"On this joyous occasion, why is my sister not resting in her chambers but here in the ancestral hall?"
A clear female voice was heard.
Who else could it be but Cao Cao's principal wife, Lady Ding Hui?
In the past, due to Lu Yu, Ding Hui and Cai Zhaoji had become sisters.
Later, this sisterly bond grew even deeper after Lady Ding's infertility was cured.
When Lu Yu was away from Xudu City, Ding Hui had often helped manage the Marquis of Baima's estate.
Moreover, with the joyous occasion at her sister's home today, and the fact that the bride was the adopted daughter of her sister Ding Xiang, Ding Hui, being the sister to both Cai Zhaoji and Ding Xiang, naturally stayed late.
Coincidentally, late at night, seeing a light in the ancestral hall, she came alone and saw her sister Cai Zhaoji paying respects to their father.
It wasn't that it was an inappropriate time to pay respects...
It was just...
Now, past midnight, the ancestral hall was cold, and Cai Zhaoji's health was not very robust. She mustn't catch a chill.
"Sister, you're here? Cough cough..."
Before she could even speak, Cai Zhaoji coughed.
"See..." Ding Hui hurried forward, took off her cloak, and draped it over Cai Zhaoji. "You've been busy all day, and the night wind is strong. What if you catch a cold? Tomorrow... both new wives will be serving you tea! As the elder sister, you can't collapse first, can you?"
"Thank you for your concern, Sister. I... I'm fine, cough..."
Cai Zhaoji coughed softly again.
Ding Hui panicked.
"I'll go call the imperial physician..."
"No!" Cai Zhaoji's delicate hand grabbed Ding Hui's. "I'm not sick. Even if I were, the imperial physician couldn't cure me."
This...
Ding Hui paused. "Then let's go back to your room and get a good night's sleep."
Who would have thought...
Cai Zhaoji pursed her red lips and softly pleaded, "Sister, can you stay and drink a little more with me?"
Ah... drinking?
Ding Hui only then noticed the traces of intoxication on Cai Zhaoji's face, which appeared flushed under the light of the ancestral hall.
"This is the first time I've seen you drink so much."
Ding Hui shook her head... She had thought Cai Zhaoji was drunk and that she should just help her to bed.
But Cai Zhaoji still pleaded.
"Just a little, Sister. Please drink a little more with me."
Ding Hui couldn't refuse her...
"Alright, alright, alright. It's Ziyu's wedding. I know you're happy, but you don't have to drink this much, do you? Just a little more, only a little!"
Saying this, Ding Hui pulled her towards the main hall. It was a place Ding Hui had personally tidied. The wine on the floor would only be cleared by servants the next day...
Stumble... Stumble!
Her drunken steps were erratic.
Cai Zhaoji seemed a little tipsy, humming softly, "Sister can only see the right person when she is sober. I, your sister, can only see the right person in a drunken dream! Only then do I dare... dare to see the right person!"
With a few stumbling words, there was even a hint of shyness in her speech.
This...
Ding Hui shook her head helplessly. "Alas, this is my oversight. It's Ziyu's wedding, but... Zhaoji, you are not yet married? At your age, if not for taking care of Ziyu? Zhaoji would have likely been married long ago! My oversight... my oversight..."
Thinking of this...
Ding Hui helped Cai Zhaoji to sit in the main hall. "Just a tiny bit, just a smidgen!"
...
...
In Xudu City, at the Princess's Mansion.
The bathroom was shrouded in light gauze, like mist, with hot water steam filling the room, making it dreamlike. The maids of Princess Wannian were pouring floral dew into the basin.
Liu Xue led Lu Yu in, and Lu Yu looked around, not understanding.
"Is this the bridal chamber of the Princess's Mansion?"
He was somewhat surprised.
There were no red candles, no red silk, but instead, a large wooden basin.
"You all may leave!"
Liu Xue gave an order, and the maids withdrew gracefully, closing the door. Liu Xue began to help Lu Yu remove his outer garments. After the red robe was taken off, she smiled and went to untie his inner garments. Her warm fingertips touched Lu Yu's exposed skin, and Lu Yu suddenly snapped back to attention, as if stung by a bee on his chest.
"Why does it feel the same as that time at the imperial farm?"
Actually, what Lu Yu wanted to say was, Princess, wake up! This is the bridal chamber, a woman's most precious memory!
The rhythm is wrong!
In this misty room, why did it feel like a spa from a later era? Lu Yu felt like he was here to buy services, complete with a bath!
"Does husband not like this?"
Liu Xue tested the water temperature, her voice alluring. "You must be tired after a day's work. Why don't you let this princess serve you a bath?"
"After a bath, consider it a rest at the Princess's Mansion. Afterwards... you should return to Sister Xiahou! Having come here, once the sentiment is conveyed, it's enough. Tomorrow morning, Sister Xiahou will be disappointed if she doesn't see husband!"
Hoo...
Liu Xue's words stunned Lu Yu.
Was this the princess cultivated by the Great Han?
Was this Emperor Ling's eldest daughter?
Although Emperor Ling was not good at having sons or raising them, he was good at raising his daughters!
Gracious and proper!
Without exaggeration, Liu Xue's words alone greatly deepened Lu Yu's good impression of her, and even indirectly gave him some good feelings towards the Han court.
In the wooden tub...
Liu Xue gently massaged Lu Yu's shoulders and neck.
It was very comfortable, extremely comfortable...
Lu Yu opened his mouth slightly.
"Princess only says that Juan'er will be disappointed if she doesn't see husband when she opens her eyes? Won't Princess be disappointed if she doesn't see husband when she opens her eyes?"
"Heh heh..."
Liu Xue smiled sweetly. "It's not our first meeting. Haven't we already done everything we should and shouldn't have done at the imperial farm outside Xudu City? But Sister Juan'er is different. It's her first bridal chamber!"
"Besides... husband, you know, as a princess, I have many things to consider for the Han court. Letting husband return today is the lowest posture the Han court can show to the Cao camp. This is good for the Han court and good for husband, killing two birds with one stone. Why should I be fixated on this moment of the wedding night?"
Don't say...
Liu Xue's words actually made Lu Yu feel they made sense.
He hadn't expected that in the ever-changing situation in Xudu City, the person who saw through it all the most clearly would be the eldest daughter of the late emperor.
"Has husband finished bathing?"
Liu Xue's voice followed. She was the first to step out of the wooden tub, her wet white gauze particularly alluring and natural.
"Then this concubine will go rest. Husband should also return! Tomorrow morning, I will move into the Marquis of Baima's mansion and serve tea to Sister Zhaoji along with Sister Xiahou Juan."
Leaving these words, Liu Xue turned and left with a victorious smile...
She came gently and left gently, waving her sleeves without taking away a single cloud.
Lu Yu was left standing there, stunned.
A maid was already waiting outside the door. Seeing the princess emerge, still wet, she helped her put on a cloak and asked, "Princess? It's the wedding night, and you're letting the驸马 go already?"
Liu Xue smiled slightly and asked as she walked, "Do you know why Prime Minister Cao, despite his power over the court, has always held his principal wife, Lady Ding, in such awe?"
"Why?" the maid quickly asked.
Liu Xue paused. "Because on Prime Minister Cao's wedding day, he did not consummate his marriage with Lady Ding! He only consummated their marriage the next day. For this reason, he owed Lady Ding his entire life!"
Ah...
The maid was stunned.
Liu Xue, however, narrowed her eyes slightly. "I said before that I not only want to obtain my husband's person but also his heart!"
The night wind blew...
Liu Xue in her wet white robe.
At this moment, her beautiful face was like a spring bamboo shoot, graceful as a banana leaf beaten by the rain!
...
...
North of the Yellow River.
The Taishan Army firmly held the city gates.
As the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry and the Divine Speed Camp surged in, the Yuan army's formation instantly collapsed.
One by one, Yuan soldiers were killed, and it was impossible to distinguish whether they were Yuan Tan's subordinates or Yuan Shang's.
Finally, they were forced towards the north gate of Liyang City. Their battle line was pushed further back, constantly compressed, until they could no longer retake Liyang City!
"Withdraw..."
"Withdraw..."
As expected of brothers, Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang ordered a retreat almost simultaneously.
And as the two defeated armies fled like stray dogs, the ownership of Liyang City was settled, and the "Cao" banner was raised high on the city walls of Liyang!
Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren, and Cao Chun all gave臧霸 a thumbs-up upon seeing him.
They exclaimed, "Well done!"
The "impenetrable" defense that the Yuan brothers had established on the north bank of the Yellow River crumbled and shattered in an instant!
For this surprise attack, Cao's army deployed only a little over 30,000 men, while the Yuan army stationed at this defensive line had more than 200,000. A slight misstep would have meant the army's defeat and the city's fall!
This included臧霸, the Taishan Army, Xiahou Yuan, and the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, all of whom would have faced certain death.
But...
This battle was fought surprisingly easily.
Taking advantage of the internal strife among the Yuan brothers, they delivered a fatal blow...
The psychological warfare employed here, the meticulous planning, was indeed very "Lu Yu"!
At this moment...
Countless soldiers were cheering.
"All city walls, reinforce defenses to prevent enemy counterattacks!"
臧霸, however, was unusually clear-headed and immediately ordered his Taishan Army!
"Yes!"
A group of Taishan Army soldiers shouted in unison. This hard-won "pledge of allegiance" had been secured, and what needed to be done next was to defend it.
Heh heh...
With this, who in the Dragon Rider Camp would dare to look down on their Taishan Army in the future?
The Taishan Army eating three pounds of meat a day? Who would dare to object?
Just after the Hour of the Ox passed, the Hour of the Tiger arrived. There were still two hours until the Hour of the Dragon.
The corpses of Yuan soldiers were dragged outside the city. Fires were lit, and thick black smoke merged with the night. A funeral pyre... a pyre for tens of thousands of Yuan army corpses!
...
...
At Guandu, an urgent report had arrived by swift horse.
"Victory report, victory report!"
The rider on horseback was panting. "Great victory at Liyang City! Over 250,000 Yuan troops have suffered more than half casualties. Great victory, great victory!"
In the middle of the night, this shout immediately roused the spirits of countless sleeping soldiers.
They had heard much about the events at Liyang, knowing that Prime Minister Cao had specially dispatched a cavalry detachment to raid Liyang City overnight.
But the number of cavalry was only a few thousand...
Without siege ladders or battering rams, could they leap into Liyang City?
Therefore, the defenders at Guandu didn't pay much attention to it.
They thought it was just a minor skirmish...
By tomorrow morning, this cavalry would have retreated.
Who would have thought...
A great victory?
A great, great, great victory?
Instantly... the defenders were bewildered!
--Miasma tree, miasma fruit, you and I under the miasma tree!
"Great victory at Liyang!"
"Great victory at Liyang!"
In just a moment, the entire garrison at Guandu erupted in cheers.
The commanding general at Guandu, after hearing the report, immediately decided to open the dove cages and send carrier pigeons to Xudu City overnight...
...
...
In Bing Province, at Hukou Pass, in the pitch-black night, a few torches were dimly lit.
A dozen armored soldiers were guarding the pass. At the forefront was Han Meng, a fierce general under Yuan Shang, the commander of the 100,000 Yuan troops at Hukou Pass. He was frowning, his gaze distant.
Beside him was another person, an old acquaintance, to be precise.
--Ju Shou!
Speaking of which, Ju Shou had a great benefactor's grace towards Han Meng. In the past... when he was under Han Fu, Han Meng was not heavily relied upon. It was Ju Shou who recommended him to Han Fu, and only then did Han Meng become a high-ranking general.
Later, he defected to Yuan Shao's command...
Han Meng was once ranked fifth, after Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Zhang He, and Gao Lan. The other four were the Four Pillars of Hebei; adding him would change it to Four Pillars and One Pillar. Da Feng Novel Network
During the Battle of Guandu, Yuan Shao specially dispatched Han Meng to guard Bing Province, which was a clear indication of his importance.
Now, old friends meeting again, it was a joyous occasion...
Of course, Ju Shou had not just arrived. He had been at Hukou Pass for two days. Through other old friends, he had met Han Meng again.
"Brother Ju, I once thought you were dead. Because of that... the Yuan brothers even specially compensated your family. But... but you've returned today, safe and sound!"
Han Meng seemed somewhat agitated...
Although he found the place Ju Shou had chosen to meet a bit strange.
Where would a close friend choose to meet but here at Hukou Pass, in the dead of night!
Isn't it cold? Aren't you tired?
However, Ju Shou was full of energy. He did not speak, but waited for Han Meng to finish.
"Brother Ju, it's good that you're here. I'm under immense pressure guarding this Hukou Pass! With your intellect, I feel much more at ease."
Han Meng's gaze shifted to outside the pass...
Dragon Rider Camp tents surrounded Hukou Pass everywhere, giving a sense of dark clouds pressing down on the city.
Finally, Han Meng finished speaking.
It was Ju Shou's turn to speak, and when he did, he said something astonishing.
"General Han? You haven't figured out the situation yet..."
Ah... ah...
Han Meng was a bit confused? What situation?
Before he could ask, Ju Shou's words continued, "Do you know who your opponent is below Hukou Pass?"
This...
Han Meng had some vague idea. He knew it was an army of righteousness that had risen from Yanmen. But the strange thing was that they had originally only intended to fight the Xiongnu and Xianbei. But for some reason, the Xianbei and Xiongnu had suddenly become friendly with them and offered them a large amount of good horses. Of course, they would symbolically give the nomads some grain.
This was a completely unequal exchange...
A horse nowadays could be exchanged for a house. What was that meager amount of grain?
And what Han Meng didn't know was that what Yanmen sent to the nomadic regions was not grain at all.
It was Wu Shi San. This stuff... was much more potent than grain.
Moreover, it made the nomads more addicted.
"Brother Ju? Stop beating around the bush. Tell me, who is it below Hukou Pass?"
Han Meng asked urgently...
Ju Shou casually raised his hand. "Look, the first encampment to the west is the Vanguard Camp. You are also familiar with the general of the Vanguard Camp, Qu Yi, who helped Yuan Benchu pacify the northern territories!"
"The second encampment to the west is the White Horse Camp. The general is also an old acquaintance, Gongsun Zan, the White Horse General of the north. Now that he has formed a volunteer army in Yanmen, the newly formed White Horse Volunteer riders are not inferior to their former bravery!"
Uh...
Hearing this, Han Meng's heart sank. He felt a bit disoriented...
Were the opponents so influential?
Let alone Gongsun Zan, the White Horse General, who was feared by the Wuhuan people of the north.
Just Ju Shou... his command, martial arts, and the Vanguard Camp!
He didn't even take the Four Pillars of Hebei seriously!
Han Meng wasn't even fit to carry his shoes!
Han Meng wanted to speak, but Ju Shou's words continued. "The first encampment to the east, you are also familiar with it. Zhang Yan, the leader of the Black Mountain Army. That's right, the Black Mountain Army with hundreds of thousands of troops. If it weren't for Yuan Benchu joining forces with Cao Mengde in the past to temporarily bring Lu Bu under his command, would the Black Mountain Army have submitted?"
"As for the second encampment to the east, hehe... if I tell you his name, will you be startled?"
"Who is it?"
Han Meng's curiosity was fully piqued...
Qu Yi, Gongsun Zan, Zhang Yan...
Using one's toes to think, it's known that the next one won't be an easy opponent!
But even though Han Meng was prepared, when Ju Shou's words came out, he was still startled...
By a huge leap!
Because he heard a name, a name so terrifying that it made him tremble in fear.
-- "The Peerless God of War, Lu Bu!"
...
...
Under the hazy moonlight.
Cai Zhaoji and Ding Hui were drinking in the main hall of the Marquis of Baima's mansion...
No appetizers, just dry drinking.
They were drinking "millet wine." It wasn't strong, but it had a strong aftereffect. Originally, Ding Hui had advised Cai Zhaoji to drink less, but she couldn't resist cup after cup, and in the end, she was a little drunk herself.
To be honest, she also wanted to get drunk... to get thoroughly drunk.
Recently, she had also been burdened with many troubles and had no one to confide in.
"Sister, looking at you like this... you don't seem happy?"
Under the influence of the mild intoxication, Ding Hui curiously asked.
"Sister, stop talking. Let's drink... drink..." Cai Zhaoji, who was usually well-behaved and knowledgeable, was drunk for the first time, and usually, such "rare drunkenness" made people think more and get drunk more deeply.
Ding Hui finished the wine remaining in the wine vessel in front of her.
She took Cai Zhaoji's hand and said softly.
"If you don't say it, then Sister will first mention something that troubles me!"
"Do you know, Ang'er... my eldest son, he... he actually went behind my back some time ago... behind my back to mourn his birth mother!"
Speaking of this, Ding Hui's heart seemed to shatter.
She immediately poured more wine...
"Heh heh, heh heh..."
She let out a cold laugh... her laughter was desolate and bleak.
For years, she had treated Cao Ang as her own son. Everyone in the Cao and Xiahou families regarded him as the legitimate eldest son!
But with this incident...
Everyone knew that Cao Ang's birth mother was Lady Liu!
Ding Hui suddenly felt that all these years... had been misplaced, completely misplaced!
"Heh heh..."
"It's not a big deal for Ang'er to mourn his birth mother. The Han dynasty governs the world with filial piety, and everyone can understand. But it's precisely because this child... this child is so open, so grand, and even wants to build an ancestral hall for his birth mother and move his birth mother's tomb into the Cao family mausoleum."
"This... isn't this publicly abandoning his status as 'legitimate son'? Even if he doesn't think about his mother, he should think about his own future! What... what is he thinking?"
At this point, Ding Hui drank down a full vessel of wine, then clasped her hands tightly... her heart ached, it truly ached!
Cai Zhaoji stared at her blankly...
She was shocked. She suddenly realized that it seemed no woman had an easy life.
Even Lady Ding, whom Prime Minister Cao respected so much, only showed her good and strong side in public.
Just like her, Cai Yan herself...
On the occasion of Brother Yu's wedding, the most, most, most heartbreaking thing was... it was Cai Yan herself?
--Why can't Sister marry Brother?
Thinking of this...
Cai Zhaoji also poured a vessel of wine.
Facing the bright moon, she drank it down in one gulp!
...
...