The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 196 I’m looking for you

Cao Mao came to Zhaoyang Palace with a smile on his face.

Mr. Guo hurriedly bowed to meet him.

Cao Mao's attitude towards him was very gentle. Logically speaking, facing this person's active disclosure of secrets, Cao Mao should have rewarded him with money or something else.

But Cao Mao did not do so.

Because he knew that Mr. Guo was different from the other eunuchs. Strictly speaking, this man was a eunuch carrying the soul of a scholar in his body.

They were born into a prominent family, or they were inclined towards a prominent family, but were forced to become eunuchs due to torture or other reasons. They were physically disabled, but they had contempt for other eunuchs in their hearts. If such people were bribed with money like other eunuchs, it would be considered a kind of humiliation.

In the late Han Dynasty, this type of eunuch was not uncommon. There appeared many eunuchs who were close to aristocratic families and were deeply respected by the literati.

Well, Cao Mao’s ancestor, Cao Teng, the Hanzhong attendant of Emperor Gao of Wei, was one of them.

Cao Mao did not despise these people in the palace. In other words, their appearance was a tragedy caused by feudal imperial power. Castration had caused great damage to their bodies and minds. In this era, even if they were just doing their jobs, they would be resented and blamed for no reason.

The scholars blamed all the mistakes of the late Han Dynasty on the eunuchs.

The tyrant emperor, who should have taken full responsibility, was only bewitched by the eunuchs according to the scholars and officials, and his only mistake was that he got close to these eunuchs.

As an appendage of imperial power, eunuchs' actions depend entirely on the level of the ruler. If the ruler is strong, they can open up sea routes and make great contributions. If the ruler is incompetent, they can also make a living for the emperor in a feast and indulge in decadence.

How ridiculous is it to put all the blame on the eunuchs?
"Mr. Guo, please go and tell them that I'm here."

"Thank you, husband."

Cao Mao bowed and saluted.

Mr. Guo's face flushed. For someone like him, giving gifts was obviously more important than giving money.

When Cao Mao walked into Zhaoyang Palace, Gao Rou had already left. The empress dowager was still smiling, but her eyes were wandering.

Cao Mao felt helpless.

I previously said that the Guo family was the third idiot. This conclusion was too hasty. It was my fault. It should be the fourth idiot of the Guo family.

The Queen Mother's attitude depends entirely on the attitude of the last person who spoke to her.

In this respect, he is very similar to An Shi!

"My son is here? I was just looking for you! Please sit down."

As Empress Dowager Guo spoke, Cao Mao sat down beside her. Cao Mao looked very serious at the moment.

"Mother, something terrible has happened."

Empress Dowager Guo was just about to tell Cao Mao what Gao Rou had instructed her to do, but when she heard what Cao Mao said, her words got stuck in her throat.

She asked in surprise, "What happened?"

Cao Mao frowned and said angrily, "I heard from the people in the palace that the prince came to give me a lesson, but was blocked outside by Gao Dan and refused to let him in. The prince had a big argument with him, and he was speechless before he could enter."

Empress Dowager Guo suddenly realized, "This matter... Actually..."

"Mother! What do you think Gao Rou wants to do? Why did he arrange for his son to enter Zhaoyang Palace? If it was just to protect us, why didn't he allow the prince to enter?"

"Isn't this incident all due to the prince's contribution?"

"How long has it been since he entered the palace since you last saw the teacher, Lord Chen, and other ministers?"

Empress Dowager Guo frowned and looked hesitant.

Cao Mao sneered and said, "This Gao Rou clearly wants to be the next Sima Shi. He wants to cut off our contact with the ministers. That Gao Dan is spying on us! I originally thought that Gao Rou was an important official in the court, but I didn't expect him to be so hateful!"

Empress Dowager Guo was stunned, and she wavered again and again.

Of course, if Gao Rou saw her later and said something different to her, she might still be shaken.

Cao Mao said seriously, "Mother, there is chaos in the court right now. I heard that Sima Zhao sent soldiers to besiege Luoyang."

"what?!"

Empress Dowager Guo stood up suddenly, and this time she was really scared.

"Mother, Gao Rou clearly knew about this, but she never told you?"

"Is that really the case??"

"If you don't believe me, you can summon any minister to ask. This is what my eunuch told me, and it's absolutely true!"

Empress Dowager Guo finally realized what was happening. She was very angry and asked, "Why didn't anyone tell me about this?"

"Mother, I've said it long ago. In the entire world, only we, mother and son, are united. Those ministers all have their own ideas and interests. Like Gao Rou, he just wants to use you. When you were suffering, did he come forward to help you solve the problem?"

"The most important thing right now is to understand what Sima Shi and his men are planning to do. Are they planning to storm the palace with a large army?"

Empress Dowager Guo's eyes were filled with panic and her hands began to tremble.

"What can we do about it?"

"Mother."

Cao Mao gritted his teeth, as if he had made a decision, and said, "I plan to take the Queen to the General's Mansion."

Empress Dowager Guo looked at him and asked, "You want to go?" "Let's go and see the truth. These people's words are not to be trusted, and Sima Shi's words are even less to be trusted. I want to go and see for my mother and see what their family is planning to do."

"If I can't come back this time, please take good care of yourself, mother."

Cao Mao stood up and saluted her.

Queen Mother Guo hurriedly shook her head, "No, no, how can I let you put yourself in danger? You can send a trusted confidant instead, and you don't have to go."

"Mother, who are your confidants now?"

"Do you want the prince to go to Sima Shi's residence? If it were me, Sima Shi would have many concerns and might not dare to take action. But if it were the prince, and he ruined Sima Shi's plan, and Sima Shi directly said he wanted to assassinate him, wouldn't that ruin things?"

Empress Dowager Guo's face was filled with hesitation. She was silent for a long time before she said helplessly, "Then you must pay attention to your safety. Don't argue with Sima Shi, and don't anger him. Everything should be done with your own safety in mind."

Cao Mao's expression was very resolute, "Please rest assured, mother."

Cao Mao easily dealt with the empress dowager and then left Zhaoyang Palace.

After Cao Mao left, Empress Dowager Guo lowered her head and did not speak for a long time. She even lost the interest in showing off her power in the palace.

Sima Yi has not been back for some time since she came to the palace.

At this moment, she also changed her clothes according to Cao Mao's instructions, tidied herself up a little, and then came out.

Cao Mao didn't care about these things. He ordered the eunuchs to prepare the carriages and horses.

He looked at Zhang Hua and Wei Shu again.

"Don't follow me in. Stay outside. If anything happens, you can decide for yourself what to do."

Zhang Hua was a little surprised, "Your Majesty, but you are alone."

"It's okay. With you guys outside, I'm not afraid of anything. If something happens and we're trapped together in the General's Mansion, no one will come to save me."

Cao Mao said it casually, but what he meant was that he wanted to entrust his life and property to the two people in front of him.

Ever since Zhang Hua and Wei Shu arrived at the palace, Cao Mao had been unreserved in his approach to them and had placed great trust in them. He told them all about his own affairs and secrets, and now he even regarded them as his fallback plan.

Zhang Hua and Wei Shu looked at each other and then bowed deeply.

"I will definitely live up to your majesty's high expectations!"

Soon, the eunuchs prepared a carriage for Cao Mao. Cao Mao and the queen got on the carriage, and it slowly drove out from the Taiji Hall.

Gao Dan stared at the carriage slowly leaving, but did not say anything.

Cao Mao pulled up the curtain of the carriage and stared outside.

"Your Majesty, it's windy outside."

Sima Yi spoke.

"No problem. Since I came to Luoyang, I have never seen the scenery outside the palace. This is the first time I have left the palace."

After hearing what Cao Mao said, Sima Yi was speechless.

The emperor's travel was no small matter, and the General's Mansion was not far from the Imperial Palace. On this stretch of road, armored soldiers had already cleared the way in advance, and no one was allowed to approach. All entrances and exits were guarded, and the number of knights and armored soldiers in front and behind Cao Mao's carriage was countless.

Of course, the person in charge of all this was Yang Hu. Yang Hu was very serious and did everything in accordance with the etiquette.

Although Cao Mao left the palace, he did not get to see the prosperity of Luoyang. When he rolled up the curtain of his carriage, all he could see were knights passing by in a hurry and soldiers standing guard in the distance. All the houses along the way were locked, and restaurants were cleared out early. Cao Mao made his way all the way to the general's mansion.

The General's Mansion had already received the knight's report and was ready to receive him.

Sima Zhao personally stood at the gate of the general's mansion, surrounded by many officials, including Du Yu, Xun Xu and others. Even Sima Yan was there, standing behind his father.

The gate of the mansion was wide open, which was also the highest standard for welcoming the emperor.

Cao Mao and Sima Yi got off the carriage one after another.

Then he looked at the Sima family standing in the distance.

Sima Zhao looked much thinner and seemed calmer than before. He looked at Cao Mao with complicated eyes, but after Cao Mao got off the car, he took the lead in saluting without hesitation.

"Your Highness Sima Zhao! I pay my respects to His Majesty the Emperor!"

The rest of the people followed behind him, worshipping together and shouting in unison.

Cao Mao laughed, walked quickly forward, and personally helped Sima Zhao up.

"Zhongfu, we are all family, why are you so polite? Get up quickly."

Sima Zhao's heart was filled with complex emotions. He stood up and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

The confidants around were all a little surprised to see how close the emperor was to Sima Zhao. Only Sima Yan's eyes were full of anticipation, and he was eager to talk to Cao Mao.

"I've heard that General Zhengxi has many talented people under his command. Are these your officers?"

Sima Zhao hurriedly called everyone over and asked them to report their names.

"Your Majesty, your Majesty!"

Cao Mao's eyes lit up, you're the one I'm looking for!
(End of this chapter)