Chapter 67

Our soldiers surrounded us on both sides, and the generals in front of Cao Cao exuded an intense, oppressive aura.

And the civil officials, glaring at us sharply as if they intended to tear us apart.

Everyone was our enemy. We stood right in the middle of enemy territory.

But as if they were nothing to him, Guan Yu strode forward with large, confident steps.

Guan Yu’s composure remained unshaken even under the scornful gazes of Cao Wei’s renowned civil and military officials.

On the contrary, the weight of Guan Yu’s presence seemed to press down on the countless people around him.

Having captivated the entire assembly, Guan Yu looked straight at Cao Cao and spoke.

“It seems like you’ve brought quite a few troops for an escort.”

“For facing ten thousand enemies, it feels a bit lacking.”

There was a strange power in Cao Cao’s voice. It wasn’t particularly loud or unique in tone, yet it felt different.

But it seemed to affect Guan Yu differently.

“My lord, you’ve aged quite a bit.”

“Have I? But you seem as vigorous as ever, despite the years.”

“I’ve aged as well. If I were younger, I would have sought a counterattack rather than negotiation.”

Cao Cao chuckled heartily at Guan Yu’s blunt yet pointed remark.

The conversation and demeanor between the two felt less like a truce negotiation and more like old friends exchanging sharp banter.

“Seeing even Lord Guan grow old makes me realize how fearsome time is. It’s been nearly 20 years since you returned to Xuande… Truly, much time has passed.”

“And much has changed.”

“Even now, I sometimes regret it. I should never have accepted Xuande back then.”

Suddenly, Cao Cao’s gaze turned toward me.

“If that were the case, this child would not have remained under Xuande’s care.”

It was unexpected. To Cao Cao, I was the one who killed his beloved younger brother, Zhao Hong, and the renowned general Zhang He of Wei—a sworn enemy. Yet, he addressed me familiarly.

As Cao Cao’s attention shifted to me, Guan Yu’s brows twitched. Unbothered by Guan Yu’s discomfort, Cao Cao spoke to me.

“Ying told me. It was you who returned Miao Zai’s body.”

I had spared Xiahou Ying, the fifth son of Xiahou Yuan and my maternal uncle, and entrusted him with the funeral arrangements.

When I silently nodded, uncomfortable coughs and murmurs of discontent erupted from Cao Cao’s officials around us.

Guan Yu glared at them with fiery eyes. But they, too, were steadfast talents representing Wei.

As the tension between our envoy group, led by Guan Yu, and Wei’s officials intensified, Cao Cao raised his hand.

Silence followed immediately.

No matter how old and weary he might be, a dragon remains a dragon till the end. Cao Cao’s control was still absolute.

As Wei’s officials obediently stepped back at Cao Cao’s gesture, we also suppressed our displeasure.

In the heavy silence, only Cao Cao’s voice echoed through the official residence.

“My blood flows with the same blood as yours.”

Placing his right hand over his heart, Cao Cao spoke with sorrow.

“Miao Zai cherished and loved your mother more than his own children. There was a time when fathers ate their sons to survive famine, and even aristocrats turned to banditry to live. Miao Zai abandoned his own young son to save Xi’a.”

I knew that Xiahou Yuan had cherished my mother more than his own children.

On the day I intended to join the military, my mother grieved over the inevitable conflict between Xiahou Yuan and me.

And in memory of my love for my mother, I spared Xiahou Ying and returned Xiahou Yuan’s body as a humble act of atonement.

“After the defeat at Hanzhong, I looked into you. I faced the past I had tried to ignore. I also heard that Xi’a grieved on the day Miao Zai died. So… I will forgive you.”

I brought up a fact Cao Cao had not mentioned.

“I also killed Zhao Hong.”

“Yes, you did. You killed Zaren and Junye. They were all pillars of Wei, like my own limbs.”

Cao Cao’s eyes turned red. It might have seemed like tears, but it was also anger.

“It is my fault. My complacency killed them. So I will forgive you. I even forgave the general who killed Ang and Jia Xu. How much more so you, who are of my bloodline.”

It was true that Cao Cao had forgiven and accepted even the general who killed his eldest son, Cao Ang, and his beloved officer Dian Wei.

But how did that general’s later years turn out? Under Cao Cao’s indifference and Cao Pi’s cruelty, he eventually chose suicide.

Only someone like Jia Xu, whose political acumen was unmatched even in the annals of history, truly received their forgiveness and lived out his days in peace.

Of course, as Cao Cao said, I was Xiahou Yuan’s maternal grandson, making me of the same bloodline as them, so I was different from that general. But it was hard to fully believe his words.

Thus, I remained unmoved by Cao Cao’s subsequent offer.

“Come to me. I will place you on equal footing with my princesses, enfeoff you as a marquis, and make you a general of the state.”

It was an extraordinary offer. Cao Cao often used the system of granting surnames to bring people into his family, treating them well alongside his own children, but he never truly placed them on equal footing.

But now, he was offering to treat me as if I were his own child.

No matter how much Liu Bei’s Shu Han had grown stronger compared to the original history, Wei was still the strongest of the three kingdoms.

In this era, where population equated to national power, Wei’s dominance over the Central Plains made it immensely powerful.

Just as I was about to open my mouth to respond, Guan Yu stepped forward, blocking the space between Cao Cao and me.

“My lord, this child is Yi De’s daughter.”

“And Miao Zai’s granddaughter.”

“His Majesty, the King of Hanzhong, has taken a special interest in this child.”

“Is that so? I hadn’t heard she was betrothed.”

“Please allow me to continue addressing you as ‘my lord’ with respect.”

The underlying threat in Guan Yu’s words was clear: if this went any further, he would no longer show Cao Cao respect.

Cao Cao, finding it difficult to refute this, took a step back. The problem was that he stepped toward me.

“Rather than us arguing back and forth, shouldn’t the opinion of the person in question matter most?”

Even Guan Yu, at a loss for words, silently nodded in agreement.

Finally, I was able to speak the words that had been on the tip of my tongue.

“I must decline.”

“…I expected as much.”

“Hmm.”

The contrast between Cao Cao and Guan Yu was truly dramatic.

While Cao Cao was skilled at controlling his expressions, Guan Yu didn’t hide his satisfaction in the slightest.

Truly, he was a man whose exterior and interior were perfectly aligned.

“What a pity. At least show me your face. Huang Shu’a wouldn’t stop talking about it. Won’t you show your clan uncle?”

Huang Shu’a was the nickname of Cao Cao’s second son, Cao Zhang.

Cao Zhang, having seen my face, had once briefly commented, “The finest under heaven,” which quickly spread and became my new nickname.

I didn’t particularly like Cao Cao as a person, but I held a certain respect for this giant of an era.

I removed my mask, revealing my face. Once again, murmurs arose from the assembly, but this time, they were sighs of admiration rather than discomfort.

“Huang Shu’a wasn’t wrong.”

Cao Cao’s reaction, embodying both the dominance of a ruler and the sensibility of an artist, was different from the others.

He gazed at me with the seriousness of a critic appreciating a masterpiece.

Seeing that this might go on indefinitely, Guan Yu cut the conversation short.

“Let us now discuss the negotiation.”

“Indeed. I had momentarily forgotten that this was a meeting for negotiation. When Wang Zhaojun played the pipa, the geese fell from the sky—that was ‘Luoyang.’ If you were to remove your mask, even the moon would hide in shame—’Feiyue’ would be fitting.”

“Luoyang” and “Feiyue”—phrases symbolizing China’s four great beauties.

Unlike the others, Feiyue, representing Diaochan, was a fictional character created by Luo Guanzhong. I wonder if this history would be any different.

Having briefly shown his literary side, Cao Cao returned to his role as a ruler.

Turning his gaze to Guan Yu, he spoke in a calm, composed tone.

“Return Zhao Ren, Man Chong, Yu Jin, and the captured soldiers of the Seven Armies.”

“And what is the price?”

“Your safety.”

It was a bluff.

Guan Yu knew about the rebellion in Ye City. Knowing that Cao Cao was at a disadvantage, Guan Yu cut straight to the point.

“Then we shall fight.”

In negotiations, it’s common to ask for more than what you want, but this was an extreme overreach.

Guan Yu’s tone, which had shifted from formal to casual, was a clear indication of his displeasure and his genuine intent to continue the battle.

But Cao Cao acted as if his words were true.

“I still have over a hundred thousand troops. Though Zhao Ren and Man Chong are trapped in Fancheng, and Yu Jin has been captured, I still have Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, and Zhang Pei. And that’s not all. I also have advisors like Jia Xu, Zhen Jun, Zhong Yao, and Sima Yi. How could we not be showing mercy?”

For a brief moment, Guan Yu’s eyes wavered.

I realized I had been mistaken.

There was a gap in information between Guan Yu and me. I hadn’t fully shared the future knowledge I possessed.

No matter how exceptional Guan Yu was, he couldn’t know what he didn’t know.

He didn’t know how much effort Sun Quan had put into attacking Jing Province, nor how effective our preparations to counter it were.

Most importantly, he didn’t know that Cao Cao’s life was nearing its end.

So Guan Yu must have been thinking this:

No matter how much the rebellion in Ye City shook Cao Cao’s control, if Cao Cao himself returned to Ye, he could easily restore stability.

Cao Cao’s mention of his generals rather than himself was likely meant to subtly guide Guan Yu toward that line of thinking.

While we were currently in a favorable position, if the war dragged on, the balance of advantage could reverse.

Cao Cao was indeed formidable. He controlled not just his words but also his tone, pace, emphasis, and even his expressions and gestures with perfect precision.

Even in such a favorable situation for us, he made it seem as though they were the ones showing mercy.

Before Guan Yu could waver further, I had to step in. I walked past Guan Yu and recited a line from memory.

“Sleeping in the cold, blown by the wind, I vowed not to refuse any food.”