Chapter 5 The autumn wind is bleak, and the dew turns to frost
In the deep courtyard, the moss on the ancient trees, coupled with the light of the half-moon, and the chirping of the cicadas among the branches and leaves, make people feel peaceful and distant, clearing the heart and nourishing the lungs.
Although the Yu family's mansion has not been renovated for several years, its original elegant and square layout has not been destroyed. In the back garden, there is a small pond, which is connected to Luoshui River. In summer and autumn, you can
Hear the sound of the gurgling clear spring.
In the center of the pond, there is an elegant small pavilion. If viewed from a distance, the people in the pavilion seem to be floating on the water.
"Brother Yu, you are not as good as before." Zhou Xuan and Yu Gui sat across from each other, wearing green terry clothes [Note 1], coupled with his long beard, he really looked like an immortal.
Bones, free and easy. [Note 1: 襥衣, a single-layered long garment. "Shuowen" records: "襌 raiment" is not heavy. "Book of Da Dai Li": "襌, single layer". It is also considered to be the common clothes of ordinary literati and officials.
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Yu Gui smiled bitterly and said nothing, just helping the other party to refill the tea.
"Brother Yu, I remember the last time we parted ways in the Central Plains, I didn't realize that several years had passed. Today we can gather together to make tea, which is one of the joys of life." Zhou Xuan smiled while holding the tea.
"Brother Zhou came to Beijing this time, I'm afraid he's not here to catch up with me." Yu Gui skillfully lifted the teapot on the stove and poured the boiling tea into the cup.
"Brother Yu guessed it right, it's really not the case." Zhou Xuan smiled mysteriously: "Secretly tell Brother Yu, in fact, I came to the capital this time on the order of the emperor."
"Master..." Outside the pavilion, a child's exclamation interrupted the conversation between the two.
Xiahou Xuanben was practicing swordplay and playing outside the pavilion. He saw Cao Xi rushing into the pavilion like a gust of wind, and hurriedly followed him in. As soon as Cao Xi entered the pavilion, he plopped down and knelt on the ground, which frightened Yu Gui and Zhou Xuaner.
People jump.
"Master, please, please help His Highness Duke Qi, help Xi'er..." Cao Xi begged Gui, almost crying.
"Xi'er, what's going on?" Yu Gui hurriedly stood up and helped the child up.
"The people in the East Palace said... Your Majesty seems to be issuing an edict... to kill Empress Zhen. Brother Yuan Zhong has been kneeling in the palace to beg Your Majesty... Please Master, this happened all because of Xi'er. Please, please,
Help Xi'er..." Cao Xi was so nervous that he was a little incoherent.
Xia Houxuan was shocked. He had heard all kinds of rumors about Empress Zhen falling out of favor. Some said it was because of the slanders of other concubines in the palace. Some people said it was because Empress Zhen had complaints and was unable to teach her son well. What's worse,
Even the nonsense that His Highness Duke Qi is not His Majesty’s son has been spread. Rumors are just rumors after all, but I didn’t expect that Your Majesty really doesn’t care about the relationship between husband and wife, so determined!
"Master, please help Brother Xi." Xia Houxuan looked at Yu Gui with trust in his eyes: "You must have a way, right Master."
Yu Gui turned around, shook his head, sighed, and closed his eyes: "Xi'er, you have to understand that it's not your fault. The fault lies in the turbulent undercurrent in the palace, the villain's ulterior motives, and
,The emperor’s jealousy..."
"My child, it is hard to disobey your orders, and your heart is unpredictable. I am also... helpless..."
He did not lie to his children. Now, in Luoyang city, his Yu family has long been despised and even forgotten by people. What can he influence about Yu Gui?
"Brother Yu, people's hearts can be changed, right?" Zhou Xuan gently placed the teacup in his hand on the table and stood up slowly.
It was midnight the next day. Cao Rui had been kneeling outside the palace for two hours, still facing the blazing sunshine. Thin beads of sweat flowed from his forehead, down his cheeks, and dripped on the stone steps.
He was extremely panicked, not knowing how to save his father's life and save his mother. There was a ringing in his ears, and his vision went dark. Cao Rui lost consciousness and passed out at the foot of the stone steps.
"This is the Chonghua Hall." The waiter led the two people to the front of the hall: "Your Majesty is inside."
Stepping into the palace door again, the young man was no longer as restrained as before. He saw the emperor holding his forehead with his hand, and his brows were full of worry.
"Get back on your feet." Cao Pi forced out a smile, and you could hear from his tone that he was extremely upset.
"I heard that Mr. Zhou Xuanzhou came to Beijing to see His Majesty today, and my nephew also came to join in the fun. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me." Xia Houxuan explained his purpose, and Cao Pi nodded.
"Are you Zhou Qing?" Although the emperor had heard his name for a long time, he had never met Zhou Xuan. He raised his eyes and thought that this person was indeed extraordinary. The emperor narrowed his eyes slightly and said,
He seemed to be thinking about something: "I have heard about your name for a long time and heard that your dream interpretation skills are unparalleled in the world. I am here today. I wonder if you can try to interpret it for me?"
"Your Majesty is so flattering that I cannot bear it. Since I have a dream to interpret, all I have to do is tell my subordinate about the dream."
An imperceptible sneer flashed across Cao Pi's face: "I dreamed not long ago that a pair of blue tiles fell from the top of the palace and turned into two mandarin ducks and flew away. I wonder if you can interpret this dream?"
Zhou Xuan thought for a moment, and with his long beard in his hands, he replied: "If the palace tiles fall, there will be people in the harem killing each other."
When the emperor heard this, his face suddenly changed, and he shouted in a low voice: "I lied to you! I have never had this dream, I just made up the dream at will to test you!"
Xia Houxuan was shocked and thought something was wrong. He didn't expect the emperor's mind to be so terrifying. He was afraid that Mr. Zhou would not be able to escape disaster today!
But Zhou Xuan didn't have the slightest panic. He slowly raised his head, looked directly at the king, and said word by word: "The dreamer has moved your ears. Your majesty made up the dream just now, and it has been moved by your consciousness, so it has nothing to do with the real dream." Strangely, I can predict good or bad luck just by telling you the dream."
Cao Pi turned from anger to shock, thinking that not only was this man not in a panic state, but he was calm and confident, and he was probably not in vain.
At this time, the Huangmen Order came into the palace and played: "Your Majesty, there was a fight between the palace people this morning, and someone's life was accidentally injured. The perpetrator has been arrested. Your Majesty, please take action."
The emperor was shocked and sighed that Zhou Xuan really had the ability to predict things! Xiahou Xuan was surprised and thought that Mr. Zhou had secretly bribed Huang Menling? Cao Pi came back to his senses and said to Huang Menling: "We are going to commit murder." Take them to Pingwangguan [Note 2] for disposal.” Guan. The emperor often said: "The prison is the life of the world." Every time a big prison is broken, I am always lucky enough to watch and listen." From this, it can be seen that Pingwangguan is the place to resolve the case.]
Huangmenling heard the edict and left.
"Sir, your skills are indeed extraordinary. I was rude just now. Don't blame me, sir." At this moment, Cao Pi truly believed Zhou Xuan in front of him. He pondered for a while: "I did have a dream yesterday. I dreamed, There is a ray of green energy rising from the ground to the sky. I don’t know what the sign is. Please tell me sir.”
Zhou Xuan understood that the time had come. He coughed lightly and said: "Chang Hong turned into green, his blood turned into sapphire, and his green energy reached the sky, which shows that... in the palace today, there will be a noble woman who has been wronged."
The noble woman was wronged! Cao Pi was shocked, the queen... Cao Pi couldn't help but frown. The emperor closed his eyes and pondered for a while, and finally called someone, whispered a few words, and the person rushed out after receiving the oral instructions.
Xia Houxuan understood that His Majesty should have withdrawn his life, but he just hoped it was not too late...
"Your Highness...you are awake..."
As soon as Cao Rui opened his eyes, he realized that something was wrong with the atmosphere. The palace was very quiet, and it was so quiet that people were a little scared.
"Queen Mother... How is Queen Mother?" Cao Rui stood up from the couch: "Why don't you say anything? Talk..."
Everyone bowed their heads in silence. After a long while, a maid bravely replied: "Her Royal Highness, the Queen, has been ordered... to commit suicide..." Empress Zhen... became increasingly frustrated and complained. The emperor was furious, and in June of the second year, he sent an envoy to kill her and buried her in Ye."]
There seems to be a trace of sadness in the splendid palace city.
"Sir, thank you for your willingness to do your best for Brother Xi." Xia Houxuan said, looking at Zhou Xuan's back.
"Even though the emperor's mind can be changed, there are some things that cannot be changed by humans..." Zhou Xuan smiled bitterly.
"Sir, I dare to ask, can dreams really predict the future? Can you really interpret dreams?"
"Although dreams can be predicted, they cannot be changed." Zhou Xuan walked slowly towards the door of the palace. He looked up at the golden palace illuminated by the light: "Dreams... are illusions. Even if you can interpret them, what can you do? Woolen cloth……"
The young man seemed to understand.
Zhou Xuan's figure gradually disappeared outside the palace city and was never seen again.
In the lonely hall, Cao Rui waved his sleeves to wipe away his tears.
"Father, you are right. Perhaps only by reaching the highest position can we protect the people around us, as well as ourselves."
"One day..."
On the top of the double-eaves verandah in the main hall of the palace is the lonely figure of the emperor.
Cao Pi raised his head and looked at the sky, his thoughts a little misty. Inadvertently, he recited the song "Song of Yan": "The autumn wind is bleak and the weather is cool...The grass and trees are shaking and the dew turns to frost..." [Note 4: "Song of Yan" "Xing": a seven-character poem written by Cao Pi, Emperor Wen of Wei Dynasty.]
He recalled the promise he made to her in the ruins of war during the Jian'an period: I promise you that if it becomes emperor of me, it will make you its queen...
"...The bright moon shines brightly on my bed, and the stars are flowing westward into the night. The morning ox and the weaver girl look at each other from a distance, how can you live alone in the river beam..."
It's late at night, and inside the deep palace gate, it's still as cold as ever...
[Note 5: Regarding Zhou Xuan's dream interpretation in the article, "Three Kingdoms·Wei Shujuan 29·Fang Ji Zhuan": "Emperor Wen asked Xuan: 'Two tiles of my dream palace house fell to the ground and turned into two mandarin ducks. What is this?' Xuan Dui said: "There must be a violent death in the harem." The Emperor said: "I deceived your ears!" Xuan Dui said: "The dreamer is interested in your ears, and if you can't express it in words, it will be good or bad." Before he finished speaking, the Huangmen Order came. The people in the palace were killing each other. After a while, the emperor asked again: "I dreamed last night that green energy came from the earth and belongs to heaven." Xuan Du said: "There should be a noble woman in the world who died unjustly." At that time, the emperor had sent an envoy to give Empress Zhen a seal. After hearing this, I made a declaration but regretted it, and sent people to chase the envoy but failed..."
Historically, Zhou Xuan and Yu Gui have no intersection. Interpreting Cao Pi's dream was not to save people. In the novel, it was slightly changed for plot needs.
