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

Chapter 88, Cao Hong, do me a favor.

Guo Jia understood very well that this confrontation would not be the last between the two; there would definitely be more exciting scenes to come!
But he was not in a hurry. As Cao Cao's strength grew, the situation became more and more favorable to Cao Cao.

From the very first day he followed Cao Cao, Guo Jia had unwavering faith in him!
In the end, Cao Cao will surely be the one to pacify the world and unify the Central Plains!
…………

Liu Xie practiced swordsmanship diligently every day. His conflict with Cao Cao did not affect his teaching of Cao Pi. Wang Yue taught him wholeheartedly, and Cao Pi learned very seriously.

But with so many beautiful women in the palace, especially Consort Dong and Empress Fu, who were absolutely stunning, Cao Pi would often find himself distracted when he saw them so often.

Whenever Cao Pi saw a beautiful woman, he would subconsciously recall the scene of Liu Xie taking him to Tianxiang Pavilion.

Liu Xie was not in a hurry. In any case, Cao Pi was inherently lustful, and he would change him step by step, subtly and gradually.

After the sword practice session, Liu Xie and Zhao Yun strolled along the Clear Water Lake. Zhao Yun couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, you treat Cao Pi and Cao Ang with completely different attitudes. It seems there's more to it than meets the eye?"

Liu Xie explained, "Cao Ang is of pure and kind nature, and is also the eldest son of the legitimate wife. He is different from Cao Cao. He does not have any intention of looking down on me, which is very rare."

"My close relationship with Cao Ang stems from two reasons. Firstly, I admire him and hope he can maintain these rare qualities. Secondly, it's a gesture of goodwill towards Cao Cao. By being close to Cao Ang and teaching him principles of loyalty and righteousness, Cao Cao is unlikely to be displeased. Furthermore..."

Liu Xie stopped in his tracks, his expression suddenly showing some worry. "The outcome of my contest with Cao Cao is uncertain. Let me leave this world a way out. Even if I lose in the end and Cao Cao replaces me, the world will eventually pass to Cao Ang, who will govern it. I will have no regrets."

"Your Majesty, I never expected you to be like this..." Zhao Yun was so excited that he didn't know what to say.

He never expected that Liu Xie would even think of this step.

Liu Xie looked at Zhao Yun with a deep gaze, "As for Cao Pi? He's grown up now. Even if he has no intention of participating in the struggle for the throne, I will give him a push. Only if the Cao family continues to fight among themselves will I have a better chance to turn the tide. Zilong, I have to say, the Cao family's genes are too strong. This generation and the next generation are both full of talented people. Therefore, I must never let my guard down."

Although Zhao Yun didn't quite understand what genes were, he could roughly guess based on the meaning of Liu Xie's words.

Zhao Yun nodded. After all, Cao Cao was no ordinary opponent, and they had to use every method they could.

"His Majesty!"

Kong Rong strode over from a distance and began to greet them from afar.

Kong Rong has been extremely excited these past few days, as if he had won a battle.

Seeing Liu Xie and Cao Cao locked in a fierce battle, and even with the possibility of eliminating Cheng Yu, Kong Rong, who was always fond of wine, would drink a whole pot of wine every day to celebrate.

"Your Majesty, your tactic of feigning retreat to advance is truly a deadly move."

Faced with Kong Rong's praise, Liu Xie hurriedly interrupted him, "Wenju, I have heard about your deeds in your early years and I truly admire you. I think you are trustworthy."

The story of Kong Rong sharing pears is well-known, but the most praiseworthy story is actually the story of Kong Rong and his family fighting to the death.

During the persecution of the partisans, Zhang Jian, a member of the partisan faction, was wanted and arrested everywhere. Kong Rong's elder brother, Kong Bao, was a good friend of Zhang Jian, so Zhang Jian went to seek refuge with him.

Unfortunately, Kong Bao was not home, and Kong Rong was only sixteen years old at the time. Because Kong Rong was young, Zhang Jian did not tell him the truth. Seeing Zhang Jian's flustered expression, Kong Rong said to him: "Brother, you are away from home, can't I make decisions for you?" So he kept Zhang Jian with him.

Later, the plot was exposed, Zhang Jian fled, and Kong Rong and Kong Bao were arrested and imprisoned. When questioned by the authorities, the two brothers vied to confess. In the end, the court found Kong Bao guilty, and Kong Rong's reputation soared as a result.

Kong Rong was a little excited, so he straightened up and said, "Your Majesty, please feel free to give me your orders. As long as it is within my ability, I will not refuse."

Liu Xie pointed to the clear water lake that was being excavated, "Very good, then you will take good care of this place for me. After you finish this, I will definitely give you an important position. Can you do that?"

"Huh?" This was no big deal for Kong Rong.

Kong Rong hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I think we should counterattack Cao Cao in the court and take the opportunity to completely overthrow him. Your Majesty should take power and rule personally as soon as possible."

Liu Xie's face darkened. "I think Wenju is trustworthy. Can't he even handle such a small matter? If the ruler commands the subject to die, the subject's refusal is disloyalty; if the father commands the son to die, the son's refusal is unfilial. You don't need to worry about court affairs for now. If Wenju feels that this is beneath your great talent and you don't want to do this, you might as well tell me, and I will choose another capable person."

Kong Rong was stumped by the question. He wanted to cheer for Liu Xie, to fight for him, and to oppose Cao Cao.

Instead of digging an artificial lake here.

Liu Xie stared intently at him and asked again, "Can you do it? If not, I will have Prince Zhongji and his men do it."

"Your Majesty, why are you doing this?"

Kong Rong was somewhat bewildered. He was confident in his reputation and abilities and felt that he should do great things, preferably become the emperor's right-hand man.

"I need people who are willing to work for me. Since Wenju is unwilling to lower himself, I will find someone else. You are not even willing to do such a small thing for me, yet you want me to entrust you with important responsibilities. Forget it. You are willing to die to save Zhang Jian, but you are not willing to do such a small thing for me. Sigh."

Liu Xie flicked his sleeves, glanced at Kong Rong with disappointment, and turned to leave. Suddenly, Kong Rong knelt on the ground, disregarding his image. "Your Majesty, I am willing! I am willing to supervise the construction here until the Clear Water Lake is completed!"

"Very well, then I'll wait and see. If I hear you complaining and grumbling again in the future, I don't want to see you again."

Liu Xie waved his hand and said coldly, "Go ahead and get busy."

Kong Rong glanced at Liu Xie again, then left with a complicated expression.

The eunuchs nearby were puzzled and too frightened to approach.

Seeing such a esteemed scholar being reprimanded in this way, Zhao Yun felt a pang of pity and said, "Your Majesty, Kong Rong is a man of high moral character and exceptional talent. Don't you think it's a bit much for Your Majesty to demean him like this?"

Liu Xie glanced at him and said earnestly, "Kong Rong and his ilk are always the loudest talkers, Zilong. The more they talk, the less of a threat they pose to Cao Cao, and the less help they can be to me. I sent him here as the supervisor both to protect him and to train him. If he can't stand it and keeps complaining all day, then he'll be of no use to me at all. Do you really think that writing a few lines of poetry and making some harmless criticisms of Cao Cao will turn the tide for me?"

Liu Xie's expression was resolute and serious. "What I need are people who can get things done, even if it's just trivial matters!"

Zhao Yun nodded. He knew just how much pressure Liu Xie was under and that he had to be cautious at all times and always think of countermeasures.

To contend with Cao Cao was no less than dancing on the edge of a knife; the danger involved was unimaginable.

After a while, Zhao Yun said, "Cheng Yu is still locked up in the North Temple prison these days. It seems that Cao Cao is having a hard time making a decision."

Liu Xie changed the subject, saying, "I heard that Cao Hong has been having a lot of good fortune lately. He often dine at Tianxiang Pavilion and has gotten completely drunk several times."

Zhao Yun nodded. "That's right. But Ma Kui's letter also mentioned that Cao Hong is still so stingy and reluctant to spend money on courtesans. He just likes the atmosphere of Tianxiang Pavilion, and his spending each time is not large."

Although he stayed in the palace, Wang Yue frequently went in and out, and news was always being sent to Liu Xie.

Cao Hong's money shop is now even more popular than before, with an astonishing daily income.

Cao Hong was in high spirits and had been visiting Tianxiang Pavilion more and more often lately.

Liu Xie sneered, "Since Cao Cao can't bear to get rid of Cheng Yu, then I'll give him a hand."

When Cao Hong returned to Tianxiang Pavilion, Ma Kui had found him several beautiful girls. Surrounded by beauties, the girls kept urging Cao Hong to drink, and every now and then they would slither into his arms like water snakes. Soon, Cao Hong was drunk again.

But the next day, a piece of news suddenly spread among the drinkers.

Guo Jia came to see Cao Cao with a heavy heart. "My lord, the Imperial Secretariat received some bad news today."

"what's up?"

Seeing Guo Jia's serious expression, Cao Cao was also slightly puzzled.

"Some drinkers overheard someone mentioning that when Cheng Yu was stationed in Yanzhou, he used human flesh as rations to feed the soldiers."

This matter was not news in theory, as Cao Cao had known about it for a long time, but he kept it a secret, and very few people knew about it.

Cao Cao suddenly stood up, staring at Guo Jia with a sharp, piercing gaze. "How did the news get out? Have you found out?"

Guo Jia nodded, somewhat hesitant.

Cao Cao urged hastily, "Speak quickly, who is so inconsiderate as to discuss this matter in Xuchang?"

"Yes……"

Seeing Cao Cao's eyes widening in anxiety, Guo Jia had no choice but to reply, "It is General Li Feng, Cao Hong!"

"It was him!" Cao Cao was somewhat surprised, but then quickly realized that it wasn't so surprising after all.

In recent months, who in Xudu has been riding high? Apart from Cao Hong, there is no one else.

Cao Hong's businesses, including real estate and money lending, were thriving, with daily earnings that made others envious. Cao Cao even witnessed someone bringing a whole cartload of money to deposit at his money lending business, a truly sensational scene.

Cao Cao had borrowed money from Cao Hong several times in private, but to Cao Hong, this amount of money seemed to be nothing at all and did not affect his operations at all. Even Cao Cao was a little envious.

"Cao Hong, Cao Hong, I think he's getting more and more arrogant lately." Cao Cao gritted his teeth, his eyes almost spitting fire.

(End of this chapter)