Bold, meticulous, wise!
When these three keywords were mentioned, Wei Hong's eyes darted. He mused that finding someone who could simultaneously satisfy these three criteria in all of Yan Province was probably impossible.
Stepping back, even if such a person existed, wouldn't they be entrusted with significant responsibilities?
In fact, it wasn't just Wei Hong who had this thought. Outside the door, Cao Cao's thoughts mirrored Wei Hong's exactly.
Just then, Wei Hong continued, "May I ask, who did Young Master Lu mention?"
Lu Yu directly uttered the name: "Shou Zhang Commander, Cheng Yu!"
Cheng Yu?
Wei Hong's eyes flickered. He only remembered that this was a civil official recommended to Cao Cao by Xun Yu. It seemed Cao Cao had only given him the position of county magistrate. While not insignificant, it certainly wasn't a high-ranking position, let alone entry into the inner circle!
Such a county magistrate? That's…
While Wei Hong was still filled with doubt, Cao Cao outside the door suddenly had an epiphany.
Grave robbing… Cheng Yu, a match, he truly seemed like a perfect match!
One who dared to dry human flesh, defying the world's condemnation; one who could devise a method for Cao Cao to break the "grain shortage"; one who could deceive the heavens and fill granaries with straw…
This fellow was practically born for grave robbing and tomb raiding!
"Haha…"
Cao Cao let out a hearty laugh in his heart.
Seeing Cao Cao's expression fluctuate, the armored guards behind him quickly asked in a low voice, "Why doesn't Duke Cao enter the study?"
After all, Cao Cao was the ruler of Yan Province, the lord of everyone here. How could they let their lord wait outside the door?
"No need," Cao Cao said with a smile, waving his hand. "Don't tell your Young Master that I, Cao Cao, have been here!"
With that said, Cao Cao turned and slowly walked out of the pavilion. As he walked, he did not forget to instruct his nearby guards, "Summon Zixiao and Zilian to the yamen to see me!"
"Yes…" The guard, having received the order, was about to quickly go summon the two generals.
"Wait!" Unexpectedly, Cao Cao called out in time. "In addition, have Wenruo draft a document, stating 'Promote Cheng Yu to Sima' and have him rush to the 'Vanguard Dragon Camp,' and from now on, obey Lu Yu's dispatch!"
Vanguard Dragon Camp, this was the name Cao Cao had given Lu Yu's thousand cavalrymen. It had not yet been announced, and only some close guards knew about it.
The guards also knew that Cao Cao highly valued the Vanguard Dragon Camp!
"Yes!" The guard accepted the order and hastily mounted his horse, immediately making arrangements!
"Haha…"
Cao Cao let out another hearty laugh. Before departing, he could not resist looking back at Lu Yu's residence, his heart filled with a deep sense of emotion.
"This kid is much better than his father was in his youth! Our Cao family, each generation is stronger than the last!"
"Haha… Hahahaha!"
Accompanied by his hearty laughter, Cao Cao mounted his horse and departed.
…
Chenliu Commandery, Yamen.
From a distance, Cao Hong's extremely astonished shouts could be heard, "What? Brother, you mean… all the countless provisions of the Vanguard Dragon Camp were dug out from tombs?"
"Zilian, keep your voice down!" Cao Cao held up a finger, and Cao Hong finally realized that this matter could not be announced, it needed to be low-key.
Of course, for him, the reason for his astonishment was not because grave robbing and tomb raiding were immoral, but because he was surprised at how quickly money could be made from such activities!
Cao Hong's face was filled with "envy"!
At this moment, Cao Ren quickly explained, "Zilian, how can grain be dug out from tombs? Brother means that these tombs of princes and nobles contain a large amount of gold and silver. Currently, copper coins and Wuzhu coins are severely devalued, but the value of gold and silver remains high. By exchanging them, one can easily obtain some grain from the black market."
Upon hearing this, Cao Cao nodded. "Zixiao is right…"
Uh… Cao Hong scratched his head. Did being right matter? It wasn't his focus at all!
He, Cao Hong, was a rough man. What he realized was that there were countless tombs of pre-Qin, Chu-Han, and noble families. This was an opportunity to get rich! Ultimately, Cao Hong was inherently fond of wealth and had no resistance to money.
"Brother, since Lu Yu is making money so quickly, why don't we do it too? I'm good at this!" Cao Hong was already eager to try.
You're good at nothing… Cao Cao rolled his eyes at Cao Hong. If this task were entrusted to Cao Hong, it would indeed be dug out, but… he would definitely pocket half of it. Brother Zilian was good in all aspects, except he was too greedy for money.
"What is Brother's thinking?" As if feeling Cao Hong's request was unreasonable, Cao Ren quickly spoke to change the subject.
"Haha…" Cao Cao said with a smile, "I was just wondering what official title to give Lu Yu! Since he has this capability, let's just appoint him 'Faqiu Zhonglangjiang' for now."
Faqiu… Zhonglangjiang?
Cao Ren's eyes darted. The word "Fa" means "excavate," and "Qiu" means "tomb." Faqiu Zhonglangjiang, wasn't this clearly a tomb-robbing organization?
The key point was, this… official title sounded unseemly when announced!
Before Cao Ren could recover, Cao Cao continued, "Of course, let only Heaven, Earth, us, and Lu Yu know about this Faqiu Zhonglangjiang. There's no need to officially appoint him… However, to ensure Lu Yu can move freely in Yan Province, I plan to give him a seal."
"A seal?" Cao Ren was startled…
"I will personally inscribe the characters. You have people carve it out. Let's call it the 'Faqiu Seal.' I will issue a document, and with this seal, all counties and officials in Yan Province must cooperate fully."
Saying this, Cao Cao made a grand stroke of his brush, and on the silk scroll on the desk appeared eight large characters: "Heavenly Official Grants Blessings, All Taboos Ignored!"
This was to have Cao Ren find someone to carve onto the "Faqiu Seal."
Cao Cao's intention was for his subordinate officials to be awestruck and cooperate wholeheartedly.
However, the eight characters "Heavenly Official Grants Blessings, All Taboos Ignored!" were too domineering, inevitably leading later generations to believe that with this seal in hand, ghosts and gods would avoid them, and the legend would only become more mysterious.
"Brother, I'll go have it made now!" Cao Ren accepted the order.
Cao Hong watched enviously. At this moment, he felt his brother Cao Cao was snatching his money, forcibly stuffing it into Lu Yu's pockets. His heart ached, his liver ached, and his flesh ached too.
Oh, Brother… in terms of relationships, we are the closest relatives!
"Zixiao, in addition to that…" Cao Cao continued, "You also select some bold, meticulous, and wise individuals from among your trusted guards. Lu Yu is the 'Faqiu Zhonglangjiang,' and I fully appoint your subordinates as 'Mojin Xiaowei' with the same mission, also for grave robbing and tomb raiding!"
Hiss… Cao Ren paused. "Brother, wouldn't the Faqiu Zhonglangjiang and Mojin Xiaowei be redundant?"
Hahahaha…
This statement made Cao Cao laugh. "There are so many imperial tombs, can Lu Yu excavate them all? He excavates his, Zixiao, you rob yours!"
Speaking of which, Cao Cao suddenly remembered something. "Just now, I heard Wenlie (Cao Xiu) mention that there are some rules. It's said, 'A person lights candles, ghosts blow them out. Do not touch gold when chickens crow at midnight.' When entering a tomb, one must light a candle in the southeast corner. If the candle is extinguished, one must flee the tomb chamber and not take anything. Legend has it… this is a contract set between the dead and the living!"
Hiss…
It was nothing at first, but with Cao Cao saying it, Cao Ren and Cao Hong both shivered all over.
"So… so mysterious?" Cao Ren's speech became stuttering.
Cao Cao's brow furrowed. "Since Lu Yu said it, it's better to believe it exists than not to believe it doesn't. Just do as instructed… From today onwards, our Mojin endeavor will depend on you and Lu Yu to complete!"
Uh…
Cao Ren was taken aback, then scratched his head. He hadn't felt anything at first, but now he felt it was a bit scary!
"Oh, right!" Cao Cao spoke again. "I almost forgot, Qiao Pei sent twenty jars of Jiu Niang Chun wine. Zixiao, send someone to deliver them to Lu Yu as well."
"I heard that since he was arranged to have a concubine, he hasn't been sleeping soundly for the past few nights. Tell him to drink some wine before sleeping; it will help him relax and sleep soundly!"
Upon hearing this, Cao Hong's eyes widened. Brother's words meant the intention was not just about the wine!
Why wasn't Lu Yu sleeping soundly? If the concubine was not satisfied sexually, how could he sleep soundly? The concubine was no exception. Of course, it couldn't be blamed on him, after all, Lu Yu was only fifteen years old and not yet capped!
However… if he wanted these concubines to be content, then Lu Yu had to step up! The formula for Jiu Niang Chun wine was very potent; it not only helped him stand up but also sustained it!
As expected, no one understood women better than Brother Cao Cao… Cao Hong exclaimed in his heart!
As for how Cao Hong knew so much, he drank a few cups of the Jiu Niang Chun wine from Qiao Pei every night, and the effect was remarkable!
The so-called Chun wine, a wine called "Chun"… it's just good!
…