampant and chaotic, but what they have done is stealing the country?” "No." "However, does the relative have such a heart?" "This?" Cao Song gritted his teeth, "My aunt said that there was Wang Mang before, and Dou, Deng, Yan, and Liang recently." "Okay! Which of the two is more important?" "Stealing the country is treason!" "Don't you understand it very well! Eunuchs who have been sentenced to death can't usurp the country... Think about it again. The eunuchs brought down Dou Xian, Deng Zhi, Yan Xian, and Liang Ji just now. Among them, except Liang Ji, who was domineering Domineering, are the others really heinous?" "This... in your opinion?" "They may not be evil people, but if their children are domineering and their disciples are powerful, it will inevitably arouse the emperor's suspicion. And eunuchs who are close to the emperor are like lice on the emperor's body. The evil wind ignites the fire and invites riches and honors when the relatives are not, but who will Can you directly catch the emperor's lice? Therefore, it is not a matter of one day and one night to wipe out the eunuchs, we can only deal with each case and case by case, and there is absolutely no way to kill them all." "Oh?" Cao Song's eyes lit up. "The water is so clear but there are no fish..." Zhang Wen pondered, "What's more, it is a pool of muddy water now! Can it be cleared if you think about it? Which of these foreign relatives and generals can control power without the help of eunuchs? Eunuchs and relatives are originally One body, it’s just a change of heart and hatred over time!” Hearing this, Cao Song was like waking up from a dream, and nodded repeatedly: "Good idea! No matter how far away, Dou Wu was able to preside over the overall situation this time because of the help of Wang Fu and others. Suspect." "That's right! So he's using people from the party to put money on his face. In detail, these people are not Dou Wu's confidantes at all, not even the current Taifu Chen Fan who has always supported him. They These people are just taking advantage of Dou Wu's power to attack the eunuch, but Dou Wu's real strength is not that great at all!" "So, Dou Wu can't bring down the eunuch?" "It's hard to say, there is no certain reason for everything. If he can be cautious and careful in everything, humbly ask Chen Taifu for advice, and take advantage of the power of the party members and the ignorance of the young master, he still has a chance of winning, and he may not be able to temporarily filter the muddy water. But Dou Wu is too straightforward, eager for quick success... I don't think much about it!" Zhang Wen sneered. "In your opinion, if this is to be done, what is the most important thing?" "Although literature matters are important, armaments are even more important!" "Army?!" "Yes! The military power of the Fifth Battalion of the Northern Army is the key!" As soon as Zhang Wen said this, Zhang Wen felt lost: This should not be said!If he colluded with Wang Fu and caused the Dou family and the party members to fail, wouldn't I be a sinner through the ages? Seeing his face change drastically, Cao Song understood his concerns: "Brother Boshen, don't be suspicious, I just want to avoid disaster, how dare I ask for more?" "I hope brother Jugao can agree with his heart." Zhang Wen sighed, "I said what should be said, and I didn't pay attention to what should not be said. You can do it yourself." On the way home, Ah Meng put his arms around his father's neck and kept talking about it, saying that Cai Mao raised a big rooster named "General Cheqi", and he was very aggressive, and none of the cockfighting cocks of the princes in the capital were rivals. Get over it. Cao Song just looked at his son and smiled, but didn't say anything.He was still recalling what Zhang Wen said just now—the military power of the Fifth Battalion of the Northern Army is the key!If the Dou family is in trouble, the eunuch's best response is to hijack the emperor and give orders, so military power is very important.The most important troops in Luoyang City are the five battalions of the Northern Army: Tunqi Xiaowei Battalion, Yueqi Xiaowei Battalion, Infantry Xiaowei Battalion, Changshui Xiaowei Battalion, and Shesheng Xiaowei Battalion.These five battalions are responsible for the defense of the capital. It can be said that whoever controls them has the power of life and death in Luoyang City.Now in the fifth battalion, Dou Shao, Dou Wu's nephew, is the captain of the infantry, and Feng Shu, his confidant, is the captain of the cavalry.The two battalions can't reach the third battalion, if the eunuch hijacks the emperor to climb up again, I'm afraid the two battalions in his hands will be unreliable. "Ah, listen to daddy, some things may happen in the capital these few days, you stay at home, don't go out to play casually, it will be very dangerous, you know?" Cao Song patted his son's little head, " Haha... You did Dad a great favor today!" Ah Man blinked his big round eyes, really not understanding what help he had done.