Xiahou Ba and his two companions returned to Xuchang and went straight to the palace to apologize to Cao Cao. Along the way, they saw that everyone had strange expressions on their faces and was pointing fingers at them behind their backs.
Xiahou Mao was filled with doubt and asked, "Did the news about Xiangyang spread to Xuchang so quickly?"
Xiahou Ba frowned and walked quickly with a sullen face, all the way to the Minguang Palace. After Emperor Xian moved the capital, this place was converted into the Prime Minister's Residence.
The three men walked up the white marble steps and saw Xu Chu standing at the door with a big belly and a sword in his hand. He hurriedly asked someone to come in and report.
Soon Cao Chun came out, and Cao Tai hurried forward and asked, "Second Uncle, does the Prime Minister know about the Xiangyang incident?"
Cao Chun glanced at the three of them and whispered, "Wuguan Pass has been lost. You have caused a great disaster."
The three of them were startled, and Xiahou Mao muttered, "What does Wuguan have to do with me?"
Before Cao Tai could ask more questions, Cao Chun had already turned inside, so Cao Tai had no choice but to follow him in. Cao Cao was leaning on the couch with a towel covering his forehead.
The three men knelt down and greeted him. Xiahou Ba pleaded guilty and said, "The three of us have failed to do our job well, please punish us, Prime Minister."
Cao Cao turned around and asked calmly, "Where is the Qinggang Sword?"
Xiahou Mao hurriedly said, "The Qingguang Sword was left in Xiangyang for some reason."
"Some reason?" Cao Cao's narrow eyes narrowed into a slit. "Lost? Or was it snatched away or stolen by Liu Qi?"
Xiahou Mao said: "I pledged it to Liu Qi!"
"Oh?" Cao Cao was a little surprised. "You are going to escort the bride, not to fight or trade. Why did you pledge the sword? Are you being threatened by Liu Qi?"
"That's not the case. Liu Qi treated us with courtesy because we found out that the grandson of former Grand Commandant Zhang Wen had three thousand taels of gold..."
"Three thousand taels of gold?" Cao Cao bowed slightly and sneered, "This must be Liu Qi's plan!"
"No, no, this is what we saw with our own eyes. Liu Qi didn't know about it!" Xiahou Mao waved his hands and pushed Xiahou Ba beside him: "Zhong Quan, explain quickly."
He had always been very respectful of Cao Cao. When he was questioned, he was flustered, and because he had been to a brothel, he spoke incoherently.
Xiahou Ba replied: "I arrived in Xiangyang, intending to gather intelligence, but unexpectedly met Zhang Wei..."
"Stupid!" Xiahou Ba had just mentioned that they were pledging the Qinggang sword and preparing to use furniture to transport the gold when Cao Cao suddenly sat up and threw the towel onto the table.
He stared at the three people in shock, and the scolding turned into a sigh: "We all read the books of sages and studied the art of war, but why is Liu Qi so outstanding?"
Cao Tai was immediately dissatisfied: "Why did the Prime Minister say that?"
Cao Cao sneered, "Where is Zhang Wei?"
Cao Tai said helplessly: "When we were crossing the Han River, we encountered a storm, the gold sank into the river, and Zhang Wei's whereabouts are unknown."
Cao Cao took a deep breath and sighed: "There is no Zhang Wei in this world, or maybe everyone is Zhang Wei."
Xiahou Ba's face suddenly changed, and he exclaimed, "Could it be that this person was deliberately arranged by Liu Qi?"
Cao Cao snorted coldly, "You guys went to Xiangyang and asked around for information. How could Liu Qi not know? Liu Biao has been managing Jingzhou for decades, but he may not have 3,000 taels of gold. If there are remnants of the Cai family hiding money and property, how could they hide it from Liu Qi?"
"Impossible!" Xiahou Mao shouted, "We saw the gold with our own eyes, Zhang Wei..."
"Shut up!" Cao Cao said in a deep voice, "Do you know that Liu Qi used the Qinggang sword to falsely claim my life and gained access to Wuguan, and Xiahou Cun died because of this?"
"Ah?" The three of them were stunned at the same time. They could not believe that such a sudden change would happen in just a few days.
After a moment, Xiahou Mao was furious and said, "Liu Qi, I was so sincere to him, but he used this method to deceive and attack me. I swear to avenge him."
"Forget it!" Cao Cao waved his hand. "It's because you guys are young and hot-tempered, and eager to make achievements, that you fell into the trap. All of you retreat!"
Xiahou Ba asked, "What about Wuguan?"
"I have made arrangements!" Cao Cao looked at the juniors and said slowly, "Every failure is a learning experience. After this incident, you should study harder, know shame and then be brave, so that you can serve the country in the future."
Xiahou Mao clasped his fists and said, "Prime Minister, rest assured. I will definitely get the Qingguang Sword back and avenge today's shame."
Cao Cao nodded and said, "Zilin stays here, and you two can go back!"
After Xiahou Ba and the other man left, Xiahou Mao became anxious and said hurriedly, "Prime Minister, my dear father-in-law, I took in a concubine for the sake of the three thousand taels of gold..."
"Do you really think I don't know what happened in Xuchang?"
Cao Cao snorted coldly, frightening Xiahou Mao so much that he shuddered and huddled on the ground, not daring to speak.
"At such a young age, you don't know how to make achievements, but you are obsessed with women and eager for success. How can you achieve great things?"
Cao Cao was very disappointed with his son, so he married his eldest daughter to Xiahou Mao in order to help the Xiahou family, but Xiahou Mao's performance was really disappointing.
In the past, he turned a blind eye out of Xiahou Dun's face, but this time he was played around by Liu Qi and he couldn't stand it anymore.
"My Xiahou family has had many talented people for generations. Your fathers are all heroes. Yuan Rang was in the army and was able to receive instruction from a mentor. But you are neither good at literature nor martial arts, and you keep concubines all day long. Who did you learn this from?"
Xiahou Mao was trembling with fear, sweating profusely, and said in a trembling voice: "I will definitely change my past and make amends for my sins."
"But it's not that you bought that house for nothing!" Cao Cao narrowed his eyes and said thoughtfully, "The black pearl... may be of great use."
Speaking of Black Pearl, Xiahou Mao suddenly raised his head and said, "Although those furnitures have sunk into the river, we still brought back a few water beds to honor my father-in-law."
Cao Cao frowned and asked, "What is a water bed?"
Xiahou Mao's eyes lit up: "This bed can be filled with water. Lying on it is like lying on the waves. It is soft and light. If used between the beds, it will be twice the result with half the effort. The secret of it will be known to you once my father-in-law has used it."
"Oh?" Cao Cao looked at Xiahou Mao and became curious. He stroked his beard and smiled, "It's rare that you have such filial piety. I want to give it a try. Go and prepare it quickly."
Xiahou Mao let out a long sigh and happily left the hall. As he was walking out, he saw Cao Pi coming towards him. He stepped forward and grabbed his arm: "Zihuan, you've come at the right time. I have something important to discuss with you."
Cao Pi was the eldest son and was feared and respected by others, while Xiahou Mao was despised by others. Among the younger brothers, these two were the closest to him.
Cao Pi was puzzled and asked, "My brother-in-law has committed a serious mistake, why is he still smiling so happily?"
"I have a good plan!" Xiahou Mao smiled mysteriously and pulled Cao Pi out.
"I have a question about money, so I'm going to ask my father for help..."
"Your talent is far inferior to Zijian's. Don't bother with it!"
Xiahou Mao whispered, "I have a way to make money, which will definitely help the Prime Minister relieve his worries. This is also the time for you to make achievements. If you can earn millions of dollars, wouldn't it be a hundred times better than writing poetry?"
"Really?" Cao Pi was moved. He knew that Cao Cao was worried about money and grain. He shook his head and said, "My father asked me to learn literature and martial arts and learn how to govern a country. How can I do business?"
"You don't need to get involved. I can do it!" Xiahou Mao said with a smile, "I will do the work and you will provide the funds. I have already thought of a name: let's call it Pi Mao Tang. How about it?"