The summer nights of the fourth year of the scorching heat are indeed sultry. Sitting in the entrance hall, the air inside and outside the pavilion contains a damp and hot air, accompanied by the continuous chirping of frogs and cicadas, which makes people feel a little bored. Since Gantang was in power, although Chang'an had a lot more people, the official offices in Guanzhong were not significantly repaired. As a result, in the candlelight, Dong Cheng looked down and saw some green moss and mushrooms on the mud steps. Looking up , there were many cobwebs floating among the beams, which made him feel uneasy for no reason.
After Dong Zhao asked him to sit down, he asked the director of the pavilion to take some pieces of round melons. These round melons were cooled with well water. When they were cut open, they brought out a cool feeling. Taking a bite on the hot night made his teeth feel cold and his mouth was sore. , but after entering the abdomen, the whole body feels comfortable. Dong Cheng looked at the melons on the plate and suddenly thought to himself, what is Sili Colonel Chen Chong doing now? I'm afraid he has returned to his small house by the lake, where he is reading and taking care of things.
He raised his eyes and looked at Dong Zhao again. This official from Guandong, who was talking about the land of the Han Dynasty, was scooping wine from the wine jar with a ladle. He noticed Dong Cheng's gaze, smiled smartly, and walked forward to Dong Cheng, holding his hands He offered the wine cup and said, "This is iced plum wine. It's a little sweet. Mr. Dong, please drink some."
Dong Cheng had no intention of joking with him, so he directly put down the wine cup and said to him: "You said on the yellow silk that there is a major matter that concerns me, and you want to discuss it with me. When you entered the door, you said that it concerns the country of the Han Dynasty. Sheji. Stop beating around the bush and just say what you have to say."
Dong Zhao laughed heartily, took a sip of his drink, and then said slowly: "How does Mr. Dong think the situation in the court is now?"
Dong Cheng frowned and said: "Now the government is stable, which can be said to be a great deal compared to the time of the late emperor. Could it be that you have any news in Sili Mansion?"
Dong Zhao shook his head and said: "I don't have any news, but Duke Dong said that the government was stable, but he was completely wrong."
Dong Cheng was startled and asked, "Are you talking about the situation in Hebei?"
Dong Zhao sighed: "Although the situation in Hebei has changed, it has nothing to do with the situation of the court. No matter whether the general wins or loses, as long as Mr. Chen is here, the situation will not deteriorate to any extent. What I am talking about is the affairs of the state. He looked at Dong Cheng intently and recited leisurely: "There is an emperor in the quiet swallow, and there is a hidden dragon in Xiyuan. Two wings of floating clouds fly, filling the sky with this hill." After reciting the first sentence, he slowly asked again: "Is Dong Gong a good man?" Ever heard of this ballad?”
Dong Cheng changed his face slightly and said, "This is the evil talk of the traitor Zhang Chun. Who has not heard it? But it has been seven years since Zhang Chun died. What's the point of bringing it up again today?"
Dong Zhao laughed for a long time and said, "Dong Gong didn't know that such rumors are still circulating in Youyanliu! I often heard them when I was in Hebei!" Then he leaned forward and asked in a low voice. Dong Chengdao: "As for who the rumor refers to, I don't think Mr. Dong can't guess it!"
Dong Cheng hesitated not to answer, but his heart and soul were already swaying, and he immediately associated this matter with Liu Bei. Liu Bei was born in Youyan, and built Ba Mansion in Jinyang. Jinyang has always been known as Qianlong Mansion because of Emperor Xiaowen. His two sworn brothers, one is named Fei, the other is named Yu, one is named "wing", the other is named "cloud", plus his arm Chen Chong is the successor of Taiqiu Gong Chen Shi, all four prophecies are fulfilled, this is It made him shudder.
But he thought about it a little and said: "I'm afraid it's not the right way to punish people with predictions. This is how Dong Zhuo lost people's hearts. Doesn't Gongren know that?"
Dong Zhao did not continue to dwell on this, and said: "Then Duke Dong knows the prophecy of 'Whoever succeeds the Han Dynasty should be Tu Gaoye'!"
Dong Cheng nodded and said: "This is a prophecy spoken by Emperor Shizong Xiaowu. It can be said that everyone knows it, how could I not know it?"
Dong Zhao pointed to the southeast and said: "Then Mr. Dong must have heard that Yuan Shu once said when he was wandering around Yingchuan with the scholars that the surname Yuan came from Chen. Chen was the successor of Shun, who used earth to carry fire. It must be the right time. And the one who is painted high is the highway, so he thinks that the destiny should be on him."
"Is there such a thing?" Dong Cheng was surprised, but then he sneered: "Yuan Jiujiao dared to dream of a magical weapon! He raised his troops to rebel, but two states were wiped out. Now he is only limited to one county. , his life is in jeopardy, and the court will take him back to the court sooner or later, and he will use his head to show the emperor's virtue, what is there to talk about?"
Dong Zhao nodded, and then continued Dong Cheng's words: "Yuan Shu is indeed not worth mentioning, but it is also like Zhang Chun's story. After Yuan Shu's words spread, the people of Yingchuan said that the prophecy was meant by someone else." He vomited. He took a breath and said slowly: "I heard rumors in Yingchuan that the so-called Tu Gao is indeed from the surname Chen, but what is Tu Gao? Tu Gao can be interpreted as either a road or a wall. Tu Gao Gao Wall can also mean a solid courtyard."
As soon as he finished speaking, Dong Cheng raised his head in anger, as if he had been bitten by something. He stared hard into Dong Zhao's eyes and asked in silence: "Who taught you to say these words?"
Dong Zhao didn't answer, but quietly poured a glass of wine, turning his head to face the bright moon outside the hall door, admiring it and sipping it. Dong Cheng looked at his appearance and felt chills in his heart. But at this time, the summer wind was still blazing, passing through the hall from the south door. The door curtain swayed slightly, and the moisture in the room also rolled back and forth. The two of them were My whole body was covered in sweat.
Dong Zhao finished his drink and saw that Dong Cheng's mind had calmed down before he continued: "Does Mr. Dong still think that these prophecies are just nonsense?"
Dong Chengze said: "If we really want to be honest, the two of them are now as powerful as Huo Guang. Huo Guang even committed the act of deposing the emperor and poisoning the queen. And what fault did they have? Li? To serve the Emperor? To quell the chaos in the Liang Dynasty? Or to provide disaster relief and rescue the people?"
Dong Zhao responded with a smile and replied lightly: "If you can't do it today, it doesn't mean you can't do it tomorrow. Could it be that Mr. Dong has forgotten? Before Wang Mang usurped the throne, he was granted the title of Duke Anhan by the emperor!"
Dong Cheng seemed to have been hit hard, and after a long time he gasped and said: "What does that have to do with me? Chen Chong has all the power in the government and the public, including the Chengmen School Lieutenant, the Fifth Military Academy of the Northern Army, Sili Mansion, Yulin Army, and Huben Army. Coming from his sect, if Liu Bei really wants to rebel against him, I can only express my congratulations."
Dong Zhao immediately pointed out: "Dong Gong is the uncle of the country and shares weal and woe with His Majesty. How can he give in safely? Thinking back to the time when Empress Lu died in heaven, Cao Shen anyway, do you need Zhao to say more about the fate of the kings of the Lu family?"
Seeing that Dong Cheng was silent for a while, he continued: "The relationship between your Majesty and those two people is like the relationship between Zheng Zhuang and Gong Shu Duan. The two people are Zheng Zhuang and your Majesty is Gong Shu Duan. Those two people seem to be There is no blame, but he actually harbors evil intentions. The man in the north has a reputation for quelling chaos and providing disaster relief, and the man in the court has a reputation for selfless governance, but he has never thought of giving his majesty any good reputation. Once your majesty asks to return to power, the world will Do people think that the fault lies with His Majesty? Or do they think that the fault lies with those two people? If we don’t make preparations now, it will be too late to find out later!”
The "preparation" in Dong Zhao's words was naturally to prepare Dong Cheng to fight for power, but as Dong Cheng said before, he had no power in his hands and was completely unable to compete with Chen Chong. Dong Cheng saw Dong Zhao's face as flat as a lake, knocked on the table and asked, "In the interests of justice, what preparations should I make?"
Dong Zhao dipped his finger in the wine and gestured to Dong Cheng on the table: "Although those two people have power, they are very worried about their reputation. Liu Bei is better, but Chen Chong is not. Although his disciples have masters with Chen Chong However, unlike Dong Zhuo and the Liang people, they are still loyal to the court. This is the opportunity for your majesty and the general. Although they currently control the four states, there is chaos in Yuzhou and the situation is not good at the moment. Cao Cao in Yanzhou is loyal, and Liang Lu Bu of the state also has an old relationship with Dong Gong, so Dong Gong can help him."
He gestured to the end, drew a circle on Chen Chong's name, and emphasized to Dong Cheng: "Dong Gong just wants to kill Chen Chong, use the emperor to pacify the remaining tribes of Chen Chong, with Lu Bu and Cao Cao on his left and right, and then recruit all the tribes in Guandong, whether it is Huangfu Li, Or Zhang Xian, who has no close friendship with Liu Bei, will definitely refuse to work for him. At that time, Liu Bei only had one state left, so what could he do?"
Dong Cheng broke into a cold sweat after hearing this. He looked down at Dong Zhao's plan, and then looked up at Dong Zhao's expression. The corners of Dong Zhao's eyes were calm and childish, but it made him feel scary. Dong Cheng murmured to himself: "If I do this, I will be executed without saying I am innocent. I am afraid that the world will be in chaos immediately. How will the world see me? How will I be recorded in the history books after hundreds of years?"
Seeing him in such a state, Dong Zhao couldn't help but sigh slightly, and did not say some of the words he had originally prepared. He just advised: "Dong Gong, you must know that the winner is the king or the loser. Above the court, it is a place of life and death. Now in Guanzhong If we hold on for a long time, we have become a land of wealth and can compete for hegemony in the world. Even if the world is in chaos, what will happen? Merits are the work of heroes. The so-called true and false in the history books are just the remnants of swords and pens."
Dong Cheng was still unable to express his position, and Dong Zhao's testing of him was over. He thought to himself: Dong Cheng didn't study after all, and he didn't have any great ambitions. Now it seems that he still has to look at the attitude of the remaining person.
Dong Zhao simply said: "Since Mr. Dong can't make up his mind, why not let me ask someone who can make up his mind?"
Dong Cheng knew who he was referring to, and he murmured: "You want to see His Majesty? Your Majesty and Chen Chong have a teacher-student relationship. Aren't you afraid of death?"
Dong Zhao laughed again when he heard this and said: "It is difficult for a biological father and his son to be kind to each other in front of the artifact, let alone the relationship between teacher and student? Could it be that Hua Sanqi's words at the banquet were forgotten by Dong Gong? Today, your majesty, at the age of eight, can be with Dong Zhuo How heroic is it to talk freely in front of me? Now that I have served Yuan Dynasty, I have given orders several times, which shows the heart of the Holy Lord Mingzhu. If he really takes my life, I will have no regrets!"
When Dong Cheng saw him speaking at this point, he couldn't help but believe it a little while hesitating. He was just embarrassed and said: "It is not difficult to introduce, but you are from Sili Mansion. If you go beyond the dragon's head and talk with the emperor in detail, how can you hide it from others? This matter must never be seen in the light."
Dong Zhao listened to his words, but he looked like everything was done. He stood up and said with a smile, "I have already planned these. If Mr. Dong follows my plan, he will be fine."
