Wei Xiaobao's Three Kingdoms Adventure

Chapter 60 I Can’t Read

Wei Xiaobao was shocked: "So it was you, old fellow, who betrayed me. Could it be that you also defected to Dong Zhuo?"

Wang Yun saw the surprise mixed with anger on Wei Xiaobao's face, and quickly waved his hand and said, "Don't be so angry, my dear nephew. Let me explain it to you slowly. Your teacher did mention this marriage to me before he left, but perhaps he left in such a hurry that he didn't have time to tell you."

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself: "He did say it, but I don't want to listen to him."

Wang Yun continued, "The last time you came to my house and saw Diao Chan, I wanted to bring up this matter, but you didn't know about it at the time and were anxious to go to the Emperor to plead for me, so I didn't have time to tell him. After you left, I thought you disliked Diao Chan's identity as a singing girl, so I adopted her as my daughter. I thought about writing another letter to your master, asking him to persuade you. But the next day, the Emperor ordered me to host a banquet for Lu Bu, and the letter was delayed. Moreover, after Lu Bu saw Diao Chan at my house, he fell in love with her and insisted that I betroth her to him. In desperation, I revealed the fact that you and Diao Chan were engaged. I guess Lu Bu went back to see the Grand Tutor, so he learned the whole story."

Wei Xiaobao blurted out, "Shouldn't you agree to marry Diao Chan to Lü Bu?"

Wang Yun asked, "Even though I adopted her as my adopted daughter, does my nephew still think Diao Chan is too high for him? Or does my nephew insist on waiting for a letter from Lord Lu Zhi before agreeing?"

Wei Xiaobao couldn't figure out what went wrong and asked, "How are you going to get rid of Dong Zhuo?"

Wang Yun was surprised and asked, "Why are you talking nonsense, nephew?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "Aren't you planning to use Diao Chan as a beauty trap? First, pretend to agree to marry Diao Chan to Lü Bu, then give Diao Chan to Dong Zhuo, causing them to turn against each other, and finally use Lü Bu to kill Dong Zhuo!"

Wang Yun was stunned. He stared at Wei Xiaobao and said, "What a brilliant idea! My dear nephew, how did you come up with such a brilliant idea?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "Isn't this the plan you came up with?"

Wang Yun said, "Your teacher praised you in front of me the other day for your strategic thinking. He said that despite your limited education, you possessed considerable skill. I disagreed, and even after meeting you last time, I felt your teacher was exaggerating. But after hearing what you said today, I know you're no ordinary person. In just a few words, you hinted at schemes like beauty traps, alienation schemes, and even the use of a knife to kill."

Wei Xiaobao cursed in his heart, "I asked you to use a chain of tricks, why are you praising me here? You're just an old fool."

Wang Yun sighed and continued, "Although your plan is good, it's a pity that you said it too late."

Wei Xiaobao said, "It's not too late. Go find Lu Bu now and tell him that you agree to marry Diao Chan to him."

Wang Yun sighed again: "Alas, my little daughter Diao Chan will marry you now."

Wei Xiaobao asked, "I've only met her once, why does she insist on marrying me? Lü Bu is a hero of the time, wouldn't it be better for her to marry him than me?"

"Wei Xiaobao!" A delicate shout interrupted Wei Xiaobao's words.

Wei Xiaobao looked in the direction of the voice and saw Diao Chan standing at the door with an angry face.

Diao Chan's eyebrows were slightly wrinkled, tears were in her eyes, her lips were trembling slightly, her two pink little hands were clenched into fists, and she stared at Wei Xiaobao motionlessly.

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "I'm dead, I'm dead. If I look at her one more time, I'll die right here. She must have heard everything I just said."

Diao Chan said, "Wei Xiaobao, I misjudged you. My foster father said you were a great hero for going alone to the Yellow Turban camp in Guangzong County to save Minister Lu. I never thought you would say such things today, asking a woman like me to use my body to sow discord between Dong Zhuo and Lü Bu. Even if you really kill Dong Zhuo, aren't you afraid that the world will laugh at you for relying on a woman to get rid of a traitor? My foster father, I am willing to help you get rid of Dong Zhuo. After all, I don't want to marry this coward anymore."

Wei Xiaobao hated being called a coward. He immediately got angry and slammed the table, saying, "Who's the coward? It's just a matter of losing my head, right? I don't believe it! I'll marry you tomorrow. I'll see what Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu can do to me!"

Wei Xiaobao regretted his words immediately, and suddenly understood the meaning of the line "A rage for a beauty" from the song Chen Yuanyuan had sung in Kunming that day. Before Wei Xiaobao could regret it, Diao Chan had already thrown herself into his arms, tears of grievance already streaming down her face.

Wei Xiaobao cursed himself in his heart: "Damn it, I'm in big trouble now. Xiao Xuanzi, oh Xiao Xuanzi, don't blame me if you can't become the emperor!"

Wang Yun smiled and said, "Well, well, since my nephew has agreed, I don't think we need to bother Grand Tutor Dong with proposing marriage."

When Wei Xiaobao heard Wang Yun's words, he quickly said, "No, Dong Zhuo must come to propose marriage, and he must do it in a grand manner."

Wang Yun frowned, hesitant to speak, "What if..."

Wei Xiaobao said, "You mean Dong Zhuo is lustful, and if he takes a fancy to Diao Chan, he will force himself on her, right?"

Wang Yun nodded.

Wei Xiaobao said, "Lü Bu has seen Diao Chan, but Dong Zhuo has never seen her. Let's use a cat-cat to replace the prince for him."

Wang Yun, who knew nothing about the opera "The Substitute Prince," thought for a moment and said, "You mean to find an ugly woman to pretend to be Diao Chan to fool Grand Tutor Dong?"

Wei Xiaobao shook his head and said, "She's definitely not going to be too ugly. She's not going to be good-looking either. We have to find someone with some beauty. She has to be a real beauty to make Lü Bu fall in love with her."

When Diao Chan heard what he said, she burst into laughter and said, "Aren't you going to give me to Lü Bu? Why are you trying to flatter me with sweet words?"

Wei Xiaobao was only thinking about how to prevent Lü Bu from killing Dong Zhuo and disrupting the historical process. He didn't dare to flirt with Diao Chan. He smiled bitterly and said, "My life is almost gone, how can I have the energy to flirt with you."

Wang Yun asked, "Why does Master Dong have to propose marriage?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "Lü Bu suffered a defeat at Hulao Pass, forcing Dong Zhuo to abandon Luoyang and flee to Chang'an. Unfortunately, Lü Bu is so arrogant that he not only fails to reflect on his failure, but also insists that Dong Zhuo propose marriage on his behalf. If Dong Zhuo sees the fake Diao Chan, he will undoubtedly suspect Lü Bu's motive for marrying her. If someone were to spread rumors that Lü Bu's lust for Diao Chan's beauty was just an excuse, and that his true intention was to become your son-in-law, Situ Wang, what do you think Dong Zhuo would think?"

Wang Yun said, "Dong Zhuo will certainly suspect that Lü Bu wants to join me."

Wei Xiaobao shook his head and said, "It's not that simple. Do you still remember Ding Yuan, Lü Bu's original godfather?"

Wang Yun laughed heartily and said, "I'm afraid Dong Zhuo will feel a chill on his neck!"

Wei Xiaobao continued, "I'm sorry to have to inconvenience Wang Situ."

Wang Yun pulled a piece of silk from his undergarment and said, "Since my nephew is determined to eliminate Dong Zhuo, I will not conceal it. This is a letter from Yuan Shao, in which he agrees to cooperate internally and externally to eliminate the thief Dong."

Wei Xiaobao took the silk and said with a smile, "I can't read."

Wang Yun laughed again and said, "It's just as your teacher said, a man of skill without learning."

(End of this chapter)