"Young Master, what do you think you should do? Uncle is going to Qinghe marry someone else now!"

The night was deep, and the shadows of people were reflected on the window frame and waved their arms. The young man named Xiahou Yan walked back and forth anxiously, shouting, "Just, let me go to my uncle's side to explain, I like Qinghe... Don't stop talking, is this method good? Or just tell me that you can agree with me. At that time, my father will also accept the love of the eldest son."

Cao Pi scooped a spoonful of warm wine for him, and gave him a rank, but there was a smile on his lips: "We are growing up again, my sister often takes care of you and me, so she naturally likes you, but my father can only do this for the sake of the stability of the Central Plains and the people can rest and recuperate. You ask me to tell me, and the results will be the same."

"How can this be the same? You are his son? Besides, how could the Central Plains lose to the people in the North? In addition to Xiahou, the Cao family generals, Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, and Yu Jin, the generals who can fight are no worse than those in the North!" Xiahou Qing clenched his fists, and naturally he was dissatisfied.

Cao Pi put down his drink, "It's not worse than the northern region, but don't forget that Gongsun Zhi had a friendship with my father for more than ten years. When Pi was still learning to walk, they met. It's not good to go to war on both sides."

"Then...what should Qinghe do?" Xiahou Wei sat opposite him, his thick eyebrows fell down, and his voice lowered: "...I don't want her to marry someone else."

Seeing his depressed look, Cao Pi gently tapped the table with the copper spoon that scooped wine: "It's late at night, you can't stay in the mansion for too long, go back. I'll try my best to help you with this."

Xiahou Wei nodded, opened the door, turned his face and looked at Cao Pi: "You said you want to help me, then Wei will go back and wait for the news first."

The latter waved at him with a copper spoon to show that he knew. Xiahou Wei felt a little relieved. When he returned to the front yard, he happened to meet Cao Cao who had returned from the Prime Minister's Office, as well as Xu Chu, Cheng Yu and Xun You who were with him.

"Master!" He quickly retreated to the side and bowed.

"This place is not outside, so you can call your uncle at home."

"Then my nephew will go back first."

"Um."

Cao Cao nodded and looked at the left back. The other party and Cao Pi had been playing since childhood. The two families were very close to each other. It was common for them to come to the mansion to walk around. They didn't doubt why they were here at this time. They smiled at Xun You and Cheng Yu and continued to move forward: "This child is really like his father. He is also reckless, but he is not very conscient. Don't be surprised."

The two of them, not only their colleagues, but also watched Xiahou Dun grow up, so naturally they would not feel anything. After joking, they came to the study room in the backyard and sat down at the table. Cao Cao asked the servant to drink and talked about the serious matter, "Today, Wang Lang came back from Hanoi... Gongsun refused to marry."

"This is exactly as Yu expected." Cheng Yu said: "Gongsun Zhi has always been rebellious. Although he is very arrogant, he is very arrogant. Now he is even more powerful in his army. If he retreats with his personal relatives, it is somewhat unreasonable. However, he may not be able to see this step given by the lord."

Xun You shook his head and interrupted him: "...that may not be necessary. This person is clearly divided into private matters. If he really wants to kill him, it will be useless no matter who shows his favor. Even the imperial censor Wang has been beheaded and sacrificed to the flag. It should be as the lord said before. Gongsun Zhi just came for the king's title, or he is waiting for the best period."

"...The best time?" Cao Cao put down his lord, stroked his chin and leaned against the soft cushion: "Unless he doesn't want to go south to Jingzhou or take over the entire Central Plains, this is impossible... Even if I, Cao Cao, agree, the soldiers under my command may not agree."

"Not mentioning this, let's talk about the others."

Cao Cao waved his hand and temporarily suppressed the matter. In fact, he knew in his heart that there was another reason why Gongsun Zhi did not go south, which was that he was unwilling to meet with real wars. No matter who won, there was basically no possibility of the other party's family staying behind. This reminded him of the scene of slaughtering Zhang Miao's family. No matter what, the latter was betrayed first, and he felt guilty if he killed him, but he and Gongsun Zhi...

After discussing some important matters of government affairs in various places next year in the study, Cao Cao walked under the eaves with his hands in his arms, watched the lanterns hanging along the way pass through his sight one by one, took a breath, and vomited heavily: "Cao and Gongsun met, in his prime, he was also young and energetic. Now he is in his early forties, but Cao is already gray-headed..."

This sentence is not like saying it to Xu Chu behind him, but more like talking to himself.

Soon, he stopped in front of his daughter's room in the backyard. After he hesitating for a while, he raised his hand and knocked. A maid opened the door and saw that it was Cao Cao. She was about to turn back to report, but he waved to stop him: "You go out."

Xu Chu lifted the maid open, turned around and closed the door gently.

The window lattice was filled with lights, illuminating the dim yellow. The room was very quiet, and there was a faint fragrance in the air. Looking in through the gauze hanging at the door of the bedroom, a woman was sitting in front of the bed and staring at the bronze mirror in a daze. Occasionally, she remembered something, and a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, looking a little shy.

The veil was lifted away, and someone walked in. Cao Yu turned her head and saw her father sitting down in the seat over there. Her feet hanging in front of the couch then landed on the ground. She walked over briskly: "Why is my father free to come here? Have you finished the official business today?" She took the kettle and poured a little, her eyes looked at the warm water poured out, and her clear voice was a little embarrassed: "... Then... will the emperor Wang come back?"

Cao Cao looked at the warm water that was pushed in front of him and said softly: "I'm back."

"That marriage is happening..."

"Gongsun did not agree."

The boudoir was quiet, and there was the last sound of insects coming in outside, bringing the depth of the quiet rendering. Between the shaking lights, the figure of the woman opposite was still motionless. Cao Cao saw her pursing her lips tightly, and the corners of her mouth still kept the previous smile, but her eyes were looking at the desk without blinking, as if she was not looking.

"Gongsun said that he is old and not worthy of you... Qinghe, don't take it to heart. He used to think too much about his father before, and he didn't worry about your feelings. Now that he thinks about it, he is really not worthy of you..."

Cao Cao was still saying the following words, Cao Yuquan, who was opposite, subconsciously shook his head, "Father thought so much, my daughter is not as unbearable as you thought... This person is indeed a little older..." She raised her head and sniffed for a short while, her voice as thin as a mosquito and flies: "Daughter is fine... It's late at night, my father should go back and rest first..."

"Qinghe..."

"Father, go back..." Speaking of this, Cao Yu looked at him almost begging, his voice trembling slightly, and a little sobbing, "...Go back."

"Then...then I'll go back first for my father." Cao Cao pursed his lips tightly and nodded tiredly. After saying that, he slowly retreated out.

The door creaked softly and closed.

The woman sitting behind the desk closed her eyes, and tears slid down the corners of her eyes, "...You are not worthy of me... Yu won't feel uncomfortable... You are just a savage who is killing around the north... So what if you are heroic... You are not worthy of..." At the end of her speech, she lay on the desk and couldn't help crying.

………

The lantern swayed in the night wind. Cao Cao stood in front of the wooden railing and looked at the autumn courtyard under the night sky. He turned his head to Xu Chu beside him and said, "Actually, he missed Qinghe."

"Lord, I can't hold it on you." Xu Chu put down the tiger-headed knife in a buzzing voice.

Cao Cao shook his head and sighed: "After Zixi died, I couldn't bear to let her marry her, so I wanted to stay for one more day. After marrying her, she would be someone else's wife, so she wouldn't be by her side forever. She finally chose a good family... but this result hurt her."

"Zhongkang, do you think Qinghe will hold a grudge against me, his father in the future?"

After the soft words, Xu Chu did not respond, but just looked at Cao Cao in front of him silently. He was not a powerful minister or a hero, but an old man who was worried about his daughter.

The night wind ran over sobbingly, and the swaying lanterns gradually faded in time. In the slightly cold wind, the bleak autumn smell became heavier and heavier. The withered yellow leaves floated down and fell on the stone steps overnight. Soon the morning light shone. The side door of the Cao Mansion opened gently, and a servant walked out of it, disappeared at the end of the street while stepping on the dead leaves all over the ground.

When Xiahou Qing received the news, he rushed out of the room full of joy, picked up the stone lock in the courtyard and danced back and forth for a few times. After that, he ran to his father's bedroom with a flushed face. When he saw Xiahou Dun who was having breakfast, he sat down opposite him with a silly smile: "Father, the eldest son just sent me a message."

"You say." Xiahou Dun picked up a bite of the dish, and did not look at him, but stared at a military book placed next to him. He did not care about the affairs of the children at the moment. When the military affairs approached Jizhou, he was now studying military books. However, to a large extent, it was because he heard his clan brother Xiahou Yuan talk about the deeds of Wenhou Lu Bu, so he made up his mind and studied behind closed doors.

"Father, you don't know. Yesterday, I heard that Qinghe was going to marry Gongsun Zhi. My son went to the eldest son's place overnight. It took a long time to talk to the eldest son before he told him to help. Unexpectedly, early this morning, the eldest son came to the news that the lord had been told by him and had changed his mind to not marry Qinghe to the north."

The chopsticks stopped there, Xiahou Dun looked at his son with one eye and frowned: "I won't marry? Wouldn't that mean you want to fight Gongsun Zhi?"

"That's sure." Xiahou Wei smashed his palm heavily, and his tone was a little anxious: "Father, why don't you help the child propose marriage? Then the marriage is done, and maybe there will be a war. Then, my son will be with you in Jizhou."

Xiahou Dun held the rice grains in his mouth and nodded: "The eldest son is indeed capable."

At this moment, a servant ran over from the front yard in panic, ran to the stone steps and fell, "The master's family is not good. Just now, news came from the Prime Minister's Mansion that the eldest lady is missing."

"What...ah?" Xiahou Qing shouted and stood up. Xiahou Dun opposite him slapped him, slapped him on the ground and rolled around, strode over, lifted Xiahou Qing, who was covering her face, and the tiger whispered angrily: "Let's go! Come with me to your uncle's house to apologize!!"

For a moment, the entire Cao Mansion was bleak, and then in Xuchang City, teams of cavalry and infantry traveled through, causing chaos in the city to jump.

at the same time.
Chapter completed!