In the early morning, under the supervision of an old eunuch, several yawning little Huangmen walked out listlessly from Liu Xie's living courtyard, carrying tiger pods.
"Be smart!"
The old eunuch Ma Xun was ranked among the regular servants and was the head of Liu Xie's close servants. He was not young yet, but his personality was not very gentle. He usually treated the young eunuchs under him quite harshly.
"Hurry up and clean up the tiger! Your Majesty and the concubine will use it later when they get up!" Mason shouted in a high-pitched voice.
The so-called Huzi refers to the urinal in the Han Dynasty, which can also be said to be the prototype of the ancient toilet.
Just when the old eunuch was chirping, he saw a man in white walking in front of the old eunuch Ma Xun, with a warm and kind smile on his face.
"Aweng, are you so busy so early in the morning? Have you had breakfast?"
When Mason heard this, he felt very displeased.
Didn't you see us emptying the urinal here?
At this time, you still ask about breakfast. Isn’t this deliberately off-putting?
Simply looking for trouble!
Mason turned his head and was about to scold the visitor angrily, but as soon as he saw the voice and smile of the visitor clearly, he immediately put away the anger on his face and put on a smile. He bowed and saluted: "It turns out to be Mr. Taiping."
, this old slave has lost his respect."
The pottery merchant waved his hands with a smile, and his words were very gentle: "Ma Aweng and I don't have to be polite. When Tao met the emperor last time, he had no time to talk to you. Today is a chance encounter, so we have something to talk about... The emperor
We have suffered a lot over the years, and we all rely on Aweng to take care of us in life. Ma Aweng has taken care of us, the common master of the world, and has worked hard. Tao is here today to express his gratitude to you on behalf of all the people in the world."
When Mason heard that the pottery merchant was so polite, he was really flattered: "I don't dare! I don't dare! This old slave is just a servant, how dare he praise me like this? Besides, the title of Aweng is definitely not allowed."
"
The pottery merchant smiled and took out a brocade bag containing gold grains from his sleeve, and stuffed it into Mason's hand without leaving any trace.
"What can't be done? I heard that the emperor will call you "Aweng" every day. From now on, we will all be ministers under the emperor's command. We will work together to protect the emperor and help the country. We are the same emperor in the court.
Sir, we are friends in the court, so there are not so many things to talk about."
Mason weighed the money bag in his hand, feeling both surprised and happy.
After the Party's imprisonment, coupled with the Shi Changshi Rebellion, the nobles have always regarded the eunuchs as tigers and wolves. Even Dong Zhuo, Li Jue and others who have been in power in recent years treat these eunuchs like wild dogs.
It is very common for them to be beaten or scolded, and to kill a few at every turn.
A Tao Shang, a member of the gentry who went out of his way to make friends with each other and spoke so politely, thought about it carefully. This was the first time in several years since the emperor's disaster.
Ma Xun was very touched and appreciated. He bowed to the pottery merchant and said: "Young master is so polite, I am really ashamed...I am here first, please wish Mr. Taiping well."
The potter gently touched the bridge of his nose and said with a smile: "Would you like to congratulate me? I wonder where Tao's happiness comes from?"
Ma Xun whispered: "Young master, you don't know yet, but your majesty has already prepared to issue an edict. After the soldiers and horses from all the princes arrive in Fan County, he will be officially conferred the title of general, Marquis of Wanling! Such an honor, from what general?
After that, there will be no second person."
The smile on the potter's face suddenly stiffened.
"Aweng, are you serious about what you said?"
Mason nodded vigorously and said: "How dare I deceive Mr. Taiping? This matter is absolutely true! Your Majesty has already pointed out this matter in the edict written by King Qin to all the princes, so that all the princes should be prepared in advance.
"
The potter took a deep breath and tried his best to suppress the urge to rush into the mansion and pull out the emperor Liu Xie and kick him.
Impulse is the devil.
"Your Majesty is so good, why do you want to make me a general? After all, since the death of General He, our dynasty has never appointed a general again. Tao remembered that when Han Sui took the initiative to ask for this title from Your Majesty in Chang'an, His Majesty said
Even though Japan was in crisis, we never agreed to that ruthless man."
Ma Xun looked around, and then pulled the pottery merchant to the side of the house. Seeing no one around, he whispered: "I see that the young master is a humble gentleman, and he is thinking about your majesty, so he told me...
...The old slave has been with His Majesty for many years, and has watched His Majesty grow up. He also feels that His Majesty will never grant the position of general to others easily...But if I remember correctly, the soldiers under the Young Master will enter Puyang City to greet him.
The day before yesterday, there was a person who secretly met with Your Majesty in the middle of the night. The old slave was guarding the outer room at the time and did not hear what he said to Your Majesty. However, now that I think about it, this person may be the only one who can persuade His Majesty to confer such a big deal as the prince.
Lord."
"who is it?"
"Jia Xu, formerly a subordinate of Niu Fu in the Xiliang Army, saved His Majesty from danger many times when he was in Chang'an, so Your Majesty has always believed in his advice."
When the pottery merchant heard this, he suddenly realized.
"It turns out it's him...this old poisoner."
…
The pottery merchant once again expressed kind words and comfort to Mason, and promised to give generous gifts in the near future, hoping to have more friends with him in the future.
It was rare for Ma Xun to meet a prince who was willing to be a friend of his eunuch. It was said that it was easy to enjoy the shade under the big tree, so he naturally happily agreed.
And in his opinion, the trivial matter he told the pottery merchant was nothing at all.
Compared with many of the behaviors of the ten permanent servants back then, he, Ma Xun, just had some petty feud with the pottery merchant. Compared with Zhang Rang and others back then, he, Ma Xun, was a eunuch, and he already behaved like a saint.
Already.
Not long after Ma Xun left, he saw Chen Deng and Guo Jia arriving at the pottery merchant's side from a short distance away.
After the pottery merchant told the two of them about this matter, they both showed solemn expressions.
Chen Deng frowned and thought carefully, his expression looking very solemn.
"The emperor decreed that the prince of Fu should be made a general. This move is really dangerous for you! This is tantamount to putting the prince on the opposite side of the princes. If Xuzhou's military strength and power rank first among the princes, this general's
He is a well-deserved position as the king of the government, and he will surely be awe-inspiring among the heroes. But now, not to mention those far away, but only those close to him, there are two major forces, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, who are close by. Especially Yuan Shao, not only has great face, but also attaches great importance to official positions.
Secondly, he was the leader of the princes and alliance back then. If the prince becomes a general, the first person to regard him as an enemy will definitely be Yuan Shao."
Tao Shang said with a slightly mocking smile: "Yes, Cao Cao is still in a hostile relationship with us. If we add Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu to the south who are our mortal enemies, it will be really difficult to live this life.
"
Guo Jia's thoughts were deeper than Chen Deng's: "One more thing, I wonder if you have ever thought about it. If you become a general, how should you handle the relationship with your father Tao Shijun? Your father is the governor of Xuzhou, and you are the governor of Xuzhou.
General, now let’s think about it carefully. Are you in charge of your father, or is your father in charge of you? The dangers involved are very serious and must be dealt with carefully.”
The pottery merchant looked up at the sky and said quietly: "Even my father is involved in such vicious methods. He really doesn't want to let me live well. He is provoking whoever he wants."
Chen Deng wondered: "Who is this Jia Xu? Chen has never heard of this person's abilities before."
The pottery merchant warned the two of them: "Jia Xu is a wise man in Liangzhou, and he is the best at scheming. In my opinion, this person's ability should be above that of the students of Yingchuan Academy. Either he doesn't take action, or if he does, he will definitely be a master."
It’s a unique skill! We need to be more careful.”
Chen Deng was shocked when he heard this, and secretly thought that this sterile place in Liangzhou could actually give birth to such a human spirit?
It seems that the resourceful people in this world are indeed beyond my imagination.
Guo Jia's thoughts were relatively realistic: "Jia Xu has laid down his plan now, and we are waiting for us to break it. But the problem is that it is difficult to recover now. The emperor's edict has been issued, unless you are determined not to accept it!"
The pottery merchant pondered for a while and said: "It is a bad idea to refuse to accept it. I have another way to kill two birds with one stone, which is to let the emperor take the initiative to withdraw the edict."
Chen Deng hesitated and said: "The problem is that the emperor has already issued an edict to all the princes to make the emperor a general. At this time, he suddenly asked the emperor to withdraw the edict, whether it was for the emperor's face or for the emperor.
His face is not good-looking. Once word spreads among the princes, everyone will say that the prince is afraid of Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and others, which is somewhat inappropriate."
The pottery merchant said unhurriedly: "Don't worry, I have a way to let this matter come to light naturally. At the same time, it will not damage the emperor's face, nor will it lose the momentum of my Xuzhou Army... and it can also make the emperor's face clear."