Volume 3: The Land of Jingchu Chapter 277 Conditions
After the imperial seal actually "returned" to Nanjing, Bai Tu also announced the news to the public.
Bai Tu had discussed this with a few trusted aides before and had already determined the handling procedure, but for safety reasons, he didn't make it public until the case was sent back.
In theory, this was the first time Bai Tu saw the imperial seal. After all, when Yuan Shu proclaimed himself emperor, the imperial seal was given to him by Sun Ce.
Moreover, for the sake of his own legitimacy, Yuan Shu also said that he was helped by God in discovering the jade seal that glowed at the right time, and he would not shout to the world that the jade seal he used to proclaim himself emperor was a "ransom" extorted from the hostages of the Sun family.
The good news of conquering Fuyang and the confiscated imperial seal spread quickly in Jinling. Most people in Jinling were overjoyed , but... there were also a few people who were worried that Bai Tu would do something unwise.
Of course, for the vast majority of ordinary people in Jinling, and even for most of the people in Jiangdong, even if Bai Tu was really "unwise" for once, they could only welcome the new dynasty happily.
But no matter what others thought, Bai Tu personally went out of the city to welcome the arrival of the jade seal the next day, and specially met Cao Pi at the general's mansion!
Sima Lang, Cao Pi's think tank, also entered the palace with him...
Sima Lang was also very clear that Bai Tu's meeting with them this time was most likely about the matter of the imperial seal that had been widely rumored.
"Foreign ministers Cao Pi and Sima Lang pay their respects to Lord Bai." Cao Pi and Sima Lang greeted each other.
"You're welcome, both of you. It's winter now, are you used to living in Jinling?" Bai Tu said politely.
"Jinling has a pleasant climate, so I'm used to it. But every time I miss my father, I can't help but cry." Cao Pi said as he covered his face with his sleeves.
"Well, Cao Zhengshi's filial piety is commendable. I believe Prime Minister Cao will miss you too! If Cao Zhengshi really misses you..." Bai Tu took a deep breath while speaking. Cao Pi was concentrating on coming over, hoping that Bai Tu would let him go back. However, he only heard Bai Tu say, "You can go watch more dramas with Prime Minister Cao as a character."
Cao Pi: ...
Cao Pi's face turned purple, knowing that Bai Tu was teasing him on purpose!
Jinling's regular theater troupes did not have any plays with Cao Cao as the protagonist. The most they had was in "The Sorrow and Anger of the People", which featured a plot about Cao Cao's atrocities in Xuzhou .
Although Cao Pi was helpless, there was nothing he could say - after all, that was the reality.
I heard that there were some unscrupulous theater troupes that went to Xuzhou specifically to perform these plays, as if to remind the people of Xuzhou of what Cao Cao had done.
And this is a formal troupe. As for those informal and wild troupes, they go from village to village to perform such works as "Spring Scenery in Wancheng", "Feigning Illness to Deceive Uncle", and "How Much Do You Know about the Past of Zhangtai"?
Needless to say, the last scene, "How Much Do You Know about the Past Events at Zhangtai ", is the one that most excites Cao Pi - it talks about Cao Cao and Madam Bian, Cao Pi's mother!
Zhangtai was the name for the place where people went to seek pleasure from prostitutes in the Han Dynasty, and Madam Bian...was born into a family of prostitutes.
After his original wife, Madam Ding, divorced Cao Cao because of Cao Ang's death, Cao Cao directly made Madam Bian his first wife.
This also reflects Cao Cao's casualness - there is nothing wrong with being born in a singing family. The main thing is that after Cao Ang's death, Cao Pi was already the oldest son. Only by making Lady Bian his legal wife could Cao Pi become the undisputed eldest son.
Therefore, it is easy to imagine what these people will play in the drama.
After Cao Pi heard about this play, he almost went to find those wild theater troupes and smashed them up.
There is even a popular play recently in which Cao Cao goes to his brothers' homes to eat dumplings. The plot is simple and mainly consists of dancing in flesh-colored underwear... The entire Jinling city is cracking down on it, and it can only be seen in the countryside.
Bai Tu has always condemned this kind of behavior. Even if someone in the Central Plains spreads a rumor that he has horns and looks like a non-human, Bai Tu will not encourage this kind of behavior, let alone write these banned scripts himself. The last time Lu Lingqi found out, it was not this kind of thing that made her face turn red...
"Thank you... Mr. Bai for your concern." Cao Pi was indignant in his heart, but he still endured it. After all, he was under someone's roof.
"Recently, the brave warriors of the General's Mansion finally wiped out Yuan Shu, which solved the problem for Your Majesty and the Prime Minister. Moreover... they also found the lost imperial seal. The reason why I asked you to come here this time is also for this matter." Bai Tu said directly.
Cao Pi and Sima Lang were slightly surprised when they heard Bai Tu mention it so directly.
Sima Lang was soon 70% certain - since Bai Tu had made the matter public, he probably had no intention of taking the imperial seal away!
"This is the fortune of the Han Dynasty and the achievement of Lord Bai." Sima Lang immediately agreed.
The imperial seal is a hot potato for Bai Tu, but Cao Cao does not want Bai Tu to do anything with the imperial seal.
On the contrary... Cao Cao would rather Bai Tu live up to his reputation and return the jade seal to Xu Du.
Now Guo Jia has also informed Cao Cao that Xi Zhicai sacrificed his life and transferred the fortune of the Han Dynasty. It will also be good for Cao Cao if the fortune of the Han Dynasty can be restored a little.
Moreover, if the imperial seal could be returned to the court, the opposition to Cao Cao in the court would also be alleviated...
However, Sima Lang did not think that Bai Tu would return the jade seal so easily. If it were him, although he would not establish himself as emperor immediately, he would most likely keep it a secret. The fact that Bai Tu made the matter of the jade seal public was somewhat beyond Sima Lang's expectations.
And now Sima Lang even believed that Bai Tu wanted to take the opportunity to blackmail the imperial court - which naturally meant blackmailing the Prime Minister's Office!
"Yes, I have been appointed as the governor of Yangzhou, and have been 'supporting the Han Dynasty' for nearly five years. During these nearly two thousand days and nights, I have been working diligently and hard, and have never had a good night's sleep... Now I have finally made some achievements." Bai Tu first praised himself.
Just when Sima Lang was feeling uneasy and thought that Bai Tu was going to ask for too much, he heard Bai Tu say, "Finally... I can now make some contribution to supporting the Han Dynasty. When an auspicious day is chosen, I will send a guard of honor to send the jade seal back to Xudu!"
"This... Since it is the return of the imperial seal, I think no matter what day it is, it will be an auspicious day and His Majesty will be very happy." Sima Lang said specifically, thinking that Bai Tu wanted to use "auspicious day" to delay.
"We must not be so hasty. The Han Dynasty is in decline now, and there are many people like Liu Biao in the world. We should take this opportunity to reassure people's hearts! I have asked the Bureau of Astronomy to calculate the date, and I think it should be next month. By then, Prime Minister Cao should be prepared to welcome him." Bai Tu said.
When he heard "next month", Sima Lang felt relieved. It seemed that he didn't want to delay.
At the same time, I also understood Bai Tu's conditions - first of all, Liu Biao... What does "like Liu Biao" mean? It is implying that the court must put Liu Biao in the ranks of "Han rebellious elements"!
The reason why Bai Tu went to war with Liu Biao was to capture Huang Zu, who assassinated an official of the imperial court, and the rebel Yuan family.
Now Huang Zu and Yuan Shi have been defeated, but Bai Tu will not stop in Jingzhou.
Moreover... Bai Tu, now that he had the imperial seal, was not satisfied with finding excuses on his own, but wanted Cao Cao, or the imperial court, to find a legitimate reason for him!
In addition, asking Cao Cao to prepare for the arrival was undoubtedly to mobilize the people and officials in the Central Plains, so that everyone in the world could see that Bai Tu took the initiative to send the imperial seal back...
In short, Bai Tu does not want the jade seal, but the court must greatly satisfy Bai Tu in terms of "name".
Although it seemed a bit "hypocritical", Sima Lang felt that the conditions were not excessive and were even easier to meet than he expected. Cao Cao didn't know about the jade seal yet, but he thought there was no reason to refuse.
So Sima Lang agreed on behalf of the Prime Minister's Office and declared that he would also write to the Prime Minister's Office, and would never disappoint Bai Tu...
But... Sima Lang couldn't guess that what Bai Tu wanted was indeed "fame", but not just that!
