After driving around the city of Handan, Cao Cao officially entered the throne of King Wei, and Cao Cao returned to the palace to negotiate with various officials.
Cao Pi was officially made the crown prince. Since his eldest wife, Mrs. Ding, had no children, Cao Pi and Cao Zhang were both born to the Bian family, so he deposed Mrs. Ding and made Bian the queen of Wei.
Everyone knew that Cao Cao had been tired all the way, and they all retired after the ceremony. However, they didn't know that Cao Cao felt excited and energetic with Wang Mian in his body at this moment.
When they arrived at the back garden, Mrs. Bian had already ordered people to prepare for a bath. Cao Cao ordered: "Send Mrs. Du, Mrs. He, Mrs. Wang, Mrs. Li and Mrs. Yuan here to help me."
Mrs. Bian's face turned red and she persuaded softly: "Your Majesty has returned from the Northern Expedition and it's time to recuperate. I will stay with you tonight. It's not too late to come to congratulate you in turn tomorrow."
"Don't worry, madam!" Cao Cao took off his robe, walked to the bathtub, and laughed: "I use Liaodong ginseng, deer antlers, and tiger whip. Although my beard and hair are gray, I am a dragon and a tiger, and I can fight you for three hundred rounds. "
…
Three days later, Cao Cao washed his hands of his career and officially took over the military and political affairs. When he saw the mountain of official documents and information on the desk, he frowned and suddenly felt that his headache was faintly coming on again.
"Could it be that the Central Plains is the blessed land of Cao Mengde?" Cao Cao tapped his forehead and realized that the situation was worse than he imagined.
While he was looking through it, Cao Pi led a group of clan members to come to pay their respects. Cao Tai, Xiahou Ba and others had all grown up and looked like their fathers.
Cao Cao nodded frequently and encouraged everyone. Suddenly he found that Xia Houmao was not there and asked in confusion: "Where is Zilin now?"
All the clan members have arrived. Xia Houmao is Cao Cao's son-in-law, so he should come first.
Cao Pi sighed: "Zilin went to Jingzhou and was humiliated by Liu Qi. After he came back, he worked hard and lived alone in Yecheng, studying the art of war and practicing martial arts diligently. He has not seen any guests for half a year."
"Oh?" Cao Cao raised his eyebrows, a little surprised. He stroked his beard and laughed: "As expected, he is worthy of being a descendant of Xiahou. He knows his shame and then becomes brave. Zilin has such a change, and it is thanks to Liu Qi's contribution."
Although Cao Cao used people regardless of their character and gave Xia Houmao support with money and food, as well as collecting intelligence, after all, doing business was not the right way, and it would be difficult to achieve great things in the end. Naturally, he would be more happy with this change.
Cao Pi had always been close to Xia Houmao. Seeing that Cao Cao had no intention of pursuing the defeat, he took the opportunity to say: "A blessing in disguise is a blessing in disguise? Zi Lin's hard work must have made his uncle very happy. I will send someone to tell Zi Lin." .”
"No need!" Cao Cao waved his hand, his eyes full of expectation: "After arriving in Yecheng, I will visit Zilin myself to see how he has learned."
Cao Ren, Xiahou Dun and others are all out on an expedition. Today, the young disciples accompany Cao Cao, which can be regarded as a family banquet. Talking about the Northern Expedition, Cao Zhang and others killed the enemy with blood, which made everyone envious.
When Xiahou Ba heard that Cao Zhang had earned the reputation of the "Golden-haired Tiger", he became competitive and wanted to compete with Cao Zhang. Cao Cao also wanted to see how they grew up, so they all went to the school field to compete.
Xiahou Ba and Cao Zhang, Cao Tai and Cao Zhen fought against each other. The horses galloped on the snow, the cold air was overwhelming, and they had the momentum of a massacre in Mobei.
At the age of thirty, Xiahou Ba was defeated. He was convinced by Cao Zhang's martial arts, and Cao Tai was no match for Cao Zhen. This further aroused the two's fighting spirit. They secretly determined to strengthen their training and agreed to compete every day in the future.
When Cao Cao saw that his disciples were harmonious and the younger generation was full of vigor, he couldn't help but think of the same situation with Xiahou Dun and others when they raised the army. A true man should have great ambitions, kill enemies and make achievements, and be famous after others. This is the true nature of a hero.
A few days later, all the soldiers from the Northern Expedition returned to the city. Cao Cao led his men and horses to Yecheng to face the Holy Spirit. Cao Zhen led the tiger and leopard cavalry in front to clear the way.
Among these disciples, Cao Cao valued Cao Zhen the most. Although Cao Zhang was brave, he was aggressive and reckless. However, Cao Zhen had a calm temperament, was good at both civil and military affairs, and had the talents of a general.
Yecheng had already known the news, and Emperor Xian personally led the civil and military officials to greet him outside the palace gate. Although the civil war was unfavorable, the prime minister defeated Xianbei, shocked the outside world, and promoted the power of the Han Dynasty. Emperor Xian was happy from the bottom of his heart, and respected and feared Cao Cao.
The whole city was singing drums and dragon and phoenix flags were flying at the palace gate. Emperor Xian was full of expectations, but when he saw Cao Cao getting out of his car and driving towards him, wearing a royal crown, his smile froze on his face.
Only then did he realize that the current prime minister has been granted the title of King of Wei, he has no name to pay homage to, he has no tendency to enter the court, and he wears a sword on his face. Now that his master has returned to the court, his prestige has increased, and there is no one in the court who can compare with him.
Yang Biao and other old ministers looked even more gloomy. They stood behind Emperor Xian and sighed secretly. Seeing that Liu Qi was about to revive the Han Dynasty, Cao Cao not only did not restrain himself, but also went a step further. They couldn't help but wonder if they could wait until they see the light of day again.
Cao Cao was obviously not surprised that Emperor Xian personally came to greet him. The greetings after the ceremony were only polite words, without any joy of seeing him again after a long absence. The atmosphere in the Golden Palace was awkward, and with the heavy snowfall, it became even more deserted.
After honoring the soldiers who went out to fight as usual, the emperor and his ministers said goodbye, just like passers-by. Cao Cao left in a hurry, while Emperor Xian looked around blankly on the dragon chair.
At this time, Cao Cao had no intention of dealing with Emperor Xian. He was surrounded by enemies and many major issues were waiting for him to deal with. How could he have the energy to make excuses?
He was more eager to see Xia Houmao than to meet the emperor. He didn't know how the eldest son-in-law had changed.
Cao Zhen led his guards to clear the way and knocked through the courtyard where Xiahou Mao lived in Nancheng. He saw that the courtyard was full of snow and no one had cleaned it. There were only a few lines of bird and animal footprints under the eaves. It was obvious that no one had ever been here.
"So deserted?" Cao Zhen was surprised.
Xia Houmao has been pampered since he was a child, he is the best at managing his business, and his daily life has always been luxurious, but he did not expect that he would be in this situation.
Cao Cao frowned slightly and motioned for everyone to stay in the front yard. He only took Xu Chu and Cao Zhen inside. When they arrived in the inner yard, they saw two servants wiping their swords. Cao Cao was shocked when he saw Cao Cao and hurriedly knelt down to salute.
Cao Cao ignored him and strode into the hall. He stepped into the threshold and was stunned when he saw a man sitting with his back to the door, his hair hanging on the beam with a hemp rope.
"Zilin?" Cao Cao couldn't believe it and paused for a moment before walking into the cold room.
The man turned around, his face was thin and pale because of the cold weather, and when he saw Cao Cao, he looked shocked: "Prime Minister?"
Cao Cao pursed his lips and nodded slightly, making only a little sound in his throat. This situation made him feel inexplicably moved.
"Sure enough, it's the Prime Minister!" Xia Houmao finally realized what he was doing. He quickly stood up and exclaimed: "I don't even bother to see you...hiss, oops——"
When he was about to step forward to salute, he forgot that his hair was still tied to the beam. He was pulled back and had to hold on to the table to stand firm.
"No need to be polite!" Cao Cao stepped forward and patted Xia Houmao on the shoulder, nodded solemnly, pointed at the rope and said, "What does Zilin mean?"
Xia Houmao hurriedly replied: "My disciple is unworthy. Every time I study, I feel drowsy. I follow the ancient methods of hanging my head from a beam and pricking my buttocks day and night. I hope to learn as soon as possible and avenge my humiliation to repay the favor of the prime minister."
"There is hope for the Kingdom of Wei!" Cao Cao personally untied the rope for Xiahou Mao and sighed with emotion: "It is naive until it is attacked, and it is difficult to be a good person until it is poor."
