Wei Xiaobao's Three Kingdoms Adventure

Chapter 44 Her name is Diao Chan
After days of hard work, Wei Xiaobao and Shuang'er found nothing. Their initial excitement wore off, and they finally left Zhang Rang with nothing. They abandoned their bodies on the riverbank, leaving them there for dead. It was a pity that the once powerful Ten Attendants had ended up with their bodies lying in the wilderness.

Wei Xiaobao lost all energy and lay in bed for the whole day before getting up. He stretched himself and looked at Liu Xie and Shuang'er with empty eyes.

Liu Xie learned a lot of games from the palace maids, and these days he and Shuang'er spent their time in the bedroom playing these games.

Liu Xie heard Wei Xiaobao's breathing and turned around and said, "You're finally awake. Come and play tossing pots."

Wei Xiaobao watched as the two men, clutching a handful of arrows, threw them into a pot in the distance. After Liu Xie threw his arrow in, he clapped his hands in joy.

Wei Xiaobao was furious and cursed, "You're becoming more and more like a child. You can even have so much fun playing such a boring game. Don't forget how old you are."

Shuang'er walked over to Wei Xiaobao and comforted him, "Xiaobao, I know you're anxious to go back. But without the imperial seal, there's no way we can go back."

Wei Xiaobao sighed and asked Liu Xie, "Besides the jade seal, are there any other foreign objects that are hundreds or thousands of years old?"

Liu Xie put down the arrow in his hand, thought for a moment and said, "Yes, there is, but it's rather troublesome."

Wei Xiaobao said, "No matter how much trouble it is, I have to go find him. I can't really stay in this palace for decades, right?"

Liu Xie said, "If we can find an ancient tomb from over a thousand years ago, we might be able to find some of the artifacts we need. However, a jade seal would be best, as jade is more spiritual."

Wei Xiaobao immediately lost his temper and said, "Forget about tomb robbing. I know the Imperial Seal is important, but we've searched through all the Ten Attendants' bodies and still haven't found it. Where should we look for it next?"

Liu Xie said, "The Emperor isn't worried, so why are you? Since we don't know the whereabouts of the imperial seal, why not just wait for Liu Bian to go look for it? Once he finds it, we can take action, right?"

Shuang'er also advised: "Yes, Xiaobao, the three of us are definitely not as capable as the emperor. After all, he has so many people under his command."

After hearing what they said, Wei Xiaobao slapped his thigh and said, "How could I have forgotten her?"

Liu Xie and Shuang'er thought that Wei Xiaobao was talking about Liu Bian, but they didn't know that he was actually Liu Bian's mother He Lingsi.

Wei Xiaobao was about to go to Yongle Palace to look for He Lingsi. As soon as he got out of bed, he heard a palace maid outside the door say, "Prince Chenliu, the Minister of State invites Wei Xiaobao to his residence for a chat."

Liu Xie and Wei Xiaobao looked at each other at the same time.

Liu Xie asked, "What does Lu Zhi want to see you about?"

Wei Xiaobao shook his head, and suddenly remembered the conversation with Lu Zhi outside the city that day. He smiled and said, "Maybe he is going to find a wife for me."

Shuang Er smiled and said, "You have so many wives and it's not enough. If you marry a wife here, you can't take her back with you."

Wei Xiaobao made a face and said, "I'll go see what's going on. You two shouldn't just play around. When you have time, try asking around in the palace about the whereabouts of the imperial seal. Maybe Zhang Rang has hidden it in the palace."

Wei Xiaobao followed the maid to the palace gate and saw the servants from Lu Zhi's house waiting for him. They took a carriage to the Shangshu Mansion. The maids and servants in the Shangshu Mansion were busy packing up, not looking like they were expecting any visitors.

Wei Xiaobao saw Lu Zhi in the study and thought his nominal teacher was going to arrange a match for him. He asked excitedly, "Teacher, you sent for me. Has anyone already picked out a girl?"

Lu Zhi sighed before speaking, "I have already resigned from my position. I'm afraid I will have to break my promise to recommend you to the court for an official position."

Wei Xiaobao was shocked and said, "Teacher, why are you resigning from your official position? But I don't care about being an official anyway."

Lu Zhi smiled faintly and said, "I didn't expect you to be so indifferent to fame and fortune. It really puts me to shame. Since Dong Zhuo entered the capital, he has repeatedly proposed deposing the emperor and enthroning the Prince of Chenliu as the heinous ruler. Whenever anyone opposes him, he kills them on the spot."

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "I didn't expect Dong Zhuo to be even more domineering than Aobai."

Wei Xiaobao said, "When He Jin wanted to use Liu Bian's power, he only did it in the mourning hall. He also won over the Ten Attendants in advance before he dared to do so. How could Dong Zhuo kill people in front of you?"

Lu Zhi said, "He Jin is like a tiger that's been driven to devour a wolf. Even if he hadn't been killed by the Ten Attendants, he would have died by Dong Zhuo's sword. Dong Zhuo relied on the Xiliang army under his command to act so presumptuously." Wei Xiaobao said, "There weren't many soldiers who entered the city with us that day. Even if He Jin is dead, can't Yuan Shao and Cao Cao's troops defeat Dong Zhuo?"

Lu Zhi said, "You don't know. Although the Xiliang troops that entered the city that day were small, more soldiers continued to enter the city every day. Yuan Shao and Cao Cao were worried that Dong Zhuo had already stationed a large number of troops in Luoyang, so they didn't dare to confront him head-on."

Wei Xiaobao thought of the soldiers he had met at the city gate these days, and immediately understood. He smiled and said, "Dong Zhuo is quite clever."

Lu Zhi asked in surprise, "What do you mean?"

Wei Xiaobao told Lu Zhi what he had seen when he left the city at night and when he entered the city in the morning, but he did not tell him about his trip to the river to retrieve the body.

After hearing this, Lu Zhi said, "Why didn't I think of that? This deceptive tactic must have been created by Jia Xu again. He has soldiers sneak out of the city every night and then march back in with a swagger in the morning. It's just the same wave of people coming and going. Such a simple tactic, and we actually fell for it, thinking Dong Zhuo's Xiliang army had already entered the city."

Wei Xiaobao said, "Teacher, since you have seen through Jia Xu's scheme, you don't need to resign. Go and explain things to Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, and you won't have to be afraid of Dong Zhuo anymore."

Lu Zhi said, "Alas! I'm afraid it's too late."

Wei Xiaobao asked, "What's wrong?"

Lu Zhi continued, "Dong Zhuo bribed Lü Bu with his Red Hare. Lü Bu killed his adoptive father, Ding Yuan, last night and joined Dong Zhuo, even acknowledging him as his adopted father. Lü Bu is incredibly brave and follows Dong Zhuo day and night. Now, no one dares to challenge him."

Only then did Wei Xiaobao know that Lu Bu's original godfather was Ding Yuan, and only then did he recognize Dong Zhuo as his godfather.

Wei Xiaobao cursed, "He's too spineless to change his godfather just for a horse."

Lu Zhi shook his head and said, "A magnificent weapon and a fine horse are the lifelong pursuits of a general. Moreover, Dong Zhuo has the Xiliang army under his command. Lü Bu betrayed his master for power and wealth, not just for a horse."

Wei Xiaobao laughed and said, "Dong Zhuo, isn't he afraid that someone will bribe Lü Bu with other valuables in the future, and he will end up like Ding Yuan?"

Wei Xiaobao knew the story of how Lu Bu killed Dong Zhuo for Diao Chan, so he deliberately showed off in front of Lu Zhi, thinking that when something happened in the future, Lu Zhi might even praise him for being a prophet.

After all, in Wei Xiaobao's view, Lu Zhi was not only a high-ranking official in the court, but also Liu Bei's teacher. This person must be extraordinary. Moreover, Lu Zhi's genuine concern for him also made Wei Xiaobao want to get close to him. Only by showing off his skills in front of people he was close to and liked could Wei Xiaobao get the greatest psychological satisfaction.

Lu Zhi shook his head again and said, "The Red Hare is a rare horse in the world. Speaking of divine weapons, Lü Bu already has the Fang Tian Hua Ji. If you want to bribe Lü Bu again, I'm afraid it will be difficult."

Wei Xiaobao wanted to tell Lu Zhi about Diao Chan, but he could not remember whose daughter Diao Chan was, and he didn't know where to find Diao Chan at this time. If he told Lu Zhi, he would leave the task of finding Diao Chan to himself, which would delay the time of finding the jade seal. So he simply kept silent.

Lu Zhi sighed again and said, "I've made up my mind to leave, but I'm worried about you. That day, you ventured into Guangzong alone, and not long after, I was framed by Zuo Feng and returned to Luoyang. I've been worried about your safety ever since. When Guangzong fell, I asked Huangfu Song to find out where you are, but unfortunately, I've been searching for you for four years in vain. After so much difficulty reuniting with you, we have to part again. You have no parents, and you're alone in Luoyang. You must be careful in the future."

Wei Xiaobao couldn't help but shed tears when he heard his sincere words.

Back then, Lu Zhi was fooled by Wei Xiaobao's tearful acting in Guangzong County. Now, seeing him about to cry again, he couldn't help but feel sad.

Lu Zhi said, "But don't worry, I have already arranged a marriage for you. It can be regarded as finding a supporter for you before you leave."

Wei Xiaobao wanted to refuse directly, but when he saw tears in Lu Zhi's eyes, he couldn't bear to refuse and nodded.

Lu Zhi said, "Although she is a singer, she has been raised in the Situ Mansion since she was a child. Outsiders do not know her identity. If you marry her, you will be considered a retainer of the Situ family, and you will have a backer in Luoyang in the future."

Wei Xiaobao asked, "What's her name?"

"Diao Chan!"

(End of this chapter)