My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 6 Night Talk at the Cao Family
The soul of Liu Feng that merged with him from later generations had a good capacity for alcohol. Although he wasn't exactly a heavy drinker, he could still down four or five bottles of beer like Urumqi beer. If it were rice wine, he might even be able to perform a feat of drinking a whole dou (a unit of volume) a day.

Even if we consider the Han Dynasty standard of 220 to 250 grams per jin (a unit of weight in China), that's still a whole bucket and a half of mineral water. If you actually drank that, you would have died long ago.

This alcohol tolerance seems to have been passed down to this body, and in terms of physical fitness, it is much stronger than in his previous life.

Liu Feng's alcohol tolerance will only be higher than in his previous life, not lower.

But Liu Feng dared not get drunk.

As a time traveler, he has far too many secrets in his heart. If he were to blurt something out while drunk, the consequences would be unbearable, and he might even lose his life because of it.

However, given Cao Bao's eagerness and the fact that the two sides had just verbally agreed to a marriage alliance, Liu Feng had to consider the other party's thoughts.

Therefore, pretending to be drunk is the best way to save face.

Lying in the oxcart, Liu Feng began to think about what to do next.

Cao Bao is now his prospective father-in-law. If Liu Feng can persuade Liu Bei to accept this marriage alliance, then the entire Danyang faction will only have two paths left: surrender or disintegration.

Of the trash from the Danyang Sect, apart from Cao Bao who is worth trying to win over, there's really nothing else worth recruiting.

If Xu Dan is sensible and hands over his troops, then he can be kept as a wealthy man.

As for Cao Hong and his henchmen, they were lambs to the slaughter, ready to be killed and eaten.

The reason for not taking action earlier was the fear that generals like Cao Bao and Xu Dan, who held military power, might feel uneasy about the potential loss of their forces and even instigate a rebellion.

Once we can gain Cao Bao's trust, these issues will no longer be a problem, and the time to take action will have arrived.

Putting aside everything else, Cao Hong alone owns properties in Tancheng worth hundreds of thousands of coins. And that's just the properties; it doesn't include his other cash savings.

They had been tyrannical and oppressive in Xuzhou for so many years, and each of them had amassed a considerable fortune. They could use this wealth to improve people's lives and help their father win the hearts of the people of Xuzhou.

After Cao Bao completely aligned himself with Liu Bei, Uncle Zhang had no reason to target him anymore.

As long as Zhang Fei and Cao Cao don't fight each other like in history, even if Lü Bu receives supplies from Yuan Shu, he won't have a chance to raid Yuan Shu's base.

The most important thing next was to persuade Liu Bei to accept his plan and bring Cao Bao into his camp.

While Liu Feng was on the oxcart, he was thinking about how to get Liu Bei to accept the things he had secretly done, while Cao Bao was not idle in his mansion either.

Coincidentally, Cao Bao was not drunk either.

He appeared quite drunk in front of Liu before, but he wasn't actually drunk.

After seeing Liu Feng off on the oxcart, Cao Bao turned back to his residence and, instead of resting, went directly to the quiet courtyard behind the mansion.

His only daughter, Cao Qing, lives here.

Cao Bao had just made up his mind to gamble heavily on Liu Feng because he had no son, only his only daughter, Cao Qing.

This also means that even if he doesn't hand over his family business to his son-in-law, he will have to hand it over to other members of his clan.

However, this does not mean the matter is over; on the contrary, the trouble has only just begun.

He needs to find someone to discuss with him how to proceed.

Although Cao Bao had made up his mind, he was still worried about how to appease the fellow villagers of the Danyang faction once his marriage alliance with Liu Feng became public.

What should I do if they vehemently oppose it?

“Father, if Uncle Xu and the others take a strong stance and have many objections, that might be the best outcome.”

The one who said this was none other than Cao Bao's only daughter, Cao Qing.

Cao Qingren, true to her name, was delicate and elegant, with fair skin and a pair of gentle eyes that held a hidden sparkle. Cao Bao was completely bewildered, unable to understand what his daughter was saying.

"Qing'er, what do you mean by this?"

Cao Qing was somewhat helpless, so he could only be more direct with Cao Bao: "Father, after Tao Gong left, you were already the de facto leader of the Danyang faction. During the process of Liu Shijun taking over Xuzhou, you and the Danyang faction not only did not contribute, but some of your subordinates also took the opportunity to spread some rumors in an attempt to obstruct Liu Shijun's succession."

"Under these circumstances, even if Lord Liu is willing to win you over and bestow favors upon you, he wouldn't want you to bring the entire Danyang Sect to join him, would he?"

Cao Bao still didn't understand and became increasingly puzzled: "What's wrong with this? If I can persuade Xu Zhengshi and the others, won't I have more say under Lord Liu?"

Cao Qing sighed inwardly, wondering if his father was lucky or unlucky.

Despite being of average appearance, he unexpectedly became the leader of the Danyang faction and took charge of the military affairs of a province under the full support of Tao Qian.

The higher you climb, the harder you'll fall if you stumble.

Fortunately, his father had never been ambitious and was self-aware. Now, with the olive branch extended by Prefect Liu, as long as he could thoroughly analyze the situation for him, the family should be able to survive.

“Father, it is precisely because you have such thoughts that Qing’er said that if Uncle Xu has any objections, it would actually be a good thing.”

Cao Qing was somewhat weary: "Father, the Danyang faction is too big, and it has too much military power. If you all band together and pledge allegiance to Lord Liu, the situation of the minister being stronger than the ruler will still persist. Even if Lord Liu arranges a marriage between our families, how can he truly trust us?"

"Only if you and Uncle Xu have disagreements, and the Danyang faction splits into several smaller factions, will that best suit Lord Liu's wishes."

Cao Bao realized something and felt that his daughter had a point, but he still retorted with a puzzled look: "But Lord Liu and Chen Yuanlong are very close, and Chen Yuanlong and I have always been at odds. If I become estranged from Xu Zhengshi and the others, and if those Xuzhou guys like Chen Yuanlong want to deal with me, then wouldn't I not even have anyone to speak up for me?"

Cao Qing was almost speechless.

“Father, although Chen Gongcao is not on good terms with you, he is generous and magnanimous, and not a petty person. He would never slander or frame you behind your back. Besides, you will be related to Lord Liu by marriage and the young master’s father-in-law in the future. It is better not to interfere in family matters. With Chen Yuanlong’s wisdom, how could he do such a thankless thing?”

Cao Bao suddenly realized what was going on, but then immediately asked, "Then how should I, your father, deal with the fellow villagers?"

Cao Qing pondered for a moment: "Father can be divided and resolved."

Cao Bao was overjoyed: "How do I do it?"

"If Uncle Xu and the others come to ask, Father can persuade them to hand over their troops. If necessary, the young master can compensate them with the snow salt that our family has received."

After listening, Cao Bao looked reluctant: "Won't my family be at a huge disadvantage?"

Cao Qing was amused by his father's words: "Father, if you can really accomplish this, Magistrate Liu will be overjoyed and deeply grateful to you. The benefits you gain will far surpass those of the snow salt."

Yes, yes.

Cao Bao responded awkwardly, but his face still showed a pained expression, which made Cao Qing both laugh and cry.

"Father, please put your mind at ease. The profit from the salt and snow that you promised to Uncle Xu and the others will come from Qing'er's dowry. I believe that when the young master finds out, he will only be happy and praise you, not blame you."

"This, this won't do."

Although Cao Bao was reluctant to part with the profits from Xueyan, he felt even more sorry for his beloved daughter: "I know that once the envoy from Lord Liu comes to propose marriage, I will invite Xu Dan and the others to come to my residence for a chat, and I will do it according to your plan, Qing'er."

Cao Qing was finally satisfied and gave a gentle smile.

Looking at his quiet and elegant daughter, Cao Bao couldn't help but think of Liu Feng, who had spoken eloquently in front of him.

He suddenly felt that if this marriage were to happen, it might be a good outcome for his daughter.

While Cao Bao was sighing, several other powerful and wealthy families in Tancheng County also received news of Liu Feng's visit to the Cao family.

(End of this chapter)