Chapter 36 Mulberry Garden Yuxian

I don't know how long it took before Cao Cao woke up from his lethargy.Dimly, he vaguely remembered that he and Lou Yi were fighting for their lives in the wilderness on a snowy night: "Lou Yi..." "Wake up, wake up!" It was not Lou Yi who appeared in front of him, but an old man with white beard and hair and wrinkled face. "I..." "Don't move! You are too weak. That servant of yours is fine!" He pointed behind him, "You servant is really amazing! You are holding two big sticks and crying in your arms, and you are about to kill me. The dilapidated house collapsed."

Only then did Cao Cao close his eyes and concentrate on watching, only to see that it was a thatched hut, but it was kept clean and meticulous.Due to the cold weather, the windows were all closed, and a charcoal brazier was burning in the center of the ground, and there was a couch not far away, where Lou Yi was lying snoring loudly, with the pair of five-colored big sticks beside him.Only then did he heave a sigh of relief, his head fell heavily back on the couch, and panting, he said, "Thank you for saving my life, old man." "There's not much to say, who told you to fall by the side of my mulberry garden." The old man smiled, "You're sick, so take a good rest! If you have anything to say, wait until you recover."

At this moment, a seven or eight-year-old girl came in with medicine, saw Cao Cao woke up, and looked at him with a smile: "Big brother, you are really good, I have been asleep for three days." "Three days!?" Cao Cao was taken aback. "Huan'er, don't talk like that." The old man took the medicine from the little girl's hand, and said, "Counting that night, you have been unconscious for three days and three nights! Drink up the medicine." Cao Cao raised his head reluctantly, poured down the fishy and bitter medicinal soup, lay down and asked again: "Old man, are you proficient in medical skills?"

"Know a thing or two!" The old man stroked his beard, "I see that your illness is not only caused by hunger, cold and rod injury, but also by Qi." Cao Cao nodded. "How about this, you will take care of it first, and when your body recovers, the old man will have a good talk with you." After that, he took the empty bowl and led the little girl Huan'er to go out. After another day of feeding like this, the decoction was cut off and some soup cakes were poured in. Cao Cao also recovered some strength, and finally he was able to get up and move.Seeing that his health improved, Cao Cao was happy, so he felt abrupt and hurriedly asked the old man's name.

"Old man Guo Jingtu." The old man stroked his beard and replied. "Ah!?" Cao Cao was taken aback, and hurriedly paid respects.This Mr. Guo Jingtu was a celebrity who was praised by people in the old days.As far as his fame is concerned, he was still in the reign of the emperor of filial piety. Even if his grandfather Cao Teng was alive, he might still be a few years younger than him. "You know this old man?" Guo Jingtu helped him up. "I heard from my father that you are always famous and a majestic man!" Guo Jingtu smiled: "No one has mentioned it in the past forty years. Now I am just an old country man living in the mulberry garden."

"You were recruited by the filial emperor in your old age, and you have a good reputation. If you are willing to become an official, Yuan and Yang Ergong may not be able to match you. You are no less than Chen Fan, Hu Guang, and Wen Renxi. " "It's all just a fleeting moment." Guo Jingtu shook his head, and took Cao Cao's changed clothes, "Your name is Cao Cao, and you are the county magistrate of Dunqiu?" "No, it's true, but I haven't arrived yet." Cao Cao saluted again. "Well. It's a comfort for the old man to see a clean and honest official like you again in his lifetime!"

"Don't dare to lie to the old man." Cao Cao blushed, "I left Beijing in late life, so I didn't have time to gather more family members, but there are still one car and five servants. In Yanshi County, the chariot and horse once met a woman who left the country, Gong County and Xingyang donated clothes to those who fled along the way, crossed the Yellow River and met bandits who cut the trail, and the two servants fled with entanglements, missed Fengqiu post, and ended up in this field through famine and snow." "Hahaha...it's strange." "The late students are really ignorant of the world, which made the elders laugh at him."

"What's wrong with being ignorant of the world?" Guo Jingtu waved his hand, "Everyone in the world is very scheming, but people with a simple heart can achieve great things. Do you also think they are demented? The real husband is to act rashly!" This sentence is the same as what Duke Qiao said, Cao Cao thought to himself. Guo Jingtu asked again: "You are young, why are you worried and depressed?" Cao Cao sighed, and then he said everything about the things he wrote in the letter, he was praised and slandered by Cao Jie and others, and he was forced to leave Beijing in the middle of winter.

Guo Jingtu couldn't help nodding, and finally said: "Young man, why do you worry about this matter. How is it in Beijing? How is it outside? Since you are in the official career and have the ambition to benefit the people, why care about where you are?" "The lesson of the old man is that I used to be an official only to seek a high position and gain a reputation. Now I think I was wrong. I have been traveling all the way these days, and I have been horrified. Only then did I understand the suffering of the people and the hardships in the world. It turns out that I It has always been very narrow!" Cao Cao said in shame.

"It's good that you can see this layer, and it will be changed in the future." "But that's not the truth about the misery of late life." "Oh?" "Senior, do you know my life experience?" Cao Cao knew that he had seen Yin Shou, and thought he must have seen the official defense documents. "I don't know yet." yes!He is a generation of sages, how could he peek at other people's documents?Cao Cao said eloquently: "The grandfather who was born late was the first emperor of the Great Changqiu." "Your surname is Cao... oh! I know... I know..." Guo Jingtu's eyes lit up. He was a scholar who became famous during his filial piety, so he naturally knew Cao Teng, "You are the descendant of Cao Jixing."

"No, the old man is his grandfather." Guo Jingtu nodded and couldn't help sighing. "My father is currently in the position of Dahonglu. One of the uncles in the family is the Minister of the Dynasty, and the other is the commander of the Northern Army, Shui Xiaowei..." Guo Jingtu lived in seclusion for dozens of years, and lived in the village for a long time. He only remembered the old eunuch Cao Teng, but he didn't know Cao Song, Cao Ding, and Cao Chi, but he knew that these families had a solid foundation. : "What's so embarrassing for you?" Cao Cao gritted his teeth: "I dare not hide it. My father and uncle are eunuchs attached to the party in the court, and they are hated by the scholars. It is a shame and a shame to revitalize the family and fail to maintain it..." Guo Jingtu smiled wryly: "Your family started as an eunuch, but you impeach the eunuch instead, which is considered deviant!" "It's true, but..." Cao Cao had to sigh again, "Since Xiaoke entered the official career, although he has a little clarity, he has relied on the power of eunuchs to pursue his roots. He is the captain of Luoyang North and the uncle of the favorite minister. I will be protected by my father and uncle. I am so ashamed!" By the way, he also learned what Cao Song had taught him before leaving Beijing. Unexpectedly, after finishing these words, Guo Jingtu raised his head and laughed loudly: "Hahaha...hahaha..." "Could it be that the old man laughed at me as an ugly relic of an official career, and the stink of my official career?" "No! No! Hahaha..." "What are you laughing at?" "I laugh at your natural good luck!" "Good luck?" Cao Cao was puzzled. "Hmm. Good luck." Guo Jingtu suppressed his laughter, "If my old man has your kind of family background, why should he still live here raising mulberry trees!" "Since the old man agreed, Wan Sheng naturally dare not argue, but he is really puzzled and would like to hear more about it." "Okay! Listen to me. Confucius said, 'If you don't change your father's way for three years, you can be called filial piety.' In fact, this is only half true." Guo Jingtu said with a straight face, "It depends on whether the father's way is in line with the will of heaven. The hearts of the people. Your grandfather was originally good. Except for his shortcomings in the things that the first emperor set up, he was a good man even though he was an eunuch. But the people of later generations could not uphold the righteous way, so they became notorious. You said You have been an official for the past two years, and you have relied on the protection of your father and uncle for not avoiding the powerful and powerful officials. Then why can't you think about it the other way around?" "Think about it the other way around?" "Since you have the protection of your father and uncle, why don't you take this opportunity to do more good deeds? People can't change what they want, but they can do what they want! You can use your father and uncle's power to fight those eunuchs more. , wouldn’t it be better to benefit the people more? Anyway, you have foundations and backing, you only know that you can’t use them to do evil, but you don’t know that you can use them to do good! stick. Pedantry! Dumbness!" Cao Cao suddenly realized: "Alas... In the past, Mr. Qiao always taught me a lesson, and only after the old man taught me did he understand the deep meaning." "Oh? You know Qiao Xuan?" Guo Jingtu was a little surprised. "I've been teaching since I was an official." "Yeah. Grandpa Qiao really knows people... boy! Think about it now, is it good luck? If I have eunuch relatives, I should applaud! If that's the case, I can stretch my ambitions Healing the suffering of the people! Why do you act in such a dismal way in this mulberry garden?" "Old man, what are you doing raising mulberry here?" "I, Guo Jingtu, had the ambition to save the people, but the treacherous officials were in power. Even if they were officials, they were harmed by the scorpion. So I gave up all my wealth and raised mulberry here for a living. All the mulberry leaves I got were given to nearby farmers to raise silkworms and weave cloth. force." So it is!Cao Cao thought carefully: distributing all the wealth of the family to the people, but also raising mulberry for charity, this old man is really a generation of great sages. "Senior Gao Yi, you are admirable!" "What is there to admire? How much effort is there!" "Do you have family with you?" "I was accompanied by an old wife, but now she is dead. My husband and wife have no children. Three years ago, I got an orphan from a farmer, and I will raise the next child, that ring girl." Guo Jingtu stroked his white beard, "It's a pity that I was young The matter is too high, and this child is too young, if I have troubles in the future, I will also be a miserable child." "Xiao Ke doesn't dare to humiliate senior, but if senior has the day of becoming a fairy, Xiao Ke is willing to raise Huan'er and fulfill his wish." "Okay...okay..." Guo Jingtu nodded again and again, "Boy of the Cao family, since you have the ambition to help the community, you can do whatever you want." "As you like?" Cao Cao smiled, "Xiao Ke is very young." "Hahaha... The Master said, 'When you are five years old, you will be determined to learn; at thirty, you will stand up; at forty, you will not be confused; at fifty, you will know the destiny; It has been rare since ancient times, so the old man does not believe in those things. Confucius’s affairs are incomparable to those of others.” Guo Jingtu’s eyes shone brightly, “I only said five words, ‘externalization’ and ‘inner non-transformation’! There are these five words , you can do whatever you want!" "Late births have benefited a lot." Cao Cao got up and bowed deeply... In this way, after another two days of lingering, Cao Cao and Lou Yi recovered and bid farewell to Guo Jingtu and Huan'er.After stepping on the post road, seeing the red sun shining brightly and the snow melting away, Cao Cao felt much more cheerful.Seeing that I was the only one left with Lou Yi, I couldn't help sighing: "Oh! I thought that five servants were already a small number, but I didn't expect that now there are only you and me left." Lou Yi said with a smile, "Even if I am alone, I will take care of your lord's safety." "Thanks to your efforts to save Sang Yuan that night." "The young one is a poor janitor, but he has strength. If he hadn't been promoted by the lord, he would still be living in the north gate of Luoyang now! If the lord is in trouble, he will die." Seeing that he was still carrying the pair of five-coloured sticks, Cao Cao smiled and said, "Aren't you tired carrying the pair of sticks by yourself?" "To be honest, I'm very tired!" Lou Yi pouted. "Hahaha..." Cao Cao looked up to the sky and laughed, "Then throw it away." "No! This is the testimony of you, my lord, who shocked the capital." Lou Yi said seriously. "I was also on a whim at the time. In fact, why do I need to have any testimony? No wonder Mr. Guo laughed." "Old Mr. Guo may not be right!" "Oh?" "If we hadn't brought this pair of sticks out, we would have been killed by bandits on the ground in Fengqiu! Is there still life to come here? Who has front and back eyes?" Cao Cao was taken aback: This is true! "The world is unpredictable." Lou Yi lifted the big stick up again. "Forget it. Let's do good deeds and don't worry about the future! Let's live with the situation!" Cao Cao shook the rein, and the horse galloped forward with brisk steps. Rested overnight in Changyuan, and walked another day the next day, but seeing the orderly fields and fields, I must have reached the border of Dunqiu County.Cao Cao and Lou Yi were hungry, so they used a few cakes for the post.It was strange for Yicheng to see this official walking alone. After careful questioning, he found out that the county magistrate had arrived!Hurry up and send someone to the county government to deliver a letter, calling them to welcome the grandfather. Cao Cao and Lou Yi didn't care about that much, they filled their stomachs, and without a word, the master and servant went on the road again.Ten miles away, we arrived in a blink of an eye and entered Dunqiu City.Cao Cao saw that although the county town was small, it was bustling with people doing business and selling, and they walked across the streets and alleys to the front of the county government office. Lou Yi saw a man in blue and wearing a crown looking up at the street, and said with a smile, "What are you looking for?" The man brushed off his sleeve and said, "Stay out of the way for those who have nothing to do. I'm waiting to welcome my lord." What!" Lou Yi laughed even harder: "It's all in front of your eyes, and you don't know it yet." "Ah?" The man paid attention to Cao Cao: he saw a young man with a short stature sitting on a thin horse. It has not been repaired for a long time, wearing a dirty long coat, and a big sable coat with holes on it - is this the son of Cao Song, the county magistrate of Dunqiu? Cao Cao hurriedly got off his horse and took out the seal ribbon from his arms: "I am Cao Cao, may I ask who you are?" The man hurriedly knelt down: "This subordinate is Xu Tuo, a meritorious Cao of this county, and I failed to recognize him in haste. , I hope your lord will forgive me." "Xu Gongcao get up! I look like this, even if I see it myself, I don't dare to recognize it! Hahaha..." Xu Tuo was flattered: "I sent a carriage to pick up your lord just now, did you see your lord?" Cao Cao was very surprised: "No!" "It must be your lord who dresses up like this, those snobs don't know it!" I saw another person jumping out from the gate of the county government. "Yilu! Your kid is here too?" Qin Yilu knelt down and kowtowed: "Master Jin! Master Silver! My good master of emeralds, pearls, glass and agate! You have finally arrived! I went to Qiao County and arrived at Dunqiu faster than you. Where did you go? I'm almost dying of anxiety." "It's hard to say!" Cao Cao smiled, looking down at his cracked hands.At this time, I heard the sound of the flute again, melodiously floating, sometimes cheerful and sometimes tactful.A young flute player came out of the county government office. He shook his head and ignored others, just finished playing a beautiful piece of music on his own. "A Bing, you are taller, stronger, and more handsome." Cao Cao sighed with emotion. "That's natural." Bian Bing put the flute in his sleeve and said with a simple smile, "My mother's ancestors were virtuous. I met a good brother-in-law like you, and now my sister has become an official wife. Crops full of dung, can the mother not grow?" Cao Cao frowned, and said, "Oh...you're full of nonsense, but you still haven't made any progress. How many days have you been here?" "I arrived the day before yesterday." After saying that, Bian Bing leaned closer to Cao Cao's ear, "My sister misses you so much!" Cao Cao blushed: "Stop talking nonsense with me! My father doesn't know yet, so don't say anything." "Wouldn't it be abducted if I don't follow?" Bian Bing said plausibly. "Since you're here, you should behave yourself. First, don't use your power to bully others, and second, change your nonsense." "Little brother, I made a note. You talked half a car before you entered the yamen, go in and rest quickly." Bian Bing smiled and said, "I don't live in your yamen, and I set up a small house across the street. The county magistrate didn't bring any Uncle!" "Good!" Cao Cao nodded in agreement. "How do I know this? It was all done by Xu Gongcao." Only then did Cao Cao examine Xu Tuo carefully again, and saw that he was in his early thirties, with a clean face and long beard, and shrewdness from the corners of his brows and eyes. Relatives must be people who are good at drilling camps!He said, "Xu Gongcao, is the government's money used to buy the real estate?" Xu Tuo was taken aback, and hurriedly said, "I don't dare!" Bian Bing also smiled and said: "Brother-in-law, you are too caring. We came out from Qiao County, and all the food and clothing expenses were given by Cao De's second brother before our departure." Cao Cao couldn't help sighing: "It's my younger brother who thinks deeply." Suddenly, a graceful woman flashed out of the gate, looking at him affectionately.Cao Cao's heart became hot... My little lady who I think about day and night, we can finally be together...