The twenty-third sacrifice stove of the lunar month.

Zhou Li said: "The Zhuan clan has a son called Li, for Zhu Rong, and worships him as the god of the stove. "The god of the stove is the ancient legendary fire god Zhurong. The custom of the Han Dynasty is to sacrifice the god of the stove with a yellow sheep or rooster on the twenty-third day of the lunar month. After the stove festival, the people began to prepare for the New Year.

Huqiang Zhonglang will Li Hong arrive in Luoyang on the twenty-third day of the lunar month.

Li Hong and his subordinates stood on the mountain, stunned by the majestic Luoyang City in front of them, and for the first time in his life, Li Hong felt the majesty and strength of the Han Dynasty. Luoyang City is like a male lion with its head held high, standing proudly between heaven and earth, looking at the world.

Li Wei took a breath, raised the horsewhip in his hand, pointed to Luoyang City and said, "My lord, this is Luoyang, the capital of the Han Dynasty." ”

"Luoyang is bordered by mountains in the north and Luoshui in the south, covering an area of about 133,000 acres, about 2,000 steps from east to west, and about 3,000 steps from north to south." Li Wei excitedly introduced, "Luoyang has twelve city gates and twenty-four streets, and some streets lead to the city gates. The twelve gates were of various sizes, but each had three doorways that connected to the three streets of the city, two narrower on the side and wider in the middle. The middle doorway, also called the 'Imperial Road', was used exclusively for the emperor to enter and exit, and there were protective walls on both sides of the Imperial Road. ”

"The city gates of Luoyang are double except for the summer gate, a hundred feet from the ground, and there are two towers outside the gate. Que is the watchtower on both sides in front of the door, there is a building gate on the top, there is a passage below, and there is a pavilion outside the que. ”

"Miyagi is located in the northern part of the city, with two palaces, the north and the south, dividing the whole city into two parts. The two palaces are connected by a roofed compound road, which is seven miles long from north to south. ”

"My lord, we enter from the summer gate, and we can go directly to the North Palace."

Li Hong excitedly pulled out a whip in the air and shouted loudly: "Brothers, let's go, enter Luoyang ......"

"Let's go...... Walk...... Go ......" Zhao Yun, Jiang Wu, Pang De and others shouted excitedly, urging the horses to gallop. One hundred and thirty black panther followers followed, roaring all the way down the mountain.

(At that time, Luoyang covered an area of about 16 square kilometers, about 3,000 meters long from east to west, and about 4,600 meters long from north to south, and the entire city was an irregular rectangle.) ）

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Those who were ordered to go out of the city to greet Li Hong were the guard captain Dong Zhong and the tiger ben Zhonglang general Cui Jun.

Dong Zhong was in his thirties, of medium height, with a white face and a thin beard, and a handsome appearance, he looked a little aggrieved, as if he hadn't slept well last night, and his eyes were red. He took Wei Duan, the brigade commander of the Southern Army, and two hundred elite soldiers of the Southern Army to escort Li Hong into the city.

Cui Jun is Situ Cuilie's eldest son, and he is also a middle-aged man in his thirties, slightly fat, and has a humble demeanor.

Li Hong and Li Wei saw from a distance that the team that came to greet them was the Emperor's Praetorian Guard, and they couldn't help but be secretly surprised, and the two of them glanced at each other, and they both felt that something was a little abnormal.

The Palace Guard was divided into two systems. One is the Southern Army, and the other is the Emperor's Guards Army.

Wei Wei Dong Zhong commanded the Southern Army. The Southern Army is the Imperial Guard, responsible for guarding the palaces of the emperor, empress, empress dowager, and prince, as well as the palaces, imperial tombs, temples, and imperial offices. Among them, the army guarding the palace was the most important, and it set up a number of cantonments stationed around the palace, each under the command of Sima and military marquis. The bus Sima Ling and the guard orders of the North and South Palaces are responsible for patrolling day and night, guarding the gates of the palace and checking the entry and exit personnel. The brigade commander commanded the elite of the Southern Army, as a maneuver, to deal with all kinds of accidents and emergencies.

The general Cui Jun belonged to the Emperor's Guards under the command of Guangluxun. The emperor's guards are responsible for the guards and attendants inside the palace, and also serve as the country's honor guard.

The Southern Army and the Guards under the command of Guangluxun were on the outside of each other, forming a defensive pattern of "heavy on the inside and light on the outside, and the central government "heavy on the outside", so as to maintain the security of the palace and strengthen the defense of the capital. At the same time, the Southern Army and Guangluxun's guards also restrained each other and monitored each other to prevent accidents.

Generally, the generals of the important towns guarding the frontier come back, and there is no such standard of welcome treatment, and a Zhonglang general like Li Hong will send a speaker and a doctor to entertain him at most, and today he actually sent a Jiuqing, a Zhonglang general, and the Son of Heaven seems to be making a bit of a fuss.

Li Hong made a gesture to the rear, and Zhao Yun gave an order, and one hundred and thirty black leopards in armor flew off their horses and led their horses to stand. Li Hong took Li Wei, Zhao Yun, Jiang Wu, and Pang De to meet him in a hurry. Jiang Wu's hand quietly moved to the hilt of the knife at his waist.

As Li Hong walked, he gently patted him on the shoulder and whispered, "Take your hands away, it'll be fine now." ”

Jiang Wu looked at Dong Chong and Cui Jun who were riding their horses, snorted coldly, and his big hand slowly stopped three inches away from the handle of the knife.

Dong Chong and Cui Jun looked at the five young men in armor who were getting closer and closer in confusion, and they couldn't tell which one was a leopard.

"Ziping, which one do you think is Li Zhonglang?" Dong Chong asked in a low voice, "These five people are about the same age, about the same height, about the same in stature, and even the armor is the same." Do you recognize it? ”

"I see that the three white-looking and handsome officers on the left side can be excluded, especially the one with the sword. The two on the right, the one who looks a little older should be Li Zhonglang, what do you say? Cui Jun asked rhetorically.

"Yesterday, I asked Zi'an to draw a portrait of Li Zhonglang for me to see, so as not to admit my mistake today, but that kid just didn't do it, and said what His Majesty specially ordered. I don't believe it, when I arrived in Luoyang, at the foot of this Son of Heaven, would anyone dare to kill him? Dong Zhong said dissatisfiedly, "Your Majesty also thinks too highly of him, and even asked me to bring two hundred people to pick him up, how old is he?" ”

"Master Hou, don't say that." Cui Jun said with a smile, "According to his military exploits, he should be a general." If it weren't for his young age, and this time he disobeyed the holy purpose and killed indiscriminately in Huaili, he would already be a general. Does Master Hou think that His Majesty asked you to pick him up and lost your identity? ”

Dong Chong snorted disdainfully in his nose and said, "This morning, Your Majesty told me that Lu Ben ordered Wei Duan and his two hundred iron horsemen to be responsible for Li Zhonglang's safety in Beijing, and they will protect Li Zhonglang wherever he goes. Look at what is going on, when did the Han Dynasty change its rules, and a Zhonglang general would need two hundred forbidden army iron cavalry to protect it, which is many times higher than the specifications for protecting foreign envoys. ”

Cui Jun didn't seem to know about these things, and his face changed color slightly.

"Your Majesty also said that no one is allowed to meet Li Zhonglang privately without his permission." Dong Zhong glanced at Cui Jun, who was in doubt, and asked in a low voice, "Look, is Your Majesty going to kill him?" ”

Cui Jun shook his head.

"You're going to imprison him?"

Cui Jun shook his head again and sighed: "Your Majesty's work is becoming more and more incomprehensible. ”

The two sides met and exchanged greetings. Cui Jun really didn't guess wrong, the slightly older officer on the right was Li Hong. Dong Zhong took out the holy decree and read it again. The Son of Heaven ordered Li Hong to enter the palace immediately. The two sides immediately mounted their horses, the cavalry of the Southern Army opened the way in front, and the Black Panther Yi followed behind to protect, and the two armies galloped into the summer gate one after the other. Li Hong knew that something was wrong, he wanted to ask Li Wei, but he was sandwiched between Dong Chong and Cui Junyi, the iron cavalry of the forbidden army who were guarded in front and behind, and he couldn't turn back at all, and he couldn't even look at his subordinates. Li Hong was uneasy in his heart, and he was at a loss for a while.

What happened now couldn't be further from what they had planned. They originally thought that they could go to the pavilion to stay after entering the city, and after staying, they would go to visit Zongzheng Liu Yu and Li Wei's teacher Guanglu Doctor Zhu Jun overnight to ask the two adults about their views on the government, and then consider how to deal with the Son of Heaven, but the Son of Heaven seemed to know their thoughts, did not give them any respite, and directly summoned Li Hong into the North Palace.

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The Son of Heaven looked at a painting hanging on the wall and was silent for a long time.

It was the only portrait of Li Hong painted by Liu He after he returned to Beijing under the personal supervision of the Son of Heaven. Liu He still can't guess why the Son of Heaven painted in front of him, and after finishing the painting, he ordered himself not to paint a second painting, and also accepted all the drafts of his paintings. He went home and asked his father, Liu Yu. Liu Yu sighed and didn't answer, the old man seemed to know the mind of the Son of Heaven.

On the canvas, Li Hong is sitting next to his fist and crying bitterly.

Li Hong's first impression of the Son of Heaven was that he was ugly, with a small head and a small brain, and a slender neck, and there was no majesty of the Son of Heaven at all. When I looked at him again, I felt that the Son of Heaven was very tired and tired, and he looked exhausted. When I looked up at the Son of Heaven for the third time, I suddenly found that his intelligence was outstanding, and in the entire study, there were all kinds of piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, and the subset of scripture and history. He heard Li Wei say that the Son of Heaven is especially good at playing the piano and making fu, and his attainments are very high. The famous scholar Cai Yong is the teacher of the Son of Heaven.

Li Hong knelt on the ground and thought about himself, feeling very ashamed, he didn't know anything but to fight, and even wrote the recital to the Son of Heaven reluctantly, not to mention the poetry as a gift. The tall and wise image of the Son of Heaven gradually became clear and plump in his heart.

After Li Hong walked into the study to greet the Son of Heaven, he saw the painting. Li Hong saw himself for the first time, and he was still sitting on the ground crying bitterly, he was very novel and embarrassed. He was thinking, when he had the opportunity, he must ask the Son of Heaven who painted that painting, how could he paint himself sitting on the ground and crying? And let the Son of Heaven see it, isn't this ruining his image.

The two men, one doing and the other standing, did not speak for a long time.

"This is a painting by Liu He." The Son of Heaven suddenly pointed to the painting on the wall, turned back to Li Hong, who looked nervous, and said, "Liu He is the son of your late master, Zongzheng Liu Yu. ”

Li Hong was stunned. He didn't know what the Son of Heaven was going to continue to say, for fear that he would hear it out, so he lowered his head and was engrossed in waiting for the next words of the Son of Heaven.

"Liu He said that you are a man, a man like a Qiang man." The Son of Heaven put his hands behind his back and slowly walked to the opposite side of Li Hong.

Li Hong's heart trembled, thinking of his long flowing hair. Elephant Qiang? When the Son of Heaven hears that he is like a Qiang person, will he think of blood and betrayal?

"Yuan Shao said that you are a general, a bloody sword, and Liu Biao said that you are a sharp sword, the sword has a double edge, which can kill others and yourself, so he said that he can't use a madman like you unless he has to." The Son of Heaven spoke in a calm tone.

Li Hong heard the Son of Heaven call himself a madman, and his heart was cold. Liu Biao's handsome and gentle face suddenly appeared in Li Hong's mind. Li Hong scolded secretly.

"Jian Shuo is my little yellow door, and I trust him very much. He said that you are a loyal minister, a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, but I don't know if you are a loyal minister of mine? ”

Li Hong didn't think about it, turned over and knelt down, raised his hand and swore: "If the minister is not loyal to His Majesty, he should be killed by ten thousand arrows piercing his heart." The minister is the knife in the hand of His Majesty, and wherever His Majesty points to, the minister will kill him, and there is no second heart. ”

There was silence in the study.

Li Hong lay on the ground and did not dare to raise his head, his heart was beating violently in his chest, as if it was about to pop out at any time, the sound was so loud and deafening that he nervously shivered a few times in a row, and cold sweat gushed out. Suddenly he found that he could no longer hear the breathing of the Son of Heaven, and there was no way to guess the mind of the Son of Heaven through the sound of the Son of Heaven's breathing, he was lost, he was afraid.

Li Hong closed his eyes in horror, opened his mouth and shouted: "Your Majesty, in this life and this life, you are only loyal to Your Majesty, and there is no dissenting heart, no dissenting heart!" ”

The Son of Heaven looked at Li Hong expressionlessly and did not speak.

After a while, he slowly stood up, walked to the painting on the wall, and looked very carefully and very attentively at the crystal teardrop in Li Hong's eyes on the painting.

The Son of Heaven raised his hand and gently stroked the tear in the painting, as if to gently wipe it away, he wiped it over and over again, but the tear still hung clearly and sadly in Li Hong's eyes.

Li Hong quietly raised his eyes, and in an instant, his heart was hot, his blood was full of blood, and tears gushed out.

The Son of Heaven stopped, sighed melancholy, and said, "Get up." Go back and have a good rest, don't go anywhere, you know? ”

Li Hong wiped a handful of tears, kowtowed respectfully three times, then stood up, bowed and retreated.

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Lu Ben Ling Wei Duan was a sturdy young man in his twenties who admired Li Hong very much. After explaining some details to Li Wei and the others, he arched his hand and said to Li Hong: "Lord Weiwei said that without the holy decree of the Son of Heaven, no one can step out of this pavilion. If you have anything to do, just tell the lower officials, and the lower officials will do their best to do it. ”

Li Hong, who looked gloomy, hurriedly stood up and thanked him in return.

"Master Wei, I have a few friends who are too learned, I haven't seen them for a few years, I want to see them." Li Wei smiled: "Can you send someone to Taixue to help me spread a message?" ”

Wei Duan hesitated for a moment and asked, "My lord, which bachelor are you looking for?" ”

"His name is Chen Hao, he is a native of Chengdu, Yizhou, and he speaks Sichuan and Shu dialects, and he is very famous in Taixue, known as the big axe." Li Wei said, "You let someone tell him, just say that I, Li Wei, are back, and that's it." ”

Wei Duan nodded again and again, and said with a smile: "I seem to have heard of this person, I know, I will send someone to find it." ”

Li Wei thanked him again and again, and enthusiastically sent Wei Duan out.

Jiang Wu glanced at Li Hong and said, "My lord, Your Majesty neither let us go out, nor let others in, what is the difference between this and house arrest?" ”

Pang De shook his hand at Jiang Wu and said, "Zifeng, adults are in a bad mood, don't say it." ”

Zhao Yun cautiously asked, "My lord, what did you and Your Majesty talk about in the imperial study?" Did Your Majesty ask you anything? ”

Li Hong sighed, rubbed his forehead with both hands, and bowed his head silently.

Li Wei hurriedly ran in and asked in a low voice, "My lord, how is it?" What did the emperor say? ”

Li Hong looked at them and said with a wry smile: "I have already sworn to Your Majesty. ”

Li Wei's face changed, and he asked in surprise, "You agreed." ”

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The winter sun sets early on the horizon and the dusk fades.

Chen Yi galloped and rushed into the city before the gates of Yuzhou Qiaoguo City were closed. Chen Yi found a luxurious mansion and knocked on the door and shouted.

"Who is Sir, please?" One of the servants guarding the porter asked.

"I'm a friend of your head of the family, and if you go and report it, you will say that there is a wandering spirit from the mountain who has come to visit."

After a short time, the door opened suddenly, and a loud voice came out: "Brother Boyan, don't come unharmed!" ”

Chen Yi raised his hand and shouted, "Brother Mengde, have you always been good?" ”

"Brother came to visit suddenly, if it is rude, please do a lot of Haihan." With the words, out of the room came a Confucian in Chinese clothes about thirty years old, this person was not tall, his skin was dark, his face was round and his beard was short, and he had a pair of sharp and wise eyes under his thick eyebrows. He is Cao Cao, the great tycoon of Yuzhou.

Cao Cao grabbed Chen Yi's arm and said with a smile: "Brother Boyan, we haven't seen each other for six years, brother misses you." Go, go, go home, let's get drunk tonight. ”

Chen Yi smiled movingly and said, "I'm here to disturb my brother again." ”

"Wherever I tell you to stay with me and not wander around, you just won't listen. When you come back this time, are you still leaving? Cao Cao asked with a smile as he pulled him around the room.

Chen Yi smiled bitterly and said, "I'll leave tomorrow." ”

The smile on Cao Cao's face suddenly disappeared, he glanced at Chen Yi carefully, and asked, "Is there anything you need my help with?" ”

"Yes." Chen Yi said, "There is a big thing. ”

Late at night, Cao Cao walked back and forth in the study, and he couldn't make a decision.

Cao Cao doesn't actually have the surname Cao, but he doesn't know his original surname anymore. His father, Cao Song, was the adopted son of Cao Teng, the eldest Changqiu of the Xiaohuan Emperor Dynasty, from the people.

Since the filial piety of the emperor, the edict allowed the lieutenant to raise a son to take the title. Cao Teng was a native of Peiguo County, and he helped Emperor Xiaohuan plan and kill the general Liang Ji. Later, he was made a marquis for meritorious service, and also served as the great Changqiu of the inner palace. However, Cao Teng did not do as much evil as ordinary lieutenants, he had a good reputation among scholars, and he used his authority to recommend many famous scholars to the Son of Heaven, all of whom later became important ministers of the court, and many of them were famous party members. Cao Cao's father, Cao Song, once served as the captain of the Han Dynasty and the Great Si Nong, and now serves as the Great Honglu in the court.

Cao Cao grew up in such a prominent eunuch family, so he, like many other eunuchs, was gifted and intelligent, indulgent and uninhibited, fond of flying eagles and lackeys, and wandering excessively. He has a hobby of entering private houses at night, once hijacked the bride with Yuan Shao in Luoyang, and also stole rare and strange things from the mansion of Zhang Rang, who was often served, and after being discovered, he danced a halberd and escaped by jumping over the wall.

Cao Cao has his strengths. He thinks for himself and is not willing to shape himself in a conventional way. He was well-read, studied scriptures, studied military books, and better the doctrines of Legalism. He felt that the root cause of the decline of the Han Dynasty could not be simply morally attributed to the dictatorship of the generals, lieutenant officials, or scholars, but the lack of a legal system in the whole society, and the imperial court could not operate the situation efficiently by relying on the superficial article of morality alone, and the authority of the monarch could not be established.

Because he was born in a family of eunuchs, he was often accused and abused by the Qingliushi doctor, at that time there was an old lady Qiao Xuan who admired him very much, thinking that he was the material of Anbang and rejuvenating the country, and asked him to find Xu Shao in Runan, who was proficient in the Book of Changes, specializing in appreciating the world's celebrities. Xu Shao looked at Cao Cao for a long time and didn't say a word. Cao Cao was anxious, grabbed him by the collar, and asked him to understand, so Xu Shao slowly spit out ten words: "The capable minister who rules the world, the traitor of the troubled times." Cao Cao was overjoyed and left.

In the third year of Xiping (174 AD), Cao Cao raised filial piety and integrity, served as the captain of the northern part of Luoyang, and entered the official career. This is an official position responsible for guarding the gates of the capital division. As soon as he arrived, he began to practice his Legalist doctrine. After repairing the gates, he hung sticks of five colors in each gate, and those who violated the ban, whoever he was, were immediately killed. The uncle of the Son of Heaven's most favored little yellow door Jian Shuo, because he ignored the curfew and traveled at night, died under Cao Cao's stick. Due to Cao Cao's deep background, the magnates in the court only had to eat coptis dumbly, and there was no way. Later, the lieutenants found an excuse and sent him to Dunqiu as a county magistrate. After a period of time, he was recalled to the court to worship as a councillor and go to the court to discuss politics. Cao Cao repeatedly wrote to the imperial court to rehabilitate the general Dou Wu and the Taifu Chen Fan, but no one paid attention to him, and even the Son of Heaven regarded him as a person with brain problems.

After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he led his army to participate in Huangfu Song's counterinsurgency army as a cavalry captain. After the Yellow Turban was pacified, he was promoted to Jinan Minister because of his military exploits. Cao Cao governed the counties and counties with strict laws in Jinan, and severely cracked down on violators, and as a result, Jinan was stabilized in a very short period of time. Soon Cao Cao was requisitioned back to Beijing and awarded the title of Taishou of Dongjun. He knew that it was the powerful people of Jinan who sued him to the imperial court. Cao Cao was angry and quit, he pretended to be sick and resigned and returned to his hometown.

Cao Cao meditated all night, but it was still difficult to make a choice, until he saw his wife Bian.

Bian was very distressed when he saw Cao Cao sleepless all night, so he brought him a cup of tea in the early morning. Bian said: "Sir, my father has already sent a few letters, urging us to go to Luoyang for the New Year, don't be tired and delay the trip, and make my father unhappy." ”

Cao Cao woke up suddenly, patted his forehead and celebrated, he hugged Bian and praised: "Madame is really my nobleman." ”

Bian is Cao Cao's concubine in Xinna, although the original wife Ding disagreed, but Cao Cao still resolutely married into the family, the reason is because it is rumored that Bian has the appearance of a princess.

The ancestor of the Bian family took advantage of Lang Evil Kaiyang (Linyi, Shandong), and his family background was a lowly profession, and he was a singer and dancer who made a living from his voice. It is said that when Bian was born, the delivery room was full of yellow light all day long, and Bian Jinghou, who was a new father, was very strange, so he went to ask the diviner Wang Dan for divination. Wang Dan replied: "This is a good omen, this little girl will be rich and noble in the future, and she will have the appearance of a princess." "That being said, but when he grew up, the little Bian clan still practiced the family's humble profession and became a kabuki. This family, who makes a living as an artist, came to Qiaodi (Bo County, Anhui) last year. Cao Cao heard that the Bian family was rich and noble, and saw her beauty, so he immediately married her into the family.

Cao Cao immediately went to see Chen Yi and politely declined Chen Yi's invitation.

Cao Cao said: "Boyan, it's hard not to succeed in this move. Because the abolition of the establishment is the most ominous thing in the world. The ancients were able to do this kind of thing, only Yi Yin and Huo Guang. The reason why these two people were able to succeed was because they were loyal, high in the position of Zaifu, and could do whatever they wanted when they held a lot of power. For example, Huo Guang of the Han Dynasty, he was able to abolish the king of Changyi, first of all, because he was entrusted by the first emperor and was famous, and secondly, the king of Changyi was on the throne for a few days, and there was no climate, and there was no huge power. ”

"Now, do Brother Boyan and Lord Wang think they have the power of Yi Yin and Huo Guang? Was the prestige of the king of Hefei stronger than that of the princes and kings who rebelled in the early Han Dynasty? And when compared to the king of Changyi, don't you know how solid his foundation is? ”

"Brother Boyan, you better give up. The combined power of Dazhitang and the Black Mountain Yellow Turban is not enough to kill the traitors in the court, nor can it shake the Han Dynasty. Even if you succeed and the Son of Heaven is held hostage by you, do you have the strength to resist the Han Dynasty army and gain a foothold in Jizhou? Is there a way for the king of Hefei to be recognized by the ministers of the court? Do you have a way to get into Luoyang? ”

Chen Yi's face was melancholy and sad, and he was silent.

"I think Brother Boyan is still revenged." Cao Cao sighed, "Brother Boyan, listen to me, give up." My father wrote to me that the Son of Heaven was in a hurry and urgently summoned Li Hong, the protector of Qiang, to return to the capital, and I thought that the Son of Heaven might let him accompany him back to his hometown to worship his ancestors. If ......"

Chen Yi smiled sadly and said, "I'm not afraid of anyone coming, I'm not afraid of anyone coming......"

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A noisy shout suddenly came from outside the door of the pavilion: "Li Zhongyuan...... Li Zhongyuan......"

After Li Wei heard this, he happily ran to the door of the pavilion, he stood inside the gate, and across the Praetorian Guard knights who were standing guard at the door, he beckoned and shouted loudly: "Big axe, big axe, how are you?" ”

"Li Zhongyuan, Xiao Lan is getting married."

Li Wei suddenly felt like he had been hit hard, and his face was like earth.