Thousand-year-old family: its rise began with Shang Yang’s reforms

Chapter 356: Snow Plum Wine [Subscription Request]

Chen Zhulou returned to the Prince An's Palace tired, feeling a little "numb" all over his body.

After the new emperor ascended the throne, his old father asked Chen Chengji to take over the specific work of the prime minister, citing many reasons such as illness, poor health and old age. Of course, the title of prime minister still belonged to Chen Chengji.

If it were anyone else, it would be pure injustice.

But what if it was Chen Chengji?
Chen Zhulou didn't dare to say a word. Can helping his father with work be called a resentful person? That's called being a filial son.

When Chen Zhulou walked into his small courtyard, before he had time to catch his breath, he saw Chen Chengji sitting under the big locust tree in the courtyard. Chen Chengji was sitting on a recliner with his eyes half closed, looking very leisurely.

Looking at Chen Chengji who was so leisurely, Chen Zhulou just felt something was wrong.

What is father doing here at this time?
I always feel like something is going to happen.

And when Chen Chengji opened his eyes and looked at him, Chen Zhulou was sure that something was really going to happen.

He held his forehead and sighed: "Father, is it time?"

Chen Chengji smiled and nodded: "Yes, the time has come."

Chen Zhulou frowned: "Is it true that father can't hold on for a while longer?"

Chen Chengji shook his head slightly: "Yes."

He sighed, and said with a little pity in his eyes: "I really want to give you some more time, but I really can't do it."

"Most of the time, Chen people are not afraid of destiny. The so-called destiny is just a stepping stone on our road to success."

"Only life is fixed."

"Hua Tuo, Bian Que, Zhang Zhongjing and the Imperial Physician have all come to see me, and their judgment is very consistent. I still have one year."

"Next winter, I will probably return to heaven to find my ancestors."

Chen Zhulou looked somewhat helpless.

"Alright."

"So, when do we start?"

Chen Chengji looked at Chen Zhulou: "This winter."

"Those two old guys thought I wouldn't survive this winter, so they took action this winter, taking advantage of me being unconscious or seriously ill in bed to snatch things that originally belonged to the Chen family, or in other words, snatch things that didn't originally belong to them."

“And that time is the best time.”

Chen Zhulou fell silent again.

"This matter is very beneficial to the court, the royal family, and even the new nobles in the court. I will discuss it with the emperor's uncle, the general, and others."

Chen Chengji nodded: "Okay."

"The interests of Xingui and Xuande are temporarily aligned with ours."

He stood up.

The noble families of the world have been fed too much by the emperor. It is time for such a huge monster to be cut up by all parties and then turned into flesh and blood to nourish the people of the world.

A noble family?

Under the butcher's knife, their blood is equally red.

The second year of Chuping, late autumn and early winter.

This year's heavy snow came earlier than in previous years. Although the snow was falling, the plum blossoms in the plum garden were in full bloom.

The white snowflakes and the red plum blossoms compete with each other in beauty and fall in the yard, giving a very delicate feeling.

Cao Cao picked up the wine in the cup and drank it all. He shook off the snow on his body, looked back at Chen Zhulou and Liu Bei who were still walking in the snow, and smiled: "You two just don't exercise enough."

"I only took two steps and I'm already panting from exhaustion."

He shook his head. The wine he had just drunk had turned into a fire that warmed his entire body.

At this time, Chen Zhulou and Liu Bei came to the pavilion. Neither of them took off their cloaks. Although the stove in the pavilion was still burning, the temperature outside was still a little low.

Cao Cao was dressed in ordinary clothes. He was still serving as one of the "Eight Colonels" in the "Western Garden Army" founded by the previous emperor, so he often went to the army.

His physique is much stronger than Liu Bei and Chen Zhulou.

Snowflakes continued to fall around them. Cao Cao looked concerned. He looked at Chen Zhulou beside him and asked, "I heard that Prime Minister Chen was ill. Is Prime Minister Chen okay?"

"I have a thousand-year-old blood ginseng donated from the Western Regions. I heard that it is very good for nourishing the body. I will send someone to deliver it to the Prince An's mansion later. It can be regarded as my little token of my appreciation."

Liu Bei also said with concern: "If you need any precious medicinal materials, just tell me. Your Majesty is also very concerned about King An's condition."

His face was full of admiration: "Before I took office, I did not understand many of King An's policies, but now that I am in power, I understand how far-sighted King An's wisdom is."

"If it weren't for King An, I'm afraid the Han Dynasty would have fallen apart more than a decade ago, right?"

There was a hint of respect in Liu Bei's voice.

Chen Zhulou just warmed his almost frozen hands on the stove. After the two men finished speaking and testing each other, he said, "Father is fine."

nothing?

Just two words surprised both Liu Bei and Cao Cao.

They tilted their heads to look at Chen Zhulou, with a hint of inquiry in their eyes.

Chen Zhulou did not hide anything and directly said that he was leaving Kyoto. Then he looked at Liu Bei and Cao Cao and said, "If you two want to get a piece of the pie in this matter, then act early."

"The Chen family is not so greedy that they will not swallow up all the spoils."

Cao Cao paused for a moment as he held the wine glass, then laughed: "I see. I didn't expect King An to be so cruel."

He shook his head and sighed, "After Brother Chen leaves, who will replace you in the Chen family?"

Chen Zhulou did not hide it. After a little thought, he said, "My father never told me this, but I think that the only child in the family who has this status and ability should be my seventh brother."

Seventh brother?

Cao Cao asked curiously, "Seventh Brother?"

"But what about Chen Zexi and Chen Guangde, the two sages who served successively as the governor of Hanzhong County, the military commander, the governor of Yuzhou, the governor of Yongzhou, and the governor of Henan, and who are famous for their talent and virtue among the people and can be compared with Kong Rong, the prime minister of Beihai?"

Yes, Chen Zexi.

When Chen Zhulou was ordered to travel around the world, naturally someone in the court had to take care of his responsibilities.

At this time, the only person in the Chen family with this status, qualifications and ability was Chen Zexi, who had been an official in the local area for many years. Chen Zhulou nodded slightly to show his agreement.

Liu Bei also became interested: "I heard that Brother Guangde has a brave general under his command. He followed Brother Guangde many years ago and there are some strange stories about him. I wonder if they are true?"

Speaking of that person, Chen Zhulou perked up a little: "It's true."

"Speaking of this brave general, he was a soldier under the former Bingzhou governor. I heard that he had some conflicts with him, but at that time, the old incident of the Ten Eunuchs happened, so the Bingzhou governor didn't want to make a big deal out of it, so he recommended the man to my brother."

"Unfortunately, my brother had already resigned from his post at that time and was going to serve as a military commander in the court."

"He left a letter and a business card for the man, offering to introduce him to my father or the then governor of Hanzhong County. The man was quite arrogant, so he came to the Prince An's Palace with the business card."

"After several tests by my father and elder brother, they said that he could be recommended as a general to fight in the Western Regions."

"That person only said that he wanted to repay the kindness of being recognized and helped, so he joined my brother's army. He followed my brother to various governors, and is still by his side today."

He smiled and said, "My father and brother both intend to nominate him as one of the eight lieutenants, but they have not yet brought up the matter."

Cao Cao and Liu Bei were not surprised to hear that the matter had come to this point.

The three of them sitting here seemed to be having an ordinary gathering, but their identities meant that it was impossible for them to have an ordinary gathering.

Cao Cao nodded casually to indicate that it was nothing and he didn't mind it.

In any case, it is impossible for him to control all the Xiyuan Army in his hands. In the past few years, it was because the emperor was alive. Now that the emperor has passed away, he must share some of the military power.

Not to mention the Chen family, even Liu Bei would have to arrange for people to come in a few days.

Liu Bei's eyebrows moved slightly, and he took this opportunity to bring it up.

"When the late emperor established the Xiyuan Army, he only arranged two or three vacancies, but now there are still a few."

"That Lu Fengxian can take the position. I also have two people I want to nominate."

He recalled the achievements of these two people: "These two people used to be the chief clerks under one of my senior brothers, Gongsun Zan of Youzhou. Although they made contributions later, they were not liked by Youzhou Mu Liu Yu because of their methods of treating barbarians."

"Brother Gongsun had no other options, so he recommended the man to me, hoping that I would give him a position."

"I had a smooth chat with these two people. We became brothers a few days ago."

Liu Bei said with emotion: "You all know my kung fu. These two are as brave as me, and even stronger."

"There are still three vacancies in the Xiyuan Army. Brother Guangde's recommendation of Lu Fengxian occupies one position, and my two brothers occupy two positions. This is considered to be the full quota."

Cao Cao did not object either.

Now, among the eight lieutenants of the Xiyuan Army, Chen Zhulou and he served as lieutenants of the upper and central armies respectively, Xiahou Dun, a cousin of Cao Cao, served as the lieutenant of the commanding army, Yuan Shao Yuan Benchu ​​of the Yuan family served as the lieutenant of the lower army, and a son of the Yang family served as the lieutenant of the left of the auxiliary army. There were three vacancies left, and these three people filled them.

At this point, the eight commanders of the Xiyuan Army were divided up among the Chen family, the upstarts headed by Cao Cao, the royal family headed by Liu Bei, and the aristocratic families headed by the Yang and Yuan families.

Cao Cao looked at Chen Zhulou and smiled, then asked, "What happened next? Wouldn't that mean there will be two more vacancies?"

Chen Zhulou just smiled and said nothing: "For the remaining two, I personally think one should be given to General Huangfu and the other to General Dong."

"how?"

General Huangfu? General Dong?
Liu Bei and the other man both fell into deep thought, which was not impossible.

Huangfu Song did not belong to the Chen family's sphere of influence, but at this time he was a new noble and a member of the imperial party, so his identity was on the side of Liu Bei and Cao Cao, while Dong Zhuo was a member of the Chen family.

Although the Chen family occupied three-eighths of the power, Liu Bei and Cao Cao could still gain equality with them if they could win over Huangfu Song.

After all, it was the Chen family who took the lead in cracking down on the aristocratic families, so it was only natural for the Chen family to gain more benefits.

Thinking of this, they both nodded with smiles on their faces.

On the table, a cup of cold wine soaked in plum blossoms has been warmed up. The three close friends in the past now have their own ulterior motives in the snow.

It can be said that they are sleeping in the same bed but dreaming different dreams.

The second year of Chuping, the twelfth month of winter.

King An Chen Chengji is seriously ill and has not attended court for half a decade. Rumors are rife in the court and among the people that King An is seriously ill and may not have much time left.

When this rumor first appeared, no one took it seriously and thought it was fake. After all, King An's health was very good before.

It was not until Chen Zhulou entered the palace with an exhausted face and an imperial decree was issued from the palace ordering military commander Chen Zhulou to temporarily serve as prime minister that everyone was surprised. Could it be that King An's health was really bad?
Everyone had a look of disbelief on their faces.

But in this calm, the two forces of Yang and Yuan were surging in secret. They did not seek to swallow up the power of Chen, but they felt that they could at least take advantage of this opportunity to completely pull Chen down from the position of the world's number one family!
After being under someone else's control for too long, who wouldn't want to pull the person above you down?
So, at the end of winter of that year, an absurd event occurred which was called the "Chuping Incident" in history books.

This is recorded in history books.

"At the end of the second year of Chuping, King An was seriously ill and was bedridden, unable to attend court. At that time, the Grand Tutor, the Minister of Works, and the Minister of Personnel conspired to clear the court, saying that King An was a treacherous and corrupt person who was disrupting the government. The three men followed the king's order and asked the crown prince of King An to return home."

"During this period, the lower army commander Shao wanted to raise an army to plot against it."

"At that time, the Grand Commandant, the Central Army Captain Cao, the Army Sima, the Deputy Prime Minister, and the Upper Army Captain Zhu Lou heard about it and led their troops to suppress it."

"Yuan Feng and his two companions entered the palace with swords in hand, intending to abduct the emperor. King An had anticipated this and deployed troops in the palace to kill them."

"Later, the emperor issued an edict that Yuan, Yang, and Wang Yun were conspiring to rebel and should be exterminated."

"All the sons and daughters of the clan were dismissed." - "The Book of Han: Chronicle of Emperor Xiaogong"

When people in later generations read this Book of Han, they always felt surprised and absurd when they read this part of history.

Because this period was indeed very absurd and full of black humor. Not only were there two emperors in the same period, but the records of the same event in the records of these two emperors were also somewhat different.

Moreover, some of the records about this era are absurd and ridiculous.

For example, this matter.

According to the records in history books, it should be that Yuan, Yang and the then Prime Minister Wang Yun saw that King An was seriously ill, so they rebelled in the name of clearing the court.

But the question is, Yuan, Yang, and even Wang Yun were all high-ranking officials at the time, so why did they rebel?

Although King An was seriously ill, his crown prince was still alive and still held a high position. Also assisting in the administration at the time were Emperor Wu of Wei, who was known as the "hero", and Uncle Liu, who was known as the "virtuous king".

How did these three have the courage to rebel?

But these truths have disappeared in the long river of history. Some people went to Chen's house to seek an answer, but were told that Chen didn't know either.

These are all things for later.

In front of Suzaku Gate
Chen Chengji, wearing a cloak, looked at Chen Zhulou in front of him and sighed softly: "Go."

"Go and see the world."

(End of this chapter)