Cao Song was sitting on the street, drunk, holding a wine jug.
He felt depressed, as he was once a high-ranking general, but had fallen into such a miserable state!
Compared with other hostages of the Cao family, he, as Cao Cao's father, did not live under someone else's roof. Instead, he and several concubines were arranged to live in a small courtyard alone, and they were guaranteed two meals a day.
But that's all.
Compared with his previous life, it was like heaven and hell, and the courtyard was always guarded by soldiers, making Cao Song feel like an old dog in a cage.
However, over time, Cao Song became familiar with the guarding soldiers. He asked them to pawn his jewelry and exchanged it for some money to bribe the soldiers. Then he would often sneak out to drink in the wine shop opposite the house.
The guarding soldiers were happy to turn a blind eye. The defenses of Ye City were very tight. What danger could there be for Cao Song to walk a few dozen steps across the street to drink?
Cao Song wanted to get up and buy some wine, but when he felt his pocket, he found that he only had a few five-zhu coins, which were not enough to buy anything.
He stood by the roadside for a long while, poured the last few drops of wine from the jug in his hand into his mouth, and stared blankly at the busy street.
The guard on the other side of the street came over and advised, "Grandpa, it's time to go back."
"You've been out for so long, and it's hard for us to explain."
Cao Song followed the soldiers back in disappointment, muttering to himself.
The soldiers brought Cao Song into the courtyard, locked the door, and stood guard outside. Not long after, a carriage stopped at the gate of the courtyard.
When the soldiers saw this, they rushed over and shouted, "No parking here, leave immediately!"
The young man driving the carriage shouted, "Young Master, come and see Cao Taigong!"
The car door opened, and a young man jumped out. He smiled at the soldier and said, "I'll just say a few words and then I'll leave."
A soldier heard this and asked, "Who are you?"
"There are important people in here who need to be guarded. How can you just talk casually?"
The young man jumped off his horse, took out a token, and said, "This is the son of Envoy Yuan."
When the two soldiers saw the token, they were immediately startled and saluted, "Greetings, sir."
The two people were Yuan Xi and Sun Li. Yuan Xi asked, "How has Cao Taigong been doing these days?"
The two soldiers looked at each other, and Yuan Xi saw it and said, "Tell the truth."
A soldier whispered, "The Grand Master loves wine and often complains about the food. I think he must be very dissatisfied with this."
They didn't dare to say that they had let Cao Song drink, otherwise wouldn't that be asking for trouble?
Yuan Xi asked about what Cao Song usually ate, and laughed, "It's really not good for him."
He turned his head to look at the wine shop and restaurant across the street, and said to Sun Li, "Go to the carriage and get two pieces of silk as a gift to the two of you."
Sun Li followed his instructions and took out two pieces of silk from the car and handed them to the guards. The two men said they didn't dare. Yuan Xi said, "I need your help with something."
"Don't send in lunch today."
The two looked at each other in confusion, but they did not dare to disobey Yuan Xi's words, so they had to agree.
Yuan Xi took Sun Li to the restaurant across the street to eat. After waiting for two or three hours, when it was almost time for dinner, he said to Sun Li, "Take a piece of silk and exchange it for some food and wine, and come in with me."
At this time, after years of war in the late Han Dynasty, the currency system had completely collapsed.
After Dong Zhuo minted small coins, one dou of grain was worth hundreds of thousands of Dong Zhuo's small coins.
During the reign of Gongsun Zan, the people of Youzhou were suffering from cannibalism. At that time, one stone of grain cost 100,000 coins.
In the first year of Emperor Xian's Xingping reign, one dou of grain cost five hundred thousand coins, and one dou of beans and wheat cost two hundred thousand coins.
In the first year of Xingping, a hectoliter of grain in Dong'e cost more than 500,000 coins. So Cheng Yu, a native of Dong'e, made the grain-eating Dong'e people into jerky, thus fundamentally solving the food shortage problem.
Although Jizhou was relatively rich in money and grain, many people in Yecheng were unwilling to accept coins, so grain and silk became hard currency.
After hearing this, Sun Li took out the silk cloth from the carriage and went to talk to the shopkeeper. After more than a quarter of an hour, several waiters came out of the kitchen carrying wine and food.
Yuan Xi then brought Sun Li and a few of his men to Cao Song's gate. The two soldiers guarding the gate hurriedly opened the door. Yuan Xi asked, "Didn't you deliver lunch?"
The two of them smiled and said, "How dare we disobey the young master's order? Of course not."
Yuan Xi thought that since he hadn't eaten for a whole day, it should be about time, so he nodded and walked in.
At this time, Cao Song was so hungry that his eyes were black. He was lying on the couch, and several concubines were pounding his legs. Cao Song's stomach was growling with hunger, and he asked irritably, "Why hasn't anyone brought me food yet?"
He thought about the simple meals he had eaten for more than a year, which were either rice porridge or bread, with some wild vegetables and very little meat. He felt angry in his heart. This Yuan was so rude. After all, he was a high-ranking official!
But now he is living under someone else's roof, who would care about him as a hostage?
Not delivering lunch at noon must be an attempt to blackmail him, but where does he have the extra money and goods?
He felt like he was about to starve to death, and he stared at the roof and sighed, but suddenly he smelled a faint fragrance floating into his nostrils.
Cao Song suddenly opened his eyes wide and turned over and sat up.
He rolled off the bed and ran out the door dragging his wooden clogs. His fat and bloated body now seemed extremely light. As soon as he opened the door, he saw someone standing in the middle of the yard, with several restaurant waiters behind him carrying various dishes on wooden trays.
There were steamed white fish overflowing with juice, pork elbows stewed till soft and tender, roasted geese till bright red and crispy, and a few pieces of mutton floating on the surface of a large bowl of Hu soup, covered with shiny oil.
When Cao Song saw it, his eyes widened. This was the smell of meat wafting from the upper floor of the restaurant when he passed by it countless times!
But he has never eaten these things!
He had spent all his money on wine and could not afford to buy these expensive meats. Such meals were extremely expensive, and even in Yecheng, not all the gentry could afford them.
Every time he passed by a restaurant, Cao Song would sniff greedily, trying to keep the fragrance in his nasal cavity for a little longer.
At this moment, he felt tears welling up in his eyes. Damn it, was he dreaming?
He took a few steps forward tremblingly, and was about to pounce on him, but Yuan Xi stopped him in front of him, bowed and smiled, "Hello, Mr. Cao. It's been a long time since we last met, and I miss you very much."
Cao Song swallowed his saliva and said, "Okay, okay."
He stared at the food and wine, still reluctant to take his eyes off the fish while speaking, "Who are you?"
Yuan Xi thought that Cao Song might be starving, so he said, "I, Yuan Xi, have met Tai Gong several times before."
It took Cao Song a while to realize that this was the evil son of the Yuan family who had robbed him of all his wealth!
He was about to open his mouth to curse, but he swallowed it back. Given his current situation, what qualifications did he have to confront others?
With a smile on his face, he bowed and said, "So you are Master Xian Yi. I am very grateful for your protection."
The two knew that these words could not be more false, but they each had their own agenda and neither would reveal it.
The two entered the room and sat down. Seeing Cao Song staring at the dishes on the table and drooling, Yuan Xi smiled and said, "My admiration for you is like a surging river. This time, I came here to ask for a favor."
Cao Song was getting hungrier and hungrier, but Yuan Xi kept talking to him in a slow, official tone. He got so angry that he wanted to just jump up and pounce on the table to eat a lot.
Yuan Xi was certainly not in a hurry. If Cao Song was full and entered the state of a sage, it would be difficult for him to negotiate terms.
Cao Song spoke with difficulty: "I can hardly protect myself now, how can I help you?"
Yuan Xi smiled slightly, knowing that he had been hooked, and said, "You know, Grandpa, I don't have any other problems, I just like women a little bit."
Cao Song heard this and forced a smile, saying, "Sir, you are too modest. This is the elegance of the aristocracy, and there is nothing wrong with it."
He thought to himself, is Yuan Xi interested in my concubine?
No problem, as long as Yuan Xi opens his mouth, he can even exchange three concubines for a goose!
He said without hesitation: "If you are interested in this old man's concubine, feel free to take her away."
When his concubines heard this, their eyes lit up immediately. No matter how you look at it, following Yuan Xi is much better than following Cao Song!
Yuan Xi knew that Cao Song had misunderstood, but he saw that the time was right, so he said, "That day in Dongwuyang, some of Meng Degong's family members came with Taigong to Yecheng."
"There is a woman inside who I am very interested in. I have brought her back to the palace. Now that she has come to Yecheng, her reputation is meaningless. If she goes back, I am afraid that Lord Meng De will also have a grudge against her."
"Why don't I do something good to relieve Meng Degong's worries? As long as Taigong writes a letter of divorce for Meng Degong, everything will be fine."
Originally, Huan was Cao Cao's concubine and did not need a divorce letter. However, Huan's identity was sensitive. She was the wife of a famous scholar of the time, which was different from that of an ordinary concubine. If she was easily driven away, she would be criticized by the gentry, so Cao Song's endorsement was needed.
Cao Song reacted and realized that this kid just wanted to steal his son's concubines!
He suppressed his hunger, pretended not to understand, and did not speak.
When Yuan Xi saw this, he was full of admiration, thinking that as a former high-ranking official he could actually endure it.
After a while, Cao Song said, "Which one do you want, sir?"
Yuan Xi didn't beat around the bush when he spoke, "Bian Rang's widow, Huan."
Cao Song was embarrassed when he heard this and shook his head, saying, "It's difficult. It's not my son's family affairs. Without a legitimate reason, I can't just interfere."
Yuan Xi cursed the old fox inwardly and said, "Normally, it is true."
"But if the concubine is not virtuous, the grandfather can certainly expel her from the family on behalf of his son."
In the Han Dynasty, filial piety was the most important thing. If there was a legitimate reason, a father could divorce his son's wife and concubine.
Cao Song thought to himself that this guy from the Yuan family actually had this in mind!
You want to buy me off with just a meal and wine?
Under the temptation of the aroma, his jaw twitched with hunger and he began to bite his tongue, but he still said stubbornly, "I heard that my son is very fond of Huan. I can't wrongly accuse a good person without evidence."
Yuan Xi said confidently: "She already lives in my house, what evidence do you need?"
"As long as Tai Gong speaks out publicly, it will be equivalent to making this matter a reality. I am not afraid, so what should Tai Gong be afraid of?"
Cao Song wanted to speak more, but Yuan Xi would not give him the chance. He sighed and said, "I didn't expect that the Grand Duke was so upright and righteous. I am really ashamed. I will go back and reflect on my mistakes."
"I had originally planned to send some wine and food to Grandpa every now and then, but it seems that this is no longer necessary."
"In that case, I'll take all these things away."
Cao Song became anxious, thinking that Yuan Xi was really difficult to deal with and was truly his nemesis. He was still trying to bargain, but the other party didn't give him any chance at all!
He understood that Yuan Xi only wanted a reputation and might have done all kinds of shameful things in private.
To him, the Huan family was nothing. Being able to exchange them for some wine and food was already a pleasant surprise. What else could he expect?
He made a prompt decision and said, "My lord, you are right. Mrs. Huan is indeed not a virtuous woman. After I have eaten my fill, I will find some writing materials to write a divorce letter for my son."
Yuan Xi smiled and said, "I have prepared this in advance."
As soon as he waved his hand, Sun Li took out silk, brushes, loose ink and other items from the bag on his back and began to grind the ink.
Yuan Xi smiled and said to Cao Song, "Please."
Cao Song had no choice but to pick up the pen. While staring at the goose elbow on the table, he picked up the brush with his hungry and trembling hands. However, his hands were shaking so badly that he could not move his arm. He hurriedly supported his wrist with his other hand and wrote each word with difficulty.
Seeing that Cao Song insisted on finishing the work, Yuan Xi took the silk and read it several times. He discovered that Cao Song was quite sensible and used the excuse of a serious illness, which was the excuse that would least affect his reputation.
Yuan Xi finally felt relieved, rolled up the silk and put it in his arms, and said to Cao Song: "Thank you for your hard work, Grandpa. Please have a meal."
Before he finished speaking, Cao Song waved his hands to break away from the two concubines who wanted to come over to support him, and threw himself in front of the table with incredible speed.
He grabbed the wooden chopsticks on the table, picked up a large piece of fragrant steamed fish and put it in his mouth. Before he could chew it for a few times, he picked up another large piece of pork elbow with skin.
The elbow hung on the wooden chopsticks, trembling like jelly. It was soft and tender when put into the mouth. Cao Song almost couldn't help crying. This is what human beings eat!
He tried to pick up the roast goose leg again, but failed after several attempts. In a hurry, he dropped his wooden chopsticks, held down the goose body with one hand, twisted the goose leg with the other, and tore it down with force, pulling the goose leg off.
Cao Song's five chubby fingers tightly grasped the goose leg. The slippery oil seeped out from between his fingers, flowed down his wrist and soaked his sleeves, but he didn't care and bit the goose leg hard.
Seeing that Cao Song had no trace of aristocratic demeanor at this moment, Yuan Xi thought that in the face of hunger, all beings are equal.