Chapter 286: Got what he wanted, Cao Ze breaks through

Zhao Mingcheng had been in jail for half a year, and his whole spirit and energy had been worn out.

Those who have never been to prison don’t know that it is not a place where people can stay.

It's dark, gloomy, damp, and the environment is terrible.

What makes people most depressed is actually despair about the future.

Every day, miserable sounds could be heard from the prison. Even a strong man would die suddenly after being tortured. Seeing the tattered bodies being pulled out every now and then would make anyone collapse, no matter who they were.

Even though a young man like Zhao Mingcheng had been imprisoned by Zhao Song in Tokyo City, he collapsed in despair during the past six months.

Now, he was brought out of prison by Cao Jie and finally saw the light. It was like a drowning man grabbing a straw, how could he let go.

That look was just short of saying it directly.

When Li Qingzhao saw the look in her husband's eyes, her heart became as dead as ashes.

She is the Zhao family’s legally married wife!
Even Emperor Zhao sent a gift.

But now, her husband wants her to please others.

She forced a faint smile towards Cao Jie and bowed, saying, "I greet the King of Wei."

Cao Jie reached out his hand to help her up, and said kindly: "You and I know each other, why do you have to do this."

So tender!
Li Qingzhao silently pulled her hand back and turned to look at Zhao Mingcheng.

Zhao Mingcheng's face was full of smiles: "King Wei doesn't know that in terms of poetry, my wife is far better than me. In terms of bronze and stone, although I have collected many bronze and stone calligraphy and paintings of the predecessors and basically completed the writing of "Jinshilu", in fact, it was all completed under the guidance of my wife... King Wei and my wife are close friends, which shows that they know each other well!"

Li Qingzhao's face was extremely pale. After Zhao Mingcheng finished speaking, she could only stand steadily by holding on to a chair.

"Mr. Zhao has married a good wife! Unlike me, there are only rude people in the backyard. They are good at fighting and killing, but when it comes to poetry and songs, they are really clueless."

At that moment, Cao Jie elaborated on the old party's entry into officialdom in Shandong. Although the Zhao family had fallen on hard times, they still had some connections as they were still well-rooted.

Cao Jie had another private chat with Li Qingzhao and made clear remarks about the New Party's entry into officialdom in Shandong.

The New and Old Party Struggle was a party struggle triggered by the implementation of Wang Anshi's reform policies in the second year of Xining reign of Emperor Shenzong of Song Dynasty (1069).

The new party supports the new policy, while the old party opposes it.

Although the new policy was in line with current problems, conservative ministers in the court strongly opposed it, including influential figures such as Han Qi, Sima Guang, Ouyang Xiu, Su Shi, etc. The reformists included Wang Anshi, Lu Huiqing, Zeng Bu, Zhang Dun and Han Jiang.

The struggle between the old and new parties lasted for more than 50 years and had a great impact on the politics of the Northern Song Dynasty. As the new and old parties took turns in power, Wang Anshi resigned twice, and the new laws were sometimes implemented and sometimes abolished, leaving the people at a loss.

It was not until the reign of Emperor Huizong, with Cai Jing as prime minister, that the endless party struggles came to an end.

For Cao Jie, it doesn’t matter whether the cat is black or white, as long as it can catch mice, it is a good cat.

Whether it is the new party or the old party, their governing policies are actually for the good of the country, but in practice they are just undermining the Song Dynasty.

Cao Jie is short of people now, so he will hire anyone who has the ability.

As for the future, the worst that can happen is just cleaning it up.

That night, a fierce quarrel broke out in the Guilai Hall of the Zhao Mansion.

In the second year of the Daguan period (1108), when Li Qingzhao was 25 years old, she named the inner room of her Zhao Mansion in Qingzhou "Guilai Hall" and called herself "Yi'an Jushi".

Guilai Hall is named after Tao Yuanming's poem "Returning to the Countryside".

Once, in this Guilai Hall, although Li Qingzhao and Zhao Mingcheng lost the affluent life in the prime minister's mansion in the capital, they gained infinite pleasure of living in a peaceful and tranquil environment in the countryside.

They supported each other, studied literature and created works; they lived frugally, searched for ancient books, and spent a rare period of harmonious time in their lives.

But now, in this Guilai Hall, they have become strangers.

Perhaps, their separation a few years ago had already determined the present situation. "Zhao Mingcheng, you are shameless..." Li Qingzhao's eyes were already filled with tears.

Zhao Mingcheng sighed, knelt on the ground and said, "Please, spare my Zhao family. If the King of Wei can't get you, I will die, and the whole Zhao family will die. Will you be happy when that day comes?"

Li Qingzhao wanted to quarrel, but she slumped in the chair powerlessly.

"You and I are in love, Qingzhao, I can't do anything! I, Zhao Mingcheng, really can't do anything!"

Zhao Mingcheng wiped away his tears, picked up his pen and began to write, and then placed a divorce letter in front of Li Qingzhao:

"Li Qingzhao, you and I are both over thirty years old, and you have no children. You have violated the seven grounds for childlessness. I am divorcing you according to the laws of the Song Dynasty. You... go! No... I should go..."

Li Qingzhao nodded slowly and weakly: "I understand, don't worry! Isn't it just to entertain people with your beauty? You don't even care about the face of your Zhao family, what else do I want?"

…………

"Mr. Yi'an, why are you drinking here alone?"

"Drinking to drown your sorrows only makes you more sorrowful!"

On a summer night, although the moon in the sky is not yet fully round, its bright light is already spread all over the ground.

Above my head, there is the moon and the stars.

There are frog croaking, evening breeze, and wisps of faint fragrance.

Li Qingzhao stared at Cao Jie. Driven by alcohol, she twisted the ribbon around her waist with her slender jade fingers and gently pulled it...

The robe was spread on the ground, and the beauty sat on it, like a white lotus in the water.

Cao Jie took a deep breath and felt a large wave of experience points beckoning to him.

"Madam, no..."

Before he finished speaking, the layman leaned over.

His lips were kissed by two soft and sweet lips.

Once, I questioned Cao Cao, later, I understood Cao Cao, now, I have become a thief Cao, and in the future, I will surpass the thief Cao.

[Soul aspect: Cao Zei (wife, lolita, lustful lady, very good, very good)]

[Experience: Level 7 (12/1400)]

[Talent: Dual Cultivation LV7 (The Yellow Emperor had three thousand concubines, ascended to heaven in broad daylight)]

"The Yang Qi of the human body gathers in the Du Meridian! The Qi enters the Dantian, passes through Changqiang, and goes through Yaoshu, Yaoyang, Guanming, Menxuan..., and goes through the hand Taiyin lung meridian to Zhongfu, Yunmen, Tianfu, Xiabai, Chize, Kongzui, Lieque, Jingqu to the palm..."

Although Cao Jie had never practiced the Qi-nourishing techniques, his knowledge of the subject had already been extremely profound.

Zhao Mingcheng had vacated the Guilai Hall in the Zhao Mansion early on. Lying on the luxurious carved bed, Cao Jie could be seen focusing his mind on his Dantian while breathing, closing his eyes and meditating. He was in a state of concentration and full of energy. His entire body was radiant like the Taoist immortals who were about to ascend to heaven as described in the classics.

I only heard him muttering to himself: "The five-colored clouds are in the evening mist. I close my eyes and look inward. Only then do I realize that my body is a cave. It turns out that Huangting is a blessed land..."

"Yellow clothes and purple belts with dragon and tiger insignias, the gods and blessings depend on Taixuan. Three calls and two four qi will naturally flow through."

"The world loves grains and five flavors, but I only eat Taihe Yin and Yang Qi."

"Two water kings confront each other, making people live forever and reach nine heavens high..."

The soul of life did not give any method for nourishing qi, but Gongsun Sheng had Taoist methods and Jiuhua had Buddhist methods, and they could all give corresponding guidance.

This state of nourishing Qi has already reached the state of innate pure Yang. How many masters in the world are there who can reach this state?

(End of this chapter)