Zhuge Liang held a book in one hand and clasped his waist with the other, wandering at the door and chanting in a low voice. The soldiers at the city gate did not drive him away, but looked at him with some surprise. Thinking of the boy in his family again, he couldn't help but shake his head.
Sigh, look at their children!
Ever since he learned that Liu Mo had returned to the court, he had been waiting here, holding a volume in his hand, and read through it from morning to night, rain or shine. This even attracted many children around him, who looked at him curiously and wanted to follow him.
He was learning, so Zhuge Liang would squat at the gate of the city and speak to these half-grown men. Occasionally, their parents would send some food as a thank you.
On this day, Zhuge Liang was reciting books as usual, when he saw a few dark-looking boys running over, looked at Zhuge Liang, and shouted: "Jun, there are some soldiers and chariots coming from far away.
"Hundreds of people, I see that all the pavilion chiefs are coming forward to pay their respects." Zhuge Liang had already given instructions to these people to help him pay attention to the surrounding situation. Upon hearing this, Zhuge Liang was overjoyed.
Then he asked: "Which city gate are they coming towards?"
"It's coming towards us!"
"good!"
A rare smile appeared on Zhuge Liang's face. He held the book tightly and looked into the distance. He couldn't hide the joy in his heart and waited quietly. Finally, a group of people gradually appeared on the road. The exhausted soldiers rode on horseback.
Advancing and driving slowly, Zhuge Liang searched among the crowd, but still could not find Liu Mo. When the soldiers passed by, he stood aside and gave way to the road.
The soldiers passed by him one by one. Zhuge Liang frowned and searched among the crowd.
"Are you okay?"
Someone said from behind. Zhuge Liang turned around and looked behind him happily. Liu Mo stood behind him, smiling gently. Even the ferocious scars on his face could not destroy the warmth. Zhuge Liang hugged him.
Liu Mo patted him on the back, "He has grown a lot taller, good, not bad!"
Zhuge Liang didn't reply. After hugging him for a long time, Liu Mo took him back home.
"I'm not in a hurry to see His Majesty today, so I'll rest at home for the day. You've already started reading the agricultural book? "The Book of Si Sheng"? Okay, yes, agriculture is the foundation of the world. It's a pity that you can't do it if you don't know about agriculture.
, I wanted to bring you fish and shrimps from Dongli, but the distance is too far and I can’t carry them, so I’ll take you there later.”
Zhuge Liang listened quietly to Liu Mo's words.
When he arrived at home, Liu Mo was very happy. He had been away for so long, but the chickens and ducks raised at home were not weak at all. Instead, they became fatter. Hahaha, yes, I had been worried about these chickens and ducks before.
After grabbing a chubby chicken, Liu Mo started to get busy. Zhuge Liang also asked some questions, but he didn't mention the scars on Liu Mo's face.
"General Huang, didn't he come back with him?"
"Well, General Huang's eldest son has passed away. He has gone home. I originally wanted to go with him to pay his respects to his eldest son. However, I still have to meet His Majesty and report many things, so I can only let him
I'm going there alone. When you see General Huang in the future, don't mention this anymore. He is pitiful too. I have never seen him look so haggard and in pain."
The two ate delicious food and chatted until late at night.
"Have major events happened in Luoyang during my absence?"
"Well, there are, there are three major things."
"Your Majesty has a new concubine. I heard that she is the cousin of Cao Cao, the farmer, and the daughter of Cao Ding, the former captain of the Sili school."
"Oh?" Liu Mo frowned, thought for a while, and asked, "Did something happen to the Queen?" Zhuge Liang shook his head and said, "I have never heard that Duke Cai has evilly treated Your Majesty."
"Mr. Cai?? What is this?"
"This is the second thing. Your Majesty took the people from Hedong and Hanoi to build the palace. He wanted to build three new palaces. He also ordered Lu Gong to build the imperial mausoleum. Cai Gong remonstrated with the story of Emperor Xiaokang. He hoped that your Majesty would be diligent, frugal and simple. His Majesty was furious and asked: "My achievements are unprecedented and my treasury is rich. How about the construction?"
"Then how did Mr. Cai answer?"
"Cai Gong replied, the merits of Renmiao are to provide peace to the people at the bottom and support the literary style at the top. The external expeditions are unruly and the agriculture and mulberry crops are promoted internally. Your Majesty's contribution is to enjoy its success."
"Alas" Liu Mo shook his head and asked, "Is Mr. Cai still okay?"
"The ministers did not dare to plead for Cai Gong. Your Majesty wanted to imprison Cai Gong. Fortunately, the queen cried and begged for mercy. Your Majesty did not pursue the case. He only fined Cai Gong one year's salary. In addition, he renovated a new palace and abandoned the other two palaces. , the imperial mausoleum also ordered things to be simple and not to use too much labor."
"Your Majesty is still wise, but Mr. Cai is too strong-willed. If he continues to be like this, I'm afraid the Queen will just forget it, forget it." Liu Mo said no more.
"What about the third thing?"
"Oh, I heard that Situ Cui Gong accepted a disciple. I heard that some of Cui Gong's subordinates were taken away by the embroidered messenger due to some misunderstandings. One man rescued them and brought them back to Situ's Mansion. Cui Gong thought this person was extraordinary. , so he stayed by his side and taught me personally.”
"Situ Gong taught him personally? It seems that this person must have extraordinary talents," Liu Mo said with emotion.
The next day, Liu Mo got up early, tidied up his clothes, and then walked towards the palace. After learning of Liu Mo's arrival, the emperor also held a court meeting and asked the ministers to go to court to discuss matters, mainly regarding the Japanese island. , Liu Mo has been busy with this matter for more than two years, and now he has just reached a conclusion. When Liu Mo arrived at the gate of the palace, the officials did not know what they were talking about.
Seeing Liu Mo coming, they were startled at first. Naturally, they were frightened by the scar on Liu Mo's face. After that, they started chatting with each other. Only Xun Yu stepped forward and asked Xun You. Because of Xun You's relationship, Xun Yu and Liu Mo were relatively close. The two chatted for a long time, and then they saw Lao Situ slowly walking over with a cane and being supported by others.
Old Situ now looked older and older. He was as thin as firewood and as pale as paper. He could hardly open his eyes. He looked at Liu Mo in front of him. He was startled and opened his eyes. He looked at this for a long time. Then he laughed and said: "Liu Mo is back!" Although he called him by his name, Liu Mo did not feel that it was rude. On the contrary, his words revealed a different kind of closeness.
"Mr. Situ!"
Everyone bowed, Cui Shi shook his head and said, "There's no need to do this, let's go." He waved towards Liu Mo, Liu Mo stepped forward and supported him, Cui Shi and him walked over together, Cui Shi gasped He was out of breath and walked extremely slowly. The other ministers followed him and did not dare to pass him. Cui Shi smiled and said: "No, no, no."
"This is probably the last time I will go to court, and it's time to retire and return home."
As Cui Shi said, Liu Mo was stunned and asked: "Mr. Cui, do you want to"
"It's time to go home. I'm already a hundred years old. From Emperor Xiaohuan, to Emperor Xiaokang, to Your Majesty, I've served you well, haha," Cui Shi said, coughing violently again, Liu Mo slowed down a little, Cui Shi Shi then said: "I am going to court this time because I have important matters. After this matter is dealt with, I have nothing to worry about."
"Liu Mo, I can't remember your name, so I call you that. Don't blame me. You will definitely achieve great things in the future. Do you know Jin Rixi, the Honorable Marquis?"
"I know"
"Then I don't need to say more."
Old Situ nodded.
Everyone entered the court and sat in their seats one by one. Situ pulled Liu Mo and sat beside him, and continued: "The most important thing about the country is the people." Liu Mo was stunned and didn't know what the old man was. Why did Situ suddenly say such a sentence? However, he nodded seriously and replied: "Be taught."
"What if the safety of the people conflicts with the emperor's edict?" Old Situ asked with a smile.
Liu Mo's eyes widened, what does this mean?
Old Situ, are you planning to rebel?
Seeing that Liu Mo was speechless, Old Situ laughed and said: "Then work hard to live until you are a hundred years old. Your Majesty will not dare to punish you, so you can speak freely, hahaha."
For some reason, Old Situ's playful words didn't make Liu Mo laugh. In Old Situ's laughter, Liu Mo heard something unusual. It seemed that it was a little sad, a little sad?
The emperor came to the main hall under the respectful escort of Han Men and others and sat on the upper seat.
Old Situ struggled to get up and bowed to the emperor first. The emperor seemed not to have thought that old Situ had come to the court meeting. He quickly stood up and bowed back to Situ, and then to the ministers. Everyone then sat down, and the emperor was still smiling. After asking about Old Situ's physical condition, the emperor looked at Liu Mo. Seeing the scars on Liu Mo's face, the emperor was silent for a moment.
"Liu Jun has suffered"
"Your Majesty" Liu Mo stood up and bowed.
"This time, Mr. Liu, thanks to your hard work, things have gone smoothly on the Japanese island, and I have lost one of my worries."
The emperor said, looked at Xing Zi'ang again, and asked: "Mr.
"Here you go!"
The Emperor nodded and was about to speak when he saw a man standing up and bowing to the Emperor. The Emperor frowned and asked, "What's the matter, Your Majesty?" This person was called Wang Zhang, and he had some connections with the world. Due to his reputation, he was called the "Eight Chefs", and at this time he was serving as the Minister of History. Wang Zhang frowned, looked at the emperor, and said: "Your Majesty, I have something to report!"
"The imperial censor was ordered to go to the Japanese island. He was originally an envoy to negotiate and deal with things without fighting. However, Liu Jun's trip not only failed to eliminate the war, but also caused a fierce battle on the Japanese island. After the soldiers were injured and killed, the troops were sent out due to the order of the majesty. The Japanese island has just been pacified, I wonder if Mr. Liu has any merit that can be rewarded?"
The emperor's face suddenly turned gloomy and he didn't reply.
Then another person stood up and said: "What the king said is extremely bad. What's more, Liu Jun serves as the imperial censor and is an important minister of the country. He bears the dignity of a big man. Now, his face is ferocious, scary and ugly, and he is not suitable." If he continues to be an official in the court, he hopes that your majesty will order him to retire and return home." This person was called Zhang Yin, and he was friends with Wang Zhang. He was called Ba Gu with Liu Biao and others, and he was also a famous person in the world.
"Hahaha!"
One person suddenly laughed loudly, and everyone turned to look. This person was Cao Cao, the farmer. Cao Cao quickly bowed to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me for being rude."
"Why are you laughing?"
"I remembered that in the past, the ministers discussed sending an envoy to the Japanese island, and all the officials declined, not daring to argue, and asked Duke Liu to do the matter. But today, they dismiss it as if it was a trivial matter. I think about the drastic changes in this, and I can't bear it.
"That's why I laughed." After hearing Cao Cao's words, Wang Zhang, Zhang Yin and others' expressions changed greatly, and they looked at him angrily.
But they didn't understand in their hearts that they and Cao Cao were both allies and like-minded members of the New Party. Why did Cao Cao speak for Liu Mo?
Cao Cao then said: "Zhang Junyan, in terms of appearance, Liu Mo should return home. I agree that Liu Gong is more handsome than I. I should be grateful that a dark and short man like me can still be a farmer."
Your Majesty loves you so much, but I thought," he suddenly looked at Wang Zhang and others, and said, "the scars on Liu Gong's face are not ugly, nor are they terrible. They were created by the king and killed the thief chieftain. This is
The scars will make Mr. Liu even more heroic!"
"On the contrary, there are some ugly villains in the court, with very ugly faces, wiping ashes and smearing their eyebrows, without holding a sword, but they are associating with Emei. These villains have lost the dignity of the big man. They should retire and return to their hometowns, and will not be hired again!"
When Cao Cao said this, everyone was shocked and speechless.
But the emperor laughed loudly and said, "It's true what Mr. Cao said." He turned his head and looked at Zhang He. Zhang He knew it well. Not long after, soldiers entered the temple and dragged the two of them away.
After going out, Cao Cao sat back in his seat, looked at Liu Mo, smiled and nodded, Liu Mo did the same, but he didn't understand why Cao Cao would speak for him.
After discussing some matters, Situ Cui Shi motioned to Liu Mo and asked him to help him up.
Seeing Cui Shi get up, the emperor got up again and asked: "Situ Gong, do you have any advice?"
Cui Shi smiled and said: "I am old and want to retire and return to my hometown. I wonder if your majesty will allow it?"
The emperor was silent for a moment, and finally he was relieved and said: "It was my fault that I did not understand Situ. He was still busy with state affairs at his age. Mr. Situ can return home and enjoy a happy life. I will also give you a reward."
"Your Majesty, rewards do not need to be given to me for this lifetime. I am ignorant of politics, military affairs, and etiquette."
He coughed for a moment.
"Assuming the position of one of the three princes, the only thing I am good at is literature and poetry."
"I have written a poem and would like to recite it to you. I wonder if your majesty will agree to it?"
"Hahaha, Dashan, I haven't seen Cui Gongzhi's literary works for a long time, and I still miss him very much!"
The ministers all felt a little disdainful. This person had only relied on his writing skills and continuous flattery to get into his current position. Now that he is leaving, why not forget to write his writings?
"I don't know what its name is?"
The emperor asked.
Cui Shi took out a policy from his sleeves, raised his head, and looked at the emperor.
His mouth trembled for a long time before he said: