My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 219: These are all gifts from His Majesty. I can only carry them.
Lu Bu forced his mind back from the glorious past, only to feel that the atmosphere at this moment was weird and there was an indescribable sense of oppression.

He subconsciously glanced around and saw that Dong Cheng didn't even keep the maid, so he didn't bother to hold it in any longer and asked directly:
"Even if General Wei considers our old friendship, this gift is too much. What do you want Bu to do? Bu has said before that I am now only a figurehead, without power, and I will not ask about any important matters in the court."

Dong Cheng heard this and said with a frank smile: "Why does Lord Wen doubt me? Money is only a thing outside of one's body. Lord Wen has made such a great contribution, and he clearly distinguishes between gratitude and resentment. He only killed Yan Liang and did not save Yang Chou. Naturally, we respect him."

Lu Bu was silent, then smiled miserably: "Don't mention this! Eight years ago, when Wang Situ invited me to a banquet, he also said that he would not respect my official title, but only my heroic qualities!"

Dong Cheng was immediately choked by these words. It was difficult to respond to this.

The scene was awkward and silent for a long time. Dong Cheng finally made up his mind and spoke first to test the waters: "Marquis Wen is a man who has become a good doctor after suffering from a long illness. Yes, I did cover up something just now. The money and property I gave to Marquis Wen to celebrate his reinstatement were not my own gift. In fact, it was Your Majesty who wanted to reward Marquis Wen! But Your Majesty was worried that Minister Cao would be suspicious and harm Marquis Wen instead.

So ten days ago, His Majesty summoned me to the palace to make a report, and talked about the contribution of saving the emperor in the Western Capital, and rewarded me with a sum of money. In fact, His Majesty told me about the repeated bullying of Cao Sikong by Yang Taiwei, Zhang Da Sima and other loyal and righteous people in the past two years, and the murder of Zhao Yilang.

His Majesty was filled with emotion, saying that when General Yang was tortured and framed by the cruel official Man Chong, it was Marquis Wen who raised troops outside and raised the banner of clearing the court, which made Cao Sikong wake up and rescue the loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty. Later, Grand Marshal Zhang was implicated because of Marquis Wen, was cruelly persecuted by the court, and died unexpectedly at the hands of the ugly thief Yang.

Although Wen Hou was forced to fight against Yuan Shao's old friend, he still insisted on "only killing Yan Liang and not saving Yang Chou", which shows that he clearly distinguishes between gratitude and resentment. Your Majesty is considering your position in these two major cases and asked me to transfer part of the property he gave me to you. Wen Hou will not refuse. "

After hearing these words, Lu Bu finally felt a rush of blood to his head.

Dong Cheng actually brought up the title of emperor?

Lu Bu couldn't believe it at all. He felt his throat dry and sticky. He said with difficulty: "You said that these rewards were just private discussions. That means there were only oral instructions and no imperial edict? This is a serious matter. How can I believe it..."

Dong Cheng: "Marquis Wen! Your Majesty wants to reward ministers, but you still have to be secretive. Don't you think the Han Dynasty is too pathetic? I don't have anything to ask of you today. I just want to convey your Majesty's appreciation and gift to you. Don't you want to accept it?

I, Dong Cheng, swear to heaven that if I find any use for Marquis Wen today, I will die by sword and axe, and my soul will not be taken in by the Lord of Mount Tai after my death!"

Seeing that the other party clearly stated that he didn't want him to do anything, Lu Bu was relieved and hurriedly stopped the other party from swearing: "Why is General Wei like this? I was just frightened for a moment and didn't dare to believe it. After all... I have wasted my time and have long been notorious. I didn't expect the emperor to be so generous and not to remember the past. I only remember the two rare things that I did to show my loyalty..."

When Lu Bu said this, he couldn't help but feel ashamed.

Of course, he knew how many dirty things he had done over the years! But he was only loyal to Yang Biao and Zhang Yang.

The emperor actually specifically praised these two things...

To use modern language, it is a bit like "picking gold from a pile of trash".

This may have been the emperor's original intention, or perhaps Dong Cheng spoke in a nice way for him, or more likely Dong Cheng embellished and modified it when he recounted it.

But no matter what, Lu Bu could be sure that the emperor or Dong Cheng would definitely need him.

The emperor is about to turn twenty years old, and the situation is completely different from when Wang Yun came to him eight years ago!

Back then, the emperor was just an ignorant young man and relied on Wang Yun for everything. But the emperor now may have his own ideas.

In addition, Lu Bu had also gained experience from stepping into traps, and he could already hear some hidden meanings when listening. He noticed that Dong Cheng's curse just now was "If I can use Wen Hou today, then this and that..."

That is to say, Dong Cheng really had no intention of using him today, but it was hard to say what would happen in the future - today he was just testing his attitude, just throwing a stone to test the waters.

Thinking of this, Lu Bu added: "How dare I not believe the oath that General Wei just made? But I wonder... whether Your Majesty or General Wei has anything to say to me other than an order."

Dong Cheng: "I did have some words to say, but they were just my feelings, not my orders. Marquis Wen doesn't need to be nervous. In fact, Your Majesty doesn't think there are any major problems with the current government. With a capable and decisive minister like Cao Sikong assisting in the administration, the revival of the Han Dynasty is just around the corner!
Your Majesty just thinks that Cao Sikong may be eager to serve the country, and sometimes he acts rashly and roughly. For example, the case of Yang Taiwei in the past and the case of Sima Da today were both due to his recklessness, and he was deceived and used by villains like Man Chong and Yang Chou.

Fortunately, there are still loyal people like General Yuan, Marquis Wen, and General Chariot and Cavalry in the world, who always give advice and remonstrances to calm down the occasionally reckless Cao Sikong. It is good that Cao Sikong can finally reconcile with General Yuan and recognize Yang Chou's sins!

By the way, Marquis Wen has been recovering from his injuries these days. Have you heard some news about the princes of the outer towns trying to persuade Cao Sikong and General Yuan to make peace? "

Lu Bu was stunned. He really hadn't been paying attention to state affairs recently. Not to mention that he was injured, even if he was not injured, he would not bother to care about these things.

He had no choice but to ask for advice humbly: "I am just a military man, I don't know much about government affairs..."

Dong Cheng patiently explained his doubts to him: "Marquis Wen, you don't know that two or three days before Cao Sikong and General Yuan reconciled, General Chariot and Cavalry, Governor of Yangzhou, sent an envoy, Sun Shao, to the capital to meet with the emperor and present a memorial to explain General Chariot and Cavalry's attitude in the case of Yang Chou's murder of the Grand Marshal.

The words of the General of Chariots and Cavalry's memorial were fierce and earnest, striving to severely punish the traitor Yang Chou and rectify the government. Although I have not seen the memorial with my own eyes, I have heard from others that the General of Chariots and Cavalry is indeed a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, and he is dedicated to the public.

He also advised Cao Sikong not to be deceived by Yang Chou and make the same mistake as when he was deceived by Man Chong.

On the other hand, he advised General Yuan not to go too far and pursue the matter relentlessly. If Cao Sikong could punish Yang Chou, he should withdraw his troops and stop the war. As a minister, he should not use force against the court. He also used the example of Wen Hou's actions the year before last in his memorial.
It is said that when Marquis Wen first raised his army to purge the emperor, he learned that the cruel official Man Chong was severely punished and Yang Taiwei was cleared of wrongdoing, so he withdrew his army without fear of being retaliated by the court. This is what a Han official should do. As long as it is for the benefit of the country and corrects the mistakes of the court, he will not care about his own life and death..."

When Lu Bu heard this, he couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

He didn't expect that Liu Bei actually wrote a memorial to persuade Cao Cao and Yuan Shao to make peace!
Moreover, how could the memorial written by Liu Bei be so righteous and public-spirited? What is even more incredible is that Liu Bei actually wrote it so well?

Lu Bu was so embarrassed that he couldn't face anyone.

He certainly knew that he withdrew his troops after Cao Cao appointed him as the Right General and the Governor of Xuzhou and recognized his occupation of Liang County - this was not because he "disregarded his personal life and death, or future revenge in order to correct the mistakes of the court and for the national interest."

He did this two years ago because of greed! He was attracted by the immediate benefits of being the Right General and the Governor of Xuzhou! That’s why he kept jumping back and forth. Liu Bei thought too highly of him…

Lü Bu couldn't help but feel ashamed: "I am really ashamed. The people I feel most sorry for are Governor Ding back then and my brother Xuande later on...

Although Bu was fickle and wandered for half his life, he still repaid his gratitude to Situ Wang, Gongtai Chen and the Grand Marshal with righteousness and did them justice.

I can't say I feel sorry for Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shu, and Yuan Shao. They were the ones who were unjust first. I don't have much to say about Cao Sikong either. We were all fighting for our own interests. I didn't expect that Xuande would evaluate me like this in the end..."

When Dong Cheng saw this, he found it a little... funny.

He didn't expect that a man like Lu Bu would actually feel ashamed.

But this is not the focus of today. Dong Cheng was afraid that Lu Bu would continue to sigh and waste time, so he had to force the topic back: "Everyone makes mistakes, Wen Hou, don't mind the past. You were wronged by Governor Ding because you were deceived by Dong Zhuo.

I just said all this just to let you know: His Majesty has seen that you and the General of Chariots and Cavalry are loyal ministers who disregard their own interests and only seek to correct the court and point out the areas where the rulers are deceived.

If such a situation arises again in the future, I hope you will continue to stand up and be loyal to the country. However, Wen Hou is currently injured, so don't think too much about it. Go back and heal your wounds first."

When Lu Bu heard this, he knew that the other party would not talk about the main point of the play today, so he tactfully propped up his crutches and prepared to leave.

One of Lu Bu's legs was hit by a crossbow arrow, but the other leg was intact. He had to take a car for long trips. After entering the inner courtyard, he needed to consider the confidentiality of the conversation, so he naturally did not let the guards follow him. He just propped a stick under the armpit on the side of the injured leg. With his martial arts, he could move around without any hindrance.

After he adjusted his crutches, Lu Bu turned his head and looked at Dong Cheng again: "Did General Wei receive any other instructions from His Majesty?"

Dong Cheng: "No, Lord Wen, don't worry. By the way, I heard a ballad recently, which touched me. It was brought to Xudu by Sun Shao, the deputy governor of Yangzhou. People only say that it was written by Mr. Zhuge, and I don't know if it was written by General Fubo or the governor of Jiangxia.

I will give you a method to resolve your doubts, without the need for tortoise shells or yarrow stalks. To test jade, you need to burn it for three days, and to identify the material, you need to wait seven years. Zhou Gong was afraid of rumors, and Wang Mang was humble before he usurped the throne. If I had died at the beginning, who would know the truth of my life?

In today's world, many heroes are at their peak for a while, but in the end they only dominate for three to five years. How can we not be cautious when we are in the vortex? Especially since Wen Hou has offended many people, if we want to spend our old age in Xudu in peace, we must be very careful.

In the past, Han Xin made a mistake and asked to be the fake King of Qi. He thought that after the world was at peace, the matter would be over, but in the end, the old account was brought up again. Wen Hou only needs to remember one sentence: you and I have no grudges, and there are some people who have no grudges with Wen Hou. Only these people will never bring up the old accounts with Wen Hou. "

Lu Bu remained silent. He had already heard that Dong Cheng was advising him to calm down and not tell anyone about today's return visit, even though today's conversation did not contain any substantive content.

Lu Bu himself knew how badly he had offended Cao Cao. Cao Cao accepted his surrender today only because there were too many powerful enemies outside, so he had no choice but to do so temporarily.

When the overall situation in the world becomes clear in the future, the possibility of Cao Cao settling accounts with himself will definitely be a hundred times higher than the possibility of Liu Bang settling accounts with Han Xin. Maybe we won't even live to see the day when the world is completely peaceful.

"Don't worry, General Wei. Lu Bu knows how badly he has offended someone. Some people, no matter how I reform myself, will never truly trust me. Han Xin may think that he can regain trust by betraying Zhongli Mo, but I don't think so."

Dong Cheng: "Marquis Wen is worrying too much. I will take you out."

Lü Bu: "Well, now that we have come to this, I will say one more thing. General Wei may not have any use for me today, but I may have some use for me in the future. If that day comes, I hope General Wei can first try to transfer Zhongda away from Xudu.

Zhongda no longer has military power, and he is not good at martial arts, so he can't do much if he stays in Xudu. I will also find a way to take some of my wife and daughter out of the city and ask him to temporarily protect them. I am already forty-seven years old, and I am not as carefree as I was in the past. If my wife and daughter were still around, I'm afraid I would be too lazy to do anything. "

Dong Cheng was slightly shocked when he heard this. He thought that Lu Bu had been used too much and was indeed a bit sensitive in this aspect.

Now that things have come to this, it’s not impossible to discuss it.

Dong Cheng himself did not have the power to mobilize troops, so how could he transfer Gao Shun away? However, he was in a noble position after all, so he could still make suggestions indirectly with the help of other people.

Dong Cheng thought about it and nodded, saying, "There is no clue for the time being, but the court is in a state of turmoil. Zhang Xiu from Nanyang has just returned, and Liu Pi from Runan has once again gathered his people to resist.

Even though Cao Sikong is not confident in leading you to fight against Yuan Shao, it is still possible to divide your forces to deal with bandits like Liu Pi. I will do my best. If it doesn't work, I will have to find another opportunity. Wen Hou should take good care of his injuries first."

Lu Bu knew that they couldn't continue the conversation today, otherwise it would be bad for both parties and would easily lead to more trouble, so he said goodbye immediately.

Dong Cheng looked at Lu Bu's departing back, and his expression became solemn again. Today, he didn't say anything outrageous, so he didn't leave any handles and got involved. But the next time when the showdown officially comes, he will have to prepare for it.

This time, Lu Bu was reinstated, which was an opportunity for both parties to exchange gifts and return greetings, so as not to arouse suspicion from outsiders. During the subsequent recovery period, I must hold back and not contact Lu Bu easily until the moment I make up my mind.

……

While Dong Cheng and Lu Bu were testing each other, Sun Shao, whom Liu Bei had previously sent to Xu Du to mediate between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, also returned to Jiangxia County with the court's reply document and met Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang who had just arrived in Wuchang.

Of course, Sun Shao also brought various news such as "Yuan and Cao have temporarily ceased fighting; Cao Cao has admitted his mistakes and announced that Yang Chou is indeed guilty; Zhang Xiu of Nanyang has defected to Cao Cao, but Liu Pi of Runan has begun to emerge to fight against Cao Cao."

At the same time, he also reported truthfully: Liu Bei asked him to send gifts to many ministers in Xudu, and he sent them all. In particular, he sent gifts to Dong Cheng, and also talked with Dong Cheng about his views on government affairs and the scenery of Yangzhou.

After listening to the report, Liu Bei didn't find anything unusual, so he turned to Zhuge Liang and asked, "Kong Ming, what do you think is the solution to the current situation in Xudu?"

(End of this chapter)