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

(I'm in a good mood today, so I'm adding an extra chapter.)

Cao Rui stopped in front of him and placed the lacquered wooden food box on the edge of the chessboard. The food box was empty, and the lid was tightly closed. He took a step back, stood with his hands at his sides, and his voice was slightly hoarse:

"Sir, the Prime Minister sent me to deliver this."

Jia Xu opened his eyes, looked at the food box, and then at Cao Rui.

"What is it?"

Cao Rui shook his head, his voice even lower: "The Prime Minister said you'll know once you open it."

He deliberately avoided saying "grandfather" and instead said "Prime Minister." The ambiguous subject and the ambiguous purpose were left for Jia Xu to guess.

Jia Xu stared at the food box for a moment, then reached out, picked it up, and weighed it in his hand.

It's very light.

He glanced at Cao Rui, his gaze indifferent, as if he were looking at a stone, a tree, or a passing ant.

"Did your grandfather send you to deliver this?"

"Yes."

"What did he say?"

"Grandfather said..." Cao Rui paused, lowered his eyes, "There is no fruit in the box, please take your own life."

Xu Hu stood at the courtyard gate, his face pale. What was the young master trying to do? Was he going to scare Mr. Jia with an empty food box?

Who is Mr. Jia? He's an old fox who's followed Cao Cao for twenty years. What kind of situation hasn't he seen? Young master, aren't you just asking for trouble?

Xu Hu looked at Cao Rui with a helpless expression, knowing that Cao Rui was about to be beaten.

Well, the young master usually acts like a little adult, it's rare for him to show his childlike side, I hope Mr. Jia will be gentle with him later. Xu Hu prayed silently.

Jia Xu listened to Cao Rui's words and did not move.

He placed the food box on his lap, the lid still closed, just sitting there. Then he picked up the wine pot, took a sip, and squinted at Cao Rui.

"There is no fruit in the box, please take your own life." He read it aloud, his voice hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing against wood.

He suddenly laughed.

The smile was faint, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned, and his eyes curved into a smile. Then he reached out and tapped Cao Rui on the head.

With a crisp, loud "snap," it rang out.

"Ouch!" Cao Rui clutched his head, wincing in pain.

"You little brat, trying to scare me with an empty box?"

Cao Rui rubbed his head, somewhat unconvinced: "How did you know it was empty, sir? You didn't even open it."

Jia Xu pushed the food box into his arms: "You think about it yourself. Your grandfather sending an empty food box is a death sentence. You sending an empty food box—"

He paused, then tapped the door again: "That means you'll get a beating."

Cao Rui covered his head, shrank back, and muttered, "Sir, I call this applying what I've learned. Didn't you teach me—the most poisonous rumor isn't about deceiving others, but about deceiving yourself? I even deceived myself, so how could you still see through it?"

Jia Xu snorted, placed the wine pot beside the chessboard, and said seriously, "Are you lying to yourself? When you said 'There's no fruit in the box, please commit suicide,' where were your eyes looking?"

Cao Rui was taken aback.

"You glanced to the left," Jia Xu pointed at his face. "Every time you lie, you glance to the left. Do you think I've been teaching you for nothing all year?"

Cao Rui opened his mouth, but could not utter a word.

Jia Xu picked up his wine cup, took a sip, and said slowly, "You passed Xun Wenruo's test because he was soft-hearted. His whole life was ruined by his soft heart. You think you can coax him with a piece of candy? That's his flaw, not your skill."

He put down his wine cup and looked into Cao Rui's eyes: "But I am not Xun Wenruo. My heart is hard, harder than the walls of Xuchang. Bring me an empty box, and I can see three flaws in it."

Cao Rui hung his head, humbly accepting the instruction.

"First," Jia Xu held up a finger, "if your grandfather really wanted to send an empty food box, he wouldn't let you do it. You're his grandson; he wouldn't want to get your hands dirty."

Cao Rui looked up, startled. He hadn't considered that possibility.

"Secondly," Jia Xu held up another finger, "even if your grandfather wanted to send something, he wouldn't have chosen this time. To start killing people so soon after becoming Duke of Wei—does he think his reputation is too good to bear?"

Cao Rui blinked and began to sweat.

"Third," Jia Xu held up his third finger, looking at him with a half-smile, "if your grandfather really wanted to kill me, he would have done it long ago. Why wait until today?"

Cao Rui was completely convinced.

Seeing Cao Rui's dejected expression, Jia Xu suddenly smiled again. This time, the smile was more genuine than before. He reached out and ruffled Cao Rui's hair, the pressure neither too light nor too heavy.

"Alright, stop pretending. Do you think I don't know what you're up to? You just want to see if this trick works on other people."

Cao Rui nodded and honestly said, "I have been taught by the master, and I will apply what I have learned."

"Apply what you've learned?" Jia Xu scoffed. "You've only scratched the surface and are already showing off. You can't even fool me, who else do you think you can fool?"

He pulled a piece of dried meat from his sleeve, tore off a strip, stuffed it into his mouth, and mumbled, "That piece of candy you gave Xun Yu was a good thing. He's suffered too much in his life; he deserves something sweet. But you must remember—"

He put down the dried meat, looked into Cao Rui's eyes, and lowered his voice: "Not everyone in this world eats sweets. Some people, if you give them candy, they'll find it sticky."

You offer him honey, and he says it's too cloying. You need to know who's standing opposite you, what they want, and what they fear. These things can't be written in a chess manual; you have to figure them out yourself.

Cao Rui listened attentively and nodded.

"Sir, what would you like?"

Jia Xu was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter, his mustache bristling with mirth: "What do I want? I want you to shut up and let me drink my wine in peace!"

He slammed the food box over Cao Rui's head, covering him completely like a hat.

With the food box covering his face, Cao Rui called out in a muffled voice, "Sir! I can't see!"

"That's good, you can't see me." Jia Xu picked up the wine pot and said slowly, "If you can't see me, you won't think of lying. You just sit here and wait for me to finish this pot of wine before I let you out."

Cao Rui sat obediently on the porch, a food box on his head. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the food box, casting dappled patterns of light on his face.

He heard Jia Xu drinking, chewing dried meat, and occasionally placing a chess piece beside him, and suddenly thought that this was not bad.

After a while, he asked in a muffled voice, "Sir, what do you think will happen to Lord Xun in the future?"

Jia Xu did not answer.

"gentlemen?"

"Huh?" Jia Xu seemed to wake from a dream. "What did you say?"

"Lord Xun. What will he do?"

Jia Xu paused for a moment, then placed a piece on the board: "Him... he will live well. He will do what he needs to do, and eat what he needs to eat."

If you can't get over that hurdle in your heart, then so be it; just leave it there. Life goes on, and the world must go on.

He paused, then lowered his voice: "Being alive is better than anything else."

Cao Rui, with the food box on his head, couldn't see Jia Xu's expression. But he felt that Jia Xu's words didn't seem to be directed at Xun Yu.

"Sir," he spoke again, "were you afraid back in Wancheng?"

Jia Xu paused for a moment.