Du Shu did not expect that the Xianbei man who he had ordered to be executed without thinking before and who broke through the border to enter the country would actually be Murong Muyi, the youngest son of the leader of the Xianbei tribe, Murong Muyi!
If this was just an ordinary Xianbei person, he would naturally be able to kill him first and then report him later, as he had the power to control the situation. However, Murong Muyi’s identity was sensitive and special, and now he killed him without asking for permission. Once it caused turmoil in Murong’s tribe, the consequences would be disastrous!
What Du Shu didn't know was that Murong Muyi had actually revealed his identity as soon as he was caught, but the person who reported the news concealed this important news when reporting to Du Shu.
All of this was naturally arranged by Cheng Shenbo, the general who conquered the north.
"Although Du Shu is a smart and capable person, he is only good at government affairs and does not know any tricks. As expected, now I just used a little trick and he is deeply involved!"
In the Zhengbei Mansion, Cheng Xi held a copper bottle filled with precious peach wine in his left hand, and played with an extremely exquisite topaz seal with a purple ribbon and a purple ribbon underneath. The seal was dipped in dark red inscriptions. The seal script, under the candlelight, gave off a somewhat strange atmosphere.
"Come here, prepare your calligraphy. This general is going to report to His Majesty, Grand Tutor Chen Qi, to impeach this arrogant Du Wubo!"
"yes!"
The personal attendant who had been working by Du Shu's side now respectfully and carefully laid out his study's calligraphy in front of his real master's case.
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"Master Du, you have no old grudges with Cheng Zhengbei. Cheng Zhengbei is in charge of the military in the north. My subordinates always feel that they can confess to Cheng Shenbo for help on this matter!"
This aide was Du Shu's right-hand man brought from Luoyang, and he was always known for his outstanding intelligence. When Du Shu was upset, he first asked him to discuss countermeasures together.
After hearing what his staff said, Du Shu frowned and shook his head:
"Cheng Shenbo has always been greedy and ruthless, and he has a close relationship with Sima Taifu. Although I do not participate in partisanship, I am now implementing the New Deal. How can he excuse me?"
The staff member was loyal to Du Shu, but he was not hiding it at the moment. He continued to persuade him earnestly:
"Your Majesty, from the perspective of my subordinates, I am afraid that this matter has something to do with Cheng Zhengbei from the beginning. Now that your Majesty does not lie down and take action in time, I am afraid that the disaster will be unpredictable..."
Before the staff member could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Du Shu:
"Absurd! Even if Cheng Shenbo is in a high and powerful position, I am not afraid. What's more, I already have the authority of integrity appointed by His Majesty. Even if Murong Muyi is executed, I will not have done anything illegal. How could I ask him?" This treacherous villain surrenders! Don’t mention this matter again!”
Du Shu thought at this time that when Cheng Xi impeached Tian Yu out of jealousy, Tian Yu's crime was much greater than his own murder of Murong, and he was only dismissed, so he had nothing to fear.
But what Du Shu didn't know was that the one who really opposed him and planned to harm him was not Cheng Xi alone, but the Taifu Party headed by Sima Yi who opposed the reform!
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General's Mansion, under Xiyuan Hall.
The owner of Xiyuan, Cao Xi, the Marquis of Anxiang, was sitting in front of the case correcting the political decrees entrusted to him by his elder brother.
As he approaches his forties, he has long lost the charm of his youth. White hair has grown on his temples and a mustache has grown on his lips, but this has not changed his temperament.
He is still the same as before, full of gentleness, gentleness and the demeanor of a humble gentleman.
"Daddy..."
At this time, a six-year-old girl with a bun in a bun staggered up the steps of Xiyuan, opened the door with a "squeak", and ran to her father's desk:
"Stop writing, can you play with Shu'er?"
"It's a good time."
Cao Xi placed his pen on the inkstone and touched the child's hair lovingly:
"Why didn't you go see your brother Mingyue to play today?"
"Brother Mingyue, he practices martial arts every day with Grandpa Gu Ting and the generals of the Forbidden Army. He doesn't have time to play with Shu'er."
The child said inarticulately.
"Hahaha, so that's it."
Cao Xi smiled very peacefully, and subtle lines appeared in the corners of his eyes:
"Good boy Liangchen, daddy is still very busy right now, daddy promises you, can you come and play with Liangchen again when daddy is done?"
When the little girl heard this, she pouted and looked unhappy. She said coquettishly:
"Daddy is lying. Daddy always tells Shuer that he will play with me when he is done with his work, but he is always busy."
Cao Xi scratched his daughter's small nose and promised with a smile:
"Dad, I promise you, this time it is true, and I will never lie to Liangchen again. Liangchen is good, go find your mother quickly."
He looked at the cute stumbling back of the child and murmured softly:
"It's quick, it's quick..."
At this moment, Cao Xi's doorman hurried to the study and told Cao Xi a very surprising news:
Cheng Xi, the general who conquered the north, impeached Du Shu and Du Wubo maliciously killed the Xianbei prince of Murong tribe. His Majesty ordered that Du Shu be deprived of his official position, return to Luoyang, and convicted by Tingwei!
It has only been less than half a year since Du Shu implemented the restructuring in Youzhou. The implementation of the new policy was quite effective, but unexpectedly it was fleeting. Your Majesty supports the restructuring and will never dismiss Du Shu easily.
Cao Xi thought about it and immediately realized that the Murong tribe was becoming increasingly powerful and had always been surrendered to the Wei Dynasty. Now Du Shu killed his prince for some unknown reason, which naturally posed a great threat to the northern border. Liu Fang, Sun Zi, Xun Yi, Jia Chong, and Sima Jun, all the servants and regular servants of His Majesty's Taifu Party, naturally told His Majesty Du Shu's fault immediately. Although His Majesty supported the reform, he also felt the same. Coming from the northern border, it is understandable that such a decision was made in anger.
After Cao Xi figured out these joints, he immediately decided to go to the main hall to find his elder brother Cao Shuang and discuss the solution to Du Shu's matter. After all, the news had reached Luoyang, which meant that the prison car escorting Du Shu was already on the way. Cao Xi thought of this and did not dare to delay, so he immediately set off and hurried to the main hall.
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The news of Du Shu's conviction soon spread to Yuzhou.
Ever since he was appointed as the Princess Registrar by General Cao Shuang in the General's Mansion, Shantao has been working diligently and cautiously as an official. Later, he was promoted to work in Henan by Guanqiu Jian, the new governor of Yuzhou.
Yuzhou, within the official government office.
That night, Shan Tao and his colleague Shi Jian were engaged in official business until late at night. Because it was too late, they did not go back to their residence, but rested in the government office.
Shantao lay there for a long time, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. Shi Jian guessed that he had something on his mind, so he asked:
"Brother Juyuan, what's wrong with you?"
Shantao let out a long sigh:
"Nothing, I just suddenly thought that Du Shu and Du Wubo, who have always been careful not to participate in partisan disputes, would suddenly fall from the high position of the governor and end up being sent to a prison car with an uncertain end. I can't help but feel frightened!"
Hearing this, Shi Jian calmed Shan Tao for a while. After the two talked for half the night, they fell asleep.
The night is getting darker.
At this moment, Shantao, who was sleeping soundly, was suddenly covered in sweat, his brows were furrowed, and he was talking incomprehensibly in his sleep, as if he had had a nightmare.
Suddenly, Shantao screamed and rolled up from the couch. He kicked Shi Jian, who was sleeping soundly, with his foot in horror.
"who……"
Shi Jian, who was kicked awake, rubbed his sleepy eyes and muttered:
"Is it Juyuan? What happened?"
Shan Tao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said to Shi Jian:
"Brother Shi, it's this time and you're still sleeping!"
"Juyuan, what's going on? You're not letting anyone sleep well in the middle of the night?"
Shi Jian shouted dissatisfied.
"Do you know why Tai Tu is lying in bed because he is sick?"
Shan Tao had a serious face and looked very nervous. In the past few years, ever since General Cao Shuang began to implement the restructuring, he had felt a little uneasy. But now, all the voices of opposition from both the government and the opposition have suddenly disappeared, and Shan Tao feels that something is wrong even more. Du Shu, who recently implemented the restructuring, was easily and muddle-headedly punished, which shocked Shan Tao, who had originally intended to lean towards Cao Shuang and Xia Houxuan.
This shows that the power of the Taifu has not been completely deprived. Sima Yi's illness may be a fake illness to keep a low profile!
His intuition told him that after this calm, there would be a very terrifying tide sweeping over.
Seeing Shantao's nervous look, Shi Jian yawned and replied impatiently:
"If the Tutor fails to go to court every time, the worst the emperor can do is give him an imperial edict and ask him to go home and take care of himself in old age. Why should you bother with this?"
Shan Tao is still unable to sleep peacefully at this moment:
"Oh, brother Shi, why don't you understand? Don't brother Shi know the feeling of running back and forth between the horses' hooves? Now you and I are the ones trapped between the horses' hooves!"
After a tiring day, Shi Jian saw that Shantao was looking for trouble, so he rolled his eyes at him and continued to sleep.
The next day, Shantao quickly handed over the official seal he had obtained with great difficulty on the grounds that his old illness had recurred, and resigned again and retired.
————————————
Luoyang, the official Cao Shangshu's house.
The head of the family, He Yan, has been having the same strange dream recently, but he can't understand its meaning at all, and he doesn't know whether it is good or bad. He is very troubled by this.
In the pavilion under the hall, He Yan, who had just gotten up from his lunch break, rubbed his dry eyes and carefully recalled his strange dream.
For several days, he dreamed of dozens of bluebottle flies dancing in front of his nose, and no matter how hard he tried to drive them away, the flies refused to disperse.
This dream made He Yan, who was already a little anxious, feel even more uneasy.
"Somebody come!"
"What are your orders, sir?" The steward of the mansion heard the master's call and went into the pavilion to greet him.
"Guan Ren Guan Shen Divination, will you be in Luoyang these days?"
"Speaking of Guan Ren and Guan Gongming, everyone in Luoyang City knows about him.
It is rumored among the cities and towns in the capital that there are so many strange people in this world, and each of them has their own skills, so they are talked about by people.
These extraordinary talents of the time include Hua Tuo's medical diagnosis, Taiyue Ling Du Kui's vocal music, Zhu Jianping's physiognomy, Zhou Xuan's dreaming, and the last is the divination technique of the tube and wheel.
It is said that when Guan Rui was eight or nine years old, he liked to look up at the stars. When he saw a star he didn't recognize, he would ask someone for its name. He would not sleep at night and said to himself: "Although I am young, my eyes like to look at astronomy."
When he was playing with the children next door, he liked to draw astronomy, sun, moon and stars on the ground. When he grew up, he loved to study "The Book of Changes" and the subtle ways of fortune-telling and fortune-telling. Some people even said that he understood the language of birds.
Many people used to come to him and ask him for fortune-telling, and many of his fortune-tellings proved to be effective. As a result, Guan Ren gradually gained a reputation.
It is said that in the home of the magistrate of Xindu County, the female relatives were often frightened for no reason and got sick one after another, so the magistrate invited Guan Ren to divine the cause.
After Guan Ren took the omen, he said: There are two dead people hidden in the west end of the north room of the magistrate's house. One is holding a spear and the other is holding a bow and arrow. Their heads are inside the wall and their feet are outside the wall.
The spear owner stabs the head, so the female family members have headaches. Bows and arrows mainly shoot at the chest and abdomen, so the female relatives suffer from stomachache and heartache and cannot eat.
These two people traveled around during the day and would return at night, disrupting your mansion and causing unreasonable fear to the female relatives. "
So the county magistrate sent people to dig out the wall of the north house, and sure enough they found two corpses. After the bones were taken away, the illnesses of the female relatives in the family were cured.
Another time, Guan Ren's brother Xiaoguo temporarily lived in Cuiqiu. When Guan Ren went to see him, there happened to be two guests at his brother's house.
After the two left, Guan Ren said to Xiaoguo: "There is a faint evil spirit between these two people in heaven. I am afraid that their souls will wander overseas and only their bones will return home."
Later, about ten days later, the two drunken men took an ox cart home. On the way, the cow was frightened for no reason, and the cart overturned into the Zhang River, and both of them drowned.
There are countless things like this, so Guan Ren is even more famous in the country. 』
When the steward of the mansion saw the head of the family asking a question, he hurriedly replied: "Your Majesty, I heard that Guan Gongming has been in the capital recently. Is there anything you want to ask Guan Gongming about?"
He Yan nodded, rubbed his swollen eyebrows, and ordered:
"Go and send someone to invite Mr. Guan to your house. I have something important to ask you."
"only!"
The steward didn't dare to delay, so he immediately walked out of Nuanting to make arrangements.
At this moment, a servant hurriedly came to He Yan’s side:
"Your Majesty, the general has urgently summoned you to come over to discuss matters, saying that something big has happened in the north!"
He Yan was even more panicked after hearing this, but he still tried his best to suppress his depressed mood. After tidying up his clothes, he immediately rushed to the General's Mansion.
——————————————————————
In the General's Mansion, in the Wagtail Pavilion, brothers Cao Shuang, Cao Xi, Cao Yan, Cao Ze, and Cao Xun were already with Ding Mi, Deng Yang, Huan Fan, Lu Zhi, Lu Qin, Pei Xiu, Wang Bi, Wang Chen, Wang Hun and others have been discussing for a long time. Everyone has different opinions. Only Ding Mi, Lu Qin and Lu Zhi have the same opinion. They all believe that this time the Sima family wants to kill the chicken to scare the monkey, so Du Shu is in an extremely difficult situation. Danger.
And once Du Shu is sentenced to death, the important officials who support the reform in various places will be afraid that they will be restrained and timid from now on, and will not dare to carry out drastic reforms!
Deng Yang held a different opinion. After listening to what several people said, he immediately retorted:
"The general is now as powerful as the sun in the sky. Who dares to offend the general Huwei inside and outside? In my opinion, the Sima family just wants to seize the position of governor of Youzhou. There is no need to put Du Wubo under Death place!"
After hearing Deng Yang's words, Ding Mi was immediately laughed out of anger. With his trembling goatee, he immediately retorted to Deng Yang:
"Brother Xuanmao, you have always been smart and resourceful. Why have you lost your mind today? If the reform plan is completed, the Sima family and other Hebei big families will never be able to turn over again. Now is the critical period of restructuring. Of course the Sima family will In a fight between trapped beasts and a desperate fight, how can you show mercy when your life is at stake?"
Huan Fan Huanyuan listened to Ding Mi's words and deeply agreed in his heart.
Cao Shuang suddenly felt an inexplicable irritation as he listened to everyone's different thoughts and opinions. When he thought of the Sima family's actions, he became very angry. He pulled out the Songwen sword from his waist and cut off the precious sword in front of him with a 'ding' sound. In the corner of the sandalwood table with dark dragon patterns, the staff saw Cao Shuang's anger and did not dare to say anything for a while, so the entire Wagtail Pavilion suddenly became silent.
Just at this moment, the steward who was waiting outside the pavilion came into the Wagtail Pavilion and broke the terrible silence:
"General, our consort is already waiting outside the pavilion."
When Cao Shuang heard that He Yan was coming, he calmed down his irritability, put the Songwen sword back into its sheath with a 'clop' sound, unfolded his sleeves and robe, and ordered:
"Please come in quickly!"
As soon as He Yan entered the Wagtail Pavilion, Cao Shuang couldn't wait to ask for his opinion. He Yan was still sober at the moment. After thinking for a while, he bowed and said:
"General, out of humble opinion, the situation in Du Shu is indeed not optimistic. In everything, you should not worry about victory first, but defeat first. There are three reasons why this matter is so dangerous."
Cao Shuang immediately asked:
"What three reasons?"
He Yan immediately said:
"First of all, Du Shu has always been stubborn and does not want to be harmonious in the world. There are not many sponsoring officials in the court, and the person Du Shu killed was the beloved son of Murong Xianbei and Yi Wang Mo Huba. If your majesty handles it too lightly, you will only be killed. I am afraid that the entire northern border will be in turmoil again; secondly, this time the Sima family is determined to obstruct the restructuring, and they have finally seized this opportunity, so how can they let it go so easily; thirdly, although Ting Wei Zheng and Chen Ben are in the early days of Taichu Friend, our man, but he has just succeeded and his foundation is not stable. Everyone in the Tingwei Mansion is close to Gao Xun, the eunuch of Tingwei. For these three reasons, I am afraid that the sentence of Du Wubo will be very dangerous! "
After hearing these words, Cao Shuang and everyone in the hall realized that what He Yan said was true, and they fell into silence for a moment.
After a while, Cao Shuang asked again:
"If the situation is like this, it is indeed extremely critical. If Du Wubo dies, then I am afraid that no one in the whole world will dare to continue to support the reform plan. I wonder if you have any clever ideas?"
Although He Yan, who has always been thoughtful, can see through the joints of this matter, he is not good at scheming, so he doesn't have any good ideas at the moment. Ding Mi has always been good at planning. After thinking for a moment, he was about to speak, but Seeing Da Sinong Huan and Fan Huanyuan standing up, he seemed to have something to say, so he swallowed the words that came to his lips.
Huan Fan was known as the "think tank" and had outstanding resourcefulness, so Ding Micai stopped making suggestions.
Huan Fan stood up, bowed to Cao Shuang, and then said:
"General, I have just mentioned three things that Consort He mentioned. Fan also has three strategies that may save Du Wubo's life!"
Huan Fan did not show off, he waved his sleeves and said immediately:
"First, the general must immediately go to the palace to see His Majesty in person, to assure His Majesty that there will be no big trouble in the northern border, and to make it clear to His Majesty that Murong Muyi broke through without authorization; second, we must immediately send a distinguished person who is proficient in law. The senior officials of the law went to Tingwei Mansion to assist Chen Tingwei in judging the case; thirdly, Cheng Shenbo of Youzhou was always afraid of Anyi Marquis Wuqiu Zhonggong, so the general ordered Wuqiu Envoy to write a letter and send a horse to tell Cheng Xi, Please comfort Murong Bu immediately!"
After hearing Huan Fan's suggestion, Cao Shuang was unable to make an immediate decision. Ding Mi understood that Cao Shuang had not always had a close relationship with Huan Fan and had no sense of trust in him, but Huan Fan's ideas were all on point. Therefore, Ding Mi immediately gave Cao Shuang a wink, meaning that he must not hesitate.
Seeing Ding Mi's approval, Cao Shuang immediately issued the order:
"Okay, in that case, let's follow Yuan Ze's words. Uncle Ping, you have always been well versed in criminal law, so I would like you to go to Tingwei Mansion and assist Chen Ben!"
After receiving the order, He Yan bowed and did not dare to delay. He immediately left the house and prepared to go. Cao Shuang moved his eyes to Cao Xi again:
"Third brother, your horse is fast and you are talented in writing, so you should immediately rush to Zhong Gong's place, discuss with Zhong Gong in person, and write a letter to Cheng Xi!"
"Yes, big brother, little brother is going to Yuzhou now!"
Seeing that everything was in order, Cao Shuang dismissed all his staff and immediately asked his servants to put on court uniforms for him, planning to enter the palace immediately to speak to Emperor Cao Fang.
——————————————————————
After the meeting at the Wagtail Pavilion, He Yan returned home to make some preparations, and immediately rushed to the Tingwei Mansion. After meeting with Chen Ben, he conveyed to Chen Ben the reasons for the discussion by everyone in the Wagtail Pavilion.
Chen Ben said that the court hearing was scheduled for five days, and he would try his best to mediate at that time. He Yan would naturally come to the government office to sit in charge at that time.
After He Yan returned home, the family manager immediately reported to He Yan that Guan Ren would come to pay an appointment today.
It happened that Deng Yang also came to the house. He Yan immediately ordered people to prepare a banquet, but he did not let Deng Yang lift the bottle or chopsticks.
Deng Yang asked in confusion:
"Why, Uncle Ping doesn't want to see me?"
"Xuan Mao must not misunderstand."
He Yan said mysteriously:
"I sent someone to invite a distinguished guest a few days ago, and he should be here today, so I asked Xuan Mao to wait for a while. After the distinguished guest arrives, we can have a drink together, how about it?"
Deng Yang smiled and said:
"Oh? What kind of distinguished guest is it that Uncle Ping values so much?"
"This person is the divination god of the world, who is in charge of Gongming."
Deng Yang suddenly understood and nodded:
"I see, but why did Uncle Ping suddenly think of inviting this diviner to the house?"
"This matter can be discussed with Xuan Mao after Guan Gongming's visit."
When He Yan thought of that strange dream, he couldn't help but frowned again.
Not long after, the housekeeper came into the pavilion and reported:
"For your information, Mr. Guan is already waiting in the court."
He Yan was very excited when he heard that Guan Ren had arrived. He hurriedly got up and left the table, and went out of the pavilion to greet him.
"Mr. Guan is here to welcome you. He is truly lucky. Please come and take a seat!"
I saw a man in a wide robe and long sleeves, with high spirits but a rough appearance, standing in the court, accepting the hospitality of the consort He Yan. This man was naturally Guan Ren Guan Gongming.
The three of them entered the pavilion and after greeting each other for a few words, He Yan couldn't wait to ask Guan Ren.
He Yan asked:
"I heard that sir, your divination is wonderful. Please do a divination for Yan to see if he will be able to reach the rank of Third Duke in the court in the future?"
He Yan asked about such a good thing first, in fact, it was to embolden himself and reassure him. With the current power of the general and his own status, if nothing happens, it will not be difficult to become the third prince within fifteen years.
But after hearing He Yan's words, Guan Ren just smiled and said nothing.
He Yan understood that Guan Ren didn't speak because he saw through that he was not telling the truth. So he asked straight to the point:
"To be honest, sir, Yan has been dreaming about dozens of bluebottle flies in recent days, spinning around his nose and unable to drive them away. I don't know what the reason is?"
Seeing that He Yan had expressed his true thoughts, Guan Ren nodded. After some thought, he replied to He Yan:
"Nowadays, the position of the king is as important as a mountain and as powerful as thunder and lightning. However, there are few people in the court who appreciate the kindness of the king. On the contrary, there are more people who fear the power of the king. The king should be cautious, cultivate virtue and act prudently. Disasters will be resolved with the blessings of benevolence.
The king dreamed that blue flies were attacking his nose, and the nose was called Gen. The fortune teller said that there was a mountain elephant in the nose, so it was called "a mountain in the sky". Only when you are high but not dangerous can you maintain wealth and honor for a long time. Nowadays, blue flies are smelly and gather in large numbers. As the saying goes, those with high positions will rise and those with weak positions will perish. We must consider the number of losses and the periods of prosperity and decline. May the princes and princes pursue the purpose of King Wen's six lines and think of the meaning of Nifu and Xiang. Then the three princes can make a decision and the blue flies can be driven away. "
Guan Ren's words made He Yan break into a cold sweat, and his heart suddenly felt cold.
Deng Yang had an indifferent expression on his face. He didn't seem to agree with Guan Ren's statement. Instead, he thought to himself that it seemed that Guan Gongming was just wasting his reputation. He sneered coldly:
"What you said is what the old man has said."
After listening to Deng Yang's words, Guan Ren swallowed the food and wine in his mouth and laughed loudly:
"People tend to turn a blind eye to things in the world, and they often don't bother to talk about the truths that are often talked about. This will lead to disasters. It is precisely because the kings and princes think that this matter is not important that they will completely ignore it. This negligence , there is no reason why the disaster will not happen!"
When He Yan saw the other party getting up and leaving the table, he immediately saluted Guan Ren respectfully and said:
"Sir, go slowly. I'll see you again in the next year."
"Young Lord, please take care of yourself. Guan Mou takes his leave!"
He Yan looked at Guan Ren's leaving figure, and for some reason, he felt more and more panicked in his heart.
