At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty

Cao Cao and Cao Hong who worked in Luoyang, Xia Houyuan and Cao Chun who came back with Cao Ren went to Cao Ren's duke's mansion in Luoyang to have a drink with him and celebrate his retirement together.

After drinking for three rounds, Xia Houyuan, Cao Chun and Cao Hong were all so dizzy from drinking that Cao Ren arranged for his servants to take them to rest.

So only Cao Ren and Cao Cao were left in the dining room.

"Brother, do you think my mansion is good? Is it magnificent? Is it gorgeous? How is it compared to brother's mansion?"

Cao Ren seemed a little drunk. He took Cao Cao's hand and pointed to his very luxurious mansion, which Guo Peng personally ordered the officials of the Ministry of Industry to build for him, as if he was showing off.

Cao Cao smiled wryly.

"Zixiao, aren't you laughing at me? Your mansion is a duke's mansion, and your title is much higher than mine. If my mansion is better than yours, isn't it overstepping?"

"Hahahahaha, that's right, isn't that overstepping?"

Cao Ren laughed for a while, raised his head and drank a glass of wine: "Brother, I think you had something to say to me during the banquet just now, but there is no one around now, so if you have anything to say, just say it."

Cao Cao was taken aback.

He turned his head and looked around, and found that there was indeed no one around, and it was quiet.

"Zixiao, you..."

"Brother, do you want to ask me why I resigned? Was it my own initiative, or did His Majesty ask me to do so?"

Cao Cao pursed his lips.

"Zixiao, based on what I know about you, I think this should be your request. Your Majesty, it is unlikely that you will be asked to do such a thing directly."

"Hahahahaha."

Cao Ren laughed and nodded: "Yes, not right."

"how to say?"

"It is true that I requested to resign on my own initiative. However, if His Majesty hadn't sent His Highness the Crown Prince to the Western Regions, I don't think I would resign now. I'm about 50 years old? Anyway, it won't be now."

Cao Ren put down the wine glass in his hand, and before he swept it away, his face was full of drunkenness and his expression was very serious: "Brother is already 56 years old this year, right?"

"Well, I'm already 56 years old, and in four years, I will be sixty years old."

Cao Cao pinched his beard: "The beard is almost gray... Zixiao, what do you want to say to me?"

"Brother, my Cao family is really powerful in Wei State."

Cao Ren pursed his lips and took a deep breath: "Families like ours have been extremely prominent and rich in all dynasties. In the military and political circles, there are children of our family everywhere. Now let's not talk about the former officials of our family. Yes, but there are countless officials who have made good friends.

It's true that these people can become Cao's support, but the more such people there are, the more Cao's officials are, will it be even worse for the royal family?Brother, I'm not kidding. "

Cao Cao was silent for a while.

"Alan, she is my own sister, the current queen."

"Can the empress decide everything? The empress must be irreplaceable? Today, the empress's surname is Cao, and tomorrow's empress's surname is Cai, not Cao."

"..."

Cao Cao was silent again.

chapter 1297 one thousand two hundred and seven

Perhaps the facts Cao Ren said hit Cao Cao's heart, so that Cao Cao needed to take a good look at his situation.

There was a long silence in the hall.

After a while, Cao Cao looked at Cao Ren again.

"Zixiao, did you choose to resign and go home because of this kind of thing?"

"This kind of thing? Isn't that enough?"

Cao Ren shook his head: "I can no longer understand what your majesty is thinking. Your majesty is in the prime of his life. Why did you start cultivating the power of the prince at this time? No one in the court knew about it, and no one dared to question it.

Since His Majesty has already done this, I think I have to react. The Crown Prince has no military power. If His Majesty wants the Crown Prince to take charge of the army smoothly, it is inevitable that people leave. Rather than being driven away by others, it is better to go by yourself, and I also wish to warn others. "

Cao Cao frowned.

"Even if it's a new generation to replace the old ones, it's too early, isn't it? In the ninth year of Yande, His Majesty has only been enthroned for nine years. Are you going to start preparing now?"

"All dynasties have been emperors and courtiers. I don't know what His Majesty thinks. Perhaps, Your Majesty thinks that this kind of thing should be settled early?"

Cao Ren couldn't guarantee that his thoughts were correct, so he could only make guesses.

Cao Cao frowned and thought hard, and suddenly his eyes widened.

"Zixiao, do you think His Majesty is already thinking about abdicating?"

"demise?"

Cao Ren shook his head in amazement: "Your Majesty is in the prime of his life. According to my observation, His Majesty is in good health. He doesn't look sick, and he doesn't seem to be exhausted. Even if it is abdication, His Majesty is only 46 years old. Hurry up?"

Cao Cao was also very puzzled by this.

"That's hard to say."

"Anyway, if what the Son of Heaven thinks is so easy for you and me to guess, we would be underestimating the Son of Heaven."

Cao Ren shook his head and stopped making any guesses: "Brother, it is good for the Cao family that I will step back, and it can alleviate His Majesty's suspicion of the Cao family, but that's all. Our Cao family... too many people He became an official in the court.

Brother, think about the powerful ministers and relatives of the former Han Dynasty in the court, the relatives of the Deng family, the relatives of the Liang family, and the relatives of the Dou family. Which one is not full of wealth to the extreme?But what happened to them? "

"Zixiao, are you telling me this to persuade me to quit?"

Cao Cao hesitated for a while, then said, "Zi Xiao, I don't want to, don't I understand what you said? Am I a person who doesn't study, learn and know nothing?

It's just that Zixiu, Zihuan and Zijian are not high-ranking officials yet, and they can't support the appearance of the Cao family. You say that the Cao family has many officials, but they are all in the local area. I am the only one in Luoyang.

Can the current Cao family really be compared with those foreign relatives who were caught by the military and government in the former Han Dynasty?Can you manipulate the government?It's far away, isn't it?If I step back now, how will the power of the Cao Clan be maintained?

If something happens to Zixiu, Zihuan and Zijian, who will run for them?The Cao family seems to be very powerful, but you and I are the most aware of how much credit you have for this. Now that you have retreated, it will be bad if I retreat again. "

Cao Ren can't say that Cao Cao's thinking is wrong.

Although many of Cao's and Xiahou's descendants have become officials, they have really become high-ranking officials. At present, they are Cao Ren and Cao Cao. One is a big boss in the military and the other is a big boss in politics.

Other first-generation entrepreneurs either led troops in the local area, or served as high-ranking officials in remote areas like Xiahou Dun. They couldn't reach out so far and couldn't manage the affairs of Luoyang Central Committee.

The rest of the second-generation children have not yet grown up. Cao Ang, the best, is now working as the guardian of the Zhenxi Protectorate, and he doesn't know when he will come back, let alone Cao Pi and Cao Zhi.

Most of the other second-generation children are by Guo Jin's side. It seems that Guo Peng left Guo Jin's team, and it is impossible to become rich and powerful in Guo Peng's generation.

Before Cao Ang came back, if Cao Cao retreated, there would be no one to guarantee such a large family property and power. This generation of newcomers would replace the old ones, and the emperor might replace the Cao family.

It's one thing to be afraid and jealous, but it's also not a thing to have power at your fingertips.

How can a man be powerless for a day?

It's like Cheng Yu and Tian Feng, who hold the positions of Shang Shuling and Shang Shupushe, but all their powers are completely deprived by the emperor, they are the two mascots.

So Tian Feng was transferred to the southernmost Yunzhou not long ago, which was really far away in the sky, Tian's power collapsed instantly, and there was nothing left.

If Cheng Yu couldn't regain the emperor's trust, he would probably be exiled if he continued with the Shangshu Order.

His Majesty the Emperor has never been tolerant of losers.

Cao Cao cannot follow in such a footsteps.

The chief assistant of the cabinet holds the power of auditing, which can not only connect with the Shangshutai department, but also deter officials, thus gaining a detached status.

This is an absolute confidant's job.

Without this power, Cao Cao would really be insignificant just because of his status as the queen's brother.

It is impossible for Cao Cao to give up this position willingly and choose to retire, even if he gets the same treatment as Cao Ren.

After all, Cao Ren is a member of the army, and has nothing to do with government affairs. He has retired. The Cao family, Cao Chun, Cao Xiu, and Cao Hong, the Cao family's children, will not affect the overall situation if they join the army.

But if Cao Cao retreated, the Cao family, including the Xiahou family, would be in the central government and there would be no one to deal with.

This is a very dangerous thing.

Whether Cao Ang can really return to the central government in the future will become a big problem.

Cao Ren realized Cao Cao's situation, and felt that Cao Cao's consideration was not unreasonable.

Cao's military and government have blossomed, and now that the flower in the army dies on his own initiative, the flower in the government cannot die rashly.

However, the reason for Guo Peng's series of operations, who is it aimed at, and whether he wants to take Cao's operation are all the problems.

With such doubts, Cao Cao really didn't know how to go next.

But Cheng Yu already knew how to go this way.

After a brutal political blow and a long period of silence, Cheng Yu unexpectedly appeared in front of Guo Peng.

On the ninth day of August in the ninth year of Yande, Cheng Yu asked to see Emperor Guo Peng, and Guo Peng agreed to meet him in his study.

"Zhongde, you haven't come to see me for a long time, why did you suddenly come to see me today?"

"Your Majesty, I am here because I have one thing I hope Your Majesty can agree to."

Cheng Yu stood in front of Guo Peng very seriously.

"whats the matter?"

Guo Peng put down his pen and looked at Cheng Yu.

"The position of Captain Sili has been vacant recently. I invite you to go to the post of Shang Shuling and change to the post of Captain Sili."

Guo Peng narrowed his eyes.

"Oh? Zhongde, I thought that you came to resign from me. Unexpectedly, you came to apply for a job? You are 70 years old. Are 70-year-olds still full of ambition?"

Cheng Yu knelt down and bowed to Guo Peng.

"When I became an official of Your Majesty, I was already 44 years old, and half of my body was buried in the ground. I never thought that there would be such a day in my life, and I never thought that I could gain fame and fortune in this way and become a high-ranking official. It is Your Majesty who has made me a minister. I feel grateful Ming heart.

But Your Majesty, I was already 44 years old when I became an official, and I wasted my good years at home. My heart is full of annoyance, resentment, and hatred for the former Han. I don't know when I will die. I treat every day as a The last day is being spent.

I can't tolerate myself wasting any time, I can't tolerate wasting my time, as long as I live, I can't relax myself, and I have to use the rest of my life to complete the things that I haven't done in my good years!This is everything for the minister! "

Chapter 1298 One thousand two hundred and eight Guo Peng finally understood everything about Cheng Yu

Hearing Cheng Yu's call from the heart, Guo Peng put down the government affairs he was dealing with and looked at Cheng Yu seriously.

This is a talented and ambitious man.

It's just because he was born in a poor family and has no advancement, so he has all the skills, but he can only waste his time until he is 43 years old.

Until the age when most people can't live, he finally ushered in the chaos caused by the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

Then at the age of 44, he was recruited by himself and became a subordinate.

For a while, Guo Peng couldn't understand why Cheng Yu took the lead in everything and cared so much about his own power, thinking that it was the same nature that he was greedy for power like himself.

But now, he felt that he might be wrong.

Cheng Yu spent the best years of his life wasted at home, unable to become an official, unable to show his talent.

44 years old is an age that most people in this era can't live to. It can barely be regarded as a good life span. Basically, people of this age have already become grandpas.

He didn't know that he could live to be more than 70, which was considered a super long standby age in that era.

He just felt that he was going to die any moment.

So he lived each day as if it was his last.

The son of a wealthy family started his official career at the age of 20, but he didn't start his official career until later in life, so he worked extremely hard and yearned for the future and the future.

It even feels a bit overdone.

People who start their official career at the age of 20 can play their cards leisurely, hide their hole cards, and act slowly in the game of life.

But Cheng Yu, he can only stud every day, he has no choice.

Perhaps the most fundamental reason why he is so cruel and violent is that he hopes to show his abilities and talents to the best of his ability so that this life is not in vain.