Three Kingdoms: Start by marrying Cai Yan, then vie for supremacy.

17

"Therefore, in my opinion, it would be best for our Cai navy to remain inactive and let Huang Zu's navy take the lead. After all, he is stationed in Jiangxia, which is very close to Lujiang."

Cai's move had a deeper meaning—he genuinely did not want to offend Lu Feng.

Because of his marriage alliance with the Huang family, he knew a great deal about the Wu family's business operations in Qingzhou.

He also knew that the Huang family was highly valued under Lu Feng and was by no means as incompetent as those fleeing noble families from Yan and Qing claimed.

While the new policies would indeed harm the interests of the aristocratic families, they also concealed opportunities. If the Cai family could seize the opportunity to submit and leverage the Huang family's power, they might very well secure a bright future in the new dynasty.

Befriending Lu Feng is the best course of action right now.

Liu Biao was more than capable of maintaining the status quo, but he was getting old and unlikely to achieve anything significant. How could Lady Cai possibly go to her doom with this sinking ship?

"That's exactly what I was thinking!"

Cai Mao hurriedly said, "I see that Lord Wu is no ordinary man. He will surely achieve great things in the future! I really do not wish to fight him."

"But Father, what excuse can we use to refuse Liu Biao and spare the Cai family from the expedition?"

Years ago, because of the Huang family, he often traveled to Nanyang and personally witnessed Lu Feng's demeanor...

Cai Feng raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised: "You value Lu Feng so much? This man is indeed extraordinary!"

"As for how to persuade Liu Biao, isn't Lü Bu's recent capture of Nanyang a perfect opportunity?"

"This man's ambition is obvious; how could a mere Nanyang satisfy him? He'll likely plot against Jingzhou sooner or later. Using this as a pretext to persuade Liu Biao, that cowardly old fool will surely agree!"

Considering that Lü Bu also had Chen Gong's assistance, Cai Feng was certain that Liu Biao would become wary.

"Brilliant!" Cai Mao's eyes lit up. "I'll get on it right away!"

"What's the rush?" Cai Feng called out to him. "I have important matters to discuss."

Cai Mao chuckled sheepishly and scratched his head: "Father, is there anything else you need?"

"Of course, it's your second sister's marriage," Cai Feng said, glaring. "She's almost twenty and considered an old maid, and there's a lot of gossip going around. Do you have any candidates in mind?"

"Second Sister?" Cai Mao immediately shrank back. "Please spare me! If you dare to interrupt, Second Sister will skin me alive!"

His second sister was fiery and outspoken, a stark contrast to his gentle and virtuous eldest sister.

"You good-for-nothing!" Cai Feng slammed his fist on the table in anger. "How can someone so cowardly shoulder the responsibilities of the family?"

"It's a pity your second sister isn't a man, otherwise she'd be a hundred times better than you!"

"Father is right!" Cai Mao was not angry at all; on the contrary, he repeatedly agreed.

Seeing his son's pathetic state, Cai Feng felt increasingly frustrated: "Seriously, what do you think of Liu Biao as a person?"

"What? How?" Cai Mao looked completely bewildered.

"Stop pretending to be confused!" Cai retorted angrily.

Cai Feng glanced at them coldly and said in a deep voice, "What do you think about letting your second sister marry Liu Biao?"

Cai Mao's eyes widened instantly: "Father, are you serious? Liu Biao is already in his fifties. Do you really want Second Sister to marry such an old man? If she finds out, she'll cause a huge uproar!"

The thought of his second sister jumping into a fire pit sent chills down Cai Mao's spine. Although he usually feared his second sister, he didn't want to see her suffer such a fate. He also despised that old scoundrel Liu Biao; if this succeeded, wouldn't the Cai family be at the mercy of others?

"Marriage is a major life event that parents should decide!" Cai Feng slammed his fist on the table. "As long as I, her father, am alive, she can't be allowed to act as she pleases! Am I to let her grow old alone? This matter is not up for discussion!"

He knew his days were numbered, and if he didn't marry Cai Ying off soon, no one would be able to control the girl in the future. Besides, Liu Biao's old age was actually a good thing—after his death, the Cai family could secretly control Jingzhou under the guise of the governor's widow.

"Since you've made up your mind, I have nothing more to say! But don't send me to deliver the message!" Cai Mao said, then fled as if his life depended on it.

Watching his son's hasty retreat, Cai Feng shook his head and chuckled. Was he really that afraid?

Cai Mao, meandering and sneaking around, crept into Cai Ying's courtyard.

"What a rare guest!" Cai Ying chuckled, toying with her fan. "Our little Mao actually took the initiative to come to our door? Tell me, what trouble have you gotten into this time?"

Cai Mao was always trembling with fear in her presence, like a frightened mouse.

"hey-hey!"

He smiled ingratiatingly and leaned closer, "Second sister, what are you saying? Can't I come to see you even if there's nothing wrong?"

What do you think?

Cai Ying rolled her eyes at him.

Don't you have any self-awareness?

"I'm not here to bother you this time, Second Sister; I'm here to help you!"

Cai Mao suddenly became serious.

"Um?"

Cai Ying frowned. "What's going on?"

"cough!"

Cai Mao cleared his throat. "I just came from my father's place. He actually planned to marry you off to that old bastard Liu Biao! He even sent me to persuade you, but I refused on the spot! How could Liu Biao be worthy of Second Sister?"

"But Father is determined this time, so Second Sister should make plans as soon as possible; this time, there's probably no escaping it."

He's determined to force you to marry someone.

"I've delivered the message, I'm leaving now! Don't tell Father it was me who said it, and don't mention I was here!"

After saying that, Cai Mao slipped away as fast as he could.

"boom!"

No sooner had Cai Mao left than Cai Ying slammed her hand on the table, ignoring the numbness in her palm, and gritted her teeth in anger: "Father has gone too far! He actually wants to marry me off to Liu Biao?"

"That old man is almost as old as my father! How could he be so heartless? I'm his own daughter!"

"No, I can't let myself be controlled! I want to leave this house!"

"?" The maid, Xiao Hong, was startled. "Running away from home? Damn it, it's chaotic outside, where can we go? If Master blames us, even you..."

"snort!"

"No! Absolutely not!"

Xiao Hong shook her head in fright when she thought of Liu Biao's old face.

"Then...where do we go?"

She asked in a low voice.

"Let's go to Lujiang!"

Cai Ying said firmly.

"?" Xiao Hong looked puzzled. "Why Lujiang?"

"Thump!"

Cai Ying gently tapped Xiao Hong's forehead. "Why so many whys? It's just that it's the closest territory Wu Hou Lu Feng has to us!"

"With war raging outside, traveling far is too dangerous. If we want to find Lord Wu, Lu Feng, we'll naturally need to ask his men for help first. I've heard his Yellow Sea navy is in Lujiang; we can ask them to escort us there!"

Clearly, Cai Ying had planned this all along; it was not a spur-of-the-moment decision.

"**Go to find Lord Wu? Could it be...?" Xiao Hong's eyes widened as a thought flashed through her mind.

"Yes!" Cai Ying nodded in agreement before she could finish, her eyes shining with longing. "I want to find a remarkable man worthy of me, just like Qin Luofu. In the world today, is there anyone more suitable than Lord Wu, Lu Feng?"

"At the age of fifteen, he became General Who Guards the East, Prefect of Nanyang, and Marquis of Wu. Now he is a powerful warlord who dominates Yanzhou and Qingzhou. He is young and handsome. I heard that he treats his wives very well. He not only lets them run their own businesses—Zhen Jiang manages the Lu Clan Chamber of Commerce, and Cai Yan runs a girls' school—but also treats them all equally."

"Only a man like this deserves to be my husband! Even if I have to be a concubine, I will marry him!"

Over the years, she had been learning about Lu Feng's life through her older sister's letters, and she had grown increasingly fond of him.

She had originally planned to ask her father to arrange a marriage, but who knew that her father would want to marry her off to that old man Liu Biao?

She absolutely refused!

"Indeed! Only Lord Wu is worthy of him!" Xiao Hong clasped her hands to her heart and chimed in with a grin.

"Alright! Enough talk! Get someone to help me pack my things right now! Remember to keep it a secret! I don't want to get caught halfway through! Hurry up!"

As Cai Ying spoke, she quickly packed the items.

At 1:00 PM that day, at the east gate tower of Xiangyang city.

Cai Mao looked at Cai Feng beside him with a puzzled expression: "Father, since you knew Second Sister was going to run away, why didn't you stop her? Why did you ask me to send people to escort her, and even instruct me to send more men?"

He originally thought that his secret mission to protect his second sister was a covert operation.

Who would have thought that all of this was under the father's control?

Even more surprisingly, the father requested that more people be sent.

Watching the convoy disappear into the distance, Cai Feng smiled and said, "Your second sister has always been stubborn; ** she'll only make her miserable for the rest of her life!"

"If there isn't a suitable candidate, I will naturally stop it. But she has long admired Lord Wu, and she keeps having your eldest sister inquire about Lu Feng's whereabouts. Does she really think I don't know?"

"Lord Wu, Lu Feng, is indeed a brilliant man of our time, surpassing Liu Biao a hundredfold. Perhaps he is a truly good match for him."

"However, how easy is it to forge a marriage alliance with the Marquis of Wu these days? Besides, I'm not even sure if this Marquis of Wu can achieve great things."

"This is just right!"

"Your second sister would rather run away from home than not find Lu Feng. When Lord Wu learns of this, he will surely be moved. With the relationship between your eldest sister and her husband, this marriage might actually come to fruition!"

"In this way, my Cai family can establish a marriage alliance with the Marquis of Wu, thus leaving ourselves a way out!"

"If the Marquis of Wu truly succeeds in ascending to the throne, our Cai family can avoid the fate of perishing along with other powerful clans!"

In the end, wasn't all this painstaking planning for the benefit of the Cai family?

If Cai Mao were clever and capable enough, he wouldn't need to worry about these things at all.

Unfortunately, this kid has never been very bright since he was a child, and he always likes to play tricks.

Fortunately, he was on good terms with Lu Feng and maintained a good relationship with Huang Chengyan's side as well.

With Cai Ying's move, the Cai family not only has the potential to continue its lineage, but may even rise to greater heights.

If Cai Ying's wish can be fulfilled, that would be the best outcome.

He naturally wouldn't sit idly by and wait for the outcome. In fact, he had already secretly made arrangements—under the guise of escorting, he sent a trusted aide to infiltrate Cai Ying's entourage. The guard was carrying two important letters: one addressed to Huang Chengyan, and the other to Lu Feng.

This move was precisely to act as a matchmaker between Cai Ying and Lu Feng.

"I see!" Cai Mao suddenly realized, then looked at his father with a wry smile: "So, when you said you wanted my second sister to marry Liu Biao, were you just using that as a provocation?"

"No," Cai Feng unexpectedly shook his head. "If your second sister hadn't run away from home to show her stance, this marriage would have been arranged. Although Liu Biao wasn't the best choice, a marriage alliance would indeed allow the Cai family to gain a foothold in Jingzhou."

This game is a two-way choice, and the final decision rests not only with Cai Feng, but also with Cai Ying herself.

"Well!" Cai Mao said with a sneer, "So Second Sister really did bet on the right horse?"

Hearing this, Cai Feng glanced at his son and said, "From what you're saying, you prefer Lu Feng? But haven't you always disliked his new policies, thinking they would harm the Cai family's interests?" What's going on in this silly boy's head?

"It's true that the new policies infringe on our interests," Cai Mao readily admitted, but then changed the subject: "But from another perspective, if we can establish a marriage alliance and make him our brother-in-law, even if the new policies result in concessions, we can make up for it elsewhere! As long as the Cai family fully supports the reforms, in the long run, we'll only profit—I understand this!"

"Besides..." the young general suddenly said with beaming eyes, "I really admire Lu Feng! Not only is he both a scholar and a warrior, but he also has a handsome appearance, and what's even more remarkable is his incredible luck with women. Tsk tsk, this is how a man should live!" In his eyes, Lu Feng practically had the words "winner in life" engraved on his forehead.

As his son's ramblings became increasingly outrageous, Cai Feng was both amused and exasperated. He pointed at Cai Mao and shook his head, saying, "What are you thinking about all day long!"

"Have you mentioned sending troops to Liu Biao? He shouldn't have any objections, right?"

"Of course!" Cai Mao's lips curled into a sneer. "That old scoundrel was terrified when he heard Lü Bu was coming. He only intended to send Huang Zu's men to reinforce Lujiang, and he agreed as soon as I casually mentioned it."

Cai Mao never concealed his contempt for Liu Biao.

Meanwhile, inside the Sima Mansion in Wen County, Hanoi.

"Doctor, have you found the root cause of the illness? Why is our whole family infected, and why are the symptoms so similar?" Sima Yi asked the doctor three meters away, his face pale and weak.

The doctor, wearing a cloth mask, said tremblingly, "Second Young Master, please forgive me... These symptoms do indeed resemble the plague... I really dare not examine them closely... You should seek another expert!" Before he finished speaking, he had already fled in a panic.