At this time, it was the cold season of spring. Cao Shuang hurriedly put on his red court clothes and a black fox fur cloak, and immediately took a fast two-horse chariot to the left gate of Da Sima Gate.
As the chief auxiliary general, Cao Shuang had the privilege of slowing down the carriages on the south side of the main road in the imperial city. On weekdays, if there was no emergency, Cao Shuang might come down and take a few steps to exercise, but today in order to save Du Shu, he went smoothly. He continued to implement the reform and was anxious to meet Emperor Chen, so after entering the side gate of Simamen, he drove the car non-stop until he reached the square half a mile away from Shiqian Palace, and then jumped off the car.
What Cao Shuang didn't know was that when he passed by the Cabinet Lantai, several Taifu Dangtai Lang who were on duty were talking about it.
"I heard that Taifu's old illness has relapsed recently, and it's very serious."
"Isn't that right? The Taifu was originally ordered to assist the government along with the general at the bedside of Emperor Ming, but now he doesn't even have any power in his hands. How can he not be depressed?"
"Shh..., be quiet, be careful not to let Cao Shuang hear it!"
After Cao Shuang got out of the car, he handed the carriage, horse and Songwen sword to Huang Men who came to pick him up.
"Your Majesty is reading books in the Shiqian Hall, and I would like to ask the general to wait in the duty room for a while, drink a cup of hot tea, and then invite the general to enter the hall after the official announcement."
Cao Shuang saw that the emperor's new little Huangmen was well-behaved and in a good mood, so he threw a piece of broken silver to him.
"Oh, thank you so much, General!"
Although Huangmen was happy, he was not too flattering. Cao Shuang nodded and thought in his heart:
"It seems that His Majesty is quite capable of discerning people, and the Huangmen official he selected is quite decent."
The west duty room was originally a place where the casual knights, sergeants, and Tailangs on duty waited on their attendants, dealt with advisors, and ministers waited for interviews. Therefore, the furnishings were extremely simple, with only seven or eight desks, sitting couches, and two bookshelves. , a few black bird palace lanterns, and behind it are two suites for rest.
Cao Shuang sat on a couch. Huangmen on duty wisely placed the brazier that was burning in the duty room next to Cao Shuang. Cao Shuang lit the fire while thinking about how to mention Du Shu's story to the emperor later. While drinking hot tea from a celadon cup, the coldness on my body gradually dissipated a lot.
Not long after, Huang Men, who had reported the news, came to the room attendant:
"General, Your Majesty has summoned you. Please ask the general to move into the palace."
Cao Shuang said "Hmm" and stood up to straighten out his long-distance travel crown tied with a vermilion silk cord and his vermilion and ocher imperial uniform with nine chapters. Huangmen understood that Cao Shuang had the ability to go to the palace with swords and shoes, enter the court without hesitation, and praise and worship without fame. 's privilege, so Cao Shuang was not asked to take off his boots.
After Cao Shuang packed up, he walked quickly and softly into the palace.
The hall was filled with fragrant mist. The emperor was dressed in yellow dragon-patterned uniforms, with his hair simply tied up with a jade crown. He was sitting in front of a sandalwood desk, holding a letter in his hand, which was illuminated by a lady's palace lantern. Look closely.
On this day, the sky was dark and cloudy, so the palace was still lit with candles.
"I see your Majesty, and I respectfully wish you His Majesty's peace!"
Cao Fang was fond of reading and was lost in thought for a moment. After a while, she suddenly realized it. She hurriedly put down the slips, stood up and sat down, and showed off her sleeves embroidered with dragon patterns:
"General, please get down quickly!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
After Cao Shuang got up, he was about to talk straight to the point about Du Shu, but the emperor said enthusiastically:
"General, I heard that the snow scenery in the west of the city has been very beautiful recently. How about you and I move to the mausoleum in the west of the palace and talk about state affairs slowly and in detail?"
Looking at the young and handsome emperor's nephew in front of him, Cao Shuang suddenly felt a warmth of family affection in his heart. He smiled, bowed and replied:
"I will follow your Majesty to Lingxiao Palace."
Cao Fang was overjoyed when he heard this, and immediately came to the Huangmen on duty. Under the waiter of Huangmen, he put on a purple fur cloak with Kui dragon pattern, took Cao Shuang with him, and walked towards the direction of Lingxiao Que, followed by the palace people. Go.
Cao Fang and Cao Shuang chatted about home affairs all the way. Unknowingly, they had walked two miles and finally arrived at the tall and majestic Lingxiao Tower. Official Huangmen had already sent his servants who could run around to arrange a brazier, seats, a grill and sliced hog meat.
Although the snow in Luoyang Palace always melts faster than in other places, it is still difficult to eliminate the loneliness and coldness.
On the Lingxiao Tower, the eighteen-year-old emperor, who has grown into a tall and tall boy, and the general Cao Shuang, who is in his prime and looks increasingly experienced, stand side by side at this moment, watching the Wei Dynasty under their feet. Lingxiao Que, which is not connected by any nails, is slowly swaying with the spring breeze at this moment.
Cao Fang was looking into the distance at this moment, with a lot of thoughts.
Now that Taifu Sima is critically ill and no one objects to the restructuring, can he and the general really become as glorious monarchs as Qin Xiaogong and Shang Yang, Wei Wenhou and Wu Qi?
Cao Shuang, who was wearing a nine-piece pattern and a far-traveling crown, was standing aside at this moment, quietly looking at the snowy scene in the distance. At this young age, he had a beard as sharp as a sword added to his originally cold face. , coupled with his aloof eyes, made the whole person look very majestic.
"General, you came to see me, but do you have anything important to discuss?"
Cao Fang was looking into the distance now, a little lost in thought. He did not turn around, but continued to look at the vast mountains, rivers, cities, and people in the distance.
For some reason, there was a sense of vicissitudes and fatigue in his eyes that was inconsistent with his age. Before Cao Shuang could say anything, Cao Fang couldn't help but sigh:
"General, tell me, can our country, the Wei Dynasty, really last forever?"
After hearing Cao Fang's words, Cao Shuang couldn't help but feel an inexplicable chill in his heart, but he immediately replied firmly:
"Your Majesty, as long as we, the monarchs and ministers, are united and continue to implement this restructuring, I believe that within ten years, our Wei Dynasty will definitely have a completely new look. By then, we will be able to conquer Shu in the west and attack Wu in the south. We will defeat it in one fell swoop. The Wei Dynasty will eventually dominate the world and encompass the whole world! Your Majesty will also become the heroic leader of our Wei Dynasty, and will be respected and looked up to by millions of people in future generations!"
"Since I ascended the throne at the age of eight, unknowingly, ten years have passed... I sometimes think that if my father had not died so early, he could have protected me for a few more years, and for many more years If you protect Wei for a few years, maybe everything will be better than it is now..."
Cao Fang couldn't help but sigh slightly. Yes, if his father had lived ten more years, he would not have become Sima Yi and Queen Mother Guo since he was a child, or even the puppet of the general he trusted in front of him. The situation will be much more stable than it is now.
Although Sima Yi is on his deathbed now, the emperor himself has already lost all his energy after being tortured by the undercurrent of the temple.
If the restructuring he is currently implementing is left in the hands of his father, it will surely be smoother and more effective.
"Uncle, I miss my father a little bit."
At this moment, Cao Fang no longer called Cao Shuang the general, but called him uncle as he did when he was a child.
Cao Shuang couldn't help but feel a little dazed after hearing this.
Suddenly, the Emperor Ming from many years ago seemed to reappear before his eyes, the brother Yuan Zhong who always had a confident smile on his face and who he had grown up with since childhood.
Ten years ago, Cao Rui entrusted this important task to himself, and he took over the power of Wei from him.
"My lord, I often think of my late emperor..."
"Uncle, in a few days, I want to go to Gaoping Mausoleum in the south of the city to visit my father's tomb."
Cao Shuang bowed his head to Cao Fang and said in a deep voice: "I am willing to personally lead the team to escort His Majesty."
Cao Fang nodded, turned around and personally helped Cao Shuang, who was bowing to salute, and patted some snow on Cao Shuang's cloak. While Cao Shuang was moved, he also understood that this was a good time for him to make a suggestion, so he no longer hesitated and said directly:
"Your Majesty, please forgive me for Du Wubo's case. I have something to say!"
————————————
Tingwei Mansion.
Du Shu had already been imprisoned in a cold cell. Although Chen Ben, the chief official Tingwei, issued an order not to use punishment, the entire Tingwei Mansion, from Tingweizheng, Tingweijian, Tingweiping, to All the officials who belong to the Cao family are from the Sima family. The Gao family, who is proficient in law, has been in prison for many years. He has countless disciples and former officials and is deeply popular. Now, as the prisoner of Tingwei, Gao Xun is naturally in charge of most of the Tingwei Mansion.
Therefore, as soon as Du Shu entered the prison, he received inhuman treatment. Even the "filth" punishment that was only imposed on traitors was also used on Du Shu!
At this moment, the jailer in the prison who had received special care from Gao Xun looked at Du Shu who was tied to the wooden frame with a ferocious smile, and said slowly and pitifully with a smile:
"I heard that Du Shijun has always been a tidy gentleman. The little one has prepared the bathing water. Please ask Master Du to take a bath immediately!"
Du Shu was already covered in scars from being whipped with whips. He was extremely weak and tried to open his eyes. Looking at the jailer's malicious smile, Du Shu understood that this so-called 'bathing' was definitely not good. He had always been stubborn. He spat at the jailer, and the originally smiling jailer suddenly changed his expression. At this moment, while wiping the spit on his clothes, he cursed:
"You son of a bitch, you dare to spit on me when things get really bad. Come here, bring the water tank over and give Du Shijun, who loves cleanliness, a good bath!"
As soon as the jailer leader finished speaking, he saw two strong jailers carrying a large vat into the cell. Du Shu immediately smelled an unbearable stench. He who always loved cleanliness couldn't bear it and started retching. I saw two jailers grinning ferociously as they untied the rope that bound Du Shu, lifted the weak Du Shu up, shouted and threw him into the tank of foul-smelling, filthy water!
Du Shu suddenly felt a heartbreaking pain from the wounds on his shoulders, chest, abdomen, and legs. He endured the stench, pain, and cold, and cursed righteously in a voice that was so painful that he trembled:
"The punishments for filth, treason, and rebellion can only be...executed. You are ignoring...the laws of the Wei Dynasty!"
[Note 1: "Jin Shu·Criminal Law Chronicles": With Wei Guojian, they adopted Han laws and made them Wei laws... As for those who conspire to commit treason and treason, they are temporarily arrested, or they are filthy (zhū, referring to drowning in sewage). Or Xiao Jing (zu, refers to the body broken into thousands of pieces), the three tribes of Yi, not in the laws and regulations... These were all modified by the Wei Dynasty, and it is roughly like this. 】
At this moment, a voice came to Du Shu's ears:
"In our law of the Wei Dynasty, there are three types of death penalty, four types of punishment, three each for consummation and execution, eleven for atonement, six for fine, and seven for miscellaneous crimes. Of the thirty-seven types of punishment, my Gao family has the final say on which one ? Even if you are absolved by the 'Eight Discussions', you, Du Wubo, can't be discussed this time. Who told you that you were so blinded by lard that you couldn't do anything bad, but you supported Xia Houxuan's three reforms?" As the voice got closer and closer, Du Shu, who was almost unconscious from the pain, finally saw the face of the person coming.
He didn't expect that a person's appearance could be so different from his heart.
[Note 2: Cao Wei and Chen Qun formulated the "New Code", also called "Wei Code", with a total of eighteen chapters, and the "Eight Discussions" were included in the code for the first time. "Eight Discussions" is a privileged system that allows you to enjoy reduced or reduced penalties after committing eight types of crimes. For details, see the author's words.]
The visitor is none other than Gao Xun, Princess Consort of Dongxiang and Tingwei’s Supervisor, who can control the sky and call for wind and rain in Tingwei Mansion with one hand!
————————————
At the gate of the prison of Tingwei Mansion, Tingwei Chen Ben and Chen Xiuyuan, as the chief officer, were leading a dozen of Tingwei Mansion officials who were loyal to him, and more than forty hand-held Tingwei who were guarding the door of the prison. The officials of the government armed with sticks stood in confrontation.
Chen Ben had already sent people to He Mansion to move reinforcements, but for some reason, He Yan didn't come.
"Bold, you actually dare to stop me!"
Chen Ben has always been honest, and with the few people under his command, there is nothing he can do except threaten!
No matter what he said, the officer guarding the prison door said that the prison was bloody and dirty, and that a case was being tried inside. Gaoting Gaoting specifically told him not to let Shangguan enter to avoid being frightened.
Just when Chen Ben was at his wits end and was about to break into the prison with more than a dozen officials, a majestic and clear voice broke the deadlock:
"How dare you dare to stop Shangguan? I am the Prince Consort and the Official Cao Shangshu He Yan. I have been ordered by the general to interrogate the prisoner with the emperor's edict. Open the prison door quickly. If there is any delay, I will be executed without mercy!"
He Yan roared angrily, and the eight soldiers from the Wuwei camp who were accompanying He Yan grabbed their knives one after another. The dozens of officials guarding the cell door immediately opened the cell door, and then dispersed to avoid being attacked by General Cao Shuang. The celebrity He Yan remembers his appearance.
When He Yan and Chen Ben rushed to the prison, Du Shu had been tortured to the point of being deformed and passed out again!
Gao Xun, who has always been cunning, naturally ran away from the back door when he heard something was wrong. Although he had the support of the Sima family, he would definitely not get good results if he directly offended Cao Shuang.
After seeing Du Shu's miserable condition, He Yan was furious:
"This Gao Xun is so bold!"
At this moment, Chen Ben immediately called his subordinates who had some knowledge of medicine and asked them to quickly cure Du Shu's illness.
"Although Du Shijun was seriously injured, fortunately the injury was not critical. He was not soaked in sewage for long, so he should be able to be saved!"
After hearing what the servant said, He Yan and Chen Ben couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief.
Three days later, under the trial of He Yan and Chen Ben, Du Shu was exempted from the death penalty based on the merits of the "Eight Discussions". Du Shu's father, Du Ji, once tried to drive a dragon boat for Emperor Wen and drowned, so he was in compliance with the merits discussed in the "Eight Discussions".
After Du Shu, who was exempted from being a commoner, recovered from his injuries, he moved to Zhangwu County, where he was exiled, with endless regret and unwillingness.
Although Cao Shuang's restructuring has not completely stalled, Du Shu's experience still frightens many officials who support the reform.
This time, Cao Shuang lost completely.
————————————
On the outer city, the Imperial Guards were standing on their respective sentries like iron statues.
The central leader Cao Xi and the military guard general Cao Xun climbed onto the city wall together and inspected the troops of the three battalions under their command.
"Bros!"
Cao Xi said to everyone:
"In a few days, the general will accompany your majesty to the Gaoping Mausoleum in the south of the city to pay homage to Emperor Ming's tomb. You should be prepared to escort the car out of the city. Remember, you must ensure the safety of your majesty and the general!"
"promise!"
The Imperial Guards made the most reassuring promise in a low and uniform voice.
————————————
Chang'an.
On this day, Xia Houxuan did not deal with military and political affairs, but took a day off for himself.
Since he came to Yongzhou five years ago, he has been buried in endless slips and slips. This is indeed too tiring for him who originally wanted to express his love for the landscape and indulge in poetry and wine.
The biting west wind blew, fluttering the two long strands of beard on his temples, his chiseled and thin cheeks, and his unrestrained white clothes.
Time flies, and I have gradually changed from the carefree and radiant young man back then to a weathered middle-aged man with white beard and beard.
He touched the "Quality" sword hanging on his waist. It was still bitingly cold, with no trace of the warmth that remained when his father handed it to his hand.
He couldn't help but feel a little dazed for a moment. Unknowingly, he had become older than his father...
"bass……"
With the sharp blade out of its sheath, he once again danced the "Artemisia on the Big Wall" routine that he often danced with his cousin Cao Xi.
Since the weak crown, Xia Houxuan has mastered the family traditions and no longer needs to recite poems orally to assist his sword moves. However, at this moment, he is still reciting the poem "Artemisia Walking on the Wall" loudly, just like many years ago, In the year when his sister Hui'er had just had her haircut ceremony, he and Cao Xi danced like each other on Beimang Mountain in Luoyang.
“Everything grows in spring, and all kinds of grass and trees are blown by the strong wind.
How graceful it is when scattered, how lonely it is when it is independent in the center.
I have been running around for four seasons, but what do I vaguely want to do now? Human beings live between heaven and earth, suddenly they are like birds perching on dry branches.
What do I vaguely want to do now? ...
There is a sky of Canglang above, and it is rare for me to see it for a long time.
There is a crawling place down there, and it’s hard for me to walk here for a long time now.
Why not travel as you please and follow your pleasure?
Take my sword. Why are you so humble today? It's tragic and beautiful, as white as snow and as sharp as autumn frost. ...
The Pilu of Wu, Buguang of Yue, Longquan of Chu, Moyang of Han, the collar of Miaoshan, and the steel of sheep's head.
Well-known in the previous generation, Xian claimed that he was beautiful and beautiful, and he was not as good as Jun Jianliang. ...
There is no dust and the weather is cool.
Play Huan Se, dance Zhao Chang.
Nu'e sings a long song to assist the palace merchants. It touches the heart, touches the ears, and stirs the intestines.
Drink cinnamon wine and eat carp and bream.
Being with a beautiful woman is a good time. I have a jade bowl in front of me to drink wine for me.
Today is a joy, don’t forget it, the joy is not over yet.
Happiness is often too late, and years pass by as suddenly as they fly.
What self-suffering makes me sad. "
Under the city of Chang'an, on the outskirts of the wilderness, a white cloth was dancing in the wind, the cold blade was like water condensing into ice, and the sword light was flying in confusion.
Although his figure is no longer as vigorous and brisk as when he was a boy, it is naturally more stable and robust.
After a while, the sword light disappeared and the poem was finished. Only his slightly lonely back was left, standing alone in the wind.
At this time, a messenger from Luoyang who had just arrived in Chang'an City came to the outskirts of Chang'an.
"General, this is a letter sent to you by Monkey Shan Juyuan from Yuzhou and Henan."
Xia Houxuan took the letter, opened the envelope, and looked at the familiar handwriting on the letter:
"My brother Taichu sees words like his face.
Tao was originally an idle person in the mountains and forests. Fortunately, he had known and been friends with Taichu for many years. He was recommended by his brother and was able to serve as a minor official, so that his wife and children could be supported. This was all due to his brother's kindness. However, now that the overall situation of the court has been decided, Tao realizes that he is of no use to the country or the people, and he is exhausted physically and mentally from working hard on the documents, so he has resigned from his post and intends to return to the bamboo forest to find wine and friends. If there is a chance, I will meet you again next year.
Brother, Shan Juyuan wrote it himself. "
Xia Houxuan was speechless for a long time after reading the letter. After a long time, he slowly put the letter into his sleeve and heard him murmuring:
"Even the ambitious Shan Juyuan has left... I wonder what Luoyang has become now..."
The high-spirited spirit of his youth has almost disappeared now. The world is difficult. The young man who once wanted to help the world and unify the country is now entangled by Jiang Wei's constant harassment and no longer has time to care about the city of Luoyang that gave birth to him and raised him. .
What he didn't know was that at this moment in Luoyang City, a big storm that no one could predict was coming!
————————————————
In the general's shogunate, Cao Shuang was arranging relevant matters with Shangshu He Yan, and by the way, he told him that he was going out of the city to pay homage to the mausoleum.
"The general is saying that you want to leave the city with His Majesty and go to Gaopingling?"
He Yan had a look of surprise on his face. For some reason, he suddenly remembered his nightmare and his anxiety over the past few days:
"Is there anything wrong with this?"
"It doesn't matter!"
Cao Shuang said while personally wiping his gorgeous black-light fish-scale mysterious armor that was mounted on a stand:
"Sima Yi is already seriously ill and dying. Besides, I am just accompanying Your Majesty to visit the tomb of Emperor Ming. I will be able to return to the city in less than a day."
Cao Shuang turned around, patted He Yan on the shoulder and said with a smile:
"Besides, you, Yan Jing, and Xuan Mao are still in the city. What do I have to worry about?"
He Yan still frowned, and after thinking for a moment he said:
"If the general has already decided, then one of the two Anxianghou and Wuwei generals must leave one to lead the military camp to guard the palace city in case of any unexpected events."
Cao Shuang shook his head and firmly refused:
"We brothers have been like brothers with the late emperor since we were young. Now we finally go out of the city to pay homage to the late emperor in the mausoleum. Why don't we not go? Besides, Sima Shi only controls a guard camp and a heroic cavalry camp in the city. The three My fourth brother has three battalions of troops. The third brother's Wang Cheng, Niu Sheng and others are all talented people. If they are in charge of the military camp, there shouldn't be anything wrong. Uncle Ping, you are a bit too worried!"
Seeing Cao Shuang's resolute attitude, He Yan couldn't say anything else. He frowned and nodded:
"In this case, General, you must be careful in everything."
————————————————
In the secret room of Taifu Wuyanghou's mansion.
Sima Yi looked at the dozens of dead warrior leaders secretly recruited by Sima Shi, the eldest son in the secret tunnel, from the people, the market, and the rivers and lakes over the past year, and nodded with satisfaction.
In the past two years, Master Sima always used the excuse to go to the outskirts of the city for hunting and fun. In fact, he was secretly training three thousand dead soldiers in several hidden caves around Luoyang City!
Naturally, Master Sima had secretly dug this secret passage over the past year. The dead soldiers and the secret passage were very secret. Even Sima Zhao, who was always smart and capable, knew nothing about it!
[Note 3: "Book of Jin": "Emperor Xuan's general "Sima Yi" killed Cao Shuang. He planned a secret strategy and hid alone with the emperor "Sima Shi"... At the beginning, the emperor "Sima Shi" secretly raised three thousand dead soldiers, scattered among them. In the human world, people gather together in one day and don’t know where they are going.…”]
Sima Yi was completely different from his usual sick look at this moment. At this moment, his eyes were shining with a sharp light that he had never seen before. With these three thousand dead soldiers, plus Shi'er's guard camp, Xiaoqi camp, and the secret road from his house that leads directly to the outskirts of the city, he and the nobles in the court will definitely be able to turn the tables in one fell swoop!
"Father, this matter is of great importance. Are you sure you don't want to tell Zhaodi all your plans immediately?"
"Throughout the ages, many major events have failed because of the four words "secret planning". Although Zhao'er's participation is indispensable for tomorrow's events, he has always been very close to Xia Houxuan, Du Yu and others. I will tell him at this moment that I Don’t worry, you can tell him again after the house is locked tonight and before you take a rest!”
Sima Yi looked at his eldest son, who showed no signs of panic, with a satisfied smile on his lips.
"Father, besides Gao Situ, Wang Taipu, and Jiang Taiwei, who else will be involved in tomorrow's plan?"
A strange and sinister smile appeared on the old man's face at this moment:
"The rest of the people are waiting. I will tell you tomorrow as my father! Just remember clearly the order of the troops and the order of actions!"
"Father, the child understands!"
Sima Yi looked at a dead old tree outside the house and the new buds on the trunk, with a strange light shining in his eyes:
"Everything is finally coming to an end..."
