"Lu Yu, my brother, hurry and pay your respects to Lord Cao..." Cai Zhaoji's words broke the quiet of the pavilion.
Lord Cao? Cao Cao? Is this Cao Cao?
Lu Yu immediately sized up the middle-aged man before him, who bore no resemblance to the word "handsome."
If he hadn't been familiar with the history of the Three Kingdoms, he would never have been able to connect the helmsman who set the Wei Wu's hegemony on its course with the dark and sturdy fellow before him, primarily because... he was genuinely not good-looking.
For a moment, Lu Yu inexplicably worried about the "offspring" of the Cao family.
Beyond that, Cao Cao's intense gaze made Lu Yu feel a strange sense of unease, as if there was a bizarre aura about him.
"Junior Lu Yu pays his respects to Lord Cao..."
Ugly or not, strange or not, he was ultimately a hero. Lu Yu bowed respectfully.
Cao Cao quickly helped him up, his heart filled with complex emotions. He wanted to say something but didn't know where to begin.
"Since brother is here, you must have something to ask Lu Yu, my brother. Little sister shall take her leave now..."
Cai Zhaoji, being perceptive, bowed and withdrew. Matters of state and military affairs were generally not for women to hear or participate in.
With those words, Cai Zhaoji turned and was about to leave, leaving the courtyard to the two of them!
"My dear sister, please stay!"
Unexpectedly, Cao Cao called out to stop Cai Zhaoji. "Please trouble my dear sister to instruct the servants to prepare two buckets of hot water..."
Hot water?
Two buckets of hot water?
Cai Zhaoji was stunned, and Lu Yu was also taken aback. Old Cao was not playing by the rules!
According to Lu Yu's guess, since he had given the strategy of "Guerrilla Warfare" to Xun Yu, Xun Yu would naturally pass it to Old Cao, and Old Cao would definitely come to seek him out for a conversation.
From Lu Yu's perspective... Old Cao would come at night. He hadn't expected Old Cao to be so impatient during the day.
Of course, that wasn't the main point.
The main point was, even if he came during the day, why, upon speaking, would he not ask about state affairs, military matters, strategy, or "Guerrilla Warfare," but instead request hot water?
What kind of high-level maneuver was this?
Could it be that she had her period? She needed to drink more hot water?
As Lu Yu was filled with doubt, Cai Zhaoji quickly asked, "May I know why brother is requesting hot water?"
"This..."
Cao Cao paused. Two buckets of hot water, of course, were for bathing – one for him, one for Lu Yu!
He had to confirm whether Lu Yu had the birthmark from fifteen years ago.
Cao Cao had a deep impression of this birthmark. The son of the Lu family daughter from Dunqiu County had a distinct birthmark on the inner side of his right thigh, shaped like a long spear, almost as if it were about to leap out, powerful and imposing.
At that time, Cao Cao had even said that this child's birthmark on his inner thigh resembled the style of the Champion Marquis Huo Qubing's spear technique! When he grew up, he would surely be like a dragon with his spear!
It could be said that the presence or absence of the spear birthmark was related to Lu Yu's identity and status, and this... could only be verified during a bath.
Besides that, Cao Cao couldn't just snatch Lu Yu's jade pendant and wooden token to check, could he?
With hot water and a bath, once the clothes were off, the jade pendant and wooden token would naturally appear, wouldn't they?
"My dear sister, your younger brother has been in the military camp all along, where it's full of rough men, all dirty. Now that he has endured hardship and is about to enjoy good fortune, he should first wash away the dirt and take a perfumed bath, so that... he can feel more relaxed!"
Saying this, Cao Cao glanced at himself and continued with a smile, "Coincidentally, I haven't bathed or washed myself for several days. Shall I take this opportunity to wash with your younger brother?"
Ah... Ah...
Cai Zhaoji frowned.
A bath? Brother Cao Cao and younger brother Lu Yu, meeting for the first time, proposing to... to bathe together in a wooden tub?
Logically speaking, it was nothing for two men, but Cai Zhaoji felt something was odd, though she couldn't pinpoint what.
However, she had read stories in ancient texts about "Duke Huan of Qi bowing five times to a junior official" and "The Yan state valuing Guo Wei and building the Golden Terrace." It was not unusual for those eager for talent to do all sorts of bizarre things to obtain it!
It's just that... someone like her brother Cao Cao, who, upon meeting, invited someone to bathe together, was something she had truly never heard of or seen.
If Cai Zhaoji was merely taken aback...
Then Lu Yu was completely dumbfounded, a vast, deep, and indescribable bewilderment.
What the hell is a bath;
What the hell is bathing together;
What the hell is bathing with Cao Cao.
Lu Yu felt like an egg could fit into his mouth. Damn, isn't Cao Cao fond of other people's wives? What does he mean by bathing with me? Go find Yuan Shao's wife and bathe with her!
If only there were soap nearby, Lu Yu could have picked it up and thrown it at Old Cao.
After all... since childhood, Lu Yu had only ever bathed with Sister Zhaoji. Anyone else, especially men... was out of the question.
In an instant, the huge words "REJECT" were almost written all over Lu Yu's face.
"Lord Cao, if you have something to say, just say it directly. Lu Yu will surely answer everything truthfully and completely... As for bathing and changing clothes, let's skip that..." Lu Yu's voice became a little more urgent. "If you wish to inquire about strategies to defeat the Yellow Turban rebels within Yan Province, I do have some new ideas..."
Lu Yu was trying to change the subject. With Cao Cao facing internal and external troubles, wasn't defeating the rebels more important than bathing?
However, Lu Yu was calculating in his mind, but how could he know that in Cao Cao's view, bathing was indeed more important than defeating the rebels? Nothing in heaven or earth was as important as Cao Cao recognizing his son!
"That's not urgent." Cao Cao waved his hand. "Young Master Lu Yu, since you are full of strategies, why don't we discuss them while soaking in the bathtub?"
"As the saying goes, the friendship between gentlemen is as light as water..."
Uh... the friendship between gentlemen is as light as water!
What the hell is the friendship between gentlemen is as light as water... No matter how light it is, it shouldn't reach the point of bathing together!
"Lord Cao, I... I..." Lu Yu wanted to speak again...
But before he could start, Cao Cao interrupted directly. "My dear sister, hurry and prepare. Your brother is already impatient!"
Impatient for what, damn it!
Lu Yu was utterly bewildered!
Is this still Cao Cao? Is this a generation of a powerful warlord?
Bathing upon meeting, Lu Yu suspected this guy was a Northeastern strongman who had time-traveled...
For a moment, Lu Yu really wanted to cry, but he couldn't shed any tears... He even felt a sense of fear.
But alas, since Cao Cao had said so and was so insistent, even his sister Cai Zhaoji couldn't refuse him forever.
Besides, in Cai Zhaoji's opinion, two men bathing, especially with an age gap of over twenty years, was truly nothing...
"Brother, Lu Yu, my brother... please wait a moment. I will go and instruct the servants to heat the water."
Sister...
Sister Zhaoji...
Lu Yu looked enviously at the slowly departing Sister Zhaoji, inwardly exclaiming, "I'm still a child!"