Wei Ni

The facts are exactly as Yu Song thought.

When Xiahou Hui arrived at Ren Ye's camp, he simply said, "I will visit the Imperial Ancestral Temple at Chenshi (7-9 AM) the next day," then patted him on the shoulder and turned to leave.

Ren Ye, stunned by the sudden news, was stunned for a moment before he reacted. He quickly took a step and chased after Xiahou Hui's back, bowing respectfully three steps behind him.

"Ye, thank you, General!"

The Imperial Ancestral Temple was a special place of worship for the direct descendants of the emperor. Without the emperor's permission, even the princes and relatives of the imperial family who had been granted titles were not qualified to go there to pay their respects. Now, Xiahou Hui had come in person claiming that he would go there privately to pay his respects, and Ren Ye could certainly understand what he meant.

Therefore, after Xiahou Hui's figure disappeared around the corner, he, who had been maintaining a bowing posture, turned back, his eyes full of joy, and bowed to Yu Song, who was still in Yingzhong, and earnestly asked, "I am unskilled and may have made mistakes in my actions. I hope that you, Yu Zhonglang, can give me some guidance."

"Easy to say."

Yu Songxin readily agreed.

Xiahou Hui brought him here precisely for this reason.
There's really nothing to ponder.

It was nothing more than telling Ren Ye to time things right, instructing him on how to tell his trusted follower who was going to report to Xiahou Xian, what words to use, and what to pay attention to, so as to ensure that no mistakes were made.

In a short while, the two finalized everything.

Overjoyed that the matter was settled, Ren Ye couldn't help but thank Yu Song very politely once again.

This made Yu Song, who was about to leave, pause and ask, as if possessed, "This matter is of utmost importance. Is Commander Ren not afraid of failure?"

"We are not afraid, and we will not be defeated."

Why is that?

“There used to be a saying in the capital: ‘All Xiahou are Xiahou, but no Xiahou is Xiahou.’ This shows the difference in ability between the general and the governor of Henan. Moreover, my elder brother was a senior officer in the governor of Henan’s household, but he warned me on his deathbed that the one who could protect me in the capital was the general, not the governor of Henan.”

Oh, I see~
Your brother has good judgment, and you are also good at seizing opportunities.

If things go smoothly this time, General Xiahou will surely consider you a close confidant.

Yu Song said nothing more, nodded with a smile, and left.

When he returned to his office, he saw Xiahou Hui standing outside waiting for him, so he quickened his pace and came over. "General, everything has been arranged. Hmm, I've also had people prepare the items needed for tomorrow. They will definitely be ready before dusk."

"Hey, Uncle Mao, do I need to worry about what you're doing?"

Xiahou Hui nodded, turned and went into the office building. "Come in, the wind and snow are heavy."

"only."

Yu Song responded and entered the room to find Ding Mi still fast asleep, snoring loudly. After taking his seat, he whispered a word of advice, "General, please forgive my rashness, but I think that such schemes should be avoided in the future."

"Oh?"

Xiahou Hui, who was bent over his desk flipping through documents, looked up and sat up straight before saying, "Please, Uncle Mao, do not hesitate to speak."

"Don't dare."

He quickly responded modestly, and Yu Song remained concise, saying, "Because the general now occupies a high position in the imperial court, all matters should be planned in secret and accomplished in public."

So you think I don't follow the honest path?
Xiahou Hui understood and nodded, saying, "My elder brother also warned me about what Shumao said today. However..." He paused for a moment, then sighed, "Alas, I had no choice but to do this today!"

Is it truly out of necessity?

Could there be some other unexpected event?

Yu Song was secretly puzzled, but dared not ask any more questions.

He knew that as a subordinate, there were certain things he shouldn't pry into. Because if his superior wanted him to know, they would tell him; if they didn't want to, asking wouldn't get him an answer, and would only annoy him.

Therefore, he skipped the question and stood up to bow and take his leave, saying, "General, this matter is settled. I will go and attend to official business."

"Alright. Shumao, please do as you please."

Xiahou Hui nodded in agreement, but quickly called out again, "Oh, right. Shumao and Lanshi are close friends and about the same age. In the future, you can call me by my courtesy name just like he does."

Like Fu Lanshi?

Is this a promise to me that if you rise to great heights in the future, I will receive the same status and treatment as Fu Gu?
"Only. It would be impolite to refuse."

A flash of understanding crossed Yu Song's eyes. He nodded and left, not forgetting to close the door behind him.

The quiet office was once again filled with a symphony of snoring and the sound of wind.

Xiahou Hui, who was engrossed in his work and reviewing the documents, seemed to be a little more agitated. After reading several documents at a glance, he put them aside, closed his eyes, raised his head, and let out a deep sigh.

Yu Song's words of persuasion had stirred up his worries.

Since receiving instruction from his elder brother Xiahou Heng, he intended to stand upright in the imperial court, and he knew that intrigue and trickery could only be a temporary expedient and would have a lasting negative impact.

But today, he listened to Ding Mi's advice out of sheer desperation!
Because of his influence, the course of history has already changed.

In the original historical trajectory, Xiahou Xian, Qin Lang, Cao Zhao, and others were stripped of their responsibilities as regents and sent back to their residences. This was because Liu Fang and Sun Zi feared that they would be detrimental to them if they gained power, so they slandered them to Emperor Cao Rui. The catalyst was that after Qin Lang and Xiahou Xian obtained the power of regents, they made veiled attacks on Liu Fang and Sun Zi in front of him.

But what about now? Qin Lang is far away in the Hetao region, south of the Gobi Desert!
Although Emperor Cao Rui had already dispatched messengers to Wuyuan County by express courier to summon him back, it was now the transition between winter and spring! Even the capital Luoyang was covered in a foot of snow, and Bingzhou was known as the land of rivers and mountains. Even if Qin Lang traveled day and night, he might not have the chance to hear Emperor Cao Rui affectionately call him "A Su" again!

Cao Zhao should not even consider it.

He is currently stationed with Guanqiu Jian at Wandu Mountain City in Pingzhou.

The distance was so great and the journey so difficult that even Emperor Cao Rui gave up on summoning him back.

As for Xiahou Xian, there's no need to elaborate further.

He now lacks even the power to command troops, and among the sons of the Xiahou and Cao families, he is the one least trusted by Emperor Cao Rui. He's too busy currying favor with Liu Fang and Sun Zi to even think about becoming one of the regents; he certainly wouldn't dare utter any harsh words to them!

In other words, Xiahou Hui can only rely on himself for everything now, and shouldn't expect any unexpected good fortune.

The situation is always changing as events unfold.

Xiahou Hui's previous "unorthodox" actions, which eagerly pushed Qin Lang and Cao Zhao out of Luoyang, not only affected the current situation but also brought him "backlash".

In this situation, he had no choice but to take things one step at a time, constantly being pushed along by the times while tasting the bitter consequences of his actions.

Therefore, his current concern is whether adopting Ding Mi's scheme this time, once again deviating from the right path, will lead to even greater negative consequences and make the situation even more difficult to deal with in the future.

Hopefully not.

Ugh!
The next day, it was nearly 9:00 AM.

Xiahou Xian, who had arrived at Sima Gate at dawn, glanced at the water clock dripping under the eaves and sighed inwardly.

Based on his experience from the past few days, if Emperor Cao Rui had not summoned him to the palace by this time, it meant that he would need to request an audience himself.

Therefore, he began to tidy his clothes, intending to go forward and ask the minor official on duty at the Sima Gate to announce his arrival.

But just as he reached the door and before he could speak, a servant who had been waiting in the distance rushed over, grabbed his sleeve, and whispered, "My lord, there is an urgent matter. Please move aside."

What could possibly be more important than an audience with the Emperor?!

Xiahou Xian couldn't help but show displeasure. He was about to reprimand the servant when he heard the attendant say again, "Ren Ye sent his attendant here, saying that he has something very important to report to the Prefect. I asked him, and he insisted that this matter must be reported to the Prefect in person."

Ren Ye?

Could it be.
After a slight surprise, Xiahou Xian followed his instructions and moved forward, a hint of anticipation rising in his heart.

When I was young, I walked out of the palace gate and, led by my attendants, turned into a secluded alley. There, a servant in a short coat with his hair and beard covered in snowflakes was waiting.

Xiahou Xian recognized this servant; he had originally been a follower of Ren Ming, Ren Ye's elder brother.

This also reminded him of Ren Mingwu's selfless sacrifice for him, so his expression softened and his question became very gentle, "No need for formalities. Just speak frankly, what is the matter?"

"only."

Upon hearing this, the attendant, who was about to bow, maintained his humble posture with his head bowed and shoulders hunched, and said in a low voice, "Reporting to the Lord, this morning I was urgently dispatched by Commandant Ren and secretly followed the Commander of the Central Guard to the Imperial Ancestral Temple. I saw the Commander of the Central Guard bowing outside the temple, muttering incantations for a moment, and then burying a coffin."

What did you say?!

Xiahou Xian's expression immediately changed, and he cried out in shock.

The attendant was so frightened that he immediately prostrated himself on the ground, pleading urgently, "Your Majesty, please understand! I have not uttered a single falsehood! The soldiers guarding the Imperial Ancestral Temple also witnessed the actions of the Central Protector General."

This caused Xiahou Xian, who was secretly annoyed at his loss of composure and was about to tell him to get up, to change his expression again.

It seems so, I'm somewhat disappointed.

huh~~
He breathed a sigh of relief and said in a gentle tone, "Well, it's not that I don't believe you. Go back and tell your patriarch that I am very satisfied with what happened today, and he will surely repay you in the future."

"only."

Ren Ye's entourage, as if granted a pardon, quickly got up and jogged away.

Xiahou Xian's attendant stared intently at his retreating figure and whispered, "My lord, perhaps I..."

He didn't finish his sentence; he simply made a downward chopping motion with his hand.

"We should not cause any trouble now."

With a wave of his hand, Xiahou Xian, his eyelids drooping, turned and slowly walked towards Sima Gate.

His emotions had calmed down, and he was considering whether or not to report the matter to Emperor Cao Rui.

With his intelligence, it wouldn't be difficult for him to guess that Xiahou Hui's actions weren't about cursing anyone with witchcraft, but rather a prayer for Emperor Cao Rui's health. This explained his disappointed expression when he heard that "the guards also saw it"—if the storage container hadn't been buried in the guards' sight, he would have sent someone to change its contents!
Alas, what a pity.

Although the crime of unauthorized private visit to the Imperial Ancestral Temple is usually punishable by death, this act was made to pray for His Majesty's well-being. Would His Majesty punish him for this?

Even if they are not punished, shouldn't they at least be given some form of deterrence?
After all, legal principles and social norms cannot be abandoned.

That's the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and he doesn't even have the surname Cao.
As Xiahou Xian pondered to himself, his steps quickened involuntarily. (End of Chapter)