The Three Kingdoms: The entire Cao Cao camp thought I was weak and frail.

With a loud "boom," the entire hall erupted in cheers.

"Mr. Gongtai is a man of great talent!"

"This is truly a blessing for Yanzhou, and a blessing for our lord!"

Cao Cao left his seat, personally poured Chen Gong a full cup of wine, and presented it with both hands: "Gongtai, your merit deserves the highest honor! On behalf of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians of Yanzhou, I toast you!"

Chen Gong was flattered and drank it all in one gulp, feeling a surge of pride. He put down his wine cup and, emboldened by the wine, spoke again: "My lord, besides provisions, I have brought back something even more precious for our army on this trip."

"Oh?" Cao Cao looked at him with great interest.

"The hearts of the people." Chen Gong's voice grew louder and louder. "The gentry of Yanzhou are all grateful for your benevolence and righteousness, and are willing to serve you to the death. They have jointly submitted a petition, offering three strategies for the long-term stability of Yanzhou."

He took out a roll of brocade from his sleeve and presented it with both hands.

A servant took it and presented it to Cao Cao.

Cao Cao unfolded the brocade, his smile undiminished, but his gaze swept over the words on it inch by inch.

"Firstly, I request that Your Majesty follow the old system of the previous dynasty and establish positions such as 'Accountant Clerk' and 'Merit Officer' in each prefecture and county, selecting virtuous and capable local people to serve in these positions to assist the prefect and ensure the smooth implementation of government orders."

"Secondly, now that Yanzhou has been newly established, we should allow the people to rest and recuperate, reduce or exempt taxes, broaden channels for public opinion, and govern the prefecture and county together with the scholar-officials."

"Thirdly, in order to commend the merit of contributing grain and to appease the local people, we earnestly request that the lord appoint the sons of prominent families such as Cheng and Bi to official positions according to their talents."

Cao Cao's face still held a smile, but that smile never reached his eyes again.

He slowly rolled up the brocade and held it in his hand. "Gentlemen, your words, spoken with the well-being of the nation in your hearts, are truly invaluable." His voice was devoid of any emotion. "This matter concerns Yanzhou..."

Before he could finish speaking, a series of rapid hoofbeats and shouts from the guards suddenly came from outside the council hall.

"Report—"

A messenger rushed into the hall, knelt on one knee, and announced, "My lord! Military Advisor Guo has returned!"

"Fengxiao?" Cao Cao was taken aback, and his grip on the brocade loosened slightly.

The people in the hall looked at each other in bewilderment.

Wasn't Guo Jia still inspecting the western counties? How come he's back so soon?

Before Cao Cao could ask a question, the curtain was suddenly flung open by a hand with distinct knuckles.

Guo Jia appeared at the door, still wearing his usual clothes from his inspection tour, stained with the frost of the journey.

"Fengxiao!"

Cao Cao strode down from the main seat, grabbed Guo Jia's arm, shook it vigorously, and complained in a seemingly affectionate tone, "You rascal, you didn't even tell me you were coming back! Did your inspection yield any important discoveries?"

"My lord, have you taken the wrong medicine? I haven't won another city this time, why are you so eager?" Guo Jia turned his questioning gaze to Xun Hao.

Xun Hao's lips moved slightly, but he didn't make any sound. He simply mouthed two words.

—A prominent family.

The light in Guo Jia's eyes suddenly sharpened.

He understood instantly.

Guo Jia immediately became a chatterbox, talking at length with Cao Cao about his experiences along the way, leaving Chen Gong unable to get a word in edgewise.

The banquet continued in an odd atmosphere and ended in a tacit silence.

After everyone dispersed, only Cao Cao and a few of his confidants remained in the council hall.

Cao Cao, who had been chatting and laughing just a moment ago, now had a face so gloomy it could drip water.

"Snapped!"

He slammed the brocade in his hand onto the table with a loud bang.

"What a fine 'co-governance with scholar-officials'!" Cao Cao's chest heaved violently as he paced back and forth like a caged tiger. "They're using grain to buy my official position! To buy my control of Yan Province! What do they take me, Cao Mengde, for? A puppet they can manipulate at will!"

"My lord, for now, the only option is to appease them for the time being." Xun You broke the silence first. He looked at the brocade that Cao Cao had slammed on the table, his expression grave. "Chen Gongtai only brought back the first batch of grain. The remaining grain is still in the hands of those powerful families. Turning against them now would be tantamount to cutting off our own path to survival."

"Does Gongda mean I should just accept it?" Cao Cao's voice was filled with suppressed anger.

"Play along," Xun You uttered four words. "First, offer them some insignificant, idle positions and seize all the remaining grain. After the autumn harvest, when our army has ample provisions, we can slowly settle accounts with them and reclaim their power. This is a delaying tactic."

This is indeed the safest and only feasible solution at present.

Xun Yu rose and bowed to Cao Cao: "My lord, what Gongda said is very true. A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years. A temporary retreat is for a better advance in the future."

Even Xun Yu said so, and Cao Cao's last glimmer of hope was extinguished.

He slowly sat back in the main seat, closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the anger in his eyes had been replaced by a cold rationality.

"Alright, let's follow Gongda's plan." He squeezed out the words through gritted teeth. "Wenruo, you two will be in charge of this matter. Draft a list, and make sure it's watertight so they can't find any mistakes."

"Yes, sir." Xun Yu and Xun You answered in unison.

Cao Cao waved his hand, signaling everyone to step back.

Guo Jia didn't leave immediately. He walked to Xun Hao's side and lowered his voice: "Yan Ruo, you..."

Xun Hao raised his head and met his probing gaze.

"Brother Fengxiao, you must be tired from your journey. Your servants probably don't know you're back today..." he said softly, as he stood up and subtly brushed his hand past Guo Jia's arm.

The moment their fingertips touched, a faint yet distinct warm current flowed into their bodies.

"Yanruo, could you let me stay for the night?"

Guo Jia's arm was very strong, and even through two layers of clothing, Xun Hao could feel the scorching heat coming from it continuously.

His question, asked frankly, sounded like a thunderclap to others.

Xun Yu's face darkened visibly.

"Fengxiao, you must be tired from your journey. I have already ordered a guest house to be prepared with plenty of food and drink. There is no need for you to trouble yourself, Yanruo." Xun Yu's voice was devoid of warmth. He stepped forward and tried to pull Xun Hao away from Guo Jia without making a sound.

Guo Jia tightened his grip, preventing Xun Yu from succeeding. He looked at Xun Yu with a grin, but there was no hint of amusement in his peach blossom eyes: "Brother Wenruo, you are mistaken. Yanruo and I have not seen each other for a long time, and we have many intimate things to say. No matter how nice the guest house is, nothing is as comforting as having an old friend by your side."

"You!" Xun Yu choked on his words.

He finally understood that Guo Jia's skin was as thick as a city wall.

Seeing that his elder brother was about to lash out, Xun Hao secretly felt that things were going badly.

Just as the atmosphere in the council chamber reached a freezing point, a suppressed cry of pain came from a corner.

"Well……"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Xi Zhicai clutching his chest with one hand, his face pale and his body swaying precariously.

"Zhicai!" Xun You, who was closest to him, quickly helped him up.

"I...I have a pain in my chest..." Xi Zhicai leaned on Xun You, breathing rapidly. "Perhaps it's an old ailment acting up again...Brother Wenruo, please help me up."