The Three Kingdoms: Home Travel

In late February, Xuchang was a sea of ​​white, as if a giant white brush had fallen, obscuring the city.

The people in the city had already prepared food for the New Year at home. Compared to the tragedy of cannibalism during the three years of famine, life was much better now.

Today, Xuchang has become a colossal city. Goods from all over the world converge here, and are then transported to various places. Grain is no longer a scarce commodity!

After the rebellion in Xuchang, all the prominent families in the city, except for the Guo and Fang families, had their property confiscated by Li Ru. The Xun family was clearly the most prominent family in Xuchang. However, the Xun family had always maintained a clean reputation, and now, because of Xun Yu and Xun You, both Cao Cao and Jiang Zhe tacitly approved the Xun family as Xuchang's "proxy".

In other words, Cao Cao's forces purchased most of their military supplies from the Xun family. This already showed Xun Yu and Xun You considerable respect.

To reward the soldiers who were heading north to Yizhou, Xun Yu prepared countless dishes, meats, and wines well in advance and had them delivered to various military camps, including the Tiger and Leopard Camp and the Trapped Camp!

Even in the chilly end of the year, many pedestrians still strolled along the streets of Xuchang. Several young children played in the streets as well.

The largest restaurant in Xuchang was named "Zui Bu Gui" (meaning "Drunk Without Returning"), a property under the Xun family. The name on the plaque was personally given by Xun Wei, the father of Xun Yu and the head of the Xun family. The literal meaning of the name could be interpreted as "not returning until drunk," or "drunk but not returning"... However, by the 29th, this restaurant had already been destroyed, and now there was only one manager and two waiters inside.

The shopkeeper was at the counter settling the year's accounts, preparing to report to the head of the household, when he suddenly heard a knock on the door.

"Bang bang bang!"

"Huh?" The shopkeeper glanced at the gate with a puzzled look, muttered to himself as he walked over.

"This shop has been destroyed!" The shopkeeper opened the door. A gust of cold wind blew in, making him involuntarily shrink back.

Two men stood at the door. The one in front was the one who had knocked earlier. He said in a deep voice, "Prepare a room for me, and bring me all the best wine and food!"

"Hey!" The shopkeeper squinted at the outside. Turning back, he said with an unyielding expression, "Gentlemen, this shop has already been destroyed. You'll have to find somewhere else!"

"Insolence!" the man who had spoken earlier shouted in a deep voice.

"This gentleman..." The shopkeeper frowned. He looked up and carefully examined the two men before him. His eyes widened, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Master Cao...Master Cao?"

It turned out that it was Cao Cao and Jiang Zhe who had arrived, and it was Cao Cao who was speaking.

"Please forgive me, sir! Please forgive me, sir!" the shopkeeper stammered repeatedly, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Cao Cao had no time to argue with him. He went inside with Jiang Zhe and said in a deep voice, "Did you hear what I just said?"

"Yes, yes! Please, gentlemen!" The innkeeper hurriedly led Cao Cao and Jiang Zhe into a private room on the third floor, then urgently summoned a waiter and said, "Quickly, go to the north of the city and fetch Chef Li. Tell him we have two distinguished guests and we need him to come and take charge of the cooking!"

"Okay!" The waiter nodded, gritted his teeth, and ran towards the north of the city against the cold wind.

The shopkeeper stood anxiously at the door watching the waiter run away, when suddenly he heard a shout coming from the third floor.

"Shopkeeper, warm up a few pots of wine!"

"Coming, coming! Please wait a moment!" the shopkeeper called out, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. He picked up a jar of wine and ran towards the kitchen. Facing these two distinguished guests on the third floor, the shopkeeper dared not be negligent in the slightest.

"Phew!" In a room on the third floor, Jiang Zhe rubbed his hands together, exhaling a breath of warm air, and said helplessly to Cao Cao, "Mengde, if you want to drink, you can do it at my residence. Why did you have to come all this way? I'm freezing!"

Cao Cao simply smiled and shook his head.

Jiang Zhe opened the window and glanced at the scenery outside. He then closed the window again, turned to Cao Cao, and said, "Mengde seems to have something on his mind?"

"It's not that I have something on my mind," Cao Cao shook his head and sighed, "it's just that I'm greatly disappointed!"

"Disappointed?" Jiang Zhe looked at Cao Cao sitting at the table. He walked over and sat down opposite him, asking with a puzzled expression, "What is it that disappoints you?"

Cao Cao glanced at Jiang Zhe, then pointed to the sky.

Jiang Zhe paused for a moment before understanding Cao Cao's meaning. Just as he was about to speak, a soft knock came from outside the door.

"Come in!" Cao Cao said in a deep voice.

The innkeeper arrived, carrying a tray filled with warmed wine. He placed the wine on the table and said awkwardly, "My lords, the food will take a moment." "No problem!" Cao Cao reached for a pot of warm wine and said in a low voice, "You may leave now!"

"Yes, yes!" The shopkeeper quickly left the room.

Cao Cao rose, took two wine cups, filled the wine pot, and then said to Jiang Zhe, "Shouyi, please!"

"Please!" Jiang Zhe said thoughtfully, glancing at Cao Cao with a puzzled look. He then downed the wine in one gulp. The warm wine warmed his stomach, and the chill in his body indeed subsided somewhat.

Cao Cao, still not satisfied after drinking the cup of wine, actually drank directly from the spout of the pot, staring blankly at Jiang Zhe.

"Uphold righteousness!" Cao Cao took a deep breath. He gazed intently at Jiang Zhe and said, "In your opinion, have I, Cao Mengde, ever failed the Han Dynasty? Have I ever failed the Emperor?"

He shook his head, already vaguely guessing what had happened.

"Hehe!" Seeing Jiang Zhe shake his head, Cao Cao felt very pleased. He laughed and raised his wine pot to drink, but Jiang Zhe grabbed his arm.

"We can drink it after the food is served!" Jiang Zhe said.

Cao Cao gave a bitter smile, understanding Jiang Zhe's meaning. He nodded, put down the wine pot, and said in a deep voice, "I, Cao Mengde, am so loyal to the Han Dynasty. I never imagined I would almost lose my home. The Emperor, the Emperor has betrayed me!"

Jiang Zhe stared intently at Cao Cao, whose face was contorted with rage, and shook his head in silence.

Unexpectedly, Cao Cao glanced at Jiang Zhe and said with a smile, "If someone else were here, they would surely say 'be careful what you say.' Why didn't Shouyi advise me in the same way?"

"Advice?" Jiang Zhe smiled slightly. He poured himself a glass, slowly drank it, and said, "Mengde is merely venting his anger after drinking. Why should I advise him? Keeping it bottled up will only harm his health. Mengde, you are welcome to speak; I am all ears!"

"Haha!" Cao Cao slapped his thigh and laughed uncontrollably. He said, "Shouyi is truly a remarkable man. Haha!" But after laughing for a while, his expression gradually calmed down. He shook his head and sighed, "Although this was meant to vent my anger, it wasn't just drunken ramblings. We have always respected His Majesty, yet he has betrayed us. I am deeply disheartened! Deeply disheartened!"

Jiang Zhe glanced at Cao Cao, got up and poured him a cup of warm wine, and said softly, "Mengde, would you be willing to tell me about the troubles in your heart?"

"Why not?" Cao Cao smiled faintly. He then recounted his entire audience with Liu Xie to Jiang Zhe, his anger barely contained in his words. He spoke for more than half an hour.

During this time, the shopkeeper came in to deliver the dishes and overheard Cao Cao's words. The sound made Cao Cao's scalp tingle and filled him with terror.

Looking at Yu Daocai, Jiang Zhe glanced at the trembling shopkeeper and said calmly, "Don't listen to what you shouldn't hear. Get out!"

"Yes, yes. Don't worry, adults. I'm usually hard of hearing. When the shopkeeper heard Jiang Zhe's words, he felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He bowed deeply and hurriedly withdrew. Only when he got outside did he realize that he was covered in a cold sweat."

Jiang Zhe picked up a piece of food, glanced at Cao Cao, and said calmly, "Mengde, just do what you can with a clear conscience. Conflicts between people are nothing more than interests and positions..."

"Standing?" Cao Cao muttered to himself. He asked疑惑地问道, "I understand interests, but what is this 'stance'?"

"Hmm, it seems the concept of 'position' didn't exist during the Three Kingdoms period?" Jiang Zhe thought for a moment and then spoke up. "Position is... well, what one person considers right, another might not see as right. There's a saying, 'Looking at a mountain from different angles reveals different peaks,' and 'The benevolent see benevolence, the wise see wisdom.'"

"So that's how it is!" Cao Cao suddenly realized, then sneered and said, "Even so, is it right for Your Majesty to treat us like this? I, Cao Mengde, have repeatedly lost troops and generals to save Your Majesty from dire straits. Even if I have no merit, I have still worked hard. I never thought that Your Majesty would regard me as a traitor." Jiang Zhe scratched his forehead and listened quietly to Cao Cao's explanation.

"Let's talk about matters of state again," Cao Cao said in a deep voice. "It's not that I want to seize power, but you've seen it for yourself, Shouyi. What are the officials in the court, apart from a few veteran ministers? They're all like Dong Cheng. How could I dare to entrust the administration of Xuchang to the court? Even if I were willing, my subordinates would not agree!"

That's true. Even if Cao Cao were willing to relinquish power to the court, his generals would likely be unwilling, especially the generals from the Cao and Xiahou families, because they served Cao Cao, not Liu Xie. "Actually, Mengde doesn't need to worry about this!" Jiang Zhe said calmly. "I remember Mengde's ambition is to pacify the world and bring peace and prosperity to the people, right? He doesn't need to care what others say; Mengde only needs to stay true to himself! Mengde?"

Startled by Jiang Zhe's call, Cao Cao snapped back to reality and asked uncertainly, "What did Shouyi just say? 'Hold fast to your principles.' What does 'hold fast to your principles' mean?"

"Yes!" Jiang Zhe nodded, then looked at Cao Cao with a puzzled expression and asked, "What is Mengde thinking?"

"No, no!" Cao Cao said hesitantly, his eyes flickering slightly. "Shouyi, I remember your ambition was also to let the people live in peace and prosperity, but you never mentioned the emperor."

"Hey!" Jiang Zhe chuckled, shaking his head. "Throughout history, it has always been the common people who suffer. In times of prosperity, the common people suffer; in times of ruin, the common people suffer, even the emperor. If the emperor hadn't mismanaged the country, would the world be in such a state?"

"I understand!" Cao Cao smiled slightly, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes, and continued, "Shouyi, I swear to Heaven that I will never betray the people under my rule. I hope Shouyi will continue as before and help me pacify the world!"

"Of course!" Jiang Zhe said in surprise.

"Good!" Cao Cao shouted, rising to pour Jiang Zhe a full cup of wine. Raising his cup, he said, "Let us drink this cup to the end for our aspirations!"

"Dry!"

"To hold the emperor hostage to command the feudal lords?" Cao Cao sneered inwardly. "Your Majesty, it's not that I've wronged you, but that you've wronged me time and time again. I still wish to quell the chaos; how can I be bound by you and officials like Dong Cheng? In that case... I'm sorry!"

Don't blame me, Your Majesty, you forced me to do this!

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