The emperor's chariot had been on the road for several months and was already exhausted. In addition, it was already autumn and winter and the weather was cold. Therefore, the Emperor wanted to stay in Xuchang Palace for a few days. But who knew that in the eastern suburbs of Xuchang, His Majesty's love His Highness Prince Wuyang of Zidong died suddenly and violently.
His Majesty, who fainted, was escorted by the leading general Zhu Shuo and rushed to the Imperial Medical Office overnight. Naturally, the imperial doctors did not dare to wait for the emperor to go to the Imperial Medical Office for diagnosis and treatment. On the way, the imperial doctors who were driving at high speed met up with the imperial driver.
Fortunately, the emperor is not seriously injured, and everyone's anxious hearts can be relaxed a little.
On the small archery tower outside the main entrance of the East Palace, Cao Zuan, the governor of the East Palace led by the East Palace Guards, was as usual, wearing two armors and holding a ring-headed sword in his hand. A pair of tiger eyes were staring at the south of the East Palace with vigilance. The five hundred tiger warriors under his command, as well as the five hundred Sima Lang who were temporarily under his command, were patrolling and guarding various passages inside and outside the East Palace according to his arrangements.
In the Recruiting Pavilion of the East Palace, the monarch and his ministers faced each other in silence for a moment.
Cao Rui frowned deeply and sat upright on the couch.
Li Feng, Bi Gui, He Zeng, Cao Shuang, Cao Zhao, Guanqiu Jian, Gao Xun, Wei Lie and other literary attendants and East Palace officials were sitting around their lord like stars over the moon.
Everyone looked sad at the moment. They were either staring in trance at the rising incense smoke from the Suanni incense burner in front of them, or they were staring at the carved beams and painted pillars on the pavilion beams in a daze. In short, everyone was speechless for a while.
Li Feng felt particularly ashamed and embarrassed at this moment. After all, if he hadn't failed to fulfill his master's trust this time, the situation would never have been so ugly.
The dozens of monarchs and ministers are just like riding on a cypress boat on the rivers and lakes at this moment. I am afraid that tonight will be another sleepless night.
[Note 1: "The Book of Songs: Cypress Boat": "If you float on that cypress boat, you will also float on its current. If you are sleepy, you may have hidden worries."]
In the Linzhi Pavilion of the East Hall of the Changling Marquis Mansion, tea was being cooked, sandalwood was burning, and one or two Qingshang Qin sounds could be heard from time to time.
Sitting on the main table facing north and south is none other than the host Xia Houxuan. Cao Xi, He Kui and Xun Can sat facing east, brothers Xiahou Feng, Xiahou Xian and Zhuge Dan sat facing west. Marquis Yu Huan of Yishou Pavilion faced north facing Xiahou Xuan.
Behind the bead curtain, the woman wiping the strings of the piano is none other than Xia Houyu.
"The current situation is probably very bad."
Zhuge Dan chewed the cake in his mouth, frowned slightly, shook his head and sighed.
At this time, anyone with a discerning eye could see that His Highness Cao Lin, the King of Hedong, was about to return his vassal to the country; and Cao Hong, the hussar general who shared weal and woe with Cao Lin, was definitely not guaranteed his status, and his life was even more in danger; and Cao Rui, who was supposed to officially obtain the title of Crown Prince, was jealous of His Majesty because of the sudden death of His Highness Cao Jian. He was afraid that disaster was not far away.
Xun Can, who had always been carefree and unconcerned, now frowned deeply and murmured:
"Marquis Duyang may not be able to escape this time, but I don't know how to get out of this dangerous situation..."
Xiahou Xian, who was on the side, was displeased after hearing Xun Can's words. He spoke his mind freely without any scruples, and glared at Xun Can and said, "Everyone is worried about the safety of His Royal Highness Prince Pingyuan, but it's good for you to be concerned about Cao Hong, a big borer. !”
Although Xun Can had his own difficulties, he also knew that he had made a mistake. Faced with Xia Houxian's questioning and scolding, he did not refute a single word, but just bowed his head and remained silent.
Others would certainly not know the difficulties and sorrows in Xun Can's heart, but Xia Houxuan would not be unaware of it.
Since His Majesty had just left Beijing at the turn of spring and summer, when His Highness King Pingyuan had just begun to supervise the country, on the night when he arrested Xiao Xuanxue, the two of them drank all night long and had a heart-to-heart talk on the pavilion of Qingqingyuan. Therefore, Xun Only Xiahou Xuan knew deeply about what was in Can's heart.
"Brother Xian, don't be rude. You must know that although Cao Zilian must be defeated, he does not have to be killed." Xiahou Xuan saw Xiahou Xian angrily scolding Xuncan. Xuncan was speechless, so he spoke in defense. He continued: "What's more, no matter how greedy and greedy we are, Duyang Marquis, he has great military honors and great achievements in serving the dragon. If he is killed without explanation, I am afraid it will chill the hearts of the old ministers who have made great contributions. , shake the foundation of our great Wei state!"
After hearing this, Xia Houxian's face became slightly calmer and he sat back down at the table.
He Kui also wanted to persuade Xia Houxian, but on second thought, he was not very familiar with everyone, so he chose to remain silent.
Cao Xi struck while the iron was hot and followed his cousin's words: "What my cousin said makes sense. Not only that, Duyang Marquis had a great contribution to saving the savior by giving up his horse, and won the favor of Emperor Wu and the Empress Dowager. If your Majesty If I insist on issuing an order to kill Duyang Marquis, I am afraid that I will still have conflicts with the Empress Dowager. In such a troubled time, if we add more chaos, I am afraid that it will not be a good thing for the country and us."
Seeing that his cousin intended to protect Xun Can, Xiahou Feng followed the trend and took over the conversation and said: "What brother and brother Cao said is very reasonable. Furthermore, if your majesty really wants to kill Cao Hong, it means that Long Xin is very angry. Otherwise, , If Cao Hong can survive, it just means that His Majesty has not been so angry that he has lost his mind, and then there will naturally be room for recovery in all adverse circumstances."
After listening to everyone's speculations and thoughts, Yu Huan frowned slightly and thought for a while. He thought for a while, looked sideways at Xia Houxuan and said: "Master, the situation is so difficult, is there any hope for you to rescue Cui Wenji and Cui Sanlang? "
After hearing this, Xia Houxuan's brows twitched slightly and he sighed slightly.
————
The Duyang Hou Mansion, which was usually bustling with people, now became deserted.
Occasionally, some people who could not see the situation clearly or valued their friendship with General Cao Hong came to visit regardless of the danger. However, without exception, the visitors were blocked by Cao Fu, the prince of Duyang Hou. Meet Cao Hong himself.
Looking at the Hedong Prince's Residence in Changmingfang, it is as quiet and lonely as the Duyang Marquis' Mansion.
A man in short brown clothes carrying a vegetable load walked in from the back door of Sima Mansion skillfully as usual. After he delivered a load of fresh fruits and vegetables to the back kitchen, he quickly walked towards the study of the eldest son, Master Sima. go.
"You came?"
On the sandalwood desk, there is a fragrant Boshan copper stove and a pair of celadon pots and cups. The tea mist floating out of the lake in the cup is intertwined with the fragrant mist exhaled from the copper stove beast's mouth, just like several dragons and pythons fighting fiercely.
At this moment, Master Sima was wearing a pair of regular clothes, sitting upright in front of the desk, holding a volume of "Yin Fu Jing" in his hand. He was surrounded by the floating smoke, which made him even more mysterious.
The man picking food was shocked. He had been a spy for many years, but he didn't expect that he would feel palpitated by the weak-headed young man in front of him today.
The man collected his thoughts for a moment and then reported:
"Young Master, there is no movement anywhere, and there is no news from the palace."
"I understand, go ahead and continue to keep an eye on the social interactions of various mansions in Luoyang."
Sima Shifeng was calm and did not even raise his eyes to look at the man again. When the picker heard this, he consciously exited the study. When he looked up, he saw a cardamom maid standing outside the study. The maid was none other than the young lady Xia Houhui's married maid, Zijin.
When Zi Jin saw the man picking vegetables walking out of the study, he approached the door. The young lady specially told herself that the young master, in recent days, not only has to take care of the affairs of the house, but also pay attention to whether any spies in Luoyang have been left unpunished. He is tired and the matter is important, so he must not be disturbed by anything. Little Lord. Zijin, who was always obedient, saw someone in the young master's study, so he naturally did not dare to break in. He waited until the person left before entering the study.
"Young Master, Young Madam, she..."
Before Zijin finished speaking, Master Sima's expression changed, and he said angrily, "What's wrong with Yuanrong? Why didn't you, Madam, come to report it early if something happened?"
Master Sima has been busy with many things recently and has no time to take care of his wife, who is very healthy and has been pregnant for several months. However, he is not thinking about him all the time. He is anxious for fear that something will happen to Xia Houhui. Seeing Zijin slowly coming here, he So he became anxious and angry.
Zijin leaned forward and replied:
"Nothing else, Madam, she just wants to talk to you."
When Master Sima heard this, he breathed a sigh of relief. These days, he was so busy that he thought something had happened all the time.
At this time, outside the door, the housekeeper reported to Master Sima: "Master Qi, Master Zhong and Master Chen are still waiting in the main hall. Do you want to ask them to come to the study to discuss with the master?"
Master Sima had originally invited Zhong Yu and Chen Tai to come to discuss matters, but it was true that he had not been with Hui'er for several days. He pondered for a moment and then replied to the housekeeper: "First ask Brother Zhao to accompany Mr. Zhong and Mr. Chen, and then say that I will come back later if I have something to deal with."
The housekeeper responded and went to the main hall to make arrangements.
————
In the past few days, news in the palace has almost been cut off. The emperor has resigned from the court, and any major events can only be reported to Shangshu Ling Chen Qun, Shangshu Pushe Sima Yi, Liu Fang, and Sun Zi at the Shangshu Desk. The two Zhongshu decided to handle it, while Wei Zhen, Zhao Yan, and Jiang Ji worked together to handle various matters in accordance with the decisions of Zhongshu and Shangshu.
Zhuge Dan, who is the Minister of the Ministry of Yu, and the other twenty-four ministers of the Ministry of Education, are still working hard as usual.
After everyone's hearts were in suspense for several days, the news from the palace finally came out.
To everyone's relief, His Majesty the Emperor's dragon body was no longer seriously injured.
Another thing that the people of Luoyang may not think is surprising, but the entire East Palace, from King Cao Rui of Pingyuan to all the officials, feel that a big stone has been lifted from their hearts, that is, King Cao Lin of Hedong was demoted to Guantao County The king is about to go to Guantao County to return home. The reason why Cao Rui was relieved was because he understood that his father had found out that the matter was not caused by his fear of his younger brother threatening his position as prince, and he naturally escaped the disaster.
However, he failed to protect his younger brother during the period of prison, which also destined him to not be crowned prince this time.
And a decree that everyone expected but shocked the whole of Luoyang also spread throughout the city of Luoyang.
Duyang Hou Cao Hong, a veteran of two dynasties who had great military exploits and once risked his life to save Emperor Taizu Wu, was imprisoned because his retainers were implicated in breaking the law.
There are rumors circulating in the market that this clan prince is afraid that his life will be in danger. As for the reason, it is said that the current emperor borrowed hundreds of silks from the Marquis of Duyang when he was a boy. However, this prince has a huge wealth. However, he was stingy by nature and actually refused the request of His Majesty, who had not yet been granted the title of Crown Prince of Wei at that time. His Majesty was therefore resentful. After many years, he wanted to use this matter to execute Cao Hong.
As for the death of Cao Jian, King of Dongwuyang, the common people did not have enough imagination to connect this matter with the imprisonment of Duyang Marquis.
Although Cao Pi was in good health, his originally sinister and suspicious temperament had become more stubborn and evil since his beloved son died suddenly in front of him.
This is also the reason why he blatantly dealt with Cao Hong this time without giving the veteran veteran any face.
This time, the real reason why Cao Lin was demoted to the vassal and Cao Hong was confiscated and imprisoned is probably unknown to anyone in the world except for the secret files of the emperor's school affairs office. Even if someone has a keen guess, it is just speculation without any real evidence.
Cao Pi was furious that day and ordered the school official Liu Ci to investigate the matter thoroughly. Liu Ci naturally did not dare to slack off. After taking over the case from Gao Rou's Tingwei Mansion, he found out the case within a few days. the causes and consequences of the case.
Although General Li of the Duyang Marquis Mansion was silenced by Cao Hong in time, Lei Li, the general of the Hedong Prince's Mansion, could not bear to kill his savior because his mother was present, and he could not bear the torture of the seventy-two evil spirits of the school office and the school's torture. The government threatened to detain my mother, so she confessed everything.
It turned out that that day, Lei Li and Li Zi, a member of the Duyang Hou family, gathered at the Su family teahouse. On the surface, they were drinking and chatting, but in fact, Lei Li secretly handed the medicine into Li Zi's hands.
This medicine was originally taken from the black camel humps in the Western Regions. It is by no means highly poisonous, but it has special medicinal properties. Only when mixed with the camel meat and taken for three days will it have an invisible and miraculous effect on killing people.
On that day, there was a grand banquet held in the Duyang Marquis' Mansion. The finale dish, Qibao Camel Hoof Soup, was originally only available to the royal family members who were at the top of the table. Cao Jian, who had just been crowned king, had never had such a luxurious meal since he was a child, so he naturally ate more. Cao Hong made this dish for two consecutive days and sent it to the Prince of Dongwuyang, so Cao Jian Only one day later, he died violently in front of the emperor in the suburbs of Xuchang.
This matter was a scandal of the Tian family, and the officials would naturally not know the whole story. What they saw was that Cao Hong, a veteran hero, had his house confiscated and imprisoned by the emperor for no apparent reason.
If it were just a house raid, the officials would have nothing to say. After all, Cao Hong had been greedy and greedy over the years, and all he had plundered was the country's treasury and people's wealth.
But this time His Majesty obviously wanted to kill Cao Hong. Therefore, in order to prevent the Emperor from being confused, hundreds of officials, led by Bao Xun, the Censor, knelt outside the south gate of the palace early in the morning and asked the Emperor to spare Cao Hong from the death penalty. .
What Xia Houxuan expected was that Xun Can and Cao Fu, the prince of Duyanghou, came to visit him early in the morning. Xia Houxuan understood that one of these two people was his best friend, and the other was just an acquaintance with him; one was for his childhood sweetheart, and the other was for Father Chun Tang, both to save Cao Hong.
Xia Houxuan originally did not want to be involved in this matter of criticizing Nilin, but in desperation, he still pointed out a clear way for the two of them, that is, to find Empress Dowager Bian.
After all, the Empress Dowager is still someone who cares about old relationships.
