Three Kingdoms

All children always look forward to growing up and becoming adults when they are young. They are always very dissatisfied with others saying that they are still young, and then they say that they have grown up...

The same is true for Liu Cong.

For Liu Cong, today is undoubtedly a good day. Although at his current age, it is indeed a little early for him to hold a crowning ceremony, but what does it matter?

As soon as the crowning ceremony is over, you will officially enter the ranks of adults!

Liu Cong was looking forward to it, but what Liu Cong didn't expect was that some of the imaginary expectations might not be good things...

Since the Zhou Dynasty, people have paid great attention to the crown ceremony, believing that the crown ceremony has a special meaning, especially for the upper aristocratic ruling class. The Zhou Dynasty began to implement the eldest son inheritance system. If the reigning king dies, the eldest son will succeed him, no matter how old or young he is. However, if he is not yet a minor and has not performed the crowning ceremony, he cannot The pro-government must be assisted by the so-called Gu Zheng minister, or the Queen Mother hangs the curtain.

For example, King Cheng of Zhou succeeded King Wu when he was young, but Duke Zhou served as regent until he reached adulthood. Ying Zheng ascended the throne of Qin at the age of thirteen, and it was not until he was twenty-two years old that he took charge of the throne with "a crown and a sword".

In the Han Dynasty, people still pay great attention to the crown ceremony. The children of the gentry are called Guanli, and the emperor has a separate term, Yuanfu. Generally, when the emperor is in Yuanfu, he will also grant amnesty to the world and reduce taxes, which is quite a celebration.

If the etiquette requirements were strictly followed, Liu Cong would have held the crown ceremony in his ancestral temple. However, although Liu Biao claimed that he was the descendant of King Lu Gong and Liu Yu, after all, he was the ancestor of the Western Han Dynasty, and Liu Biao also There is no memorial tablet for King Lu Gong and Liu Yu set up in Xiangyang, so it will be held in his own government office.

Liu Cong was very excited, but he still tried hard to calm down his emotions so that he would not act too childish. Even though he had fasted for many days, he was full of energy and even a little excited.

The guest of honor who presided over the crowning ceremony for Liu Cong was Kong Rong.

It's a coincidence that originally Liu Biao wanted to ask Pang Degong to be the guest of honor at Liu Cong's ceremony, but Pang Degong declined because he was old and had inconvenient legs and feet. On the other hand, it happened that Kong Rong went to Jingzhou after escaping from Xu County. To avoid disaster, they hit it off immediately, and they are in love with each other...

Needless to say, Kong Rong's appearance goes without saying. Now, with his big sleeves fluttering, he stands in the hall, looking at Liu Cong who comes step by step. Then he nods slightly with a gentle smile. He is completely gone from the panic he felt under Xu County that day. Or he may look sad, showing extraordinary magnanimity, and a well-educated look, which makes people feel quite comfortable and reliable.

Liu Cong endured the rapid beating of his little heart, kept his face as straight as possible, and then followed the etiquette step by step, respecting heaven and earth, worshiping his parents, and then bowed in front of Kong Rong.

Kong Rong shook his hands out of his sleeves, not more than three times at most. If it was more than three times, he was very unskilled in his business and had to go home to practice. He took out a silk cloth crown and tied it on Liu Cong's little head.

On the auspicious day of the month, you will be crowned, and you will be given the title of "you", and you will be virtuous. Shou Kao Wei Qi, Jie Er Jingfu.

Kong Rong helped tie the lace of the silk cloth crown and tied a beautiful bow on Liu Cong's chin while reciting loudly. His voice was full and resonant, deep and powerful, and very magnetic. It even made Liu Cong and the people around him After listening, I couldn't help but feel a little moved, and tears almost filled my eyes.

The cloth crown symbolizes that the person receiving the crown will soon be involved in the management of human affairs, that is, he will have the power to govern human affairs. The cloth crown is a ritual handed down from ancient times, so the crown ceremony is preceded by the addition of a cloth crown to show that the origins are not forgotten.

Then Pi Bian must be added, symbolizing that he will participate in military affairs and possess military power.

Kong Rong picked up Pi Bian and put skin on Liu Cong's head, uh, added Pi Bian's crown. At the same time, he also helped Liu Cong add a sword on his waist. However, Liu Cong's figure was still too small, causing him to wear a sword. In addition, some of the Lazadas have reached the ground...

Forget it, this is not important.

Kong Rong once again read the crowning ceremony speech loudly, and everyone once again burst into tears.

Is this the end?

No, it still needs to be affixed and a third layer of crown, which is the most important title. Once you reach the rank of Jue Bian, it means you have the right to offer sacrifices. In the Han Dynasty, when the family clan system was very strong, this also meant you had the best authority and the highest right.

After wearing the Jue Bian, the entire crowning ceremony is considered complete.

If he is the emperor, he will also add a crown, which is the fourth gift.

Liu Cong's crowning ceremony was over, and everyone finally cheered together. Although Liu Cong barely maintained a calm expression, it could be seen that a sword could no longer suppress his excitement. Fortunately, Liu Cong still had some residual sense. He followed the final procedure to thank his parents and guests, and After thanking everyone who was watching the ceremony and successfully completing the crowning ceremony, Mrs. Cai finally shed tears that had filled her eyes for a long time...

According to custom, after every ceremony, there must be eating and drinking, but this time, Liu Biao did not immediately invite them to the banquet. Instead, he went to a side hall and sat down to discuss recent events.

Kong Rong and Liu Cong were also present.

Liu Cong was naturally not qualified to participate in such a meeting, but now that the crowning ceremony has been held, it was OK. Although he could sit behind Liu Biao and couldn't say anything, Liu Cong was so excited to be able to attend and almost couldn't sit still.

Liu Biao didn't have much thought to take care of Liu Cong's emotions. Although he looked good on the outside, he knew best what his body was like. After all, pain and energy could deceive others, but they could not deceive themselves. .

The matter between Zhu Ling and Zhang Lie is a trouble after all, and the sooner it is resolved, the better.

Wenju virtuous brother... Liu Biao pondered for a moment, turned to look at Kong Rong, and asked, I heard about the chaos in Xu County, Wenju virtuous brother also happened to be at the right time, I wonder what the situation is like?

Liu Biao had heard most of everyone's opinions before. Only Kong Rong was participating for the first time, so Liu Biao also wanted to hear Kong Rong's opinions.

Kong Rong was sitting on one side, smiling. After hearing Liu Biao's inquiry, his face, which was originally as gentle as jade, suddenly seemed to solidify for some reason. Then his eyes widened, slightly congested, and the corners of his mouth were pulled. After moving twice, it seemed to show a hint of ferocity, which shocked everyone!

Kong Rong also immediately noticed that something was wrong, but he couldn't take back his expression. He simply covered his face and said sadly: Your Majesty... When I think of Your Majesty now......

Everyone suddenly understood, and they all comforted and praised Kong Rong for his loyalty.

Liu Biao also tried to comfort him, and Kong Rong slowly put down his sleeves, wiped the corners of his eyes, and said with a heavy face: In the past, there was sudden chaos, and a certain person was holding a cultural gathering in the south of the city... Kong Rong was very eloquent, and he talked slowly, telling the story of that time. The situation was narrated. Of course, Kong Rong definitely did not say that he was involved in this incident, but only described himself as an unlucky guy who happened to encounter such a thing, an unfortunate person who suffered disaster.

When it was told that Wang Can fell into the moat of Xu County and Zhu Ling and Zhang Lie did not rescue him, Kong Rong couldn't help but gritted his teeth and said: Zhongxuan's loyalty can be revealed by the sun and the moon! To protect the emperor, he would not hesitate to sacrifice himself! However, such a loyal person was abandoned like a broom! When a certain time came, Zhu and Zhang were already dead and gone. Brother Zhongxuan... how sad! It hurts, but it hurts!

As for the fact that Kong Rong did not dare to come forward to save him at that time, Kong Rong naturally would not say it, so it seems that when he arrived, Wang Can was already dead, and Zhu Ling and Zhang Lie abandoned him shamelessly. Wang Can, and Xun Yu of Xu County misunderstood the connection between Kong Rong and Zhu Zhang, and refused to accept Kong Rong's integration into the city...

I see... Liu Biao didn't know what to say for a moment.

If Jingzhou tolerates such a vicious thief, wouldn't he be betraying the emperor, violating loyalty, and losing the support of the people? Kuai Yue shouted loudly that the Lord has a kind heart, but he must not be proud of the villain and harm the gentleman!

Liu Biao was silent.

Kuai Liang looked at Cai Mao, then turned to Liu Biao, and said: As the saying goes, favor but not arrogance, arrogance can yield, surrender without regret, regret can lead to prosperity, this is rare. Moreover, a husband's humbleness hinders his nobleness, a young man's mausoleum is long, a distant relative, a new one is an old one, a small one is an old one, a small one is a big one, sexual immorality breaks the righteousness, these are the so-called six evils. The king is righteous, the minister behaves, the father is kind, the son is filial, the brother loves, the brother respects, these are the so-called six obediences. If it goes smoothly, the effect will be reversed, so it will lead to disaster. In the past, Shi Gong, a pure minister, tolerated human kindness and was loyal and righteous, and his reputation has been passed down through the ages. Now that His Majesty is covered in dust and his loyalty is at stake, this is the tragedy of the world! If we accept dirt and tolerate cruelty, where will our lord's reputation be and where will the world's loyalty be? Where is Your Majesty? Please think again, my lord!

Pang Ji, who was originally leaning towards Zhu Ling and Zhang Lie, and several others could not say anything to refute for a while, and they all remained silent. Because of this matter, if Zhu Ling and Zhang Lie just escaped from Yuzhou, it would not be as unbearable as Kong Rong said. If they were taken in or even given asylum, there would be no problem. But now...

Just like the war refugees of later generations, accommodation and rescue are humanitarian and understandable. However, if it is found that this refugee is actually a criminal and has committed serious crimes, then it would be unreasonable to treat him as an ordinary refugee. In the current concept of the Han Dynasty, violating loyalty was a very serious crime.

Such behavior that violates loyalty is not accepted and recognized by the nobles' children, at least on the surface it is quite repulsive.

Liu Biao looked around. Each side had support, but now there was only one voice left. The neutral faction Cai Hao and others did not speak. The result seemed to be gradually becoming clearer...

Liu Biao finally made a decision, rejecting Zhu Ling and Zhang Lie's excuse and not allowing them to enter the Jingzhou area.

If the matter only ends here, the situation is not too bad. After all, Liu Biao really has no reason to kneel down and lick Fei Qian, not to mention that there was some affection before. He just refused the entry of the two captains. In fact, it was not It's not a big problem, and it makes sense, but the problem is that there are always some greedy people who fall in love with the war horses led by Zhu Ling and Zhang Lie.

Zhang Yun, Liu Biao's nephew. Zhang Yun felt that it would be a pity if Zhu Ling and Zhang Lie were let go in vain? You must know that the war horses under Zhu Ling and Zhang Lie are all Yongliang war horses. They are priceless in Jingzhou. Even if you have money, you may not be able to buy them!

Liu Biao's original intention was to ask Zhang Yun to convey his message to the front line, saying that because he had heard about the incident in Xu County, he would then condemn Zhu Ling and Zhang Lie's actions, and finally refuse their entry, citing Quan Zhongyi and so on. In this way, even if Fei Qian questioned them later, it would make sense. After all, it was Zhu Ling and Zhang Lie who misbehaved first.

If it is true that Zhu Ling and Zhang Lie were wrongly blamed, the blame does not lie with Liu Biao. Didn't he make it clear that he had heard about it? Then the main blame lies with Kong Rong.

It's a pity that Zhang Yun lost a lot of money in gambling these days. Seeing the cynicism of debt collectors and encountering such an errand, he couldn't help but be greedy. He felt that since he didn't accept Zhu Ling and Zhang Lie, why not If you don't do anything else, just kill these two people, and then you can get these war horses? A war horse costs at least 300,000 yuan, ten horses is three million, one hundred horses is thirty million, and how much did Zhu Ling and Zhang Lie bring? When the time comes, I will send some to the top, keep some for myself, and then sell some, these days...

Just thinking about it, the corners of Zhang Yun's mouth seemed to start to get wet...

So, when Zhang Yun arrived at the border and saw Gan Ning, he twisted his mouth, and what he said became a plan to trap Zhu Ling and Zhang Lie, and gather their soldiers and horses!

Want to get rid of Zhu Zhang? Gan Ning frowned. Gan Ning felt that there was nothing good to say about killing his opponents on the battlefield. Life or death depended on his own ability and luck, but designing a trap to kill him made Gan Ning feel a little uncomfortable.

Zhang Yun stared, this is the Lord's order! General Gan wants to disobey the order? !

Gan Ning grinded his teeth, raised his hands and said, "The general dare not... It's just... Zhu and Zhang are not leaving the army, so how can we tempt him?"

Zhang Yun laughed and said: I have already made a plan! In the name of General Gan, you can invite Zhu and Zhang into the city for a banquet. There are swords and axes inside, and you can break the cup as a sign, so you can take them directly! Zhang Yun obviously thinks that his idea is very good. He is almost like Zhang Liang in the early Han Dynasty. After all, his surname is Zhang, so he might have obtained some of Zhang Liang's legacy.

Gan Ning couldn't help but frown. Invite in my name? So how can I go out to meet people in the future? Wouldn't the reputation of being a deceiver and abductor have to be carried with him for the rest of his life? Instead of using the name of General Zhang, just say that General Zhang came to work for the army and specially invited Zhu and Zhang to the banquet. This would be more natural and avoid suspicion by Zhu and Zhang...

Zhang Yun thought about it, okay! That’s it! General, prepare quickly, don't miss the important event!

Gan Ning bowed his hand, and the general... took the order...