With Cao Cao by my side, what do I have to fear from the world?

Chapter 121, Cao Cao seizes the Du family.

Chen Gong glanced at Cao Cao, then cupped his hands to Liu Xie again, saying, "Since Lord Cao is so sincere in his request for me to stay, and Your Majesty is also so sincere, then I will respectfully accept your offer and submit to the court to assist a wise ruler!"

As Chen Gong spoke, he knelt down in front of Liu Xie.

A cold glint flashed in Cao Cao's eyes, and he subconsciously clenched his fist. Damn it, utterly despicable!
Gao Shun, Lü Bu, and Chen Gong have all become Liu Xie's men. Cao Cao's joy at winning over Zhang Liao has been completely overshadowed. This time, with Liu Xie's interference, Cao Cao clearly felt an indescribable pressure.

In the future, Xuchang will inevitably see Liu Xie's forces grow stronger and stronger. Even though Liu Xie has not yet touched military power, Cao Cao already feels a deep sense of unease.

Lü Bu's bravery was unmatched in the world!
Gao Shun's elite Trapped Camp is a force that excels in both offense and defense! It is a rare and powerful army in the world!
Chen Gong's wisdom, even if it is not as good as Guo Jia and Xun Yu, is not much worse!

With just a few casual words, Liu Xie's camp suddenly gained three more capable people. Cao Cao appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was in turmoil and he could not calm down for a long time.

Seeing that he had achieved his goal, Liu Xie simply praised Cao Cao a few more times and then left on his own initiative.

If they continue to win over the hearts of the people, they will surely drive Cao Cao crazy. There are still many capable people in Xiapi, such as Zang Ba and Sun Guan, as well as Chen Qun and his son, who are all good candidates.

Chen Qun was originally from Yingchuan. He had come to Xuzhou with his family to seek refuge and had served Liu Bei. He also stayed in Xiapi with Lü Bu for the time being.

Cao Cao suppressed his dissatisfaction and quickly appeased the crowd, taking the opportunity to accept the surrender of Zang Ba, Chen Qun, and others.

Guo Jia stood at the White Gate Tower for a while, and soon after Liu Xie left, he followed suit.

When Guo Jia arrived at Lü Bu's general's mansion, he did not go in directly. Instead, he asked the soldiers about Liu Xie's situation.

Guo Jia was particularly interested in Lü Lingqi and asked her very detailed questions.

After a while, Lü Lingqi came out of the mansion. She had already heard that her father had been beaten badly, and she looked very worried. However, she did not forget Liu Xie's instructions. It was obvious that she did not dare to exert any force when she walked, and she limped around, with her brows furrowing from time to time.

After Lü Lingqi walked over, Guo Jia sent men to follow her.

Guo Jia frowned, shook his head slightly, and muttered to himself, "His Majesty's move of acting first and informing later is truly brilliant."

Even if Liu Xie hadn't slept with Lü Lingqi directly, or even if he had taken a liking to her, as long as Cao Cao truly wanted to kill Lü Bu, Guo Jia would have had a way to stop Liu Xie and make him give up the idea of ​​taking Lü Bu's daughter as a concubine.

But now that the die is cast, Liu Xie has forced his way in, making the matter a fait accompli, and even the resourceful Guo Jia is powerless to stop him.

After a long time, Lü Bu was helped to walk this way, and Lü Lingqi followed, still walking with some difficulty.

Guo Jia shook his head, puzzled, and said, "Lu Bu is so badly injured, shouldn't His Majesty comfort him at this time?"

Meanwhile, Liu Xie was chatting with Guan Yu. He took the initiative to call Guan Yu away, which made Liu Bei somewhat envious.

"Yun Chang, what's your opinion on Lü Bu's matter?"

Guan Yu looked around and, seeing that no Cao soldiers were approaching, raised his voice a little, "This humble general has no objection; everything is up to Your Majesty's decision."

Liu Xie stepped outside the city. The water flow outside the city had weakened slightly, and a lot of alluvial silt was exposed on both sides of the moat, along with some debris that had floated down from upstream.

Liu Xie said, "Yun Chang, Lü Bu saved the Han Dynasty and made great contributions to the court. Now, the warlords are only concerned with their own interests, thinking only about how to grow stronger and more powerful. How many of them truly care about the Han Dynasty? I must protect Lü Bu's life. I want the world to understand that I will remember whoever has been kind to the Han Dynasty!"

"This humble general understands Your Majesty's good intentions." Guan Yu even felt a little regretful, "If I had known Your Majesty wanted to save him, I should have pleaded with Cao Cao in person back then."

Liu Xie shook his head. "That's not necessary. In fact, Yun Chang dislikes Lü Bu, and so do I. Lü Bu has too many bad habits. However, we should blame the world for making him confused and losing his composure, which is why he makes mistakes and does things that are disheartening."

"I believe that everything that happened today will make Lü Bu reflect on himself. He is not evil to the core."

Guan Yu nodded. "Since His Majesty believes in him and is willing to give him another chance, this humble general can only hope that Lü Bu can truly repent and mend his ways!"

"By the way, I heard that Lord Cao promised to give you Qin Yilu's concubine?"

Guan Yu was taken aback, then his face flushed red. "Your Majesty, how did you know about this?"

Liu Xie smiled. Of course, he couldn't say he was prescient, so he casually said, "It was Cao Cao who told me that he greatly admires Yun Chang and insists on bestowing this woman upon you. I think this is a good thing. Yun Chang is far from his homeland, and his wife and children are not by his side. He should have a woman who cares for him."

Guan Yu felt a little embarrassed by what Liu Xie said and lowered his head in silence for a moment.

Liu Xie laughed and said, "The relationship between men and women is a matter of course, and even sages cannot be exempt from it, let alone Guan Yu."

"Xiapi has now been captured. Cao Cao is too busy for the time being, but Guan Yu can go and mention it to him later."

After Guan Yu left, Zhao Yun asked, "Your Majesty, why don't you do Guan Yu a favor and help him out?"

Liu Xie shook his head. "I must stay away from Cao Cao as much as possible and appear in front of him as little as possible. Lü Bu, Gao Shun, and Chen Gong have all sided with me. Cao Cao must hate me to the core now."

Zhao Yun nodded and then asked, "Does Your Majesty think Cao Cao would bestow Qin Yilu's woman upon Guan Yu?"

Liu Xie curled his lips into a smile and uttered four words, "Definitely not!"

"Oh? Why is that? Didn't he already agree to Guan Yu's request?"

"What good will it do if I agree?"

Liu Xie smiled and said, "There's one thing you must remember, Zilong. Cao Cao is a master at flattery and deception. Never take what Cao Cao says seriously. As for his promise to Guan Yu, perhaps Cao Cao did indeed intend to bestow Lady Du upon Guan Yu at that time."

"But if a woman can move Guan Yu's heart, Zilong thinks, how could Cao Cao not be curious? How could he not be tempted? Once Cao Cao is tempted, Guan Yu will be out of the picture."

"So, Cao Cao will seize the Du family? He wants to go back on his promise?" Zhao Yun was somewhat incredulous.

Liu Xie didn't offer much explanation, saying, "In short, let's wait and see. I think Cao Cao won't give up Lady Du."

Cao Cao was always busy. He had to meet with all the civil and military officials who had followed Lü Bu. He would spend even more time with wise men like Chen Qun and his son, discussing matters of governance and state affairs.

As darkness approached, Guan Yu hesitated before going to see Cao Cao again.

Cao Cao suddenly remembered the matter, slapped his forehead, and said to himself, "Yun Chang, look at me, I've been too busy today, and I almost forgot what I promised you."

After Guan Yu left, Cao Cao put aside all his affairs and became increasingly curious, muttering to himself, "What kind of woman could make Guan Yu so interested? I must take a good look at her."

"Come here, bring Qin Yilu to me." Before long, Qin Yilu was brought before Cao Cao.

The young man was quick-witted. As soon as they met, he knelt down on the ground and shouted, "My lord, spare my life! Lü Bu is brave but reckless, violent but ungrateful. I have long intended to submit to you, but I am trapped in the city and have no opportunity to do so."

Cao Cao hadn't even had time to meet with low-ranking officers like Qin Yilu. If Guan Yu hadn't mentioned him, Cao Cao wouldn't have bothered with him at all.

Cao Cao was of such high status, how could he have time to pay attention to a sycophant like Qin Yilu?

Qin Yilu was still bound with ropes, and Cao Cao felt disgusted at just one glance.

Qin Yilu had a pointed mouth and monkey-like face, cunning eyes, and a sly smile on his face. The more Cao Cao looked at him, the angrier he became, and he really wanted to go up and kick him hard.

"I heard you're willing to offer up your beautiful concubine to save your life?"

Qin Yilu nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice, while kneeling and crawling closer, saying with a hint of pride, "My lord, my concubine is quite beautiful. General Guan has seen her once, and I guarantee that you will praise her when you see her."

"This is true."

"Absolutely true, how could I dare to deceive you, sir?"

"Alright, I'll let you go back first. You must bring this woman to me tonight. Remember, she must be brought here after midnight. I need to make sure she's properly vetted for Yun Chang. If the information is false, I will execute her without mercy!"

Qin Yilu trembled with fright and hurriedly nodded in agreement.

If he sent the person over too early, Cao Cao was worried that others would see it. To be on the safe side, he had to do it late at night when everyone was quiet.

At this moment, Cao Cao had no other thoughts; he was simply curious and really wanted to help Guan Yu check things out.

If he is indeed good-looking, it's not too late to bestow him upon Guan Yu.

After being untied, Qin Yilu hurriedly returned home and waited until midnight. Night had completely enveloped the earth, like a black cloth covering it. Without the light of lamps, nothing could be seen clearly. Following Cao Cao's instructions, Qin Yilu quietly brought Du Shi over.

Despite her constant weeping and resentment, Du was ultimately a weak woman and could not resist.

The man was taken directly to the backyard of the government office. When Cao Cao saw Qin Yilu, he nodded to him and then went straight into the room, lifting the curtain.

Inside, a woman was sitting on the bed, covering her face and sobbing. It seemed that Madam Du had also realized her fate, which was why she kept crying.

After Cao Cao entered the room, he walked straight over, reached out and grasped Du Shi's hand that was covering her face, removed her hand, and then looked at her seriously.

Cao Cao thought she wouldn't be too stunning, having seen plenty of beautiful women. But to his surprise, he couldn't take his eyes off her after just one glance.

Just like when I first met Zhang Xiu's aunt, Zou Shi, this woman in front of me was simply a rare beauty.

Although Ms. Du was over thirty years old and had a child, she was still charming and graceful.

She was slender and had the appearance of a young woman in her late teens or early twenties. Her skin was fair and smooth like jade, and her tearful eyes added to her pitiful and endearing charm.

Du's hair was styled in a bun, her black hair as dark as ink, and she had an oval face, willow-leaf eyebrows, and a small cherry-like mouth.

For some reason, Cao Cao was naturally powerless against mature and charming women. In addition, he had been away from Xuchang for more than half a year, which was understandable for the amorous Cao Cao.

Having held back for so long, Cao Cao completely forgot his promise to Guan Yu the moment he saw such a beautiful woman.

Cao Cao turned and walked out again, saying to Qin Yilu, "Considering your loyalty to me, you shall go to Zhi County to take up your post early tomorrow morning, as they are in need of a magistrate."

Qin Yilu secretly groaned. Zhi County was located in Pei State of Yuzhou, very close to Cao Cao's hometown. Many people in the current court in Xudu came from Pei State. If he were to be the magistrate there, he would not dare to offend any of them.

The county magistrate was not a high-ranking official, and he had to endure all kinds of mistreatment. In fact, the soldiers and generals from Pei could even turn around and monitor Cao Cao.

After thinking it through, Qin Yilu was both shocked and frightened. He had thought that by offering up Du Shi, he could get a lucrative position, but he never expected to be treated like this.

Cao Cao knew exactly what he was thinking. He had always despised such a cunning and treacherous person, so naturally he would not allow him to go out and cause trouble and harm the local area.

Cao Cao was also worried that he would go out and talk nonsense and reveal the matter of offering women, so he found him such a place where he could send people to monitor him at all times. If he really did anything out of line, Cao Cao could punish and kill him at any time.

Back inside, Cao Cao approached and carefully examined Du Shi. The more he looked, the happier he became, and he couldn't help but reach out and touch her body.

Knowing Cao Cao's noble status, Du dared not shout loudly or rebel too much.

Looking at the beauty under the lamp, Cao Cao couldn't help but praise her, saying, "There is a beautiful woman in the north, peerless and solitary. One glance could topple a city, a second glance could topple a nation. It is truly a pity that such a beautiful woman as you would be forced to marry a treacherous man like Qin Yilu. I feel sorry for you."

Du glanced at him, secretly lamenting to herself that Cao Cao was now a middle-aged man, lacking both good looks and advanced age.

However, his status was extremely prestigious, being one of the Three Dukes of the current dynasty.

Although Cao Cao recited elegant poems, his hands were not idle. He not only started touching her, but soon lost control and pulled Du into his arms. Without saying a word, he opened his mouth and kissed her...

Du resisted several times, but because she was too weak, Cao Cao became enraged and finally pounced on her.

Cao Cao completely forgot about social norms, ethics, and promises.

After more than half a year of military campaigns, Cao Cao could finally enjoy himself.

The next day, Cao Cao didn't get out of bed until the sun was high in the sky.

After washing up, Cao Cao went to the front hall, and soon Liu Bei and the others arrived as well.

Upon seeing Guan Yu, Cao Cao quickly looked away. Since the matter had already occurred, Cao Cao could only rely on his thick skin.

Play dumb! Pretend it never happened!

Guan Yu wasn't stupid either; he guessed some of it from Cao Cao's expression.

(End of this chapter)