On the thirteenth day of July, Tao Ying, who had been away from Pengcheng for more than three months, led thirty light horsemen back to Pengcheng. Tao Ying decided to come back suddenly this time, without informing anyone in advance, including Tao Qian, he did not make a sound, and temporarily handed over the Junzi Army to his cousin Tao Ji, set off from Wuxian in the early morning, and arrived in Pengcheng just after Shen Shi in the afternoon.

Tao Ying didn't come back, Tao Ying received the news, on the 11th day of July, Xu Fang, who governed the country, took advantage of the opportunity of Xuzhou's hundred officials to gather to assassinate the Shifu, and suddenly proposed to Tao Qian the matter of establishing a successor, suggesting that Tao Qian, who was over sixty years old and frail and sickly, should establish an heir as soon as possible, and directly suggested that Tao Qian should establish his eldest son Tao Shang as his heir. Although Xu Fang was unknown in the history of the Three Kingdoms, Xuzhou was famous in the era of Tao Qian, and he was called Xuzhou Erjun with Zhao Yu, who had been killed Guangling Taishou, and his reputation in Xuzhou Shilin even far exceeded that of Wang Lang and Zhang Zhao, who were also from Xuzhou, of course, also surpassed Zhuge Zhengtai, so after Xu Fang took the lead, he immediately won countless responses among Xuzhou officials, and some civil and military officials echoed their words and incited Tao Qian to establish Tao Shang as his heir.

The hot face of the Xuzhou officials led by Xu Fang was pasted on the cold buttocks, as the so-called Zhizi Mo Ruo's father, no one knows better than Tao Qian the virtue of the eldest son Tao Shang, and no one knows better than Tao Qian the consequences of passing Xuzhou to the Tao Shang, so Tao Qian almost without thinking about rejecting the request of Xu Fang and others. But Tao Qian made another mistake at this time, that is, Tao Qian did not categorically announce that he would not consider Liyan for the time being, but mentioned Tao Ying's name, and asked Xuzhou officials to compare the length of Tao Shang and Tao Ying - of course, this does not rule out that Tao Qian felt that he should really consider the issue of Liyan, so he took out the two sons to compare.

Tao Qian mentioned Tao Ying's name, and the result was naturally in the arms of Mi Zhu and Mi Fang brothers, the two brothers took the lead in firing the cannon, and counted the various cups brought by the abolition of Chang Liyu in the past dynasties, and resolutely opposed Tao Qian to make the choice of coffee table, and asked Tao Qian not to hesitate to wait and see, and should immediately establish Tao Shang as his successor, so as to inherit the position of Xuzhou Shepherd in the future. Xu Fang also led a large group of corrupt Confucian gangs, resolutely opposed Tao Qian's abolition of the long and young, and encouraged Tao Qian to immediately establish a pottery merchant, and refuted Tao Qian, who was not upright and strong, speechless.

To the disappointment and surprise of the Mizhu brothers and others, when they saw a glimmer of light in their plans, Tao Qian's eldest son, Tao Shang, who did not hold any official position, received the news and went straight to the hall of the Assassin's Mansion, which showed that he had no intention of succeeding to the throne, and also asked Tao Qian to establish Tao Ying, who had made great contributions to Xuzhou, and let Tao Ying succeed to the throne in the future, and he was willing to be an accomplice and lackey for his younger brother as an elder brother. Then after being resolutely opposed by the civil and military officials in Xuzhou led by the Mizhu brothers, Tao Ying's good brother Tao Shang actually wanted to draw his sword and kill himself, showing that he had no intention of taking the heir, Tao Qian took the opportunity to drink the pottery merchant and the hundred officials of Xuzhou, and decided not to consider the matter of establishing a successor for the time being, which temporarily calmed down a turmoil in the establishment of a successor. And after receiving such news, Tao Ying naturally had to rush back to Xuzhou.

Hurriedly entered Xuzhou City, and hurriedly returned to his home, Tao Ying bumped into Cao Hong, the number one confidant next to Tao Qian, as soon as he entered the door. Seeing Tao Ying suddenly appear, Cao Hong, who had not received any news beforehand, was of course taken aback, and hurriedly stepped forward to salute: "The last general Cao Hong, I have seen the son, when the son returned to Xuzhou, why did the last general know nothing?" ”

"I just arrived, and I came back in a bit of a hurry, and I didn't have time to report to my father, so the general didn't know." Tao Ying replied very succinctly, and then asked, "General Cao, where are my father and my brother now?" I want to see them? ”

"The lord is just recuperating in the back room, and the son can see him when he goes." Cao Hong also replied quickly, and then Cao Hong's expression hesitated, and then lowered his voice and said: "As for the eldest son, the second son, you are afraid that you will not be able to see him for a while and a half - the eldest prince was invited to the mansion for a banquet by Brother Mi Beijia, at least he will not be able to come back until it is completely dark." ”

"Shirtless? I can't wait. Tao Ying snorted coldly and bowed his hand to Cao Hong: "Thank you for the general's guidance, then Tao Ying will go to visit his father first, and then visit the general in the evening." ”

"Childe walks slowly." Cao Hong returned the salute, but Tao Ying did not leave immediately, but asked the soldiers to bring a small package, held it in front of Cao Hong, Tao Qian's close confidant and the boss of the Danyang soldiers, and said with a smile: "General Cao, I almost forgot, this is a little local product that Tao Ying brought to you from Wuxian, please try it." ”

"Childe is too polite, Cao Hong is no one, then dare to let Childe bring gifts." Cao Hong pretended to push, but Tao Ying forced the package into Cao Hong's hand, and the small package was started, Cao Hong's hand fell down involuntarily, Cao Hong's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly whispered: "Childe, Cao Hong doesn't dare to be." ”

"General Cao doesn't have to be polite, Tao Ying is not by his father's side, and his father is old and sick, so he relies on the general and his brother to take care of him at any time, this is Tao Ying's gratitude to the general for his father." Tao Ying's mouth was like smeared with honey, and he whispered: "General, please rest assured, the gift inside was copied by Tao Ying in the nest of the bandits, and it is clean." ”

"Worried about the bandits?!" Cao Hong was taken aback and blurted out: "Childe, is it your ...... to worry about that bandit?" ”

"General Cao said with a smile, he is more than a hundred miles away from Wu County, and it is in Xiapi County, so Tao Ying's ability to eradicate it?" Tao Ying said with a smile: "Speaking of which, Tao Ying is also trying to ask General Cao about whether the bandits in the county all died overnight, is it the masterpiece of General Xiapi Xu?" If so, General Xu is too remarkable, the three or four hundred bandits were wiped out in one night, and none of them could escape. ”

Although Cao Hong is known for being a slanderous villain in Xuzhou, he is definitely not stupid, and after hearing Tao Ying's words, he pondered for a while, and quickly replied with understanding: "Gongzi guessed correctly, it is the masterpiece of General Xu Tan, and Cao Hong has just found out about this matter, and he is planning to report to the lord and ask the lord to order a reward for General Xu Tan." ”

"Sure enough, it's General Xu, Tao Ying really didn't guess wrong." Tao Ying smiled happily, and then said goodbye to Cao Hong. But after taking two steps to the backyard, Tao Ying's heart moved again, and he felt that he had to test his cheap big brother, so he turned to Cao Hong and said: "General Cao, can you please send someone to Beijiafu in a while, inform Tao Ying's brother, and say that Tao Ying has returned." ”

Cao Hong rolled his eyes with the heavy small package, and quickly nodded and replied: "Second son, don't worry, the last general will arrange someone to go to the other mansion in a while, so that the eldest son will know the news that the second son has returned." ”

All the way into the back room where Tao Qian was, Tao Ying saw Tao Qian sitting next to the bookcase at first sight, looking at the mountains of bamboo slips, Tao Ying did not dare to slack off, and quickly trotted to the bookcase and knelt down on his knees, and saluted: "Child Tao Ying, please see your father, I haven't seen you for more than a hundred days, is my father safe?" ”

"Ying'er, are you back?" Seeing the second son suddenly appear, Tao Qian was startled at first, and then quickly stood up, clasped Tao Ying with both hands, and asked happily: "When will my son return to Pengcheng?" Why don't you send a word to your father, and your father and your brother go out of the city to meet you? ”

"The child missed his father and temporarily decided to return to Pengcheng to visit his father, so he didn't have time to pay tribute to his father." Tao Ying casually talked about Tao Qian's recent situation while carefully looking at Tao Qian's recent situation, and what made Tao Ying relieved was that after more than three months of not seeing him, Tao Qian's condition had improved significantly, his asthma and cough had decreased significantly, his face was a little more rosy, and his spirit was much stronger - it can be judged that this cheap father should not kick his feet and pull his hind legs in a short time.

When Tao Ying looked at Tao Qian, of course Tao Qian was also looking at his son who had not seen him, respectively, Tao Ying was obviously black and thin, but his body looked much stronger, and he no longer had the feeling of being a boy with more flesh and less bones, and at the same time, Tao Qian also carefully found that his youngest son's palms had a thick layer of calluses, which shows that this son must have regarded himself as a recruit during the training in Wuxian County to accompany the soldiers of the Junzi Army to train together, and at the same time take into account military affairs and Wuxian government affairs. Its hardship and complexity are by no means unimaginable to outsiders.

"Good, good, good." Satisfied, Tao Qian patted Tao Ying's shoulder again and again to praise, and said with a smile: "Wu'er, in fact, my father also thinks that you should come back, but I didn't expect you to come back so quickly, it seems that Wu'er is also very well-informed." Good, good. ”

Tao Ying blushed a little, and Tian shamelessly explained: "Father misunderstood, in fact, there was no such thing, and the child had already planned to come back to visit his father, but he was too busy with military affairs and politics to spare time." ”

"It's okay, my father's health is much better now, and I don't need to worry too much." Tao Ying smiled kindly, too lazy to expose the hypocrisy of his biological son, and smiled again: "Besides, doesn't Wu'er often write to inquire about his father's condition?" Just have this heart, and being a father is already very satisfied. ”

Saying that, Tao Qian pressed Tao Ying to the other side of the bookcase and sat down, and then Tao Qian himself sat down in front of Tao Ying, smiled and asked Tao Ying straight to the point: "My son is in a hurry to return, but for the sake of the former Xuzhou hundred officials to ask for the heir of his father?" ”

"The child does not dare to deceive his father, for the child has come." Tao Ying didn't need to pretend to be stupid in front of Tao Qian, so he nodded and admitted directly.

"Then what are my plans?" Tao Qian smiled and asked, "If my father makes Brother Ru his heir at the request of a hundred officials, does my son agree or oppose it?" ”

"The child is against it." Tao Ying's direct opposition surprised Tao Qian and was also a little dissatisfied, but fortunately Tao Ying added: "Father, the child is by no means opposed to the father's heir in order to compete with his brother for the throne, the child just thinks that if the father establishes an heir, then whether the father establishes the elder brother as the heir or the child as the heir, he must be annihilated by the big ear thief." ”

"Zhongliu Xuande's annihilation plan?" Tao Qian's silver eyebrows raised, and he said, "If I have something to say, just say it." ”

"Then the boy had the audacity to state it." Tao Ying didn't know if Tao Qian had seen through Liu Bei's tricks, so he said slowly as carefully as possible: "According to the child's opinion, the hundred officials of Xuzhou asked his father to set up an heir, and the background must be from the big-eared thief's instructions, and once the father announces the heir, then no matter whether the father chooses his brother or chooses the child, he will be in the arms of the big-eared thief, providing an opportunity for the big-eared thief to encroach on Xuzhou." Father, I wonder if you are aware of this? ”

Tao Qian remained silent and said, "My son can talk about it in detail, and there is no need to ask for his father's opinion. ”

"The child obeys." Tao Ying was even more cautious, and said: "The child thinks that if the father establishes his brother as his heir, then the big-eared thief will definitely try his best to win over his brother, first corrupt with wine-colored wealth, flattery and flattery, and try his best to please his brother and gain the trust of his brother, and then provoke the brotherhood between the brother and the child, instigating the brother and the child to kill each other, and the big-eared thief will take the opportunity to reap the benefits." ”

"At that time, if the child can't hold his breath, is greedy for his father's position as the state pastor, and does a great rebellion, then the big-eared thief will immediately become famous, kill the child by force, weaken the power of our Tao family, and it will be easy for the big-eared thief to seize Xuzhou again. As long as the big-eared thief controls his brother, he can use the name of the elder brother to deprive the child of his military power, and then exile the child to a poor country, away from the Xuzhou cardinal. Even directly killing, forever getting rid of future troubles, and then blaming the elder brother, and then taking the city in the name of revenge for the child, for the big-eared thief, it is also a quick plan to seize Xuzhou. ”

Tao Qian smiled and asked, "Wu'er, is your brother really so easy to be controlled and indulged by others?" ”

Tao Ying also smiled and replied in a low voice: "Father, the child secretly thinks that if the father was not worried about this matter, I am afraid that he would have established his brother as his heir a long time ago." ”

Tao Qian smiled again and said, "Go on, if you are appointed as the heir for your father, how will Liu Xuande take the opportunity to make profits?" ”

"If the father makes the child his heir, then it will be more beneficial to the big-eared thief." Tao Ying said with a smile: "First of all, the Mizhu brothers have said that since ancient times, it is the way to take trouble by abolishing the long and young, and pulling a large group of rotten Confucian sour people to oppose it every day, and never stop if Xuzhou is not disturbed and smoky. The big-eared thief also took the opportunity to get closer to his brother, and it was best to instigate his brother to seize the heir by force, if not, when the sky fell apart in Xuzhou, the big-eared thief also had a God-given opportunity to fish in troubled waters. ”

Tao Qian leaned against the wall, leaning on his body and calculating, after a long time, Tao Qian suddenly smiled, and smiled at Tao Ying: "People say that knowing the son is more and more like the father, Ying'er, you are really more and more incomprehensible to the father, so scheming, the father is a little embarrassed." ”

"The father has won the award, and the child is also living the belly of a gentleman with the heart of a villain." Tao Ying said modestly: "The child is still worried, maybe the child misunderstood Xuande Gong, Xuande Gong actually has no such plans." ”

"Whether Xuande Gong has these plans or not, I don't know if my father does." Tao Qian shook his head, smiled again and said: "But Wu'er, maybe you really misunderstood Xuande Gong, Xuande Gong is a sincere gentleman, this kind of trick may come from the hands of the Mi Zhu brothers." ”

"It's not that the children are underestimating Mi Zhu and Mi Fang, they can't come up with such a trick." Tao Ying replied respectfully: "To come up with such a divisive poisonous plan to fish in troubled waters, there is no second person in Xuzhou except for Xuande Gong." ”

"Maybe not, right?" Tao Qian said with a smile: "Wu'er can see through this plan at a glance from a hundred miles away, can't Wu'er use such a clever plan?" ”

Tao Yingleng was stunned, lowered his head a little shyly, and said: "The child is just a bystander, and he is lucky to see through this plan, if he really wants to arrange such a poisonous plan with his own hands, it is really difficult for the child to do it." ”

Tao Qian smiled again, feeling more and more that this son was too much like himself, and then Tao Qian asked again: "Ying'er, now that my father chooses to postpone the establishment of an heir, he will neither express his intention to make your brother an heir, nor announce that he will make you an heir, does Xuande Gong still have a plan to deal with it?" ”

"Absolutely." Tao Ying smiled lightly: "And it's already started, my father won't know it, Brother Mizhu has already invited his brother to the banquet?" I believe that in a few days, someone should mention the matter of establishing a heir in front of his father, and maybe there will be people spreading rumors in Xuzhou City, in short, if this topic is not stirred up, Xuande Gong will not stop. ”

"It's the same as the analysis for the father." Tao Qian nodded, and sighed again: "It's a pity, Ying'er, why are you the second son of your father?" ”

"The father should not be sorry, thanks to the fact that the child is only the father's second son, otherwise things may be more troublesome." Tao Ying replied respectfully: "Some people can't see the opportunity to fish in troubled waters, and it is difficult to guarantee that they will not have the intention of taking it by force, and my Xuzhou army is now greatly injured, and there are countless hidden dangers inside, and it is difficult to compete against the opponent head-on." ”

"It's gratifying for my father that you can see that." Tao Qian patted Tao Ying on the shoulder with satisfaction, and said: "But my son can rest assured, Xuzhou is still in the hands of his father, and Xuzhou Liyan is even more for his father's family affairs. ”

"The father misunderstood the child again." Tao Ying smiled and said: "The child returned to Xuzhou in a hurry this time, not to persuade his father not to establish an heir for the time being, and to leave a chance for the child himself. The child came back this time to solve his father's problems - the child has a plan, which can make Xuande Gong's trick fail, and the hundred officials in Xuzhou keep their mouths shut, and then use their own way to govern themselves, so that Xuande Gong and his close allies have suspicions and mutual suspicions. ”

"And such a clever plan?" Tao Qian's eyes lit up, and he said happily: "What a clever plan Wu'er is, let's talk about it quickly." ”

"The child's plan is actually very simple." Tao Ying smiled at Tao Qian: "First of all, the child asks his father to choose an heir. ”