After Lu Bu died, the remaining soldiers were extremely sad. But without the command of the coach, the will to fight naturally withered. They quickly withdrew from the battle line and formed a group like ants. Then they put down their swords and sat on the ground with their heads hanging down, waiting to die.
The leader, Cao Xing, had his armor and stomach removed and was brought up wearing only civilian clothes. Chen Chong asked him, "Do you still recognize me?"
Cao Xing said: "I saw the dragon head when I was in Longshan. Why don't I recognize it?"
Chen Chong pointed his riding whip at the burning fire not far away and asked him, "Did you set the fire?"
Cao Xing looked at him with eyes as bright as lightning and could not bear to look at him. The original will to die in his heart turned into shame, and he lowered his head and said, "Yes."
Chen Chong waved his whip and said: "You light the fire yourself and put it out yourself. Take the rest of the people with you and go to Zhicheng Gate now to get the leather bag and splash tube. After the fire is extinguished, go to the West City to await trial."
After saying that, Chen Chong looked back and said to Qianzhao: "Hang Lu Bu's body on the Xi'an Gate to show the public. Expose the body for seven days as a warning to others. After seven days, hand the body over to him." Of course, this "he" refers to Cao Xing.
When Cao Xing heard this, he was immediately moved and kowtowed to Chen Chong repeatedly. But Chen Chong had no interest in staying here anymore, and led the crowd to file past the fire scene and go straight to Sili Mansion. However, after arriving, I found that the gates were deserted, the streets were lonely, and the former core of power in the capital was now empty. But it's no wonder. After the emperor took office, many affairs of the Sili Mansion were transferred to the Shangshutai. Fu De's Sili Xiaowei was really in vain. But now that Chen Chong has returned to the capital, it can be said that a disaster is imminent for him, and the officials in the mansion naturally go their separate ways. But no one was left, which no one could have imagined.
After opening the door, Jia Xu had been waiting in front of the house for a long time. When he saw Chen Chong arriving, he personally led Chen Chong's horse to lead the way. Thanks to Jia Xu, Chen Chong's old residence in the mansion has been sealed up. Although it was raided by Lu Bu, most of the books, calligraphy and paintings are still well preserved. But Chen Chong stood in front of his study and looked around, and found that the table and bed were covered with a thick layer of dust, and there was a pair of Chen Shi's new shoes thrown in the corner. Chen Chong picked up the palm-sized cloth shoes and couldn't help feeling sad. He was speechless for a long time.
At this time, the soldiers had already gone to notify the official residences in the capital, and ordered all the officials and Cao Cao to gather in Sili Mansion, waiting for Chen Chong to inspect and question him. However, the capital was in such chaos now that it would be difficult to wait until all the Cao Cao arrived. For a period of time.
Jia Xu asked: "Since the dragon head has entered the capital, do you want to go to the palace to meet the saint?"
Chen Chong shook his head and said, "It's embarrassing for both Your Majesty and I to meet at this time. What are we meeting for? It's better to wait until everything is done and the dust settles."
Although he did not mention names, Jia Xu certainly knew what Chen Chong meant. He replied: "I have made it clear to your Majesty the people named by the dragon head. Your Majesty has no objection and has also conveyed the order to those people. Those people Everyone knows the general outline, and is currently staying in the mansion, waiting for the dragon's head to descend."
Chen Chong looked slightly sideways. Unexpectedly, the emperor did not directly give him death, but left him to his fate. But then he realized: It seems that Your Majesty is still lucky! He stood up slowly and said, "Okay, I want to see them too."
He declined Jia Xu's companions and took more than a hundred people to Dong Cheng's mansion first.
At this time, all the streets in Chang'an were controlled by Chen Chong. The whole city was under martial law and people were not allowed to walk freely. The whole street was filled with soldiers patrolling back and forth. Other than that, the surrounding doors were closed tightly and the whole city was silent. When Chen Chong rode his horse through it, he realized that the sound of his horse's hooves was so heavy, and the sound of the friction and collision of weapons and armor could be clearly heard.
The only open door on the huge Zhangtai Street was Dong Cheng's mansion. At this moment, dozens of soldiers were standing guard in front of the mansion, like a road sign, seeming to guide the owner to uninvited guests.
When Chen Chong dismounted, the soldiers gathered around him, actively greeted Chen Chong and asked for guards. Chen Chong dismissed them with a smile, leaving only a dozen people beside him. As soon as they entered the house, they saw several Cangtou kneeling on the ground, trembling uncontrollably. Chen Chong asked them all to get up and lead the way for him.
After receiving the order, Dong Cheng has been waiting in the study. When Chen Chong opened the door and came in, he saw him sitting upright, closing his eyes and concentrating in front of the eucalyptus, while his two sons were standing beside him, with faces as sad as rain.
Dong Cheng opened his eyes, and the first thing he said to Chen Chong was: "Longshou said that I am the only one in my family to blame. Do you really mean that?"
Chen Chong nodded slightly and said: "Besides that, the family property in the house must be confiscated, and you will not be allowed to hold office for the next three generations." As soon as the words fell, the two young men suddenly became sad and embarrassed, hesitated to speak, and finally bowed their heads and dared not Look directly at Chen Chong.
Dong Cheng looked back at his two sons and said to Chen Chong: "It's okay. They are both weak in character and like me. They can make themselves stronger by working hard, but they have no talent in being an official."
After saying that, he took out a short knife from his waist, closed his eyes and raised his head, revealing his wrinkled neck. The hands holding the knife trembled for a moment, but finally stabilized. Suddenly, Dong Cheng stabbed his throat with all his strength. The blade cut through the skin briskly, and blood immediately gurgled out. When the blood finally dried up, Dong Cheng did not pull out the knife, but leaned over and collapsed on the eucalyptus as if he had fainted.
Chen Chong couldn't help but sigh in his heart when he saw that Dong Cheng died so neatly. A soldier wanted to cut off his head, but he waved his hand to stop him. He said, "I saw it with my own eyes, so there is no need to destroy the body."
Dong Cheng was dead, and Chen Chong was about to go to Fu Wan's house. Unexpectedly, Fu Wan's youngest son Fu Dian rushed on the way and delivered two boxes of lacquered letters to Chen Chong. Chen Chong opened them and saw the pungent blood. The smell hit my face, and it turned out that what was inside was the heads of Taiwei Fuwan and Sili Colonel Fude. After Chen Chong saw it, he asked how the two people died. Fu Dian answered with tears that they hanged themselves to death and then cut off their heads after death.
Chen Chong sighed after hearing this. He looked at Fu Dian who was crying and couldn't help thinking: "The dead have ended their pain forever, but the living still have to bear the pain and continue to live. If I only kill these few people, what is the harm to the living?" Forgiveness or punishment?" He thought like this, returned the lacquered letter to Fu Dian, then turned his horse's head and walked towards Huayang Street.
When I walked into Yang Biao's house again, I saw a lake of gray-yellow water when I entered the door. Chen Chong could not help but remember the scene of the assassination that night, the dark screams, the cold snow water, and the bone-piercing pain. He once thought he would die, but he survived in the end. Now in the daytime, this place looks just ordinary, except that the willows had all fallen leaves that day, and now they are spitting out a little bit of new green. Most of Tian Zhao and others who accompanied him that day had become headless corpses.
Just like that night, the surrounding tents were all open at this time, but naturally there were no assassins. This was because the soldiers had just searched.
The guard led Chen Chong to the main room in the backyard. When he opened the door, he immediately saw Yang Biao and Yang Xiu sitting cross-legged around the charcoal basin. Yang Xiu looked very lonely, while Yang Biao half-closed his eyes and folded his hands. On the knees, swaying as if asleep.
When the guard saw this, he coughed loudly. Yang Xiu trembled and did not dare to raise his head. When Yang Biao heard this, he suddenly stood up from his knees and reached out to touch the table gum out of habit. Of course, there is only a charcoal basin in front.
The fire in the charcoal basin was almost extinguished, and there was only a little residual heat. Yang Biao was suddenly burned and soon felt cold all over. He slowly sat down again, turned his head and saw Chen Chong, his eyes were not disturbed by this, but he said in a slightly hoarse voice: "Ting Jian is finally here."
Yang Biao was called this because he and Cai Yong were family friends, and he and Cai Yong rescued Chen Chong from prison during the Zhongping period.
Chen Chong did not answer immediately, but sat down nearby. After looking at him for a moment, he said to Yang Biao, "Do you have something to say, Mr. Wen?"
Yang Biao narrowed his eyes and smiled slowly: "I know that Ting Jian must have something to ask, and I also know that Ting Jian is not a person who insults integrity like Cao Jie, so I have waited until now." Cao Jie welcomed the late emperor to the throne and planned the party's imprisonment Yang Biao's mention of one of his schemes at this time made Chen Chong feel particularly harsh.
Chen Chong couldn't help but laugh and said: "Then what Mr. Wen meant, whether it was planning in the past or dying today, is to keep integrity for the king and serve the public wholeheartedly?"
Yang Biao was obviously in a very calm mood and was not angry at the ridicule. He only said: "Ting Jian doesn't have to be like this. Since ancient times, no one is perfect, and people will make mistakes when they are alive. Today I die for your majesty, and if I die, I will die. Why say more?"
Chen Chong was silent after hearing this, and after looking at Yang Biao for a moment, he still asked: "But I don't know, I treat Wen Xianggong's family very well, why does Wen Xianggong treat me like this?"
Yang Biao smiled. He had obviously expected that Chen Chong would ask such a question. He said, "Then I also have a question in my mind. I want to ask Ting Jian. Does Ting Jian want to imitate Huo Guang or Liu Xin, who has been in charge of government for a long time? ?”
This sentence comes very unexpectedly, and what it refers to is unusual. After all, Huo Guang is a powerful minister, and Liu Xin is a rebel minister, and both ended badly. Chen Chong couldn't help but change his face when he heard this, but Yang Biao didn't care, and then said: "If Ting Jian learns from Huo Guang, he should get rid of Liu Bei. If he wants to imitate Liu Xin, he should kill the emperor. Why don't you do it?"
Unexpectedly, Chen Chong was stunned when Yang Biao highlighted these words. After a long silence, he slowly replied: "It's not what I want, why should I do it?"
Yang Biao asked: "Dare you ask Ting Jian what he wants?"
This question was too big a question. Chen Chong didn't understand the intention, but he also understood that Yang Biao wanted to say something sincerely before he died. When a person is about to die, his words are also kind. Thinking of this, Chen Chong tried his best to answer truthfully: "As far as I am concerned, I do all the good and don't do evil. I just want to do something for myself and have no regrets in my heart. That's all."
Yang Xiu glanced at Chen Chong, with an expression that was indeed true, and he sighed: "Ting Jian is a man of pure integrity!
Yang Biao said: "Life in this world is like morning dew. The coming days are short and the passing days are bitter. It is not easy for someone among all the surnames in Jiuzhou to die of illness in bed. If you can find a way out for your children, then It can be called a promising life; if you can assist the king of Zuo and leave some achievements, it will be passed down in history. No matter how much you do, it will be unattainable."
He paused slightly here, looked at Chen Chong and said: "Mencius once said that you can't have your cake and eat it too, so you have to sacrifice your life for righteousness. This is saying that the living must be unjust. Therefore, you can't be unjust in government, and you can't be completely righteous. , this is the golden mean, also called harmony and light. If Tingjian does not adhere to this principle and governs too strictly, sooner or later the country will be in chaos!"
After hearing this, Chen Chong's expression returned to normal. He stood up straight and slowly said to Yang Biao: "It turns out that Mr. Wen thought that I couldn't succeed, so he surrendered to Your Majesty."
Yang Biao laughed, and finally said: "I am just a summer firefly, and I am just telling you some old people's experiences."
"Ting Jian, if you continue like this, you will definitely owe a huge debt of gratitude to your masters and friends in life and death. By then, what's the use of having a name for a hundred generations?"
After that, he took out a bag of wine from his waist and drank it reluctantly into his mouth. Then he handed the bag to his only son. Yang Xiuse took it and drank the remaining poisonous wine in one gulp.
When death came, Yang Biao fell to the ground and trembled, and after a painful "Yes!", he became silent. Seeing this situation, the Cangtou people let out desperate cries.
Although there were noisy cries, Chen Chong felt only an emptiness in his heart. Chen Chong looked back at this place for the last time, no longer stopping, and strode out of the house.
