Outside the city of Xu, in the Xutian hunting grounds.
Long absent smoke of beacon fires ignited upon these hunting grounds, rolling black smoke billowed from the signal towers, like the fanfare of the autumn hunt, carrying a chilling murderous intent that drifted into the hunting grounds.
"Giddy up, giddy up, giddy up..."
"Trot, trot, trot..."
"Clip-clop, clip-clop..."
The shouts of soldiers urging their horses, the neighing of warhorses, and the sound of thousands of hooves echoed through the area.
The Son of Heaven and Cao Cao had already galloped forward, drawing their bows and beginning this hunt.
Lu Yu, whose martial prowess was no more than five, naturally would not participate...
Instead, he lounged leisurely in his carriage, gazing from the window towards the billowing black smoke.
The Long Xiao Battalion also participated in this hunt. Huang Zhong and Dian Wei showed little interest, while Cao Xiu was poised and sharpening his blade.
Many imperial students, such as Cao Ang, Xiahou Ba, and Xiahou Heng, took advantage of the break from the imperial academy to join this autumn hunt. Xiahou Ba, in particular, was eager to perform before his uncle, father, and the Grand Minister.
Meanwhile, Xi Zhicai, without a sound, slipped into Lu Yu's carriage.
"Situ Lu, Situ Lu, outside the flying sand and rolling stones, the clash of swords and the glint of blades, yet you are so leisurely here?"
It was no wonder Xi Zhicai said this.
Inside the four-horse carriage where Lu Yu sat, a table was set with various fruits. Lu Yu, with a smile, picked up a piece and offered it to Xi Zhicai.
"Don't be shy, have some fruit."
Heh... Xi Zhicai simply "heh"-ed.
How could he be in the mood for fruit?
He just wanted to understand what was going on in Lu Yu's mind regarding these recent, rather bizarre events.
"I'm not in the mood for fruit," Xi Zhicai narrowed his eyes, speaking directly. "Situ Lu, what exactly are you trying to do? And what is Situ Cao attempting?"
His tone suddenly became much more serious, for Xi Zhicai was immensely curious.
"Hunting, isn't it obvious?" Lu Yu replied directly.
"That's not what I'm asking..." Xi Zhicai narrowed his eyes, his expression extremely solemn.
He had tried to guess Lu Yu's thoughts, and he had tried to guess Cao Cao's thoughts, but... it was all hazy. He could only grasp the general direction; the specific actions, he couldn't quite understand.
Well then...
Lu Yu smacked his lips and joked, "Brother Zhicai, since you've sincerely asked, I shall bestow upon you the great favor of telling you!"
Saying this, he leaned close to Xi Zhicai's ear, and four extremely soft and quiet words were uttered—
—"Calling a deer a horse!"
Huo...
Calling a deer a horse?
Xi Zhicai's eyes narrowed. He was not unfamiliar with this story. It was during the Qin Dynasty that Zhao Gao, intending to usurp the throne and declare himself emperor, feared that the civil and military officials would not obey. Thus, he devised a scheme, using this "calling a deer a horse" method to test which officials were unwilling to submit to him. Afterward, he would accuse them of various crimes, leading to their expulsion from court or their execution!
And Lu Yu's suggestion to Cao Cao was not as domineering as "calling a deer a horse"...
With a slight modification, it became like boiling a frog in warm water.
Xi Zhicai's eyes suddenly opened. He directly asked, "Is Situ Cao going to make a move against the Han court? That shouldn't be..."
As he uttered these words, Xi Zhicai actually felt a hint of nervousness.
This matter was too enormous. Although Cao Cao had conquered the Central Plains, the north was not yet pacified, and the greatest enemy, Yuan Shao, was still present. At such a time, how could he make a move against the Han court!
"Brother Zhicai... calm down!" Seeing Xi Zhicai's face turn green, Lu Yu waved his hand and comforted him, "It's not as violent as you think, Brother Zhicai. It's merely clearing the emperor's surroundings. Of course, before clearing the emperor's surroundings... one must first see clearly who the enemy is and who the friend is!"
With these words, Lu Yu blinked his eyes and revealed his harmless smile once more.
Who belonged to the Emperor's faction? Who was loyal to Cao Cao? It was about to be revealed.
...
...
"Clip-clop, clip-clop."
The sound of horse hooves was urgent... dust filled the sky, sand and stones flew.
A small deer appeared before the eyes of Emperor Liu Xie.
"Treasure Carving Bow!"
He softly murmured, and a personal guard handed a luxurious longbow to Emperor Liu Xie. This was his exclusive treasure bow, the only one under heaven!
"Whoosh..."
He shot an arrow, but unfortunately, it missed the deer!
The startled deer bolted and ran away. Emperor Liu Xie drew his bow again, and with a "whoosh," he still missed. His martial prowess seemed to be not much higher than Lu Yu's!
At once, Emperor Liu Xie's brow furrowed, and he felt a sense of shame!
"May I shoot an arrow for His Majesty, my lord?"
Just then, a voice rang out. This voice, however, was not Cao Cao's? Who else could it be?
Hearing this, Emperor Liu Xie could not afford to offend Cao Cao. He had no choice but to hand over the Treasure Carving Bow to him. Cao Cao then tightened his legs around his mount, "Clawed Yellow Flying Horse," drew the bowstring to its limit, and with a "whoosh," the arrow shot out.
Zhang Fei, observing Cao Cao's shot, quickly exclaimed, "Hey, this Cao Cao actually shot a full moon!"
The saying goes, "A drawn bow is like a full moon, an arrow released like a shooting star..."
But it wasn't just anyone who could draw a full moon? Zhang Fei saw it and muttered to himself, Cao Cao's archery was not bad!
"Whoosh..."
The imperial Golden Feather Arrow was nocked and shot, hitting the deer's back squarely. The small deer fell into the grass.
The soldiers on the periphery saw the Golden Feather Arrow hit the deer and all assumed it was the Emperor who had shot it, so they enthusiastically cheered in unison.
—"Long live..."
—"Long live!"
—"Long live!"
The Cao camp generals, very close to Cao Cao, saw it clearly and knew that the arrow was shot by Cao Cao himself, so they also shouted "Long live, long live, long live!" in unison.
For a moment, their voices shook the heavens!
Cao Cao glanced back at Emperor Liu Xie, laughed heartily, and then... urged Clawed Yellow Flying Horse to trot towards the soldiers of each camp. He didn't explain anything and accepted it with such composure.
After a moment, someone whispered, "Mistake, mistake, this Golden Feather Arrow was shot by Situ Cao!"
The implication was that the soldiers should not have cheered "Long live."
But... this remark spread through all the camps. Only three-tenths of the armored soldiers and civil and military officials fell silent. The majority of the soldiers, however, continued to cheer "Long live!"
Each shout was higher, each shout more unified!
At this moment, Emperor Liu Xie's expression turned almost completely grim.
This... this was a great humiliation to the Han court by Cao Cao!
"Hahahaha..."
In contrast, Cao Cao merely laughed heartily, freely accepting this outpouring of "Long live!"
"Whoosh..."
Guan Yu instinctively reached for his sword...
But Liu Bei, with a calm expression, pressed his hand down. Liu Bei quietly shook his head, and only then did Guan Yu retract his sword.
Dong Cheng was almost driven mad, while Xun Yu's expression was as deep as the water!
Finally...
"Alright..." Cao Cao called out, and the wave of voices finally subsided.
The entire Xutian hunting ground fell into silence, a silence so profound one could hear a pin drop. Liu Bei, uncharacteristically, grinned and was the first to speak, "Situ Cao's archery is truly remarkable! Truly amazing!"
"Haha..." Cao Cao gave a slight smile and turned to look at Liu Bei. "This is probably not what you truly think, Xuan De, is it? You have seen Lu Bu's archery at Yuanmen... my archery is still far from his! He alone can be called a divine archer!"
Smiling...
Liu Bei maintained his smile. This was a sensitive period. By rights, he should not have spoken, but at this time, it was also an opportunity, an opportunity to gain Cao Cao's favor!
Without the title of Imperial Uncle, Liu Bei needed to consider more, and consider further!
"Indeed, Lu Fengxian's archery at Yuanmen, in terms of skill, is unparalleled in this generation. However... he was captured through Lu Situ's scheme and was even beheaded by Situ Cao! While Cao Situ's archery may not be as good as Lu Bu's, the 'divine arrow' in Situ Cao's hand can secure the empire! Thus, no matter how high Lu Bu's archery skill, it is mere earthly skill, while Situ Cao's 'divine arrow' is filled with wisdom and deserves to be called peerlessly divine!"
Liu Bei's words were very artful!
The arrow in Cao Cao's hand could secure the empire, but the divine arrow in Cao Cao's hand that killed Lu Bu was "Lu Yu." Currently, Lu Yu stood with the Han court.
Liu Bei was reminding Cao Cao—a divine arrow can change masters!
This was also to further deepen Cao Cao's apprehension towards Lu Yu, allowing the conflict between the two to escalate, escalating to the point of irreconcilability!
Hoo...
Cao Cao let out a soft breath.
He thought to himself, a good tactic of psychological warfare. Yu'er only said that Liu Bei was skilled at concealing his thoughts, but he did not expect this person's psychological warfare to be so formidable. If he had not made arrangements in advance, he would have almost fallen into his rhetoric!
"Heh, hahahaha..."
After a cold laugh, Cao Cao deliberately burst into laughter.
"Liu Xuande, your words are truly sincere! And pleasant to hear!"
With these words, Cao Cao, still on his horse, returned the Treasure Carving Bow and the remaining Golden Feather Arrows to Emperor Liu Xie with one hand.
"Your Majesty, I return Your Majesty's Treasure Carving Bow and Golden Feather Arrows!"
"Esteemed minister, please keep them for your own use!" Emperor Liu Xie lowered his head, his expression still very displeased.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for bestowing the bow!"
Cao Cao immediately raised it...
—"Long live, long live, long live..."
Countless Cao camp soldiers shouted again!
This shout, seemingly because the Emperor bestowed the bow, was in reality, any discerning person could see that it was because Cao Cao held a "divine artifact"!
This "Long live" was filled with deep meaning!
Majestically departing, Emperor Liu Xie and the officials majestically departed!
The Xutian hunt ended unhappily!
...
...
"Clip-clop, clip-clop..."
The half-day hunt concluded. Cao Cao, with Cao Ren and a group of Tiger Guards, galloped back to the Situ's mansion.
Dismounting, Cao Cao tossed the imperial Treasure Carving Bow to Xu Chu.
—"After some time, present this bow to Huang Zhong, the General of the Tooth Gate in the Long Xiao Battalion!"
"Ah?" Xu Chu was stunned. "Situ Cao, this bow is soft and flimsy, it's useless. Even I find it awkward to use, let alone General Huang of the Long Xiao Battalion, who can hit a hundred paces with precision!"
"Then throw it away!" Cao Cao instructed, walking towards the Situ's mansion.
"Oh..." Xu Chu agreed and quickly followed.
"Zixiao, you saw what happened at the hunt today, didn't you?" Cao Cao asked Cao Ren, who was returning to the mansion with him.
"I saw it all!" Cao Ren replied truthfully. "According to the original plan, I secretly sent people to closely observe all civil and military officials!"
"When the soldiers shouted 'Long live' to my elder brother, Duke Dong (the Emperor's maternal uncle) was so angry his face turned red, Guan Yu reached for his sword but was stopped by Liu Bei, and many ministers stepped forward, their eyes glinting coldly, daring to be angry but unable to speak!"
"And Xun Yu!" Cao Cao suddenly raised his voice. "He even sighed. I, Cao Cao, trusted him so much, respected him so much, yet he still wholeheartedly sided with the Emperor. This is the biggest difference between him and Lu Situ!"
"Indeed..." Cao Ren also sighed.
Tap...
Tap...
Cao Cao's footsteps paused. He lowered his voice slightly, "It seems there are still quite a few people in the court loyal to His Majesty, and in the army as well!"
Speaking of this, Cao Cao's eyes narrowed. "Compile the list and send a copy to me. Then, when it is deep into the night, quietly send another copy to the Situ's mansion!"
"Understood!" Cao Ren quickly agreed.
Cao Cao continued to step forward, but before he could take another step, he suddenly thought of something. "Right? What was Situ Lu doing in the carriage today?"
This...
Cao Ren turned to look at Xu Chu. Xu Chu immediately replied, "Situ Lu was painting in the carriage... It seems he hasn't finished yet!"
Painting?
Cao Cao was amused. "Haha," he laughed. "Send the Tiger Guards to the Ministry of Agriculture and tell them that I, Cao Cao, wish to see what he has painted today!"
Upon saying this, Cao Cao strode into the main hall!
According to Yu'er's plan, the bait had been laid. The next step was to wait for the season when the "wind rises" a month later.
...
...
The autumn cicadas wailed, and in the morning, they fell, leaving the ground desolate. This evening, Lu Yu was still painting, completing the scroll he had not finished during the day.
Finally, with the last stroke, the painting was completed.
Speaking of which... the scroll depicted a shadowy figure behind a curtain, clad in a black robe, wearing a sorcerer's hat. His right hand was slightly raised, upon which rested a black crow. He seemed to be conversing with the crow.
And this shadowy figure only had an outline. One could roughly discern a figure with elegant robes, but not a single facial feature was revealed.
Lu Yu said with mixed emotions.
—"Cry out, beg, struggle, and then... die!"
—"Finally, I must confront and clash with you!"
Hearing Lu Yu utter these incomprehensible words...
Da Qiao, who was serving Lu Yu in the room, blinked her eyes repeatedly. "Young master? Is the person you are chanting about the one in the painting? Who is he?"
—"This is Jia Xu, Jia Wenhe, known as the Poisonous Advisor. He is also the most formidable grand deceiver of our time. That mouth of his can twist black into white, and white into black! I just don't know if he can fool me when I meet him!"
Hoo...
After hearing Lu Yu's words, Da Qiao became even more bewildered.
"Young master seems to care about him a lot!"
"No, I envy him! I envy his freedom, I envy that despite being behind the scenes, he understands human nature and can manipulate situations!" Speaking of this, Lu Yu did not forget to add, "Also, this fellow is quite poisonous..."
"Then? Compared to my husband?" Da Qiao smiled charmingly, as if joking.
Lu Yu, however, shook his head. "I don't know!"
Speaking of which, Lu Yu would not blindly be confident enough to think he could fool this person... or that he could be more poisonous than this person.
However, to deal with him... Lu Yu had other methods!
As the saying goes—to subdue an enemy without fighting!
How could the old poison Jia lack weaknesses?
According to Lu Yu's plan, there was still a full month left until the Monthly Review concluded.
During this time, he intended to go on an expedition to Wancheng with Cao Cao...
To capture Zhang Xiu and Jia Xu, who were lurking nearby. Along with this expedition, the rumors of discord between Lu Yu and Cao Cao would be further spread and disseminated throughout Xu Du!
This way, those petty individuals would be more at ease, and would more foolishly plot!
Going all out!
Heh, in Lu Yu's opinion, either... don't act.
Once one acts, one must eradicate evil completely and clean up the hidden dangers within the walls.
"Young Master Lu, the Tiger Guard soldiers are requesting an audience at the back door... saying that Situ Cao sent them to ask for a painting?"
Suddenly, Dian Wei's voice came from outside the door.
Lu Yu's eyes fixed.
He knew that Cao Cao was waiting for his reply.
At once, Lu Yu instructed, "Please trouble Commander Dian to deliver this painting to the Tiger Guards. Situ Cao will understand upon seeing it."
"Yes!" With an agreement, Xu Chu carefully put away a scroll and then hurried out.
For a moment, only Lu Yu and Da Qiao remained in the spacious chamber.
Lu Yu was still contemplating something.
Da Qiao, however, pouted and was the first to speak, "Is my husband hiding something from Da Qiao?"
"It's nothing important," Lu Yu waved his hand. "I'll have to go out in a couple of days!"
"Go out?" Da Qiao asked in surprise. "You've only just returned, and you're leaving again?"
Lu Yu nodded.
"I am leaving, but I expect to return within a month. You don't need to worry."
He was going on an expedition to Wancheng to conquer Zhang Xiu...
However, Lu Yu did not make his words too explicit.
... After all... which woman could rest assured that the man she cared for was fighting on the battlefield?
"Does... does Sister Zhaoji know about this?" Da Qiao quickly asked.
"Tell her after I leave," Lu Yu smiled. "Since childhood, Sister Zhaoji has been the most worried about me, her younger brother. If she knew I was going far away, she might ask endless questions."
This...
Da Qiao nodded gently, agreeing to Lu Yu's instructions.
However... she still had one matter on her mind.
"Husband, husband... before you leave, can you promise Da Qiao one thing?" Da Qiao seemed to have undergone much internal struggle, and finally, she spoke.
"Do we still need to be so formal, you and I? What is it?" Lu Yu asked with a smile.
Then Da Qiao bowed gracefully.
She softly murmured, "Husband is going out again, and this time it will be for a month. Da Qiao wishes, can husband... can husband..."
As if the topic was somewhat taboo, Da Qiao hesitated, but finally, she uttered the sentence—"Can husband let little sister Qiao serve you tonight?"
Ah?
Lu Yu was stunned. Was it for this that she was so serious?
Of course, this request truly surprised Lu Yu.
Da Qiao's voice continued.
"Husband has had me serve him for two days, but my sister... ever since... husband returned, he hasn't called for her at night. I... I..."
Indeed, sisterly affection ran deep. Good things, of course, should be shared between sisters!
Before Da Qiao could finish speaking.
Lu Yu shook his head. "Little Qiao? Isn't she confessing her crime? Doesn't she like to kneel at the hall door to confess her crime? Since she is confessing, how can I not punish her?"
This...
Da Qiao's cheeks reddened, seeming to be a little ashamed and a little embarrassed.
She bit her lip, but... with her husband speaking like this, she dared not refute him in the slightest, looking truly pitiful.
Hoo...
Lu Yu let out a soft breath, and his next words became earnest. "Da Qiao, do you know? What was your sister's mistake this time?"
"It is..."
Before Da Qiao could answer, Lu Yu's words had already rushed out.
"Her only mistake was that she shouldn't have confessed her crime, let alone knelt to confess. She is my Lu Yu's woman. Did she merely offend a mere Concubine Dong? A mere concubine is not worthy of making my woman confess her crime! What angers me the most about her is this!"
Speaking of this, Lu Yu coldly commanded.
"Tonight, it is still you. I want to see when she will realize where she went wrong?"
Rarely, Lu Yu's tone was exceptionally cold...
He rarely treated women this way, but this time... it truly disappointed him.
Merely a Concubine Dong?
And yet Little Qiao felt the urge to kneel and beg for forgiveness. How could this be?
In Lu Yu's opinion, let alone Concubine Dong, even the Empress, even the Empress Dowager, was not worthy!
Who would have thought...
As soon as Lu Yu's words left his lips.
A clear female voice came from outside the door.
—"Good! Brother Yu has grown up! It's one thing to bully your sister, but now... you're even so domineering towards Little Qiao. I'll speak up for her on this matter. It's not her fault! You can't bully her!"
—"Tonight, your sister insists that she accompany you!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Yu shuddered all over...
A woman who dared to act so coquettishly before Lu Yu... a woman who could make Lu Yu tremble!
One could easily imagine.
It must be his sister Cai Yan, Cai Zhaoji!
...
...