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

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes, looking at Cao Rui with a deep gaze, lost in thought.

After a long silence, he spoke.

"Did you think of those words yourself, or did Jia Wenhe teach you to say them?"

"Half and half," Cao Rui answered honestly. "The master said that Grandfather could tolerate him because he wouldn't harm Grandfather. I think that if Pang Tong came, he wouldn't harm Grandfather either."

Cao Cao was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

"Good lad, you dare to mention Pang Tong to me at the age of six." He reached out and ruffled Cao Rui's hair. "You've got guts."

"Does Grandfather agree?"

Cao Cao stood up and paced around the room a few times.

"I've met Pang Tong before." He spoke in a low voice, his back to Cao Rui. "He's ugly and has a sharp tongue, but he's got real talent. Back at the Battle of Red Cliffs, he gave me the chained ships strategy, and I didn't even see through it—that was my mistake, not his."

He turned to look at Cao Rui: "Do you know why he went to Jiangdong?"

Cao Rui shook his head.

"Because he looks down on me." Cao Cao smiled bitterly. "He thinks I'm a treacherous hero, a usurper of the Han throne. He went to Zhou Yu because Zhou Yu and Sun Quan were both Han officials. He wanted to go there and restore the Han dynasty."

Cao Rui fell silent; he hadn't expected this angle.

"Does Grandfather still want him?"

"Yes," Cao Cao said decisively. "The more someone is like that, the more I want them."

He looked at Cao Rui, a complex emotion in his eyes: "Xun Yu was the same way back then, his heart was set on the Han Dynasty, not the Cao family. But didn't I take more than twenty years? If Pang Tong comes, I have plenty of time to slowly wear him down."

Cao Rui's heart skipped a beat; Cao Cao's words were instructing him on how to use people.

"But grandfather, Zhou Yu is dying."

Cao Cao was taken aback: "How did you know?"

"That's what Mr. Jia said," Cao Rui quoted Jia Xu, "Zhou Yu's arrow wound in Nan Commandery has never healed, and with the arrival of winter and the cold, the old wound has flared up again. Moreover, he is too proud, which is the most exhausting thing."

Cao Cao was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Wenhe's words make sense."

He sat down again and looked at Cao Rui: "So you mean, taking advantage of Zhou Yu's death and Pang Tong's inability to stay in Jiangdong, we should poach him?"

"Yes."

"How do you plan to dig?"

Cao Rui took a deep breath and said what he had been preparing for a long time: "Your grandson wants to go to Jiangdong."

The room fell silent.

Cao Cao looked at him, a strange look in his eyes. Cao Pi, standing to the side, broke out in a cold sweat. This child, has he gone mad? Going to Jiangdong at six? But Cao Cao didn't speak, only looked at Cao Rui. After a long while, he spoke.

"Why are you the one going?"

"Because my grandson is still a child." Cao Rui met his gaze. "No one will care if a six-year-old child goes to Jiangdong. My grandson can slowly approach Pang Tong, see what kind of person he is, and what he wants. When he is desperate, my grandson will step in."

"You're going to intervene?" Cao Cao asked with a half-smile. "What can a six-year-old like you possibly say to him?"

Cao Rui thought about it and decided to take a gamble.

"My grandson will tell him: 'Master Fengchu, my grandfather is waiting for you in Xudu. When you go, he will welcome you with open arms. If you don't want to go, no one will force you. But if you want to suffer the humiliation of those aristocratic scions in Jiangdong, then you can stay here.'"

Cao Cao's eyes lit up.

"That's all?"

"And another thing," Cao Rui continued, "his grandson will tell him: 'Your heart is with the Han Dynasty, and so is my grandfather's heart.'"

However, my grandfather felt the Han dynasty needed a change in its way of life, while my teacher felt it should be preserved as it was. This matter can be discussed slowly; there's no rush to decide.

Cao Cao was stunned. He looked at Cao Rui, and for the first time, his eyes showed shock.

"Who taught you to say these things?"

"No one taught him; my grandson figured it out himself."

Cao Cao remained silent for a long time, then suddenly laughed loudly, startling the guards outside.

"Excellent! Excellent!" he exclaimed repeatedly. "My grandson, Cao Cao's son, is indeed extraordinary!"

He picked up Cao Rui, spun him around twice, put him down, and looked at him with slightly red eyes.

"You're better than your father, and better than your fourth uncle. You're like...you're like your eldest uncle."

Cao Cao patted him on the shoulder: "Go if you want to. I'll send a few men to follow you and protect you secretly. When you get to Jiangdong, don't cause trouble, but don't be afraid of trouble either. If Pang Tong is willing to come, I will reward you handsomely; if he is not willing to come, then go out and see the world."

Cao Rui was overjoyed and knelt down to kowtow, saying, "Thank you, Grandfather!"

"Get up," Cao Cao said, pulling him up. "Go back and prepare. We'll leave in a few days. I'll have someone keep an eye on Zhou Yu. Once he's dead, you can set off."

After leaving the Prime Minister's residence, Cao Pi remained silent the entire way. As they neared home, he suddenly stopped and looked at Cao Rui.

"Rui'er".

"What are your instructions, Father?"

Cao Pi opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he just sighed.

"It's nothing. It's just... you're better than Dad."

Cao Rui looked at him, feeling a pang of resentment. This adopted father, who had lived his entire life in the shadow of Cao Cao and Cao Zhi, now even had a six-year-old son with more courage than him. How frustrated must he be?

"Father."

"No matter how strong my child is, he is still my son. If he succeeds in the future, I will be proud of him."

Cao Pi was taken aback for a moment, then laughed.

That smile was genuinely genuine.

"Okay, okay." He patted Cao Rui's head. "Come on, let's go home and have your mother cook you a nice meal."

Five days later, news of Zhou Yu's death arrived.

Cao Cao summoned Cao Rui that very day.

"Zhou Yu is dead." He handed a military report to Cao Rui—though he felt Cao Rui might not fully understand it. "Pang Tong has lost his foothold in Jiangdong; it's time for him to die."

Cao Rui nodded.

"I've prepared ten men for you. On the surface, they'll be your attendants, but secretly they'll be battle-hardened elites. In case anything goes wrong, they'll ensure your safety."

"Thank you, Grandfather."

"And another thing—" Cao Cao took out a jade pendant and personally hung it on Cao Rui's waist. "This is what I wore when I was young. When we get to Jiangdong, if anyone asks, just say it's my grandson."

If anyone makes things difficult for you, just say, "I am Cao Cao's grandson. I've come to Jiangdong as a guest, not to be mistreated."

Cao Rui felt a surge of warmth in his heart and nodded emphatically.

Three days later, at the gate of Xudu City.

With tears in her eyes, Zhen Mi repeatedly urged, "Be careful on the road, don't wander off, listen to your uncles, and come back soon..."

Cao Rui was so tightly hugged by her that he could hardly breathe. He finally managed to break free and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Mother. I'm just going to have some fun. I'll be back in a few days."

Cao Pi stood to the side, his expression complex. He wanted to say something, but didn't know where to begin.

Cao Cao personally came to see him off, patting Cao Rui on the shoulder: "Go. Remember, you are my grandson, Cao Cao."

Cao Rui nodded and mounted his horse—of course, he was carried on. His short, six-year-old legs couldn't reach the stirrups at all.

The convoy slowly drove out of the city gate.

Cao Rui glanced back; the city walls of Xudu looked exceptionally tall in the morning light.

He wasn't sure if he could recruit Pang Tong on this trip.

But he knew one thing—the wheels of history were about to turn.