But Cai's father told him that this was all for the benefit of the family, and she had to make sacrifices. Cai was a filial person, but also a person who was deeply poisoned by feudal ideas. The traditional ethics of filial piety made Cai have no courage to resist.
, she admitted it. The family she surrendered to chose her fate, using her youth in exchange for superior power.
On the first night of her wedding, when Ms. Cai first saw Liu Biao, who was still handsome despite being forty-five years old, her heart temporarily calmed down, because the reality was not the worst.
But in the stable life of an old man and a young wife for 12 years, Cai had nothing to do, and her youth was irreparable. For a thirty-year-old woman in this era, she is definitely middle-aged. Without children, she has no children to support her.
She could only put her maternal love on Liu Biao's youngest son Liu Cong and several nieces in her clan. But this pain still could not be healed like this.
. In this era when medical treatment was underdeveloped and sexual knowledge was not popularized, did Cai also understand that it was not her fault that she could not give birth to a child? It was her husband Liu Biao's fault. As he grew older, Liu Biao was gradually losing his temper.
A man's virility and certain abilities. Although Liu Biao also felt very guilty about this, he could only obey his wife Cai's words and accommodate him in every possible way.
But what's the use? Liu Biao is getting old, and Cai is in his prime when he is increasingly craving for the fun of being a couple. There is no way to make up for the twenty-seven-year gap, the gap of a whole generation.
of.
Cai once again acquiesced to her fate and her lost youth. After Liu Biao agreed to marry one of Cai's nieces to his second son Liu Cong as his wife, Cai was somewhat satisfied in her heart and sense of responsibility. Because her brother
Cai Mao often said that as long as Liu Biao can establish Liu Cong's heir a hundred years later, even if Liu Cong's generation is separated, Liu Cong's children will still have half the blood of their Cai family, and there will still be no Cai family in Jingzhou.
Door.
Cai had no political ambitions. After her father passed away, she would do whatever her brother Cai Mao said. But Liu Biao's fall was so sudden that Cai had no time to prepare for everything. Her brother Cai Mao and her close friend Zhang Yun were both fighting abroad.
Without him, Liu Cong was young and busy, and it was difficult to stand alone. Later, it was said that his brother Cai Mao was killed in a battle with Cao Jun. When Cai heard the news, she felt that the sky was falling.
Without the support of Cai Mao, the only representative of the Cai family with real power, what could she and Liu Cong, an orphan and widower, do?
At first, Ms. Cai lay down in front of Liu Biao's hospital bed, crying hard and calling Liu Biao's name over and over again. At this time, she really hoped that Liu Biao would not die like this, and that they would be finished if they left her and Liu Cong behind.
At this time, Cai had some ideas. She had taken the initiative to find Kuai Yue. Once Liu Biao passed away, Kuai Yue would immediately become the head of the officials. He was an important figure. Cai hoped that Kuai Yue would support Liu Biao once he passed away.
Cong's successor is the main one, but the Cai family is not stupid, because the Kuai family has great political power in Jingzhou.
If you tie him up, you won't be afraid that your eldest son Liu Qi will go to heaven. But Kuai Yue's reply is very disappointing. Not only did he clearly say that he will not participate in such political activities to establish who is right, he will treat Liu Qi and Liu Cong equally, and everyone will be treated equally.
Being able to become the new ruler of Jingzhou depends on their destiny.
Moreover, Cai also learned from Kuai Yue that among the officials in Jingzhou, there is a saying that "establishing the elders rather than the young" is definitely an orthodox behavior. If Liu Biao has no final explanation, Liu Qi will be appointed as the leader.
When Mr. Cai heard this, his world immediately spun and he lost his direction. Later, when he inquired about it, he found out that this argument came from Liu Bei, who claimed to be Liu Biao's brother and was a guest in Xiangyang. If Liu Biao was really unclear about this and died without any explanation, as a
Liu Biao's closest relative, as Liu Qi and Liu Cong's uncle, it is reasonable for Liu Bei to stand up and say something.
But Liu Bei's argument greatly harmed Cai's interests, so Cai beat Uncle Liu, whom he had only met once, until his teeth started to itch.
In the next three days, Ms. Cai did everything a wife should do. During these three days, she accompanied Liu Biao on his bed, fully clothed. She performed her duties as a wife and took care of her husband. She also hoped that Liu Biao would wake up and summon all the people in Jingzhou.
Official, leaving a few words of support for her and Liu Cong.
In the current situation where there is no family, military power, or politics to rely on, as a thirty-year-old woman with no political experience, she can only place her last hope on her husband who is still alive.
Mrs. Cai did not want Liu Biao to die so soon. Although every time she gave Liu Biao medicine, she looked at the half-century-old man lying in her arms. The smell of the old man and the smell of saliva made Cai sick. But Ms. Cai found it difficult.
She survived because she didn't want to lose this last chance to turn things around.
The young Liu Cong couldn't stand it any longer and tried to move back to his residence several times, but was stopped by Ms. Cai's stern words. Even if Ms. Cai understood this spoiled child at this time, he was nominally the youngest son of Liu Biao adopted in her name, without his elder brother.
Liu Qi has a promising future. But Cai who has reached this point can no longer think or change. She can only support this young man who looks unlikely to achieve much.
As Liu Biao's eldest son, Liu Qi stayed here all night on the first day when Liu Biao vomited blood and fell into coma. However, after confirming that two of the doctors were not optimistic about Liu Biao's condition, they stopped fighting here with his stepmother and younger brother for the final advancement.
Xiao Xiao had the opportunity. He left in a hurry to listen to the opinions of all parties, lobby all political forces, and went to work for him to inherit Liu Biao's rule.
But the facts were unpredictable. For the frustrated Cai, things took a turn for the better in the evening of the second day after Liu Biao fell into coma.
First of all, most people in Xiangyang City believed that Cai Mao died in the first battle with Cao Jun, and the second and third versions emerged.
For some unknown reason, the battle report sent back from the front line was two days later than the news sent back by Liu Cousin's guard general. In this battle report, it only said that Cai Mao led 10,000 troops across the river and prepared to surprise Cao's army, but was ambushed and defeated.
, but there is no mention of whether Cai Mao is alive or dead.
As the commander-in-chief of this army, Cai Mao, not only had to report such a serious matter as death in battle, but even if he was injured, he had to report it back in time. How could Zhang Yun, who took over the army, forget it?
This suspicion immediately attracted the attention of Jingzhou's senior officials. While sending personnel to confirm the news, Kuai Yue and others gathered together the guards and soldiers who had returned to report the news and asked about Cai Mao's life and death.
Sure enough, when asked, there was a lot of discrepancy, because the situation on the battlefield was very chaotic. Some sergeants insisted that they saw with their own eyes the boat Cai Mao was on was sunk by stone bullets fired from Cao's catapults. Some said
I did see General Cai still struggling in the water. Anyway, after they gathered together to exchange information, they still couldn't figure out whether Cai Mao was alive or dead after talking for a long time.
But discerning people like Kuai Yue already know in their hearts that even if Cai Mao is not dead, he will probably become a prisoner of Cao's army. This is also why the battle report sent back by Zhang Yun is unclear. But Kuai Yue did not explain at this time, because
Liu Qi and the group of people preparing to support him in power
People, obviously more concerned about Cai Mao's life and death, chased several personal guards and asked them in great detail. Kuai Yue and others knew that speaking out their speculations at this time would only trigger an internal dispute in Jingzhou in advance, so they were very confident
Tacitly, I chose silence at this time.
As a result, Cai Mao's life and death on the front line immediately became a hotly debated topic in Jingzhou City. At that time, everyone said that Cai Mao must be dead, or was smashed to pulp by Cao Jun's stone bullets, and some said that Cai Mao did something.
Prisoners, some say Cai Mao is safely sitting in Fancheng.
Anyway, there were divergent opinions about the life and death of this senior general in Jingzhou, which was already a foregone conclusion. It became the focus of speculation from all sides and became a weight for many onlookers to increase the balance between the two "young masters".
Sadly, Mrs. Cai, who was staying by Liu Biao's bedside, was the last one to learn about this rumor. If it weren't for Liu Cong, who couldn't bear to stay in the ward, and escaped through urine, he could go out for air.
How did the book boy know this?
When Liu Congxing hurried back to Liu Biao's room and informed Cai that "uncle (because Liu Cong has recognized Cai as his mother since he was a child, so he has always regarded Cai Mao as his uncle) may still be alive", Cai was stunned for a while and hugged Liu Cong.
Crying uncontrollably.
Then, Cai took the initiative to drive Liu Cong out. As a woman, she asked around, so Cai asked Liu Cong to go. Cai asked Liu Cong to see Kuai Yue, to ask as many relevant people as possible who might know about the matter, and even sent
People immediately went to Fancheng to investigate the matter.
This night was destined to be a sleepless night. Everyone in Jingzhou was in a panic over the issue of Cai Mao's life and death.
But just when all parties were hesitant and worried about gains and losses, and when many people went through a sleepless night for Cai Mao, Cai Mao, with a thousand personal guards, appeared on the other side of Tanxi River outside the west gate of Xiangyang City just after the ugly hour.
The defenders on the tower of Xiangyang City felt nervous when they saw the thousands of people who suddenly appeared from a distance. But someone soon recognized Cai Mao's figure.
I don't know who shouted "General Cai is back!" while countless Xiangyang people were sleeping, and suddenly there was another commotion inside and outside Xiangyang City.
Cai Mao didn't know that there was almost an uproar in Xiangyang City because of his life and death. He might have expected that his defeat would have some impact on his family's power in Xiangyang, but he didn't know that Liu Biao entered at this time.
In the critical period of life and death, there is only half a foot left to step into another world.
As soon as Cai Mao entered the city gate and understood the general situation, he hurried to Liu's Mansion to see how his sister was doing.
Liu Biao's bedroom was in the middle of Liu's house, not leaning in any direction, which also reflected his principles of life.