My younger brother Lü Fengxian

Chapter 238 Cao Mengde

The man looked at Lu Yi who was holding him with some annoyance, but seeing that Lu Yi was handsome and had a kind attitude, he patiently explained a few words.

"The guest is from out of town, right?"

"Otherwise, you wouldn't even know that Xu Shao openly read the fortunes of the imperial court because of the great victory over the Xianbei?"

After saying this, he left in a hurry without waiting for Lu Yi's answer, fearing that he would miss the show if he arrived too late.

"Xu Shao...?" Lu Yi couldn't help but murmur as he watched the man leaving.

"Brother, I have heard of Xu Shao's name many times. It is said that he is good at physiognomy, and his results are very accurate and often come true. However, he has been living in Runan and only reads physiognomy once a month, which is called Yuedan Ping. Since I am lucky enough to meet him in Luoyang today, let's go and take a look together!"

Lu Bu said excitedly after hearing this.

The dynasty lacked entertainment activities, and Xu Shao's show was like Lu Yi's melon-eating show to ordinary people.

Moreover, Xu Shao's predictions always came true with great effectiveness, which cast a veil of mystery over him to the world.

Therefore, it is not difficult to understand why he was so popular that even Lu Bu, who had lived in Jiuyuan for a long time, was very interested in him.

"Let's go...let's go take a look too!"

Seeing this, Lu Yi smiled and nodded to Lu Bu, then immediately took the lead and followed the surging crowd.

In the original time and space, Lu Yi has always looked down upon these so-called people with special abilities.

I feel that they are all charlatans who use some unknown techniques to cheat people.

But now that time travel has happened, his soul has arrived at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty more than a thousand years ago.

Now my determination towards this thing that I used to look down upon has been shaken.

Moreover, he had heard of Xu Shao a long time ago and wanted to meet this sorcerer who had made his name in history.

The Lu Yi brothers walked with the crowd for a while.

The closer we got to the place where Xu Shao opened his fortune-telling shop, the more people there were.

Many people were crowding in with their families, as if it was some major festive occasion.

Fortunately, Lu Yi is tall and strong.

And Lu Bu beside him was even more of a human-sized beast. When people saw the two of them, they almost immediately made way for them.

Therefore, the Lu Yi brothers easily squeezed to the front and occupied two better positions.

However, Lu Yi was cautious by nature and did not stand directly in the first row, but chose the second or third row.

Anyway, both brothers are tall people, standing out in the crowd, and their vision is not blocked at all.

In the center of the crowd there was a table and two stools, which was very simple.

The owner, Xu Shao, had not left the house yet, and the stall was being run by one of Xu Shao's servants.

"I hope all the people know that my Lord Xu Shao is a world-famous fortune teller. His face reading skills are extremely effective and he has never failed!"

Although the servant was bowing to the people around him, his attitude was full of pride.

He had a smug look on his face, and was obviously very proud of the abilities of his master Xu Shao.

"Originally, my master only read faces in his hometown of Runan."

"But now, in order to celebrate the great victory of the imperial court, my master has no way to repay you, so he specially came to the imperial capital Luoyang to read people's fortunes for half a day."

"But Luoyang has a population of one million. If everyone came to have their fortune told, I'm afraid my master would be exhausted and unable to handle it all. Therefore, if you want my master to tell your fortune, you need to pay one hundred gold coins."

"What? He charges a hundred gold coins for a fortune-telling? Is Xu Shao crazy about money?"

Some people immediately looked angry when they heard this.

He had been excitedly squeezing in for a long time, just because he heard that Xu Shao had set up a fortune-telling stall in public and wanted to get something for free. Now, after all that work, he has to pay for it.

Moreover, it is a sum of money worth hundreds of gold. I am afraid that even an ordinary wealthy family cannot easily come up with such a large amount of money.

"Humph, you really don't know what's good!"

Before the servant could open his mouth to defend himself, someone next to the person who had just spoken began to mock and humiliate him.

"Mr. Xu is the best fortune teller in the world today. He is very good at reading people's faces and observing their aura. This is a way to spy on the secrets of heaven. The so-called secrets of heaven cannot be leaked. How many people want to spend thousands of gold to ask Mr. Xu for an evaluation but have no way to get through. You poor guy, you can't even spend a mere hundred gold, and you still want to ask Mr. Xu to read your face?"

"It's really an idiot's dream!"

"Uh...Xu Shao's fortune-telling service is so expensive?"

The man was shocked when he heard this, and his face turned red instantly when he saw the contemptuous looks from the people around him. He knew that he had gotten up very early today and had embarrassed himself.

"Haha, thank you for the good words from this guest. However, what the guest said is not wrong. The so-called face reading is actually checking the fortune. It can understand the secrets of the heavens and know the future. It should not be checked lightly. It will shorten your life. Therefore, my master only holds a monthly review on New Year's Day every month."

"But my master also said that since the imperial court has won a great victory over the Xianbei and conquered Hebei, it is not a big deal to lose some life on such a grand occasion."

"But it's only limited to half a day today, that's it!"

"Moreover, my master is also going to donate all the money he has obtained to the imperial court to provide relief to the dead and wounded soldiers and orphans."

The servant said this and bowed to everyone.

“Is there anyone interested?”

"Mr. Xu is truly a man of high moral character!"

"Sacrificing oneself to benefit others is truly a noble man!"

Upon hearing this, everyone showed great respect to Xu Shao, who had not yet appeared.

"Tsk tsk! What a master!"

Lu Yi hid in the crowd, looking at the eloquent servant leisurely, and couldn't help but feel a little admiration for Xu Shao.

"Master?" Lu Bu couldn't help but wonder when he heard that.

"Brother, you haven't even seen his face, so how do you know that Xu Shao is a master?"

"Haha, Fengxian misunderstood. I am not praising his ingenuity, but I admire his management skills!"

"Business philosophy?" Lu Bu frowned slightly, not understanding what Lu Yi meant.

“The so-called way of doing business is not just about family property, official titles, and money, but also about yourself and your reputation.”

“You must know that for a person, oneself is the most valuable commodity. Whether you want to find a good customer or want to sell at a good price, you need to package yourself well.”

"If not, it won't sell for a good price!"

Lu Yi spoke eloquently and explained for his younger brother Lu Bu.

“Although I have not witnessed Xu Shao’s fortune-telling in person, just by looking at his monthly reviews, I know that he must be a master of hunger marketing!”

"And this time he is doing fortune-telling in the name of providing relief to the orphans of the dead and wounded soldiers. He is a smart man who knows how to seize the opportunity. I am afraid that after this, Xu Shao's reputation will be even higher, and people who go to Runan to participate in the Yuedan Review held by him will flock to him like a swarm of fish crossing the river!"

"So that's how it is!"

"In that case, why don't you ask him to look at your face?"

After hearing this, Lu Bu suddenly realized something and couldn't help but look at Xu Shao differently.

"No hurry. What I just said is true, but there is a premise."

Lu Yi shook his head slightly when he heard that and cast his eyes on the stall. While the two brothers were talking, the situation changed. He saw a heroic young man about seven feet tall with several servants carrying a weighed box coming to the stall.

"premise?"

Lu Bu was stunned when he heard this.

"That means Xu Shao can't just rely on marketing skills, he must at least have some real skills!"

"Otherwise, if I reveal my true identity in front of so many people, I will be infamous for eternity."

Seeing that the handsome young man had a lively look between his eyebrows, Lu Yi knew that he must be an extraordinary person even though he was an outsider. He felt a little expectant and was ready to test how much ability Xu Shao had in prying into the secrets of heaven.

"Haha, I see everyone is standing still and watching. I have heard of Mr. Xu's great name for a long time and have always wanted to meet him, but I have never been able to do so. Today we have a chance, so I will go first!"

"Slave, this is a hundred gold coins, why don't you ask fortune teller Xu to come out?"

The heroic young man clapped his hands, and the servant behind him immediately put down the box, which hit the ground with a heavy muffled thud. He turned around and opened the lid of the box, and suddenly dazzling golden light shot out from it, shocking the onlookers.

There were a hundred golden cakes lying inside.

"Excuse me, dear guest. My master has a rule for face reading. We will not receive anyone whose name, date of birth, or horoscope is unknown."

"If you sincerely want to read my face, you must first tell me this information."

One gold coin is worth ten thousand coins.

One hundred gold is a huge sum of money equivalent to one million.

Even in Luoyang city where every inch of land is valuable, it is a rare treasure.

The servant just glanced at the box to make sure the number was roughly right, then bowed respectfully to the handsome young man and asked.

"It's natural!"

The heroic young man nodded and told his name in public.

"I will not change my name or surname. My surname is Cao, my given name is Cao, my courtesy name is Mengde, I was born in the first year of Yongshou, my native place is Qiao County, Pei State, and I am currently an official in the position of Counselor."

Unexpectedly, the young man's words immediately caused an uproar.

"What? It was Cao Mengde in person!"

"Cao Cao? Could it be that he was the Northern Commander of Luoyang who established the five-colored sticks a few years ago, was not afraid of power, enforced the law strictly, and openly beat to death the uncle of the Ten Attendants Jian Shuo?"

"Oh, so it's this guy! He resigned from his post as the Northern Commander of Luoyang in the past few years. The playboys in Luoyang City have suddenly become like wild beasts that have broken free from their reins, often coming out to harm people. I really miss the peaceful days when he was still here a few years ago!"

"I heard that Cao Cao was still living in Qiao County last year. I wonder if he is going to stay in Luoyang permanently after entering the court as an official today?"

The crowd reacted enthusiastically and immediately surrounded Cao Cao, showing that Cao Cao had a strong mass base in Luoyang city at that time.

"Haha, fellow villagers, rest assured. Last year, Cao Cao was framed by a villain and had to retire. Fortunately, the emperor pardoned him. This time, he will not leave Luoyang!"

Cao Cao had a smile on his face and did not put on the airs of a court official at all. He bowed to the people around him one by one, which made people feel good about him.

"I didn't expect to run into Cao Cao here!"

Even Lu Yi, who had been paying attention to him, was a little surprised.

He looked absentmindedly at Cao Cao, who was being admired by the people in the crowd, and couldn't help feeling a little shocked.

Although Cao Cao controlled Emperor Xian and monopolized government affairs, and used the emperor to control the princes, just like Dong Zhuo, he had political talents that the previous powerful prime minister Dong Zhuo could never match.

Cao Cao was well-versed in military and literary strategies, as well as poetry and songs. He started from a small city in Chenliu, and within a dozen years he recovered two-thirds of the Han territory, ending decades of chaos and war north of the Yangtze River, and giving the people under his rule a way to survive.

Although they were powerful ministers, their contributions to China were significant in the present and will benefit future generations.

Cao Cao once said, "If I were not here, I don't know how many people in the world would call me 'I' and how many would say I'm lonely."

In Lu Yi's opinion, this sentence was a very pertinent affirmation of Cao Cao's achievements.

Of course, if he were Cao Cao, he would not allow others to claim to be the only one in front of him.

after all.

There can only be one king.

Cao Cao was famous in history, but from Lu Yi's perspective, he did not look treacherous at all. Instead, he had a sunny face and a passionate spirit, which made people feel friendly at first sight.

"Hmm? Why did you change color, brother? Do you know this Cao Cao?"

Lu Bu noticed the change in Lu Yi's expression and immediately asked with concern.

"Haha... Of course I know the famous Cao Cao, but he just doesn't know me yet!"

"He is just a small councilor with a salary of 600 dan. In a few days, brother will at least be a county magistrate with a salary of 1,000 dan."

"Besides, how can a mere county magistrate judge the character of my two brothers?"

"In my humble opinion, my elder brother will surely be famous all over the world in the future. By then, not to mention Cao Cao, who in the world will not know your name?"

"So why do you lower your status, brother?"

Lu Bu smiled when he heard this.

"Fengxian is right!"

After Lu Bu's reminder, Lu Yi suddenly smiled and released the pressure on Cao Cao that had been accumulating in his heart for a long time.

“That’s right!”

"Cao Cao is not yet the powerful King Wu of Wei in the future, and I am definitely not an unknown person."

"Brother Meng De, let's see who's better on the battlefield from now on!"

……

"Please wait a moment, my dear guest. I will go and summon my master."

Ignore Lu Yi's rising fighting spirit.

After receiving Cao Cao's name and family background information, Xu Shao's servant bowed and immediately went into the courtyard.

"Well, I'll wait here."

Cao Cao waved his hand, then sat on the stool at the stall with his horse and sword in hand and waited.

Not long after the servant entered the courtyard, he came out with a thin middle-aged scholar.

"I am the fortune teller Xu Shao. I wonder if you wanted to ask me to read your face just now?"

Xu Shao only glanced at the crowd and then fixed his eyes on Cao Cao who was still sitting there.

"It's Cao!"

Cao Cao did not stand up either, but just looked at Xu Shao with a smile on his face, looking at him with the arrogance unique to young people.

He had heard of Xu Shao's name a long time ago, but he had always kept his distance from ghosts and gods and did not believe in his abilities. Now, he happened to hear that this person had opened a fortune-telling stall in Luoyang. He had nothing to do, so he brought a few servants to see the excitement.

Hearing that Xu Shao's fortune-telling fee was to be donated to the court's dead soldiers and orphans, he admired him and generously prepared to sponsor some money to Xu Shao.

After all, the Cao family was a well-known wealthy family in Qiao County, so a mere hundred gold coins was no problem for them.

……

(End of this chapter)