Chapter 181: The King of Qi was promoted to the throne, and the tomb tiger cleverly used Huo Huan to plot
This year is the third year of Jingchu in the Wei Dynasty. Dinghai Day in the first month of the year, in the eyes of Ming Emperor Cao Rui, who has been laid to rest, may be both a regrettable ending and a beginning worth looking forward to.
The young emperor, Cao Fang, who was only eight years old, finally put on the ill-fitting dragon robe with twelve chapters and completed his enthronement ceremony in the Tai Chi Hall.
The late emperor has made great achievements, and the new emperor has ascended the throne. Whether inside or outside the court, there are always people who are happy and some who are worried. Many idle scholars among the people are already worried about the situation of the country, and the new emperor is offering amnesty to the world. , naturally there are not a few people who are happy.
As for who is happy and who is sad in the court, it is really difficult to say.
Xiahou Xuan was originally Cao Fang's mentor when he was young and had a close relationship with the emperor. Not only that, the general Cao Shuang also always valued his cousin's talent. In addition, Cao Rui's instructions on his deathbed, Xiahou Xuan not only continued to serve as Yulin In addition to the post of supervisor, he also resumed the prestigious position of regular attendant of casual knights.
Although the Empress Dowager Guo and the Emperor were nominally in charge of the Ming Emperor's grand funeral and funeral, as well as General Cao Shuang and Lieutenant Sima Yi personally presiding over it, Xia Houxuan wanted to make the eight-year-old The emperor learned to control power as early as possible, so he was busy and became the busiest person.
After presiding over the funeral of Ming Emperor Cao Rui, the ministers did not take time off. After discussion with Taiwei Sima Yi, General Cao Shuang and the ministers, they all agreed that there are many wastes waiting to be done, officials are uncertain, and there are still many hidden dangers in the government and the public. Many unfinished civil engineering works left by the late emperor have not yet been stopped. When the new emperor takes the throne, Wu and Shu on the border are already eyeing it. If we continue to carry out this large-scale construction project that wastes people and money, I am afraid something will happen.
Although the emperor was young but smart enough, he naturally understood the intentions of his ministers. At this time, he should indeed reward the officials, subsidize the people's strength, and remove the fortifications to calm the hearts of the subjects.
So Cao Fang, with the advice of Cao Shuang and Sima Yi, and with the help of Xia Houxuan and others, issued his first edict since taking the throne:
"I have inherited the great legacy of my ancestors with my humble body. I feel guilty and dare not slack off. Today, the general and the Taiwei have accepted the final orders. They are assisted by me, Situ, Sikong, Zhongzai, and Yuanfu, who will lead all the officials. In order to Ning Sheji, all the ministers and officials encouraged me to work hard and said that I wanted to do it. All palace affairs, both in the government and in the public, were stopped based on the imperial edict left by the late emperor. Officials, slaves and maidservants who are over sixty years old are exempted from being regarded as good men. "
This edict was extremely brilliant. It not only had the intention of encouraging the officials, but also had the intention of comforting the late emperor. It also had the purpose of subsidizing the people. It had the effect of killing three birds with one stone.
The temple, which originally had some people in panic, quickly returned to an orderly state under the arrangements of Sima Yi and Cao Shuang, an old man and a young man.
But at this moment, no one inside or outside the court knows the truest thoughts in the hearts of these two auxiliary ministers.
At least, on the surface now, it seems that Cao Shuang, as a late-generation junior, has great respect for Sima Yi, who is a famous minister and general of his senior generation; while Sima Yi, as the second-ranking minister, continues to be patient and cooperate with his best efforts as the chief minister. General Cao Shuang, the assistant minister, also assisted the young emperor Cao Fang.
However, such calm could not be maintained for long.
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The busy month at the beginning of the first lunar month was finally over. In the blink of an eye, it was the new early spring and February. When the countries in the Western Regions heard that the new king of the Wei Dynasty had ascended the throne, they sent their envoys one after another, bringing their local specialties to the Central Plains.
Tribute came from the capital Luoyang.
On this day, the central gate of Changhe Gate, the south gate of Luoyang City, was opened to welcome the envoys from various countries who came from far away from the Western Regions.
[Note 1: Luoyang’s closed doors cannot be opened except when the emperor ascends the throne and receives tributes from all directions. 】
Among the gifts presented by the Kucha State Mission this year, there is a very special tribute called Huohuanbu.
This treasure successfully attracted the attention of the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty.
This is a legendary cloth that only existed in legends in the past.
There is a saying in "Liezi Tang Wen": "King Mu of the Zhou Dynasty marched to Xixu, and Xixu offered fire to coat the cloth. The dirt will make the cloth color, and the fire will vibrate it, and it will be as bright as snow."
Legend has it that this fire cloth comes from a mythical beast called the fire rat in Beijing County, Rinan County, Western Region.
Legend has it that Kunlun Mountain has nine boundaries, and it is the capital of the Emperor of Heaven in the lower realm. Kunlun Mountain is surrounded by countless flaming mountains and volcanoes. In the volcanoes and in the fires, there grows a rat that is bigger than an ox. This rat
It weighs a thousand kilograms and is two feet long. Its hair is as thin as silk.
Not only that, it is said that when the rat lives in the fire, it will turn red all over, and once it comes out, it will turn white again. As soon as it leaves the flames, if you quickly pour cold water on it, it will die immediately.
After going through so much trouble, we could get its fur, and this fur was the legendary Huohuanbu.
It is said that the fire rat fur is woven into cloth and made into clothes. If it becomes dirty, the clothes will be burned directly in the fire, and the clothes will become as white as new clothes again, because the cloth is not used at all.
Washing with water can only be done with fire, so people call it fire cloth.
Rumor has it that as early as the time of Emperor Huan of the Han Dynasty, General Liang Ji obtained such a piece of fire cloth and used it to sew a piece of clothing.
In order to show off his precious clothes in front of others, Liang Ji held a banquet at his house to entertain all the civil and military officials of the dynasty. At the banquet, when all the civil and military officials were in high spirits, General Liang Ji was wearing his beloved clothes.
"Baoyi" walked among the guests, and frequently toasted to the guests with a spring breeze on their faces.
After three rounds of wine, when all the guests were half drunk and half awake, Liang Ji pretended to accidentally spill the wine syrup on his "treasure clothes" during the toast. At this moment, Liang Ji immediately
He deliberately pretended to be angry, took off his clothes in front of everyone, and threw it into the brazier in the hall without any scruples.
Everyone felt it was a pity when they saw such a new dress that looked like snow was burned like this. Some people even sighed with regret and said: It is such a pity that such a good dress should be burned like this. Just as all the guests were talking about it
, during the conversation, after the fire burned, everyone discovered that the clothes in the fire pit were still intact, and the traces of wine that had been spilled on the clothes had disappeared. Instead of being destroyed, the clothes seemed to have been washed again.
It went well. All the guests in the house were amazed by it.
After that, Liang Ji became famous because of the "Treasure Clothes" incident, and the outside world also spread rumors that General Liang Ji was an extraordinary figure.
During the previous Han Dynasty, the Western Regions also paid tribute to the imperial court with this kind of cloth. However, for a long time, the imperial court cut off contact with the Western Regions, so the Huohuan cloth naturally disappeared for a while.
Therefore, in the early years of this dynasty, officials and common people all suspected that Huo Huanbu was just a myth.
Emperor Wen of this dynasty was fond of writing articles. He once mentioned in his article: The nature of fire is harsh and violent, and does not contain the vitality of life. Therefore, the matter of Huo Huanbu should be purely a rumor, and it is simply a myth. Not only that, Emperor Wen also
This theory was recorded in his autobiography "Dian Lun".
Not long after his accession to the throne, the late Emperor Ming believed that the words of "Dian Lun" were immortal mottos, so he ordered that "Dian Lun" be engraved word for word, sentence by sentence, on the stone tablets outside the gate of the Imperial Ancestral Temple and inside the Imperial Academy.
, juxtaposed with the stone carvings of the Five Classics of the previous dynasty, so that they can be forever known to future generations.
But now, the envoy from the Kingdom of Qiuci in the Western Regions actually said with certainty that they had brought the legendary Huo Huan Bu.
Eight-year-old Cao Fang has been familiar with Confucian classics from hundreds of schools of thought since she was a child. Under the guidance of Xia Houxuan and King Cao Kai of Rencheng City, she naturally did not miss the emperor's "Classics".
Emperor, now I can almost recite the contents of this "Classic" by heart.
As he had been subtly influenced by his grandfather Cao Pi's articles since he was a child, he naturally believed that Huo Huanbu was just a legend that did not exist. At this time, eight-year-old Cao Fang had a whim and suddenly wanted to experiment in front of all the civil and military officials.
Prove the immortal maxims of our ancestors.
On this day, Cao Fang said to Cao Shuang and Sima Yi in his immature childish voice:
"General, Lieutenant, since the envoy from the Western Regions has this treasure, you might as well test it yourself in front of all the civil and military officials!"
"I obey your orders."
After General Cao Shuang and Taiwei Sima Yi looked at each other, they had different thoughts in their hearts.
As a descendant of the clan, Cao Shuang naturally respected Emperor Wen's motto very much.
But Sima Yi had another unknown plan. No one thought that the Western Region Mission had not donated Huohuan cloth for many years, but why such a thing suddenly appeared in this year's tribute. Only Sima Yi knew in his heart, because it was his own hand.
arranged.
He just wants to point out Emperor Wen's self-righteousness in front of the civil and military officials of the dynasty and even the people of the world, so that the people of the world understand that the emperor they respect is not a god. And the majesty of the Cao family will also be great in the minds of everyone.
discount!
Not only that, the legend of Huo Huanbu was made famous by the "domineering general" Liang Ji of the previous dynasty. He also deliberately planted a seed in the hearts of the emperor, the civil and military officials of the dynasty, and the people, that the general was domineering!
After Sima Yi, Cao Shuang and other envoys from the mission fetched the piece of Huohuan cloth, one of them picked up one end of the piece of Huohuan cloth and slowly put it into the large brazier in the palace.
While all the officials were paying attention, Emperor Cao Fang couldn't help but hold his breath and stared at the brazier intently. Even if they no longer believed in the story of Huo Huanbu, the curiosity in their hearts was perfectly aroused at this moment.
When Sima Yi took the even brighter and brighter Huohuan cloth cassock out of the brazier, everyone including Cao Shuang and Cao Fang started to commotion.
"I didn't expect that there is such a magical thing as Huo Huanbu in the world!"
"Did Emperor Wen say something wrong?"
"Perhaps Emperor Wen has never seen this object and is just making random guesses."
"Hush! Silence, this is what we, as courtiers, should say!"
High above the throne, the young emperor's face was full of astonishment at this moment. This was the first time such a blow had occurred to him since he began to study.
Three days later, someone in the market carefully discovered that the part about the fire cloth on the stone inscription of "Dian Lun" that stood outside the gate of the ancestral temple and Taixue had been quietly scratched off at some point.
"Who else but the emperor has such courage?"
"It seems that the Emperor doesn't believe in Emperor Gaozu's motto anymore..."
For a time, the entire city of Luoyang was laughing at this matter in private.
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In the Wuyang Hou Mansion, Taiwei Sima Yi looked at the burning brazier next to the case and showed a hint of arrogant ridicule.
"Is the majesty of the Emperor as inviolable as the blazing fire?
Then I, the Sima family, are like the fire Huanbu, the stronger the fire, the more pure and strong I am!"
