Suddenly, Xu Du, who seemed calm, was so serious.

No wonder Cao Cao had to go south to conquer Wu no matter what, and defeated Chibi, a battle with more adverse factors than when he was in Guandu.

As a result, the negative impact after this battle was far beyond the expected range.

Looking at Cao Pi's uneasy look, Zhou Yang felt powerless.

No matter how powerful the enemy was, he was able to solve the problems one by one with the help of his companions and with the pressure resistance he had cultivated.

Now what is in front of him is an invisible enemy. It is definitely not just the tiger roaring spear in his hand, some tricks, or the Luoyang intelligence team that has followed him for more than 20 years.

These problems are formed bit by bit by bit, and the movement and withdrawal are to subvert the situation of the entire Cao Wei group.

I don’t know what the scene would be like when Cao Cao faced these pressures, and the bright lights were turned on and no one was allowed to enter the room.

Zhou Yang dared not imagine, nor could he imagine.

The room was in silence. After the two of them remained silent for a long time, Cao Pi reluctantly stood up and walked out of the room.

Zhou Yang knew that this eldest son, who should have succeeded the throne, was now in complete despair.

In fact, I was too powerless and could not find the direction at all.

"Brother-in-law, don't come to me again," Cao Pi walked to the door and stopped again, but said without looking back. "Tonight, just treat it as your last heart-to-heart talk!"

"Zihuan!" Zhou Yang did not stop him.

Looking at the background of Cao Pi's departure, he gradually disappeared into the darkness.

It seems that Jia Xu is smart. In this kind of internal struggle, the smartest way is to do nothing.

Zhou Yang returned to Cao's house in disappointment, and happened to meet Jia Xu and Cao Zhi who were about to leave. They were wondering why he was back again. He was planning to talk nonsense.

But I am not in such a mood now, so I am too lazy to explain anything.

Jia Xu sighed: "It seems that Zhou Xianghou still can't help but run to join in the fun!"

Cao Zhi said: "Mr. Jia still knows his brother-in-law, but I still hope that I can sit down with my brother-in-law and Mr. Jia and the other day, continue to recite poems and write opposites, and ignore the complicated issues in the outside world."

Jia Xu bowed to the two and said, "It's not too early, so I will leave first, and Zhouxiang Hou and Zijian will also rest early."

Cao Zhi replied, "Sir, please go slowly."

After Jia Xu left, he came over and said, "Have you seen your elder brother?"

Zhou Yang's heart trembled. From Cao Pi's description just now, he could no longer regard Cao Zhi as a weak scholar who only understood poetry and songs, but a person who was very likely to become the emperor in the future.

Cao Zhi smiled and said, "The situation in Xudu is serious now, so how can I be so worried? It's just that my father has his own plans for this matter. If we intervene, we are afraid that we won't be able to help much, and it will cause trouble for my father."

Zhou Yang shook his head and said, "But how can I not worry?"

In fact, what he thought about was that who could succeed the throne between Cao Pi and Cao Zhi was only a matter of Cao Cao's thoughts.

No matter who succeeds to the throne, the other one will inevitably become the person who is the most threatening and wants to get rid of the other party.

Should I insist on standing on the same front with Cao Pi and overcome this difficulty with him? Or should I follow the changes in the times and turn around and sit on the same boat with Cao Zhi?

Zhou Yang felt completely unsure. Seeing Xu Du's current situation, he wanted to clarify his position and contribute to Cao Cao, but he was just sighing.

In the summer of the 21st year of Jian'an, Cao Cao promoted himself to King of Wei, with 30,000 households in the town.

He was entrusted to the princes and kings, and he did not submit to the ministers for his work, and he received an imperial edict and did not worship him. He used the emperor's crown, carriages, flags, and rituals to worship the world. He was called the policeman, the ancestral temple, the ancestors, and the Han system. The capital of Yecheng was the princes.

He was nominally a Han minister, but in fact he was already an emperor, only one step away from the throne of the emperor.

However, in addition to continuing to promote military farming and water conservancy construction, he began to implement the official sales system of salt and iron for national construction.

Although it played a positive role in the recovery and rectification of the social economy, it once again directly and seriously affected the interests of the wealthy gentry and wealthy businessmen. Many local tyrants who originally relied on selling salt and started their business were directly cut off their wealth and their families were in danger.

The pro-Han faction even hated Cao Cao to the core, and took the opportunity to vent his anger with the aristocratic families.

As early as when Cao Cao first embarked on his official career, he tried to use stricter laws to change the situation of power and tyrants at that time.

But because the root of the disaster is in the center, he cannot perform his intentions.

Now Cao Cao has almost stood at the top, and immediately fully implemented the rule of law policy to curb the powerful, and began to "remove chaos and put punishment first" on the grounds that "the punishment is the fate of the people."

At the same time, local officials such as Wang Xiu, Sima Zhi, Yang Pei, Lu Qian, Man Chong, and Jia Kui were appointed to suppress illegal and powerful people.

Zhou Yang suddenly felt that Cao Cao's actions were very similar to the prime minister of a certain country.

It is all such a thunderous method, it is also such a righteous and unjust, and it also makes corrupt officials tremble in profits.

However, although a country has the people as its grassroots, it is composed of nobles and clans in the middle, and the top is the political officials of the court, which forms a three-story pyramid.

Now Cao Cao has made every effort to build the grassroots of the entire country, so that no matter what circumstances it is, it can be blown down by the wind. The tree is big and deep, which has made the foundation for the Wei Kingdom to unify the world. However, strong turmoil occurred in the middle, and the core is even more severely cut from the inside, and the top layer is swaying in the wind.

In short, under Cao Cao's rule, the economy gradually recovered, class oppression was slightly reduced, and social atmosphere improved.

However, these superficial phenomena are still difficult to conceal the hidden dangers hidden in Xudu.

Today, Ye Xuan, an intelligence officer in charge of Xudu, came to report: "Geng Ji, the Central Young Mansion, Prime Minister Sizhi Wei Huang, the Imperial Doctor Ling Jiben, Jin Yi and others are trying to conspire in secret."

These were long as Zhou Yang expected, but Cao Cao ascended the throne again at this time.

Ye Xuan continued: "According to the detailed information from Shu, Liu Bei has been watching Hanzhong for a long time and is now ready to move. It seems that the war is about to happen soon."

Zhou Yang snorted coldly: "It's not just Hanzhong, but I'm afraid Jingzhou will start a war at this time."

Ye Xuan sighed: "Did Zhou Xianghou decide what measures should he take?"

Zhou Yang said: "Send someone to notify General Xu Huang immediately to rectify the army and horses, and be ready to go to Hanzhong to support me at any time. I will go to see Mr. Cao immediately."

Ye Xuan responded: "I understand that there is another thing."

Zhou Yang asked, "Tell me!"

Ye Xuan said: "Recently, Xu Du seems to have happened frequently. I wonder if Zhou Xianghou has heard of it?"

Zhou Yang has been staying in Cao's house recently, neither looking for Cao Pi nor taking the initiative to contact Cao Zhi. The main reason is that he still has no clear position in his heart and is still shaking.

Therefore, I don’t know anything about the things outside the country.

Ye Xuan said: "There is a strange man who is in contact with the masses everywhere and makes friends with the party. This person is good at changing skills and the people trust more and more people. Although there are no rumors that are not directly harmful to Cao Gong or Zhou Xianghou, in this case, coupled with the strange conspiracy of Geng Ji, Wei Huang, Ji Ben, and Jin Yi, it seems that there is an uncut connection, and it is even related to Liu Bei's desire to move towards Hanzhong. However, these are just personal speculations of subordinates."

Zhou Yang patted his shoulder and secretly praised the rising star who had followed him and Peng Yiyuan for many years, and was slowly becoming an intelligence elite who could think independently and stand alone.

There was the most outstanding intelligence leader after Peng Yiyuan, and he said with great relief: "In the future, these personal speculations can be boldly imagined, but they have to investigate them through their own ideas, so that they can combine their judgments to form the actual situation. You go down! I think I know what to do."

Ye Xuan bowed and said, "Then my subordinates will leave first."

Zhou Yang knew that no matter what, it was time to go find Cao Cao again.

At the same time, I also decided in my heart that no matter how unpredictable the situation was, I could not easily shake my beliefs.

Since he chose Cao Cao from the beginning, even if he could not fulfill his dream of unifying the world in his hands, he should do his best to assist Cao Pi, who could assume great responsibility, to succeed the throne.

Perhaps he would get Cao Cao's suspicion and end up like Xun Yu, Cui Yan and others, but perhaps he would have a good ending like Jia Xu and rolled in politics for decades without falling.

Zhou Yang made up his mind to push open the Cao family's door.

I saw Xiahou Dun, who had been missing for a long time, and a group of unfamiliar operators, standing at the door. When I saw Zhou Yang, I said in a cold tone: "Mr. Cao has a mission, please ask the Hou of Zhouxiang to go to the mansion to talk."

Zhou Yang knew that what should come was always coming, whether it was good or bad, and then went and said, "Please lead the way, General Xiahou!"

Xiahou Dun led him to the Prime Minister's Mansion, but he did not enter the back door taken away by Hao Zhu, but entered the front door.

There were always suspicious people coming and going outside the gate in front, but Xiahou Dun turned a blind eye to it.

Zhou Yang knew that these people should be Cao Cao's most core internal members, and he was also facing the most severe test in history, which is also the re-evaluation Cao Cao will make of him soon.

Stepping into the gate, I walked along the railing to the most confidential cabinet.

There were confidential soldiers like Hao Zhu guarding everywhere, all of whom were directly under Cao Cao's highest level.

Xiahou Dun had to send it here and stopped to walk: "Marquis Zhouxiang, please come in! Cao Gong has just been waiting for you in there for a long time."

Zhou Yang bowed and said, "I hope I can continue to fight side by side with General Xiahou in the future."

Xiahou Dun's eyes moved slightly, but he still had a expressionless face and turned around and left.

Zhou Yang felt awe-inspiring in his heart, and he was completely unsure of what would happen in front of him.

Cao Cao's status is getting higher and higher, and what he is thinking in his heart is getting more and more difficult to grasp. Xu Du's many big and small problems are condensing.
Chapter completed!