As soon as the winter solstice arrived, Gai Jun suddenly became busy, visiting famous officials and attending various banquets. He could not stop for a moment. He often went out dry in the morning and came back smelling of alcohol in the evening.
Fortunately, such days did not last long. As he waited for the end of the year, he became leisurely again. Every day he would either go to Taixue or teach Bian Wei and his brother to read at home. He would play the piano, write, and occasionally practice with Gai Yin.
hand, or go up the mountain to hunt some game.
As the first day of the new year approached, he started to be as busy as during the winter solstice. In his busy schedule, he finally squeezed out some time to rush to Chenliu and meet Cai Wan. Cai Wan was very surprised by his arrival. She had met Gai Jun with her own eyes.
The entertainment before and after Zhengdan was so terrible, it is no exaggeration to say that it was even higher than that of her father Cai Yong.
The two of them stuck together and talked about what happened around them. There was a deep warmth in the ordinary, and at the same time they looked forward to the luxurious and wedding in the near future.
Just like the popular burials, people in the Han Dynasty also advocated extravagance in weddings. The most expensive things were the bride price of the man and the dowry of the woman, which included gold and silver, carriages and horses, and countless slaves. The cost of the wedding banquet is known as "the cost of a meal can last a lifetime."
The imperial court has long been aware of such excessive squandering, and has issued several stern edicts, and local officials have frequently issued decrees. However, these are often just empty words and are unpopular.
The whole world is like this, and of course the two of them will not do the opposite. That will make you different, which is not a compliment.
Entering February, there is either continuous drizzle or bright spring scenery, the willows are green, and the grass is green, creating a picture of spring.
"Where has the wedding convoy gone? Has it crossed the Yellow River?"
Gai Jun always looked to the west, full of expectation. This time, the Gai family's wedding team was extremely large, with countless treasures. Bandits from all over the country must be ready to attack, but with Gai Yin taking over, Gai Jun was not too worried about safety issues.
He thought that when the convoy arrived, he would not encounter any major events before leaving the capital. Unfortunately, he guessed wrong and learned a piece of news from Yuan Shao, which was news to the whole world.
Cao Cao returned to Beijing...
The most evil hero in troubled times and the biggest opponent in the future, I look forward to meeting him!
The sun was shining brightly and a gentle breeze was blowing. Gai Jun followed Yuan Shao and stood on the official road outside Luoyang City. Next to him were Xu You, Wu Qiong, Feng Ji, Wang Kuang and other well-known people who were friendly with Yuan Shao.
More than twenty people.
After waiting for a while, a carriage came into view and drove quickly.
"Young Master, Luoyang City is almost here."
When Cao Cao heard the coachman's voice, he let go of his wife Ding's hand, opened the car window, looked at the approaching colorful Luoyang City under the morning sun, and said in his heart: "Luoyang, Luoyang... I, Cao Mengde, am back!"
"Then he glanced at Yuan Shao and his entourage, grinned, first chuckled, and then laughed. This smile contained some relief, some bitterness, and was complicated and difficult to understand.
"Have the efforts of three generations of my Cao family finally paid off?"
Cao Cao's grandfather, Cao Teng, cannot actually be said to be his real grandfather. Cao Teng was a eunuch and could not have children. He only adopted Cao Song. Cao Teng was a typical old fox in officialdom. He was imprisoned in the palace for more than thirty years and experienced four events.
Emperor, this has never happened before. And unlike other eunuchs, he was not hostile to scholars, but recommended many talents to the court, so he had a good reputation. But compared to other eunuchs, in the hearts of scholars, he still looked down upon them.
Being with him is just a matter of using each other.
How can there be a perfect person after an eunuch? Cao Song, the second generation of Cao Cao, understood this principle well and tried to get closer to scholars when he grew up. When he was twenty-two years old, he was promoted as Xiaolian by Zhao Zi, the prefect of Dunhuang, and was appointed as the Xingyang order. Zhao Zi later became an official.
When the Prime Minister of Donghai came from Dunhuang to Donghai, he passed by Xingyang. Cao Song came to greet him in gratitude for his recommendation, but Zhao Zi turned a blind eye. Faced with the cold reception from his benefactor, he was not ashamed, but said: "Master Zhao Zi is highly regarded by people at home."
, I have passed through my boundary now but avoided seeing him. If outsiders knew about it, they would definitely laugh at me for neglecting my benefactor." In order to thank his benefactor, he abandoned his official position and chased him to the boundary of the East China Sea alone. Zhao Zi was deeply moved and stopped to meet him. Cao Song was incredible.
If you don't work hard, it's a pity that you won't be taken seriously by the scholars because you became an eunuch.
Cao Cao, the third generation of Cao Cao, also suffered from his status. When he was in Taixue, it was when the Party's imprisonment broke out. Taixue was the stronghold of scholars. As an "eunuch and an ugly man", he was naturally isolated by the Taixue students and could not make friends at all.
A friend, this situation was until the appearance of Qiao Xuan. Qiao Xuan, named Gongzu, was from Suiyang in the Liang Kingdom. He was already the Third Duke at that time and an important minister in the government and the public. He valued Cao Cao very much and thought he had the talent to lead the world. However, Qiao Xuan was "strong in nature".
"Anxious but not general", his reputation has never been high, and his words were of little help to Cao Cao, so he suggested that Cao Cao go to see Xu Shao and Xu Zijiang. Xu Shao came from a wealthy Runan family and was famous for his criticism of people. Cao Cao asked for a meeting with "humble words and generous courtesy"
, but Xu Shao looked down on him and turned him away many times. Cao Cao was extremely angry and "waited for opportunities to threaten". Xu Shao was afraid and gave a comment: "The son is a capable minister in ruling the world, and a traitor in troubled times."
Regardless of whether it is a good or bad comment, he has become famous anyway, and he can finally use this as a basis to get close to one person, that is, Yuan Shao, who is not allowed to meet unless he is "famous at home". Entering Yuan Benchu's circle, he has unimaginable interpersonal resources.
Of course, integrating into the circle is a slow process and does not happen overnight. He knew very well that if he wanted to be recognized by Yuan Shao and others, he had to draw a clear line with the eunuchs. As a stepping stone, he chose Zhang Rang, the most powerful eunuch, Zhongchang Shishi, and made a fuss in the Zhang Mansion to express it.
It strengthened his determination. But it was not enough weight. Next, he took up the post of captain in the north of Luoyang and killed Uncle Jian Shuo of Xiaohuangmen. It was undoubtedly a gamble. Fortunately, he succeeded, although it almost ruined his career.
"I...Cao Mengde...have finally gained a great reputation!" Cao Cao lifted the curtain and jumped out of the carriage in high spirits.
"Is this Cao Cao?" Gai Jun, who had been poisoned by the game, couldn't help but be disappointed when he saw the real person. No wonder he was disappointed. Cao Cao was less than seven feet tall, and his appearance was only 1.6 meters, and his face was ordinary.
Strangely, he only had a pair of slender eyes that were sparkling, and he didn't look like the founder of the Wei State who was one of the most outstanding people in the world.
"Brother..." Cao Cao came to Yuan Shao and bowed deeply.
Yuan Shao was tall, a head taller than Cao Cao. He patted Cao Cao on the shoulder and said with a smile: "I heard that you have been hiding at home to study and hunt since you were dismissed. I feel very comfortable."
Cao Cao smiled and replied: "I am just entertaining you." After speaking, he greeted everyone.
Xu You poked his head around and said, "When Ah Man returns, we will be able to give him a lot of help."
The scene fell silent for a moment. Gai Jun and Yuan Shao looked at each other and smiled bitterly. This guy was sick again.
Cao Cao turned around and said without changing his expression: "Is Ziyuan okay?"
"Does he really not care or is he very dignified? According to his character, it should be the latter." Gai Jun thought in his heart, his hand was suddenly grabbed by Xu You, and he only heard him say to Cao Cao: "You haven't talked to Ziying yet.
I've seen you, I'm here to introduce you, this is Gai Ying of Dunhuang. This is Cao Mengde of Pei State. It's a coincidence that Mengde left Ziying and went to Beijing, so we just rubbed shoulders."
Cao Cao cupped his fists and said solemnly: "Shoot the tiger to destroy the locusts, Gai Ying, I have long admired your name."
"I've also heard about Brother Cao for a long time. I'm glad to meet you!" Gai Jun shook up his clothes and returned the gift happily. He already had memories of his past life, and after experience in this life, he had a certain popularity. Even when facing "Emperor Wu of Wei", he could face him well.