msmithbooks Chapter 113
Chapter 113
Although Cao Cao's health is not as good as before, and he has suffered many hidden injuries due to years of fighting, but he has always been stronger than others, rarely gets sick, and is extremely healthy in the eyes of everyone. People often forget that he is a good-natured old man with a short lifespan.
It wasn't until he got the news of Cao Cao's serious illness that Cao Pi realized that his father, who was as tall as a mountain in his heart, was no longer young.For a moment, many thoughts seemed to pass through his mind, but he seemed to think of nothing at the same time.
He immediately settled the matter at hand and went to the prime minister's mansion.
All the way was silent, the pace was hurried, and the chaotic thoughts suddenly went back to the past, and suddenly spread disorderly.He thought of Zheng Ping's proposal to "wait quietly" a few days ago, and he couldn't help but wonder.
Zheng Ping told him not to mind his own business, and he would go to him after copying the three Xuans... Now he just finished copying two of them, only missing the last eight chapters of the "Nan Hua Jing".It was a coincidence that Cao Cao was seriously ill at this time, or...
Cao Pi immediately stopped his unfounded speculation and put all his thoughts into his stomach.
He was welcomed into the inner courtyard by his servants, and happened to meet Zheng Ping at the junction of the stone road.
This is not the time to exchange pleasantries, he only greeted Zheng Ping formally, and did not mention anything else.He and Zheng Ping untied their swords, and entered Cao Cao's bedroom one after another. They saw Cao Cao lying on the couch, conscious and not seriously ill, but his mental state was indeed worse than when he saw him last time.
Cao Pi stepped forward to salute and greet him.Because he was not sure about Cao Cao's intention to call him and Zheng Ping over at the same time, he was restrained and cautious, and he dared not pour out all the words of concern, for fear that there might be some inappropriate words that would cause Cao Cao to think too much.
Cao Cao didn't know Cao Pi's pretentious attitude.
No matter what he thought in his heart, he didn't say anything, just said a few words to Cao Pi, then turned to Zheng Ping, who had no other words or deeds since he entered the door except to perform rituals, and sighed: "Before, Zheng Ping was as lonely as an old cow running hooves. Toil and plow the fields, I never thought that it would take me more than a month, and I can't even scatter my hooves."
Seeing Cao Pi's strange expression, he held Cao Pi's hand, motioned him not to speak, and continued,
"The old man is standing still, but he no longer has the ability to gallop, it is actually a delusion..."
Zheng Pingdao: "The prime minister is very old, and he has been fighting for many years, and has suffered countless secret injuries. It is like an old and tight bowstring, which may break at any time. A few days ago, he was stabbed and hurt his vitality. , The prime minister did not take proper care of himself before he went into official duties, just like a broken cloth bag full of iron and stone, a narrow gap was opened by a sharp knife, and it was not repaired, and he kept trying to fill it with things, and sooner or later it would be broken."
If someone else is holding power and no one dares to disobey him, as if the whole world is at his fingertips—but he is no match for old age and sickness, it is hard to guarantee that he will not become angry when he hears Zheng Ping's words.
Even Cao Cao couldn't guarantee that—if it had been a few days earlier, he would have been furious because of Zheng Ping's statement, and would have killed people on the spot regardless of the situation and other external factors.
A moment's difference, a thought's difference.
Cao Cao has been ill for many days, and has already experienced the panic of his energy fading like a tide, and he is unwilling to be controlled by weakness and physical decline.He also had extreme thoughts, but at this moment, he didn't have any annoyance or anger at what Zheng Ping said that he didn't like, only a feeling of "it really is".
"Times have changed, but Zhengping remains the same, without any change. Besides you, who else would dare to speak out to Gu - tell Gu that things are too late and time is running out?"
Zheng Ping's expression didn't change, Cao Cao's seemingly ordinary emotional words lifted his mind a little.He didn't follow Cao Cao's meaning, but said in a neutral tone:
"The Prime Minister thinks too highly of Heng. If Heng is really 'as always', he would have died in the city when he was playing drums naked in the past."
Standing by the side of the couch, Cao Pi was watching Cao Cao and Zheng Ping's back and forth in horror. After a while, his palms were sweating profusely, all because of Zheng Ping's pinching.
He noticed an eerie silence outside the door.Combining Cao Cao's physical condition and what he said, Cao Pi knew that there must be countless swordsmen ambushing in the courtyard and behind the hall at this moment, waiting for the opportunity to move, waiting for Cao Cao to issue orders.
Cao Pi wanted to get up and observe quietly, but Cao Cao kept holding his hand, unable to get up, and even received a silent warning and was not allowed to speak.
He believed that with Zheng Ping's keenness, he must also be aware of the crisis lurking in the dark.Even if Zheng Ping didn't seem to realize it at all, he would be as cautious and safe as walking on a single-plank bridge.
I thought so, but Cao Pi never imagined that Zheng Ping's attitude towards Cao Cao was still the same.
When Zheng Ping brought up the old story of "beating drums and cursing Cao", Cao Pi's mind was raised so high that he almost jumped out of his throat.
Cao Cao who heard this sentence slowly suppressed all expressions and remained silent.The room was eerily quiet for a while, Cao Pi seemed to hear a violent heartbeat and a few breathing sounds that did not belong to him, and the hand hanging on the other side suddenly tightened.
After a while, Cao Cao laughed out loud. He was obviously seriously ill, but he was full of energy.
Cao Pi's heart hangs to the extreme.
Cao Cao quickly stopped laughing and took a few sharp breaths.Even though Cao Pi was somewhat concerned about this, he was even more worried that Cao Cao would make an irreversible decision.He stared at Cao Cao without saying a word, and his heart beat faster and faster after trying to calm down.
Finally, at the moment of the critical threshold, Cao Cao finally spoke.
"If Gu gave you a chance—a chance to decide on a successor, which one of Gu's many sons would you choose to succeed Duke Wei?"
It is not "which one do you think is suitable" or "what kind of reference will you give", but a clear decision and choice, like a proposition that will kill you no matter how you answer it.
Zheng Ping looked up at Cao Cao, and Cao Cao stared at him, waiting for his answer.
Zheng Ping did not answer but asked instead: "If the prime minister can realize the wish of Emperor Qin one day and find the elixir of life, but the Taoist priest who offered the medicine said that he must kill himself immediately after taking the medicine, otherwise the medicine will be useless. How should the prime minister choose?"
Cao Cao frowned and said, "How do I know if this medicine is the real medicine for longevity? If the medicine is useless after suicide, wouldn't it be a joke that I died in vain?"
Zheng Ping said: "That's it."
It would be absurd to entangle the answers when the question itself lacks meaning.
Cao Cao read Zheng Ping's implication, his mood changed, he stopped embarrassing him, and said that he was tired, let Cao Pi stay, and ordered Zheng Ping to be led out.
Before Zheng Ping left, he said to Cao Cao intentionally or unintentionally:
"Huahualang (dandelion) bears seeds (seeds), no matter where the soil ends up, he always hopes that his children and grandchildren will be able to take root in a stable place without the aftermath of turmoil. The prime minister's heart is as clear as a mirror, and he will surely leave peace for his children and grandchildren .”
Cao Cao's complexion changed suddenly, and he stared at Zheng Ping's leaving back uncertainly.He wanted to throw the jade ring hidden in his sleeve to the ground several times to issue a secret order, but he held it tightly in his hand.
In the end, he raised his hand, signaling to the swordsman hiding in the dark not to act rashly, and let Zheng Ping leave.
If he can last a few more years with a healthy body, he can have enough time to select and cultivate a qualified heir, and he can gradually eliminate celebrities and generals who hinder the great cause.
But he made a complete plan, but he didn't expect that his unmentionable disease would suddenly break out and his condition would get worse.
His surviving son is only in his 20s at the oldest. Although he can take charge of himself, he is not good enough to deal with those old foxes from the aristocratic family.
However, the youth is not inferior to the wisdom of adults. Cao Chong, who has been extremely intelligent and perceptive since he was a child, has no ambition to make progress. After all, Cao Cao can't be cruel and pushes Cao Chong into the thorny torrent regardless of Cao Chong's wishes.
After much deliberation, considering his personality and talents, the most suitable candidate is Cao Pi, who has a youthful heart, yet is calm and ambitious.
He wanted to make Cao Pi his heir, and make sufficient preparations to pave the way before he was unable to do what he wanted.How to arrange for Zheng Ping, who is of sufficient weight and has saved Cao Pi's life and has great influence, has become a crucial issue.
He wasn't vacillating, but Zheng Ping really made him feel embarrassed.
Cao Cao finally made a decision, and chose the latter between killing and letting go. Zheng Ping's words just now made him want to kill again.
What those words mean——for the smooth transfer of power, maintaining the stability of the situation is inevitable.He had to stop, end the secret arrangement, and let Kong Rong, Cui Yan, Yang Xiu and others go.
This is indeed the truth, even to the point, but it makes Cao Cao strange and hazy.
If Cao Cao hadn't consulted many famous doctors for diagnosis and treatment, and compared the diagnosis words, he was sure that his illness was due to old age and hidden wounds left by years of fighting. The assassination last time was just an introduction. .
——How could it be such a coincidence that when he made up his mind to get rid of Kong Rong and others one by one, he suddenly became seriously ill?
Even if he was sure that Zheng Ping had nothing to do with this matter, he still couldn't control his hostility when he heard this "intimate" reminder.
This hostility dissipated in an instant.
No matter how annoyed he is, it is a fact that he can no longer rashly attack the family.
Zheng Ping was just clarifying everything.
"You Zhengping is a person who appears to be insane and insane, but in fact has a degree of advancement and retreat. He is clear in a troubled world, and hides in the court hall. He lifts weight lightly, respects power and respects nothing, and no one can control it. It needs to be used normally and treated with affection. Therefore, it is always possible.”
……
Zheng Ping has left the prime minister's mansion, and he doesn't know what Cao Cao said about him.
He was not at all surprised by Cao Cao's condition and final decision.
As he said to Cao Cao, Cao Cao's illness is a natural reaction.
Anyone who is a person will get sick, and the sixty-year-olds are already lacking in energy. Of course, long-term exertion will cause physical discomfort, and even lead to unresolved diseases left in their youth.
For the time being, this disease has no effect on his life expectancy, but he was not allowed to expend any more effort, and he has what he has today.
The fact that Cao Cao's vitality was injured when he was assassinated was the cause, but not the root cause.
It is this seemingly inconspicuous cause that, like an equally inconspicuous butterfly, flutters its wings and turns the future in another direction.
And he, Zheng Ping, just took advantage of the situation and took advantage of the situation to seek a guarantee of survival for his friends in this life.
On the way into the carriage, he saw Sima Yi coming in the carriage, his eyes exchanged briefly, and each understood the meaning.
The two quickly looked away, as they had a casual relationship as they had shown outside, and passed each other in a car.
Zheng Ping did not go out after returning home.
A few days later, he got the news that he and Kong Rong and others were dismissed due to cronyism and selfishness. He didn't feel any panic. .
Guo Jia and others who came to drink and eat barbecue did not have a word of comfort, because they all knew what Cao Cao did for this move, and there was nothing to comfort them.
Not long after, Cao Cao became an official due to illness. Cao Pi took over the position of Duke Wei and entered the prime minister's mansion. He married Tongti Hou's younger sister Guo Xuan as his wife, and re-appointed Zheng Ping, Kong Rong and others.
Cao Pi served as King of Wei for many years, until Cao Cao and Xun Yu passed away successively, he received the edict of abdication from the emperor, and changed the country to proclaim himself emperor.
The Han Dynasty, which lasted for 400 years, came to an end. Cao Pi pursued Cao Cao as Emperor Wu of Wei, established the Guo family as the heir, changed the official system to Jiupin Zhongzheng, abolished the position of deputy prime minister, reinstated the three princes and established vacant positions, and talked about government affairs.
Tude replaced Huo, and Zheng Ping, a county lord left over from the Han Dynasty, would naturally be taken back.
However, Cao Pi seemed to have forgotten this, and still retained Zheng Ping's fiefdom, title and treatment of the relevant county lords, and based on the achievements of Jiupin Zhongzheng and him in the past, he wanted to grant the second-rank prime minister the position of director.
Among the nine ranks, most of the first ranks are false titles, and the second rank is actually the most real official.And Si Zhi's salary is in the forefront of the middle two thousand stones, even higher than Sili Xiaowei, and faintly higher than Jiuqing.
After hearing the news, he said bluntly in a private meeting with Cao Pi: "The Eastern Han Dynasty suffered from the chaos caused by foreign relatives and eunuchs. Your Majesty's move may attract criticism from officials."
Cao Pi smiled peacefully: "What I do is to follow the nine-rank official system. If they have any objections, it means that this system is inappropriate and needs to be changed urgently."
Obviously, the aristocratic family that profited from the Jiupin Zhongzheng could not give up the benefits at their fingertips just because of the so-called "learning from the previous dynasties".
"What's more," Cao Pi continued, "There is a saying in "Lv Shi", 'A virtuous person does not avoid relatives and enemies'. If you avoid your relatives because of the loss of your predecessors, and dare not appoint talents, isn't it just because of choking that you give up food and ask for it yourself? bitter?"
After saying this, Cao Pi showed a somewhat genuine and fake melancholy, and looked at Zheng Ping scorchingly: "The imperial court is newly established, and a thousand wastes are waiting to be rejuvenated. Jiangdong and Jing Yi are eyeing each other. My brother-in-law is a great talent, and he is my arm. You won't be lazy and hide away, leaving me alone and helpless, right?"
Since ascending to the throne, Cao Pi's attitude towards Zheng Ping is still close, but a little more accommodating and arrogant.
Zheng Ping has no desire for power, but he doesn't avoid it like other hermits with strange temperaments.
He has always followed the path of the trend, and he will not retreat to the present because of possible fears and crises in the future before he realizes his disadvantages.
Therefore, taking over the position of Sizhi in a good manner has become a choice that should not be considered.
He was awarded the golden seal with purple ribbon, inspected all officials of the history, and corrected all matters.And Wei's career in the prosperous age also started from this.