"The nine heavens’ dragon roars, a world-shaking change;
Encountering the hidden dragon, it transforms into a dragon."
These are the first two lines…
And the latter two lines are:
"How can a hidden dragon be confined to a mere pond?
A true dragon shuns the water’s lazy glide."
This is a letter Yuan Shao left for Cao Cao on his deathbed.
Especially at the end, Yuan Shao specifically added a line – "You, Cao Aman, in this life, will rise by the hidden dragon, and fall by the hidden dragon!"
Heh…
Heh-heh…
Seeing this, Cao Cao let out a "heh-heh"!
He first smiled faintly, then it turned into a sighing, vast laugh, and finally, it became a loud, unrestrained roar.
"Brother Benchu, they say, 'A parent’s love for their child is to plan for the distant future…'" Cao Cao faced the Yellow River and sighed, "Even on your deathbed, you could still have such good intentions. As a ruler, you may not compare to me, but as a father, I am not your equal!"
It’s not that Cao Cao said this without reason.
Cao Cao saw through the deep meaning of Yuan Shao’s letter at a glance.
A stratagem of division…
Wasn't it precisely a stratagem of division?
Only the highly suspicious Yuan Shao could truly understand where this suspicion stemmed from after reaching a high position? How profound was this suspicion!
The more outstanding the hidden dragon was, the more Cao Cao would inevitably harbor suspicion and guard against him!
Perhaps before, due to the presence of Yuan Shao in the north, this suspicion had not had time to spread, but… now that Yuan Shao was dying, who in the world? Who else could be Cao Aman’s opponent? Who could match the combined might of the hidden dragon and Cao Aman!
Heh-heh…
The only one who could defeat Cao Cao was one person, and that was the hidden dragon!
Therefore, Yuan Shao left such a letter, even though he knew that with Cao Cao’s intelligence, he would not be able to see through his objective.
But… as a ruler, how immense is the suspicion? As long as Cao Cao harbored even a seed of suspicion towards the hidden dragon, then in the future… the two would inevitably fall out!
As the saying goes – one rises by the hidden dragon, and falls by the hidden dragon!
At the time of his death, Yuan Shao’s only hope was that Cao Cao and the hidden dragon would fall out sooner. Perhaps this way, his three sons could be protected, and the situation of the world could be changed again!
However…
"Hahahaha…" Cao Cao’s laughter gradually subsided. He looked at the surging waves of the Yellow River, shook his head, and said, "Brother Benchu, thank you for your kind words. I, Cao Cao, will rise by the hidden dragon and fall by the hidden dragon, hahaha… Hahahahaha!"
At this point.
Cao Cao turned around, laughing all the way, and ran back excitedly, like a child weighing two hundred pounds, but dancing with joy!
"Rise by the hidden dragon, fall by the hidden dragon… hahaha…"
Cao Cao couldn't help but exclaim in his heart.
He truly wished that his Yu'er would have such courage one day and usurp his power. Then he, Cao Cao, could legitimately enjoy his old age in peace!
Speaking of which, being Yu'er’s father was very stressful, alright!
…
…
Yan Province, Mount Tai Commandery, within Mount Tai!
Lu Lingqi and Zang Ba, leading a group of elite Mount Tai armored soldiers, went to Xiapi City.
However, this did not affect the Mount Tai Army stationed in the mountain stronghold, drinking and eating meat…
Inside the mountain stronghold, in a dark prison, Yang Xiu was tied with his hands bound, but his appearance was not at all disheveled. In fact… there was wine and meat on his table.
This place… was much better than the woodshed where Fei Long Shan imprisoned people.
Beside him, several men who had broken the rules were tied to racks in another prison. Their shoulders were bleeding from their wounds. Two men, who looked like "jailers," were holding whips and lashing two prisoners. Although these men tried their best to endure the pain, they couldn't help but let out low moans.
When these two men, who looked like mountain bandits, had whipped enough, they approached Yang Xiu’s prison.
"Young Master Yang, drink. Don’t spoil our fun. Let’s continue drinking!"
They were all prisoners, but their treatment was vastly different…
Yang Xiu seemed to be treated with great courtesy!
The ropes binding his hands were very loose… he could completely pick up the wine bowl!
Yang Xiu took a sip, and then said loudly, "How is it? Can the method I told you win money?"
"That’s a must… Hahaha…" The two jailers immediately burst into laughter.
As it turned out.
Yang Xiu taught these two "Mount Tai armored soldiers" who were guarding the prison some gambling tricks…
He himself didn't understand gambling skills, but he discovered that all the soldiers in this mountain stronghold loved to gamble. So he came up with a method that could win money with 90% certainty, which was essentially a doubling-down strategy!
Betting on odd or even, the first time bet ten copper coins on odd. If they lost, they would bet twenty-five copper coins on odd again. If they lost again, they would bet fifty copper coins, and so on. With this method of play, as long as they won once in ten rounds, they would win, and the later they won, the more they would win!
But if they lost all ten times, they would lose everything.
Yang Xiu, being extremely intelligent, had carefully pondered this "doubling-down gambling technique." His conclusion was that if they considered ten rounds as one cycle, and did not consider cheating, they might lose only once a month. Of course, that one loss would be catastrophic, and all the previous winnings would be lost!
But this probability was too small, so Yang Xiu proposed this method.
In essence… it was to let these "jailers" win money with a high probability!
This was also one of the few things Yang Xiu could think of.
"Young Master Yang’s method is excellent. Ever since we started using it, we’ve been winning no matter how we gamble in our mountain stronghold. Hahaha… Come, Young Master Yang, I’ll pour you more wine."
The "jailer" said loudly, with a fawning smile.
Everyone in the mountain stronghold was brothers, so no one cheated. This method was almost foolproof.
"Big brothers? I was just wondering why today's wine is different?"
Yang Xiu asked with feigned confusion.
This was a deliberate attempt to shift the topic.
"Sigh, don’t mention it," the jailer said helplessly. "Yesterday, we could still buy the 'Jade Nectar' brewed by the Imperial Academy Winery in Yan Province, but today it’s out of stock. It seems… because of the recent grain shortage, the Ministry of Personnel has ordered all wineries not to brew alcohol, even the Imperial Academy Winery…"
"Now, the price of wine brewed by the Imperial Academy Winery has more than quadrupled! Even so, there’s money but no wine. How can we still drink such fine wine?"
Upon saying this, the jailer paused and continued to complain, "All that’s left is ordinary wine. Damn it, after drinking the strong liquor brewed by the Imperial Academy, this ordinary wine is like something for sissies… for women to drink! Our brothers are all crying with longing today…"
The Mount Tai Army had been stationed in Mount Tai for a long time, and they were originally mountain bandits. They had no elegant hobbies, except for gambling and drinking!
The "jailer" in front of Yang Xiu was currently successful in gambling but disappointed in drinking!
In fact, this was easy to understand. After tasting the high-proof strong liquor brewed by distillation, who wouldn’t find ordinary, weak yellow wine uninteresting!
It was drinking out of loneliness!
And this… was just as Yang Xiu had expected.
"I knew it, no wonder we’re drinking this sissy wine today," Yang Xiu shook his head. He muttered in his heart, three, two, one, and then as if suddenly remembering something, "That’s right, how could I forget this? The Imperial Academy Winery, I, Yang Xiu, am a student of the Imperial Academy. Others can’t buy wine from the Imperial Academy Winery? How could I, Yang Xiu, not be able to buy it?"
Heh…
As these words left his mouth, the jailers’ eyes froze.
"Young Master Yang? Can you get that strong liquor?"
"Naturally…" Yang Xiu nodded. Seeing their eyes darting back and forth, he continued, "Do you know who the manager of the winery is?"
"Who is it?"
"From Yingchuan, Guo Fengxiao!" Yang Xiu blurted out. "Speaking of which, he’s also a tutor at our Imperial Academy, and my relationship with him is excellent!"
This time, the two jailers’ eyes widened as if they had seen jewels. That’s right, now… the strong liquor brewed by the Imperial Academy was something they treasured like jewels!
But… it was useless for them to know that Yang Xiu knew the winery manager. He couldn’t get out of the mountain stronghold, and he couldn’t contact anyone from the Imperial Academy. This would cost him his head.
Just as they were thinking this, Yang Xiu’s voice rang out again. "Actually, it’s not difficult to buy this wine brewed by the Imperial Academy. I don’t even need to go. I just need to recite a secret password! In the Ruyi Winery in Mount Tai Commandery, Yan Province, if any guest can recite this password, the winery manager will know they are Imperial Academy students. Not only will they sell wine, but they will also sell it at a lower price! These are things only we Imperial Academy students know!"
Whoa…
This time, the two jailers’ eyes blinked continuously, as if they had seen a beam of light.
There was such a good thing?
Not only could they get wine? But also at a lower price?
Of course… if they didn’t know Yang Xiu, and Yang Xiu said this, they would definitely think Yang Xiu was trying to deceive them. But… it was different now. Yang Xiu had helped them win a lot of money gambling, and they had already established a certain trust relationship.
This was very important…
"What is the password?"
"That’s right, what is the password?"
The two jailers asked repeatedly, curiosity killed the cat…
Yang Xiu smacked his lips, "Fine, it’s not impossible to tell you. Otherwise, drinking this sissy wine every day, sigh, it’s simply tasteless to eat and a pity to discard!"
At this point, Yang Xiu began to speak:
– "Feathered arrows and carved bows, remembering the eagle’s ancient roost, cutting down tigers on the flat plains!"
– "May you have ears but not wash with Yingchuan water, may you have a mouth but not eat Shouyang fern!"
– "Hard to open a smiling mouth, remembering Little Du; this year, the geese have not flown south of the river!"
These were three lines that Yang Xiu had memorized from Lu Yu’s compiled 《Three Hundred Tang Poems》 and 《Three Hundred Song Lyrics》 when he was studying at the Imperial Academy…
Of course… there was a hidden meaning here!
Uh…
The two jailers naturally couldn’t understand any hidden meaning. They tapped their foreheads and said in unison:
"So long?"
"Naturally," Yang Xiu nodded. "We Imperial Academy students are learned in ancient and modern times. If we can’t even memorize these three lines, then we’re not worthy of exchanging for wine!"
This…
The two jailers looked at each other and, after a moment of thought, both stood up.
Not long after, one brought a brush, and the other brought a bamboo slip, intending to have Yang Xiu write these three passages on the bamboo slip.
Yang Xiu complied, his brush moving like dragons and snakes.
Not to mention… these three seemingly completely unrelated sentences, when put together, were actually quite catchy and sonorous!
– Feathered arrows and carved bows, remembering the eagle’s ancient roost, cutting down tigers on the flat plains;
– May you have ears but not wash with Yingchuan water, may you have a mouth but not eat Shouyang fern;
– Hard to open a smiling mouth, remembering Little Du; this year, the geese have not flown south of the river!
After writing the last character "fly," Yang Xiu meaningfully glanced at… the first character of each sentence:
– Feather, Have, Hard!
Then, Yang Xiu let out a sighing laugh, "Give this to the Ruyi Winery in Mount Tai Commandery. The price of 'Jade Nectar' can be doubled! Brothers, you can make a lot of money by selling it. This is much faster than gambling."
As soon as he said this.
The jailers’ eyes lit up.
Although the Mount Tai Army valued brotherhood above all else, money was cold, but warm in the arms. As long as it didn't violate the principle of "brotherhood," earning a little more was earning a little more. Who wouldn't want to drink heartily and eat heartily every day?
"Alright, Young Master Yang… what do you want to eat tonight?"
One jailer carefully put away the bamboo slip… and then asked with a fawning smile.
"Roasted lamb leg!" Yang Xiu was not polite. "I haven’t eaten lamb leg for a long time, and I’m craving it…"
"You kid, you’re quite the demanding one! Ah, haha…" The two jailers burst into laughter.
Unlike the miserable situation in other prisons… Those with brains, even in prison, were still able to get by. Very much so!
Just as the esteemed readers commented.
Once Yang Xiu abandoned his "arrogance" and his emotional intelligence reached the required level, his overall strength would at least be at the level of "Yang Hu"…
Stomp… stomp…
Not long after, the two jailers left in a hurry. Yang Xiu was the only one left in the prison.
At this moment, he stood proudly, softly chanting:
– "Delicious food, good intentions, how can they be let down? Does Yang Dezhu not know how to save himself?"
– "Heh-heh, how can I, Yang Xiu, Yang Dezhu, be that 'tasteless to eat and a pity to discard' chicken rib!"
– "Chief Lu, your disciple has done his best!"
…
…
Xu Province, Xiapi City!
It was already early morning. Lu Yu was still lying on his bed. Suddenly, an urge attacked him.
Thinking about it, it had been more than half a year since he had touched a woman, and he felt a strange desire. He quickly… picked up grapes from the table, very proper grapes, and ate them one by one, enjoying himself with great satisfaction. Da Feng Novel Network
Just then…
Dian Wei’s voice came from outside the door.
"Reporting to Young Master Lu, Young Master Zhi seeks an audience outside the door…"
Hmm…
Young Master Zhi? Isn't that Cao Zhi?
"Please invite him to the main hall. I’ll be there shortly!"
"Yes!"
Dian Wei agreed…
Lu Yu put on his clothes and quickly walked out of his sleeping quarters.
Speaking of which, Cao Zhi had been in Xiapi City for longer than Lu Yu… Moreover, he had also written about Lu Yu’s efforts to gather grain and publicized it in newspapers, spreading it far and wide. This was partly for verification and partly to inform the world that Cao’s army would no longer be troubled by grain and fodder, which was killing two birds with one stone!
Of course, for Lu Yu, this was a god-given assist…
It reassured almost all the merchants.
Lu Yu even had a feeling that Zheng Xuan had found a successor, and that the important task of managing the newspaper and guiding public opinion in the future would be well placed in Cao Zhi’s hands.
In fact…
In Lu Yu’s opinion, with the existence of the eldest son Cao Ang, the position of Cao Cao’s future crown prince was almost completely decided!
Although Cao Ang was not as good as Cao Zhi in literature, nor as skilled as Cao Zhang in martial arts, nor as patient as Cao Pi…
However…
He couldn’t help it. He was born early, his overall ability was strong, and he was benevolent!
Furthermore, he was born to Lady Liu and raised by Lady Ding. He was considered a half-legitimate eldest son. Now, news had come from Xuchang City that Lady Ding had given birth to a daughter. This was a cause for great celebration, and Cao Ang’s face almost had "Crown Prince" written all over it.
Except…
Cao Cao still had a son living among the common people, and he was also born to Lady Ding. Otherwise, wouldn’t the position of crown prince be a sure thing?
Of course, Lu Yu was happy to see Cao Ang become the crown prince, and even the future ruler of Great Wei!
Perhaps, because of his "teacher" status, he could even become a Grand Tutor in the court. And Cao Ang’s personality was very benevolent, so Lu Yu was completely unconcerned about himself getting into trouble… It was much more stable than being by Old Cao’s side.
Similarly, the finalization of the crown prince position would also eliminate the struggle for the succession among Pi, Zhang, and Zhi…
Everyone could shine and contribute in different fields!
At least they would avoid the situation of "burning beans to boil beans… the beans cry in the pot; they were born of the same root, why should they be pressed so hard!"
For example, Cao Zhi…
Lu Yu intended to cultivate him as Zheng Xuan’s successor, the leader of scholars in the world, to put it bluntly, the Minister of Education and the Minister of Propaganda!
This could also relieve a lot of pressure for Lu Yu…
What was originally just a concept, but… in a short period, Cao Zhi had established the newspaper in Xu Province with great success, and countless scholars had given their full support. Lu Yu had a strong premonition that his concept was becoming a reality.
Talent…
Although Lu Yu had never dared to underestimate Cao Zhi’s influence, it seemed… he still underestimated it. Cao Zhi had a special influence and charm among the literati.
Not long after…
Lu Yu entered the main hall. At this time, Cao Zhi was holding a folding fan, waiting for Lu Yu with an elegant demeanor.
Hearing the sound, he quickly turned around.
"Junior Cao Zhi pays his respects to Situ Lu…" Cao Zhi bowed first, performing the etiquette of a junior meeting an elder.
In Cao Zhi’s view, wasn’t he a generation lower than Lu Yu?
His father, Cao Cao, regarded Lu Yu as his right-hand man. Lu Yu’s sister was his father’s sister, and Xiahou Dun was Lu Yu’s sworn brother. Coupled with Uncle Zilian, he treated Lu Yu as a blood brother…
Not to mention, the principal wife, Lady Ding, recognized Lu Yu’s sister, Cai Yan, as her sworn sister. No matter how you calculated it, in terms of seniority, Cao Zhi felt he was a generation lower!
Of course… this was not important…
The Cao family’s seniority was already a mess!
"I didn’t expect Zijian to be so grown up!"
As Cao Zhi bowed to Lu Yu, Lu Yu was also observing Cao Zhi. In his memory, when Cao Zhi first defected to Old Cao, he was only seven or eight years old, a little kid. Now, he was already thirteen or fourteen years old, a fine young man.
"You have done a good job with the Xu Province newspaper, and the newspapers are also distributed well…" Lu Yu did not spare his praise. "At such a young age, you already possess some 'spirited' qualities… Truly, a tiger father has no dog son!"
"Situ Lu flatters me." Cao Zhi still clasped his hands, extremely humble.
"You must have something to discuss by coming here, right? Come, tell me about it." Lu Yu smiled slightly and asked with a gesture.
Cao Zhi did not hide anything and spoke his mind directly. "I cannot hide it from Situ Lu. I have come to visit for three matters…"
"Three matters?"
"Indeed." Cao Zhi nodded and said loudly, "Firstly, Situ Lu missed the capping ceremony while you were away. However, Chief Cai and Mr. Zheng Xuan have specially chosen a courtesy name for Situ Lu: 'Ziyu.'"
"Zi, like a gentle and jade-like elegant gentleman; Yu, soaring in the sky… with the universe and the vast world as its limit! What do you think of this 'courtesy name,' Situ Lu?"
Heh…
Lu Yu blinked his eyes. Ziyu, this name sounds very "late-period"!
Like Zi Huan, Zi Wen, Zi Jian, Zi Wei, and so on… they are all late-period heroes!
Of course…
Scholarly families liked to choose names like "Zi X, Zi X," and it seems that in this era… this courtesy name was very prestigious!
"Since it was chosen by my sister and Mr. Zheng Xuan, I will naturally accept it gladly! Thank you, Zijian!"
Lu Yu smiled slightly…
Cao Zhi continued, "The second matter is that the Yan Province newspaper just sent news that Yuan Shao has died!"
What…
This is only the second matter, and it’s already so explosive?
Yuan Shao is dead?
He’s really dead!
This is a bit sudden!
In Lu Yu’s opinion… Yuan Shao’s death was a bit sudden. According to historical records, after the Battle of Guandu, he survived for another half a year. How many months has it been? Why did he die all of a sudden?
Of course, this was not important…
What was important was that with Yuan Shao’s death, Lu Yu suddenly felt like singing!
– How lonely it is to be invincible!
However, he had no idea that compared to the explosiveness of this second matter, the third matter was undoubtedly… even more explosive!
It was practically a thunderclap at the opening!
…
…