I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 281 Rampant!

After paying their respects to Cai Yong, the group resumed their journey.

Head directly south from Chang'an, exit Wuguan Pass, pass Nanyang, and head towards Xuchang.

Along the way, the Southern Xiongnu cavalry wandered around, which greatly annoyed Gu Yong, Zhang Xiu, and others.

Zhang Xiu rode up to Xiahou Dun and ordered him to restrain the Xiongnu troops.

"These Xiongnu are wandering around, clearly scouting the surrounding terrain, which is not a good thing for us!"

Xiahou Dun had also noticed the unusual movements of these Xiongnu people early on.

But unlike Zhang Xiu, he was not wary.

"They're just barbarians who've never seen the prosperity of the Central Plains. There's no need to be so nervous!"

Zhang Xiu was clearly not satisfied with Xiahou Dun's answer.

"General Xiahou, you have never lived on the border, so you have no idea about the wolfish nature of these people!"

"People like them have no sense of propriety, shame, or morality. When they see something beautiful, they want to possess it; they don't just look and do nothing. The only reason they are still restrained is because of the deterrent effect of the army beside us!"

Zhang Xiu was born in the north, where the Qiang, Xiongnu, and Xianbei peoples ran rampant. Therefore, Zhang Xiu understood all too well what these people were thinking all day long.

"Only by instilling fear in them will they feel afraid and have no other thoughts! If this continues unchecked, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

Xiahou Dun still wouldn't listen:
"Now that our soldiers are following them, why should we go out of our way to show off our power in front of them?"

"you……"

Zhang Xiu also shook his head: "Forget it!"

"Your treatment of other races will eventually backfire!"

"Wanting to control other races without even knowing what they want is like raising wolfhounds, feeding them only rice on a daily basis, while showing off the meat yourself. Isn't that just asking for a backlash?"

Zhang Xiu shook his head and ignored Xiahou Dun, focusing instead on protecting Gu Yong, Cai Yan, and their group from harassment by the Southern Xiongnu.

Fortunately, although there were some setbacks along the way, nothing too serious happened, so we made it to Xuchang safely.

The person who came out of the city to greet them was Xun Yu, who was now serving as the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat.

Upon seeing Cai Yan, Xun Yu couldn't help but shed tears: "In the past, Cai Zhonglang was a model for scholars. Now, seeing the son of an old friend truly brings us joy!"

Cai Yan remained calm and accepted Xun Yu's greetings and concern.

Although he had been in the Hu region for three years, Cai Yan's manners remained impeccable, prompting Xun Yu and the scholars around him to once again praise Cai Yong for his excellent parenting.

Introduced by Xun Yu, Cai Yan also went to the Xuchang Imperial Palace to pay homage to the emperor.

In the imperial court, there was not only the emperor, but also Cao Cao.

Cao Cao was dressed in court robes and wore a tall, mountain-shaped hat, with a dignified expression.

As Xun Yu said, the Cai Yan affair could actually bring the emperor and Cao Cao closer, which would be entirely beneficial to Cao Cao's current situation.

Moreover, the opportunity to establish relations with the Southern Xiongnu made it even more compelling for Cao Cao to accept the offer.

The emperor and his officials clearly noticed that the relationship between Cao Cao and the emperor seemed to have been mended by this incident, and they breathed a sigh of relief.

The scene of Li Jue and Guo Si treating the officials like pigs and dogs was still fresh in their minds, and they obviously did not want to anger Cao Cao again and let the Chang'an incident repeat itself.

Therefore, all the officials treated Cai Yan with the utmost gentleness, praising her endlessly. Some even compared Cai Yan to Su Wu, believing that although Cai Yan was a woman, she demonstrated the backbone of the Han Dynasty!
……

Hearing these words, even Gu Yong couldn't help but feel nauseous! Why should the backbone of the Han Dynasty be demonstrated by a woman?
What angered Gu Yong even more was that, to this day, the emperor and the court have not given Cai Yong a formal final verdict!

It's simply because Cai Yong supported Dong Zhuo back then, making these people ashamed to face the past!
Hypocritical! Cowardly! Indifferent!

Gu Yong saw through the true nature of the emperor and these court officials, and his last shred of hope for the court was completely shattered.

How can the current emperor and the current court represent the face of the Han Dynasty?
Compared to them, even Liu Miao seemed like a true gentleman!

Gu Yong's eyes were dark and unreadable, clearly indicating that he had come to a complete understanding of some things.

The banner of the Great Han should not, and cannot, fall into the hands of these people!
The others did not notice anything unusual about Gu Yong, and even Cao Cao was too preoccupied to pay attention to him.

When Cai Yan appeared before him, Cao Cao's eyes lit up immediately!
Although Cai Yan was not a stunningly beautiful woman, her indelible scholarly air gave her an extraordinary temperament.

In addition, the tenacity and stubbornness she brought from the Hu region gave Cai Yan a unique charm, making Cao Cao unable to stop staring at her.

"I have long admired Cai Zhonglang, but I regret that I cannot meet him."

Cao Cao's probing was self-evident.

"But I wonder how much of Cai Zhonglang's skill the Cai woman has inherited?"

Cai Yan replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Father's learning is as towering as a mountain and as vast as the ocean; how can I possibly compare to it?"

“My father has always praised Yuan Tan’s scholarship. If Sikong is interested, he can be invited to discuss it.”

Cai Yan rejected Cao Cao's probing and threw Gu Yong at him instead.

Gu Yong also sensed Cao Cao's probing and was immediately enraged.

"Liu Biaoqi had also long admired Cai Zhonglang, which is why he redeemed his senior sister from the Xiongnu!"

"Yesterday, General Liu just sent me a letter asking about this matter, urging me to bring my senior sister back to Jiangdong as soon as possible. Therefore, I'm afraid I have no time to discuss this with the Minister of Works!"

Gu Yong brought up Liu Miao.

Cao Cao wanted to intercept him? Dream on!

Gu Yong felt it necessary to remind Cao Cao whose people were standing in front of him!
Although Cao Cao was displeased after being rebuffed by Gu Yong, he ultimately decided not to force Cai Yan to stay, considering the current situation.

"Zhongshan, you're really in a hurry! Hahahaha!"

Cao Cao was only testing the waters, and seeing that neither Cai Yan nor Gu Yong had such intentions, he stopped short of trying.

Cao Cao had not forgotten the true purpose of this grand drama!
So, after reluctantly shifting his gaze from Cai Yan, Cao Cao set his sights on another group of people.

Those were the Southern Xiongnu people who wore animal skin clothing, had broad faces and thick beards, large heads tilted back, small, upturned eyes, thick lips and flat noses, and low foreheads and large ears.

"Many thanks to the Right Wise King for coming to escort us this time!"

Cao Cao locked his gaze on Liu Qubei's face, and Liu Qubei also noticed the gaze of Cao Cao, the powerful figure in the Han court.

"hey-hey!"

Liu Qubei laughed twice, completely lacking in manners, which displeased the surrounding officials.

However, what was even more unpleasant was Liu Qubei's next sentence—

“In our Xiongnu, if the son of the Chanyu is young, we will appoint a Left or Right Wise King to control the power.”

"Now it seems that this Han dynasty is exactly the same as our Xiongnu!"

(End of this chapter)