After Xia Houxuan left the reception desk, Emperor Cao Pi came to Shiqian Hall to receive Sima Yi and Chen Qun.
"Zhongda, Changwen, you've been waiting for a long time. Come, give me a seat for your two dear friends."
As soon as Cao Pi entered the side hall, he saw the two old friends and important ministers who seemed to be neither humble nor arrogant and never surprised by changes.
For some reason, Cao Pi suddenly recalled many past events from his youth.
That was about ten years ago, when he and his fourth disciple Jian were competing for the position of Prince Wei.
Although he was the eldest son, his father favored the talented Zijian. Not only did he arrange for Yang Xiu, Ding Yi and other famous talents to serve as his wings to assist Zijian, he also married a girl from the Qinghe Cui family in Jizhou to Zijian. As a wife.
But he only married the widow of Yuan Xi, the son of Yuan Shao, who was Rui'er's mother and his late Queen Zhen.
His father's preference once made him crazy.
Fortunately, there are also a group of old friends and brothers who always support him to the death.
Back then, I had been working hard, and I finally gathered enough wings to compete with or even crush Zijian.
In his East Palace, there are Sima Yi, Chen Qun, Wu Zhi, and Zhu Shuo who are known as the "Four Friends"; there are also Zidan, Wen Lie, and Boren who are not real brothers but are better than real brothers.
In this way, with the full support of such a group of people and with his own hard work, he finally became the crown prince of Wei, then the king of Wei, and finally, the emperor of Wei!
"No matter what, I will support the prince to the death!"
Cao Pi's countless nightmares were all awakened by their sincere vows.
"Your Majesty, please have some tea..."
Not long after, the two waiters did a little cleaning, served tea, and arranged the seats. Cao Pi then put away his misty thoughts, adjusted his clothes a little, and started to drink tea casually.
"By the way, Zhongda, Changwen, you came here today. You must have something to tell me?"
"Your Majesty, I am here today. There are four main things I would like to ask your Majesty for advice on."
Sima Yi bowed his head and said slowly.
"Zhongda, please speak."
"Your Majesty, the first thing is that recently, Shu Zhonglang sent Deng Zhi as an envoy to Soochow, stating that the two kingdoms of Shu and Wu are the two countries, and lobbied Sun Quan to unite to fight against Wei. He even said that if we advance in this way, we can annex the world, and if we retreat, They can stand on a tripod; and he deceived Sun Quan and said: If Wu entrusts Wei, Wei will ask the prince to serve as his servant. If he does not comply, he will use words to attack the rebels. Shu will also advance along the river, and the south of the Yangtze River will be restored to Wu's possessions."
Cao Pi frowned and said:
"What did Sun Quan say?"
Sima Yi replied:
"Quan was silent for a long time and only said four words: Your words are true."
Cao Pi was silent, and couldn't help but think in his heart, this Zhuge Liang is indeed not a kind person, and he can still see the current situation clearly.
"I understand. What else is there?"
Sima Yi continued:
"In addition, Sun Quan ordered his Anton general He Qi, the Shu surrender general Mi Fang and others to raid our Qichun County. Although our army resisted the Wu army, the Wu army... captured the Qichun prefect Jin Zong alive!"
Regarding this matter, Cao Pi had already learned about it through news from the school affairs office. So he seemed calmer at the moment.
It's not that he didn't want to send troops to conquer Soochow to avenge his previous humiliation, but he had just mobilized troops and organized a three-way campaign to defeat Wu. The treasury was severely depleted, so he was temporarily unable to organize a large army to actively attack Soochow.
Besides, this Jin Zong originally surrendered to the Wu State. Because the generals rebelled against Wu and surrendered to Wei, he became the governor of Qichun. Being captured by Sun Quan now is not a big loss.
"What about the third thing?"
"Your Majesty, the third thing is that Yong Kai, the commander-in-chief of Jianzhou County of Shu Han, attacked and killed the prefect of Shu Zheng'ang, and also took the prefect Zhang Yi, intending to cause chaos. And Kai sent the barbarian king Meng Huo to connect with all the barbarians, and all the barbarians were He rebelled against Shu, and joined forces with Zhu Bao, the governor of Dangke, and Gaoding, the king of Yuexiyi, to raise an army. I wonder how your majesty will deal with it. Do you want to raise an army to take advantage of this opportunity to attack the Shu Han?"
Cao Pi pondered for a moment, and he felt that Bashu was a minor problem and not something to worry about. And at this time, the treasury is empty, the army is exhausted, and the Wei Dynasty really needs a good rest.
Cao Pi replied:
"There is no need to conquer, Shu will be in chaos!"
Seeing Cao Pi's statement, Chen Qun started to talk about the fourth thing:
"Your Majesty, in addition, today the kings of the Western Regions have come to perform Hajj. Don't you want to take this opportunity to open up the Western Regions, promote the country's prestige, and restore trade routes?"
Chen Qun is a man with many ideas and talents. Even so, he is a bit dull by nature and is not as smart as Sima Yi. Therefore, his face always has an expression of hard thinking.
"So, what do you think of Chang Wen?" Cao Pi nodded. This matter is indeed a big deal. A unified business channel will benefit the country with little harm, so it really needs to be resolved as soon as possible.
"Your Majesty, after careful consideration, I believe that there are three main reasons for this matter." Before Chen Qun expressed his opinion, he would think over whether his words were inappropriate. He continued cautiously: "The first one is to treat this person well." The kings of Shanshan and Qiuci who came to perform pilgrimage for the first time; the second was to send more relevant officials from the Governor's Office of the Western Regions; the third was to select a suitable location in Luoyang City in advance and find good craftsmen to build the building in advance. The future trading place. Please ask Your Majesty, the Holy Judge."
"Well..." Cao Pi nodded after hearing this. After pondering for a moment, he looked up at Chen Qun, who was tense, and said with a smile: "The long article makes sense, but he is responsible for related matters. Changwen, do you have any ideas for candidates?"
"Well, I haven't had a good idea about this yet." Chen Qun rubbed his hands unconsciously. He looked at Sima Yi who was standing by and continued, "For this matter, I went to visit Zhongda specifically. He should have better countermeasures."
"Let's talk and listen." Cao Pi smiled. This long article is still as silly as before.
"Your Majesty." Sima Yi raised his tiger eyes slightly and looked at the emperor calmly: "I think that the person responsible for the affairs of Kyoto in the Western Regions can be assigned to Dahonglu Cuilin to take charge of it; in addition, we can follow the example of the previous generation and reset in the Western Regions The chief historian of the Western Regions and the captain of the garrison are responsible for supervising and comforting the countries in the Western Regions; as for banquet matters, His Majesty can appoint them at will."
"Okay." Cao Pi smiled happily and continued, "It would be great if all the ministers in the court could be like Zhongda and Changwen and could truly share my worries and solve my problems."
"This is my duty." Chen Qun bowed and said, "Why is Your Majesty suddenly feeling so emotional?"
"It's nothing." Cao Pi rubbed his temples, still smiling, and said softly: "It's just that I remembered a little bit about the old things with you in the East Palace, and I felt a little nostalgic. I remember, back then, I Among my friends, Zi Dan, Ji Zhong [Wu Zhizi], and Yancai [Zhu Shuozi] are the three who are the least able to deal with each other. They often quarrel in front of me, hahaha. After I came to the throne, I was afraid that they would quarrel every day, so I specially arranged for Ji Zhong to go to Youyan, and for Zidan to go to Yongliang. Later, Wen Lie and Boren also went to guard their respective sides. If it weren't for the two of you and He Yancai, In the capital, I am really alone."
Cao Pi couldn't help laughing when he thought of the interesting things from that year.
"At that time, everyone was young and full of energy, so it was okay to laugh and curse. But now, we are all generals of the country and the Great Wei Junheng. We must no longer be at odds with each other."
"No matter what, I will swear to serve His Majesty Bi and protect the Wei Dynasty!"
Just like the oaths they made back then, Sima Yi and Chen Qun made such oaths again.
Cao Pi was in a daze for a moment. The emperor who never liked to smile actually smiled happily again today: "Ji Chong, Zi Dan, Bo Ren, and Wen Lie are far away, and Yan Cai is busy commanding the imperial army every day. Guarding the capital, you two are extremely busy every day, and you haven't had a good get-together in I don't know how many years..."
"I will go with Zhongda tonight to invite the leader of the army, call him, and come together to visit His Majesty another day." Chen Qun has always been emotional, but when he saw Cao Pi expressing so many emotions, he actually burst into tears.
"Okay!" Cao Pi smiled and said, "Don't forget to bring the fine wine in the palace. Although the royal wine in the palace is good, I am a little tired of drinking it."
"By the way, Your Majesty, the welcome ceremony has been completed. I wonder when Marquis Zhencheng and Marquis Yanling will return home?" Sima Yi's eyes were as bright as a torch, giving people the feeling of being able to see through everything.
When I think of my fourth brother Cao Zhi, and recall the various things Cao Pi did to usurp his legitimate son, I actually feel a trace of resentment in my heart.
"I heard that Mrs. Zhencheng Hou is about to give birth. I think there is no need for her to stay in the palace to attend the banquet. It is better to return to the feudal country as soon as possible!"
"Yes." At this moment, Chen Qun actually felt a hint of fear.
He knew that the Marquis of Zhencheng had not yet had time to reunite with Empress Dowager Bian and her son after entering the capital.
————
On the north bank of Luoshui River, above the pavilion.
Xiahou Xuan looked at the Luoshui passing by in front of him, his eyes seemed to be misty.
It was as if the master’s voice and smile were still in front of me.
"Master, tell me, when will you find us a master's wife? Every time we come to your house, you always bring us some unpalatable food. If master finds a master's wife, you can make it for me and Xidi every day." It’s delicious.”
"You little brat."
That day, Yu Gui poked Xia Houxuan's little head like this, and his smile always seemed to have a hint of sadness.
"The father is a guest of Nanguan, how can the son be a handsome man?" [Note 1: Nanguan refers to the prisoner by Nanguan. 】
"Then, when General Yu comes back, will the master find us a master's wife?"
Yu Gui smiled and said, "Maybe."
A gust of south wind blew, and Xia Houxuan couldn't help but shudder. I don’t know whether it was because of the late spring cold or because of the wind that shattered the words of Master in my mind.
In the distance, two people riding in pairs were on a boat crossing south, looking back to the north.
"Your Majesty, let's go. It seems that Your Majesty is determined not to let you meet the Queen Mother this time."
"Let's go..."
The young nobleman, who was called a prince by his followers, wore a jade crown to tie his hair, and his long beard was flying in the air. His black cloak was constantly fluttering in the south wind.
Looking from a distance, it looks like a fairy among gods.
At this moment, he was still looking back at the vast Luoshui River and the illustrious Imperial City not far away.
"Did you see it......"
"What do you see, Lord?"
"The God of Luoshui." Cao Zhi replied with a smile.
"I heard that the god of Heluo is called Concubine Mi. But what the king saw is not true? What does it look like? I would like to hear about it." Although the servants did not believe in any goddess, they still did not want to be cold to the king. Heart.
Cao Zhi looked at the increasingly distant imperial city and couldn't help but burst into tears.
Cao Zhi said to the subordinate word by word:
"Its shape is as graceful as a startling grandson, as graceful as a swimming dragon. The autumn chrysanthemums are shining brightly, and the spring pine trees are luxuriant. They seem to be like the moon covered by light clouds, and fluttering like snow in the flowing wind.
Looking at it from a distance, it is as bright as the sun rising as the morning glow; looking at it from a distance, it is as bright as a flower rising from Lubo.
...
The dazzling beauty of the robe, the splendor of Eryao and blue. Wear gold and jade jewelry, embellished with pearls to dazzle your body. Practicing the literary shoes of traveling far away, dragging the light veil of mist and gauze. The faint fragrance of orchids is lingering in the corner of the mountain. "
"Such a beauty is really rare in the world..." The servant couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
With tears in his eyes, Cao Zhi continued to talk about the ideals in his heart that should have died long ago but have not yet died:
"...The earth is as bright as a wrist in the God's Marsh, gathering the mysterious mushrooms in the turbulent sea. The remaining emotions are pleasing to its beauty, but the heart is shaking and unhappy. The unscrupulous matchmaker uses the microwave to communicate. May you be sincere Su Zhixian is the first to solve the jade pendant and use it..."
"Then, goddess, did you accept the jade pendant from the prince?" The servant seemed to be listening to a story that should be bizarre, and he was deeply involved.
At this moment, Cao Zhi burst into tears:
"... Then Luo Ling was inspired to move, hesitating, the divine light separated and combined, yin and yang. The body of the crane is light and stands like a crane, as if it is about to fly but has not yet soared. The thick and strong pepper coating is strong, and the steps are thin and thin. Fragrant. The long chant makes you admire it forever. The sound is mournful and long.
...The body is as fast as a flying duck, as erratic as a god, with slight steps on the waves, and the socks are dusty. Movement is impermanent, if it is dangerous, it is safe. It’s a difficult time to advance and stop, just as you’re going, you’re going to come back. Turning around, the face is smooth and jade-like. He held his tongue without spitting out his words, and his breath was like a quiet orchid. The beauty and gracefulness made me forget to eat. "
"Then, since the goddess accepted the jade pendant from the prince, why did she disappear..."
The city of Luoyang in the distance was almost invisible, but it was still in front of Cao Zhi's eyes. At this moment, Cao Zhi's heart had returned to calm. He continued to softly recite the chapter that although it belonged only to himself, it would shine brightly for thousands of years:
"...Hate the ways of humans and gods, and complain that the prime of life is unworthy. I resist the robe to cover my tears, and the tears flow down my lap. The memorial service will never end, and the mourning is gone and I am in a foreign land. . There is no trace of love to show my love, and I offer the bright light of the south of the Yangtze River. Although I am latent in the taiyin, I always place my heart on the king. Suddenly I don’t realize what I have left, and I am dejected and blocked from the light..."
"Man and God, after all, have different paths."
"Yes, talents and kings will eventually go their separate ways."
After a long time, Xia Houxuan still looked at the figure that was about to disappear, and listened carefully to the looming sad song.
Just like what was said in that article, I feel so sad that I can’t go.
