The dark night was as solid as stone as a carriage slowly drove out of Xiangyang City.
The soldiers stationed in Xiangyang City were all Cai Mao's men. Naturally, they treated Madam Cai's token as divine.
"Dada dada!"
As the sound of hooves gradually faded on the official road.
The guards at the city gate chatted with each other, "Madam seems to have gained weight?"
"Yes, she has gained a little weight! But Madam's charm is still as undiminished as before!"
"Speaking of which, have you heard that our Madam Cai has met some handsome young men in private? What are these energetic young men up to?"
"Hush, don't talk nonsense, or you'll lose your head!"
"What are you afraid of? I was just thinking, what's so great about those 'young men'? Aren't we in better shape than them? Maybe Madam's gaze will fall on us too! We can all have some fun!"
"Hahaha… Stop bragging, you rough-looking fellow. If Madam sees you, she'll be nauseated, hahaha!"
"Even if my appearance isn't good, as long as other aspects are good, it's fine, ah, hahaha…"
"Speaking of which, it's so late, and Madam is going out of the city…"
"Then… perhaps there are a few handsome young men in some villages outside the city?"
The discussions and hearty laughter of the guards echoed beneath the gates of Xiangyang City.
It was a lonely night with no one around, so they chatted about lewd jokes and found something to do. Of course… these were all just rumors and hearsay, and no one had actually spied on them.
However, a beautiful woman, the wife of Liu Biao, the Governor of Jing Province, who had been ill in bed for years, was at the age when a woman is most charming, so it was natural for there to be some gossip.
Outside the city, in a hidden open area.
"—Der der der."
As the horse's hooves came to a stop, the carriage halted. Madam Cai slowly emerged from the carriage.
A man in a bamboo hat had been waiting there.
Upon seeing Madam Cai, he lightly sang out, "Madam seems to have come late!"
"As you said, Liu Bei has indeed sent people to threaten me!" Madam Cai said gracefully, but without any sign of fear.
Yang Xiu nodded but said nothing further.
Madam Cai couldn't help but ask, "You said tonight that the King of Wei would come! If he doesn't… then…"
As her words trailed off, a sharp glint flashed in Madam Cai's eyes, a cold sharpness sufficient to take Yang Xiu's life.
She hated being suppressed by others!
She hated being toyed with even more!
Yang Xiu, however, remained calm, unfazed. His eyes narrowed slightly as he lightly sang, "My teacher said that the King of Wei would come tonight, so… the King of Wei will definitely come!"
As they spoke, several huge balloons floated out from the clouds above their heads, hovering in the sky as if observing something!
…
…
"My King of Wei, look, the people near the carriage below are most likely 'Chicken Ribs' and Madam Cai!"
Liu Ye became agitated.
In the past, it had only been simulations, but this was real combat… the tension was like heaven and earth apart.
Liu Ye handed the "Thousand Li Vision" to Cao Cao. This was an ancient version of a telescope, somewhat crude, a single-barreled bamboo collapsible telescope. It was certainly not comparable to modern ones, but it was enough to clearly see the men and women and the carriage beneath the hot air balloon!
Cao Cao turned the "Thousand Li Vision" to the surroundings…
More than the area directly below, he was more concerned about whether there were any ambushes nearby!
However, looking down, it was pitch black… except for the firelight near the carriage, there was nothing!
Cao Cao pondered for a moment.
Liu Ye then said, "My King of Wei, you don't need to go down first. The other three hot air balloons will descend first. Once they confirm that the surroundings are safe, they will give us a signal!"
Cao Cao nodded, and Liu Ye then tossed down some specially colored red silks.
Using signal flags or horns for commands in the air wouldn't work. The most direct method was to toss down red silks of different colors. According to the corresponding colors, actions would be carried out.
Indeed…
When the red silks were tossed down.
The three surrounding hot air balloons began to descend slowly. The descent was very long, taking a full half hour. Cao Cao watched them intently.
He also truly understood why these hot air balloons had to depart at noon and arrive here late at night.
The descent was slow and not at all discreet!
Another half hour passed, and a whistling arrow was fired from the ground. Liu Ye then reminded Cao Cao, "My King of Wei, everything is ready!"
"Descend!"
The word escaped his lips.
Liu Ye began to slowly close the valve of the kerosene can, and then the balloon began to descend slowly.
When they reached a suitable altitude, only ten meters from the ground, Liu Ye quickly raised the valve again, and the balloon began to rise again. Slowly, under the rotation of the wind turbine, the balloon landed between a few large trees. Liu Ye skillfully threw out the anchor, hooking the ground. The anchor was dragged on the ground, churning up soil until it hooked onto a rock, and then the entire hot air balloon finally stabilized.
Then, it was visible to the naked eye that the hot air balloon was continuously descending.
Twenty Zhang!
Ten Zhang!
One Zhang!
Finally, it landed safely!
Madam Cai's expression remained one of astonishment. Although she had seen it three times already, this last descent was closer, right before her eyes, and it still astonished her greatly!
Just then, a man jumped down directly from the wicker basket.
He didn't look handsome, nor was he tall. He was even a bit dark, even carrying a somewhat "rustic" aura. However, the moment his eyes opened and looked at Madam Cai, Madam Cai suddenly felt a powerful, piercing cold light shooting directly at her.
This was an aura from within, an aura that fiercely enveloped and ravaged her, an aura that made her willing to submit.
One must know…
Cao Cao's aura was always powerful!
If things had followed the original course of history.
After Cao Cao unified the north and his prestige soared, a small amusing incident occurred.
At that time, a Xiongnu envoy sent someone to meet Cao Cao. Cao Cao felt he was not good-looking, so he had the "handsome man" Cui Yan meet the envoy, while Cao Cao disguised himself as a bodyguard, holding a steel knife and standing erect beside the couch.
After the meeting with the Xiongnu envoy, the envoy said without hesitation: "The King of Wei is handsome and elegant. The person holding the knife beside the couch is majestic and unparalleled, a true hero!"
This was the origin of the idiom "holding a knife by the bedside"!
Just imagine…
Even a Cao Cao disguised as a sword-wielding bodyguard would make the Xiongnu envoy bow in submission, let alone facing a woman!
Upon seeing the person in front of her…
Suddenly, Madam Cai realized that compared to this "King of Wei," all the young men she had met, and that old fool Liu Jing Sheng, were nowhere near as impressive!
This was a true man!
A steel-blooded hero!
Even though Cao Cao hadn't said a word, Madam Cai already felt herself on the verge of succumbing. This had nothing to do with appearance; it was the aura that pressed down on her, as if he were forcefully suppressing her!
Just then.
Cao Cao opened his mouth and said, "I have long heard of Madam's beauty and grace, and seeing you today, I find the rumors to be true. I have just come from the heavens, and the scenery above is quite pleasant. Madam, why not join me in the clouds for a detailed chat!"
Hoo…
What domineering words…
What a word "I" is! Madam Cai was speechless with surprise, but her body was honest, moving a step closer to Cao Cao.
Cao Cao took Madam Cai's hand. He first climbed into the wicker basket, and then pulled Madam Cai in with him, taking care to protect Madam Cai's belly.
"King of Wei…"
Madam Cai wanted to speak, but Cao Cao gently waved his hand and then pointed upwards.
"I will speak with you in the heavens!"
As these words were uttered, someone untied the ropes, and the hot air balloon began to ascend. Madam Cai felt as if her soul was about to fly out. She saw the people below becoming smaller and smaller, eventually turning into dots, and the sudden feeling of floating, gradually disappearing into the clouds, along with the biting wind, made her feel an urge to urinate!
She had truly peed herself from fear!
She looked up at Cao Cao, her face flushed red. Her trousers and skirt were indeed wet, and water was still dripping from the hem of her skirt…
"Madam, do not be afraid!"
Cao Cao said with a smile. "Among women, you are the first to dare to ride in this hot air balloon and fly into the clouds, looking down upon the vast sky! I cannot help but admire your courage, Madam!"
Cao Cao's casual words immediately alleviated the awkwardness, and Madam Cai's mood also eased a little. She murmured,
"King of Wei… seems very understanding!"
Unusually, there was a hint of girlish shyness in her words.
"Hahaha…"
Cao Cao understood women too well. He pulled Madam Cai into his arms. "In Jing Province, at most you are just the Governor of Jing Province, and your Cai family is at most a prominent clan in Xiangyang. But it's different coming to our Great Wei. Madam can unify the land with me, be my woman, be the King's woman, wouldn't that be a hundred times better than now? Who says women cannot revive their families?"
Hoo…
After hearing Cao Cao's words, Madam Cai's charming eyes suddenly widened. At this moment, she seemed to see light, the most brilliant and dazzling light in her life!
…
…
In the dark night, one hot air balloon slowly rose, while the other hot air balloons remained in place.
From one of the wicker baskets, Zhuge Jun jumped out and ran quickly towards Yang Xiu.
"Dezu…"
Zhuge Jun called out softly.
"Senior Brother Zhuge, long time no see…" Yang Xiu smiled and replied to Zhuge Jun. "I heard that you married the King of Wei's daughter. Congratulations, congratulations. These hot air balloons are truly extraordinary now, they are dazzling and enchanting!"
"Haha…" Zhuge Jun waved his hand. "Even with great achievements, they can't compare to you. Teacher often mentions you! He says that among all his disciples, only you and Zhongda are the ones he admires most! And only you two can inherit his legacy!"
"Teacher praises me too highly…" Yang Xiu showed extreme humility. He led Zhuge Jun to the base of a tree, and the two leaned against the trunk, gazing up at the stars in the sky.
The stars twinkled, and the two fellow disciples looked up at the sky, for a moment feeling that the past was as moving as these stars, their feelings as fine as a grain of sand or a small stone, their emotions as subtle as stirring a blade of grass or a small tree.
"How has Master been recently?"
"He's been very well!" Zhuge Jun asked in return, "Dezu, have you ever thought about it? If you hadn't met Teacher, what would you be like?"
"I…" Yang Xiu paused.
Clearly, he hadn't expected Zhuge Jun to ask such a profound question.
Yang Xiu pondered for a moment and then said proactively, "I remember, before I met Teacher, once I accompanied the King of Wei on an expedition. On the way, there was a pavilion, and in the pavilion stood a stone tablet with three seal script characters—Cao E Stele!"
"The King of Wei walked from the front of the stele to the back and softly read out a few characters from the stele: 'Huang Juan', 'You Fu', 'Wai Sun', 'Ji Jiu'. It turned out that these were inscriptions by the King of Wei's teacher, Mr. Cai Yong, the father of Madam Cai!"
At this point, Yang Xiu paused.
Zhuge Jun hurriedly asked, "And then?"
"Then…" Yang Xiu continued, "Then the King of Wei asked who among us could decipher it. I volunteered! Everyone, including the princes, shook their heads. And when the army had marched another thirty miles, the King of Wei said he had also figured out the meaning, so he asked me to explain."
"I truthfully explained that 'Huang Juan' is colored silk, which combined forms the character 'Jue' (绝). 'You Fu' is a young woman, which combined forms the character 'Miao' (妙). 'Wai Sun' is a daughter's son, which combined forms the character 'Hao' (好). 'Ji Jiu' is receiving spices, which combined forms the character 'Ci' (辞). These are the 'Jue Miao Hao Ci' (绝妙好辞, meaning excellent and wonderful words) mentioned by Cai Yong, Master Cai!"
"Upon saying this, everyone praised me in unison. The King of Wei even mentioned that my talent was thirty miles faster than his!"
"Isn't that quite good?" Zhuge Jun quickly asked.
"Not good!" Yang Xiu immediately shook his head. "It was Teacher who beat sense into me with a rod during my time at the Imperial Academy. It was Teacher's repeated earnest teachings that awakened me. I was arrogant about my talent and never feared anyone. If Teacher hadn't taught me to pull back from the brink in time, I would have always thought my thoughts were thirty miles ahead of the King of Wei, and precisely these thirty miles would have been enough to cost me my life!"
Speaking of this, Yang Xiu said with determination, uttering six words with great conviction—"Pride harms, humility benefits!"
Having said this, he took out two small jars of strong liquor from his satchel, handed one to Zhuge Jun, and drank the other in one gulp.
Just like children to their parents…
The more they experienced, the more they read, the more they could appreciate their difficulties!
Yang Xiu, having gone through so much, felt most acutely that Teacher Lu Yu not only taught him knowledge and sent him on missions to achieve merits but, more importantly, changed his personality, and even, one could say… saved his life!
"'Chicken Ribs' is something that is regrettable to discard, but yields nothing when eaten. My codename in the Military Affairs Department, 'Chicken Ribs', is a constant reminder from Master Lu!"
Hoo…
Upon hearing this, Zhuge Jun's emotions were turbulent.
He never imagined that the disciple whom his teacher valued most, Yang Xiu, held such a story within him.
Chicken Ribs, what a perfect Chicken Ribs!
Hoo… He exhaled again. Mentioning the strong liquor, he only took a small sip. He still had to operate the flying ship later and couldn't linger!
Yang Xiu, however, took advantage of the slight tipsiness from the liquor and proactively asked Zhuge Jun.
"Senior Brother? What about you? If you hadn't met Teacher, what would you have done?"
"I…" Zhuge Jun was speechless. He pondered for a moment before speaking, "Perhaps, on that day… if Teacher hadn't sent General Cao Ren to Langya Commandery to find my brother Zhuge Kongming, and if I hadn't resolutely come to Cao's camp in place of my brother, perhaps… perhaps today, I would have followed my second brother to Jing Province and taken refuge with him in his humble thatched cottage in Nanyang's Sleeping Dragon Ridge!"
At this point, he paused. "Perhaps… one day, when Liu Bei visits the thatched cottage three times to invite my brother Zhuge Kongming to come out of seclusion, I would have taken care of the thatched cottage in Sleeping Dragon Ridge for him, leaving a few acres of fertile land, at least giving both brothers a fallback option!"
This…
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiu's eyes widened. He absolutely did not expect that now… this chief craftsman of Great Wei, the steward of many important workshops such as the workshop, refining workshop, and forging workshop, and even the leader of the Jiangbei Alliance, the right-hand man of his teacher, Zhuge Jun, originally had no great ambitions!
Of course, Yang Xiu had heard that Zhuge Jun had once knocked out his brother and come to serve Cao Ying in his place!
But…
That one instance of knocking out had changed not only his life trajectory but also his ambitions!
Teacher had turned a "salted fish" into an irreplaceable talent of Great Wei. Teaching without discrimination, this was truly Teacher's power!
"Senior Brother, come, let's toast to Teacher!"
Yang Xiu raised his wine jar and proposed.
Zhuge Jun also raised his wine jar. This time, he couldn't care about the rule of not drinking alcohol while operating a hot air balloon and drank heartily.
And as he tilted his head back.
He noticed that the hot air balloon carrying Cao Cao and Madam Cai was slowly descending.
"It's done!"
Zhuge Jun sighed.
"What's done?" Clearly, Yang Xiu hadn't realized yet.
Zhuge Jun pointed upwards.
"Jing Province has been taken without a single drop of blood!"
Yang Xiu then realized that the hot air balloon was descending, whether because of this or something else, Yang Xiu's heart suddenly calmed down a lot.
Shu…
He let out a long breath, and then, with keen interest and feigned ignorance, asked, "Senior Brother? How can you tell that Jing Province has been taken!"
"Haha…" Zhuge Jun smiled heartily. "Teacher said…"
He was about to blurt out the words…
Yang Xiu quickly stopped him, handed Zhuge Jun a brush, and gestured for them to write what they wanted to say on their arms.
The two turned and wrote a few characters.
Simultaneously, they revealed them…
On both of their arms, a line of small text was written—No one understands women better than the King of Wei!
That's right…
Teacher repeatedly emphasized that no one understands women better than the King of Wei.
As long as it requires a woman to achieve something.
Then… as long as the King of Wei takes action, everything will fall into place naturally!
—This is the King of Wei!
…
…