Three Kingdoms: A wise grandson, Cao Wei can last for three generations!

Pang Tong's residence was not far from Jia Xu's mansion; it was just two alleys away.

When Cao Rui entered, Pang Tong was sitting by the brazier, holding a scroll of bamboo slips in his hand, engrossed in reading it.

"gentlemen?"

Pang Tong raised his head and glanced at him: "You've arrived? Sit down."

Cao Rui moved closer and sat down opposite him, glancing at the scroll of bamboo slips—Mencius.

"Will the teacher be discussing Mencius today?"

"No." Pang Tong put down the bamboo slips, picked up his teacup and took a sip. "The Hundred Schools Forum is a place for discussing the past and present with humor. Today, we will not be discussing books."

"Then what should we talk about?"

Pang Tong looked at him and suddenly asked, "You just came from Jia Wenhe's place. What kind of crooked tricks did he teach you this time?"

Cao Rui chuckled: "The master said that one cannot judge things by appearances alone."

Pang Tong paused for a moment, then smiled.

"That's true." He put down his teacup. "But did he tell you what the surface means and what the inside means?"

Cao Rui shook his head.

Pang Tong pointed to the snow outside the window: "Look at this snow, isn't it beautiful?"

"nice."

"Do you know that if the snow falls too heavily, it can collapse houses and freeze people to death?"

Cao Rui nodded.

"So, do you think snow is a good thing or a bad thing?"

Cao Rui thought for a moment and said, "It depends on the situation."

Pang Tong laughed: "Yes, it depends. In this world, there is nothing absolutely good, nor is there anything absolutely bad. Snow can freeze wheat to death, but it can also freeze pests; it can collapse houses, but it can also make the crops grow better next year. It all depends on how you use it."

"Jia Wenhe taught you to look at it from the opposite perspective; I'll teach you to look at it from the front. Only when you both learn can you see the whole picture." Pang Tong stood up and walked to the window. "It's like your grandfather building the Bronze Sparrow Terrace. On the surface, it was a celebration, but in reality, it was to stabilize people's hearts. But thinking deeper, what was the purpose of stabilizing people's hearts?"

"In order to...accumulate strength?"

"That's right." Pang Tong turned around and looked at him. "We lost at Chibi, but life goes on. What your grandfather needs to do is not to think about revenge every day, but to swallow this anger, stabilize the people's hearts, and save up our strength. When the time is right, we will fight back."

Cao Rui's eyes lit up: "Sir, are you saying that my grandfather wants to fight back?"

Pang Tong shook his head: "I didn't say that. I'm just telling you that nothing in this world is wasted effort. Your grandfather built the Bronze Sparrow Terrace and invited scholars from all over the world to come and have your fourth uncle compose poems. On the surface, it was all about romance and poetry, but in reality, it was telling the world that I, Cao Cao, am still firmly in power."

Cao Rui nodded and kept those words in mind.

As the two were talking, a commotion suddenly broke out outside.

Cao Rui peeked in and saw Xu Hu rushing in with a strange expression.

"Young master, something has happened."

"What is it?"

Xu Hu opened his mouth, but then hesitated and stopped.

Pang Tong glanced at him: "Speak, what is it?"

Xu Hu scratched his head and said, "News came from the Prime Minister's residence that...that the white crane that Young Master Cao Zhi kept has flown away."

Cao Rui was stunned.

"The white crane? It flew away?"

"Yes." Xu Hu said with a bitter face, "That white crane is the apple of Cao Zhi's eye. He's raised it for three or four years. This morning, I don't know what happened, the cage wasn't closed properly, and it flew away. Cao Zhi is making a scene at his mansion right now, saying he'll do anything to get it back."

Cao Rui's lips twitched. He knew that Cao Zhi kept a white crane. The crane was a gift from one of Cao Zhi's retainers; it was pure white and very beautiful.

Cao Zhi was overjoyed and fed him personally every day, even having a beautiful cage made for him.

I never expected it to fly away today.

Pang Tong burst into laughter after hearing this.

"Good! Good!" He laughed until tears almost streamed down his face. "Cao Zijian, Cao Zijian, I made you write poetry every day, but this time you didn't finish a poem; the crane flew away first!"

Cao Rui was both amused and exasperated: "Sir, please stop laughing. Fourth Uncle must be extremely worried right now."

"So what if you're in a hurry?" Pang Tong waved his hand. "It's just a crane, it's not a big deal."

Cao Rui thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Uncle Xu, what did Grandfather say?"

Xu Hu shook his head: "The Prime Minister didn't say anything. But I heard that after he learned about this, he laughed for a long time."

Cao Rui was taken aback for a moment, then understood.

What was Cao Cao laughing at? He was laughing at Cao Zhi's childishness.

A person who is almost twenty years old is so anxious about a crane. What kind of behavior is that?

"Alright, I understand." Cao Rui waved his hand. "Uncle Xu, go and find out which direction that crane flew in. If you can find it, try your best to bring it back. If you can't... well, you can't find it."

Xu Hu accepted the order and left.

Pang Tong looked at Cao Rui with a hint of approval in his eyes.

"You're quite optimistic."

Cao Rui smiled wryly: "Sir, it's not that I want to be easygoing, it's just that this matter... it's not a big deal."

Pang Tong nodded: "That's the right way to think. Your fourth uncle is good in every way, except he takes too many trivial things too seriously. He writes good poetry, but can poetry put food on the table? He raises beautiful cranes, but what can cranes do for him?"

Cao Rui fell silent. He knew what Pang Tong was talking about. Cao Zhi's problem was never a lack of talent, but rather that he was too talented, and thus his talent became his downfall.

"Sir, I understand."

Pang Tong patted him on the shoulder: "Good that you understand. Alright, that's enough for today. Go back and see your fourth uncle, don't let him be too sad."

Cao Rui nodded, rose to take his leave. Upon leaving, Cao Rui first went to Cao Zhi's residence. Before even entering, he heard a mournful wail coming from inside.

"My crane! How could you leave like this! Wasn't I good to you? I fed you the best grains every day and gave you the warmest cage, how could you..."

Cao Rui pushed open the door and went in, and saw Cao Zhi squatting in front of the empty cage, looking sad.

"Fourth Uncle".

Cao Zhi turned around, saw it was him, and forced a smile: "Rui'er is here?"

Cao Rui walked over, squatted down beside him, and looked at the empty cage.

"Fourth Uncle, we can raise another crane if it's gone, don't be too sad."

Cao Zhi sighed and shook his head: "You don't understand. This crane has been with me for three or four years. Every morning, it calls out twice to remind me to get up."

When I write poetry, it stands beside me, motionless. Sometimes when I get tired of writing, I talk to it, and although it doesn't answer, I know it's listening.

Cao Rui listened, and suddenly felt a pang of sadness. Cao Zhi, like Old Lin, was truly too lonely.

He was talented, powerful, and famous, but he had no friends. (Yang Xiu might be considered half a friend.) Cao Pi wasn't close to him, Cao Cao had too high expectations of him, and his retainers and advisors were all there for the Cao family's power. The only person who could keep him company was this crane.

The crane has flown away now.

"Fourth Uncle," Cao Rui suddenly said, "if you want to talk to someone, you can come and find me."

Cao Zhi was taken aback and looked at him.

Cao Rui said earnestly, "I can't write poetry, but I can listen. I'll listen to whatever you say."

Cao Zhi stared at him for a long time, then suddenly smiled. That smile was unusually sincere.

"Okay." He reached out and ruffled Cao Rui's hair. "Fourth Uncle will remember."

After leaving Cao Zhi's place, Cao Rui felt depressed. He knew Cao Zhi's fate—forced by Cao Pi to compose a poem in seven steps, he eventually died in despair.

But what can he do?

Cao Pi was his father, and Cao Zhi was his fourth uncle. They were both his flesh and blood; siding with either of them would be wrong.