It doesn't matter whether you are timid or cautious.
After Cao Peng took charge of the central army, he still ordered to stay overnight in Ningping County. When he arrived at the Ningping County Station, it was already late at night! Everyone felt very tired, especially the brave men from Qiao County, who secretly cursed and blamed
Cao Peng's behavior was unnecessary.
However, after dawn, when Ninh Binh County delivered hot and sumptuous meals, the complaints in the hearts of those villagers disappeared.
Cao Peng sent someone to notify Ningping County overnight and asked Ningping County to prepare meals and supplies.
With nearly a thousand people and horses, traveling a long distance requires a lot of expenses. This money is generally not paid by the team itself, but is paid by local governments.
Afterwards, after eating a full meal, the soldiers were full of energy and set out again.
Cao Peng, Gan Ning, and Kan Ze marched side by side, while Hao Zhao and Xia Houlan held the line. Xia Houen opened the way ahead, and the road was quite peaceful.
Ningping County also sent a guide to lead the way for Cao Peng and others.
However, it can be felt that the person Ningping County respects is not Cao Peng, but the old lady in the car.
But no one told the old lady's origins. Cao Peng didn't want to ask. No matter who she was, as long as she could serve her well, it would be a success.
After the motorcade got back on the road, the old lady called Cao Nan and Huang Yueying to the car.
Cao Peng and Kan Ze followed the car, while Gan Ning commanded the Chinese army.
Hearing cheerful laughter coming from time to time in the car, Cao Peng also felt that he felt very comfortable.
After leaving Ninh Binh County, you will see endless countryside.
"parking!"
The chariot was driving when suddenly I heard a soft call from the old lady.
Cao Peng quickly raised his hand and shouted loudly: "Chinese army, station your horses."
Gan Ning in the front and Xia Houlan in the rear issued orders almost at the same time. Cao Peng jumped off his horse and walked to the car. He saw Xia Houzhen and Huang Yueying helping the old lady get out of the car, while Cao Nan was holding
Deng Ai followed closely behind the old lady.
Deng Ai is over one year old and can babbling and calling out "A'Niang", "A'Dad" and "A'Uncle".
Chubby, pink, with a pair of big round black eyes, he looked around curiously. When he saw Cao Peng, he stretched out his chubby little hand and made a "ho ho ho" sound in his mouth, as if he wanted Cao Peng to hug him. Cao Peng
The friend ignored Deng Ai and came directly to the old lady.
"Old lady, why did you stop the car?"
"Where is the guide?"
Following the old lady's inquiry, the guide of the three elders of Ningping hurried forward.
"Since spring, has there been abundant rainfall in Chen County?"
The guide was startled and quickly replied: "It's not very abundant... Since the beginning of spring, Ninh Binh has only had two light rains, but the rainfall was not too heavy."
"Then farming..."
“The sowing is okay, I can barely keep up.
but……"
"But how?"
"Looking at things like this this year, I guess there won't be too much rain... I'm afraid of a drought. The last rain was around the 15th day of the month, and it's been nearly 20 days. In previous years, there was plenty of rain at this time. But this year... I heard
He said that the situation in Yilu, Xiangxian, and Xinyang is not very good. Cao Cao is stationed in Chenxian County, relying on Langtang Canal, and is doing well, but there are signs of drought in other places."
The old lady nodded and bent down.
She grabbed a clod of soil from the ground, squeezed it, and it immediately shattered.
Cao Peng couldn't help but be surprised and looked at the old lady in surprise. In his previous life, he had also experienced drought. One year, the Xiong'er River stopped flowing, and the fields on both sides of the bank dried up with holes like a baby's mouth. But the scenery in front of him looked like a baby's mouth.
There are no signs of drought.
It is lush and green, and there are no cracks in the land.
But the old lady could still see the clues at a glance, which Cao Peng couldn't help but admire secretly.
"When I was young... Well, it seems to be the fifth year of Yonghe. I was seven years old and had not yet entered the palace... Haha, my family was poor at that time, so I often worked in the fields with my mother. What happened that year
, very similar to now. After two light rains in spring, there was no rain again until autumn... There was no harvest, and many people starved to death in the fields.
My grandma once told me some techniques for looking at the qi, which can be used to judge the amount of rain based on the degree of dryness and wetness of the land...
Nearly a month has passed since I entered the palace at the age of fourteen. I still remember my mother’s words very clearly. Looking at the condition of the soil, I am really worried that there will be a drought like the Chenliu period. If there is a severe drought, then
Yuzhou will be in turmoil again."
This old lady Wu is definitely a person with a story.
Cao Peng had heard of the theory of Wangqi.
But most of the time, these are skills mastered by people like priests in the village.
Cao Peng didn't know how to be optimistic, and he couldn't even see the various crises hidden under this lush area. However, what the old lady said was right. If there was a drought, there would definitely be turmoil in Yuzhou. He couldn't help but frown.
, fell into deep thought.
"Afu, what are you thinking about?"
"I'm thinking about how to solve the problem if there is a drought."
Huang Yueying thought for a moment, then turned around and walked to her carriage, asking Guo Huan to take out a book bag from the car and dig out a bamboo slip.
She opened it, looked at it, and shook her head slightly.
Cao Peng stepped forward, took a look at the bamboo slips, and asked doubtfully: "Yueying, what is this?"
"Afu, do you know Bi Lan?"
This name seems familiar, but I can't quite place it.
But Kan Ze answered from the side: "Is the Bi Lan that Miss Huang is talking about the former 'Ten Constant Attendants' Bi Lan?"
"Exactly this person."
Shi Changshi, I know this!
However, Cao Peng couldn't figure out why Huang Yueying suddenly mentioned Bi Lan.
"Yueying, Hao Duanduan, why do you mention Shi Changshi?"
Huang Yueying heard this and smiled slightly.
She was about to explain when she heard the old lady not far away saying: "Captain Cao, let's go... get to Chen County early and remind Zi Lian."
Zi Lian is Cao Hong.
Mrs. Wu calls Cao Hong by her first name in public, which further illustrates her unusual identity.
Cao Peng quickly agreed and let Huang Yueying get in the car.
Then, he got on his horse and directed the convoy to continue moving. Huang Yueying returned to her car and never came out again.
That night, the motorcade arrived in Chen County.
It was already dark, but Cao Hong and all the officials from Chen County were waiting outside Chen County City.
As soon as he saw the carriage fight, Cao Hong stepped forward on foot. He didn't bother to greet Cao Peng, but came to the old lady's carriage and said respectfully: "My great nephew Cao Hong, here to greet my grandma."
"Zilian, I am a lonely old woman and I don't deserve such a great gift.
We don't need these silly things, so I won't get out of the car... Let's go back first, I have something to tell you."
"I will follow my grandmother's teachings."
At this moment, Cao Hong showed no signs of being delicate or pretentious.
He quickly gave the order and the officials who greeted him dispersed. He personally got into the carriage and became the driver of the old lady.
Cao Peng took the opportunity to meet Deng Fan.
"Big Bear, is everything okay here?"
"Ha, there's nothing wrong with it, it's pretty good."
Deng Fan seemed to be in good spirits. Now, as the military commander of Chen County, Cao Shi, he could be regarded as a powerful figure. Cao Hong couldn't care about the introduction, but Deng Fan still pulled Cao Peng and introduced Chen County officials to him. Rhodes, no introduction was needed.
!I have known Cao Peng well since they were in Xiapi.
Now Luo Ai is the Sima of Chen County and can be regarded as Deng Fan's superior officer.
The other officials of Chen County, big and small, had met Cao Peng one by one, but none of them had familiar names.
After they met, Luo Peng and Deng Fan took Cao Peng and said they wanted to help Cao Peng. Originally, Cao Peng didn't want to go, but he couldn't stand the enthusiasm of the two, and he was a little bit different from Deng Fan.
The days were busy, so it was difficult to refuse. So, after he explained to Cao Nan and Huang Yueying, he took Xia Houlan and Gan Ning and left with Luo De and Deng Fan. Kan Ze and Hao Zhao were led by Chen County officials.
Next, they protected the chariots and entered the county town of Chen County. A group of soldiers, horses and servants were all arranged to the Chen County school field.
In front of Cao Hong, neither Xia Houen nor Cao Yang had the qualifications to speak.
Both of them stayed in the school grounds and did not dare to act rashly without receiving orders.
"Daxiong, we are on the road. I heard that there seems to be not enough rain in Chen County since spring?"
"Ah, you heard about it too?"
During the banquet, Cao Peng asked about the drought.
Deng Fan did not hide anything, and nodded: "It is said that since the beginning of spring this year, the rain has been much less than at this time in previous years. However, the situation in Chen County is better. The water volume of Langtang Canal is large, so there is no big problem for the time being. However,
Prefect Cao has ordered that canals be dug along both sides of the Langtang Canal to store water... There have been no reports from other places so far, so the problem will not be particularly serious..."
"How is the situation outside Chen County?"
"This is not very clear."
Deng Fan asked in confusion: "Ah Fu, why are you so interested in this matter?"
Cao Peng repeated Mrs. Wu's words on the road, and Rhodes and Deng Fan couldn't help but look solemn.
"Presumably, the old lady will mention it to Prefect Cao, but just digging canals to store water may not be effective... Canals must be dug, and more must be dug. If there is insufficient manpower, you can ask Prefect Cao for orders to have his men
The soldiers are dispatched. This kind of thing needs to be prepared."
Deng Fan and Rhodes looked at each other and nodded in unison.
"By the way, who is that Mrs. Wu?"
Rhodes was startled, "Captain Cao, you actually don't know the origin of Mrs. Wu?"
"Do I need to know?"
"You are really... old lady, you are Mr. Cao's adoptive grandmother."
"Adoptive grandmother?"
Rhodes lowered his voice and said: "Not many people know about this matter. I also heard General Duhu accidentally mention it after receiving the documents from Qiao County. You should know the origin of Duke Cao."
"Of course I know about the Cao family in Qiao County."
"Then you should also know the origin of Duke Cao's father, Ju Gaogong."
Ju Gaogong, also known as Cao Song.
Cao Peng was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized and understood the meaning of Rhodes' words.
It was mentioned in The Romance of the Three Kingdoms that Cao Song's original surname was Xiahou, and he was later adopted by Cao Teng, the great eunuch at that time and the Changqiu servant.
So much so that in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Cao Cao was repeatedly called a eunuch.
In fact, Cao Teng had a good reputation in the late Eastern Han Dynasty and was not a regular servant. He assisted the four dynasties and became an official during the reign of Emperor Huan. He served for more than thirty years and passed through the four emperors without making any major mistakes. Moreover, he also
He recommended many capable people to the imperial court.
Chen Liu's Yu Fang and Bian Shao; Nanyang's Yan Gu and Zhang Wen; Hongnong's Zhang Huan; Yingchuan's Tang Xi and Zhao Dian...
These people all came from Cao Teng's army.
Zhong Hao, the governor of Yizhou, impeached Cao Teng, accusing him of corruption and bribery. However, when Cao Teng found out, he not only did not blame him, but promoted Zhong Hao.
From Cao Teng's hand, there were two captains.
One is Zhong Hao, the other is Zhang Wen...
It can be said that when Cao Cao first became an official, he killed Jian Shuo's uncle and governed Luoyang. He caused so many troubles, but he was safe and sound. He was only dismissed from his official position and transferred away from Luoyang. Among them was his grandfather Cao Cao. I am afraid it will be difficult to escape the lingering shadow of the storm.
The quality of Cao Teng can be put aside for now.
On the other hand, Cao Song's origin has always been a historical mystery.
The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms did not explain in detail, but according to the situation at that time, although the Xiahou family has been married to the Cao family for generations, Cao Teng still has an older brother and a younger brother. Even if he wants to adopt an adoptive family, it is impossible to adopt someone from the Xiahou family. Cao Song is more likely He was the son of Cao Teng's brother, and he passed to Cao Teng. After all, Cao's marriage to the Xiahou family was very close. In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, people with the same surname were not allowed to intermarry. If Cao's wife was really a descendant of the Xiahou family, , then he will definitely follow such a rule...
These are all idle talk.
"You mean, Mrs. Wu is Teng Gong's... wife?"
"Haha, exactly!"
A eunuch is actually married and has a wife?
Cao Peng was a little confused!
But then I thought, this eunuch is also a human being. Mrs. Wu may not be able to survive if she does not have a supporter while living in the palace.
Opposite food!
That must be the case.
Cao Peng had seen such things as "eating" in some literary works.
I think Mrs. Wu and Cao Teng are "eating each other".
Later, Cao Teng became an official. Because of his support, Emperor Huan granted the marriage to Mrs. Wu and Cao Teng, which seems reasonable. You must know that although Cao Teng's power was somewhat weakened in the later period, he still had great merit in the emperor's heart. Cao Teng He was named Fei Tinghou, and his fiefdom was inherited by Cao Song after his death. It can be seen from this that Cao Teng still occupies an extremely important position in Emperor Huan's heart...
Cao Song was raised by Mrs. Wu since she was a child. Wouldn't she be Cao ***'s adoptive grandmother?
"I heard from the prefect that Mr. Cao treats the old lady as his own grandmother and respects her very much. The old lady doesn't pay much attention to external matters, but if she speaks, Mr. Cao will definitely obey her."
Cao Peng, I understand...
After finishing the drinks, it was almost time.
Cao Peng suddenly returned to the inn and was about to take a rest when he accidentally discovered that the lights were still on in Huang Yueying's room.
"Xiaoluan, miss, haven't you rested yet?"
Buluan blushed, supported Cao Peng, and nodded gently.
"After the lady got off the bus, she never came out of the room.
Even dinner was served in the room. Sister Xiaohuan and I went to visit, and we saw the young lady holding a book, reading through it, and writing and drawing."
Cao Peng scratched his head and, accompanied by Buluan, came to the door of Huang Yueying's room.
Guo Huan was taking a nap by the door. She suddenly woke up when she heard footsteps. Seeing it was Cao Peng, she quickly stepped forward to salute.
"Master!"
"What is Miss doing in the house?"
"I don't know. The lady told us not to go in outside because we would disturb her."
Cao Peng was puzzled and couldn't figure out what Huang Yueying was thinking about. So he stepped forward and knocked on the door gently...
"who!"
"it's me!"
There was a sound of footsteps in the house, followed by the door being opened.
"Afu, you drank wine again!"
Cao Peng chuckled and said, "Fifth brother insists on pulling me, and I can't refuse... By the way, it's so late, why don't you rest?"
Huang Yueying's eyes lit up and she grabbed Cao Peng's sleeve.
"Afu, you came just in time, I have something I want to discuss with you.
Hehe, you must help me with this matter... Well, you can definitely help me, right?"
"What help?"
Cao Peng was confused and was pulled into the room by Huang Yueying.
