Wei Xiaobao's Three Kingdoms Adventure

Chapter 9 Sophisticated
Tao Qian and Mi Zhu were both shocked and looked at each other.

Tao Qian's eyes seemed to be saying, "Sir, do you think this child could be Lord Lu's son?"

Mi Zhu's expression clearly said, "Sir, this matter is of no small importance. Wait for me to give him a try."

Tao Qian glanced back: "Be careful and don't offend him first."

Mi Zhu twirled his beard and nodded silently.

Wei Xiaobao watched Tao Qian and Mi Zhu exchange glances and thought, "These two old foxes must be trying to figure out my true identity. Fortunately, I was well prepared on the way here."

Mi Zhu said, "I wonder where you are from, sir?"

Mi Zhu asked this, already suspicious of Wei Xiaobao's identity. It was common knowledge that Lu Zhi had been collcating ancient texts in Luoyang before his attack on the Yellow Turbans, and that his family also lived there. If Wei Xiaobao claimed to have come from Luoyang, it was obviously a lie. By then, the imperial court had already appointed the Eight Pass Commanderies, and Wei Xiaobao, a master and servant dressed in such a way, couldn't possibly have made it all the way from Luoyang to Xiapi.

Wei Xiaobao knew Tao Qian would doubt his identity. He knew he could trick Tao Qian into sending someone with him to confront Lu Zhi, just as he had done with Zhang Kai. He knew there would always be a chance to escape along the way. As for how to trick Tao Qian, Wei Xiaobao's plan was simply to be mysterious and persuasive, mixing truth with lies. However, he didn't expect Mi Zhu's first question to disrupt Wei Xiaobao's plan.

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "Where should Lu Zhi's son come from? This son should follow his father, but where should Lu Zhi be? If I say I came from Yecheng, wouldn't I be a deserter? That's right, I will say I came from Guangling. If he asks why I came from Guangling, I will say that my father arranged for me to be an undercover agent in the Yellow Turban Army. After all, if Ma Yuanyi can plant an undercover agent in the court, why can't the court plant an undercover agent in the Yellow Turban Army?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "I come from Guangling."

Tao Qian asked in surprise, "Guangling?"

Wei Xiaobao chuckled inwardly and was about to respond when he heard Mi Zhu ask, "Guangling was captured by the Yellow Turban Army a long time ago. I wonder how you escaped from the city?"

Wei Xiaobao pointed to the yellow turban on his head and said, "I am a Yellow Turban soldier."

Tao Qian and Mi Zhu had noticed his attire a long time ago, so they were not surprised to see him frankly admit that he was a member of the Yellow Turban Army.

Mi Zhu then asked, "Since you are the son of Lord Lu, why did you participate in the rebellion?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "The two lords have already known about the matter between Ma Yuanyi and the eunuch, right?" Tao Qian nodded, but Mi Zhu did not move, staring at Wei Xiaobao's eyes.

Wei Xiaobao was frightened by his stare, but calming himself down, he continued, "Actually, my father had already discovered Ma Yuanyi and his gang's plot, but he didn't expose it because he wanted me to infiltrate the Yellow Turban Army so that we could kill Zhang Jue from within and wipe out the Yellow Turban Army in one fell swoop."

Tao Qian said, "No wonder the emperor sent Lord Lu to quell the rebellion when there are so many skilled military commanders in the court. It turns out this was all planned in advance."

Wei Xiaobao had finally caught onto Tao Qian's point and continued, "That's right, it's precisely because the Emperor sent my father to quell the rebellion that some people were dissatisfied, so they wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to frame my father."

Tao Qian said, "Oh, this matter cannot be delayed. If Lord Lu is killed, the court will lose a loyal official, and it will also embolden the Yellow Turban Army. Lord Mi, we must quickly find a way to rescue Lord Lu."

Mi Zhu held out his hand to signal Tao Qian not to worry, then turned and asked Wei Xiaobao, "Sir, how did you know someone was trying to frame Lord Lu when you were in Guangling?"

Tao Qian also asked, "Yes, how did you know that, sir?"

Wei Xiaobao took out a token and handed it to Tao Qian, saying, "This is the token of the Yellow Turban Army's Yangzhou commander. I overheard someone plotting with Chen Bai, the Yellow Turban Army's Yangzhou commander, to frame my father, and I was going to Yecheng to warn my father. Before leaving, I stole Chen Bai's token to prevent him from dispatching his men to pursue." Tao Qian praised him, "Young Master, you are truly brave and resourceful. However, even without the token, the Yellow Turban Army would still dispatch troops to pursue you. Lord Mi, there is no time to lose. We should quickly arrange for someone to escort Young Master Lu on his journey. If the Yellow Turban Army and the petty officials in the court get there first, it will be too late to regret it."

Mi Zhu wanted to further verify Wei Xiaobao's identity, but Tao Qian was obsessed with saving Lu Zhi, which made him lose his composure.

Mi Zhu said, "Sir, this matter is of great importance. His one-sided statement alone is unlikely to convince anyone."

Wei Xiaobao laughed secretly in his heart: "I didn't intend to make you believe it in the first place. Now that you are half-believing and half-doubting, it's done."

Wei Xiaobao said, "This is indeed hard for Lord Mi to believe. If you accompany me to see my father, we will know the truth then. If Lu Gui is talking nonsense, Lord Lu will chop off Lu Gui's head on the spot."

Tao Qian said, "So your name is Lu Gui."

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "I'm not Lu Gui. When the time comes, you can only chop off Lu Gui's head, but not my head. As soon as we leave the city, I will run away with my good wife Shuang'er."

Mi Zhu said, "Young Master, please go to the side hall to rest first. Let us discuss things properly and then arrange for you to set off."

Wei Xiaobao had no choice but to go to the side hall first. Shuang'er had been waiting for him there for a long time, and there were snacks prepared in the room. Wei Xiaobao simply ate while waiting.

Shuang'er asked, "Xiaobao, will they think we're rebels and throw us into jail?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "Don't worry, Shuang'er. They definitely won't arrest us. They might even send someone to escort us to Yecheng."

In Shuang'er's heart, although Wei Xiaobao liked to play tricks, she always believed what he said. After hearing what Wei Xiaobao said, Shuang'er felt relieved and followed suit, picking up the snacks on the table and putting them into her mouth.

The two of them had been busy traveling these past two days, and had not eaten or slept well. Now, in the big room of the prefect's mansion, after eating, they actually fell asleep on the floor.

Wei Xiaobao, who was in the side hall, naturally had no idea what Tao Qian and Mi Zhu were discussing in the room. When he and Shuang'er were woken up, Tao Qian had already arranged a team of people to be on standby and accompany him to Yecheng.

On the official road outside Xia Pi City, Wei Xiaobao, riding a tall horse, said to Shuang'er, "Is it just as I said?"

Shuang'er smiled and nodded.

Wei Xiaobao then said, "Does that mean it's a complete success?"

Shuang'er had been on guard against him for a long time, and when she heard this, she urged her horse to go ahead.

Wei Xiaobao didn't care whether the officers and soldiers walking behind him could catch up with him or not. He patted his horse's butt and chased Shuang'er, thinking that he had officers and soldiers escorting him all the way. As long as he found a chance to escape and find Zhang Jue when he was about to reach Yecheng, he would be really successful.

The high-spirited Wei Xiaobao never expected that before he set out, the shrewd Mi Zhu had already arranged for a fast horse to go to Yecheng to verify.

(End of this chapter)