Kuangfu Han Dynasty

Chapter 32 Making Pears
Wang Can was stunned for a moment, and then realized that Zhang Shao was just beating around the bush and calling himself ugly!This was a pain point in Wang Can's life. When he was young, he was always looked down upon because of his shortness. Fortunately, his teacher Cai Yong praised him. Later, when he came to Jingzhou, he missed Liu Biao's recruitment of a son-in-law because he was short and fat. Wang Can regarded this as a great shame and humiliation. .

Wang Can was talented but impetuous. After joining Cao Cao, he showed many eagerness, which made his colleagues in the shogunate dislike him less.As soon as this statement came out, everyone snickered for a while, especially Wang Can's senior brother Ruan Yu who was the most happy. Everyone felt that Zhang Shao was smarter.

Hitting someone in the face and scolding someone to expose their shortcomings made Wang Can blush all over. But it would be too disgraceful to scold Zhang Shao, a boy like Zhang Shao. Wang Can had no choice but to snort and look away, pretending to be magnanimous. Complain with children.

Another person was also quite hostile to Zhang Shao. This was Cai Hao, who had just been granted the title of Marquis of Pavilion. He hated Zhang Shao entirely because he was afraid of Zhang Fei.

This matter has to be discussed from last year. Although Cai Mao has always been hostile to Liu Bei, Jingzhou still relies on him to guard the northern border, so he has kept it hidden.It was not until Liu Biao died of illness last year that Liu Bei began to secretly join forces with Liu Qi. Cai Mao, who had decided to support Liu Cong and surrender to Cao Cao, had murderous intentions.

He conspired with Kuai Yue to get rid of the old man when Liu Bei went to Xiangyang for a banquet. Unexpectedly, the plan was discovered by Liu Biao's fellow countryman and Shanyang scholar Yi Ji, who quietly informed Liu Bei, allowing Liu Xuande to find an excuse to leave early. Xiangyang.

Afterwards, Liu Bei put the overall situation first and did not immediately settle accounts with Cai Mao. However, he only wanted to be guarded by Zhao Yun if he entered Xiangyang from now on.When Zhang Fei, who had always been loyal to Liu Bei, learned about this, he became furious and publicly stated more than once after drinking that he would kill Cai Mao and Kuai Yue sooner or later.

Zhang Fei kept his word, and in the next six months, he really inspected all the Cai family's caravans traveling between Nanyang and Xiangyang on the grounds of "preventing Cao's thieves and spies", and he and Cai Mao became enemies ever since.

Originally, Cai Mao was not very afraid of Zhang Fei. After all, he had surrendered to Cao Cao, while Liu Bei was defeated and was about to be destroyed.

But now I was suddenly shocked to hear that the Xiahou family, whom Cao Cao regarded as a family member, was actually married to Zhang Fei, and in Cao Cao's words, he actually liked Zhang Shao, the little captive.This made Cai Mao worried. Could it be that Prime Minister Cao wanted to use Zhang Shao as bait to win Zhang Fei's surrender after Liu Bei's death?
If this is the case, then Cai Hao will be in the same room with that brave man. Thinking of Zhang Fei's bold words to kill him, Cai Hao is a little afraid and hates the house. He stared at Zhang Shao and commented in a weird way: "You gentlemen Do you all think that this child will be good in the future? I don’t think so. If he is young, he may not be good if he is young."

There was no need for Zhang Shao to criticize him, but when Cao Cao heard this, his face suddenly fell. He pointed at Cai Mao and said, "De Gui made a mistake! Let him drink as a penalty! Zhang Shao, give it to Cai Houman!"

The words "Marquis of Cai" made Cai Mao frightened and stunned. He almost walked out of the table and knelt down in front of Cao Cao. He had no idea what he had said wrong.

Xiahou Ba, who was sitting next to Su Wei, was overjoyed. Although Cai Mao and Prime Minister Cao were childhood friends, they had been separated for too long. Even Cao Cao's family happened to have two "younger" children who didn't know!

If Cao Pi and Cao Zhi were "wonderful children" when they were young, then He Yan can be called a "holy boy", and Cao Chong is a real "prodigy".

That's why Cao Cao immediately protected the calf without giving Cai Mao any face.

Now, after Zhang Shao gained Cao Cao's support, he walked over and poured wine for Cai Mao. It was so full that it almost overflowed, and watched him drink it with fear.

Zhang Shao didn't want to have more verbal entanglements with Cai Mao. Influenced by the novel, he always felt that Cai Hao and Zhang Yun would have their heads chopped off sooner or later after Cao Cao fell into the conspiracy. Why should he care about a dead man?

Another person who was wary of "Zhang Fei surrendering to Cao" was much smarter than Cai Mao. Kuai Yue waited for others to comment first, but he didn't stare at Zhang Shao until the end and said: "You are indeed smart and sharp in words. Let I think of someone." After saying that, he glanced at Wang Can.

Wang Can understood Kuai Yue's intention and immediately answered: "Who did Kuai Hou think of?"

Kuai Yue smiled and said: "Of course it was Kong Rong and Kong Wenju who were famous all over the world in the past!"

Kong Rong?As soon as these words came out, Xu Shu and Xia Houba felt chills in their hearts!

They knew how much Cao Cao hated Kong Rong.It turned out that Kong Rong was a young man who was smart, good at eloquence, and had a good family background, so he was admired by all the handsome men in the country.After Kong Rong lost Beihai County, he went to Xudu to seek refuge with the Han court. Cao Cao respected his reputation and awarded him the high position of Jiuqing.

Kong Rong was initially compatible with Cao Cao, but after Cao Cao pacified Hebei, Kong Rong believed that Cao Cao had a "disloyal heart". He regarded himself as a loyal and good man of the court, so he repeatedly made things difficult for Cao Cao.For example, he made up a story about "King Wu conquered Zhou and rewarded Daji to Duke Zhou" to mock Cao Pi's acceptance of the Zhen family. He also criticized Cao Cao's northern expedition to Wuhuan for wasting the people and ruining money. The letters were full of insults.

This year, Kong Rong became even more aggressive and his words became more extreme, which Cao Cao had deeply hated for a long time.Seeing that the Southern Expedition was imminent, and Kong Rong had become the leader of the anti-Cao faction in the rear, he had Kong Rong killed on charges of "intending rebellion and being unfilial to his parents" and implicated the whole family.

Now Kuai Yue compared Zhang Shao to Kong Rong when he was young. It seemed like a compliment, but in fact it aroused Cao Cao's fear and murderous intention!

Kuai Yue's evil intentions are beyond comparison with his ancestor Kuai Che.

After hearing what Kuai Yue said, Cao Cao stopped talking. He only stroked his beard lightly and stared at Zhang Shao with squinted eyes. He didn't know what he was thinking.

All the guests in the hall suddenly did not dare to speak, and the atmosphere was stagnant for a while.

Kuai Yue's words were difficult to answer. With Xiahou Ba's wisdom, he couldn't think of how to respond, so he could only look at Xu Shu for help.

While Xu Shu was thinking about how to help Zhang Shao out of danger, Zhang Shao himself reacted first.

If in the past, Zhang Shao would have thought it was a good thing if someone compared him to Kong Rong.Who allows future generations of parents to always teach their children to "Kong Rong gives pears"? It seems that this person is quite positive.

But a few days ago, I was in the car with Huandeng. This guy talked a lot. He kept gossiping about Xudu and Yecheng all the way. Among them was the fact that Cao Cao killed Kong Rong's family a few months ago. This is big news!
At this moment, Zhang Shao immediately remembered that in the novel, Kong Rong seemed to be killed by Cao Cao because he opposed the Southern Expedition!This old Kuai has good intentions!

He also felt the stagnation in the atmosphere, turned around and saw the worries of Xu Shu and Xiahou Ba, so Zhang Shao rolled his eyes and saw that among the fruits placed on the tables of the guests, in addition to the oranges that are a specialty of the south, there were also several A yellow pear gave birth to quick wisdom.

But Zhang Shao walked straight up to Kuai Yue and said loudly: "Kuai Hou compared Shao to Kong Rong. He really doesn't understand the boy well enough."

Kuai Yue put down his chopsticks and looked at him, wondering what clever words this boy was going to say, but Zhang Shao laughed and said: "Although Kong Rong knew the order of birth in the family when he was young, and could give way to his elder brother with little pears; but he When I grow up, I actually don’t understand the superiority and inferiority of a country, and I don’t understand how to obey the orders of the prime minister.”

"Shao has already understood this truth. This is the difference between Shao and Kong Rong."

Ignoring everyone's surprised looks, Zhang Shao boldly picked up a yellow pear on Kuai Yue's desk, raised it, turned to Cao Cao and bowed his head: "Shao at least knows that every pear in this hall is for worship. Who can eat and who cannot eat the pear given by the Prime Minister, whose pears are big and whose pears are small, all depend on the Prime Minister's words."

Zhang Shao raised his head, saw the flash of approval in Cao Cao's eyes, and immediately asked humbly: "So Prime Minister, these pears look really delicious, can Shao eat one?"

wonderful!How wonderful!As soon as this statement came out, everyone in the hall was surprised, except Cai Mao and Wang Can, while Xu Shu and Xia Houba were surprised.Especially for Xu Shu, he felt that if he were in the same place as Zhang Shao, he might not be able to answer such a sophisticated question.

"Hahaha, let's eat." Because of his son and his fake son, Cao Cao always liked smart children. Seeing that Zhang Shao's performance exceeded his expectations, he couldn't help but feel happy. He agreed to Zhang Shao's request and looked at him again. Kuai Yue, whose expression changed slightly, smiled and said:
"Xidu, I wonder if you would like to 'give pear' to this little boy?"

Kuai Yueduo has always been good at strategizing in the past year, but today he was pecked in the eye by Yan'er, and was cleverly dismissed by Zhang Shao in words. He didn't get any advantage, and he was quite angry in his heart.But he did not dare to disobey Cao Cao, and said: "It's all right. Just as Ruzi said, the fruits, wine and meat in the hall are all given by the prime minister."

He then said relaxedly: "Although there is no dancing today, listening to this man's wonderful words is like a dwarf actor in ancient times. It can be regarded as entertaining the prime minister's ears and eyes. Of course, he deserves to be given a pear!"

You see, Kuai Yue doesn't care, but he is still unhappy in his heart. He insists on comparing Zhang Shao with a villain like a actor and dwarf to regain some of his self-esteem as a big shot.

Hearing this, Wang Can and Cai Mao, who had just suffered a loss from Zhang Shao, praised him repeatedly. Yes, they are noble officials of the world, and they cannot argue with "villains".

Zhang Shaoke ignored the others and thanked Prime Minister Cao loudly for the fruit. He returned to the corner with the pineapple and ate it slowly.

On the other hand, Wang Jie, the food officer, looked at Zhang Shao with even more surprise. He thought that this little boy had only been here a few days, but he was full of smooth and well-behaved words, and he seemed like an old man who had been in the deep waters of the Prime Minister's Mansion for decades.The reporter belonged to Ruan Yu, who knew that Kuai Yue was worried, but he still deliberately discussed the topic of pears: "Although the pears in the south are bright in color, they have a slightly sour taste. If you want to talk about the best pears in the world, they have to be from Hebei." A true pear.”

Ruan Yu clenched his fists and compared it: "The Zhending pear is as big as a fist, as sweet as honey, and as crisp as a water chestnut. It can relieve irritation and thirst. When Kuaihou comes to the north in the future, he must try it."

Kuai Yue agreed perfunctorily, but his eyes were fixed on the pear in front of him, and he hated this fruit even more.

"Yes, Jingzhou's fruits are indeed not famous for pears, but Nanchu's specialty oranges are indeed worth savoring."

Dahonglu Han Song, who had been silently watching the changes, stood up slowly, leaning on his staff, and toasted Cao Cao for the second time. He borrowed pears and oranges and continued on, saying: "There is something in Quzi's "Ode to Oranges". The words are a mixture of green and yellow, and the writing is bad... I regret that you have young ambitions, but there are some differences... The name of this poem is called Orange, but it is actually praising myself and talents."

Han Song raised his hand to Cao Cao and said, "Prime Minister, I happen to have a beautiful orange from the south that is 'excellent in color, white inside, and suitable for repair'. I wonder if Prime Minister is willing to taste it?"

Cao Cao understood and said, "Could this orange with a high reputation come from the Pang family's garden?"

"Exactly!" Han Song said: "Pang Shiyuan has been summoned by Song. Now he is waiting in the school outside. Do you want to summon him in to see him?"

Cao Cao deliberately slapped his forehead: "I almost forgot."

He looked at Xu Shu, who was standing at the edge of the hall: "Yuan Zhi, isn't Pang Tong a member of your family? You can go out and call him in."

"Wei." Xu Shu agreed.

Zhang Shao, who was nibbling a pear seriously in the corner, also heard Pang Tong's name, so he stopped sucking the pear juice and was surprised: "This timeline is wrong, isn't it? Cai Mao is not dead yet, Pang Tong, why come so early to offer the serial number?" Is it a plan?"

……

"Shi Yuan, the Prime Minister asked me to call you into the hall."

Hearing what Xu Shu said, Pang Tong, whose feet were numb even while standing in the school, raised his head and said, "Is it a call, not an invitation?"

"That's what the prime minister said." The more arrogant Cao Cao became, the happier Xu Shu would be. With Pang Tong's temper, if he suffered great grievances, he might give up on assisting Cao Cao.

Pang Tong frowned as expected, but quickly took two deep breaths of air-conditioning, telling himself to put his family first and not to be sullen. He only laughed at himself: "When Fan Ju first entered the Qin Kingdom, King Qin Zhao also let him live in a low-class guest house and eat nothing. He had received poor food for a whole year; when Li Shiqi first met Gaozu in Chenliu, Gaozu was still lounging on the bed and had his two maids wash his feet."

"But they only need to meet the king once and say a few words to get him to treat him as a guest and host and invite him to sit down."

Pang Tong was still so confident. He straightened his clothes and smoothed his hair that was messed up by the wind. When he passed Xu Shu, he smiled and said to him:
"Yuanzhi."

"Today, please listen to my surprise!"

……

However, Cao Cao's impression of Pang Tong was not good, not as good as the first time he met Xu Shu: his appearance was unremarkable, and he did not have the elegant demeanor of a celebrity. He looked like an ordinary county official.

Moreover, Pang Tong did not address Cao Cao as an offender when he visited him, and looked at Cao Cao boldly, as if Cao Cao was the one being interviewed, not him.

Prime Minister Cao was not polite and only nodded to Cao Xinpi.

Xin Pi understood, immediately stood up, and gave Cao Cao a warning: "Pang Tong, your brother Pang Lin abandoned his post in Xiangyang and joined the bandits. Do you know the crime?"

Pang Tong withdrew his eyes from scrutinizing Cao Cao, faced Xin Pi, and responded calmly: "My family is unfortunate, but Tong at most has the fault of being a brother and not teaching him, so it can't be said to be a crime, right?"

Xin Pi snorted coldly: "According to Han law, as a state official, your brother should help the state pastor guard the city against thieves and wait for the arrival of the king's division. However, Pang Lin abandoned his post and surrendered to Liu Bei. This is the same crime as treason. I am guilty of this." They should be cut in half, and all their parents, wives, brothers, and sisters, who have no income or wealth, should all abandon the market, including you."

Pang Tong didn't panic at all, he shook his head and said: "Sir, do you deceive Tong and don't understand the law and prison? Although the Han law says so, it is just following the old law of the Qin Dynasty. Hundreds of years have passed in between, how can it still be done? To use Qin's method to decide it?"

Pang Tong spoke eloquently: "Since Xiaoxuan valued Confucianism, he introduced the Spring and Autumn Period to adjust the harshness of the law. Since the Zhongxing of Emperor Shizu, he has unraveled Wang Mang's strictness and returned the Han Dynasty's lightness of law. "Spring and Autumn" says, If relatives hide from each other, and evildoes stop at their own bodies, and those who follow thieves but are not the first offenders, they will no longer implicate father, son, and brothers."

He even started to fight back against Xin Pi: "Sir, what you said reminded me of the early years when Dong Zhuo kidnapped the emperor and moved the capital to Chang'an. In order to collect money, he ignored the old rules of cautious punishment since Guangwu and re-implemented the old Qin laws, killing thousands of families in Luoyang. Wealthy households were accused of being 'anti-national and anti-Party', and all of them were executed and their property was confiscated."

Then Pang Tong looked at Cao Cao and bowed to him: "But Prime Minister Cao was worried about the country's danger and the people's bitterness. He led his righteous soldiers to kill the remaining thieves for the world, and welcomed the emperor to bring order to the chaos. I think he should be cautious about the punishment and law, and Dong Thieves are definitely different."

Pang Tong said: "I heard that Chen Gong from Dongjun was once an old official of the Prime Minister, but later he rebelled against Lu Bu. From Yanzhou to Xuzhou, he repeatedly opposed the Prime Minister. It is really treasonous! Don't say that you can kill three tribes, but nine tribes can be killed! But Cao Cao After the Prime Minister captured Chen Gong, he pardoned his mother and wife. It is the grace of a saint to forgive others' mistakes. Through this incident, I can know the mercy of Prime Minister Cao."

Xin Pi heard the words and sneered in his heart, thinking: Are you and Chen Gong the same?Chen Gongtai and Prime Minister Cao are bound by a bond, but you are just a passerby in Jingzhou.

But even he had to admit that Pang Tong's words were indeed sharp. He also seized the high ground of political correctness by citing the Spring and Autumn Period Judgment, and put a high hat on Cao Cao as lenient. It is indeed not easy to refute from a rational point of view.

Han Song, who was sitting on the seat, also came out to plead for the Pang family at the right time: "Prime Minister, Pang Lin and other Jingzhou Guan clan children have fled to the thieves. It is indeed a serious illness, but I have also heard that since the defeat of Changban, many of them have Regretful, some even secretly ran home. I thought that it would be appropriate to be a little more lenient, firstly to disturb the thieves' minds, and secondly to induce more scholars to want to return to the north, or to take the initiative to seek atonement for the Prime Minister."

"On the other hand, if he strictly abides by the law and blindly imposes severe punishments, Song is afraid that the scholars in Liu Bei's army will turn against him in despair. And the Guan clan who are still in the state will be afraid of in-laws and old connections. It's not beautiful to see each other die. Why not pardon Pang Shiyuan and his son as an example?"

Han Song had already opened his mouth and gave Cao Cao a step up. Prime Minister Cao then looked at Pang Tong and said: "The Book of Records says that using crime to defeat a person will lead to death, and using virtue to promote good deeds. This is a clear code of kingship. Pang Tong and his father, Rebellion and the like, according to the law, should be the leader. But the words of high moral character are also reasonable, Pang Tong, I will not kill you for the time being."

"Thank you, Prime Minister!"

Cao Cao told him not to be happy too early: "The Code of Thieves also says that if a person who conspires to rebel can assist the government in catching the culprit, he will be exonerated. Your father, Pang Lin's wife and daughter will be detained in prison first, and they will wait until Pang Lin must go north and surrender and plead guilty, or assist Wang Shi in destroying Liu Bei, so that he can be spared. As for you...after all, you are brothers from the same family as rebels, and you should be thrown into prison together."

"But De Gao praised you for being good at judging the merits and demerits of scholars, and presiding over the advancement and retreat of officials fairly and without complaint. When I first came to Jingzhou, it was the time when I was employing people. Today I will try your skills in front of everyone. If you are indeed a Only those who have done good deeds can be punished and stay in office."

Pang Tong knew that this was Cao Cao's greatest forgiveness, but in his heart he felt that he was insignificant and his rating of Cao Cao was greatly reduced. He could only reluctantly say: "Who does the Prime Minister want Tong to criticize?"

Cao Cao looked at Han Song and others: "Let me first comment on our guests."

Unexpectedly, Pang Tongtong didn't give any face, so he refused on the spot, shook his head and said: "The Prime Minister doesn't know, there are two reasons for not commenting."

(End of this chapter)