I stared at this somewhat sad hero in the scene, and found that he was moved to tears, and his body was trembling as he looked around us. He was really moved! I suddenly felt that he was not as complacent as he showed when he came in. Looking at this scene, he seemed to be very wronged. I felt that Brother Meng De and we really had the same fate. Thinking about the trip to Luoyang next spring, I naturally felt a different kind of soulmate with him.
All those who understood the meaning of this moment continued to clap their hands to the improvisation that had ended. Cao Cao looked around and bowed deeply. The Xiahou brothers also stood up and bowed to us like their elder brother. Everyone returned the greeting without any prior agreement. Those who did not understand were also influenced and stood up to greet us.
But Brother Meng De left again soon, without saying anything to us. I asked him why he had to leave so soon, and he said that he had a lot of things to do in his lordship and couldn't spare the time. But this was a lifelong matter, and he couldn't rush my sister. So he came in person to propose, but he had to rush back that night.
Seeing Cao Cao coming and going in a hurry, I felt happy. If he could do this, there would be nothing wrong if my sister married him. My sister would be happy. But Cao Cao's situation was a little delicate, which made me feel vaguely uneasy. I just couldn't grasp the key to it.
After Cao Cao left, the atmosphere was still quite warm, but I always felt that something was missing, or that Cao Cao had taken something away. Not long after, many people left. At this time, Zi Yu, who should have left long ago, did not leave. He obviously sensed something; Li Zhen also asked his family and Zhou Yu to leave first and stayed. Guan Lu looked at me for at least half a moment, and I apologized to him for half a moment. I could only thank him for his kindness. It was because Zi Rui was too busy that there was nothing he could do. However, he was not interested in listening to my apology. He just told me to take care of myself in the end. I must grasp everything in the next year and ask the elders for everything. Finally, he sighed and left my house. I had to apologize to the five newcomers because I originally invited them to dinner, but it ended in a bad mood, so I couldn't help but treat them a little bit. They thanked me very gratefully, and I was too worried. It seems that they also understand the mystery here. It's a bit hard for them. Being with us, they are destined to become unknown ministers and unjust people under the princes. I also thought about myself. I felt that my thoughts were a bit strange, but I didn’t know why I didn’t care.
In this way, the three teachers and brothers and the three of us students stayed together in the original hall. It was not suitable or helpful for the others to stay to discuss the matter. I did plan to keep some others, but the fewer the three elders, the better, so I did not insist.
The empty hall seemed much quieter. The lights, blown by the wind from the half-open window, strangely depicted the changing shadows of the crowd, and I just kept looking at my own shadow, thinking about things. Just like my shadow, if I leave this world now, then the evaluation of me in the future may be as unpredictable as this shadow. Although it is just my reflection, I cannot control where my shadow will bend and drift in this windy place. I can only know that it is a changing cloud of doubt connected to me.
"I don't think anyone will ask me why Cao Mengde came here all of a sudden?" The teacher asked us after a long sigh. No one responded to him. I think we are not fools.
"There are two garrison camps in the north and south of Gaoling. As the Lieutenant General of the Tiger Guards, he is responsible for the security inspection of the western part of Sili. If there is an emergency, these troops can quickly respond to the imperial edict and come to him to join his command and set off as soon as possible. Similarly, if He Jin is worried about Cao Cao and is a rebel, these troops can also quickly respond to the imperial edict to flatten Gaoling and behead him as soon as possible. Gaoling is long and narrow from east to west, and there is no place to live. In this situation, he is in great danger. It is natural for him to come to seek allies. Even if we ignore him at this moment, no matter what our reaction is, He Jin will think that we have something to do with him. In short, he really needs to come." Master's typical thinking of a general in the army is simple and convincing. It makes me even more worried about my sister's future.
"He didn't trust us at first, but this is a good idea. It's just that a hero like him who is so talented, elegant, and generous has to do such a thing to ruin the mood. I think he is very reluctant in his heart, but he has to seek allies, right? I thought Cao Cao was regarded as a confidant by He Jin, otherwise why was Cao Cao the only one who was given a title of nobility, and the others were just commendations. But from tonight, it seems that he is also suppressed by others, and he is very depressed."
"From this, if I'm not mistaken, He Jin also trusted him at first and thought he could be used for his own purposes, but now he either believed someone's words or he thought something was wrong and thought we were in the same group. After all, he was recommended by Zisheng Zishe, and now Sister Zirui is going to marry him, so it's natural that He Jin is very suspicious of him. Cao Cao doesn't know what we are thinking, so he used the excuse of being drunk to write this poem that has nothing to do with the banquet and is even a bit depressing, to test our reaction, but now he should be satisfied. Zirui, you think very highly of Cao Mengde."
"In Luoyang, he is the only one who can be considered a true hero. It may be that I have met too few people, but none of my brothers can compare to him."
"At least he can help us share He Jin's thoughts, which is a good thing."
"I think this matter may not have much to do with us, but Brother Mengde is still worth helping. I just came back and know very little, so I can only infer the result from what I know. Have you ever thought about this? After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Sili had so many military camps and so many generals stationed in various passes and important towns. Why did they send a captain to protect the north gate of Luoyang, and only gave him 5,000 soldiers and horses? He Jin had no intention of sending anyone to stop Zhang Yan, Lu Zhi and Gongsun Zan from fighting desperately. He just received an emergency document submitted by them, and if he didn't send it, he would just find someone to die. If he won, he could attribute the great achievement to himself. If he lost, Cao Mengde... Even Zisheng and Zishe would be implicated. Zisheng and Zishe probably understood that they must have seen that Cao Cao's talents were indeed competent and could distract He Jin from the affairs of Jingzhou."
"Zi Rui has all the reasons. I have thought about them with all of us, but there are still many doubts compared to what he did. Maybe we can't think clearly because we know too many things. But you know the most doubtful points, and your reasoning is very convincing. You may be the right answer to discard the dross and retain the truth."
"I have thought about this, and so should the teacher. But there are still some things that don't make sense. Why was Cao Cao given a title of nobility? He Jin should have some reservations, after all, he was recommended by Zisheng Zishe. What is your opinion, Zishi?"
"Could it be related to the eunuchs? Cao Cao's father's original surname was Xiahou, but he was adopted by Zhongchangshi Cao Teng and changed his surname to Cao."
"No, Cao Cao is a straight-forward person. He is not afraid of the powerful and never buys into these eunuchs' accounts. Zhang Rang's relative was almost beaten to death by him in front of me. In the past, there was also a man called Jian Shu who was also a member of the eunuch party. He did a lot of evil and was beaten to death by him. It is impossible for the eunuchs to have any face with him."
"After He Jin killed one of the Ten Eunuchs on the spot, the eunuchs have become weaker and he urgently needs some people to help him in the court and hold up the situation. Therefore, it is very likely that he will help to nominate someone, and then conspire with Cao Cao to discuss the interests and interests and fight against He Jin."
"It could also be the scholar-officials' gang. Brother Cao would never be with those people. He is so proud and arrogant, how could he conspire with these filthy eunuchs for his future."
"Since the Yellow Turbans, most of the scholars and officials have been attached to He Jin. We, the princes, are the most dangerous to them. They mostly want to weaken our strength, and they won't be too worried about He Jin's arrogance for the time being. After all, He Jin is mostly against us and the eunuchs, and is still polite to the scholars and officials. You think our military advisor is still in Luoyang, but in fact I was thinking of showing weakness at the time, saying that I would send my advisers to them as hostages. And when you married your daughter, you just thought that those people wanted to rely on us for shade, right? You always think people are simple. In fact, those people who are in the court all day long are not as simple as you think. When they and I met in the early years, there were few To be honest, at that time they thought I was just a sour scholar with something in my stomach and was stupid, so they recruited me to Jingzhou to conquer Zhang Mancheng. Later, they found me a bit difficult, so they left me this two-pronged strategy. First, use my marriage to retain my counselors and cut off my arms and legs. If something happens, they will definitely regard themselves as meritorious officials. When it comes to righteousness, I am afraid no one will be soft-hearted; second, it is just as you said. If it were not for Zisheng’s steadiness and Zishe’s cleverness, and we had a large number of troops, we, the teacher and the student, would probably meet in the underworld. Zirui, don’t be ashamed. If it weren’t for your advice in the Yellow Turban Army, how could I have collected more than 200,000 elite soldiers of the Yellow Turban Army? If it weren’t for your plan to trap Dong with Shu, how could we not be injured. "
My face was a little red and hot, and my heart was a little confused. I felt that this place was too complicated and I couldn't stand it. I felt that this place was too disgusting. I felt like vomiting just thinking about it. Maybe I am not suitable to stay in this kind of place. Suddenly I thought that Cao Cao's last words to me were just some polite words, and my heart sank. I felt that my sister's future was uncertain.
"This year when you were away, there was a flood in the south of the Yangtze River, Dong Zhuo was imprisoned in the northwest, Ding Yuan was seriously injured, and Zhang Yan's Black Mountain bandits rose up. For the scholars and officials in the court, this was a great opportunity from heaven. How could they let the court army help the people of Youzhou?"
"Aren't Zishe and Zisheng too pitiful?" I asked a little stiffly. I felt that they were just poor creatures being used by politics.
"No, no, Zirui, you have to think it over. How could the teacher harm you? Wang Yun is an exception among this group of people. Although Tian Kai is the Grand Tutor, he is actually a rough man from the army and doesn't know much about these things. When I consider these things for you, of course I will consider your future. After all, it is a matter of a lifetime."
I felt somewhat relieved and much better. But then I thought of what Master had mentioned: "Is my absence a good thing for them?"
"Of course, I just talked to you about this. If it weren't for your suggestion in the Yellow Turban Army, we wouldn't have been able to gather more than 200,000 elite soldiers from the Yellow Turban Army. If it weren't for your plan to trap Dong with Shu, we would have been seriously injured. They are quite wary of you, a person whose origins and details are unknown, but who has repeatedly come up with surprising ideas, so they sent you a father to discipline you. But Shen Gongwang is really a very good prince. He is usually not taken seriously, but this time he happens to be from the same clan as you, so his luck has changed. This person is loyal and everyone knows that he would rather be unjustly killed than have any other thoughts. It's just that he is too straightforward and honest. He sticks to one path to the end and has no room for turning. He also has a bad temper. Few people who work with him have not been scolded by him. But when it comes to this matter, he would never be reused. Hmm?... Zirui, don't you understand what effect your actions have played?" The teacher must be very dissatisfied with me, so I lowered my head and dared not answer.
"This officialdom is extraordinary. There are no permanent friends or enemies. You need to be careful in the future."
"What a discussion. After hearing what you said, I would not be the emperor even if you gave me the position." A voice suddenly came from outside the door.
"Brother Zijiang, you should be sent to Luoyang and let He Jin kill you." The teacher didn't move, but smiled and expressed his dissatisfaction with someone eavesdropping.
I was definitely the most excited one among them. I immediately stood up and rushed to open the door. I tripped over my hem and almost fell. But I still stood still and rushed to open the door. The old men who should be outside the door were all there, but there was one young man. I remembered this person very clearly. I was actually overjoyed at the moment: "Brother Xuelin, you are here. Is your brother here?"
"My brother needed to assist Lord Yuan, so he kicked me out." He said helplessly and somewhat sadly, but there was a hint of pride between his brows: "But he asked me to send his regards to Marquis Ping An Feng Yun and say take care."
At that time, I wanted to bow deeply to the north to express my gratitude for our friendship; but it was such a pity that Brother Yuanhao could not come to Jingzhou, and I couldn't help but sigh with regret.
"Dingguo, I brought someone for you. Tian Yuanhao refused to come, so he forced his brothers to come and join you." Xu Zijiang was obviously not used to me expressing my feelings at the door, so he reminded me in a roundabout way.
I quickly welcomed everyone in, and first recommended Tian Jian to the teacher with them. The teacher then asked him to rest early, fill the vacancy of the clerk tomorrow, and then make plans after he returns to the court after the New Year.
Everything was settled, only Xu Zijiang was still talking, "Fortunately the gatekeeper knew us and let us in without notifying us, otherwise we wouldn't have heard your long conversation, what a pity. Dingguo, Zirui, this honest boy, is about to be instigated by you to become a cunning and sinister official."
But my mind was not on anyone else, I was looking directly at Zuo Ci.
"Can I tell you my identity now? Zirui has been waiting for you for a long time." I bowed sincerely. Everyone was a little stunned. It seemed that they didn't know yet. I thought that these people from the secluded world had never known. I hurried to explain. They obviously couldn't describe their emotions with interest. Instead, they were looking forward to Zuo Ci's revelation. Although he killed my first wife that night, I had long understood that he would definitely tell me everything about my beginning.
"I have been waiting for you in Xiangyang for a long time. There is really no other way. There is nothing I can do here, so I have to go out to look for my old friend." Zuo Ci was also very unhappy. I had to apologize that there were too many things in the south, and it was my fault that I delayed his practice.
"Okay, let's not talk about it. But you have to do one thing first. Back then, I asked six people to form the Southern Dipper Formation to seal the deal, and today I need eight people to form the Northern Dipper Formation to break it. In addition to me, find eight people you can trust to set up the formation, right?"
“Haha… haha.” As soon as he finished speaking, I burst out laughing. Could it be that everything today was done just to solve my mystery? There are exactly eight people here except Zuo Ci and I.
"Why is Zirui so happy? Oh, it's such a coincidence. It seems that today is the day to crack the code, but Sima can't come. But it's unnecessary and can't be delayed. The cracking date must be in the same month as your birthday, and the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month belongs to fire. Today is the last fire day of this year. Otherwise, you have to wait another year, and I also have to wait another year. Today is such a coincidence." Zuo Ci suddenly became very excited. It seems that he also felt that the 18 years of waiting finally had a result and he could unload the burden that had been on him for too long. I was more grateful. If it was really delayed for a year, it would really be too uncomfortable.
"Please ask the teacher, master, third uncle, Uncle Yu, and Uncle Xu to sit in the positions of Tianshu, Tianxuan, Tianji, Tianquan, and Yuheng in turn. Brothers Ziyu and Zishi will sit in the positions of Kaiyang and Yaoguang. Xuelin, you will sit in the position of Beichen. Each of the Beidou will take two steps, and Beichen will be ten steps away from Tianshu." I pointed out the positions of each star directly and asked everyone to sit down. Xuelin was a little reluctant. It was inappropriate for him to listen to my life secrets when he came here. So I pulled him to sit in the Beichen position and told him not to worry, I trusted him. In fact, no matter who came at this time, I would trust him without reservation. In fact, I just wanted to know the secret of my life experience, and I couldn't think of anything to be afraid of. And he is worthy of trust just because he is Tian Yuanhao's younger brother.
"Zirui can actually give the position of the Big Dipper and the North Star so accurately?" Zuo Ci was somewhat pleasantly surprised and astonished at my familiarity with the star positions.
"My eldest brother is not good at other things, so how can these all kinds of things stump him? Zirui is my eldest brother's disciple, how can this stump him?" The third uncle said in a flattering tone, exchanging glances with the master with a strange smile on his face.
After a moment of refusal and movement, Xuelin finally sat down quietly in the south-west of the house, with the handle of the dipper pointing north and the spoon convex to the west, which was exactly the same as the scene in the sky today. Zuo Ci asked me to sit in the middle of the formation, lit the incense burner, and waited until everything was settled before he slowly told me.
"The six stars of the Southern Dipper are in charge of life. On the thirteenth day of the twelfth lunar month in the second year of Jianning, I and others offered sacrifices to the Southern Dipper formation. It started in the chaos and made this oath. The seven stars of the Northern Dipper are in charge of death. Today is the second year of Zhongping. I, Zirui and ten other people offered sacrifices to the Northern Dipper formation. Finally, I stayed out of the matter and broke this oath."
He paused for a moment, then finally continued, "Zi Rui, listen carefully!"
To be honest, I was not very excited or agitated at that time. I was afraid that the eagerness and excitement of my waiting had been completely worn away in the past few months.
He also paused for a moment, then continued slowly and clearly: "Your surname is not Xie! Your surname should be Fan. You are the son of Fan Pang and Fan Mengbo."
The people in all the star positions made sounds of shock and surprise, but I didn’t know what to feel. I was a little dull and said stiffly, "Go on." My scalp felt numb and I didn’t know what to do.
"I and another person were witnesses at that time. Lord Meng Bo, your grandmother, the county magistrate Guo Yi, you and your wife were present. You and your wife were both still young, so you were placed in the center of the formation."
Then he handed me a letter and asked me to read it. It said on the cover that it was for me to open when I grew up, and the person who wrote the letter was my father, whom I had never met.
"Zi Rui, my son, this letter is like a father to me. I just got my youngest son, you, now you are already thirty-three years old. You are ignorant of worldly affairs, but your father will be gone forever. I will not be able to teach you under the lamp and raise you into an adult. I feel uneasy about this." I can fully feel the scene when this letter was written, because the words were trembling at the beginning but the rhythm was very long. I could even feel an excited father talking to his child whom he had not seen for a long time. But the handwriting suddenly became sloppy below, like a galloping horse running wild, like a series of urgent orders: "Time is urgent, no more words are allowed. Mr. Guo has a daughter who is four years older than you. If you can grow up to be eighteen years old and this girl is not married yet, marry her immediately and live with her until the end of your life. Your father was punished by his party and your family suffered. I had no choice but to entrust you to two wise men from outside the world to adopt you. If you can live in heaven and earth for eighteen years, you should thank the world. From now on, your surname is Xie, and forever..." There was nothing below. I couldn't see anything after turning over and over, but this was indeed enough.
Unconsciously, I had stood up and walked away slowly. I felt like I was in the wild, letting the wind blow through me. Suddenly, I felt a refreshing feeling that went straight up through my whole body.
Everything that happened to me when I first came to this world was like this, and this moment determined my life. My father was one of the most famous party members during the Party Imprisonment. I closed my eyes and focused for a moment, trying to feel the feeling of knowing my biological father, but I felt nothing, a little confused. But when I opened my eyes and took another look at the letter, I was so scared that I sat down again.
I stood up blankly, looked around, sorted out all the entanglements in my heart, and muttered to myself: "I almost married my wife off."
My wife has been by my side for so many years, and she is the one I have called sister for eighteen years. How can I face this
My wife made me live happily until I was 18 years old. Maybe it was because of this, and because I had never seen my parents, that my parents' feelings towards me were so weak. My father was indeed worthy of my pride as his son. However, now I am more worried about my first wife who is still nowhere to be found.
"Zi Rui, are you okay?"
"I'm fine." I knew I was deceiving myself, and my mind was no longer in the right place. But they still found a way to bring my thoughts back, and I wanted to listen to Zuo Ci's detailed explanation. Only then could I temporarily put aside all my worries and listen attentively.
His father, Fan Pang, was a Qiang from Runan, with the courtesy name Mengbo. He was decisive and honest from a young age. The whole of Yuzhou knew his name and admired his deeds. Later, his father was selected as a filial and honest official and was appointed as the Qingzhao Envoy. He personally handled every case. Once, after he cracked a case of corrupt officials embezzling the treasury silver, he got on the car and shouted loudly, expressing his ambition to clear up the world. After that, if the officials in the prefectures and counties he visited had something corrupt, he would often resign and leave his post and escape, and his reputation was greatly boosted.
I also learned that my father is like me. This sentence is not very good. I think my father and I are both straightforward. But he is more thorough. If he encounters a situation where he cannot punish the evildoers, he will immediately resign without any regrets. If you think about the officials in my dynasty, you will know that what my father often did was to resign. Just for this reason, I feel that my father and I have become much closer.
My father was once appointed by the Grand Commandant Huang Qiong. As a result, he impeached a group of corrupt officials as soon as he took office, including more than 20 high-ranking officials at the level of provincial governors with an annual salary of more than 2,000 stones. The Shangshu blamed him for impeaching too many officials and thought he had a revengeful heart. His crimes were extremely serious. In fact, if he really wanted to impeach those corrupt officials, a roll of bamboo slips would not be enough; because the matter was urgent, he had to eliminate these ringleaders first, and then slowly investigate the others later. "If I say anything wrong, I am willing to be publicly executed." (Author's note: From "Biographies of Party Prisoners in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty", slightly modified)
When the Party Imprisonment Movement began, my father was falsely accused of being a party member and was thrown into prison. In fact, our teacher had already told us that the term "party member" was a fabricated accusation. The so-called party members were just those upright scholars who dared to speak out and make remonstrances. Although it was quite tragic to be falsely accused of forming a clique and bringing disaster to the country and the people, I think he can rest in peace now that his innocence and integrity can be proven.
When my father was imprisoned, the jailer asked them to offer sacrifices to Gao Yao Gong (Gao Yao Gong is obviously the founder of my country's judicial system. It is said that he compiled the first law code in China. However, his life was very long ago, and it is speculated that the achievements of many people may have been combined into one person. There is controversy in the historical community about the actual existence of this person. Author's note.) My father clearly stated that if he was not guilty, Gao Yao Gong knew he was not guilty and would report it to the Emperor of Heaven, so there was no need for sacrifices; if he was guilty, he would be punished, so there was no point in offering sacrifices.
Most of the people who were arrested were weak and frail. The environment in prison was extremely bad and most of them were sick. Whenever they were tortured, my father and a fellow villager named Yuan would take the initiative to submit to the punishment in order to avoid being punished for the crimes of others.
The official who tried him was his former superior. Naturally, he would make sarcastic remarks at this moment. The man asked his father, "Mr. Mengbo, how have you been? You have been competing to promote people, but you have often been dismissing juniors. You recommend those who are suitable and dismiss those who are not. Why is that?" His father replied, "In ancient times, people did good only for themselves and sought good fortune for themselves. Today, people do good for the common people and will be put to death. On the day of their death, they should be buried beside Mount Shouyang. They will not let down the Heavens above and will not let down Yizhi below." The man had nothing to say.
This is the only statement of my father that I disagree with. It was not bad that Boyi and Shuqi gave up the throne to each other, but they knew that King Zhou was cruel, yet they were loyal to him and died refusing to eat Zhou's grain. This makes me look down on them.
They couldn't find any crime against my father that time, so they finally released him. When he was released from prison, many people came to see him and sent him back home. He said to the people who sent him back: "Now that you are following me, it is not only a burden to you, but also aggravates my misfortune."
In the second year of Jianning, which was the year I was born, the emperor believed the slander and issued an order to punish all the party members, and my father was among them. At that time, he was waiting for my mother to give birth, which was my arrival, at his hometown. Suddenly one day, someone came to my house. A supervisor at the county post station was crying in the station holding the imperial edict. When he stopped crying, I went to see him again and found that he had hanged himself. My father sighed and said, "It must be me." He ran to the county government office by himself. The county magistrate Guo Yi was shocked to see my father. After thinking about it, he took off his seal and wanted to take my father to flee. He said, "The world is so big, why do you do this?" My father said, "If Pang dies, the disaster will be stopped. How dare I implicate you with a crime and let my old mother be displaced." Guo Yi had no choice but to arrest my father and strictly ordered him to take good care of my father and never stop anyone from visiting him. Who knew that just because of this matter, the county magistrate was implicated in the end, and the county magistrate was also listed as a party member and arrested. This letter was written when I was just a few days old, when I was taken to the prison to see my father for the last time, and when the county magistrate's family sent Mr. Guo's only daughter to see my father.
"At that time, the situation was very tense outside. To visit, you had to have someone to guarantee it. Brother Sima and I were both non-officials. We admired your father's various righteous deeds and had some courage. At that time, we were both fighting against the Qiang. It was then that I guaranteed your family and he took the daughter of the Guo family. Your father and County Magistrate Guo were imprisoned together. We happened to meet when we were visiting the prison together, so this letter and your engagement came about. Guo Yi knew the imperial edict from above, and the higher authorities also wanted to monitor the children of the party members. I am afraid that there may be more Brother Mengbo made a prompt decision, "Now I can't escape the disaster, but Brother Guo has suffered. But the child is still young, so I must find a way to protect him." My grandmother was also a strong-willed person: "Now you two are as famous as Li Ying and Du Mi, so why should we regret dying? We want both good reputation and longevity. Can we have both?" Later, he saw the girl from Guo's family and said, "This girl is very cute. I like her very much. I just had a grandson. How about marrying your daughter? It can also allow them to take care of each other in the future." "My father and Magistrate Guo did not object. They formed a battle array and swore an oath at that time to make up for the loss of the wedding ceremony. Later, the jailer outside urged us to leave. Before leaving, your father hugged you for the last time and said, 'I want you to do evil, but evil is not allowed; I want you to do good, but your father has never done evil.' Everyone who heard it in the prison cell at that time burst into tears. When I left, I heard your father and father-in-law respectfully exchanged words. Your father said, 'I feel deeply guilty for causing suffering to my in-laws.' Your father-in-law said, 'It is a blessing to be considered a party member.'"
Zuo Ci's eyes were a little moist, and after a pause, he continued, "When we came out, we had to consider this matter. At that time, we thought of going to Jingzhou, where there are many people who are outsiders, but few so-called party members. It is a rare quiet place during the Party Persecution. Moreover, there are many acquaintances there, so it is easier to take care of them. It was decided immediately that he would leave with Miss Guo, and I would take you to Xiangyang to reunite."
“Was there any interrogation at that time?” I suddenly felt that my life was hanging by a thread.
"Yes, just after I left, someone raided your house and wanted to take you away... I heard that your father, Magistrate Guo and his gang were secretly executed in the city the next day." Zuo Ci said sadly, as if he felt sorry for me. But he immediately looked at me with a comforting look, which was full of kindness and care.
"How can you get out of the city with a child in your arms?"
"I used my sleeves to trap you inside. You were really very naughty. My Taoist robe was wide, so you were quite obedient inside. When I left the city, I shook my sleeves and pretended to be a fortune teller. I walked out like a sloppy and crazy Taoist priest, and no one stopped me. However, I haven't run into Brother Sima for a long time. I don't know how he managed to get your wife out of the city."
"Is the Mr. Sima you are referring to the Mr. Shuijing Sima Hui?"
"It's him. But I really don't know what Mr. Shuijing is. I've been in Qianshan for almost eighteen years. When did he get this title?" However, after looking at our facial expressions, he knew that we didn't know either, so he waved his hand.
"You never met Uncle Sima afterwards? Then how did you arrange for us to be settled in Xiangyang?"
"It would be a long story. I think your last name should be Xie, because you have so many people to thank for your survival. Not long after I left Zheng Qiang, I was captured, and you were also found, and the letter was taken away."
"Really? What happened?" I thought to myself that I was lucky to have escaped after being caught. Although I was sitting in the hall with nothing to do, I still felt nervous.
"I was heading west, entering Shanghe first, then turning to Nanyang and entering Jing, but was captured by the Shanghe County Marquisate's army of two princes. When the letter was found, I felt a chill in my heart, thinking that this was the end."
"The upper door? Lord Shen's room?"
"Yes, the eldest son is called Shen Gongcheng, and the second son is called Shen Gongwang."
"Shen Gongwang?" Many people present looked at each other in confusion.
"You know him?"
"Dad Zirui." Ziyu came out expressionlessly.
"Hu, Zirui's father is Meng Bogong." Zuo Ci was a little angry.
"No, no, Uncle Zuo, it's like this." I hurriedly explained. The damn thing was that no one helped me explain, even though everyone knew what was going on.
"Shen Gongwang is a prince now? Then what about Shen Gongcheng?" Zuo Ci was a little surprised.
"That was the summer of the third year of Jianning, right? Shen Gongcheng died while leading his army to fight against the Wuhuan people. It was said that he was ostracized because he was left with only tens of thousands of old, weak and disabled soldiers to fight against more than 200,000 fierce Wuhuan cavalry outside the Great Wall. Everyone knows the result. Five days later, Xunbei Garrison received Shen Gongcheng's body sent back by the Wuhuan envoy. The Wuhuan people value heroes. Shen Gongcheng's army fought with the Wuhuan people for two days and one night in the flat land of the northern Great Wall. There was no place on the body without scars. No matter how harsh he was to his party members, he was truly a hero." Master sighed.
"Ah, it turns out that Lord Shen was really killed." Zuo Ci actually cried, lying on the table, ignoring everyone's gaze, trembling and sobbing. Zuo Ci has been practicing Taoism for a long time, and his temperament has become quite calm. When he was angry on the mountain, his tone was neither light nor heavy. This situation was somewhat unexpected. Just when everyone was a little confused, he suddenly raised his tearful eyes and said to me, "Zi Rui, come with me to the north to pay homage to Lord Cheng En."
I did not dare to be stubborn, and hurriedly faced north and bowed with Zuo Ci. After bowing, I hurriedly asked the reason.
"I thought I had no chance of escape, and was regretting that I could not save Lord Fan's son. But that night, we were taken away by secret agents. When we stopped and opened the door, I saw Lord Cheng holding you. When he saw me, he handed you to me. After introducing himself, he said to me, 'I have heard that Lord Mengbo is a righteous man, so please take his son and escape quickly. The emperor has issued an edict to kill Lord Fan's youngest son immediately. My brother is stubborn, and I am afraid that he will stick to the edict and leave loyal and good people without descendants. Therefore, I brought Lord Fan here late at night. Please leave quickly, sir. To the south of here is Nanyang.' I took you and ran through the mountains all night, and only then did you save your life. But the matter was eventually leaked, and you are dead." Zuo Ci bowed again, and I followed suit.
"Afterwards, I temporarily took refuge in the southern valley of Wancheng, Nanyang, to look for Sima who had agreed to meet there. But when I saw him, it was not him who brought your wife-in-law, but an unknown righteous man he invited, and he had already gone to Xiangyang to settle everything. I and this righteous man took care of your two children first. Your wife-in-law is very well behaved. Although she often sheds tears, she never cries because of those bitter and hungry days. You made me very angry at that time, always crying, but there was nothing I could do. You were too hungry and always hungry. You cried when you were hungry, but we had no milk to feed you except some rice soup. I didn't expect that the valley where we were hiding was still discovered, and the government sent troops to chase us. At that time, I even thought, what kind of sacred are you two children, you actually caused such trouble. The master mobilized a large number of people. At that time, I asked the warrior to take you away, and I led the pursuers to another road. If it weren't for my later senior brother Nanhua's help, I would have to wait for Sima to tell you everything. At that time, I was seriously injured, and my senior brother took me to Qianshan to recuperate and told me that you had settled in Xiangyang. Only then did I feel relieved and then practiced there. For the past eighteen years, I have always wanted to see what you look like, but after thinking about it, I decided to wait until you were eighteen years old to see you again. But fortunately, I met you once in Qianshan, and this time I can see you again and tell you your secret. Meng Bogong will smile in his grave, and I will not let him down. ", after that, I sighed to the sky, and I bowed deeply to thank my benefactor.
"I really should have the last name Xie, to thank all the righteous men and wise men in the world for helping me live these eighteen years."
"However, Zirui has not brought shame to Mr. Meng Bo by doing this. Mr. Zuo has also worked hard for the past 18 years." The teacher also sighed.
"After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, a general amnesty was issued to all party members, clearing the names of many wronged party members. I think I can come out as the son of my father Fan Pang, right?"
"You want to marry Yinling, right?"
"... I don't know, I know I have to marry her, but I haven't figured out how to do it yet." I think I was telling the truth, and the thought of it made me even angrier.
"No, I'm afraid not yet! In the list of members of the exoneration party in the imperial edict I received, Fan Mengbo's name is not on it." The teacher suddenly remembered something and waved his hands: "I just can't understand why Li Ying and Du Mi have been restored to their innocence, but Lord Mengbo cannot be freed."
"That's a bit strange, teacher, you didn't miss it, did you?"
"No, there really isn't one." The teacher thought for a moment and said with certainty. We all admired the teacher's extensive knowledge and strong memory. If the teacher didn't have one, then it shouldn't be wrong. "Yes, there is no one with the last name Fan at all." The teacher added.
"Oh, wait, you've given me some clues. Let me think about it... I've heard that Master Nanhua once had a hexagram saying: "Climbing a high place and calling out, offending the superiors is you, thanking the whole world, Liu Han will be alone." This saying has never been explained, and Master has never revealed it, but when he was summoned to the palace, he said it casually. Today, it may be explained as follows: Climbing a high place and calling out seems to be what Fan Gong did back then; offending the superiors is you, the word "offending" seems to reveal this person's surname, and this "Ru" may mean Runan; and your father once asked you to change your surname to Xie and thank the whole world, this third sentence may mean this; and the last sentence seems to mean that as Fan Pang and Fan Pang's son, you will make Liu Han's throne difficult?" Zuo Ci was a little unsure, but it did make sense. So, this is why I was so "valued".
"Who gave me my name?" I suddenly thought that maybe those people in the palace also knew my background, which would put me in even greater danger. If it was given in prison, then my identity would probably have been leaked after I entered the officialdom.
"I don't know, maybe it's Sima Dechao? At least we all called you Master Fan on the road. The surname Xie was probably used after you settled in Xiangyang." This made me feel relieved.
"This matter cannot be told to anyone for the time being. Everyone needs to keep this secret for Zirui." Half an hour later, the teacher gave the closing remarks. But he still asked me, "Zirui, what should we do about Yinling?"
"I don't know." I knew what I said was the truth. I lowered my head and didn't look at anyone. I knew that this was something I needed to decide for myself. I shouldn't and couldn't rely on others to decide for me, but I really had no idea this time.
Most people patted me on the shoulders and left without saying goodbye. I just murmured, "Teacher and Master, take care, everyone."
That night, I stayed in the hall. At first, I didn't think about anything. My mind was empty and I was just in a daze. But when I started to think about it, I couldn't help it. Although I was a little excited, I couldn't help my guilt. I was going to marry my sister. Although she was not my biological sister, could I marry her? After thinking about it, I felt that it was not a question of whether I could marry her. I had to marry her, but the key was how to marry her. Now I couldn't reveal my identity. How would others view us
For a while, I felt like I was going crazy.
But soon after, the lights in the hall went out, and my heart calmed down. I remember that I was afraid of the dark, but I didn't feel anything that night. It might be because of the wine. I took a sip every time I thought of it, and gradually I felt warm and soft. Sitting in the hall, my mind was like a kite wandering freely in the wind, but my sister always led me to the other end.
"Cao Cao has never met my sister, how could he love her so deeply? He came here just to secretly convey the message of alliance with Jingzhou." I squatted on the ground, fiddling with the wine jar with my hand, as if talking to it.
"But, in this matter, the betrothal gifts have been accepted, and the matchmaker's ceremony has been completed. If I don't marry, wouldn't it be an insult to Brother Meng De?" The jar expressed its opinion through me, and its big and thick voice was also very reasonable.
"But she is my first wife and I did not divorce her. How could I let her marry Cao Cao?" I continued to argue somewhat dissatisfiedly.
"From the beginning, it was an engagement. We haven't officially gotten married yet. And what the letter said was that she wasn't married when you were eighteen. Now she's going to get married. If you don't stop her, then you don't need to worry about it." Tan Zi slowly gave a very safe suggestion.
"But if Yinling is not my sister..." I stood up suddenly, but my eyes went dark, and then I fell down and lost consciousness.
I was shaken awake, and I grabbed his hand and made my final decision: "I must marry her, because I... I think I'm in love with her."
On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month of the second year of Zhongping, I lost my sister; on the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month of the second year of Zhongping, I got my wife.
Both women have a beautiful name: Yinling.