In the last month of the thirteenth year of Jianxing, Liangzhou was covered with a thick layer of white snow.
Guanzhong may be better than Liangzhou. The snow is not that thick, but as far as the eye can see, it is still a vast expanse of white.
After passing Tongguan and continuing eastward, Luoyang, the core of Wei State, had only a thin layer.
In many places, because there was too little snow, ice formed instead.
Even so, this winter feels much colder than the previous two years.
Cao Rui's body has never been considered strong.
When his body is weak, he becomes particularly sensitive to cold air, so Cao Rui dislikes winter, especially such cold winter days.
But Cao Rui, like his father Cao Pi, has a hobby that he can't give up: drinking and sex.
Needless to say, sex.
After the Battle of Shiting, according to Wei law, the wives and concubines left by the fallen soldiers were selected to marry other soldiers.
However, Shangshu Lang Lianzhao, knowing Cao Rui's interests, secretly selected dozens of those with good looks to enter the Xuchang Palace to serve the Wei Emperor.
What is even more surprising is that the number of female officials in Luoyang's harem who were ranked as stone (that is, female officials who were eligible to receive salaries) was the same as the number of officials in the court.
There were more than 3,000 people in the palace, ranging from nobles to those who swept the palace.
Ministers often came to remonstrate with Cao Rui, saying that it was enough to prepare a hundred and twenty concubines according to the Zhou rites, and the rest should be sent home to reunite with their families.
Cao Rui was a wise king in other aspects, and he could also listen to the advice of his ministers.
Only civil engineering and the harem were things he cared about deeply and was unwilling to compromise.
However, over the years, Wei's repeated defeats in foreign wars made Cao Rui lack of prestige. Under repeated admonitions from his courtiers, he was forced to cut back a little and stop the construction of the palace.
As for the harem, they never gave in.
Fortunately, Shangshu Lang Lian Zhao knew the emperor's intentions and secretly sent some of the women in the palace to Xuchang Palace.
This made the ministers less talkative.
It's just that Cao Rui has heard many such remarks for a long time, and he is irritable but does not dare to break out.
Simply choose a trustworthy woman in the harem who is knowledgeable and courteous, and serves as the female minister to help with the affairs of the court and save foreign affairs, and take the opportunity to reduce the number of meetings with foreign ministers.
Cao Rui was so lustful and frail, so he often resorted to drinking to entertain himself.
After the Longyou War, Liangzhou's peach wine was stopped for several years, and I don't know if it was because I couldn't taste it for a long time.
When there were caravan exchanges between Liangzhou and Guanzhong again, Cao Rui felt that the peach wine passed over from there seemed to be much sweeter than before.
Not to mention the extremely delicious mead.
It's just that wine is a poison that penetrates the intestines, and sex is like a bone scraper. If you have both wine and sex but don't know how to control it, you will meet the king of hell in the underworld.
A certain country turtle who was suffering in Liangzhou deeply agreed with this sentence.
If he knew that Cao Rui was having such a good time, he would definitely feel ashamed and retreat even further.
In this cold winter day, Cao Rui drank two sips of strong liquor that he didn't often touch in the past. When he felt his body warmed up, he ordered:
"Come here, come and set up a prayer palace."
Lian Zhao, who was standing by, agreed and quickly went down to make arrangements.
The so-called Prayer Palace was a newly built palace in the past two years.
It was not Cao Rui's concubine, but a woman from Shouchun.
This woman was able to cure diseases with pure water, and she said that she was a goddess who descended to earth and lived in the harem to ward off disasters and evil spirits for the emperor's family, and to receive blessings and increase longevity.
At first, Cao Rui was half-convinced, but at that time Duke Shanyang died and another great epidemic broke out in Luoyang, so he ordered her to try to cure him.
Later, the epidemic in Luoyang subsided, so Cao Rui believed in her.
Not only did he specially build a palace for her in the harem, he even issued an edict to praise her virtuous people.
In the past two years, when Cao Rui felt unwell or was in a bad mood, he often liked to go to the Prayer Palace where the goddess lived.
When the goddess heard that Cao Rui was coming, she stood at the Palace of Prayer to greet her early:
"I have met His Majesty."
"Get up. I told you, you are a goddess, you don't need to be so polite."
Cao Rui stepped forward, helped the goddess up personally, and said pretending to be displeased.
The skin of the goddess is slightly dark, but this does not affect her noble temperament that is not stained by the fireworks of the world - at least in Cao Rui's eyes.
Because her expression is always so calm, like the soft lines where the water and sky meet by the calm lake, quiet and soft.
This calmness alone can make Cao Rui always feel at ease.
The goddess in front of me was dressed very differently from the women in the world.
The open peach-shaped collar of the outer garment is uniquely embroidered with golden wavy lace, which adds a bit of nobility to the goddess.
Even though he is the emperor, Cao Rui has never seen clothes of this style.
Her long, shiny, slightly curly hair was tied behind her head by a piece of red silk. It seemed simple, but against the backdrop of her pure black dress, her whole person seemed to show a kind of enchantment. Extraordinary alluring beauty.
This is probably the goddess of heaven. Everything is different from women in the world, but everything appears in her so harmoniously.
"Although I am a goddess, I don't care about ordinary people, but Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven and is above the goddess. How can I be rude?"
The goddess said calmly, her voice was like her own, and seemed to have a calming charm.
Cao Rui is delighted:
"It's cold outside, let's go inside first."
"Your Majesty, please."
The goddess turned sideways and stretched out her hand to greet her.
Lian Zhao and others stood there knowingly, not daring to follow them in.
After all, it is the residence of the goddess, how can it be allowed to be polluted by the world?
Except for Your Majesty, the only men who can enter here are all female officials carefully selected from the harem.
After passing two arches, the goddess opened a door and saw a large closed corridor appearing in front of her.
Both sides of the corridor are carved with gold and painted with patterns. There are about a dozen white candles placed on the walls on both sides. Each one is as thick as a baby's arm, and the firelight dances.
The light and black shadows intersect and sway, making the carvings seem to come alive. They are exquisite, ingenious, and bizarre.
This white candle alone made Cao Rui, an emperor, look in admiration.
I heard from the goddess that these candles, as white and as smooth as jade, were given by God Haotian, and only those blessed by Haotian are qualified to enjoy them.
The thicker the candle, the greater the blessing.
Cao Rui currently can only see candles like this in the palace where the goddess lives.
He also asked the goddess when he would be able to use such candles.
The goddess only said that when your majesty's blessing comes, it will appear in the world. If it does not appear, it means that the time has not come yet.
After Cao Rui heard these words, he couldn't ask any more questions.
Stepping into the grand corridor, reaching the end, you will find a spacious and luxurious bedroom directly with several tables, curtains, etc., which are unique in style, luxurious and extravagant, and have a mysterious allure.
The most eye-catching thing is a huge bronze mirror standing opposite the couch. All activities in the couch area are reflected in the mirror.
Surrounded by long gauze tents of various colors hanging down on the ground, the wind blows the gauze, making it confusing and confusing, making people drifting and intoxicated.
"Your Majesty, please."
Cao Rui was not polite and just lay down on the couch. His body immediately fell into the warm and soft couch, making him sigh comfortably.
Smelling the faint but unknown fragrance made Cao Rui feel relaxed all over, and he felt a little fluttery, as if he was riding the wind.
Compared to the cold emperor's palace, Cao Rui liked this place better.
Because here, he can always fall asleep quickly.
"I heard that you recently left the palace again?"
"Yes, the eldest princess invited me, but I couldn't do it, so I went to the princess's house to pray for her."
The concubines in the harem are not allowed to see their families lightly, but the goddess is an exception.
After all, praying for blessings for the imperial family, the imperial family is not only His Majesty, but also the princes and princes of various sects.
Of course, ordinary princes cannot invite the goddess, nor are they qualified to do so.
However, those who are close to Cao Rui by blood, or close to Cao Rui himself, can still occasionally invite the goddess to pray at his house as long as they have Cao Rui's permission.
The eldest princess mentioned by the goddess is Princess Qinghe, Cao Rui's aunt and Cao Pi's sister. Her status is certainly extraordinary.
Although she is married to Xiahou Mao, in the past few years, the three Xiahou families have actually been ignored by Cao Rui, and even Luoyang is not allowed to leave easily.
Therefore, Princess Qinghe had long been separated from Xia Houmao and lived alone in the princess mansion.
"Well, my aunt has always been ignored by Xia Houmao. I used to misunderstand her and thought she was a jealous woman."
"Now it seems that it is my fault. If you pray for her, you can help me make up for her."
Having said this, Cao Rui couldn't help but sigh.
I just feel that as an emperor, I am really tired.
In order to balance the forces of all parties, even the Xiahou family did not dare to move lightly, which was really a bit cowardly.
Not to mention Bi Gui, the governor of Bingzhou, who almost caused chaos among the barbarians in Bingzhou, so I had to hold my nose and let him continue to stay in Bingzhou.
Because...there are really not many in-laws or relatives who can use it or dare to use it!
Nowadays, the power of the aristocratic family is getting bigger and bigger. If I continue to actively weaken my in-laws and clans, let alone maintaining the emperor's prestige, the throne will probably be unstable in the future.
Cao Rui was lying there with his eyes closed, his thoughts scattered, so naturally he didn't see it. The goddess sitting beside the couch had a slightly subtle look on her face when she heard that Princess Qinghe had been neglected all year round.
Her voice then became a little ethereal:
"Your Majesty said it, I took note of it."
After a pause, the goddess continued, "Speaking of prayers, Your Majesty, I have something I want to talk about, and I don't know whether I should talk about it or not?"
Cao Rui still didn't open his eyes and said, "It's your duty to pray for the Heavenly Family. Is there anything else you shouldn't say? Just say what you have to say."
"Then I will speak frankly. I heard that there were bronze figures, dew trays and other objects made by Han Wu when he was seeking immortality in Chang'an. I thought that if I moved those things to Luoyang and asked me to use them to cast spells, I would not be able to let your majesty inherit the fortune of Han Wu. …”
When Cao Rui heard this, he suddenly opened his eyes and sat up suddenly:
"Can this method really allow me to inherit the fortune of Han Dynasty?"
The goddess smiled calmly:
"What the dew tray receives is water without roots. It does not reach the sky above or the earth below. If you drink it properly, you can strengthen your body and prolong your life."
"Wu Han, who drank illegally, could still live to be seventy years old, how about your majesty?"
"Hundreds of years have passed since the Han Dynasty. During this period, Chang'an City experienced many wars, but Chenglu Pan was safe and sound. Is this a metaphor for God's will?"
"Wouldn't it be wonderful if I could move this thing to Luoyang, and then use my unique magic to transform the aura of the Han Dynasty into your Majesty's body, and help your Majesty achieve the feats of the Qin Emperor and the Han Dynasty?"
Cao Rui was frail, so how could he not be tempted when he heard that there was such a way to strengthen his body and prolong his life?
Coupled with the fact that he was able to absorb Hanwu's luck, his breathing became a little heavy now, and he was almost impatient.
I have to say that what the goddess said accurately hit what Cao Rui longed for most in his heart.
"I will issue an order to send people to Chang'an and ask Sima Yi to escort him over!"
"Your Majesty, you can't do it. Such a big thing can't be done casually. You have to choose an auspicious day and auspicious time to do it."
"Oh, yes, yes!" Cao Rui said repeatedly, and then looked at the goddess eagerly, "Then according to the goddess's opinion, when is the auspicious day and the right time?"
"After I take a bath tomorrow, I will ask God Haotian and I will know."
"Okay, okay, then it's time for you."
"Then your Majesty, please rest first."
After Cao Rui lay down again, he realized that he had been a little too excited, his energy and blood were surging, and there was a dull pain from his eye sockets to his temples, and he felt that his eyes were a little blurry.
He was so frightened that he quickly closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down again.
I don't know how long it took, but while Cao Rui was half asleep and half awake, he heard the melodious sound of silk and bamboo.
He didn't know whether he was awake or in a dream, but he saw several beautiful women dancing gracefully.
They were wearing exquisite long-sleeved dresses, just like heavenly maidens, a style he had never seen before. They all had a tulle on their shoulders, and when their bodies moved, the tulle would float in the air.
Coupled with the light smoke that drifted in from nowhere and lingered around them, Cao Rui looked at them and felt that they were all fairies descending to earth.
There was already a delicate fragrance floating in the room. Cao Rui took a deep breath and felt that he was full of energy and blood, which was very different from the powerless feeling in reality.
"His Majesty……"
A soft cry makes people's hearts tremble.
Cao Rui, full of strength (thinking to himself), reached out and hugged her, and his arms were filled with warm and fragrant soft jade.
Feeling the long-lost glory coming back, Cao Rui couldn't help laughing!
…
The last month of the thirteenth year of Jianxing passed quickly and quietly.
In the fourteenth year of Jianxing, which was the fourth year of Qinglong in the Wei State, as soon as spring began, a strange incident was reported in Shancai County, Taishan County:
Someone once saw a yellow dragon rising from the ground outside. After three roars, it hovered in the air for a long time, and finally flew into the sky and disappeared.
The attendant and leader of the Taishi Order Gao Longtang reported: Wei has the virtues of earth, so it has the auspicious yellow dragon. It is appropriate to correct Shuo, change the color, use gods to enlighten its politics, and change the eyes and ears of the people.
Cao Rui just decided to move the bronze figures and Chenglupan from Chang'an to Luoyang last month, and auspiciousness appeared immediately this month. It seems that this is God's praise for him.
I can't help but believe that the goddess can really communicate with God.
Now when I heard what Gao Longtang said again, I couldn't help but be overjoyed, so I ordered to prepare to change the Yuan Dynasty and let the ministers draft a reign name.
At the same time, the snow had just melted, and Cao Rui sent his convinced cronies to go to Chang'an in person to declare the edict, and asked Sima Yi to send people to escort Chang'an bronze figures, dew plates and other objects to Luoyang.
Just when Cao Rui was ambitiously dreaming that he could absorb Han Wu's luck and sweep away Yunei, the top leaders of Wu and Han seemed to have a tacit understanding and made moves at the same time.
In the 14th year of the founding of the Han Dynasty and the fifth year of Jiahe in the Wu Kingdom, Sun Quan, who had just held a large court meeting, officially announced: Make big money!
From Daquan fifty to Daquan five hundred, one piece is equivalent to five hundred coins, one inch and three cents in diameter, and weighs twelve baht.
At the same time, people were forced to hand over copper materials, and the value was calculated based on the true weight of the copper. A law on illegal casting was also promulgated, and no one was allowed to mint copper coins privately.
As for the Han Dynasty, in February, when the roads in Liangzhou were hardened by ice and snow, Li Yi, who joined the army in the Prime Minister's Office, embarked on the road to Liangzhou with a letter written by the Prime Minister in his arms.
At this time, Governor Feng, who had been tired for a whole winter and could no longer stand upright, covered his extremely sore waist with tears in his eyes: Zhang Xiaosi was finally pregnant.
