On this day, Sima Yi and more than 100 scholars who had obtained the qualification for the palace examination gathered in front of the Zhongyang Gate in Yecheng, waiting to participate in the last palace examination held in the Wenchang Palace. Hebei in early spring was warm and cold, and the morning breeze blew with a biting chill on his body, so that Sima Yi, who was shrinking in the corner, couldn't help but stomp his feet. But he didn't expect that a burst of piercing laughter suddenly came from his ears, and Sima Yi, who felt a little uncomfortable in his heart, immediately raised his head and followed the voice, and saw Yang Xian, the son of the former Tai Lieutenant Yang Biao, not far away, talking and laughing with several young scholars.

It is undeniable that Yang Xiu, who was born in a famous family, is dignified and talented, and will become a star-studded figure wherever he goes. But Sima Yi is not optimistic about this son of Yang Dezu. Since ancient times, literati have been mostly contemptuous: Qu Yuan exalted himself and showed tyrants; Song Yu's body and appearance are met, and he meets Haiyou; Oriental Manqian, funny and indecent; Sima Changqing, stealing has no action. Historically, talented literati have often been arrogant and arrogant, so that they are lacking in dealing with others. In Sima Yi's view, Yang Xiu's weakness was that he couldn't control his mouth and didn't take to heart the teachings of Sage Kong that "a gentleman is cautious and does not come out".

Just like outside the Zhongyang Gate at this moment, most of the scholars are as cautious in their words and deeds as Sima Yi, and there is no frivolity. This is not to say that Sima Yi and the others are too nervous about the palace test, and they are not as open-minded and relaxed as Yang Xiu. But just five days ago, Cao Cao suddenly abandoned the upcoming palace test and rushed back to Xudu in the south. Because Cao Cao was in an extremely hurry, he did not leave half an explanation, so that all kinds of rumors spread in the streets and alleys of Yecheng for a while. Some people say that Liu Biao from the south called, which is why Prime Minister Cao Cheng was in such a hurry to rush back to Beijing. Some people also said that the yellow turban thieves in the south were making trouble again. Some people even mysteriously said that the reason why Cao Cao ran faster than a rabbit was because Xu Du's Son of Heaven ran.

The last one sounds the most unreliable, but it happens to circulate the fastest among all beings. After all, the constant conflict between the Son of Heaven and Cao Cao has long been a well-known secret in Shilin. In fact, this Yecheng Kaike was also Cao Cao's demonstration to the Son of Heaven, but no one publicly wore it at the beginning. Now, with the rumors of the Son of Heaven fleeing, some scholars who claim to be loyal to Han can no longer deceive themselves. began to leave Yecheng one after another, in order to show his concern for Cao Cao. Among them, there are also people who have obtained the qualification for the temple examination.

For those who obtained the qualification for the palace examination and gave up temporarily, Sima Yi sneered. In his opinion, these people are not even as good as Yang Xiu. Although Yang Xiu's words and deeds are frivolous and easy to be sprayed in the future, he is also expressing his support for Cao. And those who came and left completely offended Cao Cao. What if the Son of Heaven runs away? Sima Yi only knew that his family was under the rule of Cao Ying, and the end of offending Cao Cao was the annihilation of the family.

Of course, Sima Yi had to take a certain risk by staying in Yecheng to continue the exam. That is, in case Tianzi really fled to other princes, and successfully summoned all the princes to destroy Cao. Then the scholars who participated in the Yecheng Taxi will inevitably be liquidated. It is true that in Sima Yi's opinion, Cao Cao's sudden destruction is unlikely, but out of self-preservation, he still calculated a countermeasure in his heart.

Xu felt that someone was slandering him, Yang Xiu raised his head and swept his gaze in the direction where Sima Yi was standing. In an instant, the eyes of the two children of the family met. But the next moment, Sima Yi hurriedly avoided the other party's gaze, and turned to Yang Xiu politely. Yang Xiu was flustered first. Then he smiled with relief, and returned the salute to Sima Yi.

Just as the two saluted each other, the Zhongyang Gate finally opened. I saw two superintendents leading a team of soldiers out of the door. Seeing this, all the students present hurriedly turned on their faces, and under the guidance of the superintendent, they lined up from Zhongyang Gate all the way through Ruimen to Wenchang Hall, the central palace of Yecheng.

It is said that Yecheng Miyagi has two axes, one is the royal axis. That is, the line from Wenchang Hall to Zhongyang Gate; The second is the administrative axis, that is, the line from the Listening Hall to the Guangyang Gate. The Tingzheng Palace was destroyed in the war when the city of Yecheng was broken. The Wenchang Hall was intact due to Mrs. Liu's timely surrender. Therefore, all living beings have not seen a trace of war along the way. On the contrary, I was shocked by the small scale of Yecheng Miyagi. Some scholars even secretly sighed that Yecheng, which had been run by Gongsun Zhan, Han Fu, and Yuan Shao, was really extraordinary, no wonder Cao Cao wanted to move out of Xu Du to build a shogunate in Yecheng.

When Sima Yi and others arrived in front of the Wenchang Palace, the morning mist had already dissipated, and the palace under the morning sun looked majestic and solemn, which made people feel awe just by standing in front of the palace. However, the living beings did not immediately enter the temple for the examination, but sacrificed in front of the hall under the auspices of Xun Yu, the secretary of the Chinese book.

Sima Yi listened to the command of the salute. While bowing down with all the beings, he secretly looked at Xun Yu, who was presiding over the sacrifice. But seeing this Xun Lingjun, who is known for his elegance and elegance, although his every move is still calm and measured, there is an anxiety between his eyebrows that is difficult to hide. It was this anxiety that made Sima Yi secretly confirm some speculations in his heart.

At the time of the third watch, the lights in the Deyang Hall were still bright. From time to time, there are palace maids carrying hot water and holding silk cloth in and out. Liu Xie knelt on the futon with a pale face, and couldn't help but clench his fists when he heard Concubine Dong's heart-rending howl coming from the side hall. The escape a few days ago caused Concubine Dong to have a fetal gas, so that as soon as she returned to the palace, she had constant labor pains. But the labor pains are labor pains, and Concubine Dong's birth door has never been opened. Until today, the amniotic water has been broken, and the situation is even more dangerous.

However, for Liu Xie, it is not only Concubine Dong who is in danger at the moment. Since the defeat of the escape on the day of the fight, Liu Xie was forcibly placed under house arrest in the Deyang Palace. He could not hear the news from the outside world, and the minister of civil and military affairs could not enter the palace to face the saint. Even Queen Fu was blocked out of the Deyang Palace. Although Cao Ang did not embarrass the two of them after escorting Concubine Liu Xie and Concubine Dong back to the palace, he even found a royal doctor for Concubine Dong to take care of him. But these actions can't appease the Son of Heaven at all.

These days, as long as Liu Xie closes his eyes, his mind will appear as the young emperor Liu Wei who was killed by Dong Zhuoyu back then. Liu Xie is actually not familiar with Liu Wei, who is not only a few years older than Liu Xie but also fostered outside the palace. But I don't know why, the Liu Wei that Liu Xie saw in his dream was so clear that he was almost within reach.

Could it be that the royal brother is coming to pick me up?

Liu Xie lowered his head and smiled self-deprecatingly, it is impossible for a dead person to come to the yang to meet the living, it will only be a living person to go to the underworld to see the dead. Thinking that he was about to face Cao Cao, Liu Xie felt that his time was running out. Cao Cao is not as murderous as Dong Zhuo, and he is not as tyrannical as Li Dao and Guo Yan, but in Liu Xie's eyes, he is more terrible than any of the above.

Cao Cao will definitely not let me live. He will find other clans to replace me. No, as long as I have an heir, he will replace me with one of my heirs.

Come to think of it. Liu Xie couldn't help but raise his red eyes and looked at the side hall where Concubine Dong was. What was once a warm expectation has now become a talisman for life. Liu Xie seemed to hear the other self in his heart shouting hoarsely, "Don't be born!" Don't be born! ＂

Cao Ang was guarding outside the hall in military uniform, listening to the screams coming from the side hall, and he was also uneasy. After recovering the Son of Heaven that day, Cao Ang immediately blocked the four gates of Xudu, and according to the list given by Lu Hong, he detained all kinds of people involved in the case, along with the families of Dong Cheng, Wang Fu, Chongji, and the three clans. The decisiveness of the means is quite a bit of the style of his father Cao Cao. But only when facing Liu Xie, who is the Son of Heaven, Cao Ang's "decisiveness" became "indecisiveness".

It is true that the escape from the suburbs made Cao Ang realize that the contradiction between the Son of Heaven and the Cao family was irreconcilable. But the three outlines and five constants that have been carved into the bone marrow since he was a child make it difficult for Cao Ang to make disobedient moves. If his father and son of the Cao family neglected the Son of Heaven because of the Son of Heaven's escape, what is the difference between him and Dong Zhuo, Li Dao, Guo Yan, Yuan Shao and other national thieves? So what is he Cao Ang trying to read sage books and practice martial arts all these years? Is it just to become a national thief one day? But another voice in Cao Ang's heart also whispered repeatedly in his ear, the Son of Heaven has hated the Cao family, and once the pro-government is in power, he will definitely settle accounts with the Cao family.

Just as Cao Ang swayed from side to side. Suddenly, I heard the sound of hurried footsteps. So he hurriedly raised his head, and saw Cao Cao, who was wearing a red robe, striding towards this side surrounded by a group of sergeants.

Cao Cao has been working day and night for several days, and at this time he is already a servant, but his eyes are still bright. Facing Cao Ang, who stepped forward to salute but wanted to stop talking, Cao Cao patted him on the shoulder wordlessly. Then he stretched out his hand and pushed open the Zhu Gate of Deyang Palace.

The palaces of the Han Dynasty were mostly paved with floors, and courtiers had to take off their boots before entering the palace. But at this time, Cao Cao didn't care about stepping on the smooth floor of Deyang Hall with his mud-stained combat boots. He stepped forward and saluted Liu Xie. "The minister Cao Cao knocked to see His Majesty. ＂

Liu Xie in the hall lowered his head and didn't move like a mud tire and wood plastic.

So Cao Cao took a step forward and saluted loudly again, "Minister, Cao Cao, knock to see Your Majesty!" ＂

This time, Liu Xie finally had a slight reaction, but when he saw him shake down like chaff, he reluctantly squeezed out a sentence from his throat and said, "Qingqing wants to give me a ride?" ＂

Cao Cao stood still and did not answer Liu Xie. Liu Xie didn't have the courage to ask any more. Only Concubine Dong's howl still lingered in the Deyang Palace. However, just when Liu Xie thought that such a confrontation would continue forever, Concubine Dong's wailing suddenly stopped. Huo Ran, the young emperor who realized what was happening, got up and looked back at the side hall.

After a while, I saw a blood-stained palace maid stumbling into the main hall and saluting Liu Xie, "Your Majesty." Dong Niangniang"

"How is Concubine Dong? What about my prince? Liu Xie said urgently.

"Dong Niangniang and the little prince are also. The palace maid seemed to be crying silently when she said this.

Liu Xie, who heard the bad news, fell on the futon in an instant as if all his strength had been drained. Maybe at some point before, he was afraid of the birth of a child, but at this moment, the ending of the mother and child was still a great blow to Liu Xie.

Cao Cao looked at Liu Xie coldly for a moment, then cleared his throat and bowed to the latter, "The minister has ordered someone to build Yuxiu Tai outside the city of Xudu, and if His Majesty wants to worship in the suburbs in the future, you can go to Yuxiu Tai to worship." ＂

Faced with Cao Cao's recital, it took Liu Xie a while to come back to his senses. Realize that you are not only alive, but can continue to live. Although Cao Cao will definitely put himself under house arrest in the deep palace in the future, what can be more important than surviving. However, when Liu Xie finally mustered up the courage to raise his head to face Cao Cao, Cao Cao had already turned around and left the Deyang Palace.

Cao Ang stood at the door and listened to the conversation in the hall clearly. So when he saw Cao Cao walking out of the Deyang Palace, Cao Ang breathed a sigh of relief with relief. In any case, my father didn't get to the last step he wanted. This also made Cao Ang no longer feel guilty and remorseful for his previous actions of forcibly bringing back the Son of Heaven.

The expression on Cao Cao's face was not as relaxed as Cao Ang's, but seeing him sweep his eyebrows, he summoned in a solemn voice, "General Right listens to the order!" ＂

Cao Ang's expression perked up, and he replied, "Yes." ＂

"The general of the cavalry, Dong Cheng, the captain of the Yue cavalry, Wang Fu, and the captain of Changshui, colluded with Liu Biao of Jingzhou Mu to forcibly kidnap the Son of Heaven with bad intentions. Dong Cheng, Wang Fu, and the three thieves were split to show the public, and the three clans were razed. The rest of the rebels were unforgiving. In just a few words, Cao Cao decided the life and death of thousands of people. It is foreseeable that when the sun rises, the moat of Xudu will be stained red with blood.

Cao Ang did not hesitate to clench his fists and say "Oh", in his opinion, Dong Cheng and others were the culprits who provoked the relationship between the Son of Heaven and his father and forced the Cao family to a dead end. It is not too much to overstate what kind of punishment such traitors and villains accept. What's more, once the war breaks out, there are more than a thousand victims.

Cao Ang's expression made Cao Cao's face, which had been tense, finally ease a little. Cao Ang has always been the heir carefully cultivated by Cao Cao. However, his performance during the year did not satisfy Cao Cao. In particular, Cao Ang not only failed to detect the conspiracy of Dong Cheng and others during his stay in Xudu, but almost let him run away because of his gullibility in Liu Xie. This almost made Cao Cao have the idea of changing the heir for a while. Fortunately, Cao Ang was not carried away by the monarch and his ministers at the last moment, and his methods of dealing with the aftermath were also remarkable.

So Cao Cao, who felt that Cao Ang had grown a lot after this crisis, suddenly had expectations for his eldest son. So much so that Cao Ang's previous mistakes became irrelevant in his eyes. After all, no one has ever been young, even his old Cao has also been old enough to kill the uncle of the eunuch Jianshuo in a street battle. Thinking of this, Cao Cao stood with his hands in his hands, changed his tone and asked Cao Ang, "Zixiu, do you know why my father let go of the Son of Heaven!" ＂

Cao Cao's cold questioning made Cao Anglen stunned on the spot. If it had been in the past, he would have answered a righteous and stern reply with a loyal and patriotic statement. It's a pity that he is no longer so naïve now, thinking that what his father did was just to revive the Han family. So Cao Ang finally chose to remain silent.

Cao Ang's silence this time did not make Cao Cao angry. On the contrary, Cao Cao looked at the morning light in the distance quite complacently, and asked himself, "For my father, I want to let the Cao family's bloodline and the Han family dissolve!" ”

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Note: Cao Cao's killing of Concubine Dong is from "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", and the historical data "Later Han Shu Xiandi Ji" only says: In the first month of the spring of the fifth year, the general Dong Cheng, the general Wang Fu, and the captain of the Yue cavalry were punished by Cao Cao, and the matter was leaked. In the afternoon, Cao Cao killed Dong Cheng and others, and Yi three clans.

However, Cao Cao also has a record of killing Liu Xie's wife and children, "Later Han Shu Emperor Ji": November Ding Mao, Cao Cao killed the queen Fu clan, and destroyed his clan and the second prince. (To be continued......)