Chapter 29 Xu Shao

Xu Shao's reputation in Runan was getting bigger and bigger, which gradually made him feel uneasy.The so-called "a tree that is beautiful in the forest, the wind will destroy it", a person with too much fame will get into trouble, especially a rural hermit like him.Qing Yi's influence seems to be good, but it's no joke that a big tree attracts the wind.It has made such a big impact, and the court's recruitment has been completely rejected. This is already very dangerous. If you offend some important person, and you are charged with gathering township parties and privately discussing government affairs, that family's life will be wiped out.No one has said that yet, but what about the future?Are the bloody lessons of Jia Biao and Guo Tai not enough to learn from?So Xu Shao decided to accept the conscript and go to the county to be a meritorious service officer, so as to avoid disaster by becoming a small official.

But when Xu Shao told Xu Jing about this idea, Xu Jing was very angry.In Xu Jing's view, their brothers are also attracting attention. Xu Shao can be an official and so can he. Xu Shao's words about the danger of his official career are hypocritical and perfunctory.He asked Xu Shao to call himself Xiaolian when he arrived in the county, but he was flatly rejected.Since then, the two brothers parted ways! Anxiety came one after another, Xu Shao decided to leave Runan, and go to the capital to visit his elder brother Xu Qian for a few days to relieve the depression in his chest.Unexpectedly, this trouble added trouble, and almost attracted everyone in Luoyang who wanted to be famous.At first, he was reluctant to prevaricate, but later these people crowded to the gate in groups, and the number was increasing greatly.Xu Shao began to feel that it was not wise to come to Beijing this time.

At this moment, brother Xu Xiang, whom he had not seen for many years, appeared with a gift.Xu Shao has always looked down on this person, euphemistically calling him "not speaking", but in fact he is a villain who clings to the powerful and flatters the eunuchs.Xu Xiang spoke insignificant flattery for a long while, and finally confessed his intention of coming-to ask him to write rumors about Cao Song's son Cao Cao.This angered Xu Shao, he pointed at Xu Xiang's nose and cursed, and took all the anger these days on him. But when Xu Xiang left, he began to reflect.Although Xu Xiang is a shameless villain, after all, he is in the servant and holds the power of the great eunuch Cao Jie.In case he takes revenge with hatred, there will be no good fruit for me as a commoner.After much deliberation, he had no choice but to leave the capital as soon as possible.

Easier said than done, it is not easy to leave Luoyang smoothly. Outside the gate of the mansion are people waiting to meet, even in the middle of the night, there are servants of these people waiting for news.If you go out casually, you will be stopped by them immediately, and they will pester you endlessly.This is how to do?In the end, Xu Qian came up with a good idea. He left with his things in the carriage first, and threatened Xu Shao to return to his hometown as soon as he left, and the guests would never be seen. After attracting their attention, Xu Shao left quietly in another carriage.

So on a quiet evening, an empty carriage hurriedly left the Xu residence.The servants sent by the visitors panicked!Some went back to report, some tried to intercept, and some followed the car out of the city. In short, everyone knew that Xu Shao had already left for Runan. In the early morning of the next day, Xu Shao really bid farewell to his brother. The servants flicked their whips briskly and drove the carriage through the empty streets of Luoyang.Even so, Xu Shao still didn't dare to take it lightly, he ordered the coachman to draw the curtains tightly.After a whole night of preparation, he was really tired, so Xu Shao fell asleep lying on his side in the car unconsciously... for an unknown amount of time, he was in a trance, and a sound of arguing woke him up.

"It's you! Stop talking nonsense!" shouted a high-pitched voice. "Nonsense! We are a serious family, our master is of great character. How could we rob your wife?" Xu Shao knew that it was his coachman. Xu Shao sat up in surprise, only to realize that the car was not going away. "I still wronged you? I recognize this carriage!" "What are you talking about? You are crazy!" "You are the lunatic! You are the one who robbed me!" "no!" "yes!" "Rogue!" "You are the rascal!" "Asshole!"

"You bastard!" "Okay, okay, stop arguing!" Another voice interrupted the quarrel between the two, "It's not proper for officials who are guarding us to be so presumptuous! Come back to the yamen with me and see the county lieutenant Let's talk again, my lord." Why are there still officials?Xu Shao was confused, and hurriedly lifted the curtain of the car.I saw a large group of people gathered in front of the car, including ordinary people and slaves, led by two young people: one was a fat farmer in common clothes, and the other was a big man who seemed to be the head of the yamen servant.Xu Shao hurriedly asked the coachman, "What's going on?"

"Master, you are awake... I don't know if you fell asleep just now, we just walked out of Luoyang City for a few miles, and I thought that you fell asleep, let's walk slowly... That's good! It's only a few miles away. People stopped him... This fat man brought a group of peasants and insisted that we robbed us two days ago, and insisted that we return his wife... Forget about his arrogance, no matter how I explain it, he won't listen... …Let’s put aside whether to grab or not. Is it plausible for a group of people to yell and stop cars in broad daylight? It's a bit crooked, and one eye is big and the other eye is small. Why would we snatch her from such an ugly ghost... Later, when these officials came, he still grabbed us and shouted to go to the Yamen... These few The same is true for the officials, it is his reason for a long time, you have to allow me to say a word when you are handling the case! Picking your nose and eyes, bullying us foreigners... Master, do you think this is the reason?" The coachman was really squeezed By the way, I said a lot without beginning and end.

When Xu Shao heard this, his head grew dizzy: What a mess! "You...we...what, what happened?" He wanted to explain something, but he didn't understand what happened at all, and couldn't find a word. "Masters of the yamen servants, you have seen it!" The fat farmer caught the reason, "Their master can't explain clearly at all, this is a shame in his heart! Don't look at his well-dressed, heart-to-heart, my daughter-in-law is so He won’t let go of the ugly! These guys with human face and animal heart are too domineering! Hurry up and arrest them, this master must be a big thief!"

The coachman was so angry that he swung his whip in his hand and said, "Say one more thing!" "You are thieves!" The fat farmer shouted, jumping up and down. "How dare you talk nonsense!" The coachman jumped out of the carriage and was about to hit the fat man with his whip.The fat man turned and ran with his head in his arms, and the coachman chased after him with a whip.The two of them ran around the crowd for two and a half laps like a revolving lantern, shouting and cursing. Xu Shao's mind was in a mess right now, he couldn't yell, he couldn't stop him, and he was afraid of revealing his identity, so he straddled the car in a hurry.

"It's too presumptuous!" The big yamen servant seemed to be unable to stand it anymore, "Brothers! Bind this driver to me, he dared to beat someone in broad daylight in front of the yamen servant! Arrest him!" He gave an order, and the four Five yamen servants and three spectators swarmed up and pushed the coachman to the ground. I don't know where he got two ropes. They tied him up tightly. real. Xu Shao was dumbfounded and wanted to say something, but who would listen to him now? After finishing his work for a long time, the big man raised his head and asked Xu Shao, "What are you going to do? Do you follow us obediently, or tie you up too?" "Don't be annoyed, this official, it seems that there is a misunderstanding... We didn't rob anyone, we just passed by here... Maybe that little brother admitted it wrong!" "Then I don't care," the big yamen servant patted the dirt on his hands, "Since he has sued you, you have to go back to the yamen and explain clearly to our master. Whoever is right will see you in the hall, and you can follow along with your car." !" Xu Shao was really breathless, he wanted to go back to his hometown quickly, but he didn't dare to yell: If someone knows that Xu Zijiang is still in Luoyang, and he is caught as a kidnapper, what will happen to him!Now the coachman has also been tied up, so he can only sit obediently in the cart and let the government servants lead him away. "Where are we going?" "Wei Yamen, Beixian County, Luoyang. Fatty lives in the north of the city, so this case is in charge there!" Xu Shao was taken aback for a moment—it's too bad!Just refuting Cao Cao's face, but this time it fell into the hands of this kid!All the yamen servants escorted the cart calmly, the coachman was tied to the side of the cart, the fat peasant fell silent, and Xu Shao lowered his head and thought about his thoughts.Half an hour later, including the plaintiff and the defendant, as well as spectators, a large group of people crowded into the Beixian Weiyamen.Cao Mengde, the county lieutenant, went to the hall to ask questions, and the clerks of the government office served on both sides. As soon as the little fat man entered the door and a lamb knelt down to suckle, he lay on the ground and cried out, insisting that Xu Shao and the others had robbed him.After hearing this, Cao Cao asked Xu Shao, "Who are you? Why do you rob someone's wife? Why don't you kneel down when you see me?" Xu Shao's face turned red and white, and he still had to answer: "Returning to my lord, this man took the wrong carriage, and we have never done anything to snatch a marriage. As for my name... I will..." "Speak quickly, don't hesitate!" "Xu Shao in Runan." Xu Shao gritted his molars and replied. "Bold! How dare you pretend to be Xu Shao!" Cao Cao slapped the desk hard again, "Then Mr. Xu is a famous man in the world, how can he be an arrogant villain like you?" Cao Cao made an excuse. vent. "Don't dare to lie to your lord, I am indeed Xu Shao." "Ah?" Cao Cao deliberately pretended to be surprised, and quickly stood up, "You are the famous General Xu?" "Yes." Xu Shao agreed with a blushing face. "Really? Are you really Mr. Xu?" Cao Cao took a look up, down, left, and right, taking a full look.Xu Shao was too embarrassed to say anything, and kept nodding his head, wishing he could find a crack in the ground and sneak in! "Oh!" Cao Cao stomped his feet, and walked two steps forward to give a big salute, "Mr. Xu is here, Xiao Ke Cao Cao is here to see the salute." "Master County Lieutenant, please hurry up, this is a court, don't break the rules." Xu Shao had to hold back his embarrassment to help. "What rules are you telling me!" Cao Cao got up and yelled at the others, "Stupid! Are you blind? Why did you arrest the famous Mr. Xu as a villain? Drag this fat man out to beat forty boards ! Louya servant, the one you took? I don’t want you anymore, pack up and go home!” "Oh...Master Cao, this little man admitted his mistake for a while, and the yamen servants are also doing business, so let them be spared!" Xu Shao has already been lifted up, and he has to show some courage. "This... alright! You haven't thanked Mr. Xu yet." The two pretended to come over and knelt down to thank them. "Now that I've figured it out... I'll take my leave." Xu Shao didn't want to stay any longer. Before Cao Cao could speak, the handsome clerk came over and said, "My lord, I have written down every single word that the farmer complained about. Since Mr. Xu is your friend, I can't remember his name." Is it on file? Mr. Xu’s coachman also beat someone, should we file another case and make further calculations?” "Well..." Cao Cao glanced at Xu Shao with a smile. Xu Shao felt the meaning of these words, and suddenly realized: Cao Cao dug a hole for me to jump!Thinking of this, his chest was full of anger, but he looked up and laughed loudly: "Hahaha... Cao Mengde! You are amazing! You are cruel, I am convinced by you... Tell me what kind of rumors you want to comment!" "How dare I make a mistake? It's just that you didn't see me after several visits to the gentleman. I used this trick out of helplessness. Whether the rumor is good or bad depends on the gentleman's heart." "Hmph! You're quite upright..." Xu Shao pondered over today's events with his head down, before saying, "You are a capable minister in order to rule the world, and a traitor in troubled times!" "Mr. Xie!" Cao Cao saluted again. "You're welcome, it's up to you to record the case or not, as long as you let my man go, I'll be grateful." "Scribe, burn the records quickly! The yamen servant releases you!" Cao Cao replied simply, "Greetings to Mr. Xu." "No need to send it off." Xu Shao flicked his sleeves and left without looking back... "Oh! I really can't help but want to laugh, hahaha!" As soon as Xu Shao left, Lou Gui, dressed as a yamen servant, was the first to lose his temper. "Meng De! It's thanks to you for coming up with such an idea. I don't understand why you concluded that the one who left yesterday was not the real Xu Shao?" "I asked my follower, Lou Yi, to squat in Xu's mansion for several days, paying special attention to Xu Shao's carriage. The one that went out yesterday was Xu Qian's carriage. I knew he must have not left, and it was a deliberate attempt to deceive others. It was his idea." Cao Cao pointed to the young man pretending to be a peasant. "Boy! You are amazing! Just now you acted just like the real thing, we played together, dare to ask your name!" "You don't know him?" Cao Cao was surprised. "How do you know him? I asked you to come here in the middle of the night, and I just changed clothes and went out after being confused." Lou Gui pretended to be angry. "He is the nephew of Doctor Zhang of Jiuqing, Cai Degui from Xiangyang!" "Oh! I often hear Meng De mention that you are Cai Mao! You have a lot of ghost ideas! I admire you!" Lou Gui clasped his hands together. "Haha..." Cai Hao was also happy, "Don't dare to be! I was also forced out by eating too much behind closed doors. That time Meng De and I went to visit Liang Hu, but he hated us. When I came back, I thought of this method. I didn't expect Use it on Xu Zijiang." "But..." Lou Gui was a little worried again, "If we do this, will Xu Shao find someone to impeach Meng De?" "No." Wang Jun, dressed as a clerk, interjected, "He is so famous, how could he have the nerve to let people know that he has suffered such a big fall? We only spread rumors and don't tell the history, so it doesn't matter. Think about it, if people find out that Xu Zi will be taken as a bridegroom, a farmer's wife, a cripple, and a crooked mouth, how could he have the face to face others!" After that, the four of them burst out laughing. "You can't let Mr. Qiao know about this." Cao Cao suddenly thought of this. "It's okay! The teacher will only praise you for being smart when he knows." Wang Jun disagrees, "You don't know yet! The teacher did no less absurd things like us back then. When he became the prefect of the valley, he wanted to recruit hermits. Jiang Qi, Jiang Qi refused to come out of the mountain, so he asked Du You to send a message, "If you don't come out to see me again, your old mother will be remarried to someone else!" Everyone in the county laughed like crazy!" Several people laughed again when they heard it. "Haha..." Cai Mao was overjoyed, "My stomach hurts from laughing... I have to go back quickly, there are still a lot of people outside! I called my uncle's servants, Cangtou, maids, and mother-in-law out early in the morning to pretend to be me." Common people, I'm afraid my uncle is still wondering at home, where are the servants at home?" "Hahahaha..." Several people sat on the ground laughing... It's been a long time since what happened that day, and as long as the few people meet, they still can't stop laughing. Later Xu You also found out, and asked Cao Cao if he was satisfied with the rumor. Cao Cao mused, "A capable minister who governs the world, a traitor in a troubled world...not as good as I imagined, but not as bad as I imagined."