The political figures in "Warring States Policy" often turn the tide with their own arguments. Today, Chen Caozhi's visit to Murong Ke is precisely to use his own arguments to break through his own predicament. This debate is extremely critical. Of course, Chen Caozhi paid a visit to Murong Ke.
Cao Zhi had a good layout before——
Chen Caozhi took a deep breath and said slowly: "The Prime Minister is thirsty for talents, and he will not consider me humble. He plans to use Xuchang City in exchange for my money for the Chen family of the Tang Dynasty. However, a wise man must make a mistake, and the Prime Minister did not take it into consideration."
The response of the Jin court to this matter was that although the Jin court was secluded in Jiangzuo, it continued the Zhengshuo tradition before the southern crossing. It was the orthodoxy of the dynasty. I was just a descendant of a second-class gentry with a humble official position. The Dazai solemnly offered the city in exchange for it.
In the eyes of the Jin court, this is a humiliation for our people, because the city of Xuchang was acquired by Murong Chen, your general, who invaded Jin Dynasty at the beginning of the year. Therefore, once Dazai sends a message to Jiankang, it will definitely not belong to our Chen family.
Blessing."
Murong Ke probed: "I really admire Chen Xima's talent and am determined to keep Chen Xima. Since Xuchang is not suitable, what about Luyang?"
Chen Caozhi smiled and said: "In the view of the Jin Dynasty, all the Central Plains are the hometown of the Jin Dynasty, and Xuchang and Luyang are just average."
Murong Ke said displeasedly: "In view of Chen Xima, how should I keep you? Don't mention returning to the country. This will not be considered. Everything else can be discussed."
Very good, Tuqiong Dagger has appeared!
Chen Caozhi asked: "What is the purpose of leaving Cao Zhi in Yan?"
Murong Ke laughed loudly and said: "What is the intention of this king that he would not hesitate to exchange a big city in the hinterland of the Central Plains for the Chen family? I treat you as a national scholar. I hope that Chen Xima will serve our country, Yan, and make great achievements."
Chen Cao said: "When you are born in troubled times, the only people who can rely on your life are your clan. It is absolutely impossible for the Chen family in Qian and Tang Dynasties to move north. The Jin court will never set this precedent. In this case, Dazai can only
If Cao Zhiqiang stays in the Yan Kingdom, if Cao Zhi is far away from the clan, floating like a duckweed, or will die of sorrow and anger, how can he serve your country and the Dazai?"
Murong Ke was determined after hearing Chen Caozhi's words. He would not give in and said calmly: "We, the Yan Dynasty, will surely sweep the world. At that time, Chen Xima, as a high-ranking official of the Yan Dynasty, will go to Jiangdong to pay homage to the clan. Wouldn't it be a return to his hometown in glory?"
."
Chen Caozhi was silent for a while, his tone was soothing, but his words were strong, and he said: "If Dazai wants to stay here by force, how can he do it without resentment? It may not be beneficial to Dazai."
Murong Ke raised his eyebrows, his eyes showed a stern look, and he said solemnly: "You will oppose me as a consort? Hehe, I'm afraid you are not qualified."
Chen Caozhi remained unmoved, still gentle and calm, and said: "The Dazai has a high position and great authority. If Cao Zhi wants to be an enemy of the Dazai, it would be ridiculous for him to overestimate himself. Even if Princess Qinghe marries, it will be up to the Dazai."
In a moment of thought, there is nothing you can do. If this is the case, doesn’t it go against Dazai’s original intention of cherishing talents and retaining people? Why would Dazai do such a thing that harms others and does not benefit himself?”
Murong Ke's face was gloomy and he was silent. Although Chen Caozhi claimed that he was powerless to shake a big tree, but if he joins the Taifu's party, the strategy and courage shown by Chen Caozhi in the past and today should not be underestimated.
Chen Cao won the favor of Princess Qinghe in just half a month after coming to Yedu. Last night he visited Prince Shangyong's Mansion. All of this was to build momentum for today. This man's scheming is really shocking!
Murong Ke narrowed his eyes in thought, suddenly smiled and said: "Chen Xima's talent is no less than Wang Jinglue, so even if you cannot be used by me, I cannot let you return to Jiangdong to be my enemy, Dayan."
What Murong Ke said was quite bad. Chen Caozhi did not lose his temper and said: "The Dazai just said that I would not be able to succeed in Jiangdong because I had to submit to my family status and would never succeed in Jiangdong. He also said that if Wang Meng returned to Jiangdong, he would never be the same as in Qin today. The status of the country, so there is no harm in saying that Dazai just let Cao Zhi return to the country. There are so many talented people in Jiangdong who have been relegated to the bottom because of their family status, how can Cao be one of them! Cao Cao can only talk about abstruse words, and literature cannot govern. If Wu cannot command an army, how can he be an enemy of Yan?"
Murong Ke was speechless and raised his glass: "Let's drink first and wait until I can think better before I make a decision."
Chen Caozhi no longer mentioned the matter of returning home. After the banquet, he returned to Bingjingtai. Ran Sheng, Shen Chiqian and Su Qi came out to welcome him. They all asked Murong Ke if he was convinced?
Chen Cao's way: "It's up to people to plan things, and it's up to God to make things happen. I've tried my best. As for whether I can return home smoothly, it depends on God's will——"
When Shen Chiqian and Su Qi heard this, their hearts suddenly went cold, but they saw Chen Caozhi smiling again and saying, "Murong Ke is a generous man and rarely acts out of emotion. I expect him to make the right choice."
For the next two days, Chen Caozhi stayed behind closed doors, waiting for Murong Ke's reply. Ran Sheng and others felt restless, but Chen Caozhi was copying books. This was his hobby in his spare time. To practice calligraphy, the second is to practice the mind, and the third is to copy books——
Early on the morning of the third day, Murong Ke sent the royal palace chief to invite Chen Caozhi to go to the Taiwu Hall in the palace city to meet with Emperor Murong Wei of the State of Yan. Chen Caozhi entered Yedu. Although he had many contacts with the princes and nobles, Emperor Murong Wei did not If he was not formally received, that means he did not treat Chen Caozhi as an envoy. Today, he was sent an order to receive him. This is good news. Chen Caozhi can return to his country.
Outside the Taiwu Hall, Chen Caozhi saw Yuan Hong and Yuan Yandao, with a big stone in his chest, and he was determined. It was not convenient to talk at this time, so he just smiled.
This time, Murong Wei received Chen Caozhi and Yuan Hong with a solemn national ceremony. The minister ordered Yang Qian to read out Murong Wei's decree. It was nothing more than a reconciliation between Yan and Jin. They would use the existing territory as a boundary and not invade each other. He also sent a minister. Huangfu Zhen, as an envoy of the State of Yan, accompanied Chen Caozhi and Yuan Hong to Jiangdong to discuss reconciliation between the two countries.
Murong Wei, the king of Shangyong, said nothing. He didn't care very much whether Chen Caozhi stayed or not. After all, Chen Caozhi might not be useful to him if he stayed. He was just surprised that Murong Ke suddenly changed his mind. Could it be? Because the Queen Mother wanted to marry Princess Qing Le to Chen Caozhi, Murong Ke was worried that he would not be able to control Chen Caozhi and simply sent her back to the country?
In the afternoon of that day, Murong Ke held a banquet in the Taiyuan Palace to entertain Chen Caozhi and Yuan Hong. Huang Fuzhen, the minister of the Yan State who was preparing to go to Jiangdong as an envoy, was also present. Murong Ke never mentioned the matter of trying to retain Chen Caozhi, only talking about the friendship between Yan and Jin. , I hope that Chen Caozhi and Yuan Hong will do their best to form an alliance between the two countries after returning to China.
Naturally, Chen Caozhi was just right and fully understood Murong Ke's plan. Because of the rumors about Fu Jian's life experience, Murong Ke predicted that there would be chaos in Guanzhong. He wanted to deal with Di Qin wholeheartedly, so he wanted to form an alliance with Jin. Qin envoy Xi Bao Bao had been driven back to Chang'an by him, and the alliance between Qin and Jin failed. This was the goal that Murong Ke deliberately wanted to achieve.
That night, Yuan Hong and Chen Caozhi lived together in Bingjing Terrace. When asked about things in Jiangdong, Yuan Hong said that the drought in Sanwu was serious. When he was in Jiankang at the end of June, there was no news of rainfall yet. The victims were fleeing the famine, and there was a possibility of unrest. mega--
Chen Caozhi asked: "How is my friend Gu Changkang and Zhu Yingtai doing?"
When Yuan Hong dressed up and went north, Xie Daoyun's true identity had not yet been revealed by Li Jingshu, so Yuan Hong was unaware of this sensational rumor. He replied: "Gu Yun is in Xifu, reciting poems and painting, and living at ease. I wish he would join the army and go to Kuaiji to help fight the drought."
, it is said that he has made great achievements.”
Chen Caozhi thought about Xie Daoyun, who was disguised as a man and commanded the people to fight the drought. He couldn't help but smile and thought to himself: "It's really difficult for Brother Yingtai."
Yuan Hong hesitated for a while, and finally said: "Zizhong, I heard something in Jiankang, I believe you would like to know-"
When Chen Caozhi saw Yuan Hong's serious expression, he felt a chill in his heart and asked hurriedly: "Brother Yuan, please speak."
Yuan Hong then talked about Lu Shi's intention to send Lu Weirui to the palace as the imperial concubine. Seeing that Chen Caozhi's expression was not right, he quickly said that all the people in Jiankang were criticizing this matter. King Langya and Minister Xi both expressed their opposition. Also,
Lu's daughter wrote a petition and asked Gu Kaizhi to forward it to Empress Dowager Chongde, expressing her determination not to marry anyone other than Chen Caozhi——
Chen Caozhi burst into tears when he heard this. He did not expect Wei Rui to encounter such troubles. He could imagine how much pressure Wei Rui was under. This kind of huge pressure within the family is not something ordinary women can bear.
Rui is a woman who is soft on the outside but strong on the inside. The thought of interceding with Empress Dowager Chongde is already on the verge of desperation for her——
Yuan Hong saw that Chen Caozhi, who had always been calm and elegant, lost his temper and cried in front of him, and quickly comforted him: "Zizhong need not be sad. How could Duke Huan sit back and watch the Lu family of the three Wu clan become a relative of the state? The Nandu clan also refused to agree. It is said that Chong Chong
The Empress Dowager De also expressed her attitude towards the emperor and did not allow Lu's daughters to enter the palace. She is considerate and lenient."
Chen Caozhi also had moments when he was upset. At this time, he wished he could grow wings on his back and fly back to Jiangdong overnight. His tears were not weakness, but pity for Wei Rui. Who could let down such an affectionate woman?
Because Huangfu, the servant of Yan State, really wanted to go to Jiankang with him, he had to make some preparations. Although Chen Caozhi was eager to return, he could only wait.
At midnight on the 26th day of the seventh lunar month, Huangfu Zhen, the official of Guanglu, bid farewell to Emperor Murong Wei of Yan. He left Yedu with Chen Caozhi, Yuan Hong and others with fifty followers and headed for Jiangdong.
Dazai Murong Ke and Shangshu Ling Yanghuang led the officials of Yan State to set up tents and wine on the north bank of Zhang River to bid farewell to Huangfu Zhen, Chen Caozhi and Yuan Hong. Murong Ke personally gave Chen Caozhi the Northern Pearl, which is unique to Xianbei people.
One hundred pills, twenty pieces of sable skins, a pair of male and female white falcons, and a famous dragon city horse. As a gift to reward Chen Caozhi for treating his illness, Chen Caozhi accepted it with a smile and gave Murong Ke a folding fan in return.
The front of the folding fan is painted with San pictures of Ji Kangxing, and the back is written with Ruan Ji's "Feng San Fu", which is exactly what Murong Ke wanted.
There is a pontoon bridge on the Zhang River, which is made up of a hundred wooden boats connected with each other. The boats are supported by large cables, and eight large iron oxen are fixed at each end. The iron oxen are buried in the ground, and only the head of the oxen with curved horns is exposed.
Chen Caozhi, Yuan Hong, and Huangfu Zhen said goodbye to Murong Ke and others, and led their horses across the Zhang River via the pontoon bridge. It was already afternoon. Huangfu Zhen said: "Chen Xima, Yuan joined the army, and we rushed to Anyang to rest for the night.
"
The road turned around and bypassed a willow forest. Suddenly I saw a group of female warriors with red scarves on their heads and rouge horses on their crotches blocking the middle of the road. This group of rouge warriors separated on both sides and rode out. It was the golden-haired and blue-eyed Phoenix.
