Cao Song was sitting drunkenly on the side of the street, carrying a wine pot.
He was depressed because he was once a great captain, but he was in such a state of desolation!
Compared with other hostages of the Cao family, as Cao Cao's father, he did not rely on others. Instead, he and several concubines were arranged alone in a small courtyard, and they were guaranteed two meals a day.
But that's about it.
Compared with his previous life, there was one heaven and one underground, and the courtyard was always guarded by soldiers, which made Cao Song feel like an old dog in a cage.
But over time, Cao Song became familiar with the guarding soldiers. He asked him to pawn his jewelry and exchanged some money to bribe the soldiers. He often sneaked out and went to the wine shop opposite the house to drink.
The guarding soldiers were happy to turn a blind eye. Yecheng was very well protected. What danger could Cao Song face if he walked dozens of steps away to drink across the street?
Cao Song also wanted to get up and buy wine. He touched his arms and found that there were only a few five baht coins left, which was not enough to buy anything.
He stood on the side of the road in silence for a long time, poured the last few drops of wine from the flask in his hand into his mouth, and stared blankly at the street with cars and people passing by.
The guarding soldier on the other side of the street came over and advised, "Grandpa, it's time to go back."
"You've been out for a long time, and it's hard for us to explain."
Cao Song followed the soldiers back angrily, muttering.
The soldiers brought Cao Song into the small courtyard, locked the door, and stood guard outside. Not long after, a carriage stopped at the entrance of the small courtyard.
When the soldier saw it, he quickly went up and shouted: "No parking is allowed here, leave quickly!"
The young man driving the carriage shouted: "Master, come to see Mr. Cao!"
The car door opened and a young man jumped out. He smiled at the soldier and said, "I'll just say a few words and leave."
A soldier heard this and said, "Who are you?"
"There are important people here who need to be guarded. How can you talk casually?"
The young man jumped off his horse, took out a token, and said, "This is Yuan Shijun's son."
When the two soldiers saw the token, they were immediately startled and saluted, "I have seen the young master."
The two of them were Yuan Xi and Sun Li. Yuan Xi asked, "How is Grandpa Cao living these days?"
The two soldiers looked at each other. Yuan Xi saw it and said, "Tell it like it is."
A soldier whispered: "My grandpa loves to drink, and he often complains about the poor food. I think he must be very dissatisfied with this."
They didn't dare to say that they let Cao Song drink, otherwise wouldn't they be causing trouble?
Yuan Xi asked what Cao Song usually ate, and laughed and said, "It's really not good for him."
He turned to look at the wine shop and restaurant opposite, and said to Sun Li: "You go to the carriage and bring out two bolts of silk as a meeting gift for the two of you."
Sun Li followed his instructions and took out two horses from the car and handed them to the guard. The two of them didn't dare to say anything. Yuan Xi said, "I need your help with something."
"Don't send in today's lunch."
The two looked at each other doubtfully, but they did not dare to disobey Yuan Xi's words and had no choice but to agree.
Yuan Xi took Sun Li to the restaurant opposite to have dinner. After waiting for another two or three hours, seeing that it was almost dinner time, he said to Sun Li: "Bring a piece of silk in exchange for some food and wine, and come in with me."
At this time, after years of war in the late Han Dynasty, the monetary system had completely collapsed.
After Dong Zhuo minted small coins, one Dendrobium Valley was worth hundreds of thousands of Dong Zhuo coins.
Under Gongsun Zan's rule, Youzhou suffered from cannibalism. At that time, one stone of grain cost one hundred thousand yuan.
In the first year of Emperor Xingping's reign, a bushel of dendrobium was worth 500,000 yuan, and a bushel of beans and wheat was worth 200,000 yuan.
In the same year of Xingping, a grain of Dendrobium in Dong'a area cost more than 500,000 yuan, so Cheng Yu, a Dong'a native, made dried meat from the Dong'a people who were eating grain, which fundamentally solved the food shortage problem.
Although Jizhou was relatively rich in money and grain, many people in Yecheng were unwilling to accept coins, so grain and silk became hard currency.
After hearing this, Sun Li went to the carriage to take out the silk cloth and went to talk to the shopkeeper. After more than a quarter of an hour, several waiters came out of the kitchen carrying wine and food.
Yuan Xi then took Sun Li and a few waiters to Cao Song's gate. Two gatekeepers hurriedly opened the door. Yuan Xi asked, "Lunch was not delivered, was it?"
The two of them laughed together and said, "How dare you disobey the master's orders? Of course you don't."
Yuan Xi thought to himself that he had not eaten for a day, so it should be about the same. He nodded and walked in.
At this time, Cao Song was so hungry that his eyes were black. He was lying on the couch, and several concubines were beating his legs. Cao Song's stomach growled with hunger, and he asked irritably: "Why hasn't anyone come to bring food?"
He thought about the simple meals he had eaten for more than a year, which were either rice porridge or flour cakes with some wild vegetables and the like. There was little meat and fishy taste, and he felt indignant. This Yuan family was really rude, and he was also a Sangong after all!
But now that he is a hostage, who cares about him?
If you don't deliver food at noon, you must be trying to blackmail him, but where does he have any extra money now?
He felt like he was about to starve to death. He stared at the roof and sighed, but suddenly he smelled a faint fragrance drifting into his nostrils.
Cao Song suddenly opened his eyes and turned over to sit up.
He rolled out of bed with a loud sound, dragged his clogs and ran out the door. His fat and bloated body was extremely light at the moment. As soon as he opened the door, he saw someone standing in the middle of the yard, with several restaurant waiters behind him holding wooden trays. Various dishes in the basin.
There were steamed white fish with juicy juices overflowing, stewed elbows that were soft and rotten, roasted goose that was red and translucent, and a few pieces of mutton floating on top in a large bowl of Hu soup, covered with shiny oil.
Cao Song's eyes widened when he saw it. This was the smell of meat wafting from the restaurant when he passed by it countless times!
He has never eaten these things!
All his money was exchanged for wine, and he could not afford these expensive meats. Such meals were extremely expensive, and even in Yecheng, not all nobles could afford them.
Every time he passed by a restaurant, Cao Song would sniff greedily, trying to keep the scent in his nose for a longer time.
At this moment, he felt tears rolling in his eyes. Damn it, is this a dream?
He took a few trembling steps and was about to pounce on him, but Yuan Xi stopped in front, cupped his hands and said with a smile: "I have seen Taigong Cao, but I haven't seen him for a long time. I miss him very much."
Cao Song swallowed his saliva and said, "Easy to say, easy to say."
He stared at the food and wine, and still couldn't bear to look away from the fish as he spoke, "Who are you?"
Yuan Xi wondered if Cao Song was starving, so he said, "My dear Yuan Xi, I have met the Grand Duke several times."
It took Cao Song a while to realize that this was the evil son of the Yuan family who had robbed him of all his wealth!
He was about to open his mouth to curse, but he swallowed it back. In his current situation, what qualifications did he have to be tough with others?
With a smile on his face, he cupped his hands and said, "It turns out to be Mr. Xian Yi. Thank you for your blessing. I am very grateful."
The two of them knew in their hearts that this was all fake and couldn't be any more fake, but they each had their own agenda and no one would reveal it.
The two of them entered the room and sat down. Yuan Xi saw Cao Song swallowing his saliva while staring at the dishes on the table, and said with a smile: "My admiration for Grandpa is like a surging river. I came here this time to ask for something." .”
Cao Song was getting hungrier and hungrier, but when Yuan Xi started talking to him in a slow and official manner, he felt angry and wanted to jump up and throw himself on the table to chew.
Of course Yuan Xi is not in a hurry. If Cao Song is full and enters the sage state, it will be difficult for him to negotiate terms.
Cao Song struggled to speak: "I can't protect myself now, what else can I do to help you?"
Yuan Xi smiled slightly, knowing that the other person had taken the bait, and said, "Tai Gong knows that there is nothing wrong with me, I'm just a bit of a womanizer."
After hearing this, Cao Song forced a smile and said: "Young Master is too modest. This is the elegance of the nobles. It is not a fault."
He thought to himself that Yuan Xi has fallen in love with my concubine?
No problem, as long as Yuan Xi opens his mouth, three concubines can be exchanged for one goose!
He said without hesitation: "If you are interested in my concubine, please feel free to take her away."
After hearing this, his concubines' eyes suddenly shone. No matter how you look at it, following Yuan Xi is much better than following Cao Song!
Yuan Xi knew that Cao Song had misunderstood, but when he saw that the time was right, he immediately said: "That day in Dongwuyang, there were some family members of Meng Degong who came to Yecheng with Grand Duke Lai."
"There is a woman inside. I am very interested in her. I have brought her back to the house. Now that she has come to Yecheng, her reputation is meaningless. If she goes back again, I'm afraid Meng Degong will also have a grudge."
"How about I reluctantly do something good and share the worries of Meng Degong? Grandpa just needs to write a letter of divorce for Meng Degong, and everything will be fine."
Originally, the Huan family was Cao Cao's concubine, so there was no need for a letter of divorce. However, the Huan family had a sensitive status. She was once the first wife of a contemporary celebrity, and her status was naturally different from that of ordinary concubines. Evicting her easily would be criticized by the nobles, so she needed Cao Song's endorsement.
Cao Song realized what he said, this guy said nicely, but he just wanted to steal his son's concubine!
He suppressed his hunger, pretended not to understand, and did not speak.
When Yuan Xi saw it, he was impressed. He was worthy of being a high-ranking official, and he could endure it.
After a while, Cao Song said: "I wonder who the young master wants?"
Yuan Xi didn't mince words anymore, "Bian gives way to the widow, Huan's family."
After hearing this, Cao Song looked embarrassed, shook his head and said, "It's difficult. I can't just interfere in my son's family affairs without justifiable reasons."
Yuan Xi secretly scolded the old fox and said: "Normally speaking, this is indeed the case."
"But if the concubine is not virtuous, the prince can certainly expel her from the house on behalf of his son."
In the Han Dynasty, filial piety was given priority. If there were legitimate reasons, a father could divorce his wife and expel concubines on his son's behalf.
Cao Song thought to himself that the Yuan family had such an idea!
You want to bribe me over a meal of food and wine?
Under the temptation of the aroma, his jaw twitched with hunger and he began to bite his tongue, but he still said harshly, "I heard that my son is extremely fond of the Huan family. There is no evidence, and I can't accuse a good person unjustly."
Yuan Xi said confidently: "She already lives in my house, what more evidence do you need?"
"As long as Taigong speaks openly, it is equivalent to making this matter a reality. I'm not afraid. What is Taigong afraid of?"
Cao Song wanted to speak, but Yuan Xi wouldn't give him a chance. He sighed, "I didn't expect that the Grand Duke was so upright and upright. I'm really ashamed, so I'll go back and think about my mistakes behind closed doors."
"Originally, I wanted to send some wine and food to Grandpa every now and then, but it seems I won't need it."
"In that case, I'll take all these things away."
Cao Song felt anxious and thought that Yuan Xi was really difficult to deal with. He was really his nemesis. He wanted to bargain, but the other party didn't even give him a chance!
He understood that Yuan Xi just wanted a reputation, and he might have done any scandal in private.
To me, Huan's family is nothing at all. Being able to exchange for some food and wine is already an unexpected surprise, so what else do you expect?
He made a decision immediately: "Young master is right, that Huan clan is indeed unworthy. After I have eaten my fill, I will find pen and ink to write a letter of divorce for my son."
Yuan Xi smiled and said: "I have prepared this in advance."
As soon as he waved, Sun Li took out a silk, writing brush, loose ink and other items from the bag behind his back, and began to sharpen the ink.
Yuan Xi smiled at Cao Song and said, "Please."
Cao Song had no choice but to pick up the brush. While staring at the big goose with an elbow on the table, he picked up the brush with his hand that was shaking with hunger, but his hand was shaking so much that he couldn't get up. He hurriedly used his other hand to support his wrist. It was difficult to write each word.
Yuan Xi saw that Cao Song persisted in finishing the writing, so he took the silk and read it several times, and found that Cao Song was quite sensible. The reason he used was a serious illness, which was the excuse that would least affect his reputation.
Yuan Xi felt relieved, rolled up the silk and put it in his arms, and said to Cao Song, "Grandpa, you have worked hard, please have a meal."
Before he finished speaking, Cao Song waved away the two concubines who were trying to help him, and rushed to the table very quickly.
He grabbed the wooden chopsticks on the table, put a large piece of fragrant steamed fish in his mouth, and before chewing it a few times, he picked up a large piece of skinned elbow.
The elbow hung on the wooden chopsticks, trembling like meat jelly, and when thrown into his mouth, it was soft and tender. Cao Song almost couldn't help but cry out. This is what people eat!
He went to pick up the roasted goose legs again, but couldn't get them off after several attempts. He dropped the wooden chopsticks in a hurry, held down the goose body with one hand, twisted the goose legs with the other, and then tore it down hard and pulled the goose legs off.
Cao Song pinched the goose leg tightly with his five chubby fingers. The greasy oil seeped out from between his fingers, flowed down his wrist, and soaked into his sleeves. However, he didn't care and bit down hard on the goose leg.
Yuan Xi saw that Cao Song didn't have the slightest bit of noble demeanor at this time, and he thought that in the face of hunger, all living beings are equal.
(End of chapter)
