The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 2 Little Tornado Cao Daguanren

Cao Mao's mansion was located in the center of Yuancheng.

It is surrounded by tall palace walls, and inside is a magnificent, endless complex of buildings. It is the most luxurious residence in the entire Yuan City and is no different from a royal palace.

In fact, Cao Mao’s home was indeed a royal palace.

At first, Cao Pi named his son Cao Li as Duke of Qin, and later changed his title to King of Jingzhao, and then to King of Yuancheng.

Cao Li could not bear the constant migration and died in Yuancheng. Seeing that his brother had no descendants, Cao Rui thoughtfully arranged for Cao Ti, the son of Cao Kai, the Prince of Rencheng, to succeed him as the Prince of Yuancheng.

Of course, he had to migrate, and soon he was renamed King of Liang.

The palace became empty and served as a backup.

Throughout history, the Cao Wei royal family had their fiefs changed the most times. They were constantly migrating throughout their lives and had almost no opportunity to manage their fiefdoms.

When the Sima family came to power, Sima Shi could not bear to see the royal family members suffer such migration and humiliation, so he thoughtfully arranged for them to live in Hebei, away from their own fiefdoms.

Cao Mao's fief was in Tancheng County, in the Qi and Lu area.

But now he lives in Yuancheng.

Cao Mao led many of his followers to the gate of the palace.

At the gate of the palace stood two old soldiers, thin in build, holding spears in their arms, swaying from side to side.

The gate of the mansion was open, and people were coming and going, making it very lively.

As soon as Cao Mao entered the palace, he heard Guo Ze's incessant questioning.

"How can you be naked and fighting in the front hall?"

"How can you gamble here?"

"No lying in the front hall!!"

He was a young man in a dark robe, dressed quite simply, but everything he wore was in accordance with etiquette, without any transgression or inappropriateness.

Including his face, everything is so straight.

His name was Guo Ze, and he was the defense assistant commander under Cao Mao.

His duty was to teach Cao Mao to be good and prevent him from doing bad things.

This position is usually held by a gentleman with a good reputation, but the gentleman they found for Cao Mao was too gentlemanly.

When he turned around and saw Cao Mao, he quickly straightened his clothes and kowtowed with the etiquette proper for a duke.

Cao Mao accepted his salute with a helpless look on his face.

"Mr. Guo, why do you have to do this?"

"Xiang Gong, etiquette cannot be abolished."

Guo Ze said this seriously, and then pointed at the people in the mansion.

"Lord! How can it be permitted that these servants of yours are openly engaging in wrestling, fighting, gambling, and riding horses in the mansion?"

"That's totally outrageous!"

"Hahaha, I've always treated them as friends. Now that I have nothing to do, what's wrong with them entertaining themselves?"

Guo Ze was extremely heartbroken.

He really missed the well-behaved and literary noble man.

When he first met Gaogui Xianggong, he was so smart, kind, and studious, and he pestered him to learn Shangshu all day long.

The most unforgettable thing is the strong youthfulness in him. He is always full of confidence and vigor.

He saw the full style of Emperor Wen in the Gaogui Xianggong at that time, and even mentioned this unique Gaogui Xianggong many times in his letters to his eldest sister.

Until a year ago, Duke Gaogui fell off his horse while practicing archery.

Since then, he seemed like a different person.

He never touched Shangshu again and began to try to do some evil things.

He colluded with bandits, made friends with merchants, and funded knights. He bullied the people in the market all day long, had no respect for his elders, and acted without restraint.

He tried to stop them many times but failed. The whole mansion was occupied by a group of rogue rangers, and he couldn't control these people at all!
Thinking of this, Guo Ze felt full of guilt. It was all his fault that he failed to teach the village lord well!
"My Lord, you are the Duke of Wei. How can you associate with these vulgar people?"

Cao Mao was stunned for a moment, then asked with a smile, "You mean I should make friends with some virtuous people and invite renowned scholars to visit my palace?"

Guo Ze nodded quickly, "It should be so."

"But the imperial court has an order prohibiting the princes from visiting guests. We are not allowed to make friends with those scholars or invite them as guests. If the imperial court asks me to do this, I will say that it was you who ordered me to do so."

Guo Ze widened his eyes and quickly shook his head again.

"The court has its reasons for not being able to shoulder such a heavy responsibility. Even if the county magistrate does not associate with scholars, he should not associate with these people. This is also against the law."

"Everyone, am I in your company?"

The rough men around them burst into laughter when they heard this. "We are just slaves under Cao Gong. How can we be considered as his companions?"

Guo Ze's face flushed red, and he stammered, "Even so, a few merchants just sent us money. It's forbidden for princes to make friends with merchants and engage in business."

"I've never been a businessman, let alone made friends with them." "I just felt sorry for them and gave them some advice, teaching them how to become rich through business and help the people in their hometown. They spontaneously thanked me and gave me money. Isn't that right?"

Guo Ze looked at Cao Mao blankly, "It's not wrong."

Cao Mao laughed. "Then please help count some of the money they sent. There are more and more places that need money. Only with money can we help the people in our hometown and do more good deeds. Isn't that right?"

"This"

In the end, Guo Ze did his job honestly.

Cao Mao was actually very satisfied with him. A gentleman can be deceived by his own tactics.

This auxiliary commander really regarded his duty as teaching. In fact, he could have given Cao Mao a strong order. If Cao Mao did not listen, he could have just written a letter to the three courts.

But he never did so. He would still seriously reason with Cao Mao, but was always left speechless by Cao Mao's twisted logic.

When Cao Mao walked past the front hall, he saw a man sitting under a tree in the distance.

The man was quite old and was extremely drunk. His clothes were open, his eyes were blurry, and he was sitting on the ground with his legs stretched out. He smelled terrible.

Cao Mao greeted him with a smile.

"Mr. Yang!"

The man opened his eyes, glanced at Cao Mao, then tilted his head and continued to sleep soundly.

This old man was Cao Mao's regent.

He was originally the official responsible for monitoring Cao Mao and filing complaints with the imperial court.

It’s just that this old man is really a little weird.

He never paid attention to state affairs, was tattered in his clothes, and muttered to himself all day long.

But Cao Mao could also understand.

The entire Eastern Han Dynasty itself was established because of prophecies and divinations.

Because of Liu Xiu's admiration for prophecies and divination, superstition permeated the entire Eastern Han Dynasty. By the end of the Han Dynasty, it had become the mainstream. Confucian scholars at this time looked like charlatans, saying strange things all day long and linking all natural phenomena with government affairs.

During the Wei Dynasty, metaphysics prevailed and a large number of scholars who advocated freedom and did nothing emerged.

The embryonic form of self-abandonment in the later period has already begun to appear.

The spiritual pillars of many scholars had collapsed, and they encountered the powerful suppression of the Sima family, so they developed serious escapist and world-weary emotions, and behaved in an absurd and unruly manner.

The scholars of the Han Dynasty were extremely strict in observing etiquette and laws. However, as rituals and music declined, the scholars began to despair of and abandon etiquette and laws, which was often referred to as the Wei and Jin style in later generations.

As to whether they are really romantic, only they themselves know.

This Mr. Yang probably did not want to be an official. After becoming the Regent, he did not do his job. He drank and took medicine all day long. He lay under a tree all year round, talking to himself and going crazy.

But Cao Mao liked him quite a bit. Who wouldn't want to have such a regent?

Sitting in the Kerang Hall, Cao Mao looked at the people around him and felt a lot more relaxed.

At least I have some insignificant power.

I still remember when I first came through, I was alone, with only seven or eight old soldiers and two officials around me. The money I had was not even enough to maintain the maintenance of the palace.

After the fusion of souls from two different eras, Cao Mao finally realized how difficult his situation was.

The Wei Dynasty kept a close watch on the royal family, guarding them like thieves.

It is really not easy for Cao Mao to achieve what he has today.

It can be said that no one in the entire Wei royal family lived as comfortably as he did.

He was not short of money and opened a manor to specifically receive poor and destitute heroes. He was a well-known hero in the green forest circle of Hebei. He could be called the Wei version of "Hebei Hu Baoyi" or "Little Tornado Cao Daguanren".

Almost all the knights in Hebei knew his name, and some people who had committed crimes often came to him to seek refuge.

Of course, if the people in the city encountered any grievances, they would come to him for help.

Cao Mao's behavior did not attract the attention of local officials.

Instead, these officials looked down on him, thinking that he made friends with some low-level people, had no future, and was not worth mentioning.

The Great Wei has its own national conditions.

In the Wei Dynasty, the reputation of the royal family cannot be too good. If you can compose a poem in seven steps, are deeply loved by the scholars, are surrounded by Confucian scholars, and have great academic achievements, then you will definitely be tormented to death by the court.

But if you are a villain, beating your wife and children all day long, bullying the people, having corrupt personal morals, and being despised by the literati, then you will be very safe.

That’s right, we are talking about Cao Mao’s father, King Cao Lin of Donghai.

In the eyes of those masters, Cao Mao's behavior of hanging out with these wanderers, cooperating with merchants, and hanging out with the common people was no different from that of his father.

These are all behaviors that will be despised by the scholars.

"Lord Cao!! Disaster has occurred!!"

Then I saw a vicious man rushing into the hall in panic, his eyes full of fear.

(End of this chapter)