On this day, Yuan Xi, Xu Chu and his servants just arrived at Zhuque Street when they met Cao Ang who was out walking his horse.
Cao Ang shouted from afar: "Xianyi, you want to go with me to race horses outside the city."
Yuan Xi smiled and said: "My poor horse is no match for your fine Xiliang horse."
Cao Ang said quite proudly: "Let's go to the Xiliang merchant another day to see what else there is. How about asking Yuan Zhongjun to buy you one too?"
Yuan Xi said: "Why do you come out and wander around when you are not studying at home?"
Cao Ang said with a bitter face: "It's good for you, Xianyi. We never restrict your access to the house. My brother Pi, who is a few years old, is making a lot of noise at home. He wandered out without finding a break. Why don't we go to the 'Zui Xian Tower' Sit down?"
"Are you the host?" Cao Ang looked at Xu Chu behind Yuan Xi and said, "It's time to show off that you are the host?"
"Why?"
Cao Ang got off his horse and pulled Yuan Xi aside, and said with some melancholy: "When we were at Gao Langzhong's house in the past, I looked at Xianyi and you always looked at that cousin Yue'er. I heard that Master Gao actually had plans to Gao Yue was betrothed to you, so I'll tell you why you care about others so much, hehe."
Yuan Xi's face turned red, and he pushed Cao Ang away and said, "It's not so far-fetched to ask me to be a host. I'll just ask you once. I'm happy today." He knew that this matter would get darker and darker, so he simply changed the subject.
Cao Ang smiled and said to Xu Chu: "You have to let me eat and drink, do you understand?" Xu Chu touched his belly and said: "Master Cao, if you didn't tell me earlier, I was so full just after eating snacks at Mr. Wang's house. "Everyone laughed after hearing this.
When they arrived at Zuixian Tower, a waiter took the horse to the manger. Cao Ang and Yuan Xi naturally wanted to go to the private room upstairs where they always went.
But the shopkeeper, who didn't want to wait on them all the time, said to the two of them with an embarrassed look on his face: "You two gentlemen, please forgive me, but the upstairs is occupied by a guest. Why don't you two gentlemen go to the back hall? Today's food and drinks are treated as a courtesy." It belongs to the two young masters.”
Yuan Xi was fine, but when Cao Ang heard this, he immediately got angry, "Who is he? Could it be some gentleman in the capital?"
The shopkeeper said: "They look like two young men from out of town, but they behave like nobles and nobles." Cao Ang smiled strangely and said: "Who do I think you are? It turns out they are two boys from out of town."
After saying that, he forced himself to go upstairs. He, Yuan Xi and other young men from a generation of aristocratic families were already used to being arrogant in Luoyang. If other children from aristocratic families in Luoyang were fine but were taken advantage of by people from out of town, it would not look good if the news spread.
Yuan Xi didn't stop Cao Ang when he heard that he was from out of town. Life was a bit boring to begin with, but these two people were unwilling to be lonely.
Cao Ang ignored the shopkeeper's advice and went upstairs, followed by Yuan Xi and others. As soon as they reached the aisle on the second floor, there were two capable men in warrior uniforms blocking Cao Ang. "I've already booked the young master above, please come back." The two warriors said politely.
Cao Ang laughed angrily and said, "Then don't you know that one of the rooms here was ordered by your uncle Cao?" After speaking, he went straight forward.
A warrior stretched out his hand to stop Cao Ang, but Cao Ang grabbed his wrist and threw him behind him.
Another warrior immediately stepped forward and bumped into Cao Ang with his shoulder. Cao Ang had to reach out to resist the collision. When the two were wrestling, the warrior who had been thrown out had already stood up and grabbed Cao Ang's shoulders with both hands. They worked together to hold Cao Ang down. They cooperated very well and clearly were not ordinary guards.
Yuan Xi, who arrived later, saw that Cao Ang had suffered a loss and immediately ordered Xu Chu to step forward to help. Xu Chu stepped forward and turned his palm into a sword to strike at a warrior.
The warrior was also alert and had already paid attention to the noise behind him. When he heard the footsteps, he retreated sideways behind the other person. The other person also pushed Cao Ang towards Xu Chu. The two of them worked together to take a defensive posture.
Xu Chu caught Cao Ang, brought him behind him with his left hand, and punched forward with his right hand, just in time to meet the punch of a warrior who took the opportunity to sneak up on him. Hearing a muffled groan, the warrior lowered his hand. It turned out that he had never thought that the opponent was so strong that one of his hands had been dislocated.
Xu Chu stepped forward again and kicked the injured warrior away, crippling his fighting ability. Then he used a straight punch without any fancy moves to knock away another samurai, only three moves before and after.
At this time, two young men about twenty years old walked out of the private room. One of them was wearing an exquisite warrior uniform and looked quite heroic. The other person was also wearing a gorgeous Confucian scholar's robe, he was elegant and his face was sickly pale.
Yuan Xi never expected that it would be these two people. He knew that Huangfu Li was the disciple of the famous Huangfu Song. He had just returned from fighting with his father, and he was considered a young hero. He was already familiar with him in the capital, but this was not the time to talk.
And Wei Zhongdao knew it even more. The person he had been competing with recently was this guy. The husband of the future talented girl Cai Yan was a short-lived man. He made a generation of talented girls widowed in vain. He was also driven back to his parents' home by the Wei family. In the end, Fallen outside the Great Wall.
Since it was these two people, Yuan Xi had nothing to fear. Worried people are extremely jealous when they see others.
At this time, the Wei family in Hedong has declined to an ordinary family. Wei Zhongdao has always been aloof and arrogant, and he can't bear to bully the children of the aristocratic family who rely on their power. After thinking for a moment, he laughed and said: "I have been in Hedong for a long time, but I have never heard of it. There are two such figures in the world."
But his words were venomous. After all, most literati are so-called arrogant. If they disagree, they will turn their faces and ridicule.
The children of the aristocratic family attach great importance to face and reputation. Before Cao Ang could say anything, Yuan Xi smiled and said: "That's it. How could people in the remote areas of Hedong hear that I am waiting for the heroes of Luoyang?"
"That's right, that's right." Regardless of Wei Zhongdao's increasingly pale face, Cao Ang waved his hand and said with a smile. Huangfu Li didn't want to make the matter a big deal, and was just about to reconcile. Unexpectedly, Wei Zhongdao got angry and began to ridicule Yuan Xi and Cao Ang.
Wei Zhongdao waved his hand to stop Huangfu Li who wanted to persuade him, and said with a smile: "Brother Jing reminded me like this. There is indeed a Cao family in Luoyang who is a descendant of Cao Shen, the founding minister and prime minister, but it is said that during the reign of the late emperor, he did I am a regular servant. There are also four generations and three princes, but I don’t know if they are all just people with false reputations who rely on some extravagant poems to act as a front.”
When Huangfu Li heard this, he thought that this was a complete quarrel. Wei Zhongdao was so hot-headed that these two people dared to offend him. There was no other way. Yuan Xi and Wei Zhongdao had already broken up with each other in Gaofu, so they had no worries at the moment.
Cao Ang was angry and wanted to hit someone with his fist. Yuan Xi stopped him and said, "Zixiu, have you ever heard of General Wei Qing?" "That's natural!" Cao Ang said angrily.
Yuan Xi sighed: "I think back then, the great general Wei Gong penetrated thousands of miles into the barren land and beheaded countless people. His military achievements were unparalleled. I wonder if the descendants of Wei Gong can tie the chicken now?"
Cao Ang laughed loudly, "How can I be able to tie a chicken? Xianyi, I will definitely treat you to three drinks in the future." Wei Zhongdao almost lost his breath, and his face was unusually flushed.
In the end, Huangfu Li said: "I'm afraid it was a misunderstanding today. You two hope that we can resolve the differences someday, so we'll take our leave now."
After that, he led the aggrieved Wei Zhongdao downstairs. In the corridor, Wei Zhongdao suddenly turned around and glared at Yuan Xi. Cao Ang said, "This humiliation will never be forgotten for the rest of your life!"
But he didn't notice the cold glint in Yuan Xi's eyes the moment he turned around. Yuan Xi has long disliked Wei Zhongdao, so don't blame him for being cruel.
Cao Ang happily asked the store to serve the best wine and food, and even invited Xu Chu and Yuan Xi's servant Yuan He, as well as his own servants, to have a drink together.
At sunset, Cao Ang was willing to let Yuan Xi go back after repeated refusals.
On March 20, the sixth year of Hanzhongping (189), the front hall of the General's Mansion.
General He Jin knelt down and sat on the couch directly above him. Sitting on the left and right below him were the Central Military Academy Lieutenant Yuan Shao, the Dian Military Academy Lieutenant Cao Cao, the Cavalry Commander Bao Xin, the Right Colonel Chun Yuqiong, the Jinfu Envoy Wang Kuang, and the Huangmen Shilang. Xun You and other civil and military officials.
Although the general He Jin was a military officer, he looked wealthy and noble. After coughing slightly, he asked with concern: "Your Majesty is becoming increasingly unwell, and the crown prince's position has not yet been decided, and the palace There are rumors that His Majesty wants to establish a prince, Liu Xie, what do you think you should do?"
The lean but sharp-eyed Cao Cao said: "General, don't worry. Since ancient times, there have always been legitimate concubines. Prince Bian is the eldest son and should inherit the throne. In this regard, whether it is Situ, Taiwei, or we are all We have a unanimous stance, and it is impossible for Your Majesty to go against the ancestral system and our ministers. What we have to worry about now is how to deal with the ten permanent servants in case of unexpected changes."
Seeing everyone nodding in approval, He Jin said helplessly: "The original intention of setting up the Eighth School Lieutenant of Xiyuan was to seize military power so as to fight against Shi Changshi and others. But I didn't want Jian Shuo to become the High School Lieutenant. Not only would the other seven captains even This great general must also be subject to his control. Without His Majesty's edict and Jian Shuo's permission, those troops and horses cannot be mobilized without authorization."
Huangmen Shilang Xun You said: "Actually, this is not a problem. As long as the new king comes to the throne, you no longer have to listen to Jian Shuo's orders to dispatch troops and horses. It's just that Shi Chang Shi often makes things difficult and withholds food, pay, and soldiers. Compared with Xiyuan's troops and horses, The soldiers and horses from other states and counties at the border are not as good as they are. If the ten permanent servants collude with ambitious people from other states and counties, the consequences will be unpredictable."
Yuan Shao said: "If you don't know this, who dares to risk the disapproval of the world?"
"Otherwise, the world is not full of loyal and honorable gentlemen like you. During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, there were many signs that Shi Changshi was colluding with the rebels. Don't you see the true example of Wang Zishi and Huangfu Songyi? ." Cao Cao said. In fact, he looked down on He Jin and Yuan Shao who were in vain.
"How to deal with this?" He Jin asked.
Xun You Shi Ran said: "You think that you can let your masters go back to your hometown to recruit some capable soldiers. In this way, you can help the country and protect your family when you retreat, and you don't have to restrict others."
He Jin thought about it for a while and said, "It makes sense, sincerity, and justice. You two can go back to your hometown to recruit soldiers." Bao Xin and Wang Kuang came out to agree.
Yuan Shao thought below, after using He Jin's help to get rid of the ten permanent servants, he would have to deal with He Jin, a "foreign relative", and he would have to control some capable soldiers and horses, but now the one that belongs to his own power is Zhong. It seems that Jun and Chunyu Qiong must take the opportunity to expand their strength.
In the North Palace of Chang'an, there are ten people kneeling on the floor in a dark side hall. They are the "Ten Permanent Attendants" who are currently in power.
Zhao Zhong said quietly: "According to the news from the imperial doctor privately, the emperor may not be able to survive for long. We should make preparations in advance."
There was a burst of exclamation from all the regular attendants. Although all the eunuchs knew it, after Zhao Zhong said it, they couldn't help but feel panic in their hearts and a sense of uneasiness.
Zhang Rang shouted in a high voice: "Why panic? It's not yet certain who will win. It's just the butcher and the party members."
Sun Zhang said: "The current situation is that if the emperor dies, who will we support to take the throne?"
Guo Sheng continued: "Of course we choose someone who is beneficial to us. Our family feels that the Prince Association is young and has no external support, so it is easier to control than the Prince Bian." The remaining standing servants all praised it.
"Nonsense! Although the prince is in control and His Majesty also intends to pass the throne to him, but think about it, let alone the distinction between concubine and concubine, will the general and the party members let the prince argue so easily? When the time comes, He Jin and the party members They have completely colluded together, and they have a lot of troops in their hands. If they come to 'Qingjun's side', you and I will die without a place to die!" Zhang Rang said angrily.
Only then did the regular attendants realize the seriousness of the matter, and Duan Gui asked: "So by supporting Prince Bian, we can continue to enjoy our previous glory? I'm afraid the general won't tolerate me."
Zhang Rang said gloomily: "No, the general and the party members may not be of the same mind. Those party ministers are also very nasty to him, a 'relative of the emperor'. If we are defeated, those self-proclaimed party members will be next He is the one who needs to be dealt with, don’t forget that it’s the party members who are equal to me, not the general.”
Zhao Zhong praised: "Wonderful, He Jin and Queen He must be grateful to us for supporting Prince Bian to ascend the throne. Those gentry party members only attached themselves to him to deal with us. We just took this opportunity to make friends with He Jin. As long as Show him how powerful he is, and I believe he will not make things difficult for us again."
Zhang Rang decided: "In this case, we will send someone to persuade He Jin, at least let him remain neutral between us and the party members. We can use more gold and silk to make friends with He Jin's mother, Wuyang Jun, and He Miao, let them help instigate him. .”
"But we may not be of the same mind here." Zhao Zhongyin smiled.
"Are you talking about Jian Shuo? He is of the same mind as His Majesty, and he doesn't want to think about how good he will be if we fall!" Zhang Rang also said with some dissatisfaction.
It turned out that although Jian Shuo was a member of the eunuch party, he was still very loyal to Emperor Ling. Although Jian Shuo held military power, he was very afraid of He Jin. He and the eunuchs persuaded Emperor Ling to send He Jin to the west to attack Bian Zhang and Han Sui. . Just as Jia Chong's political enemies persuaded Emperor Wu of Jin Sima Yan to send Jia Chong to the west to attack Xianbei, He Jin was transferred from the central cauldron to drain his salary.
"It seems that we have to give him a beating. This support has always been the cornerstone of rapid success." Zhao Zhong said.
In the North Palace of Luoyang, Han Ling Emperor Liu Hong was lying on the dragon couch.
This emperor who was lucky enough to ascend to the throne, loved to amass money and have fun, and did some ridiculous things such as naked amusement pavilion, Liuxiang Canal, official shop, palace market and other ridiculous things, now also feels his weakness and powerlessness. The drunken life of these years, It had emptied his already weak body.
Emperor Ling waved his hand and ordered all the eunuchs and maids to retreat, leaving only his confidant Jian Shuo.
From the looks of it, Jian Shuo was not at all like an eunuch. He was strong and capable of martial arts, and was especially loyal to Liu Hong, so he became the first of the eight captains of Xiyuan to control the general He. There are also wealthy scholars such as Yuan Shao.
Jian Shuo knelt down beside the dragon couch and leaned towards Emperor Ling.
Emperor Ling's voice was hoarse and weak as he said: "Let me tell you directly. Ever since the incident with Miss Wang, I have been determined to abolish the He family. However, my father and those old ministers are all opposed to it. I know that I Our time is running out..."
After saying that, Emperor Ling waved his hand and stopped Jian Shuo who was about to speak. He continued: "My only wish now is for Xie'er to inherit the throne. I know that neither the general nor the veteran will agree to it. I am worthy of trust now." Aiqing is the only one who has
Jian Shuo nodded and said: "I am determined to fulfill your majesty's wish, but I don't know if your majesty will allow me to kill the general and his party at the appropriate time. Otherwise, I am afraid it will be difficult to achieve this."
Jian Shuo had a deep conflict with Queen He, and he also knew that Queen He's brother He Jin had military power. Under the hereditary system of the eldest son, Liu Bian was the eldest son and the natural heir to the throne. It was against common sense to abolish the eldest son and establish a concubine now. For this reason, Jian Shuo decided to act first and kill He Jin before establishing Liu Xie.
Emperor Ling's face turned red. After coughing for a while, he took an edict from his body and said: "I grant you the edict to support the establishment of the Prince Association, kill He Jin, and abolish the He family." Jian Shuo took the edict with trembling hands and kowtowed in sorrow. Incessantly.
Luoyang, Yuan Mansion
Yuan Xi looked up and saw a scribe in his thirties coming next to him. Yuan Xi saw that this was Xu You and Xu Ziyuan, who was known to be greedy for money.
Yuan Xi calmed down and smiled and said: "Uncle Xu, please don't make fun of your nephew. Why does Uncle Shi come here to make fun of me when he is not on business with his father?"
Xu You also smiled and said: "Brother Benchu asked me to ask you to go to the study to discuss matters."
Yuan Xi followed Xu You to the study. He took out a beautifully crafted small gold beast from his arms, held it to Xu You with both hands and said, "My nephew bought this at the gold market a few days ago. It is said to be from the Warring States Period. Xu Shishu likes antiques, so his nephew stayed here specially." Xu You was a close minister of Yuan Shao, and his status was comparable to that of Li Yuan and Liu Wenjing.
Xu You had sharp eyes and could see that this was a delicate and valuable antique. After pretending to dodge it three times, he reluctantly accepted it, and his expression towards Yuan Xi became even more friendly.
Xu You has a close friendship with Yuan Shao and is a person who is relatively familiar with Yuan Shao. He has occasionally sent some goods to Xu You in the past and is very polite to him on the surface. After all, Xu You will be the one who can decide Yuan Shao's decisions in the future. He is an important counselor, so I should try my best to win over those who can be brought over for my use.
In the study, Yuan Xi saw Chunyu Qiong, Guo Tu, Yan Liang, Wen Chou and several close disciples of Yuan Shao.
Yuan Xi bowed his hands and saluted, then knelt down and sat at the end of the banquet. He knew that usually nothing happened to him on such occasions. It was just Yuan Shao's deliberate cultivation and the fact that he could learn about some things in the palace from him.
As expected, Yuan Shao said to him: "Xianyi, please tell me some things in the palace today."
Yuan Xi came out and said: "Your Majesty has become increasingly depressed since last month. According to the ancestral system, he should have elected Prince Bian as the crown prince to prevent accidents. However, there are many rumors that His Majesty asked Jian Shuo to support the Prince Association. Recently, two The prince's studies have also stopped, and His Majesty ordered the two princes to serve at the bedside, and the eunuchs such as Shi Changshi, especially Jian Shuo, became increasingly arrogant and almost completely controlled the palace."
After Yuan Xi finished speaking, Yuan Shao looked around at everyone for a week and said: "I originally wanted to use the hands of the general to remove Shi Changshi, a cancer of the Han Dynasty. I didn't want the general to be obedient and fearful, so he was reluctant to take action. You see, what should we do?"
Yan Liangwen, Chou Chun Yuqiong and others are warriors, and they can't think of anything other than using weapons. The only ones who can come up with ideas now are Guo Tu and Xu You.
Guo Tu replied: "What the general is worried about is that after removing the ten permanent attendants, we scholars will threaten his status. He and the eunuchs are not without serious conflicts. If the prince Bian ascends the throne, the new emperor will still be young. "Young man, should I listen to the general or the ministers in future government affairs?"
Xu You said: "That's right, so we should instigate and intensify their conflicts. I don't think the general doesn't want to get rid of the ten permanent servants, he is just hesitant to look forward to the future."
Yuan Shao heard some signs and asked: "Do you two have a countermeasure? Tell me quickly."
Guo Tu and Xu You looked at each other and nodded, and Guo Tu said: "Actually, we only need to give the general some confidence. When the new king comes to the throne, Yuan Gong can tell the general that he can mobilize the heroes from all over the world and lead the troops to the capital. , give military advice to the new monarch and the Queen Mother, so that the general can justifiably attack the eunuchs regardless of emotion or reason."
Yuan Shao worriedly said: "That's good, but if the foreign generals and governors cause trouble in the capital, what should we do? We cannot control these foreign heroes."
Xu You explained: "When foreign heroes come to the capital, they will restrain each other and will not be able to grow up as a family. When the time comes, as long as the ten permanent attendants and He Jin are removed, who will be as famous as you at the beginning? In addition, the fourth generation, three princes, and disciples of the Yuan family All over the world, when the time comes, as long as you, Benchu, raise your voice, all the heroes will surely join you."
After Yuan Shao heard this, he had completely entered the beautiful scenery described by Xu You, as if he could immediately clear up the government and the opposition, subjugate the heroes and become a supreme minister, he couldn't help but say so.
Guo Tu struck while the iron was hot: "When Yuan Gong gets rid of Jian Shuo, he must control the troops and horses of Xiyuan as capital."
Yuan Shao nodded and said: "When the time comes, I will ask them to join me, or else I will recruit their troops."
Yuan Xi listened below and heard that the two people's analysis was sane at first, but it turned out to be a bad idea later. This was the source of the great chaos in the late Han Dynasty.
The two men had good intentions, but they did not expect Dong Zhuo's ambition, strength and means. What they planned was no different from what Zhang Hong analyzed to Yuan Xi a month ago.
However, he is now a low-key person and cannot go against Yuan Shao's wishes. All he can do is try his best to gain capital for the Yuan family and himself in this incident. It is best to be able to control the troops when Yuan Shao recruits the Eighth School Lieutenants of Xiyuan. Get one.
A few days later, Yuan Mansion
Cao Cao came to knock on the door early in the morning. Yuan Si, the concierge, opened the door and saw it was him. He hurriedly raised his hands and said, "It turns out to be the captain. I didn't know there was something important so early." Cao Cao frowned. Regarding the lawsuit, he simply said: "Notify Yuan Xiaowei that Cao Cao is visiting. We have important matters to discuss."
Yuan Si saw his solemn expression and knew that he had a good relationship with Yuan Shao. Of course he did not dare to neglect. He hurriedly ran into the inner courtyard and announced outside the window: "Sir, Cao Cao, the captain of Dian Military Academy, is here to visit. He said that he has important matters to discuss with you. .”
Yuan Shao hurriedly sat up from the bed, put on his clothes and walked out of the door. Yuan Xi knew that He Jin, the most stupid person in history, was going to be in trouble.
No, it seems that the bad idea came from dad Yuan Shao. He Jin's death was not a pity, but it seemed unnecessary to lead Dong Zhuo into Luoyang.
Soon the quarrel between Cao Cao and his father Yuan Shao clearly reached Yuan Xi's ears in the inner hall.
Cao Cao angrily accused his father Yuan Shao and said: "Originally, the world was not in chaos, but stupid people messed it up. You are not capable of making plans."
Yuan Shao was also anxious and loudly slapped the table and said, "What do you mean? Our Yuan family is not a place for you to act wild."
Cao Cao sneered and said, "You and I can kill a few eunuchs with only a hundred guardsmen. Why bother asking the general to issue an edict to recruit Dong Zhuo to bring foreign troops to the capital? I have always known Dong Zhuo's character. This person has great ambitions, and I’m afraid it’s easier for you to ask God than to give him away.”
Yuan Shao also sneered and said, "I think Meng De, you are worrying too much." Cao Cao sneered repeatedly, pointed at Yuan Shao and said, "Okay, I dare to say that the chaos in the world must be He Jin and you Yuan Shao. Don't believe it. We’ll see.”
The two were originally childhood playmates and close confidants, but Yuan Xi knew that starting from today's battle, although the two would not turn against each other and become enemies, they still had feelings for each other.
Yuan Xi sighed, this big man is really going to cause chaos!