With Cao Cao by my side, what do I have to fear from the world?

Cao Cao's face contorted in a grimace. Who could argue with that? He'd put in so much effort, and yet, as prime minister, he'd accomplished absolutely nothing.

Because the emperor could issue orders directly on any matter, bypassing Cao Cao in everything.

Xun You even came to supervise him tirelessly every day, which gave Cao Cao a major headache.

Faced with an emperor who truly held real power, Cao Cao, as prime minister, became a mere figurehead.

Having faced reality, Cao Cao felt utterly powerless and asked, "Then tell me, what should I do?"

"His Majesty only wants your stance, my lord, please stop."

"Guo Jia, are you going to betray your lord too?" Cao Ren roared in near fury as soon as Guo Jia finished speaking.

Guo Jia shook his head. "Zhong Yao and the other four surrendered with just one word from His Majesty. This is the power of imperial authority, which is irresistible. I have no selfish motives; I am only thinking of you, my lord. Have you ever considered what you would do if His Majesty sent the eldest son to persuade you or to attack you? From His Majesty's perspective, he has far too many ways to deal with us."

Cao Cao waved his hand at Cao Ren, glared at him, and scolded, "Zixiao, you mustn't be rude."

The thought of possibly facing his own son made Cao Cao's lips twitch a few times.

Guo Jia continued, “My Lord does not wish for father and son to turn against each other, and His Majesty certainly does not wish for either. In fact, His Majesty could have had the eldest son persuade my Lord, but His Majesty has never done so. My Lord, His Majesty has always left you room for maneuver. In the eldest son's mind, he should still regard you as a loyal subject of the Han Dynasty. If one day His Majesty tells the eldest son that my Lord is the greatest enemy of the court and a stumbling block to the unification of the world, what will the eldest son do then? I believe His Majesty has already thought of this method, but he has never done it.”

Cao Cao waved his hand weakly, "You may all leave. I want to be alone for a while."

Guo Jia glanced at Cao Cao again, shook his head, and walked out. Cao Ren and Xiahou Dun followed him out.

After they went outside, Cao Ren grabbed Guo Jia's thin shoulder with his large, fan-like hand and loudly questioned him, "Guo Jia, it's one thing if you don't offer any advice, but you also say things that upset people."

"Cao Ren!"

Cao Cao's stern voice suddenly came from the house behind him, so Cao Ren had no choice but to let go of his hand.

After walking some distance, Cao Ren questioned Guo Jia again.

Guo Jia gave a wry smile. "I'm not trying to betray the Prime Minister. I'm doing this in the hope that the Prime Minister will stop in time, so that things won't turn out badly..."

The rest of the words seemed to get stuck in my throat, unable to be uttered.

Cao Ren urged him repeatedly, "What exactly do you want to say? Stop dawdling and get to the point."

Guo Jia shook his head, but ultimately didn't say anything.

He was afraid that Cao Cao would eventually lose everything, be completely imprisoned and sidelined!

"You...you wouldn't be cursing our lord to die, would you?" Cao Ren was furious, his eyes turning red. He reached for his sword, but Guo Jia didn't look at him. He walked straight away, shaking his head and sighing as he went.

Xiahou Dun was ultimately more composed than Cao Ren, and he reached out to stop him, saying, "Zixiao, you must not be rash. I believe Fengxiao is acting out of good intentions."

Guo Jia left the city and came to the riverbank. He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the river, lost in thought for a long time.

After some time, I heard familiar footsteps behind me.

Cao Cao pondered alone in his room for a long time, and the more he thought about it, the more his head ached. So he had no choice but to go out of the city to the riverbank to clear his mind.

As soon as he came out, he saw Guo Jia.

The two stood side by side, neither speaking, both silently contemplating the same thoughts. As darkness fell, pedestrians rushed to enter the city, and the soldiers patrolling the riverbank began their shift change. But as people came and went, no one dared to approach this side.

One was the prime minister, and the other was Cao Cao's chief strategist. Who would want to get close to them for no reason?
"Fengxiao, have you already foreseen something?" Cao Cao suddenly asked.

Guo Jia nodded. “My lord, have you noticed that His Majesty is becoming more and more like a true emperor lately? The reason I say he is is because His Majesty still cherishes some old feelings.”

"Are you saying that His Majesty is not a true emperor yet?"

"Yes, not yet, but His Majesty is changing. He is much more decisive than before. He sent troops to Youzhou to eliminate Xue Ti, and then ordered the extermination of Zhang Zhao's three clans without hesitation. He may seem polite to Zhong Yao and the other four, but isn't this also a manifestation of His Majesty's decisiveness? If any of them had an attitude that displeased His Majesty, would His Majesty have allowed them to leave Xuchang unscathed?"

"His Majesty has again sent Zhong Yao and the other four to write a letter to you, my lord. It seems like persuasion, but isn't it a threat? If your attitude doesn't change, His Majesty will absolutely not let you return to the annual meeting this year. Moreover, His Majesty has given you the power to decide when to move the capital. This means that as long as you don't change your attitude, you are obstructing the relocation of the capital and going against His Majesty's wishes. Isn't this tantamount to announcing to the world that you are at odds with His Majesty?" Guo Jia stood by the river, having thought a lot. He continued, "His Majesty will become more and more decisive in the future, which is not a good thing for you. If one day His Majesty stops showing mercy, you will be in danger. I am truly worried for you."

"Would His Majesty kill me?" Cao Cao stubbornly let out a cold laugh.

Guo Jia shook his head. "No, that won't happen. After all, you have done so much for the court, and His Majesty has always regarded you as a model of loyalty."

"What will he do then?"

Guo Jia lowered his voice and said, "I'm worried that His Majesty will use the same methods you used on him to deal with you."

Cao Cao was stunned and froze. He had previously usurped the emperor's power and kept him under his control. If the roles were reversed, the emperor would treat him the same way.

Just thinking about this feeling made Cao Cao feel uneasy all over.

What fun can a bird have if it's kept in a cage?

Cao Cao roamed the world freely and acted as he pleased. To treat him as a puppet and imprison him would be worse than killing him.

"My lord, while His Majesty still cherishes our past relationship, you should back off. His Majesty is young and promising, and has his sights set on conquering the world. It will be too late once he sees you as an obstacle."

Zhong Yao and his ilk were quickly dealt with by the emperor, which made Guo Jia realize the reality that the gap between Cao Cao and the emperor was widening and could not be reversed.

Unless someone suddenly appears and kills the emperor, but is that even possible?

Zhao Yun, Wang Yue, and others protected the emperor closely all day long, and the emperor himself was also a skilled swordsman.

There was no chance of getting close to the emperor, and even if they did, they couldn't kill him.

"If you do not back down, then His Majesty will inevitably find an opportunity to eliminate Cao Renhe and Xiahou Dun. His Majesty will not harm you, but he will show no mercy to those around you. You have already lost enough along the way. Do you really want to end up all alone? Of course, I am afraid I will not have a good end either. I am your strategist. How can His Majesty spare me?"

Cao Cao suddenly looked up to the sky and sighed, "After hearing Fengxiao's words today, I realize that even with 100,000 mighty soldiers, I am already in a desperate situation!"

Guo Jia nodded helplessly, "Yes, imperial power is intangible yet its influence is everywhere. Perhaps this is the meaning of 'the majesty of Heaven is inviolable.' His Majesty is destined to become an emperor no less powerful than Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han. My lord, it's not too late to back down now. Moreover, you can still participate in His Majesty's grand ambition of expanding the territory. If you are confined to a high position, you will be unable to do anything. His Majesty's medical skills are superb; if he puts you under house arrest, he will probably allow you to live to be a hundred years old."

Cao Cao scoffed at the idea of ​​being imprisoned and living to a ripe old age, saying, "What's the point of living like that? It would be better to die."

As it grew darker, Guo Jia advised, "My lord, it's getting late. Let's head back to the city. We can think about it again tomorrow. His Majesty isn't urging you."

Cao Cao laughed magnanimously, "Alright, alright, you've put it this way, how could I not understand? Originally, I thought that after defeating Sun Quan, I would have so many troops at my disposal, and His Majesty wouldn't do anything to me. I didn't expect that in His Majesty's eyes, he didn't even consider me an opponent. Fine, I admit defeat and will not compete with him anymore!"

Guo Jia was somewhat surprised, not expecting Cao Cao to make a decision so quickly. However, he could also see that Cao Cao was not entirely willing and was still very reluctant.

"My lord, would you please not..."

Cao Cao rolled his eyes at Guo Jia, "Alright, alright, it's time to stop. Do you really want to turn my father and I against each other? To make the ruler and his ministers stand against each other? Now that I've said it, I won't change my mind."

"Let's go back to the city, let's go for a drink, and call Gongda too."

Xun You was surprised that Cao Cao would invite him to drink. When he arrived at Cao Cao's residence, a banquet had already been prepared.

Upon meeting, Cao Cao smiled and waved to Xun You, "Come, come, Gongda, we've been waiting for you."

Xun You stared wide-eyed at Cao Cao, puzzled. There were only the three of them in the room. Was this a trap to kill him?
"Prime Minister, why have you invited me to drink for no apparent reason?" Xun You couldn't help but ask.

Cao Cao laughed and said, "Gongda, I have good news for you, so you can rest assured. You can tell His Majesty that I am willing to make peace with him and will no longer fight with him."

"This? Is what the Prime Minister said true?" Xun You was skeptical and found it hard to believe.

Cao Cao nodded. "Don't worry, it's entirely from my own heart. Come, sit down. You've been following me around every day these past few days, you must be exhausted."

After Xun You sat down, he still stared intently at Cao Cao, feeling that everything had come too suddenly and was not quite real.

Guo Jia laughed, "Gongda, you are too suspicious. What you said, my lord, is true; every word comes from the bottom of your heart." (End of Chapter)