Cao Mansion, a big banquet.

Cao Cao pointed to the wine on the table, smiled at Zhou Qi and said, "It is really a great regret in life that I was not able to drink with Ziyi in the wine shop."

"I am so lucky to be here together today, how can I not drink freely?"

Zhou Qi also laughed and said: "I had something on my mind that day, so I couldn't have a drink with Brother Meng De. I punished myself with three drinks to express my apology!"

After finishing speaking, Zhou Qi did not hesitate and drank three glasses of wine in a row without changing his expression.

Cao Cao was also a good drinker. When he saw this, he was immediately happy and said: "Zi Yi is really a good person, how can Cao be willing to be second to others!"

Cao Cao didn't put on any airs of being an official's son. Instead, he was a little dissolute, rolled up his sleeves and started drinking heavily.

Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren knew about their brother's virtues, but they didn't take it seriously. Instead, they took Xiang Hong and began to persuade him to drink wine with ill intentions, hoping to get Xiang Hong drunk first.

Xiang Hong was a generous man, but he did not refuse anyone who came, and he freely drank with the two of them.

After three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.

Cao Cao suddenly tapped the table with his fingers and began to recite "Xia Ke Xing" while shaking his head, his eyes full of intoxication.

Xiahou Dun and Xiang Hong had already seen Zhou Qi write this poem with their own eyes, so they were not surprised.

This was the first time Cao Ren heard this poem, and he immediately became excited and asked: "Who wrote this poem, and why have I never heard of it?"

Cao Cao stood up and walked to Cao Ren, knocked him on the head gently, and said with a smile: "You don't like reading, you are idle all day, how many poems have you read?"

However, Cao Ren was very dissatisfied and said: "My brother also indulges in debauchery and neglects his studies. How is he different from me?"

Cao Cao was stunned when he heard this, but he had no way to refute.

According to historical records: Taizu was a young man who was alert and powerful, but allowed his knights to be debauched and failed to regulate their profession, which is a strange thing that no one in the world has ever seen.

At this time, Cao Cao was still a bit unruly, and he didn't know much about his studies. If he hadn't set up a five-color stick in Luoyang and beat Uncle Sai Shuo to death, he probably wouldn't have been taken seriously by the world.

Even so, no one except Qiao Xuan and He Yong thought that Cao Cao had any extraordinary talents.

At this time, Cao Cao, Ruo Qianlong Zaiyuan, had not yet begun to stand out. Even if he interacted with Yuan Benchu ​​and others in Luoyang, he was basically regarded as Yuan Shao's little follower.

Xiahou Dun came to Cao Cao's rescue and said: "The author of this poem is none other than Zhou Ziyi."

Then, Xiahou Dun vividly described what happened in Xiang County, which made Cao Ren fascinated.

Especially when he heard that Zhou Qi beheaded Wang Ji, Prime Minister of Pei State, but still remained calm and drank and wrote poems outside the wine shop, Cao Ren felt even more passionate.

Although the spies had previously reported the assassination of Zhou Qi, they did not introduce the details, and it was impossible to understand the cause and effect of the matter better than Xiahou Dun.

Cao Ren marveled at Zhou Qi's courage and arrogance. He immediately stood up and saluted Zhou Qi and said, "It was my fault that I locked brother Ziyi in the woodshed before. I punished myself three times today. Please forgive me, brother!"

Zhou Qi did not stop him. He smiled and watched Cao Ren finish the three glasses of wine. Then he stood up and drank three glasses of wine in a row, saying: "This wine is so beautiful, how can I let you drink it alone!"

Everyone laughed when they heard this, and were amazed by Zhou Qi's drinking capacity.

Xiahou Dun rolled his eyes and simply let Xiang Hong go. He winked at Cao Cao and Cao Ren, and the three of them turned to Zhou Qi to persuade him to drink.

Zhou Qi, however, refused to refuse anyone who came. Relying on his drinking capacity, which he had developed in officialdom in later generations, he was naturally not afraid to drink the low-alcohol wine of this era.

A few people drank freely and had a great time.

Cao Cao raised his glass, already a little tipsy, and said: "Zi Yi's song "Xia Ke Xing" shocked me. I wonder if there are other masterpieces?"

Before Zhou Qi could speak, Xiang Hong smiled and said: "Just last night, Ziyi wrote a song "Praise to Qiu Mu"."

Cao Cao's eyes widened and he said hurriedly: "Brother Bird, come quickly!"

Seeing that Zhou Qi had no objection, Xiang Hong immediately began to recite.

"In the world, the Taoism is in harmony, and the gang is always sweeping the floor. The hall is not separated by curtains, and the monarch and his ministers are having fun."

"The king plays with his words, and the minister plays with his halberd. How brave is the enemy of the animal husbandry, who uses his hut to attack the thieves!"

"If you are not afraid of strong defenses, you will suffer from liver disease and drain your blood. If you die like a mountain, you will be famous."

After hearing this, Cao Cao held the wine glass in his hand without saying a word for a long time, and then sighed: "Qiu Mu is so strong. He suffers from liver disease and bleeds. He died weighing down Mount Tai, but his fame is as bright as the sun and the moon."

During this period, Cao Cao was still the same hot-blooded man, and he was also full of chivalry, otherwise he would not have gone into history to assassinate Zhang Rang's residence alone.

Cao Cao knew about Qiu Mu, but Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren didn't. They asked like Xu Chu did, and Cao Cao naturally explained to them.

After Xiahou Dun heard this, he sighed: "What a good one: the king plays with words, and the minister plays with halberds."

"As a king, you should be cautious in your words and deeds. You should expose scars in front of your ministers and brush their faces, which will eventually lead to death."

There is no such thing as foolish loyalty in this era.

Especially for people like Xiahou Dun who are quite chivalrous, their loyalty is only given to those who are worthy of their loyalty.

Just as Mencius said: If the king regards his ministers as his hands and feet, then his ministers will regard him as his heart; if his ministers regard his ministers as dogs and horses, his ministers will regard him as a fellow countryman; if his ministers regard his ministers as earth and mustard, then his ministers will regard him as a bandit.

Xiahou Dun asked himself, if he were in Nangong Changwan's situation, he might make the same choice.

Of course, different people will naturally have different thoughts and feelings when they hear this story and "Zan of Qiu Mu". Just like this book, some people feel that the plot progress is too slow and incomprehensible, while some people feel that the history is as heavy as

Drink the sweet rain.

Different people at different levels will have different experiences, and they will naturally have different views on the same thing.

I can't say who is right or wrong, I can only say whether it is suitable or not.

After sighing, Cao Cao looked at Zhou Qi with burning eyes and said: "Zi Yi is extremely talented. Today we are gathering to drink. I wonder if I can compose a poem?"

When Zhou Qi heard this, he pondered slightly.

It's definitely not possible to let him compose poems by himself. Zhou Qi doesn't have that ability, nor is he the material.

If you copy poems, you can’t just copy them casually. You have to do it according to the situation. Otherwise, even if the poems you copy are of good quality, it will make people laugh.

There are countless poems related to wine in history, and there are also many famous ones through the ages.

It can be said that there are only a few poems that are completely suitable for the occasion, and Zhou Qi may not be able to memorize some poems in full.

But when he looked at Cao Cao, who was full of expectations, his heart suddenly moved, and he remembered a poem that he liked very much.

Zhou Qi stood up, put his left hand behind his back, and raised his glass with his right hand.

"Singing over wine, what is life like?"

"It's like morning dew, it will be more bitter when it goes away."

"Generosity should be treated with generosity, and sorrow will be unforgettable."

"How to relieve worries? Only Du Kang."

When Cao Cao heard this half of the poem, he was immediately shocked. He felt that this poem seemed to be how it should be. The heroism and frustration mixed in it seemed to be a true portrayal of himself.
Chapter completed!