After the imperial carriage circled Handan City, Cao Cao was officially promoted to King of Wei. He returned home to discuss the appointment of various officials.
Cao Pi was officially made the crown prince. Because his first wife, Lady Ding, had no children, and Cao Pi and Cao Zhang were both born to Lady Bian, Lady Ding was deposed and Lady Bian was made Queen of Wei.
Everyone knew that Cao Cao had been exhausted from the journey, and after the ceremony everyone took their leave. However, they did not know that Cao Cao had Wang Mian with him at the moment, and they felt their blood boiling and full of energy.
When they arrived at the back garden, Bian had already ordered people to prepare for bathing. Cao Cao ordered, "Come here to invite Madam Du, Madam He, Madam Wang, Madam Li, and Madam Yuan to come and entertain me."
Bian's face flushed slightly, and she advised softly, "Your Majesty has returned from the northern expedition, and it is time for you to rest and recuperate. I will accompany you tonight, and it will not be too late for us to take turns to congratulate you tomorrow."
"Don't worry, madam!" Cao Cao took off his robe, walked towards the bathtub, and laughed: "I use Liaodong ginseng, deer antlers, and tiger whips. Although my hair and beard are gray, I am as strong as a dragon and a tiger. I can fight you for three hundred rounds."
…
Three days later, Cao Cao washed his head and officially took over military and political affairs. When he saw the mountain of official documents and intelligence on the desk, his brows furrowed and he suddenly felt his headache coming back.
"Could it be that the Central Plains is not our Cao Mengde's blessed land?" Cao Cao tapped his forehead lightly, only to realize that the situation was worse than he had imagined.
While they were flipping through the books, Cao Pi came to pay a visit with a group of clan members. Cao Tai, Xiahou Ba and others had all grown up and were quite like their fathers in heroic spirit.
Cao Cao nodded frequently and encouraged everyone. Suddenly he found that Xiahou Mao was not there, and asked in confusion, "Where is Zilin now?"
All the clan members have arrived, and Xiahou Mao is Cao Cao's son-in-law, so he should come first.
Cao Pi sighed, "Since Zilin went to Jingzhou and was humiliated by Liu Qi, he has worked hard since returning. He has lived alone in Yecheng, studying military tactics and practicing martial arts diligently. He has not seen any guests for half a year."
"Oh?" Cao Cao raised his eyebrows, somewhat surprised, and stroked his beard and laughed, "As expected of a Xiahou disciple, he is brave after knowing shame. Zilin has such a change, thanks to Liu Qi."
Although Cao Cao did not restrict people's character when hiring, and strongly supported Xiahou Mi in providing him with money and food and gathering intelligence, doing business was not the right way after all, and it would be difficult to accomplish great things, so he was naturally happier about this change.
Cao Pi and Xiahou Mao had always been close. Seeing that Cao Cao had no intention of pursuing the defeat, Cao Pi took the opportunity to say, "A blessing in disguise. Zilin is determined to study hard this time, and I'm sure your uncle will be very pleased. I will send someone to bring Zilin here right away."
"No need!" Cao Cao waved his hand, his eyes full of expectation: "After arriving in Yecheng, I will go to visit Zilin and see how he has learned."
Cao Ren, Xiahou Dun and others are all away on the expedition. Today, the young men are accompanying Cao Cao, and it can be regarded as a family dinner. When they talk about the Northern Expedition, Cao Zhang and others fought bloody battles, which makes everyone envious.
When Xiahou Ba heard that Cao Zhang had earned the nickname "Golden-Haired Tiger", he suddenly felt competitive and wanted to compete with Cao Zhang. Cao Cao also wanted to see how they had developed, so they went to the parade ground to compete.
Xiahou Ba and Cao Zhang, Cao Tai and Cao Zhen fought against each other. The horses galloped on the snow, the cold air was pressing, and there was a momentum of the conquest in Mobei.
After thirty rounds, Xiahou Ba was defeated. He was convinced by Cao Zhang's martial arts. Cao Tai was no match for Cao Zhen, which further aroused the fighting spirit of the two men. They secretly resolved to strengthen their training and agreed to compete with each other every day in the future.
When Cao Cao saw that his disciples were getting along well and the younger generation was full of vigor, he couldn't help but think of the time when he started the army. It was the same for him and Xiahou Dun and others. A real man should have lofty ambitions, kill enemies, make meritorious services, and leave his name to future generations. This is the true quality of a hero.
A few days later, all the soldiers who had gone on the northern expedition had returned to the city. Cao Cao led his troops to Yecheng to meet the emperor, and Cao Zhen led the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry to lead the way.
Among these young men, Cao Cao valued Cao Zhen the most. Although Cao Zhang was brave, he was bellicosity and reckless. Only Cao Zhen had a calm temperament, was both civil and military, and had the talent to be a great general.
The city of Ye had already heard the news, and Emperor Xian personally led the civil and military officials to welcome him outside the palace gate. Although the civil war was not going well, the prime minister had defeated the Xianbei, shocked the outside world, and promoted the power of the Han Dynasty. Emperor Xian was happy from the bottom of his heart, and he both respected and feared Cao Cao.
The whole city was filled with joyful music and drums, and colorful flags with dragons and phoenixes were fluttering at the palace gates. Emperor Xian was full of anticipation, but when he saw Cao Cao getting off the carriage, wearing the royal crown, and walking towards him, the smile froze on his face.
Only then did he realize that the current prime minister has been granted the title of King of Wei. He does not need to be named when praising or bowing, does not need to kneel when entering the court, and only wears a sword and shoes when meeting the emperor. This time when he returns to the court, his prestige has increased, and no one in the court can compare to him.
Old ministers like Yang Biao looked even more gloomy, and they sighed secretly as they stood behind Emperor Xian. They saw that Liu Qi was about to revive the Han Dynasty, but Cao Cao not only did not restrain himself, but went even further. They had no choice but to wait until the day when Liu Qi could see the light of day again.
Cao Cao was obviously not surprised that Emperor Xian came out to greet him in person. After the greetings, his greetings were just polite, without any joy of reunion after a long separation. The atmosphere in the Golden Palace was awkward, and with the heavy snow, it seemed even more deserted.
After commending the soldiers who went to the expedition as per custom, the emperor and his subjects said goodbye to each other like strangers. Cao Cao left in a hurry, and Emperor Xian looked around blankly on the dragon throne.
At this time, Cao Cao had no intention of dealing with Emperor Xian. He was surrounded by enemies and had many important matters waiting for him to deal with. How could he have the energy to continue to pretend to be nice
Rather than meeting the emperor, he was more eager to meet Xiahou Mi, wondering how his eldest son-in-law had changed.
Cao Zhen led his guards to clear the way and knocked on the door of the villa where Xiahou Mao lived in the south city. They saw that the whole yard was covered with snow and no one had cleared it. There were only a few lines of bird and animal footprints under the eaves, which showed that no one had ever been there.
"Why is it so deserted?" Cao Zhen was surprised.
Xiahou Mao had been pampered since childhood, was very good at managing his business, and had always lived a luxurious life, but he never expected to encounter such a situation.
Cao Cao frowned slightly and signaled everyone to stay in the front yard. He only took Xu Chu and Cao Zhen inside. When they arrived at the inner courtyard, they saw two servants wiping swords. When they saw Cao Cao, they were frightened and hurriedly knelt to greet them.
Cao Cao ignored him and strode into the hall. When he stepped over the threshold, he was stunned. He saw a man sitting with his back to the door, with his hair hanging from the beam with a hemp rope.
"Zi Lin?" Cao Cao couldn't believe it. He paused for a moment before walking into the cold room.
The man turned around, his face was thin and pale because of the cold weather. He was surprised to see Cao Cao and asked, "Prime Minister?"
Cao Cao pursed his lips and nodded slightly, with only a little sound coming out of his throat. This scene made him inexplicably moved.
“It’s the Prime Minister!” Xiahou Mao finally reacted, and hurriedly stood up and exclaimed: “I’m sorry to see you… Hiss, ouch—”
Just as she was about to step forward and salute, she forgot that her hair was still tied to the beam and was pulled back, having to hold on to the table to keep herself steady.
"No need to be so polite!" Cao Cao stepped forward and patted Xiahou Mao's shoulder. He nodded solemnly and pointed at the rope and said, "What do you mean, Zilin?"
Xiahou Mao hurriedly replied, "I am an unworthy disciple. I always feel sleepy when I study. So I will follow the ancient method, hanging my head on the beam and piercing my thigh with an awl, day and night. I hope to complete my studies as soon as possible, avenge my humiliation, and repay the Prime Minister's kindness."
"The Kingdom of Wei has hope!" Cao Cao personally untied Xiahou Mao's ropes and sighed: "If you have never been hit, you will always be innocent; if you have never been poor, you will never be a human being."