About Cao Cao's reincarnation as the emperor's uncle

Chapter 3 Weifu plans to uncover the mystery

The young man watched the alchemist's figure gradually fade away, then turned around silently.

Amidst the clerk's pace, there was a faint sigh.

It's funny to say that his father was the adopted son of Grand Chamberlain Cao Teng.

The eunuchs in the palace, starting from the Little Yellow Gate to the Middle Chamberlain, had a rank of 1,000 stones, while the Grand Chamberlain had a rank of 2,000 stones.

Even though Cao Teng was dead, his father was promoted to the rank of Nine Ministers through Cao Teng's connections and wealth.

In terms of his background, he is the descendant of a high-ranking eunuch.

Although he was selected as a Lang because of his filial piety and incorruptibility, he knew that he relied heavily on his family, so he was often regarded as someone of humble origin and found it difficult to gain recognition from scholars.

However, he had been educated since childhood and had made friends with noble families, and he had always disdained to associate with officials.

The boy looked up at the night sky...

When I first heard the words "How can I have a family if the Huns are not yet destroyed" as a child, how could my blood boil?

At this moment, the chill of the night invades my body. I recall the hope in the people's eyes when the five-colored stick was first erected, and Jian Tu's drunken and frenzied look...

What the alchemist said is so heartbreaking!
In the past, before I was twenty...

He drank with the young men of his clan and said that in the future he would lead the cavalry and carve his name into the history books as "General Cao Hou of the Han Dynasty's Western Expedition".

Today, I have become the sword in the game between the aristocratic families and the eunuchs. What should I do?

……

The cart was tilted at the entrance of the alley.

Jian Tu took out all his anger on the driver, who could only squat on the ground and curse in his heart...

Suddenly, a man in a black robe appeared from the shadows at the corner of the street.

The man stretched out his hand to press the shaft of the cart, and the sound was like frost:
"Are you drunk? How dare you bark in front of my master?"

It was completely different from the arrogance he had shown when he was stopped by the young man just now.

At this moment, Jian Tu was filled with horror.

Under the moonlight, a familiar face suddenly appeared.

It was the attendant who always accompanied "Ma Yuanyi"...

Xu Feng.

There was a group of guards in the palace composed of eunuchs, called Zhonghuangmen Rongcong.

It requires extraordinary strength and proficiency in martial arts, and Xu Feng is one of the best.

Before leaving, "Ma Yuanyi" had secretly ordered Xu Feng to act according to the plan.

……

Jian Tu's life must not be lost at the hands of Cao Cao, but he could not escape death in the end.

There are two reasons for this:

First, Jian Shuo is the sharp weapon for future plans.

Now, if we want Jian Shuo to rise to the top and take over the power of the eunuchs left over from Emperor Huan’s reign, we must make him a loyal and upright minister.

Jian Tu is not capable of accomplishing anything, but is more likely to cause trouble.

Offering the head of this relative can demonstrate Jian Shuo's loyalty to the royal family.

It can also cut off the ties with other branches and help him stand out in the officialdom without any constraints.

Second, I have heard recently that the aristocratic families have been making frequent unusual moves.

If you want to defeat the aristocratic families, you must have a legitimate reason.

Jian Tu's identity as a eunuch is very delicate.

Killing him would not cause too much disturbance, and he could use his life as an excuse to take action against the aristocratic families with justification.

Such a good opportunity should not be missed.

……

Xu Feng put his hand on the hilt of his sword and took half a step forward, crushing a few frozen leaves with the soles of his boots.

"Spare my life..."

Jian Tu had just opened his mouth when his words stopped abruptly. Xu Feng's sword light had already penetrated the curtain of the carriage.

The moonlight drew a cold arc on the sword's spine, hitting Jian Tu's throat.

The driver was about to exclaim when he saw this, but suddenly he felt a pain in the back of his neck and fell to the ground.

Xu Feng squatted down, wiped the sword blade with the corner of the driver's clothes, and began to make arrangements.

According to Liu Fang's explanation, "faking a robbery and murder scene" requires some roughness:
The wheels will leave messy footprints in the snow, and the cracks in the shaft will leave half a piece of blue satin commonly used by the children of wealthy families.

Whether it withstands scrutiny is unimportant, as long as it exists.

……

In the back chamber of the Northern Wei Mansion in Luoyang, a young man stared at the five-colored stick beside the table.

There were new blood scabs on the stick, which glowed dark purple in the firelight. These were the marks left by the beating of Jian Tu tonight.

He sighed deeply, took off the seal from his waist and placed it on the desk.

Suddenly, there was a slight sound of tiles, and a figure gracefully fell from the eaves.

"Sir, you've kept your promise."

The young man's eyes flashed and he stood up to greet him.

Wait for the alchemist to take a seat.

The young man took the cup, poured two glasses of cold wine, and pushed one onto the table:
"Sir, I'd like to ask, was this ordered by His Majesty?"

The alchemist took the cup and sniffed:

"Is it important?"

The young man frowned slightly:

"Of course it's important. Now that the law is established, if the powerful and wealthy can get away with it, what difference does my position as Northern Commander make?" The Taoist sneered, pulled out a handwritten letter from his sleeves, and threw it on the table:

"Jian Tu's fate is certain, but he will not perish under your five-colored stick."

The young man unfolded the handwritten letter and took a look, his fingertips trembling slightly. The letter detailed the plan of the game, and each word was as sharp as a hook.

"May I ask... who exactly are you working for, sir?"

The Taoist priest took a sip of wine and suddenly changed the subject:
"Have any scholars of integrity visited you recently?"

Upon hearing this, the young man's hand, which had just been holding the wine cup, suddenly tightened, and the wine splashed onto the desk.

I suddenly remembered that I had been drinking all night with other students recently, during which we denounced the current political situation...

When talking about the eunuchs' disorderly politics, he even slammed the table and stood up.

My blood boiled at that time, but looking back now, those scholars' passionate words were actually a carefully planned trap.

The Taoist priest suddenly stood up and pressed the boy's shoulders:

"Jian Tu violated the prohibition and traveled at night. You can first arrest him and question him, then report to Your Majesty that law enforcement is to protect the Holy Emperor."

"In this way, the majesty of the law is fulfilled, and at the same time, no one is left with any excuse to criticize."

After saying this, he looked towards the Luoyang Palace:
"The power of the imperial relatives has declined..."

"However, the other forces are still like the three legs of a tripod, and you are just the fire beneath it."

The young man was shocked and suddenly remembered his father's teachings:

"Eunuchs are like tigers, and aristocratic families are like wolves. You, standing with a stick in hand, must imitate the pines of Taihang Mountain, which bend to the west when the wind blows from the east."

Only now did I understand the deep meaning of it.

If the pine tree stands straight, it will be broken by the wind.

The young man turned around suddenly, a flash of understanding in his eyes:
"Please teach me, sir!"

The Taoist priest couldn't help but smile when he saw the young man's appearance:
"You hit him on the buttocks with a stick, but it doesn't kill him. That's enough."

"You can let His Majesty know that you are impartial, and you can let the people see the strictness of the law. You can also spread the reputation of not fearing the powerful."

The young man was stunned. He originally wanted to kill the man with a stick to establish his authority in Luoyang, but he never thought about the deeper meaning of "holding back".

"Tomorrow I will prepare a generous gift and go to see Jian Shuo, explaining that enforcing the law is my duty..."

The Taoist priest leaned in and whispered. The candlelight cast the two figures on the window paper, as if they were overlapping.

The night watch was already deep, when suddenly a small official outside the pavilion reported hurriedly:
"Lieutenant! A robbery and murder occurred in Beicheng. The victim was Jian Tu, along with his driver!"

The boy looked back in shock.

But the alchemist clapped his hands and laughed:

"Jian Tu was killed by a righteous man from an aristocratic family. What does this have to do with you?"

"In this way, you can still use your identity as a descendant of a eunuch to deal with people. The children of noble families will see that you are not afraid of the eunuch party and will also accept you as a comrade."

The boy's pupils shrank slightly, and his voice was as thin as a string:
"Sir, you and Cao have only met once, why are you helping me so much?"

The Taoist priest stared at the embers on the table, then stood up with a cold expression:
"Just now you asked whether it was Your Majesty's order. Do you know why I asked in return?"

The young man was about to answer, but was frightened by the cold gaze and his words were choked in his throat.

"Your Majesty can use eunuchs but not use them all; you can tolerate aristocratic families but not indulge them."

The sleeves of the Taoist priest's robe brushed across the table, and the candlelight swayed like a spear.

"Though the three legs of the tripod stand side by side, the one holding the tripod is only the Son of Heaven. However..."

Although he hadn't finished speaking, the young man had already understood everything. He straightened his clothes and knelt on the blue bricks.
"Although Cao is young, he also understands the great principles of justice. He is willing to be the sword of the Han Dynasty, to slay the treacherous and the evil, and to exterminate the disloyal!"

The Taoist priest smiled without saying a word, the candlelight in his eyes dancing like stars.

The snow outside was getting heavier, and the undercurrent in the Luoyang night was becoming more and more turbulent.

Let’s not talk about the howling cold wind and tomorrow’s waves, and just look at the pavilion.

From this night on, the young man could become the Cao Cao of the Han Dynasty, and the alchemist had become the new Liu Fang.

Note:

①"Adult"

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, this title was not widely used by subordinates to address their superiors.

Although "adult" is mainly used to address elders or elders.

However, since eunuchs in the Eastern Han Dynasty had no descendants, officials often addressed them as "Sir" to show their curry favor with them. Therefore, among eunuchs, "Sir" could also be used to address superiors.

There is a record in the "Book of the Later Han".

At the same time, the title of "Adult" in the Eastern Han Dynasty could also be used to refer to those who "have no official position but hold a prominent position."

②Xu Feng

Both "Book of the Later Han" and "Zizhi Tongjian" have records of this.

In the first year of Zhongping (184 AD), he was appointed as the Palace Attendant.

He and the eunuch Feng Yan served as Ma Yuanyi's internal supporters.

After the matter was exposed, they were all killed for their crimes.

③ Zhong Huangmen Rong (rǒng) from
Guarding the palace gates and halls, protecting the emperor’s travels, and monitoring the movements of court officials.

He participated in many events such as dethronement, coup, and suppression, such as:

The Party and Faction Persecution Disaster.

During the reign of Emperor He, the Dou family’s relatives by marriage were executed.

During the reign of Emperor An, the Deng family’s relatives were executed.

During the reign of Emperor Shun, the Yan family’s relatives were executed.

During the reign of Emperor Huan, the Liang family’s relatives were executed.

During the reign of Emperor Ling, the Dou family's relatives were executed first, and then the He family's relatives were executed.



(End of this chapter)