The falling snow was like dancing pear blossoms.
Unlike the sharp, vicious, and pointed confrontations between men, the bouts between Lu Lingqi, Sun Shangxiang, and Ma Yunlu were all in the realm of light and agile movements. They swept through the air, their sword dances colorful and vibrant. It was less of a contest and more of a dance!
Of course, the three women maintained a certain degree of restraint. After all, they were all to be married into the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace. They would see each other daily, so they couldn't possibly fight to the death.
Lu Lingqi was at a slight disadvantage in this regard.
Her spear techniques were honed on the battlefield. Many of her life-or-death moves were unusable.
Sun Shangxiang, on the other hand…
Her swordplay was executed with masterful ease. "An inch shorter, an inch more dangerous." She always maintained close proximity with either Lu Lingqi or Ma Yunlu, which negated the range advantage of their spear techniques. All their moves were exposed to her swordsmanship. Lu Lingqi's repeated attempts to break through were unable to escape the confines of this swordplay.
Before Chen Qun could even react, Xun Yu, sensing that enough had happened, quickly called out, "Ladies, please stop!"
However, his words were too gentle, quickly drowned out by the sounds of clashing weapons.
Xun Yu, however, broke out in a sweat.
This was because Lu Lingqi was showing signs of defeat.
Here, she was entangled by Sun Shangxiang's close-quarters fighting, while simultaneously blocking Ma Yunlu's silver spear. Her footwork faltered. Even Xun Yu, who knew nothing of martial arts, could see that she wouldn't last much longer.
He prayed they wouldn't go too far!
Large beads of sweat dripped from Xun Yu's forehead. All three were future Crown Princesses. It was fine if they fought, but no blood could be shed!
Just then…
"Hmph, let's see what I've got!"
Sun Shangxiang's sword came down like a cleaver. As Lu Lingqi was about to be defeated, a Fangtian Huaji (a type of halberd) was swung across, its immense gust of wind nearly engulfing the entire battlefield…
Like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.
"Whoosh…"
With a single move, Sun Shangxiang and Ma Yunlu were forced back three steps…
They braced themselves with their long sword and silver spear respectively, just managing to regain their footing.
And before Lu Lingqi stood a general in red robes, with sword-like eyebrows, tiger-like eyes, and a countenance more handsome than Pan An.
"Lu…"
Sun Shangxiang and Ma Yunlu uttered his surname almost simultaneously.
Who would have thought…
Just then, Ma Chao, behind Ma Yunlu, straightened his sword-like eyebrows, strode forward, and picked up a steel spear from the weapons rack in the Secretariat. "This was just a friendly bout between young ladies. Lord Wen, your intervention is a bit of bullying the weak, isn't it?"
That's right…
The one who had intervened was none other than Lu Bu, Lu Fengxian.
The layman sees the skill, the expert sees the spectacle. He had already seen that his daughter couldn't withstand Sun Shangxiang's previous attack. But if she were to be defeated like this, wouldn't it be a sign of disrespect from the Ma clan of Xiliang and the Sun clan of Jiangdong?
As a future Crown Princess, how could the daughter of Lu Fengxian of Jiuyuan be looked down upon?
"If you're not satisfied, come at me yourself!"
Lu Bu spoke coldly…
Ma Chao raised his spear. "The three heroes once fought Lu Bu, and their victory was not honorable. Heh heh… Today, I, Ma Chao, will personally strip you of your peerless warlord title!"
Saying this, Ma Chao charged forward, his steel spear thrusting out!
He had long wanted to test Lu Bu's martial arts!
Today… what a coincidence!
"Hahahaha…" At this moment…
A sound of sorrowful laughter echoed through the courtyard.
"Are you looking down on my Jiangdong, assuming we have no one?" The speaker was Sun Quan, with Lu Xun and Zhou Yu standing beside him. Behind them was a valiant general. This time, they had been invited to the Secretariat to discuss the Crown Prince's wedding with Xun Yu.
With Lu Yu's identity revealed, Sun Quan had resigned himself to fate…
It wasn't that he wouldn't compete, but rather that time was not waiting. The world was destined to belong to Wei!
But if he couldn't compete for the world, he certainly wouldn't retreat half a step in the competition for the Crown Princess's position within the Eastern Palace.
Ma Yunlu had her brother Ma Chao supporting her;
Lu Lingqi had her father Lu Bu supporting her;
Could it be that his little sister Sun Shangxiang of Jiangdong had no one to support her?
"Zi Yi, you go and experience the demeanor of Lord Wen and General Ma on behalf of the elders of Jiangdong…"
Sun Quan's voice fell.
Taishi Ci also took a war halberd from the weapons rack. "The heavens act according to their constant principles, and righteousness shines brightly. Lord Wen, General Ma, let me test my halberd!"
"Clang clang clang…"
As Taishi Ci joined the fray…
The war halberd clashed with the decorative halberd…
The steel spear collided with the war halberd…
Between the decorative halberd and the steel spear, the most brilliant sparks flew.
For a time, faint whistles and the sound of air being torn apart were incessant…
Lu Bu, Ma Chao, and Taishi Ci fought fiercely.
Unlike the light and agile martial arts of Lu Lingqi, Ma Yunlu, and Sun Shangxiang moments earlier, these three… their moves were grand and sweeping, their power as intense as the scorching sun…
It was as if, compared to them, the earlier contest between the three women was like child's play!
Chen Qun was so stunned that he was speechless. He instinctively grabbed Xun Yu's arm.
"Lord Xun, this…"
"Hush!" Xun Yu, on the other hand, simply raised a finger and whispered, "They were all Crown Princesses just now. If anyone were injured, who could bear the responsibility? But now it's different… Lu Bu, Ma Chao, and Taishi Ci are all top-tier experts of the present era. If any one of them emerges victorious, the Crown Prince's marriage will be settled!"
Speaking of which…
Xun Yu pointed to the weapons rack in the courtyard.
Chen Qun scratched his head. "Lord Xun, since when has this courtyard in the Secretariat been adorned with a weapons rack?"
As soon as he spoke…
Chen Qun's eyes widened. He stared at Xun Yu. If he had been impressed before, now…
"Lord Xun…" Chen Qun said with admiration, "They all say that Jia Xu, Jia Wenhe, is an old fox. But seeing you today, Lord Liuxiang Xun, your cunning is no less than that of Jia Wenhe!"
"Heh heh…" Xun Yu waved his hand. "In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures must be taken. Extraordinary measures must achieve extraordinary merit! The urgent matter is to ensure that the Crown Prince can safely marry these three… and that would be extraordinary merit!"
This sentence… this "extraordinary merit" was full of profound meaning!
…
…
In Qiao Pei, the former residence of the Cao family.
The ancestral hall was dimly lit. In the center of the rows of spirit tablets was written the name of Cao Cao's grandfather, "Cao Teng." A lamp was lit beneath each spirit tablet, but for some inexplicable reason, the lamp beneath Cao Teng's tablet shone particularly brightly.
Cao Cao and Lu Yu, both in casual attire, knelt before Cao Teng's spirit tablet.
Lu Yu was holding an "oil pot" and refilling the oil lamp…
A gust of wind blew in from outside, causing the lamp light to flicker. Cao Cao shielded the candle flame in front of Cao Teng's spirit tablet with his hand. …. After refilling the oil, both Cao Cao and Lu Yu bowed three times before Cao Teng's spirit tablet.
Having done this, Cao Cao turned to face Lu Yu.
"My grandfather always mentioned in his lifetime that Heaven, Earth, and all things are one with the ruler, the minister, and the people. The emperor should control all the people, rule the world, and manage all officials. As a minister, one should be loyal, respectful, benevolent, and righteous, serving the emperor and the country. This is the way of a minister. As for the common people, they should respect their parents, live in harmony with their descendants, and be close to their relatives."
"When the emperor knows what to do, ministers keep to their duties, and the people grow like grass and trees, the empire will prosper. Therefore, the ruler, ministers, and people cannot be out of order. Disorder leads to lawlessness, lawlessness leads to chaos, and chaos leads to the heavens and earth being out of sync, the stars reversing, and the universe being destroyed. This leads to the demise of the virtues of heaven and earth, and the suffering of all people under heaven."
Cao Cao's words deeply touched Lu Yu…
He could hardly imagine such profound reasoning coming from a powerful eunuch. Pfft, rather, from his own great-grandfather, Cao Teng.
Of course…
In later generations, when studying history, the saying "look at three generations from the paternal line" is important. When researching Cao Cao, his grandfather Cao Teng naturally deserves the foremost position.
Lu Yu understood Cao Teng, his great-grandfather, quite well.
He was a rare eunuch who was praised by both the eunuch faction and the court officials. Calling him an "eternal eunuch" would not be an exaggeration.
He entered the palace as a eunuch at the age of eight, coinciding with the reign of the historically famous Empress Dowager Deng, known as the "Empress Dowager of Literature."
This Empress Dowager Deng not only required all court officials to study classics but also demanded that eunuchs and palace maids be educated and knowledgeable, and that regular examinations be held in the palace.
At that time, it was praised in the popular saying – "Everyone in the palace studies the classics," and "Everyone in the court discerns the rise and fall!"
That era saw the emergence of a large number of outstanding eunuchs, and their influence on future eunuchs was profound. For example, Cao Teng's teacher, the eunuch Cai Lun, invented papermaking. The favored eunuch Tang Heng, the father-in-law of Xun Yu, was skilled in preparing spices. Zhao Zhong, one of the Ten Attendants, was a carpenter, or perhaps a renowned builder!
Cao Teng was naturally a leader of that era. Due to his excellence, he became a companion reader to Crown Prince Liu Bao. Later, when the political situation became unstable and powerful relatives interfered in politics… he followed Liu Bao into seclusion in Jinwu Alley in Luoyang City. He even collaborated with eunuchs within the palace to help Liu Bao regain the throne. He single-handedly climbed the city wall, repelled thousands of rebel soldiers of the powerful relative Yan Xian, and maneuvered between the struggles of the powerful relatives Liang Heng and Emperor Huan!
"Yu'er, my father's greatest admiration is for grandfather!" Cao Cao said emotionally. "I grew up by grandfather's side. Grandfather always told stories of his time with Emperor Shun. He said that when grandfather was still young, Emperor Shun called him 'Little Teng Zi.' It was precisely because grandfather and Emperor Shun shared hardships together that when a new emperor ascended the throne, the old officials were replaced. During Emperor Huan's reign, he ended up in a desolate old age!"
Looking across the Three Kingdoms, Cao Teng and Cao Cao's relationship doesn't seem to be very significant…
But in reality, Cao Teng's contribution to the Cao family, and even his influence… was beyond imagination.
During Cao Teng's tenure, eunuchs and scholars coexisted peacefully, and the two sides were in a rare balance. That was also the final period of prosperity for the Han Dynasty.
After Cao Teng's death, the conflict between eunuchs and scholars became irreconcilable, as evidenced by the two "Partisan Prohibitions."
When Cao Teng was buried, Emperor Huan Liu Zhi specially traveled to Qiao Pei. Cao Song conveyed his father's dying wish to Liu Zhi, which consisted of only five words – "Promote virtuous officials!" …. He also recommended Zhong Gao, who later became Situ… And after Cao Song completed his mourning period and wished to return to Luoyang, it was with Zhong Gao's help that he became "Sili Xiaowei" (Colonel-Director of the Capital)…
Later, he collaborated with Cao Jie, a palace attendant and disciple of Cao Teng, and thus rose rapidly through the ranks, from Sili Xiaowei to Honglu (Minister of Ceremonies), Da Sinong (Minister of Agriculture), and finally spent a "small fortune" to purchase a trial experience card for Taiwei (Grand Minister of War), one of the Three Excellencies!
This was for Cao Song. As for Cao Cao…
As everyone knows, Cao Cao was a mischievous youth in his childhood. Apart from disliking studying, he was interested in and enthusiastic about everything else… and naturally got into a lot of trouble.
But out of respect for "Cao Teng," whether it was scholars or eunuchs, they would turn a blind eye to him. Otherwise, in this era, a child with such a personality would generally not live long!
Lu Yu understood these things clearly, whether from ancient texts or from Cao Cao's own words.
"Yu'er, do you see the eight characters on this spirit tablet?"
Cao Cao's gaze turned to Cao Teng's spirit tablet.
"'Those who love the virtuous are loved by the virtuous themselves'," Lu Yu recited.
Cao Cao nodded. "This was proposed by Qiao Xuan, 'Eldest Young Master Qiao.' From this, you can see how respected your great-grandfather was by the people of the world during his lifetime!"
From Cao Cao's words, Lu Yu seemed to grasp something. "Father mentions Great-grandfather so much because… of the劝进 (suggestion to abdicate) by the meritorious officials of Qiao Pei today?"
Changing the subject…
Cao Cao glanced at Cao Teng's spirit tablet out of the corner of his eye, cupped his hands in a bow, and led Lu Yu towards a side room.
Father and son sat opposite each other at a square table.
Cao Cao spoke first. "Today, your uncles mentioned 'Wei replacing Han.' What are your thoughts on this, Yu'er?"
"The time is not yet ripe!" Lu Yu spoke his mind directly.
"Explain it," Cao Cao gestured with his hand.
Lu Yu's expression became serious. "Didn't Father just teach me about the inscription on Great-grandfather's spirit tablet, 'Those who love the virtuous are loved by the virtuous themselves'?"
"Indeed, the unification of the Great Wei now only lacks the single region of Bashu. Whether it is the Northern Frontier, the Central Plains, Xiliang, or Jiangdong… it can be said that all hearts are with us… But one thing, even if Wei were to replace Han now, what would be the significance of it? The official selection system is still the recommendation system. Father would merely be replacing Emperor Guangwu. The meritorious officials of Qiao Pei and the scholars of Yingchuan would replace the 'Twenty-Eight Generals of Yuntai.' New aristocrats would be born, and within a few decades… these aristocrats would once again become powerful local gentry!"
"The Yang clan of Hongnong, the Yuan clan of Runan, the Sima clan of Henei, would merely become the Xiahou clan of Qiao Pei and the Xun clan of Yingchuan… Can Father achieve the 'love the virtuous, and be loved by the virtuous' that Great-grandfather did? Or does Father only love these meritorious officials… What hope do the common people and the humble scholars, those who bury their heads in the earth, see? Will they sincerely support and love the Great Wei?"
Lu Yu's words were bold enough…
And they pointed directly to the ills and core problems of the Han Dynasty.
Lu Yu knew too well that the demise of the Han Dynasty, broadly speaking, was due to the monopoly of clan power over all resources, the struggle between eunuchs and powerful relatives, and the loss of imperial authority…
But more specifically, it was related to several aspects.
— The common people!
— The middle-level officials!
— The complete collapse of the top-level sacred values…
It was not that Wei could not replace Han, but if Wei were to replace Han, it must solve these three pain points through policy. Otherwise… it would be nothing more than another cycle of the Han Dynasty!
In the future, there would be a new regime that, just as Wei replaced Han, would unscrupulously replace Wei!
*Huff…*
Cao Cao exhaled deeply.
His gaze was cold, as if he were carefully contemplating Lu Yu's words.
These words were deafening!
"Minister Chen actually submitted a proposal for the 'Nine-Rank Zhongzheng System' for official selection," Cao Cao said loudly. "It converts the current recommendation system into an election system, classifying personnel and officials into nine ranks. Officials from the Secretariat will be stationed in various regions to assess talent, and then the selected scholars will undergo a unified examination by the Secretariat… In this way, it will to some extent solve the drawbacks of the recommendation system and prevent powerful clans from monopolizing officialdom!"
Cao Cao had expected that this "Nine-Rank Zhongzheng System" would receive Yu'er's support.
Who would have thought that Lu Yu's words were like a basin of cold water being poured over it.
"Father, if the 'Nine-Rank Zhongzheng System' is implemented, then… the Great Wei is in danger!"
Lu Yu's words were precise…
Never before had he been so serious!
…
….
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