newbobooks Chapter 241 Cao Cao becomes Cao Pi's apprentice! But who is his master?
Chapter 241 Cao Cao becomes Cao Pi's apprentice! But who is his master?
Guard Commandery
Su Yu performed the coming-of-age ceremony for Cao Ang.
According to the Han Dynasty, once the coming-of-age ceremony was completed, one was considered to have officially come of age.
Cao Pi, accompanied by Cao Zhang and Cao Zhi, dared not enter the Weiwei Mansion directly. They tried to climb the wall but were not tall enough, and were anxiously pacing around in circles.
Then, the three of them were captured by Dian Wei, who came out to move things.
Upon seeing that it was Cao Pi, Cao Zhang, and Cao Zhi, a look of solemnity flashed across Cao Cao's face, but it disappeared in an instant.
That solemn expression came from his thoughts of the conflict between Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu.
Both sons of Yuan Feng, they fought each other to the death.
Could it be that Cao Mengde's son will eventually end up like this?
But then he thought about it again, and realized that Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu's situations were different from his own.
Cao Cao's only legitimate son was his eldest son, Cao Ang.
What do Cao Pi, Cao Zhang, and Cao Zhi have to compare with Cao Ang?
"Alright, let's be a little more lenient with these three brothers from now on."
"And Bian Shi, she's been neglected for a long time too."
When Cao Cao saw Cao Pi and his two brothers, he thought of Lady Bian, whom he had neglected because of the "Ji Ping Incident".
As the saying goes, there's a third of the affection when you meet someone, and another third when you see your son.
Cao Cao already favored Lady Bian, and considering that she had given him three sons, he naturally wouldn't neglect her for long.
And Cao Xiong, the last son that Lady Bian conceived for Cao Cao, will be officially created tonight!
Of course, that's a story later.
Watching Su Yu and Cao Ang chatting and laughing, Cao Pi's eyes revealed deep jealousy.
He remembered the candy Su Yu had given him at the annual party.
"If Mr. Su were my mentor, how wonderful that would be..."
Cao Pi felt a bitter taste in his mouth and pondered:
"I don't know who my father will arrange to be my teacher in the future."
"But no one can compare to Mr. Su."
Unbeknownst to Cao Pi, Cao Cao was observing his expression the entire time.
After Cao Ang's coming-of-age ceremony.
Cao Cao did not return to the Sikong Mansion, but instead went to Yang Biao's residence.
Situ Mansion
Yang Biao spat out the sour and astringent tangerine, thinking to himself that this thing was indeed awful!
Gouju is actually the same as zhi.
Oranges born in Huainan are oranges, while those born in Huaibei are oranges.
The bitter orange of the late Han Dynasty tasted much more sour and astringent than those of later generations.
Yang Biao hadn't had a good appetite lately, so he tried the trifoliate orange to whet his appetite, but he couldn't resist its sour taste.
Suddenly, the butler strode in and reported:
"Master, Minister Cao has arrived."
"What! Minister Cao has arrived?"
Yang Biao quickly got up to prepare to greet Cao Cao.
As a veteran official of the Han Dynasty who survived until Cao Pi ascended the throne, Yang Biao was well aware of his role as a mascot.
Anyway, that's how his life will be.
If the Yang family can remain standing, that will be enough.
The Yang family has been doing this for so many years, isn't it?
Cao Cao was also pleased with Yang Biao, who was sensible and obedient.
As a result, Yang Biao became one of the three high officials, namely the Minister of Works.
According to rank, Situ is even ahead of Sikong!
As soon as Cao Cao entered the courtyard, Yang Biao hurriedly walked over and bowed to him, the kind of bow that couldn't be stopped!
"Minister Yang, please don't stand on ceremony!"
Cao Cao quickly helped Yang Biao up.
In any case, Yang Biao was one of the few remaining veteran officials of the Han Dynasty, belonging to the older generation.
Moreover, Yang Biao had already submitted the Yang family's pledge of allegiance to Cao Cao.
The eldest son, Yang Xiu, was sent away without warning, and spent his days working like a beast of burden in the Minister's mansion as an expatriate!
How could Cao Cao bear to accept such a grand gesture from an old comrade?
"Lord Sikong, this bow is not out of flattery, but out of my heartfelt gratitude for your contributions to the Han Dynasty! Thank you for eliminating the false emperor and removing a great threat to His Majesty!"
The upright and unyielding look on Yang Biao's face is something that only a veteran actor could pull off!
Cao Cao's mood became even more cheerful as a result.
A Han dynasty official with high emotional intelligence and eloquence is always highly sought after.
After exchanging pleasantries, Cao Cao got down to business, speaking with slight hesitation:
"I wonder if Minister Yang has the time to help me with something?"
Yang Biao's eyes darted around, and he immediately replied:
"Lord Sikong, please speak freely!"
"Although I am but a frail old man, I will do my utmost to cooperate with Lord Sikong!"
Cao Cao nodded and told Yang Biao about his desire to have Cao Pi become his disciple.
This sudden action left Yang Biao somewhat bewildered.
But he was a shrewd man, and after a little thought, he understood Cao Cao's meaning.
Cao Pi was Cao Cao's son born out of wedlock.
Judging from the current situation in Cao Cao's camp, Cao Ang's position as the eldest son is as secure as a rock.
As long as Cao Ang doesn't get into trouble, Cao Pi will have absolutely no chance of ascending to the throne.
In other words, in Cao Cao's mind, Cao Pi had already been eliminated.
But Cao Cao only had one legitimate son, Cao Ang.
Even a son born out of wedlock is a treasure.
This means that the teacher found for Cao Pi could not be someone who held an important position in Cao's camp, but he also couldn't be too incompetent!
Ideally, he should be a renowned scholar with a good reputation in the literary world.
The most powerful Confucian scholar in Cao Cao's camp was undoubtedly Cai Yong.
But who was Cai Yong?
That's Su Yu's real father-in-law!
Asking Cai Yong to be Cao Pi's tutor would be absurd, unless Cao Cao was insane...
Apart from Cai Yong, Yang Biao was the most accomplished and renowned in the literary world.
The key point is that Yang Biao is a mascot, so having him as Cao Pi's teacher won't affect Cao Ang.
As for whether Yang Xiu will side with Cao Ang.
To put it bluntly...
Even if we stand, what good will it do?
How much support did Cao Ang have? How much did Cao Pi have?
It's important to know that Cao Ang was not Cao Zhi!
This is the eldest son, an existence that crushes everything.
With almost all of Cao Cao's key officials siding with Cao Ang, Yang Biao and Yang Xiu would certainly not go against the grain unless they wanted to die.
Besides, Yang Xiu is currently working like a slave in the Minister's mansion!
Whether he will be further valued by Cao Cao depends on his performance in various assessments.
After understanding Cao Cao's meaning, Yang Biao cupped his hands and said:
“I’ve always had nothing to do, and Dezu doesn’t come home for a whole month.”
"If Lord Sikong would be so kind as to send Young Master Pi to amuse me, that would be wonderful!"
Cao Cao said with delight:
"In that case, I'll leave it to Minister Yang."
"Another day, I will bring Bu Xiaozi to Minister Yang's residence and have him become Minister Yang's disciple."
Having resolved a worry, Cao Cao was in high spirits.
I can't possibly block my son's path, can I?
If he can't be the heir, then at least he should have another option.
Developing a career in the literary world would be excellent.
But what Cao Cao didn't know was...
Cao Pi's mind was completely focused on pursuing his elder brother Cao Ang.
Cao Pi certainly possessed literary potential.
After all, he was one of the famous "Three Caos".
However, Cao Zhi usually overshadowed him.
next day
When Cao Pi learned that his father wanted him to become Yang Biao's apprentice, he was thunderstruck!
Yang Biao...
Can that even compare to Mr. Su?
But Cao Pi was always saying one thing and meaning another.
Despite not wanting to become Yang Biao's disciple, he went to the Situ Mansion anyway, just to avoid angering Cao Cao.
Yang Biao was also very perceptive; he immediately saw that Cao Pi had something on his mind.
After Cao Cao left, Yang Biao led Cao Pi into the study and slowly told him a story about the Yang family's correct choice of sides.
……