Yuancheng.
The sound of horse hooves broke the tranquility of the small county town.
On the official road, a group of heavily armed and tall knights were driving arrogantly at the front. Their armors made noise due to the collision, and with a great sense of oppression, pedestrians along the road gave way.
There were soldiers following them, trotting very fast.
In the middle position, there is a carriage, and a graceful old man stands on the carriage, holding a bamboo pole high with a solemn expression, and his expression is quite pious.
After the county magistrate finished his duties, he showed no trace of his original aloofness and indifference. He had a friendly smile on his face and was following the carriage on foot, leading a group of officials behind him.
The city gate was open, and the soldiers who usually slept soundly with their spears in their arms were standing upright at the moment.
The streets that were a little dirty in the morning are now clean.
The beggars and poor people on the road also disappeared.
Standing behind the soldiers were all respected old people in the city. They were wearing beautiful clothes and looking at the carriage with smiles on their faces.
There were also well-known young talents in the area, standing on tiptoes and looking in the direction of the carriage.
The old man in the carriage ignored these people at all and didn't look sideways.
On his left, there was a man riding a horse, also dressed as an official. His face was as serious as the old man in the car.
Only the one on his right was talking animatedly to the magistrate.
"You Yuancheng, hahaha, things will be different from now on! Soaring into the sky!"
"That's it, that's it. When the angels come, it's a blessing for Yuancheng. With the princes, Zheng Gong, and Hua Gong coming, Yuancheng will definitely soar into the sky..."
"This has nothing to do with us."
This man was riding a horse and looked unsteady, and he was quite rude to the county magistrate.
But the county magistrate did not dare to say anything more.
Not only because this person is an angel, leading the servants, but more importantly, his father’s name is Hua Xin!
This unsteady scribe was Huabiao, the son of Situ Huaxin of the Great Wei Dynasty.
Shu Wan couldn't help but ask: "I really don't understand what could bring the three of them to come to my little Yuancheng... and the prefect is not allowed to welcome them..."
Hua Biao was about to say something when he saw the old man in the carriage glance at him and immediately touched his nose, not daring to say anything.
"You'll know later. Just lead the way. It's not a bad thing anyway."
He didn't say anything after finishing his sentence, but there was always a bad feeling in his heart.
He asked in a low voice: "The wise men in the city learned that the angel was coming and spontaneously came to greet him. I wonder if they can talk to the prince?"
Hua Biao shook his head hastily.
"Don't delay the business. Let's talk about it after we finish the business."
"By the way, what kind of person is this noble countryman of yours?"
Shu Wan narrowed his eyes. No matter what the angel wanted to do with Cao Mao, he would never get what he wanted.
If it's a bad thing, I'll make you angry; if it's a good thing, I won't let you do it!
He said calmly: "Gong Gaogui is a smart man, but his reputation in the village is not very good. People often say that he harbors criminals..."
Hua Biao was stunned and said quickly: "It seems that this noble countryman is a kind man. He can't bear to see people being punished, so he often relieves and helps these people who are suffering from punishment."
Shu Wan added: "But the specific situation is still known to the merchants in the city. I heard that Gaogui Township Duke was making profits with the merchants, and the merchants often gave him money."
"It can be seen that Mr. Gaogui is a noble man and never cares about money! Otherwise, if there are ways to make money, why would he give it to those merchants? The merchants are also aware of etiquette and know how to express gratitude. Yes, yes."
After I tied it, I couldn't help it anymore.
"In fact, he often leads a group of rangers to cause trouble and fights in the city!"
Hua Biao clapped his hands and said, "Okay, the noble countryman is very skilled! He has superb martial arts skills!"
I was stunned after finishing the sentence. Is there something wrong with your understanding or something wrong with what I said? ?
The group of people drove towards Cao Mao's mansion in such a mighty manner. The sages and scholars did not leave either. They followed the angel from a distance, their faces full of excitement.
When they arrived, the gate of the Marquis Mansion in Gaogui Township was closed.
The knight dismounted and knocked on the door.
Soon, someone opened the door.
It was Guo Zui who opened the door. He stood openly in front of everyone, with no trace of panic on his face.
The knight's eyes directly bypassed him, looked towards the inner hall, and asked coldly: "Where is the noble countryman?"
A trace of anger flashed across Guo Zui's face. He blocked the knight's prying eyes and looked directly into his eyes. "I am Guo Zui, the assistant commander of public defense in Gaogui Township. Who are you?!"
The knight was stunned and was about to get angry, but the old man on the carriage finally no longer remained in the shape of a clay sculpture.
"Don't be rude."
He lowered his head and looked at the young man in front of him, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.
"My husband, Wang Su, and Taichang, holding the Emperor's Ceremony, came to see the noble countryman on the order of the Queen Mother. I wonder if he is in the house?"
As soon as these words came out, everyone around was shocked.
And Taichang adheres to the order of the Queen Mother? Good guy, what are you doing here? ?
Guo Zi was obviously shocked, but he quickly calmed down.
"Greetings to the prince, my Duke Cao is in the palace."
"However, according to etiquette, please get off your horse and enter the mansion!"
The knight was furious, but Wang Su smiled and said: "It should be so."
"No need to go to such trouble."
There was a sound coming from the house, and a young man was seen walking out with his chest held high and his head held high.
Seeing this, Guo Kui was about to say something, but Cao Mao said first, "No problem, in the face of the Emperor's war, how can we neglect the Queen Mother's edict?"
He possessed himself and saluted Wang Su, "Gaogui Township Duke Cao Mao pays homage to Taichang."
Wang Su was stunned for a moment, and without returning the greeting, he raised the festival banner in his hand high.
"The Queen Mother has an order!"
Everyone immediately knelt down, including the knights and the surrounding sages.
Even Cao Mao is no exception.
I saw that Hua Biao just now, walking forward quickly, taking out the Queen Mother's edict, raising his head, and read loudly:
"Emperor Fang is not young anymore, but he ignores political affairs and loves the villains around him. He is also addicted to women and hangs out with those who advocate excellence every day!"
"Emperor Fang condoned all their ugly behavior, and once summoned the family members of the sixth concubine into the palace and let them live in the inner chamber, destroying the order of human relations and disrupting the moral integrity of men and women!"
"Emperor Fang's respect and filial piety towards his elders gradually faded away, and his arrogance and arrogance grew more and more serious!"
"Such an emperor cannot inherit the mandate of heaven and worship the ancestral temple, so now I think that I will send Gao Gong to take Fang's accession documents and sacrifice a big ox to the Cao family ancestral temple and the previous emperors, and let Fang come to the place to do it. King, please abdicate in favor of someone worthy of your honour."
"Cao Lin, King of the East China Sea, is the legitimate son of Emperor Gaozu Wen! Cao Lin's sons are all close descendants of Emperor Wen. I heard that among Cao Lin's sons, Cao Mao, the noble countryman, has the courage to achieve great things and the style of his ancestors. Now let him be the successor of Emperor Ming, that is, the emperor!"
Huabiao read out the edict.
At this moment, the edict sounded like thunder in everyone's ears.
What? ? The emperor was deposed? ?
Upon hearing the news, except for the angel team who had already known the news, everyone onlookers were stunned, and several people even collapsed on the ground.
Guo Ji's eyes widened, filled with disbelief.
And the second half of the sentence is even more shocking.
Cao Mao, the Duke of Gaogui Township, was appointed emperor.
After Shu Wan heard these words, he collapsed directly on the ground, his expression dull, and his eyes almost despairing.
It's over, it's really over now.
And the guests who were eavesdropping in the house were also stunned at this moment. What's going on?
Is my Duke Cao going to be the emperor? ?
The only person present who could remain calm was probably Cao Mao.
He had fantasized about this day countless times, and even thought of various ways to deal with it.
But when this day really came, he felt so calm in his heart, without any excitement.
Angel already knew the purpose of coming to Yuancheng.
But the attitude of the knight just now, is that the attitude towards the future emperor? ?
No, that's the attitude towards puppets! !
Cao Mao can almost see his future life, a life of frustration and helplessness.
In addition, to welcome the new emperor, important ministers of the third-gong level should be sent here. There was no temporary arrangement for a Taichang to come with a young official and a minister to read out the edict.
This is already a huge contempt for oneself.
Cao Mao also knew the reason. He was not the first candidate to inherit the throne in the eyes of the temple.
In fact, the temple, that is, the Sima family, prefers to support Cao Ju, King of Pengcheng, as emperor. This man is his grandfather's brother and the biological son of Emperor Wu Cao Cao.
However, Empress Dowager Guo disagreed, because if he were to be the emperor, the hierarchy would be in chaos, Emperor Wei Ming Cao Rui would have no heirs, and most importantly, Empress Dowager Guo would not be justified in her name.
Cao Mao can also guess the general reason why he chose himself.
His bloodline is relatively close to Emperor Ming. At the same time, he has no father, his mother died young, and he has no maternal clan. His brothers are not close to him. He is also young, has never had a family, and has no wife. He is truly alone.
It may not be because of this reason that Master Sima chose to give in after the dispute with Queen Mother Guo.
Cao Mao stood up slowly and looked at the edict in Hua Biao's hand.
