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

When Cao Rui returned to Cao Cao's camp, he had just entered the main tent when he saw Cao Cao sitting in the main seat, grinning from ear to ear.

"Good! Good!" Cao Cao stood up, walked over to him, and picked him up in his arms. "Truly a prodigy of the Cao family!"

Cao Rui, breathless from the embrace, struggled and said, "Grandfather, be gentle..."

Cao Cao put him down, looked at him, and his eyes were full of admiration.

"What did you say to Ma Chao?"

Cao Rui repeated what he had just said.

After listening, Cao Cao remained silent for a moment, then suddenly sighed.

"You're right. Things in this world aren't always black and white."

He looked at Cao Rui with deep eyes.

"Rui'er, remember this—the hardest thing in this world is not winning battles, but winning people's hearts and minds. That brat Ma Chao, the one who can win his heart and mind is not me, Cao Cao, but you."

Cao Rui was stunned.

"I?"

"Yes." Cao Cao nodded. "Your words today are more effective than an army of 100,000."

Cao Rui's heart stirred, and he suddenly understood something.

"Grandfather means..."

Cao Cao waved his hand: "I didn't say anything. Think about it yourself."

Cao Rui nodded thoughtfully.

After leaving the main tent, Cao Rui returned to his own tent, lay down, and thought about the day's events.

Ma Chao's face kept replaying in his mind.

That person was clearly a traitor, but for some reason, Cao Rui couldn't bring himself to hate him.

Perhaps it's because he's Ma Yunlu's brother?

It could also be because he wasn't a bad person at heart, but just a pitiful person caught up in the times.

Cao Rui shook his head, dismissing those thoughts. In any case, today's trip was worthwhile.

Five days later, Han Sui's plan worked.

Ma Chao's camp ran out of food and sent someone to Han Sui's camp to borrow grain. Han Sui pretended to agree, but secretly poisoned the grain.

That night, Ma Chao's camp was filled with wails of agony. The soldiers had eaten poisoned rations, suffering from vomiting and diarrhea, and were utterly weak.

Taking advantage of the situation, Han Sui launched an attack and broke through Ma Chao's camp in one fell swoop.

Ma Chao, with his remaining troops, fled in panic to Hanzhong.

Before leaving, he looked back in the direction of Xudu and murmured, "Little sister, I'm sorry."

Then, he rode away and disappeared into the night.

The news quickly reached Cao Cao's camp, and Cao Cao was overjoyed.

"Good!" He slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "That old fox Han Sui has finally done something good!"

He immediately issued an order to commend Han Sui, appointing him as the Marquis of Xiliang and allowing him to remain in Xudu to serve.

Han Sui was overjoyed to receive the reward and immediately sent someone to express his gratitude.

Cao Rui stood behind Cao Cao, watching this scene, and suddenly felt a pang of emotion.

Han Sui won—he won his life and a government position.

But what he lost was his reputation and his conscience.

Ma Chao lost; he lost a battle and a piece of territory.

But what he won was Ma Dai's loyalty and the sympathy of the people of Xiliang.

Who can truly predict who will win or lose in this world?

After the western expedition ended and the army returned in triumph, Cao Rui expressed deep regret, as he had not only failed to recruit Ma Chao, but had also ruined the whole spectacle of Ma Chao chasing after him.

Cao Rui secretly regretted that he should have delayed implementing the plan, thus ruining a good show.

On the day he returned to Xudu, Cao Rui saw a group of people standing at the city gate from afar.

The one in the lead was Zhen Mi.

She stood there dressed in simple, elegant clothes, and when she saw Cao Rui, her eyes immediately welled up with tears.

Cao Rui felt a surge of warmth in his heart, jumped off his horse, ran over, and threw himself into her arms.

"mother!"

Zhen Mi hugged him, tears streaming down her face.

"You've lost weight...you've gotten a tan...are you injured? Have you been hungry?"

Overwhelmed by her questions, Cao Rui could only smile and say, "Mother, I'm fine, I'm perfectly alright."

Zhen Mi then stopped crying and started laughing. She took his hand and looked at him from left to right, unable to get enough of looking at him.

Cao Pi stood aside, watching this scene, a rare gentle smile appearing on his face.

Cao Cao walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

"You did a good job this time."

Cao Pi was stunned, and then his eyes reddened.

"Thank you, Father."

Cao Cao nodded, then looked at Zhen Mi.

"Daughter-in-law, take good care of Rui'er, and have him come to the Prime Minister's residence in a few days. I have something to discuss with him."

Zhen Mi quickly agreed.

That evening, Cao Cao held a grand banquet to celebrate his triumphant return.

Cao Zhi arrived with his dog—the same one Cao Pi had given him, now grown up, fluffy and very cute.

"Rui'er!" Cao Zhi called out as soon as he entered, "I heard you single-handedly stormed the enemy camp and had a lively conversation with Ma Chao? Tell your fourth uncle about it!"

Cao Rui was both amused and exasperated, so he had no choice but to recount the events of that day once more.

Cao Zhi listened with awe and wonder.

"Amazing! You can do this at seven years old. When your fourth uncle was your age, he was still memorizing the Book of Songs."

Cao Pi interjected from the side: "When you were reciting the Book of Poetry, you weren't idle either; you spent all day reciting poems with those retainers."

Cao Zhi didn't take it seriously, picked up the dog, and said to Cao Rui, "Look, this is the name I gave it—Xiaobai (Little White)."

Cao Rui's lips twitched.

"Fourth Uncle, it's yellow."

Cao Zhi said in a serious tone, "I know. But it's white."

Cao Rui: "..."

Cao Pi was trying to suppress his laughter, his shoulders shaking slightly.

Cao Cao, who was watching from the side, couldn't help but laugh.

"Zijian, your naming skills are the complete opposite of your poetry skills."

Cao Zhi chuckled, not feeling ashamed at all.

The family sat together, eating and chatting, creating a rare and warm atmosphere.

Cao Rui watched this scene and suddenly felt a pang of emotion.

This is the second generation of the Cao family—Cao Cao was dignified, Cao Pi was profound, and Cao Zhi was straightforward.

They each have their own flaws and their own thoughts, but at this moment, they are a family.

The next day, Cao Rui went to Jia Xu's residence as usual.

Jia Xu remained as lazy as ever, sitting on the porch with a wine pot in his hand, looking at the old plum tree in the courtyard.

"You're here?" He didn't even look up. "Sit down."

Cao Rui sat down next to him, waiting for him to speak.

Jia Xu remained silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Have you seen that kid Ma Chao?"

Cao Rui nodded.

What do you think of him?

Cao Rui thought for a moment and said, "He's a man."

Jia Xu laughed, his eyes narrowing as he laughed.

"A real man? These days, there aren't many real men left."

He took a swig of wine and said slowly, "You know, I met Ma Teng back when I was in Xiliang. Ma Chao was still a child then, following behind his father. He was a chubby-cheeked boy, and you could really like him."

Cao Rui listened without saying a word.

Jia Xu continued, "Later, I devised a plan for Zhang Xiu that led to the death of your uncle. After that, I followed your grandfather and never saw Ma Chao again."

He paused, then suddenly sighed.

"That kid has a tough life. He lost his mother when he was young, and his father was very strict. Now he's stuck with this kind of thing. He wants to rebel, not really, but he can't swallow his anger."

Cao Rui nodded: "I know."

Jia Xu looked at him, a complex meaning in his eyes.

"You know? What do you know?"

Cao Rui thought for a moment and said, "I know why he can't swallow his anger. It's because he feels he did nothing wrong, and he feels he is restoring the Han Dynasty."

Jia Xu was taken aback for a moment, then smiled.

"Good lad, you see things clearly."

He took a swig of his drink and said, "So, what do you think will happen to him in the future?"

Cao Rui thought for a moment and said, "He will go to Hanzhong and join Zhang Lu. Then, he will meet Liu Bei and join Liu Bei."