Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Following Xu Shu's order, several guards left the main hall and went to report the news to all parts of Fancheng. Soon, Huaiji General Shen Dan, Lieutenant General Wen Dai, and the four generals Dian Man, Li Ji, Zou Gui, and Wang Qi from the Central Army all came to the hall to listen to the order.

As for Lu Shi, Xu Shu did not intend to give him any combat-related assignments.

After clearing his throat, Xu Shu said in a clear voice: "You all fought hard yesterday. I understand that I asked you to come here at this hour to discuss matters. Are you all sober now?"

After a burst of laughter, everyone said that there was nothing to worry about.

Xu Shu then smiled and nodded: "General Shen!"

"I'm here!" Shen Dan took a step forward, clasped his fists and saluted, waiting for orders.

"I order you to lead 3,000 soldiers from your army to march north along the Han River early tomorrow morning, seize the opportunity to recapture the two cities of Shandu and Zhuyang, and look for a usable ferry. If you encounter the Wu army, report to us at any time. The rest of your soldiers will stay in the Fancheng military camp, and I will make other arrangements."

"Yes, sir!" Shen Dan agreed readily.

Of the eight thousand men he had brought south with Xu Shu from Xinye, two thousand had stayed in Deng County to defend the city, and some had been lost in the battle yesterday. They were also responsible for cleaning up the battlefield yesterday and the camp left by the Wu army outside the city. It was already good that he could squeeze out three thousand men.

"Zuo Shi!" Xu Shu glanced at Zuo Shi standing in the corner of the hall. All the generals looked at Zuo Shi, and even Zuo Shi himself was surprised. He was just a troupe leader, how could he be named by Xu Gong in front of all the two thousand stone generals?

"I'm here!" Although he was a little surprised, Zuo Shi was not afraid.

Xu Shu said calmly, "Captain Wei Xian was killed in battle, and the remaining thousand men in his unit have no one to lead them. I will recommend you as the Sima of another unit. In addition to the hundred cavalrymen in your own unit, you will also lead these thousand men as my own unit."

"I obey your order!" Zuo Shi clasped his fists and responded loudly, with a hint of excitement in his voice.

Qian Zhao smiled slightly but said nothing. Xu Shu led a hundred cavalrymen from Yecheng to Jingzhou. He had always relied on the two thousand men of Wei Sheng's army as his main force, and now there were a thousand more led by Wei Xianzeng. Although one of the two brothers of the Wei family died in the battle, their fortunes were here.

"As for the generals of the Wuwei Camp and General Wen," Xu Shu continued, "you should temporarily train the soldiers and boost their morale in the next few days. Yukouwu, north of the Han River, is still guarded by the Wu army. There may be another battle within ten days, so be prepared first."

"Yes, sir!" everyone responded.

After the meeting, the generals filed out of the hall. Xu Shu and Qian Zhao also walked out of the mansion and went to the city wall to look at the river view.

……

Ten miles outside Xuchang City, the Imperial Attendant Pei Qian led a hundred knights from the Central Commander's Camp to wait. Pei Qian arrived at the beginning of the afternoon and waited for a full hour. As the sun gradually set, a team of more than a hundred people finally came from the west of the official road.

Seeing this, Pei Qian raised his hand to signal the cavalrymen following behind him to stop, and walked forward alone. After seeing the face of the man on horseback, Pei Qian smiled and bowed, saying:

"I never thought that it was Cao Gong himself who came and met Cao Gong."

"Oh, it's Minister Pei." The Imperial Clan Chief Cao Ke dismounted and quickly walked forward, saying with a smile, "It's Minister Pei who came to greet you. Now that I have met you, my mission is complete."

Pei Qian said, "Ah, this is Cao Gong's job. I am just here to greet you. Cao Gong still has the final say. Please enter the city quickly. Your Majesty has been waiting for you in the Xuchang Palace for a long time."

"Okay, okay, please, Minister Pei." Cao Ke stroked his beard with a smile: "You and I will mount our horses and enter the city together."

"It should be so." Pei Qian nodded.

The Minister of the Imperial Clan Cao Ke and the Minister of the Court Pei Qian rode their horses side by side, and the hundred or so cavalrymen brought by Pei Qian also guarded them on the left and right sides and in front and behind.

There were five carriages lined up in front and behind, with curtains hanging low, so that no one could see the people inside from the outside. However, the carved carriage door frame and the flower patterns embroidered on the curtains, as well as the colorful beads hanging in front of the door, seemed to symbolize that the passengers inside were extraordinary.

The crowd and the carriage slowly drove into Xuchang, and then headed straight towards the Xuchang Palace.

At the door of the study, the eunuch Bi Jin whispered, "Your Majesty, Minister Pei sent someone to report that the carriage that was waiting outside the city has entered Xuchang City."

"Okay, I understand." Cao Rui nodded in response, and turned to look at Sima Yi and Wei Ji who were sitting in the hall: "Sikong and Wei Shangshu, please go back first. The inventory of the counties in Qingzhou and Xuzhou has not been completed yet. Come back to me tomorrow at 9:00 pm."

"As ordered, I will take my leave."

Wei Ji was older, so Sima Yi had to support him a little, even though he was his superior. The two walked side by side, and there was no one within a few feet. Sima Yi smiled and said as he walked, "Lord Bo Ji, you and I were busy here until late at night yesterday, and you were driven away before dinner today. The face of a minister is really not as charming as that of a beauty."

Wei Ji also laughed a few times: "Perhaps the Queen Mother saw that my ministers and I have brought our families to Xuchang, and was worried that the palace would be lonely, so she also added some for Your Majesty."

"Zhongda, I heard that you only brought one concubine to Xuchang?"

Sima Yi nodded slightly: "I brought Fu here, as well as my young son, Jun'er. Lord Bo Ju also knows that since the incident in the family of the late Grand Tutor Zhong in Luozhong, the wives of the wives of the wives of the wives of the former Grand Tutor Zhong seem to have learned from the experience. My wife Chunhua has also been using the incident of the wives of the Zhong family and Zhong Yu to attack me openly or secretly."

"This..." Wei Ji thought for a moment and said, "It is somewhat similar."

Sima Yi sighed, "Who made me have two good sons, Shi'er and Zhao'er? By the way, Lord Bo Ju, your son Guan'er is ten years old now, right?"

"Ten years old." Wei Ji stroked his beard and said, "Zi Shang is farming in Xuchang, right? When will he come back to Xuchang to see you?"

Sima Yi said, "It will be a few days soon. I will be back at the beginning of next month. There will be a family dinner at my house, and Lord Bo Ju will come with Guan Er."

"I understand." Wei Ji said, "Then let Wei Guan see Zi Shang. Zhongda's adopted son is indeed a good choice."

Sima Yi smiled and said, "Don't be so arrogant. Please walk slowly, Lord Bo Ju."

……

At night, Cao Rui also started to have dinner in the palace. Unlike usual days, there were many people eating together today.

Of the five concubines already in the Xuchang Palace, Cao Rui only called the highest-ranking one, Guo Yao, to come.

"I am dining with His Majesty tonight, but I am a little jealous." Guo Yao poured wine for Cao Rui while saying coquettishly, "Xuchang is not like Luoyang. I was thinking that His Majesty only favored me in Xuchang, so today five more people are coming to compete with me."

Cao Rui smelled the incense on Guo Yao's body and looked at her sideways with a teasing look: "The Luoyang Palace is managed by Empress Dowager Guo, and the Xuchang Palace is managed by Concubine Guo. How can a woman with the surname Guo have such good luck?" Guo Yao smiled and said, "Your Majesty loves me, so naturally I have good luck."

There were sounds of footsteps outside the palace gate. Guo Yao rubbed Cao Rui's shoulders and whispered, "Maybe the five women are here. Your Majesty, do you want to summon them in?"

Cao Rui chuckled: "Well, let them come."

Guo Yao gave an order to the outside, and Bi Jin, who was waiting at the door, led the five women in. The five women slowly stood in a row, and Bi Jin greeted them and left, closing the door of the hall.

Cao Rui looked at the five women who were either nervous, reserved, or curious, and said:
"The Queen Mother sent you from Luoyang to the Xuchang Palace. You five all know why, right? Regardless of whether you were assigned by the Queen Mother or came for your family, I will give you a chance. Is there anyone who wants to leave or does not want to enter the palace? It is not too late to speak up now."

How could these newly-entered women dare to answer such a sharp question? They all remained silent, not daring to make a sound. Only the second woman standing on the right spoke up:
"Your Majesty, the Queen Mother has already sent the betrothal gifts to my family in Luoyang, and I have already arrived at the Xuchang Palace. How can I leave? A man must obey his will. I hope Your Majesty will have mercy on me."

Cao Rui laughed and turned to look at Guo Yao who was standing beside him: "Yao'er, when you first came to my side, you were very shy and you were not so forthcoming when talking to me."

Guo Yao lowered her head and replied, "I was just a maid in the palace at first. I was lucky enough to serve Your Majesty. I am not from a wealthy family. How could I have the courage to speak to Your Majesty like this?"

Cao Rui didn't care and looked at the woman who had just spoken. She had bright eyes, white teeth, and charming eyebrows. She had a slightly bookish air, which was different from the temperament of the three women of Mao, Sun, and Guo.

"How should I call you? Although the Queen Mother mentioned the five of you in the letter, I still can't match them up."

"Your Majesty, my name is Yang Huiyu, and I am from Taishan County, Yanzhou."

Cao Rui stared into Yang Huiyu's eyes and pretended to question: "Is Yang Xin your father? He was in charge of Shangdang County for me in Huguan. How was your entry into the palace decided? Didn't your father know?"

Yang Huiyu bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the decision of my entering the palace was made by the Queen Mother and my mother, and then my father was informed by express horse, and he naturally agreed."

Cao Rui asked, "How did the Queen Mother know your mother?"

Yang Huiyu raised her head slightly, and just as her eyes met Cao Rui's, she shyly looked away: "My mother's surname is Cai Zhenji, and my aunt's surname is Zhaoji. We often discussed music with the Queen Mother, and that's how we got to know each other."

Cao Rui nodded thoughtfully.

When Cao Rui was in Luoyang, he noticed the close relationship between Feng Yuan and Empress Dowager Guo. When Empress Dowager Guo said she wanted to choose another concubine, Cao Rui guessed that she had her own ideas, but he didn't expect that she would send Yang Xin's daughter into the palace.

However, this woman answered questions gracefully and had a very good appearance. She was indeed different from ordinary women. Cao Rui did not blame Empress Dowager Guo for a moment.

Cao Rui pointed to the woman on the far right and said, "Tell me your names one by one, starting with you."

"Yes." The woman on the far right was obviously more nervous. She bit her lips slightly and her voice was trembling: "My name is Ren Shu, and my hometown is Zhongmu, Henan."

Cao Rui nodded slightly. This girl was the granddaughter of the former Changshui Commandant Ren Jun. During the Battle of Guandu, Ren Jun was in charge of military preparations and food for Emperor Wu Cao Cao, and was repeatedly entrusted with important tasks. Cao Cao even married his younger sister to Ren Jun.

If you look closely, Ren Shu still has some thin kinship with the Cao family, but in this era, it is no longer a problem.

Yang Huiyu just said it, so of course I skipped it.

The third woman bowed and said softly, "Your Majesty, my name is Zheng Zhi, and I am from Kaifeng, Henan."

This girl was the second daughter of the imperial censor Zheng Mao. Zheng Mao's father was Zheng Tai, and his uncle was Zheng Hun, who was the current governor of Wei County.

Cao Rui said softly: "Zheng Hun is your great uncle, right?"

"Yes." Zheng Zhi answered timidly, "It was my great-uncle."

Cao Rui said, "The former Yingchuan governor Dong Zhou went to Youzhou to guard the border for me. Ten days ago, I ordered the Shangshutai to transfer Zheng Hun to Yingchuan as the governor. It's a coincidence."

"Your Majesty is right. It is indeed a coincidence."

This woman's words were ultimately no match for Yang Huiyu's, so Cao Rui didn't take it to heart. Instead, he asked Yang Huiyu again: "Huiyu, I want to ask you, do you want your father to be more relaxed or more busy?"

Yang Huiyu was stunned for a few moments, not knowing what Cao Rui meant. After a moment, she said, "I just hope my father is healthy. Whether he is busy or idle, it is not something I can persuade him to do."

Cao Rui smiled and said, "Yang Xin has been in Shangdang for many years and his achievements are excellent. I know that. For now, I will promote your father and let him be the governor of Wei County."

"Yes." Yang Huiyu replied softly.

Cao Rui was a little curious: "Hui Yu, do you know the difference between Shangdang County and Wei County? Wei County was the original county of the old Wei State, one of the five capitals of the Great Wei, and it is almost the best place in the world to be a prefect!"

Yang Huiyu thought for a few moments and replied calmly: "When I was at home, my mother told me that if I entered the palace, I should not listen to or ask about the affairs of the court, and just serve Your Majesty. My father's position is a matter of the court, and I dare not ask or speak."

“Hahahaha.” Cao Rui laughed a few times and shook his head: “The Queen Mother has good eyesight.”

After saying that, Cao Rui looked at the two women behind him and asked, "Which one of you is Wen Fang and which one is Xiang Li Xiu?"

The last woman was about half a head taller than the first four women. She answered in a thin voice, "Your Majesty, I am Wen Fang."

"I am Xiangli Xiu." The fourth woman continued.

Cao Rui looked at Guo Yao and said with a smile, "It's also interesting. The Queen Mother selected five daughters for me. Two of them are from Henan Yin, two are from Bingzhou, and the father of the remaining daughter is still serving in Bingzhou. I guess she selected them in a hurry and didn't have time to ask outside."

Guo Yao replied softly: "Since the Queen Mother has chosen it, then there must be a reason for it."

"That makes sense." Cao Rui waved his hand and said, "You all can take your seats. Don't be shy. Eat with me at the same table. Let's taste the imperial meal today. If you have any questions, you can always ask Concubine Guo."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." The five ladies bowed. (End of this chapter)