My Three Kingdoms is not right

The thin layer of medicated oil between the palm and the skin felt slightly sticky and warm as it was squeezed and slid.

The girl secretly opened her eyes a crack and looked at Liu Xun in front of the bed.

His expression was focused and serious, with red lips and white teeth that made it hard to look away.

She could feel her calves getting hot, her knees getting hot, her thighs getting hot—no, not just those places. The heat spread like a tide, surging up from her legs, over her lower abdomen, over her chest, and finally up her cheeks.

She could even feel her tailbone unconsciously tighten and her toes curling up on the soft mattress.

No!

You can't press any lower.

If this continues, we'll be exposed.

"Your Highness..." she suddenly spoke, "Let's stop here for today."

Liu Xun stopped what he was doing, smiled, and said, "That's about enough."

He assumed that Sima Yi was in unbearable pain and felt sorry for her, so he withdrew his hand and took a warm, damp cloth from the side to carefully wipe the medicated oil on her legs.

Sima Yi felt increasingly ashamed.

She wanted to make amends.

"Your Highness, I heard from Shangxiang that Dong Cheng's matter has caused you a lot of trouble."

Liu Xun turned around.

The girl was looking up at him, her eyes moist and her lips pale.

"The main problem is that it happened so suddenly." Liu Xun didn't hide anything from her: "This person is cunning and shrewd. I arranged for people to keep watch outside her residence, but she still kept it from me."

"Your Highness arranged for Sister Dezu to do it, right?" Sima Yi had lived in the Wannian Villa for so long that everyone sympathized with this sickly girl and often came to talk to her and push her out for walks. As a result, she had become familiar with everyone.

Liu Xun nodded: "Mm."

"Sister Dezu is not suited for this job," Sima Yi said with a smile. "Although she is exceptionally intelligent and talented, her noble and refined nature is hard to conceal; and her discerning eyes disdain to scrutinize the trivial."

"You're absolutely right." Liu Xun smiled wryly. "It's just that I can't find a more suitable candidate than her at the moment."

A hint of joy flashed in the girl's eyes, but her expression remained calm: "I can actually try to help."

"You?" Liu Xun was speechless.

"Yes," Sima Yi said calmly, "My mother retired and has remained secluded since then to avoid the turmoil of the court. My elder brother is also far away in Xuchang. Such a large foundation as the Sima family cannot be sustained simply by closing the door."

That's true.

But Liu Xun subconsciously glanced at her legs.

Sima Yi felt slightly embarrassed, but his expression remained unchanged: "Precisely because I am physically disabled and know that I will never be able to rise to the rank of general or prime minister in this life, like my elder brothers, I have focused on helping the family handle some shady matters in the past two years."

"After all, even though the Sima family is large, they don't support idlers." As she said this, a hint of self-deprecation appeared in her smile.

Liu Xun remained silent.

"In any case," the girl smiled slightly at him, "if I were in charge of gathering information and monitoring the enemy, Your Highness would no longer be so flustered."

Liu Xun did not agree immediately.

He hesitated.

It wasn't because he doubted Sima Yi's abilities; in fact, he was probably the person in the world who knew best just how capable Sima Yi was.

Even though she was just a young, sickly girl with no official position or achievements.

What made him hesitate was precisely the fact that the name "Sima Yi" was too jarring.

Can I really handle a character like that?

But then I thought about it again and realized I was being a little funny.

If you don't even have this much confidence and composure, how can you compete with Cao Cao, let alone talk about restoring the Han Dynasty?

"In that case, I'll have to trouble you, Zhongda! I'll have Sun Yi accompany you to help."

Although he had already made the decision, Liu Xun still subconsciously placed a trusted confidant next to Sima Yi.

Sima Yi could no longer hide his excitement: "Your Highness, rest assured, I will certainly live up to your expectations!"

She found a way to stay by His Highness's side forever!

-----------------

Perhaps Cao Cao's great victory had a sufficient deterrent effect.

Perhaps the emperor's personal welcome of the triumphant army and his generous reward to Cao Cao bridged the differences.

For a period of time afterward, Xudu was unusually calm.

Meanwhile, in the west courtyard of Wannian Villa, a girl in a wheelchair begins to spread an invisible net across Xudu.

……

As August arrives, the summer heat has dissipated in the evening breeze.

The banquet had ended, and the guests left in twos and threes.

Captain Zhong Ji of the Changshui School personally stood at the door, exchanging pleasantries with the guests who had finished their meal.

"Where's the prince's robe?" a guest asked casually, looking around.

"She said she had too much to drink and went home first." Zhong Ji shook his head with a smile, "I don't know if she was faking it."

"Next time, we'll definitely make her drink!" The guest laughed and bowed as he boarded the carriage.

Zhong Ji stood at the door, watching the last carriage disappear at the end of the street, before the smile on his face gradually faded.

At this time, Wang Zifu was still in her residence.

……

In a side room in the backyard, Wang Zifu looked at Dong Cheng, who was sitting in the main seat, with surprise and a somewhat unnatural expression.

"Greetings, General Dong! What brings you here?"

Dong Cheng slowly raised his head: "Of course, it's to wait for General Wang."

"This humble general has had too much to drink today. If General Dong has official business, we can discuss it tomorrow." Wang Zifu's eyes flickered, and he clasped his hands in a fist salute, saying, "Farewell!"

"Wait!" Dong Cheng called out to her, "If it were convenient to talk inside the government office, why would I need to wait here?"

She stood up and walked to Wang Zifu: "General Wang, as a court official, you receive the Han's salary and favor. Are you just going to stand by and watch the nation suffer and the emperor be humiliated?"

Prince Fu shook his head and said, "This humble general is dull and does not understand what the general is saying."

Dong Cheng's expression shifted slightly, and he changed the subject, saying:

"General Wang, do you know the story of Lü Buwei?"

Prince Fu looked up in confusion.

"Lü Buwei was originally a wealthy merchant from Yangdi. In Handan, he met Zichu, a hostage prince of Qin. Upon returning home, he asked his father, 'How many times more profit can one make from farming?' His father replied, 'Ten times.' He then asked, 'How many times more profit can one make from pearls and jade?' His father replied, 'A hundred times.' Finally, he asked, 'How many times more profit can one make from establishing a ruler of a state?' His father replied, 'Countless times.'"

Dong Cheng's gaze fell on Wang Zifu's face, a slight smile playing on his lips: "What lies before us now is a deal involving 'countless' transactions. General Wang, are you sure you want to miss it?"

Wang Zifu's expression changed: "Please enlighten me, General Dong."

Dong Cheng saw the fleeting greed in her eyes and felt reassured: "In the past, Lü Buwei gained prominence by helping Zichu. If we can help the emperor and eliminate the treacherous officials, we will have the merit of restoring order to the world."

"General Wang is both a scholar and a warrior, possessing both virtue and talent. If things succeed, why wouldn't you accept my position as General of Chariots and Cavalry?"

Prince Fu swallowed hard.

After a long pause, she finally spoke, "General Dong, your kindness is too much for me to bear. But Cao Cao commands tens of thousands of troops; how can we possibly succeed with our meager forces?"

Dong Cheng smiled.

She knew that Prince Fu was already interested.