"Ziwen, are you not drunk?" Xiahou Ba looked at Cao Zhang in front of him with wide eyes in surprise, showing an expression of disbelief.
Cao Zhang turned over and sat up, and said with a smile: "Of course I'm not drunk, otherwise would I be able to talk to you soberly?"
Xiahou Ba looked at Cao Zhang with a puzzled look on his face: "But I remember you drank a lot. When did you develop your drinking capacity and become so powerful?"
Cao Zhang responded with a smile: "As long as you want, I can drink three more jars with them, and it'll be fine."
Cao Zhang smiled and raised the long sleeves of his clothes, showing the two pieces of suede in his hands to Xiahou Ba.
"This is where I can drink!" As he spoke, Cao Zhang twisted the suede hard, and the wine soaked in the suede immediately flowed out.
Xiahou Ba suddenly understood: "I understand, it turns out that you hid the chamois in your hand, and every time you drank, you covered your mouth with your sleeve, and then quietly spit the wine on the chamois."
"Every experience makes you wiser. Last time, the incident with Princess Wannian happened because I was drunk. Now I don't dare to let myself drink too much!" Cao Zhang explained to Xiahou Ba.
Xiahou Ba nodded: "It makes sense. Look at the appearance of Cao Zhen and Cao Xiu today. If you are not prepared, you will definitely get drunk by them!"
"Although I don't know what their purpose is for doing this today, it's always right to be careful." Cao Zhang responded.
Xiahou Ba sighed helplessly: "We were all good brothers at first, why have we become like this now?"
Cao Zhang looked at Xiahou Ba and wanted to say something, but felt that he couldn't explain it to him, so he simply chose silence. He just patted his shoulder gently and said no more...
The next morning, the sun shone on Sikong Mansion.
In the hall of Sikong Mansion, various civil and military personnel were already lined up on both sides, waiting for Cao Cao's arrival.
Cao Pi stood in the queue, looking at Cao Zhi and Cao Zhang who didn't appear next to him, with a sinister smile on his lips that was not easily noticed.
"Sikong is here!" A shout came from the back hall, and then Cao Cao strode in and sat down firmly in the middle of the hall.
"Greetings to Sikong!" Everyone stepped forward together and bowed to salute Cao Cao.
Cao Cao waved his robe sleeves and said, "No need!"
"Thank you Sikong!" Everyone returned to their positions and stood up.
Cao Cao looked around at the people in the hall. When he saw Cao Pi alone, he frowned slightly: "Ziwen and Zijian are not here?"
Cao Pi hurriedly stepped forward, bowed and saluted: "Back to my father, after the Lunar New Year Praise yesterday, both Ziwen and Zijian went to my house. We brothers drank together, and both of them drank until they were very drunk. I must have returned home. He was drunk."
After hearing Cao Pi's explanation, Cao Cao showed an unhappy look on his face, and then snorted slightly: "They are all drunk, how come you are okay?"
Cao Pi hurriedly lowered his head: "My son, I am afraid of delaying my father's mission, so I dare not drink more."
"Oh, you were watching them drink, but you didn't drink much yourself." Cao Cao nodded after hearing what Cao Pi said.
Cao Pi heard the complaint in Cao Cao's words and quickly bowed his head and admitted his mistake: "My son has tried to persuade me many times, but both Ziwen and Zijian are addicted to alcohol. I really can't help it."
Afterwards, Cao Pi immediately knelt down and said, "My son failed to discipline and take good care of his younger brother. Please punish me."
Cao Xiu and Cao Zhen also hurriedly stepped forward and knelt down.
"Back in Sikong, Zihuan has indeed been trying to dissuade Ziwen and Zijian, but they really hold the wine flask and won't let go, and there's nothing we can do about it."
"Yes, Sikong. Zihuan has tried his best."
Cao Cao didn't want to listen to their nagging: "Okay, step back!"
Cao Pi and the other three did not dare to say anything more, so they stood up and retreated to their seats.
Cao Pi achieved his goal of slandering Cao Zhang and Cao Zhi for being drunk in public, and was secretly happy.
Cao Cao had a look of disappointment on his face, and then turned to Xun Yu: "Wen Ruo."
Xun Yu took a step forward and said to Cao Cao: "Sikong, all the wise men who received second-class or above evaluations in the Moon Dan Review yesterday are already waiting outside the palace!"
Cao Cao nodded: "Wen Ruo has arranged their positions, right?"
Xun Yu sent the prepared bamboo slips to Cao Cao: "Please take a look at it."
After Cao Cao opened the bamboo slips and looked at it, he nodded with satisfaction: "Wen Ruo is always safe and reassuring. Then call all these people in and announce it in person."
A guard loudly announced: "All wise men are announced to enter."
The people who had been waiting outside the door heard the call and walked into the hall together. They came to Cao Cao and bowed and saluted: "Greetings to Sikong!"
Cao Cao signaled Xun Yu with his eyes, and Xun Yu picked up the bamboo slips in front of Cao Cao and began to announce everyone's positions one by one.
Sima Lang, Zhao Yan, Liu Zhen, Wu Zhi and others were successively named vassals of Sikong Mansion.
"Yang Xiu!" Xun Yu finally read Yang Xiu's name.
He quickly stepped forward: "Here!"
Everyone looked at him with concern, wanting to see what kind of position he would get.
"Appoint Yang Xiu as the chief secretary of Sikong Mansion!" Xun Yu announced Yang Xiu's appointment.
"Thank you Sikong!" Yang Xiu bowed and thanked him.
There is no doubt that the person who received the highest evaluation on the Monthly Review also obtained the highest position accordingly.
Cao Cao looked at everyone and began to lecture: "Everyone, you are all talented people. I hope you will all use your talents and knowledge to serve the country well."
"I will obey Sikong's teachings, and we will do our best to serve Sikong!" Everyone responded in unison.
Cao Cao continued: "Everyone's duties have been assigned, and I still have something to say. Yesterday, my three sons also participated in the Yuedan Appraisal. Compared to you, one of them's performance was much worse."
When Cao Cao said this, his eyes naturally looked in the direction of Cao Pi.
Cao Pi felt even more shameless when Cao Cao said this in public, but he couldn't say anything and could only lower his head hard.
Cao Cao did not consider Cao Pi's feelings at all, and continued: "And my three sons are much younger than you, and there are still many areas that need to be tempered."
"I would like to select three of you to serve as their subordinates and help me supervise their growth. Are you willing?"
When everyone heard Cao Cao's question, they quickly responded in unison: "It is our honor to serve you!"
"Since everyone has no objections, I will make arrangements."
"Dezu!" Cao Cao called Yang Xiu's name first, "You are the best among all the people. I am going to let you..."
When Cao Pi saw Cao Cao mentioning Yang Xiu's assignment, he quickly stepped forward and said, "Father!"
Cao Cao was very dissatisfied when he was interrupted by Cao Pi and rolled his eyes at him: "What's the matter?"
"Back to my father, among the three of us brothers, I have the worst grades and need the most guidance and help from famous teachers. So I boldly asked my father to ask Dezu to be my subordinate." Cao Pi told Cao Cao directly. I want Yang Xiu’s request.
When Cao Cao heard Cao Pi's request, he frowned slightly and did not respond immediately.
Seeing that Cao Cao did not express his position, Cao Pi hurriedly continued: "My son knows that he is stupid, and he just wants to try his best to improve himself, share his worries with his father, and hope that his father will fulfill his wishes!"
Just when Cao Cao was hesitating how to respond to Cao Pi, an announcement came from outside the hall: "Master Ziwen and Master Zijian have arrived!"
When Cao Cao heard that the two men were coming, he looked slightly happy: "Xuan!"
Cao Zhang and Cao Zhi walked into the hall quickly. Cao Zhi was still a little sleepy, but Cao Zhang was bright-eyed and energetic, with no hint of drunkenness.
Cao Pi, Cao Zhen, and Cao Xiu all looked in disbelief when they saw Cao Zhang and Cao Zhi walking in, especially Cao Zhang's state.
