In August of the fifteenth year of Jianxing, news of the fall of Shangdang reached Xuchang, and Wei General Cao Shuang was furious.
On the grounds that Sun Li, the governor of Jizhou, failed to assist Shangdang, which led to the fall of Shangdang, Sun Li was dismissed from his official position and demoted to a commoner.
Then Cao Shuang wanted to let Huan Fan, a fellow countryman, take over as the governor of Jizhou.
Moreover, Huan Fan had a violent temperament. Although he was talented, he often relied on his talents to dominate others.
After the Xiahou family was suspected by Cao Rui, Xiahou Mao was recalled to Luoyang by Cao Rui. Huan Fan, as the general of Zhenglu and Dongzhonglang general, envoy Chijie to succeed Xiahou Mao as the governor of Qing and Xu Zhu military affairs.
During his term of office, he had a housing dispute with Zou Qi, the governor of Xuzhou, and he tried to use his power to kill Zheng Qi.
Huan Fan learned that Cao Shuang intended to appoint him as the governor of Jizhou instead of the shepherd of Jizhou.
The former Jizhou Mu Lu Zhao was the general of Zhenbei, but he didn't even have a general title.
Huanfan thought he had been insulted and said to his wife Zhongchang:
"I would rather serve as the ninth minister in the court and kneel to the three princes than to be subordinate to Lu Zizhan (i.e. Lu Zhao)."
Lü Zhao, the pastor of Jizhou before Sun Li, became an official after Huan Fan, and Huan Fan considered himself to be more talented than Lü Zhao.
Now Cao Shuang asked him to serve in Jizhou, but the official position was not even comparable to that of Lu Zhao. How could he be convinced?
Huanfan's wife Zhongchang was very knowledgeable and advised him:
"The emperor was in charge of the military affairs of Qing and Xuzhou in the east. He wanted to kill the governor of Xuzhou, but everyone said that it was difficult for him to do it."
"The general now regards you as a fellow countryman, so he has made you serve as the governor of Jizhou. He actually believes in you. But you are ashamed to be under the general of Zhenbei, and it is difficult for you to do it."
"If you make things difficult for everyone above and below you, who will be willing to be your colleague in the future?"
Huan Fan was originally complaining to his wife, but he never thought that his wife would actually say these words, which directly touched his sore spot.
Huan Fan, who had a violent personality, became angry and cursed on the spot:
"You are just a woman, what do you know?"
After scolding, he was still not relieved, so he turned around and took off the saber hanging on the wall, took the knife in his backhand, and hit Zhong Changshi in the abdomen with the handle.
Zhong Chang didn't expect that Huan Fan would hit him as soon as he said so.
Unprepared for a moment, he was hit in the abdomen by the handle of the knife on the spot.
She just heard a scream and was knocked to the ground.
At the same time, he covered his abdomen with his hands, and his face suddenly turned pale.
Huan Fan originally wanted to hit her a second time, but looking at her like this, he couldn't do it again, so he snorted, turned around and left.
Mrs. Zhong Chang stretched out her hand to stop Huan Fan. She opened her mouth, but her strength seemed to be exhausted, and in the end she couldn't make a sound.
It was not until Huan Fan left that the servant girl dared to come over and help the mistress.
"Ma'am, you're bleeding!"
The servant who helped Fan's wife up could not help but exclaimed when she saw blood oozing out of the mistress' lower skirt.
Fan's wife covered her abdomen and said weakly:
"Quick, call the doctor..."
Before he could finish speaking, he fainted.
It turned out that Fan's wife was pregnant. Huan Fan's blow not only caused her to have an abortion, but also caused bleeding.
Within two days, Fan's wife died of a collapse of blood.
Huanfan refused to go to Jizhou to take office on the pretext of attending to the funeral of his late wife.
After Xu Yun, Cao Lang, the Minister of Finance, learned about this, he went to persuade Cao Shuang:
"Huan Yuanze (i.e. Huan Fan) became an official before Lu Zizhan (i.e. the former Jizhou Mu Lu Zhao), and his talents far exceeded Lu Zizhan. Lu Zizhan served as the Jizhou Mu as the general of Zhenbei."
"But the general asked Huan Yuan to serve as the governor of Jizhou after Lu Zizhan, without the title of general."
"The general's move is nothing more than telling the world that in the eyes of the general, Huan Yuan is far inferior to Lu Zizhan. This is not the way to employ people."
This was the time for Cao Shuang to win over people's hearts. Xu Yun was from the Xu family in Jizhou and was on par with the Cui family in Qinghe.
Huan Fan, on the other hand, was born in the Huan family of Longkang, Qiao County, and was also from a local wealthy family.
Moreover, although Huan Fan was not as close to Cao Shuang as the Three Dogs in Taichung, as a fellow countryman of Cao Shuang, he was also trusted by Cao Shuang.
By wooing Huan Fan, Cao Shuang was actually wooing the Huan family and consolidating his home territory.
This is why he wanted Huan Fan to go to Jizhou.
At this time, when Cao Shuang heard Xu Yun's words, he suddenly realized and asked:
"Huan Yuan has a great talent. I already knew it. I didn't expect him not to go to Jizhou. It turns out that there is another reason. So what should I do?"
"In the land of Hebei, the general of Zhenbei has always been appointed. Since Lu Zizhan has returned to the court, it is not easy to serve as the general of Zhenbei again. He can be given another position."
The implication is that at least Huan Fan cannot be allowed to succumb to Lu Zhao.
When Cao Shuang heard this, he nodded and said, "That makes sense."
So he started the emperor again and asked Huan Fan to become the general of Zhenbei and lead the shepherd of Jizhou.
After Huan Fan was appointed, as Xu Yun expected, he set off for Jizhou to take office.
When Cao Shuang learned that Huan Fan had taken over the post of Jizhou Shepherd, he happily said to Xu Yun, "Everything is as you expected."
Xu Yun said modestly: "Yun just happens to know what Huan Yuanze is thinking."
Why did Xu Yun know Huan Fan's thoughts?
It's just because Xu Huan and the two are close friends.
In his early years, Xu Yun married the daughter of Wei Wei Ruan Gong. After paying homage and entering the bridal chamber, Xu Yun discovered that Ruan's daughter was extremely ugly. He was so frightened that he ran out of the new house and did not dare to stay inside.
Everyone in the Xu family was deeply worried, but no matter how much they tried to persuade her, Xu Yun just refused to step into the new house.
Later, when Huan Fan came to visit, Ruan's daughter learned about it and said happily: "I don't have to worry about Mr. Huan coming to visit. He will definitely persuade A Lang to move into the new house."
After Huan Fan learned about Xu Yun's bride, he persuaded Xu Yun:
"The Ruan family is a well-established family after all. If you marry an ugly girl to a nobleman, there must be a reason for it, and you should investigate it."
Xu Yun listened to Huan Fan's words and entered the new house again that night.
But when he saw the bride's face, the courage he finally mustered up suddenly disappeared, and he wanted to run out again.
Ruan's daughter knew that if he was allowed to run out again, there would really be no chance for him to look back in this life.
So she quickly grabbed Xu Yun's clothes and prevented him from running out.
Xu Yun struggled for a long time but couldn't run, so he had to ask:
"A woman has four virtues (namely, a woman's virtue, a woman's speech, a woman's appearance, and a woman's merit). How many of them do you have?"
Ruan's daughter replied: "The bride lacks only grace. However, a scholar has hundreds of things, how many do you have?"
Xu Yun thought to himself, "My name has been spread in Jizhou since I was young. Don't you know that?"
So he replied: "I am ready for everything."
Ruan's daughter retorted eloquently: "A husband's first line of conduct is virtue. If you are lustful but not virtuous, what do you mean by having everything in place?"
Xu Yun, a distinguished scholar, was speechless when asked by his bride.
Recalling the persuasion of his good friend Huan Fan, he immediately woke up and couldn't help but look at his gentleman with admiration.
So, I slept in the new house that night.
In his early years, Xu Yun served as a official in the Ministry of Civil Affairs. During this period, he recommended many fellow villagers as officials. Someone reported to Cao Rui that he was nepotistic, so Cao Rui sent Huben to arrest him.
Due to the emergency, Ruan's daughter ran out barefooted without even bothering to wear shoes, and said to Xu Yun:
"The Lord Ming can argue with reason, but it's hard to ask for mercy."
Xu Yun nodded in understanding. After meeting Cao Rui, he calmly answered the emperor's question:
"I know my hometown best. Your Majesty, please send someone to check whether the school is competent. If it is not, I will be punished."
After Cao Rui inspected the school, he found that it was true, so he released it.
Seeing that Xu Yun's clothes were shabby again, he gave him new clothes.
After Xu Yun was taken away, everyone in the Xu family was wailing. Only Goddess Ruan remained calm and comforted everyone:
"Don't worry, Alang will be back home soon."
Then he cooked corn porridge himself.
After the porridge was cooked, Xu Yun returned to the house.
After this incident, Ruan's daughter completely won the respect of everyone in the Xu family.
Xu Yun would discuss matters with Ruan's daughter whenever he was in doubt.
On this day, Ruan's daughter was very happy to see her husband coming back from work, and couldn't help but ask:
"Why is Alang so happy today?"
Xu Yun helped his friend get promoted, but he couldn't publicize it, so he was feeling uncomfortable.
When Xijun heard his question, he naturally took the opportunity to tell everything in detail.
Unexpectedly, Ruan's daughter sighed after hearing this.
Seeing this, Xu Yun couldn't help but feel a little strange:
"Why is Mr. Xi like this?"
Ruan's daughter said:
"In my opinion, it is a good thing that Huan Lang avoids official duties at home."
"Alang's move pushed him out. In order to repay the kindness of the general, Huan Langjun will do his best to help the general."
Xu Yun didn’t quite understand:
"The general is the auxiliary minister appointed by the late emperor. Yuan Ze and the general are from the same hometown. Naturally, they want to help the general. What's wrong with this?"
Mrs. Ruan glanced at him and said slowly:
"The Wei Dynasty has more than one auxiliary minister, the general."
When Xu Yun heard this, he was immediately excited, and then looked at Ruan's daughter steadily:
"What do you mean by Xijun's words?"
"How does Alang think the Wei Dynasty compares with the Han Dynasty?"
Xu Yun answered subconsciously:
"The Great Wei occupies the center of the world and represents the world's orthodoxy..."
Ruan's daughter immediately sneered.
Xu Yun coughed sheepishly, looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping, and then said:
"Who can know who will be able to unify the world between Han and Wei in the future?"
Ruan’s daughter sneered again:
"After the First World War in Guanzhong, the general situation of the world has been decided. Why should Alang deceive himself and others?"
Xu Yun was shocked: "Sir, be careful what you say!"
"You and I are one husband and wife, why do we need to hide it?" The Ruan woman's face remained unchanged, "The Wei Dynasty has been in the center of the world for decades, but why has it been defeated by the Han repeatedly over the years and lost three states in a row?"
Xu Yun suddenly became speechless.
"The Wei Dynasty had ten states, but it could not destroy the Han State, which had only one state. Now it only has seven states, so how could it defeat the Han State, which had four states?"
Xu Yun said without confidence:
"With seven states against four states, the advantage is still in the Wei Dynasty."
Ruan's daughter sneered again:
"If Taifu Sima and General Cao can work together to assist the emperor and fight against the thieves together, Alang's words are still credible."
"However, people in the Wei Dynasty are now distracted. Although the dispute between the two auxiliary ministers has not been made explicit, anyone with a discerning eye can see that the two will be incompatible in the future."
"Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to say that the struggle between Wei and Han was between seven states versus four states, but between three states versus four states."
If Xu Yun is as violent as Huan Fan, if he hears Ruan's daughter's heart-piercing words, if he can't lose his face, he may stage another drama of killing his wife in anger.
It's just that Xu Yun has always respected Ruan's daughter, and he also knows that what Ruan's daughter said is the truth.
In addition, she seemed not optimistic about her recommendation of Huan Fan.
So he humbly asked for advice:
"What do you think, Mr. Xi?"
"I have two opinions: If the Han Dynasty sends troops to the east first and takes Luoyang, Hebei Province, Huan Langjun can escape the disaster, and he will be safe."
"But if the Han Kingdom has not yet sent troops, and the two auxiliary ministers of the Wei Dynasty decide the winner first, then Huan Langjun may be imprisoned."
Xu Yun was shocked: "Why?"
"Given the relationship between Huan Langjun and the general, even if he loses his land in Hebei, Huan Langjun will only lose his official position at most."
"As for the two auxiliary ministers competing, who does Alang think will win?"
Xu Yun hesitated and couldn't speak.
"Alang doesn't dare to say anything, so I'll let my concubine do the talking. If the general is so indulgent when he first takes over the power, I'm afraid he will lose people's hearts sooner or later."
"Taifu Sima is a veteran of four dynasties, has a great reputation, and is in charge of elite men. When the time is right, he will ascend to the top and call him a general. Why should he be a general?"
"As a clan member, the general can still become a wealthy man even if he loses the right to assist the government. However, those who depend on the general will probably not escape liquidation."
"That's why I said that if the situation is really as I said, Mr. Huan Lang may be imprisoned."
Xu Yun was at the Chancellor's desk, so he knew that the "Three Dogs of Taichung" were seeking personal gain and would not hesitate to change the laws easily, and some people had begun to feel resentful.
Although Xu Yun usually feels that something is not right, he has not thought deeply about it.
At this time, when I heard the analysis of my master, I suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.
He cried out loudly: "If this is really the case, then wouldn't I have harmed Yuan Ze?"
He stomped his feet regretfully, "No, I have to write to Yuan Ze and ask him to resign as Jizhou pastor!"
When Ruan's daughter saw it, she quickly stopped him:
"No, Mr. Huan Lang has always been resentful that he surrendered to Lu Zhao. Now that he finally got what he wanted, how can he easily listen to A Lang's words?"
"Alang's letter this time, I'm afraid that instead of being able to dissuade him, it will actually make him feel resentful."
Xu Yun remembered that a few years ago, when his good friend was supervising Qing and Xu, he was reported by the Xuzhou governor and dismissed from office.
Although he was later recommended as the governor of Yanzhou, he was not successful in Yanzhou because of the conflict with Lv Zhao (the former Jizhou pastor Lv Zhao was from Yanzhou).
Now that he has finally survived, with his temperament, he will definitely not give up easily.
Thinking of this, Xu Yun couldn't help but stamp her feet: "What should we do?"
Seeing this, Ruan's daughter comforted him and said, "This is just my concubine's guess. Why should Alang do this?"
Xu Yun admitted frankly: "Every word you say must be insightful. Aren't you worried about me?"
He looked at Ruan's daughter, "If the future is really as Xijun said, how can I save Yuan Ze?"
"If Alang believes that Taifu Sima can win, why not gain Taifu's trust as soon as possible? If he can make a contribution in front of Taifu, why worry about not having the chance to save people?"
Isn't this just standing in line in advance?
Xu Yun began to hesitate again after hearing Ruan's daughter's suggestion.
Taking sides at this time can be said to be a huge gamble on one's political career for the rest of his life, and there is no room for error.
"Let me think about it."
"It has been less than a year since the Han Kingdom captured Guanzhong, and the Taifu and the General have not yet broken up with each other. Alang still has at least a few years, so there is no need to worry."
