With Zheng Chong's timid character, he probably wouldn't come here voluntarily.
Who else in the court can invite this person to come?
If Sima Zhao couldn't do it, he must be Sima Shi.
So what abilities does Zheng Chong have? In other words, what advantages does he have that can serve Master Sima?
Classics.
This man's attainments in etiquette and laws were very high, and no one could surpass him. He once wrote the "Analects of Confucius" with He Yan, and he was one of the editors of "Jin Code".
So in the end, what did Master Sima do when he asked this learned classic to come to the banquet?
First of all, we can rule out the idea of suppressing Cao Mao through debate.
Not to mention that Zheng Chong himself has no desires and does not like debates at all. Even if it is a debate between the two sides, Cao Mao will not be embarrassed at all if he loses.
This can also make him famous. If he can argue with Zheng Chong at this age, even if he loses, he is simply a genius among geniuses.
In fact, Cao Mao felt that Master Sima would never set a trap for him, and he was definitely not an opponent in his eyes.
Cao Mao felt that the most likely thing was that Master Sima himself did not have the energy to check the content of the debate between Cao Mao and others. He asked Zheng Chong to come here just to see what everyone said and whether there were any dangerous remarks. As a master of Confucian classics, Zheng Chong, if the debate He would definitely be able to see through any problems hidden in the content.
Sure enough, when Cao Mao tentatively asked for a debate with Zheng Chong, Zheng Chong, who was so pure, agreed without hesitation.
The celebrities were all in an uproar. They probably didn't expect that Zheng Chong actually wanted to compete with Cao Mao.
Cao Mao didn't mention any Confucian classics. He thought for a moment and asked slowly:
"Xia has declined, and the prime minister was killed. Shaokang gathered the old and young of Xia to restore Yu's achievements; Gaozu excelled in the fields, drove heroes and talents, wiped out Qin and Xiang, and included Yu Nei; these two monarchs can be said to be both A world-renowned sage with special talents."
"Now when considering their merits, who should be ranked first?"
All the celebrities were in an uproar.
Who is better, Shaokang or Liu Bang? ?
This seems to be a very simple question, but if you think about it carefully, there are different metaphors in it.
Zheng Chong was very calm, as if he didn't hear the metaphor at all. He answered seriously: "Your Majesty, the replacement of artifacts is the destiny of destiny. The virtuous will get the destiny of destiny, and the descendants will follow it and create and succeed. They are all different. Shaokang is virtuous, but he cannot be compared with Gaozu."
Cao Mao smiled and continued: "Since ancient times, the merits, words and deeds of emperors have always been superior to each other. Not all entrepreneurs are good, and those who succeed are always bad."
During the week, Cao Mao had a debate with Xun Yi and others in Taixue, about who was more powerful than Shaokang or Liu Bang.
Those ministers insisted on Liu Bang.
But this is not because they think Liu Bang is really powerful, but because they think that the benevolence of the new destiny is higher than the benevolence of the ancestors.
To put it simply, the Sima family who will take over next is more benevolent and has more destiny. You, the guy who inherited the ancestors, can't compare to it. Your destiny is not as good as the other party.
Cao Mao also used many arguments to prove that Shaokang was not necessarily worse than Liu Bang. In fact, he didn't care who was stronger or weaker between the two people. He just wanted to prove that those who inherit the destiny of their ancestors also have destiny and can do anything. To be more benevolent than the "usurper".
In the end, the ministers whom Cao Mao talked about were speechless and were forced to admit Cao Mao's point of view.
At this moment, taking advantage of the gathering of celebrities, Cao Mao raised this argument again.
Sima Fu's expression kept changing.
The many celebrities present had different expressions, but they all listened carefully to the debate between the two.
Cao Mao pressed forward step by step. After learning the lessons of the week, Cao Mao's debating ability was once again strengthened. He punched the old man Zheng Chong hard and spoke very fast, not giving the old man too much chance to think.
However, Zheng Chong's literary talent is not limited. Faced with Cao Mao's "ignorant" behavior, he was not impatient and spread his arguments layer by layer. He was more powerful than Xun Yi and others. , Cao Mao was speechless after saying it several times.
The debate became more and more exciting.
Regardless of the political content behind it, the verbal exchange between the two was really intoxicating.
The celebrities remained motionless, listening carefully to the debate between the two men, their eyes full of light.
"Shaokang Bude is the hero of the benevolent! The great ancestor Ren Li is the slayer of the wise! Their benevolence and wisdom are different, and the two emperors are very different. May I ask Mr. Zheng, is benevolence more important?"
"Although Shaokang accumulated virtues and benevolence, he inherited the legacy of Yu the Great and passed it on to the ancestors of the Han Dynasty. He started as a commoner and led a small group of people to become an emperor."
Even Sima Yan was very excited. Although he couldn't understand the classics, he could still understand this kind of historical debate. Listening to Cao Mao's heroic attack and forcing Zheng Chong to constantly adjust the direction of his debate, Sima Yan almost couldn't help it. Shout loudly.
"His Majesty!!"
"Sikong Gong is old, please wait for another day."
Sima Fu finally couldn't help but interrupt the debate between the two, and spoke to persuade them,
At this time, the two had been arguing for nearly an hour. Zheng Chong's condition had begun to decline. He was sweating profusely, breathing rapidly, and his physical strength was really unbearable. Debating on such things was quite exhausting.
On the other hand, Cao Mao became more and more courageous as he fought, and was not ready to stop yet.
Sima Fu didn't dare to let the debate continue. It didn't matter if he lost to Cao Mao, but if Sikong got involved, it would be a big deal.
Cao Mao looked at the panting Zheng Chong in front of him and said nothing.
If you persist for a while, you might be able to defeat the old man in front of you, but this is meaningless.
So what if we win?
Will celebrities change their stance to support themselves?
Weekly experience tells Cao Mao, no.
He raised this argument just to bring some blessings to the general. Even if he was asked to sit in front of the papers and read the contents of his debate, it would still be worth it!
In addition, there was Sima Fu on the side.
If Master Sima only wanted to know the content of the classics, he could just send Zheng Chong. Why would Sima Fu also appear here?
Sima Fu and Zheng Chong came together, which can only mean one thing.
Master Sima began to suspect that there was something wrong with the banquet, or he began to suspect Wang Xiang, Chen Qian and others.
Therefore, he sent these two people here, one responsible for recording and identification, and the other for reconnaissance and identification.
Therefore, he wanted to debate this topic with Zheng Chong.
In this way, you can more or less put a layer of camouflage over the serious things you want to do, mislead the other party's judgment, and make the other party think that the problem is a war of public opinion.
The next moment, Cao Mao frowned, showing a very unwilling look.
Zheng Chong also said: "Your Majesty, I am tired, so we can discuss it another day."
"It's okay."
Cao Mao nodded and sat back in his seat. He looked refreshed and reluctant, and sat down in his seat without saying a word.
The celebrities were already excited. They began to comment on the debate just now, but they had no intention of participating. They just flattered the two people's wonderful debate.
The scene became lively again.
Sima Fu frowned and looked at Zheng Chong.
The two looked at each other and said nothing more.
"Your Majesty, it's okay. I've seen it clearly. You almost won. It's because Grand Master is showing favoritism. Don't be discouraged. It's not like we agreed to discuss it next time. Next time, I'll go first and hold him off for a while. , wait until he is tired, Your Majesty will come back!"
Sima Yan sat next to the emperor and comforted him.
Under Sima Yan's comfort, the emperor's mood seemed to improve a lot. He began to take the initiative to find many celebrities, drink with them, talk and laugh.
He especially likes Wang Chen very much and always takes him with him.
When Cao Mao walked up to Ji Kang, looking at Ji Kang with complicated eyes in front of him, Cao Mao shook his head gently. Ji Kang understood what he meant, put away his eagerness, returned to his original appearance, and took a sip of wine.
Cao Mao was actually trying to see what went wrong. He wanted to know who Master Sima suspected and what he suspected.
When Cao Mao walked up to Chen Qian, Sima Fu put down the wine cup in his hand.
Cao Mao immediately understood that Chen Qian was under suspicion.
how could be? ?
Cao Mao looked at the wine cup in front of him and couldn't help shouting: "Why are you drinking so slowly? Drink quickly! Drink quickly!"
Chen Qian quickly picked up the wine cup and drank it happily.
Cao Mao bypassed him and continued talking to the next minister.
Cao Mao was surprised to find that when he was talking to Zheng Miao, Sima Fu still frequently looked at him.
What's going on with Zheng Miao here?
As expected, Cao Mao gave up what he ordered Chen Qian to do and went directly to the other celebrities. While everyone was debating, Lu An stayed by Cao Mao's side.
"It's done."
Lu An found the right moment and said to Cao Mao.
It seems that Ji Kang has left the matter to Lu An, which is fine. After all, Ji Kang is too conspicuous. Lu An is much better, and his work will not attract too many people's attention.
Even now, when he was standing next to him, not many people would stare at him.
"Thank you."
"Don't dare."
At this banquet, Cao Mao was destined to be unable to complete the three things he wanted to do at the beginning.
However, he was not depressed. Chen Qian was a very smart man. If Sima Fu and Zheng Chong suddenly appeared here, wouldn't he become suspicious?
For Cao Mao, this was even a good reason to persuade Wang Xiang to take action in advance.
If Wang Xiang learns that Master Sima has begun to doubt them, Wang Xiang will have to follow Chen Qian no matter how unwilling he is. It is too late to betray his teammates now.
Cao Mao looked in the direction of Sima Fu and gave him a gentle smile.
He raised the wine cup in his hand.
Thank you to the general for me. This lamp is dedicated to him.
