Yanzhou Dongjun, Dong'a County, has a small mountain located on the north bank of the river.
It is shaped like a lying turtle, extending from north to south, and is called Yushan.
Across the river, there are continuous mountains with towering green peaks. Fish Mountain is like a natural screen.
The golden embankments stretch along the river bank, like a yellow dragon lying still. Beyond the Yushan Mountain, there are vast tracts of fertile fields and flat rivers.
There is a large river in the south of Yushan and a small clear water in the east. The two phases surround each other and form a belt.
Cao Zhi’s last wish was to be buried here after his death.
Although he had no ambitions during his lifetime, he was always under the supervision of the supervisors.
Even in the last year of his life, Cao Zhi’s palace only had about sixty people.
But after his death, Cao Rui sent a large number of servants to build his cemetery, set up caves on the mountain, and sealed the soil as a tomb, covering an area of more than a thousand acres.
At the same time, he also ordered the governor of Yanzhou to send 200 people to repair the cemetery every year.
Cao Zhi's two sons, Cao Miao and Cao Zhi, built a thatched cottage at the foot of Yushan Mountain and observed their mourning for three years.
On this day, Princess Chen suddenly came to Yushan.
Cao Miao and Cao Zhida were surprised, so they quickly stepped forward to salute:
“Why didn’t you let me know in advance when my mother was coming?”
Although both of them were concubines and not the daughter of Princess Chen, Cao Zhi had asked them to treat their legitimate mother as their biological mother before his death, so they did not dare to disobey.
Princess Chen helped the two of them up and said sadly:
“After King Chen left, I missed him day and night, especially these few days. I often saw King Chen in my dreams at night, so I came to worship him.”
Princess Chen asked the governor of Yanzhou to escort her soldiers to wait at the foot of the mountain. She led her two sons up the mountain, and the old man from Prince Chen's house followed behind with the sacrifices.
When they arrived at the mountain, the three of them cried bitterly in front of the tomb.
The old people from Prince Chen’s house who were following behind all shed tears.
There was one person in particular who touched his forehead to the ground and could not help himself.
Seeing this, Cao Miao and Cao Zhi couldn't help but sigh, it turned out that there were such loyal servants in the house.
Princess Chen also seemed a little surprised. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and said warmly:
"Cao San, I know that King Chen regarded you as his confidant during his lifetime. Please come forward."
As she spoke, she asked the rest of the servants to retreat.
Cao Miao and Cao Zhizheng were a little surprised by Princess Chen's behavior.
Princess Chen’s face had regained her composure. She took out a letter from her sleeve, handed it to Cao Zhi, and said:
"Prince Chen was alive, he secretly sent Cao San to Liangzhou twice. This is the memorial text that Feng Langjun asked Cao San to bring back to King Chen. You two can read it."
Cao Zhi was appointed as the successor of the title by Cao Zhi, and he quickly stretched out his hands to take it.
After opening the letter, I found that the so-called memorial text was actually a poem.
The poem is titled "Crying Cao Zijian":
Ling Yun's talents are virtually burdening, and he has never opened his life.
Where are the people when the birds are singing and the flowers are falling? The bamboos are dead and the tung trees are dead and the phoenixes are not coming.
A good horse is hedging its feet without an owner, and the heart of an old friend is mourning for its death.
Jiuquan Mo sighs that the three lights are separated, and sends Wenxing into the night stage.
The first sentence of the poem is the beginning of Ming Zongyi, praising his talent with great praise, which is indeed Feng Langjun's consistent writing style.
It's just a "empty negative". Add the following sentence "I have never opened my arms in my life", and it turns from praise to sigh.
Cao Zhi recalled the last days of his life, when Feng Langjun sent a gift, but it was unexpectedly intercepted by the assistant literary officer.
Princess Chen, on the other hand, had already read this letter and comforted her:
"Although King Chen and Langjun Feng had never met, they were friends for many years. King Chen received a poem from Feng Langjun before his death, and they drank together all night long."
“Now if he learns that Feng Langjun composed a poem specifically for him, he will be extremely happy underground. This is a blessing, how can he act like a daughter?”
When Cao Miao and Cao Zhi heard this, they stopped crying:
“My mother is right.”
Princess Chen gestured to Cao San with her eyes.
Cao San then opened his mouth and said:
"Two young masters, the villain has been ordered by King Chen to go to see Feng Langjun. In addition to giving the villain this letter, Feng Langjun also asked the villain to bring a few words."
Cao Miao and Cao Zhi looked at each other, and then they understood why their mother would reject others.
"Speaking."
"Feng Langjun said that since he is a close friend of King Chen, the two young masters are his nephews. If one day, the two young masters find it difficult to gain a foothold in the Wei Kingdom, they can go and seek refuge with him."
When Cao Miao heard what Cao San said, she shouted "Ah" on the spot, and then quickly covered her mouth to cover up her gaffe.
At the same time, he turned his head and looked at the servants in the distance in horror, as if he was afraid that someone would hear the news.
Cao Zhi was able to keep his composure better than Cao Miao, and his face only changed slightly.
He stared at Cao San for a while, and then suddenly turned around:
“What do you think, mother?”
Princess Chen shook her head:
"I am just a woman, what knowledge can I have? When King Chen asked you to inherit the title, he knew that you are the one who protects the family. Now that you are the head of the family, you can make the decision."
Cao Zhi lowered his eyes and said softly:
"Feng Langjun and your Excellency are acquaintances of Boya's childhood. Since he said so, if the boy can meet him, what's the harm in calling him uncle?"
“But your Excellency is a kinsman of Wei, and Feng Langjun is a vassal of Shu. As far as the public is concerned, my son and he are enemies.”
“Not to mention that the child has been granted the title of King Chen by His Majesty. He is also the elder brother and has the title of Duke of Gaoyang Township. If I really want to join Feng Langjun, should I be granted the title of king? Should I be granted the title of duke?”
Cao Zhi is a threat to the throne, but Cao Zhi's son is not a threat to the throne.
So since Cao Zhi's death, not to mention Cao Zhi and Cao Miao, even Princess Chen, who is still in the Chen Palace, has had a much better life.
It’s just that she has suffered so many grievances and sufferings over the years. It is definitely impossible to say that she really doesn’t have any resentment in her heart.
Not to mention that she really couldn’t believe Cao Pi and Cao Rui from the bottom of her heart.
But he saw her sighing:
"Having said that, the fate of King Chen is still before my eyes. The ancients said: A cunning rabbit has three burrows, so it can only avoid the death of its ears. Now you can only sleep in one burrow, can you sleep peacefully?"
Which family in the world is not betting long?
It is always a good idea to make more preparations.
Cao Zhi smiled bitterly and said:
“Mom, our surname is Cao, which is different from others. If we vote for the Shu people, we will be embarrassed in front of the world.”
“Not to mention what the world will say about us when the time comes, I’m afraid even your reputation will be dragged down and we will become the unfaithful and unfilial descendants of the Cao family.”
"No matter how much Feng Langjun regards us as nephews, since he is a minister of Shu, he may not have other thoughts in his heart..."
Hearing Cao Zhi talk about Cao Zhi, Princess Chen finally had some scruples.
She was silent for a long time, and finally nodded, and said somewhat happily:
“It is indeed reasonable for King Chen to ask you to inherit the title.”
She is a woman who only thinks about the past and feels that it is always right to find a way out, but she has not thought about it so deeply.
After the mother and son finished talking, Cao Zhi saluted Cao San and said:
"Feng Langjun's words, please keep them deep in your heart and don't reveal even a single sentence. Our lives are all in your hands!"
Cao San did not dare to accept the gift and cried:
“King Chen treats the villain like a confidant, and the villain’s life has been entrusted to King Chen a long time ago. If King Chen had not given instructions during his lifetime, the villain would have followed King Chen long ago.”
“Now that the villain has completed what King Chen ordered before his death, he no longer has any worries, so how can he still be nostalgic for the world?”
Cao San also gave a grand ceremony to Princess Chen, Cao Zhi and Cao Miao:
"The villain went underground and told King Chen about the current situation of the princess and the young master. I think King Chen will be happy."
After finishing speaking, I saw Cao San shouting to the tombstone:
“King Chen, Cao San is here to accompany you.”
Then he took out the dagger he had prepared long ago from his arms and stabbed it into his chest without hesitation.
The incident happened so suddenly that Princess Chen was so frightened that she screamed.
Cao Zhi quickly called the servant women from far away and asked them to help Princess Chen go down.
After cleaning up everything on the mountain and appeasing Princess Chen, the group went down the mountain.
After the soldiers sent by the Yanzhou Governor's Office escorted Princess Chen away, Cao Miao quietly asked Cao Zhi:
“Silang, you used to have a lot of complaints against the court, but why do you speak like that in front of your mother?”
Cao Zhi no longer had the calmness he had just now, and his face had become gloomy.
“Brother, we are here. Even if someone is watching us, as long as we are careful, others won’t be able to eavesdrop.”
"But my mother is different from us. Although there are no supervisors in the palace now, who knows who is there secretly?"
Recalling Amu Ping's behavior when she was on the mountain and retreating from her family, she also thought that the people in her house might not be safe.
After hearing these words, Cao Miao breathed a sigh of relief:
“I see, I still said... Haha, I was overthinking it.”
Cao Zhi smiled bitterly and said:
“It has only been half a year since your death, how could I forget so easily everything that happened to you during your lifetime?”
Speaking of this, he felt more and more miserable in his heart, "Actually, your lord sent Cao San to Liangzhou for the second time. His original intention was to find a way out for us. How could I not know that?"
On the surface, Cao San left to follow the master, but in fact he was willing to commit suicide in order to keep this secret.
Cao Zhi was going to go to the court and bury Cao San at the foot of Yushan to accompany his father.
Father's painstaking efforts and Cao San's sacrifice were all for the sake of the two brothers. How could Cao Zhifei not be touched when he was so hard-hearted?
Just in front of outsiders, he had to hide this secret deepest.
After all, this kind of thing is the biggest taboo.
Cao Miao could not help but asked in a low voice:
“You don’t believe His Majesty either?”
Cao Zhi shook his head:
“Not only do I not believe in Your Majesty, I also don’t believe in Haoyou. In addition, there are two countries, Shu and Wu, so I am not a kind person.”
"Now the Wei Dynasty still seems to be in the middle of the world, but in fact it is already in danger, so it is not a bad thing to make more plans."
In the fifth year of Taihe (the year before last), my father wrote several times, saying:
Those who can make the world pay attention are those who are in power. Therefore, the plot can change the master, and the power can intimidate. The powerful and right-wing people are in power, and they are not relatives. Where the power lies, even if it is sparse, it will be strong. Where the power is gone, even if it is close, it will be despised.
.
Also using the example of the Tian family replacing the Qi Dynasty and the three families being divided into the Jin Dynasty, I strongly persuaded Your Majesty to use more clan relatives to prevent right-wingers.
However, Your Majesty only responded with excellent writing.
It is precisely because the Wei clan has become more and more unimportant and the right and right have become more important, so my father is completely disappointed with His Majesty.
The three Xiahou clans were originally relatives of the Cao family, and are now under house arrest in Luoyang.
Bi Gui was also a relative by marriage and was defeated by the barbarians.
If you don’t use clan ties, you will abolish marriage ties.
As for the person who was the governor of Yangzhou and oversaw the military affairs, Man Chong was like that; the person who had the power in Guanzhong was like Sima Yi.
Most of the world's elite soldiers are controlled by outsiders. This has never been seen since the founding of the Wei Dynasty.
When Cao Miao heard what Cao Zhi said, his face became ugly.
He asked in a somewhat astringent voice:
“Silang is so pessimistic about the Wei Dynasty?”
No matter how Emperor Wen and his son treat their own family, as Shiro said on the mountain, they still have the same surname after all.
No one wants to see the empire that Emperor Wu worked so hard to build throughout his life be ruined.
“It’s not pessimistic.” Cao Zhi shook his head and forced himself to smile, “Let’s take one step at a time and see what happens.”
“As long as the pass is not lost, we can live our lives well. If even Da Sima cannot stop the Shu people..."
At this point, Cao Zhi's voice also deepened, "When it comes to that step, we will have to make preparations."
Cao Zhi and Cao Miao's feelings towards the Wei Dynasty were much more complicated than Cao Zhi's.
It is certain that we hope that the Wei Dynasty can unify the world.
But because of what Cao Pi and his son did to their family, and also because of the foreign wars that the Wei Dynasty had carried out in recent years.
Let them feel a sense of despair that they hate it for not fighting, are angry at its injustice, and are unable to do anything.
It was after Cao Zhi was completely desperate that before his death, he was worried about the future of Wei and his son, so he found a way out for them.
What Cao Zhi didn't know was that even if he didn't find a way out for his son, Cao Zhi was a person who knew current affairs in history.
From the Gaoping Ling Incident to Sima Shi deposed Cao Fang and established Cao Mao, Cao Zhi, like other Cao family members, regarded himself as a bystander.
When Cao Mao was killed, Sima Yan went to Yecheng to welcome Cao Huan to Luoyang to ascend the throne. Cao Zhi even went to see Sima Yan at night.
After the two talked for a whole night, Cao Zhi gained Sima Yan's attention.
When Sima Yan usurped the Wei Dynasty, he issued an edict praising Cao Zhi for "pure conduct, high talent and clean conduct, good at ancient museums, and a great hero to Wei Zongying".
This shows Cao Zhi’s grasp of the current situation.
And because of the illegal crossing of a certain country boy, the decline of the Wei State came much earlier than in history.
Other Cao clan members may still not be able to see Wei's hidden worries, but Cao Zhi is the son of Cao Zhi, how could he not know?
I saw Cao Zhi solemnly say to Cao Miao:
“Brother, if one day comes, we two brothers will stay in Wei while you go and join Feng Langjun.”
Cao Miao’s expression changed drastically and he lost his voice:
“Shiro!”
Cao Zhi held Cao Miao's shoulders firmly, signaling him not to interrupt what he was saying:
"Since I have inherited the title of king, how easy is it for you to leave? You are different."
"You are not the legitimate son, you have no reputation, and the court will not pay much attention to you. When the time comes, it will be much easier for you to find a way to leave quietly than for me."
Cao Miao said:
“If I leave, what will you do?”
Cao Zhi sighed:
“When that time comes, life and death will be decided by fate. If I really want to have any misfortune, I just hope that my brother will be able to adopt a son when the time comes, so that my incense will continue.”
At this point, he forced himself to smile again:
“Perhaps by that time, no one will care about us clan members, and I will be fine too!”
Cao Miao couldn't help it, hugged Cao Zhi and cried loudly:
"I only hope that Da Sima can guard Guanzhong, and we two brothers can live our own lives behind closed doors!"
Cao Zhi smiled bitterly and sighed.
Even if Da Sima can defend Guanzhong, Da Wei will still have internal worries!
It means not knowing whether the future will come first, internal or external troubles...