Xiaoqi

After a while, Liu Bei took a step forward, bowed to Liu Biao, and said with a smile on his face: "Thanks to Brother Jing Sheng for not giving up, I will serve you and entertain all the princes for my brother. However, I still have one thing to ask, I beg you I don’t know if it’s okay for elder brother to help foolish younger brother to recognize and return to his ancestors?”

"Oh?" Liu Biao murmured in surprise, staring at Liu Bei with burning eyes, stroked his beard casually, and said with a smile: "Suwen Xuande is a descendant of the Han empress and a relative of the Han family. I don't know that Brother Xiang has not been included in the Zongzheng Mansion yet. , This section is really beyond the old man's expectations. Since it is a virtuous brother's request, if the verification is correct, the old man will be regarded as a virtuous brother. However, hehehe,,, if there is no evidence, the old man will be helpless. "

Liu Bei nodded frankly and bowed to thank him: "Naturally, brother Yu thanked elder brother first." After speaking, he strode to the last seat and sat down.

Seeing that Liu Bei was already seated at the last seat, Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and the others had different expressions, and then the five of them remained silent, and walked to the front seat and sat down.

"His Majesty is here!"

Just when the hall was silent and the seven princes were thinking about each other, a sharp and ear-piercing voice came into the hall.The princes suddenly woke up, their brows were frowned in unison, and they glanced at the side door on the left rear of the steps in disgust.

Meet the eyes of everyone.Liu Xie, dressed in a dragon robe and a crown on his head, walked into the lobby with long and fast steps, followed by Zhongchang Attendant Dong Hong.It goes without saying that the sharp and ear-piercing yell just now came from Dong Hong's white face and beardless red mouth and white teeth, which was creepy and hateful.

Seeing Liu Xie and Dong Hong stepping up the steps one after the other, Liu Xie was sitting on the dragon chair with his lapels straight.The seven princes in the hall sat still, and no one got up to pay homage for a while.

At this moment, Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Yuan Shu and other six people all glanced at Liu Biao who was the first on the left.Seeing that he couldn't get up for a long time, the six of them did not show any weakness, they kept their eyes on their noses, their noses, their noses and their hearts, and remained motionless.

And why did Liu Biao not get up to see the emperor when he saw the emperor coming?It stands to reason that he is the uncle of the great Han emperor.Familiar with court etiquette.Definitely not being rude in public.But he just sat still, not only didn't get up immediately to bow down to meet him, but instead looked in a trance, dazed.

This scene seemed abrupt and incomprehensible, but in fact it was inevitable and not difficult to understand.Speaking of which, since Emperor Ling Liu Hong passed away.Liu Biao never paid homage to the emperor again, instead he bowed respectfully to Dong Zhuo.Then he obtained the post of Jingzhou pastor from Dong Zhuo, and left the capital to guard Jingzhou. It has been six years so far.To this day, he has long been used to others kneeling down and prostrating to him. He never thought that one day he would have to prostrate to others.

In addition, he just frightened the six princes, forcing them to surrender in front of him and sit down as promised.This move made Liu Biao secretly complacent and self-satisfied. He couldn't bear to think that the emperor Liu Xie came suddenly at this time, which made Liu Biao really uncomfortable in a hurry, dazed and at a loss as to what to do.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Just when Liu Biao was in a daze, there were a few light coughs from the upper steps, and he suddenly woke up, got up hastily, and bowed down.Seeing Liu Biao get up, Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and other six people hurriedly got up and followed, and kowtowed in unison: "Your Majesty, long live, long live, long live, long live!"

"Huh..." Liu Xie, who was sitting on the dragon chair on the upper step, heaved a sigh of relief, and looked down at Liu Biao at the bottom of the hall with a gloomy expression, with a deep look of hatred and worry in his eyes.He noticed the situation in the hall just now. The seven princes looked at Liu Biao of Jingzhou at the head of the horse. Liu Biao sat still, and the princes remained calm, treating him as nothing; Kowtow to participate in driving.

This scene cast a thick shadow over Liu Xie's heart, and his mentality, which he thought was safe and sound, was shaken violently, and his heart palpitations were endless.Originally, he thought that Liu Biao, the Mu of Jingzhou, was a descendant of the Han clan with a strong root and a strong root, and he was an out-and-out emperor uncle of the Han Dynasty. After he fled here, he completely got rid of the situation of being hijacked and used by the princes, and since then he can sit back and relax.

But seeing the scene in front of him, Liu Xie knew that he had taken it for granted, wrongly underestimated the big man emperor uncle in the hall, and also overestimated himself.From the current situation, it is not difficult to see that Liu Biao, the emperor's uncle, has no intention of assisting his nephew to rejuvenate the Han family at all, and regards him as a disaster star and a hot potato. Express the true attitude that Jingzhou does not welcome you.

For a moment, Liu Xie felt desolate and miserable in his heart, extremely lonely, more helpless, terrified and uneasy.The days of being kidnapped and used by others made him deeply humiliated and unbearable to look back on. The tragic experience of fleeing to Chang'an made him escape from death, and he still has lingering fears.But right now, even Liu Biao, the patriarch of the Han Dynasty, is unwilling to assist him to help the Han Dynasty. Who can sincerely support him to wipe out the traitors and clarify the world?Aren't the seven of them also like Li Li, who are false and true, and treacherous and loyal, but in fact they are rebellious officials and traitors who hide their wolf ambitions?

Filled with worry, Liu Xie forcibly suppressed his thoughts and tried to force himself to calm down. The corners of his mouth twitched a few times, and he squeezed out a smile that was uglier than crying. He raised his hand calmly and said, "Uncle Huang is old. Don't do such a big gift, please take a seat."

While speaking, Liu Xie got up slowly, deliberately showing intimacy in front of Liu Biao, but in fact he didn't move, just left the dragon chair with his buttocks, and bowed slightly as a gesture.When Liu Biao bowed to thank Gu Zi for taking his seat, the smile on Liu Xie's face became a little more natural, and he said with a pleasing expression, "Everyone, sit down and talk."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The six people in the hall thanked in unison, got up and sat back to their original positions, all of them looked uncomfortable, as if they were very uncomfortable.It's no wonder, in fact, except for Cao Cao and Liu Bei among the six of them, the other four are not used to bowing down to others.The time when the emperor and the officials were transferred from Luoyang to Wancheng.They all resisted the ceremony of kneeling and worshiping on the grounds that they could not fully salute with armor on their bodies.Only Cao Cao and Liu Bei came forward to bow to Liu Xie when they saw Liu Xie at first sight, and they were very polite.As for why the two of them did this, I am afraid that only they themselves know the reason.

After the seven princes took their seats, Liu Biao took the lead in saying some polite words to show his loyalty.These are all clichéd official rhetoric. After all, he is the uncle of the great Han Emperor and the Lord of Jingzhou, no matter what he thinks in his heart, even if he doesn't mean it.But what has to be said has to be said, it's just a matter of routine.

After listening to Liu Biao's ramblings, Yuan Shu answered, "Your Majesty. In recent years, Liu Yao, the governor of Yangzhou, has acted against the law, causing the people in Yangzhou's counties and counties to live in dire straits. The heavens are angry and everyone complains. I implore Your Majesty to impose Liu Yao's capital punishment. Just as a warning to others!"

Without waiting for Liu Xie to speak.Sun Ce then chimed in and said, "Liu Yao has been evil in Yangzhou for a long time, and he has complained and complained a lot. I implore His Majesty to punish Liu Yao severely. In addition, the later general (Yuan Shu) has made remarkable achievements in governing the prefectures and counties. The latter general is Yangzhou Shepherd!" As of now, Sun Ce is still attached to Yuan Shu.At least in name, it is actually a separatist regime in Jiangdong.Support soldiers to stand on their own feet.It's just that Sun Ce has not yet unified Jiangdong, and is still entrenched in Yuzhang County, accumulating strength to wait for changes in time.

"Eh? This..." Liu Xie never expected that Yuan Shu and Sun Ce would throw such a difficult matter to him at the first opening. He suddenly looked astonished, his thoughts were confused, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead in anxiety, not knowing what to do.

Seeing that Liu Xie was in such distress, Liu Biao couldn't bear it, and said in a loud voice, "Everyone, be safe and don't be impatient. Don't act too hastily. Your Majesty has been out of trouble for a long time, and you are physically and mentally exhausted. You are all ministers of my big man's humerus. You should share your majesty's worries and manage your military affairs. You can handle the affairs by yourself, why bother His Majesty with everything. What's more, now that Xiliang's army is pressing down on the border, Nanyang County is at stake, and our top priority is how to deal with the current situation, rather than discussing the disputes around your jurisdiction. Do you think so? "

Cao Cao readily agreed, "What Liu Jingzhou said is true, and we don't need to discuss matters under our jurisdiction. If we can't even handle the disputes within the jurisdiction well, it would be ridiculous. As for the Xiliang army suppressing the border? There is no need to be nervous. According to scout reports, the Xiliang army is currently stationed on the border of Nanyang, perhaps because of Liu Jingzhou Huwei, the Xiliang army does not dare to act rashly, at least it has no intention of sending troops to attack Nanyang."

Speaking of this, Cao Cao paused, bowed his hands to Liu Xie, the superior, and said in a loud voice: "In view of the current situation, Luoyang, the imperial capital, is in ruins, and it is within the jurisdiction of Li Thief. I'm afraid I won't be able to take it back. Therefore, I suggest that Your Majesty choose another imperial capital, reorganize the imperial program, and order the world!"

"What Meng De said coincides with my humble minister." Yuan Shao continued, "Luoyang is dilapidated, and because it fell into the hands of Li's bandits, we should build another capital. How can our majestic Han Dynasty not have an imperial capital? Right now, Nanyang Although the county is the hometown of the emperor, it has been plagued by wars, the city has been dilapidated and in disrepair for a long time, and it is definitely not the best choice for the emperor's capital. I, Yecheng, Jizhou, uh, as for where to choose the emperor's capital, you need to work together. It's a matter of The rise and fall of a great man is a big matter, so it should be carefully considered." Originally Yuan Shao was about to speak out his true intentions, but when he was about to speak, he saw the six princes looking at him with different expressions, forcing him to pause for a while. He hesitated, looked around and talked about other things.

Even so, Yuan Shao's original intention of welcoming him this time has been fully revealed. His purpose is to bring the emperor and all the officials to Jizhou, in an attempt to coerce the emperor to make the princes.

Seeing that Yuan Shao had expressed his intentions, Cao Cao was unambiguous, and immediately invited the emperor and officials to move to Yanzhou, and claimed that in time, he could send troops to take back Luoyang and rebuild the imperial capital Luoyang.Liu Bei, who followed closely behind, also implicitly stated that Xuzhou is an important town in the Central Plains, and it is in danger of Surabaya. In the future, Luoyang can also be restored and the Han Dynasty rejuvenated.Except for the three of them, the other four princes: Liu Biao, Yuan Shu, Sun Ce and Lu Bu kept silent, while Huo Ran stayed out of the matter and watched the tigers fight from the hills.

Just as Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and Liu Bei were arguing with each other, the courtiers and generals of various princes and generals who were waiting outside the hall entered the hall one after another after hearing the news. .

As soon as he walked into the hall, he saw a tall and burly general with a red face and a long beard who was furious, and shouted sharply: "It's unreasonable! Liu Jingsheng bullied my brother too much. Could it be that Guan's sword is not good for him?" Here comes someone who stands up to defend Liu Bei, and the blade points directly at Liu Biao and Liu Jingsheng who is sitting peacefully.

Chapter 905 Sweet-scented osmanthus, a commoner scholar

Shilixiang Winery, the largest and most luxurious winery in Wancheng, is located directly opposite Wancheng County Guard's Mansion, and it is only a hundred steps away from the gate of the mansion.

This restaurant was newly opened after Cai Mao and Zhang Yun regained Nanyang County. It is a restaurant integrating board, lodging, singing and dancing.

It is said that the wine shop was owned by Cai Mao, General of Jingzhou. As soon as it opened, it attracted the favor of Wancheng dignitaries and scholars. There was an endless stream of people entering and leaving the wine shop.

Since the emperor and all the officials arrived in Wancheng four days ago, Shilixiang Winery has ushered in a golden period. Nearly a thousand rooms are full, and there are no less than [-] people who enter and leave the winery every day, half of them are scholars who come here for fame. Half of them are generals and scribes under the accounts of various princes.

Of course, there are not a few powerful gentry and nouveau riche who came here after hearing the news from around Wancheng. The five Accords in the attic of the Shoufu will last for half a month.What is puzzling is that the five Accords booked by this group are not exclusive, but allow scholars to go upstairs to drink and talk, and give free food and drink, which is tantamount to eating and drinking for free.

However, all literati who go upstairs to eat free food must compose a poem. Those who are excellent in poetry and Fu can not only eat and drink for free, but also get ten taels of gold as a gift when they leave.Poetry and prose of medium level, eat and drink for free, and leave after eating; low-level poetry and prose, can go upstairs to taste tea, and present a pack of pastries before leaving.As for the poems and fus that are not popular, or the graffiti works that are not poems and fus at all, they are all out of the question.From where to where to go.

In just one night, the news that Yang Dashan came to Shilixiang Wine Shop spread like wildfire, and many scholars flocked to the wine shop after hearing the news.It's a pity that very few of them can make excellent poems and fus.Only a dozen scribes were appraised as medium works by Yang Dashan's personal book boy, and they ate and drank for free, and each took a jar of sweet-scented osmanthus wine with them before leaving.The Shutong euphemistically called it "Give wine to celebrities", which made more than a dozen "celebrities" leave happily holding the wine, showing off to everyone they meet.

Immediately afterwards, the saying "good wine is given to famous scholars" quickly spread among the scholars in Wancheng, and was regarded as a good talk.so that.More and more scribes came here, not asking for gold, silver, or cakes.Just ask for a pot of sweet-scented osmanthus.

In fact, nowadays, the family background of literati who can afford to read books is not too bad, at least the family background is rich, and no matter how bad it is, it is also the family of officials who have a poor family.In other words.The children of ordinary people cannot afford to read books.I can't afford the book slips, and I can't hire a teacher.Even some academies that train talents for free in name, such as the academies funded by contemporary celebrities such as Yingchuan Academy and Lushan Academy, will not recruit students casually. If you are not rich, you are expensive, and there are only a handful of children who are really born in common people's families, as few as stars.

Therefore, most of these scribes are people who have no worries about food and clothing.In other words, it is not an exaggeration to say that there is no shortage of food and wine.What they really care about is "fame".Gift wine to famous people, how well said, it makes people's heart beat.Don't you hear that Liu Biao, the shepherd of Jingzhou, always likes to make friends with famous people, and he has recruited a large number of famous people from the Central Plains under his command. Although there are very few people who are entrusted with important tasks, a fortune is easy to come by.

Literati have a good reputation since ancient times.Yang Dashan, who lives in Shilixiang Winery, can come up with such an idea of ​​politely refusing to be disturbed by others, but without getting a bad reputation, it can be said to be ingenious and extraordinary.

However, since last night, none of the scribes qualified to go upstairs have seen Yang Dashan in person.According to his book boy Guo Shiqi, only those who are excellent in poetry and prose are eligible to drink and chat with their lord Yang Lin; Limited.

It can be seen from this that Yang Lin, a great benevolent man, has a lot of background, at least he is quite energetic and speaks loudly. "Directly recommend to the princes from all walks of life", listen to how powerful these words are, as if you don't regard yourself as an outsider, just like the emperor sitting in the county guard's mansion opposite, if ordinary people dare to speak so loudly?

small dividing line

Today is the day when Muliu Biao of Jingzhou arrived in Wancheng with his army. Early in the morning, the county guard’s mansion was busy, and the soldiers and horses under the command of various princes came in and out. It was very noisy, so that the guests living in Shilixiang wine shop were not at peace. , was woken up early by the noise.

Near noon, the window of Yage, a wine shop opposite the Sheriff's Mansion, was wide open. Yang Dashan and Shutong Guo Shiqi stood in front of the window, looking down at the street below, looking at the guards in front of the Sheriff's Mansion from time to time, talking in low voices.

"Looking at the situation in front of us, the clean water is splashed on the street, and we line up to welcome each other. Liu Biao holds a lot of weight in the hearts of the princes!"

"My lord,,, uh, no, I lost my word." Guo Shiqi apologized, and then said: "What you said is very true. Jingzhou is located in the hinterland of the Central Plains, connected to Wuguan in the north, and across the Yangtze River in the south. The network is densely covered, the products are abundant, and it has been a land of prosperity since ancient times. Liu Jingsheng sits in the nine counties of Jingzhou, has no war for many years, has a dense population, has more than [-] troops, and holds the Jingzhou Navy, which is known as the world's number one. Its strength is strong , second only to me,,, cough cough cough, second only to the Xiliang army, and far superior to the princes such as Jizhou Yuan Shao, Yanzhou Cao Cao, and Yangzhou Yuan Shu, he can be called the overlord of the Central Plains and the second largest princes in the world.

Today, if there is any prince in the world who can confront the Xiliang army head-on, it must be Liu Biao of Jingzhou, and there is no other prince with such strength.Therefore, Liu Biao has the absolute right to speak among the princes from all walks of life, and his status is detached; even the brothers Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, who are defiant, are very afraid of Liu Jingsheng and dare not act recklessly in Jingzhou. "

Speaking of this, Guo Shiqi's tone paused a little, and he said with a smile: "From the current situation, when Liu Biao's chariot arrives, the princes from all walks of life must go out of the house to greet him. Otherwise, they will come here uninvited this time and marry Misfortune to Jingzhou, plot against Liu Biao, once Liu Biao asks his teacher for the crime, I am afraid that the five princes will lose face and be in a dilemma! Hehehe"

The good man Yang Lin laughed when he heard the words: "Liu Biao has always had the style of a gentleman and an elder, and he is tolerant and virtuous. He will definitely not mobilize teachers for this, nor will he use the power of Jingzhou to make enemies with the princes of the five routes. He has no ambition to dominate the world. But he is not a mediocre master either. He is thoughtful and well versed in tactics. He has always made decisions before acting.

Therefore, it is a golden opportunity for the emperor and all the officials to flee to Jingzhou.If Liu Biao is stronger, he will push the boat forward and renovate Wancheng.As the imperial capital of the Han Dynasty, the princes from all walks of life will return empty-handed in vain.If this is the case, even if the endangered Han Dynasty cannot reproduce the great achievements of Guangwu Zhongxing.At least it can continue for ten or even decades;The situation in the world will definitely change because of this, and many of our painstaking plans will also go to waste. "

While talking, Yang Lin looked cheerful and said with a hearty smile: "Fortunately, Liu Biao is not Liu Bei. He only wants to guard the nine counties of Jingzhou to spend his old age in peace, and has no ambition to compete in the world. Otherwise, I will be self-defeating this time. Hehehe! "

Just as the two were talking and laughing happily, a middle-aged man walked into the Accord quickly.Holding a roll of bamboo slips with wet ink in his hand, it is obvious that there are scribes downstairs writing a penny, hoping to get a pot of sweet-scented osmanthus wine.

"Master,, son, how about this fu? I have been immersed in poetry and fu for dozens of cold and heat, but I can't make such a high-quality work. I don't want to think that this time has opened my eyes and gained insight. At such a young age, I can write this poem in one go!" The middle-aged man offered the bamboo slips with both hands, sighing with emotion, expressing his admiration for his talents and talents.

"Oh, is there really a superior work?" Yang Lin muttered in astonishment, took the bamboo slips casually, and looked through them intently.But I saw the bamboo slips written: "Fu of the situation in Wancheng: the emperor returns to the east and there are dark clusters; when he moves to Wancheng, the wind and clouds are surging; the wolves are robbing food and waiting around; the Han Dynasty is in danger and there is no help."