The Three Kingdoms: My Wife is a Great and Good Teacher

"However, I think what you are asking, Zhaoqing, is why I knew that His Majesty did not have much time left..." Cao Cao tapped the table with his fingers, paused, and then moved his smooth chin slightly before continuing.

"In fact, any minister who has lived in Luoyang for a long time can guess such a secret."

"Over the years, the Ten Eunuchs have often sent people, or even personally, to other places, such as Liangzhou or Yizhou, to search for auspicious animals or even divine animals."

"Of course, divine beasts are extremely rare, and none have been found in all these years. However, with the efforts of the whole country, many auspicious beasts have been discovered. The Ten Eunuchs have used a lot of manpower and material resources to obtain the blood essence or inner elixir of the auspicious beasts and then sent them to Your Majesty... and the greatest function of such things is naturally to prolong life."

"Your Majesty, before he ascended the throne, when he was still a Tinghou, he was already enjoying himself like this. After he ascended the throne, he became more and more indulgent. In recent years, he has been taking auspicious beast elixirs to the point of going crazy, and his body has become increasingly fat... The reason for this crazy desire to prolong his life..."

After saying this, Cao Cao fell silent.

As a minister, it is not easy to tell what disease the emperor of the time has. But when it comes to this, Liu Zhaoqing and Xun Yu are both smart people. Of course, they also understand Liu Hong's disease. All the civil and military officials should have guessed it roughly.

In this way, it is easier to understand why Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, Lu Zhi, Zheng Xuan, Cai Yong and other patriots were so eager to kill the Ten Attendants and deal with the foreign relatives.

"National destiny is too mysterious, but... we have to believe it." Xun Yu said softly, "But if Your Majesty is not able to do it..."

Xun Yu looked at Liu Zhaoqing halfway through his speech and was thinking that Liu Zhaoqing did not disbelieve Cao Cao's words, because Liu Hong had told him personally that he would gamble on the country's destiny, which was a necessary part of the prosperity of the Han Dynasty.

"Your Majesty must do this even if it will cost the country's fortune. Your Majesty also understands that the only option given the current situation is to gamble," said Liu Zhaoqing.

Cao Cao also nodded slightly: "The Han Dynasty only has one true dragon, Your Majesty. If something happens to Your Majesty... even if there are thousands of talented people, they will not be able to save this collapsed country."

Given the current situation, Liu Hong must not die. He must live another three to five years. Only then will there be hope for the revival of the Han Dynasty.

Afterwards, because of the emperor's edict, officials from all over Luoyang and the various royal families and marquises from Sili also began to prepare to follow the emperor in offering sacrifices to heaven two days later.

Liu Zhaoqing is now also a marquis, so of course he is qualified to participate.

Offering sacrifices to heaven is a big event, involving many complicated rituals. Liu Zhaoqing felt overwhelmed just by listening to it once. Fortunately, Xun Yu was there to explain it, so he finally understood the general idea.

While preparing to participate in the heaven sacrifice, Liu Zhaoqing did not forget his main business.

The next day, Liu Zhaoqing, Xun Yu, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao split into three groups respectively, and asked the others to take the dragon treasures they had given to visit various aspiring people in Luoyang City or officials of the dynasty who were loyal but hesitant.

This action also allowed Liu Zhaoqing and others to gain more hidden allies.

To unite all those who can be united, this is the purpose of the strategy discussed by Liu Zhaoqing, Cao Cao, and great Confucian scholars.

The next day, Liu Zhaoqing visited various great scholars and learned about the matter of offering sacrifices to heaven. Then he returned to Xun Mansion to prepare to enter the Weiyang Palace the next day.

-

Time soon came to the third day, which was also the day when the emperor offered sacrifices to heaven.

Luoyang on this day was very different from usual. The originally bustling streets were now much less crowded, and there were many more armored soldiers.

From the imperial palace to the Luoyang city gate, they could see the solemn imperial guards on the streets almost every day.

It has been many years since the emperor offered sacrifices to heaven, although many things that have not been seen in many years happened at the end of February.

But this matter is obviously much more important, as can be seen from the fact that the martial law in Luoyang City was suddenly raised to more than one level.

Early in the morning, Liu Zhaoqing put on the marquis's robe given to him by the palace, which was a blue base with red embellishments.

Then, following Xun Yu's reminder, he pinned the jade pendant representing the marquis on his waist, adjusted his official hat, and got on the special carriage one after the other with Xun Yu, who was also wearing official uniform.

Not long after, the two arrived at the palace gate. After getting off the car, they found that many officials had gathered in front of the palace gate.

Everyone was whispering on the spot, talking about the sacrifice to heaven and the execution of the Ten Eunuchs.

The appearance of Liu Zhaoqing also made the originally noisy palace gate suddenly quiet for two seconds.

He was not one of the Three Dukes or Nine Ministers, so of course there was no need to pay special attention to himself, but the impact of his actions was not much different from that of the Three Dukes or Nine Ministers.

Many ministers came forward to greet Liu Zhaoqing, and many ministers began to turn the topic to him.

But at least it is not like in the past when no one cared who "Liu Zhaoqing" was.

The identity of "the new celebrity around the emperor" transformed Liu Zhaoqing from an unknown commoner to the "Marquis of Changping" whom everyone bowed and greeted with a smile.

Fortunately, this hypocritical courtesy did not last too long. When Wang Yun, Lu Zhi, Zheng Xuan and others arrived, those officials naturally became stage-frightened and left.

"Zhaoqing, and the little girl from the Xun family." Lu Zhi greeted Liu Zhaoqing and Xun Yu.

Liu Zhaoqing and Xun Yu also bowed to several great Confucian scholars, but they found that there was one person among them whom they had never seen before.

He was not wearing official uniform, but a black and white shirt.

"This is Dong Fu and Dong Maoan." Wang Yun said to the old man with white hair and black and white clothes beside him.

"Mao An is a master of metaphysics and a famous fortune teller. He is a man personally summoned by His Majesty to come to Luoyang to participate in the Heavenly Sacrifice."

"This is the Marquis of Changping Liu Zhaoqing I told you about, and this is the Palace Guard Xun Yu who is from the Xun family of Yingchuan."

Wang Yun’s introduction included his background and identity, and the old man Dong Fu also nodded with a smile.

"I also heard about your story from Master Zi. It is true that young people are to be feared."

Liu Zhaoqing and Xun Yu hurriedly bowed to this elder of metaphysics.

Then Zheng Xuan signaled Liu Zhaoqing and Xun Yu to follow him into the palace, and then as they walked, he asked Dong Fu about the matter of offering sacrifices to heaven.

Of course, they went to Dong Fu not to introduce famous people to Liu Zhaoqing and Xun Yu, but also to let Liu Zhaoqing, Xun Yu and others know more about this sacrifice to heaven.

Dong Fu was very happy to have such great scholars as Zheng Xuan and Lu Zhi as his companions. He stroked his beard and briefly talked about what he was going to do today.

Even though the great scholars taught in an old-fashioned way, they were all very smart people. Although Dong Fu was well versed in metaphysics, he lacked some understanding of human nature and the art of speech.

Zheng Xue, Lu Zhi, Cai Yong and Wang Yun, each of them said a word, and Dong Fu had revealed almost everything.

Liu Zhaoqing and Xun Yu looked at each other and secretly admired the wisdom of these old gentlemen.

However, what Dong Fu revealed was nothing too secretive. It was just the details and time of the ceremony, the master of metaphysics who came to offer sacrifices, and the importance that His Majesty attached to this ceremony.

"I don't know the details. Although I have received the order from His Majesty, the matter of offering sacrifices to heaven is still in the hands of Wang Li, the imperial historian."

After Dong Fu finished speaking, two fortune-tellers and astrologers who were also summoned came over from the front and asked him to go to the Grand Historian as they needed his help with something.

Dong Fu also bowed to the great scholar and left in a hurry.

Although the Grand Historian was not one of the Nine Ministers, he was under the Taichang Temple, the head of the Nine Ministers. Moreover, because he was in charge of astronomy, calendar and other celestial affairs, his status in the court was not low.

Because of its special nature, most of the officials present had never seen Wang Li, of course, this did not include several great scholars.

Hearing Wang Li, Wang Yun frowned slightly: "Wang Li is in charge..."

Seeing Wang Yun's expression, Zheng Xuan asked, "Master Zi has been an official in the court for many years, so he should know Wang Li?"

"I can't say I understand him, but this person... although he has a high level of metaphysical knowledge and is good at stargazing and divination,... his tongue is like a washboard."

The washboard is uneven, which means Wang Li is not very good at speaking.

"Isn't this just perfect? ​​Your Majesty needs someone who can speak frankly by his side right now." Cai Yong said.

Lu Zhi shook his head: "That's normal, but this is a sacrifice to heaven."

Then, as the sun gradually rose, all the officials and the royal relatives who received the imperial edict came to the large square of the Weiyang Palace.

The venue had been arranged in the past two days and was divided into a rectangular formation standing under an exquisite platform.

Because Liu Zhaoqing was a marquis, he did not stand with the officials.

The great scholars, Xun Yu, Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, etc. were not around him, and he was surrounded by strangers.

However, he did not need to say much in this sacrifice to heaven. Like the other dukes around him, he was one of those who were dragged here to "add to the appearance".

"His Majesty is here!"

A sharp shout was heard.

All the ministers prostrated themselves on the ground. Supported by Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong, Liu Hong, dressed in a black and red imperial robe, led a long row of fortune-tellers or officials under the Grand Historian, carrying various offerings and ritual vessels, toward the platform that had been built and was at least ten meters high.

With each step the emperor took up the stairs, the platform would make a muffled sound. Fortunately, the wood of the platform was not an ordinary thing and could hold up completely.

Liu Hong came to the high platform and glanced at the ministers and clan relatives who almost filled the entire venue, then nodded slightly to the Grand Historian beside him.

The historian in white clothes ordered Wang Li to step forward and wave the whisk in his hand.

"Offer sacrifices to the heavens, beat drums and play music, the emperor summons the real dragon with courtesy!"

"Summon a real dragon?" Liu Zhaoqing was surprised and murmured softly.

When an unknown Tinghou heard this, he kindly said, "You look unfamiliar. You must have just bought the title not long ago? Have you not made any preparations?"

"The ceremony before the Heavenly Sacrifice is for Your Majesty to pay respect to the Heaven and call upon the True Dragon."

"But isn't the real dragon your Majesty?" Liu Zhaoqing asked.

The man immediately raised his eyebrows: "Are you really stupid or just pretending to be stupid?"

"Your Majesty is a real dragon. It is a 'description'. Of course there are real dragons in this world. They are divine beasts. The last time they appeared was during the reign of Emperor Guangwu!"

Liu Zhaoqing was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously touched his chest.

But this real dragon... isn't it in our own book?

Chapter 4: The River Map Collapses, White Rainbow Pierces the Sun K

"What's wrong? Are you scared?" Na Tinghou saw Liu Zhaoqing covering his chest and thought he was scared.

Then he showed a mocking look: "Are you scared already? If you really see a real dragon later, won't you pee your pants?"

"Brother, you look quite young. The jade pendant on your waist belongs to a county marquis. Your father must have spent a lot of money to buy it for you, right?"

"I really envy you for having a good father. My father is not like that. He only bought me a pavilion."

"Brother, where is your fiefdom? What's your name? Hey, I want to ask you a question."

This strange and noisy Tinghou kept talking.

However, Liu Zhaoqing was not in the mood to answer these boring questions. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "There should be more than one real dragon in this world, right?"

When these words came out, Ting Hou was shocked; "What are you talking about?!"

"I meant 'divine beast'." Liu Zhaoqing paused and quickly corrected himself.

"That's right." Ting Hou breathed a sigh of relief, then frowned. He originally wanted to blame the boy for ignoring him, but when he thought about it, it would be better to talk less to such a young man.

People like me know that there are some things that can be said and some things that cannot be said.

So Ting Hou thought about it casually and replied perfunctorily: "I haven't really thought about this question."

"Although divine beasts are rare, it is said that such things as divine beasts of heaven and earth have existed in China long before Emperor Guangwu summoned the Heavenly Star. There must be more than one dragon in such a long time, right?"

But even though he thought so, there were only old men around him and he finally had someone of the same generation, so he still started moving his mouth.

"Wasn't there a riot in the Yellow River a while ago? I heard that several dragons appeared on the plain, and there was even a six-headed dragon." Ting Hou was amazed, "My great grandfather told me that his great grandfather had never seen that thing."

"But you would never have thought that the dragon and the six-headed dragon were all dead! And I heard that they were killed by a man called Qing. I have only been in Luoyang for half a day, and I have heard many people say that he is quite famous in Luoyang these days. His name is Zhao? Do you know him?"

"Why are you silent again? Do you look down on me? Where are you from? What's your surname? What kind of aristocratic family are you from?"

Liu Zhaoqing was frowning and thinking, and did not hear the question from Tinghou. Just when Tinghou felt that he was being despised and wanted to give him a good lecture to teach him how to be polite, a melodious music sounded from around the huge square, followed by the sound of drums.

This also means: the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven has officially begun.

Although Ting Hou was a chatterbox, he was not a fool. He immediately did the same as the people around him, shut his mouth, stood still with his head down, and waited for the sacrifice to heaven to begin.

"There should be more than one real dragon. After all, there is more than one dragon in mythology." Liu Zhaoqing said to himself and stopped worrying about it.

What he was most worried about was that Liu Hong would summon a real dragon and then summon Yinglong from his own book.

Even if he summoned Yinglong from his book directly from the sky, it would be fine. But if he summoned him from Liu Zhaoqing's arms in front of civil and military officials, clan relatives and dukes, then it would be a very serious matter.

The true dragon hides in oneself and has killed the red dragon. No matter how strong your patriotism is, or how high your talent and ability are.

Liu Zhaoqing will definitely not be able to leave the Weiyang Palace, and no one will protect him.

But Liu Zhaoqing also felt that there must be more than one real dragon. After the previous contact and battle on the plain, Liu Zhaoqing also knew that Yinglong was definitely not a fool. He would definitely not appear at this time when summoned by Liu Hong. Otherwise, he might be skinned and killed while he was still weak.

While the music was playing and the drums were beating, Liu Zhaoqing tried to call Yinglong to be on the safe side. As usual, there was no conscious response from him. Yinglong was still sleeping, which made him feel more relieved.

"Roar."

Just at this moment, a dragon roar suddenly came from the sky, startling everyone and making them look up.

The blue sky, which originally only had the early morning sun, now began to have auspicious clouds gathering towards Luoyang and the Weiyang Palace.

All the officials and nobles on the field were surprised and delighted when they saw this.

Wang Li, who was on the altar, also showed joy at this time. He turned around and saluted Liu Hong and said, "Your Majesty has not yet paid homage to the heaven, but the real dragon has heard your voice."

"It is because auspicious beasts once came to pay homage to Luoyang. The real dragon was able to instantly sense the call from His Majesty, the Son of Heaven. This is a sign of the prosperity of the Han Dynasty."

Not as Wang Yun worried, Wang Li was still very good at speaking.