At that time, after winning the first place in the imperial examination, the emperor and civil and military officials in the court would hold a banquet to summon a new champion. During the dinner, the emperor asked about the family situation of Cao Zhuangyuan. Cao Zhuangyuan knows that in that society, he attaches great importance to family background, foundation, backing and the like. If you tell the truth about your family's shabby predicament, you will be looked down upon, but if you tell lies, you will be guilty of deceiving the monarch. Therefore, he introduced the situation in his family by means of metaphor. He said: "Wang Min's family has a thousand columns of flower piers, and ten thousand horses return to the trough to roll the revolving door. When the sky rises and the wind sweeps the floor, eighty people carry water, seventy people cook, and three salt boats enter the river. If the salt boat is less than one, it will be lightened. "
The civil and military officials present were shocked. Behind the scenes, emperors came out one after another: the champion of the dynasty asked his superiors that his family business was prosperous and he raised a thousand troops. Once the feathers are full, it's as easy as cheating. What a disaster! Might as well get rid of it early. The old son of the fatuous emperor said after listening to the throne of the minister's door that he was just lonely. As a result, Cao Zhuangyuan was accused of deceiving the monarch, confusing his superiors and plotting evil deeds, and was beheaded at the meridian gate.
Chopped the champion Cao, and ordered the Ministry of War to strictly observe the interests of all walks of life. At the same time, send the best soldiers in the Kingsguard, ready to fight. He also ordered an imperial envoy to inspect the Yinjiang River. It is said that the imperial envoy came to Yinjiang day and night and found the home of Cao Zhuangyuan. How can there be any prosperity! All I see is a shabby thatched cottage, surrounded by jagged sorghum stalks and swarms of ants coming and going. A dustpan stood in front of the door, and a policeman lifted it, and a gust of wind blew in, leaving dust everywhere. Looking into the room, the wall is empty and the sun shines from it. The imperial envoy thought to himself, isn't this what the Cao Zhuang Academy said: a thousand columns are planted with flowers, ten thousand horses go home and roll the revolving door, and the lights sweep the floor at dawn? Is lonely, walked out of the room, a ragged, white-haired but hale and hearty old man and an old woman, an imperial, don't ask, don't self-evident, sure this is the double old Cao Shusheng, so he talked with the old man:
"Old people live long?"
"For eighty years."
"Where's the old woman?"
"More than seventy."
"Do you have a salt boat at home?"
"Hey, I don't have a salt boat. Eating salt depends on three ducks laying eggs. If ducks don't lay eggs, they can't eat salt. "
After hearing this, the imperial envoy was deeply saddened that he could not say a word for a long time. Cao Zhuangyuan, you are full of white articles, and you die well! The imperial envoys discovered the truth and played with the emperor. The emperor knew that he had done something wrong, and his heart was filled with remorse, so Qin gave a box of scarlet coffins to Cao Zhuang Courtyard to show his heavy burial, and at the same time gave some gold and silver to Cao Zhuang Courtyard's parents. After a hundred years of death, he still made a red coffin to die. Later, in memory of champion Cao, people in Yinjiang held funerals with red coffins.
It's true.