Farmer of Shu Han

In Dong County of Yanzhou, Dong'e County, there is a small mountain on the north bank of the Dahe River.

It is shaped like a lying turtle, extending from north to south, and is called Yushan.

There are continuous mountains across the river, with towering peaks and green mountains, and Yushan Mountain is like a natural screen.

The golden embankment on the river bank stretches, like a yellow dragon lying quietly, and beyond the fish mountain, there is a vast expanse of fertile fields and a touch of plains.

There is a big river in the south of Yushan Mountain, and a small clear water in the east. The two phases linger and form a belt.

Cao Zhi's last wish was to be buried here after his death.

Although he had no ambitions during his lifetime, he was always under the watchful eye of those who supervised the country.

Even in the last year before his death, there were no more than 60 people in Cao Zhi's palace.

But after his death, Cao Rui sent a large number of servants to build a cemetery for him, camping caves on the mountain, sealing the soil as a tomb, covering an area of ​​more than a thousand mu.

At the same time, he also ordered the governor of Yanzhou to send 200 people to repair the cemetery every year.

Cao Zhi's two sons, Cao Miao and Cao Zhi, built a thatched cottage at the foot of Yushan Mountain and kept their filial piety for three years.

On this day, Princess Chen suddenly came to Yushan.

Cao Miao and Cao Zhida were surprised, and hurried forward to salute:

"Mum is here, why didn't you let me know in advance?"

Although both of them were concubines, not Princess Chen's, Cao Zhi had told them to treat their aunt as their biological mothers, and they dared not disobey.

Princess Chen helped the two of them up, and said sadly:

"After King Chen left, I missed him day and night, especially in the past few days. I often met King Chen in my dreams at night, so I came to worship."

Concubine Chen asked Yanzhou governor to escort her soldiers to wait at the foot of the mountain. She led her two sons up the mountain, and the old man of Chen Wangfu followed behind with sacrifices.

When they got to the mountain, the three of them couldn't help crying bitterly in front of the tomb.

The old people of Chen Wangfu who followed behind were all weeping.

One person in particular touched the ground with his forehead and couldn't help himself.

Seeing this, Cao Miao and Cao Zhi couldn't help but sigh in his heart. It turns out that there are such loyal servants in the house.

Concubine Chen seemed a little surprised, she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and said softly:

"Cao San, I know that King Chen regarded you as his confidant during his lifetime, so come forward."

With that said, she asked the rest of the servants to retreat.

Cao Miao and Cao Zhizheng were a little surprised by Princess Chen's behavior.

Concubine Chen's expression had returned to calm, she took out a letter from her cuff, handed it to Cao Zhi, and said:

"Before King Chen was alive, Zeng Mi sent Cao San to Liangzhou twice. This is the sacrificial oration that Mr. Feng asked Cao San to bring back to King Chen. Let's take a look, both of you."

Cao Zhi was established by Cao Zhi as the person who inherited the title, and he quickly stretched out his hands to take it.

After opening the letter paper, I found that the so-called sacrificial text was actually a poem.

The title of the poem is "Crying for Cao Zijian":

He is a talented person with a vain ambition of Lingyun, and he has never opened his arms in his life.

Where are the birds singing and the flowers falling? The bamboo is dead, the tong is withered and the phoenix is ​​not coming.

A good horse is full of sorrow because it has no owner, and the old friendship is absolutely mournful.

Jiuquan Mo sighed after three light separations, and sent Wenxing into the night stage again.

The first sentence of the poem is the beginning of Ming Zongyi, praising his talent with great praise, which is indeed Feng Langjun's consistent style of writing.

It's just a "vanity", coupled with the following sentence "I have never opened my arms in my life", it turns from praise to sigh.

Cao Zhi recalled the last days of my lord, when Feng Langjun sent a gift, but was intercepted by the literary defense assistant.

The majestic princes and kings are bullied by evil officials like this, which is much more tragic than "never opened their arms in a lifetime"!

He couldn't help crying again.

After Cao Miao finished watching, he also cried loudly.

Concubine Chen, on the other hand, had read the letter long ago, and comforted her:

"Although Chen Wang and Feng Langjun have never met, they are better than friends who have been friends for many years. Before Chen Wang was alive, he received a poem from Feng Langjun, and they drank happily all night."

"Now if he finds out that Feng Langjun specially composed poems for him, he will be overjoyed underground. This is a blessing, how can he act like a daughter?"

When Cao Miao and Cao Zhi heard this, they stopped crying:

"Mama is right."

Concubine Chen gestured to Cao San with her eyes.

Cao San then said:

"You two sons, the villain was ordered by King Chen to go to see Feng Langjun. Feng Langjun not only sent this letter to the villain, but also asked the villain to bring a few words."

Cao Miao and Cao Zhi looked at each other, and they finally understood why Grandma would shun others.

"Speaking."

"Feng Langjun said that since he is a close friend of King Chen, the two young masters are his nephews. If one day, the two young masters find it difficult to gain a foothold in Wei, they can go and seek refuge with him."

When Cao Miao heard Cao San's words, he yelled "Ah" on the spot, and then quickly covered his mouth to hide his gaffe.

At the same time, he turned his head to look at the servants in the distance in horror, as if he was afraid that someone would hear the news.

Cao Zhi was more calm than Cao Miao, his face only changed slightly.

He stared at Cao Sanyi for a while, then suddenly turned his head:

"What do you think, mother?"

Princess Chen shook her head:

"I'm just a woman, what knowledge can I have? King Chen let you assume the title, because he knows that you are the one who protects the family. Now that you are the head of the family, it is up to you to be the master."

Cao Zhi lowered his eyes and said softly:

"Feng Langjun and your lord are friends of Boya Ziqi, since he said so, if the child can meet him, what's the harm in calling him uncle?"

"But my lord is the clan of Wei, and Feng Langjun is the subject of Shu. From the public's point of view, the child and him are enemies."

"Let's not mention that the boy has been conferred the title of King Chen by His Majesty, even the elder brother is also the Duke of Gaoyang Township. If you really want to seek refuge with Lord Feng Lang, will you be crowned king? Can you be crowned Duke?"

Cao Zhi is a threat to the throne, but Cao Zhi's son is not a threat to the throne.

So after Cao Zhi's death, not to mention Cao Zhi and Cao Miao, even Princess Chen, who is still in Prince Chen's mansion, has had a much better life.

It's just that how much grievance and suffering she has suffered over the years, it must be impossible to say that she really has no resentment in her heart.

Not to mention that she really couldn't believe Cao Pi and Cao Rui's father and son from the bottom of her heart.

But seeing her sigh:

"Even so, the fate of King Chen is still in front of us. The ancients said: The cunning rabbit has three caves, so it can only save its dead ears. Now you are only waiting for one cave, can you sleep on your back?"

Which aristocratic family in the world is not a long bet?

It's always good to be more prepared.

Cao Zhi smiled bitterly and said:

"Mother, our surname is Cao, which is different from others. If we vote for Shu people, we will embarrass Wei in front of the world."

"At that time, let alone what the world will say about us, I'm afraid that even the reputation of the adult will be dragged down, and he will become the unfaithful and unfilial descendants of the Cao family."

"Even if Mr. Feng Lang regards us as nephews, since he is a minister of Shu, he may not have other thoughts in his heart..."

After hearing Cao Zhi talking about Cao Zhi, Concubine Chen finally had some scruples.

She was silent for a while, finally nodded, and said with some gratitude:

"It really makes sense for King Chen to let you accept the title."

She is a woman who only thinks about the past, thinking that it is always right to find another way out, but she has not thought about it so deeply.

After the mother and son finished talking, Cao Zhi bowed to Cao San and said:

"Feng Langjun's words, please bury it in your heart and don't leak a word. Our lives are in your hands!"

Cao San didn't dare to accept the gift, and said in tears:

"The king of Chen treats the villain like a confidant. The villain's life has long been entrusted to the king of Chen. If it weren't for the order of the king of Chen, the villain would have followed the king of Chen."

"Now that the villain has completed what King Chen ordered before his death, and he has no more worries, how can he be nostalgic for this world?"

Cao San gave a big gift to Princess Chen, Cao Zhi and Cao Miao:

"The villain has gone underground. Tell King Chen about the current situation of the princess and son. I think King Chen will be happy."

After finishing speaking, Cao San shouted at the tombstone:

"Chen Wang, Cao San is here to accompany you."

Then he took out the dagger he had prepared long ago from his bosom, and stabbed it into his chest without hesitation.

It happened so suddenly that Princess Chen screamed in fright.

Cao Zhi hurriedly called the maidservants from far away and asked them to help Princess Chen go down.

After tidying up everything on the mountain and appeasing Princess Chen, the group went down the mountain.

After the officers and men sent by Yanzhou Governor's Mansion escorted Concubine Chen away, Cao Miao quietly asked Cao Zhi:

"Shiro, you used to complain about the court, why did you say that in front of my mother?"

Cao Zhi no longer had the calmness he had just now, and his face had turned gloomy.

"Brother, we are here, even if someone is watching, as long as you are careful, others will not be able to eavesdrop."

"But my mother is different from us. Although there are no supervisors in the palace now, who knows who is behind the scenes?"

Thinking of how Grandma retreated when she was on the mountain, she also felt that the people in the house might not be safe.

Cao Miao breathed a sigh of relief after hearing these words:

"So that's the case, I said...hehe, I was thinking too much."

Cao Zhi smiled bitterly and said:

"My lord passed away half a year ago, how can I forget everything that happened to me so easily?"

Speaking of this, his heart became more and more miserable, "Actually, the second time my lord sent Cao San to Liangzhou, the original intention was to find a way out for us, how could I not know?"

On the surface, Cao San seems to go to follow the adults, but in fact he is willing to commit suicide to keep this secret.

Cao Zhi was about to go to the court and buried Cao San under Yushan to accompany his father.

The painstaking efforts of the father and the sacrifice of Cao San are all for the two brothers. Cao Zhifei is hard-hearted, so how could he not be touched?

It's just that in front of outsiders, he had to hide this secret at the deepest point.

After all, this kind of thing is the biggest taboo.

Cao Miao couldn't help but asked in a low voice:

"You don't trust His Majesty either?"

Cao Zhi shook his head:

"Not only do I not believe in His Majesty, I also don't believe in Haoyou, and there are Shu and Wu kingdoms outside, so I am not a good person."

"Great Wei now seems to be in the middle of the world, but in fact there is already a hidden danger, so it is not a bad thing to make more plans."

In the fifth year of Taihe, that is, the year before last, the father and king wrote several times, saying:

Those who can make the world pay attention to it are those who are in power. Conspiracy can move the master, and prestige can deter the next. The power of the right is not in the hands of relatives. Where the power lies, it must be heavy even if it is sparse.

And using the example of the Tian family replacing Qi and the division of the three families into the Jin Dynasty, he tried his best to persuade His Majesty to use more clan relatives to prevent arrogance.

However, His Majesty only replied with excellent text.

It is precisely because of seeing that the great Wei clan is getting lighter and the arrogance is getting heavier, so the father is completely disappointed in His Majesty.

The Xiahou family was originally the clan of the Cao family, and now they are under house arrest in Luoyang.

Bi Gui was also a relative by marriage, and was defeated by the barbarians.

If you don't need clan relatives, you will abolish your in-laws.

As for the military governor of Yangzhou, he is full of favor; for the official in Guanzhong, Sima Yi is also.

Most of the world's elite soldiers are controlled by outsiders, which has never been seen since the founding of the Great Wei Dynasty.

When Cao Miao heard Cao Zhi's words, his face also became ugly.

He asked in a somewhat harsh voice:

"Siro is so pessimistic about Wei?"

No matter how Emperor Wen and his son treat their family, as Shiro said on the mountain, they still have the same surname after all.

No one would like to see the country that Emperor Wu worked hard all his life to be ruined like this.

"It's not pessimistic." Cao Zhi shook his head and forced a smile, "Let's just take a step and see."

"As long as Guanzhong is not lost, we can live a good life. If even Da Sima can't stop the Shu people..."

Having said that, Cao Zhi's voice also sank, "When we really reach that step, then we have to make preparations."

Cao Zhi and Cao Miao's feelings towards Wei were much more complicated than Cao Zhi's.

If you want to say that you hope that Wei can rule the world, that's for sure.

But because of what Cao Pi and his sons did to their family, plus Wei's foreign wars over the years.

Let them have a kind of desperation that hates them for not fighting, angers them for injustice, but is helpless.

It was after Cao Zhi was completely desperate that before he died, he was worried about the future of Wei and his son, so he found a way out.

What Cao Zhi didn't know was that even if he didn't find a way out for his son, Cao Zhi was also a person who knew the current affairs in history.

From the change of Gaoping Mausoleum to Sima Shi abolishing Cao Fang and establishing Cao Mao, Cao Zhi, like other Cao clan members, regarded himself as a bystander.

When Cao Mao was killed, Sima Yan went to Yecheng to welcome Cao Huan to Luoyang to ascend the throne. Cao Zhi even went to visit Sima Yan at night.

After the two talked for a whole night, Cao Zhi was valued by Sima Yan.

When Sima Yan usurped Wei, he specially issued an imperial edict, praising Cao Zhi for "being pure in virtue, high in conduct and clean in conduct, good at ancient museums, and Wei Zongying".

This shows Cao Zhi's grasp of the current situation.

And because of the illegal crossing of a certain soil turtle, the decline of Wei State came much earlier than in history.

The other Cao family members may still not be able to see the hidden worries of the Wei State, but Cao Zhi is the son of Cao Zhi, how could he not know?

Cao Zhi solemnly said to Cao Miao:

"Brother, if there is such a day, when the two of us are brothers, I will stay in Wei State, and you will go and seek refuge with Feng Langjun."

Cao Miao's expression changed drastically, and he lost his voice and said:

"Shiro!"

Cao Zhi pressed Cao Miao's shoulders firmly, motioning him not to interrupt his words:

"Since I have inherited the title of Lord and Lord, how easy is it to leave if I want to leave? You are different."

"You are neither a direct son nor have a good reputation, and the court will not pay too much attention to you. When the time comes, it will always be much easier for you to find a way to leave quietly than me."

Cao Miao nana said:

"If I leave, what will you do?"

Cao Zhi sighed:

"At that time, life and death are just up to fate. I really want to have some misfortune. I only hope that brother will adopt a son at that time, so that my incense will continue."

Having said that, he forced himself to smile again:

"Maybe at that time, no one cares about our clansmen, and I will be safe and sound!"

Cao Miao couldn't help it, hugged Cao Zhi and cried loudly:

"I only hope that Da Sima can guard the pass, and we two brothers, close the door and live a good life!"

Cao Zhi smiled wryly and sighed.

Even if Da Sima can defend Guanzhong, Da Wei still has internal worries!

I just don't know the future, whether internal troubles will come first, or foreign troubles will come first...