Chapter 64: Night Banquet (Part 2)

  "Who's Wei Que?" Qin Xu heard this name and was taken aback for a moment. He had never heard of such a person in the Cao army?

  Even Cao Cao didn't get angry at this person's impoliteness, but instead felt a twinge of guilt. Who was this person?

  "Cough, cough, Qin Zhubu, Bo Dao is the descendant of my old friend, from the Hedong Wei family, he's the older brother of Wei Ning and the younger cousin of Wei Zuo!" Cao Cao explained with a hint of embarrassment.

  "Wei Zhi, I know he was a good friend of General Cao's who passed away, but who is Wei Ning?" Qin Xu asked curiously.

  " Wei! Zhong! Dao!" The middle-aged scholar said in a word-by-word angry tone.

  This middle-aged scholar Wei, with a clear and thin face, had just been called "strong man" by Qin Xu. He was already furious, and when he heard Qin Xu call his deceased brother's name without any respect, he became even more enraged, especially when he saw Lv Bu's unusual expression towards him, which made Wei's blood boil.

  I understand, I understand! No wonder Lü boss was so willing to give up the credit earlier. Cao's wife is even more despicable, bringing up this topic on purpose.

  Qin Xu only knew that Cai Yan had just married Wei Zhongdao, and then Wei Zhongdao died. Cai Yan had no children and was not on good terms with the Wei family, so she broke off relations with them and ran to Chang'an alone to rescue Cai Yong. As for other things, I really haven't heard Cai Yan mention them before.

  But looking at Wei's face, Qin Xu couldn't help but think of the melodramas of later generations, where sisters-in-law and younger uncles, elder brothers and sister-in-laws, had already begun to have impure thoughts in these aristocratic families of Han Dynasty 2000 years ago?

  "Hum! That cheap woman, Cai's wife, killed my brother before they even consummated their marriage. Not only did she not follow the proper etiquette for a widow in mourning at home for Zhongdao, but she also consorted with some shady characters. Save Father? Hum!" Wei scolded and insulted Cai Yan while giving Qin Xu a meaningful glance, as if hinting that he wanted to get rid of this guy who was ruining the reputation of the Wei family.

  Qin Xu, although from a later generation, didn't pay much attention to that sort of thing, but upon hearing Wei say that Cai Yan had not consummated her marriage with Wei Zhongdao, he still felt a hint of secret delight. However, when he heard Wei's vicious insults towards Cai Yan, Qin Xu's originally smiling face also took on a hint of coldness.

  "Bo Dao, don't be rude! Just let Wen Hou's joke go!" Cao Cao flashed a hint of smile in his eyes, pretending to apologize to Lü Bu, and then said to Qin Xu: "Qin Zhuguan, don't take it personally with him. He was just emotional because of family matters and wasn't targeting you."

  "It doesn't matter!" Qin Xu smiled slightly at Cao Cao, and suddenly said, "Are you kidding me? Qin Xu has a father and a lord, of course I won't be on the same level as him!"

  "You dare to insult me like this?" Qin Xu's words were clear, and Wei immediately understood the sarcasm behind them.

  In this era, the language of scolding people is repetitive and limited. Being scolded by Cai Yong in this way every day has almost made Qin Xu immune to it. Therefore, when Wei Kui scolded him like a shrewish woman, Qin Xu's calm demeanor actually showed off his so-called "scholar" elegance.

  "In the past, Emperor Shun was willing to give up his throne and flee with his father who had committed murder. For 400 years, our great Han dynasty has ruled the world with filial piety, but I have never heard of a case where saving one's father would be considered unfilial. On the contrary, those who are cold-hearted and distant towards their relatives in times of trouble, pretending not to know them, and instead plotting against their brother's wife, are considered guardians of morality! Such people can actually be openly listed among you gentlemen of integrity, please forgive my ignorance, I had not heard that the world has changed its rules. How shameful!

  Qin Xu, after all, was a seasoned veteran of the business world in his past life, and at least he was a "successful person". He may not be as cunning, but when it comes to glib talk and sophistry, Qin Xu is not afraid, especially since it concerns Cai Yan, and he will not back down!"

  "You villain! I will kill you!" Qin Xu scolded him as a person without a king or father, and also said that he was morally bankrupt. Unaware whether it was true or just angering Qin Xu, Wei's frail body trembled with fear, his lips turned white with rage, and his stuttering appearance was identical to Cheng Yu's earlier.

  "Bo Dao! Don't be rash!" Cao Cao also seemed to have discovered that Qin Xu was almost immune to other people's insults. Originally, he wanted to use Cai Yan's affair to make things difficult for Lü Bu, but unexpectedly, it backfired and landed on his own head, making Cao Cao, who was not yet familiar with Qin Xu's tactics, also somewhat unable to adapt. Cao Cao had always been cautious when dealing with unknown matters, so he hastily stopped Wei You from "self-mutilation".

  "Qin Zhubu is indeed as Master Yu said, a young talent! His eloquence alone can be called unparalleled. If Wen Hou could get Qin Zhubu, it would be the ultimate envy for Cao Cao." Cao Cao sighed in admiration for the second time.

  Cao Cao really couldn't understand how this young secretary, Qin Xu, could be so calm and composed at such a young age. Not only had he almost fainted from anger, but also the usually calm Wei Yan was about to follow in his footsteps. It's unknown where Lü Bu found this treasure, but for Cao Cao, who valued talent above all else, Qin Xu was like a golden doll. Even Cao Cao's gaze at Qin Xu was filled with possessiveness. But it's unknown what thoughts would arise if Cao Cao knew that his most trusted younger brother, Cao Hong, who had once saved his life, had died at the hands of this "golden doll" in his eyes.

  "Qin Xu was young and ignorant, General Cao would laugh at him." Qin Xu saw Wei being scolded by Cao Cao and being supported away by others. He felt that it wasn't a wise choice for Lü Boss and Cao Cao to fall out at this time, so he took advantage of the situation and stopped the conflict in accordance with Cao Cao's tone.

  One after another, Cao Cao was attacked by Lü Bu and Qin Xu in collaboration, and under the joint attack, Cao Cao's forces gained nothing but a box of pearls as "toll" given by Lü Bu, until Qin Xu and Lü Bu, along with Zhang Liao, bid farewell and left to return to their camp. The civil and military officials of Cao's army then put away their hypocritical smiles and wore a cautious expression.

  "My lord, although Lü Bu is lacking in strategy and decision-making, his military strength is formidable. Today, he was repeatedly defeated by our army, and with his temperament, he will surely harbor hatred towards us. Now that Lü Bu is about to take control of Qingzhou, I fear he may become a great enemy of yours in the future, and we must be on guard!"

  "Yes, my lord. Lü Bu is a fierce tiger of the age, with unmatched bravery and strength, and he also has the support of over 10,000 soldiers. If he succeeds in establishing himself in Qingzhou, then our Yan province will be in danger!" Xiahou Dun, as the leader of the military officers, also spoke up afterwards.

  "Qingzhou, a land of four battles, with five families' forces entangled within. Lü Bu is imprudent, having only brave warriors but no logistical support, he will surely struggle to respond. Wen Ruo has overthought this." Cao Cao said nonchalantly, seemingly not caring about Lü Bu at all, yet his gaze still lingered on the main seat beside him.

  "Could it be that Lord Cao is thinking of that doll, Qin Xu?" Seeing Cao Cao's mind was not on this at all, the crowd of civil and military officials looked at each other in dismay, unsure what Cao Cao was thinking. Only Zhiyi seemed to still be under the influence of wine, his eyes bleary as he asked.

  "Still, Master Yu deeply understands my heart and his title is extremely suitable to my liking. Now the Great Han Dynasty is in turmoil, it's exactly the time for our generation to wield their swords and sweep across the world. Alas, there's still a chance to create a bright and clear world, but unfortunately, with the current situation, even governing a small state like Yan is a bit of a struggle. I have long been resentful that there are no heroes in this world who can be used by me." Cao Cao paused for a moment, sighed, and said: "Today, seeing this Qin Xu, who is not yet as old as my son, but already has such talent, if given time, it's unknown how much he will grow. This makes me suddenly realize that there are so many talented people in this world!"

  "The lord's love for talent is admirable, but Lord Qin Xu doesn't need to worry about it." Xi Zhicai seemed to see through Cao Cao's thoughts and said: "General Zhang Liao of Lü Bu's army still stands behind him, and he has no complaints about sitting with this child and Lü Bu together. It can be seen that in Lü Bu's army, this is already a common occurrence. And Lü Bu's relationship with Qin Xu is nominally that of lord and subject, but in my opinion, it's like father and son. Qin Xu will definitely not betray Lü Bu to surrender to Cao, so please don't worry unnecessarily, milord."

  Qin Xu did not hear this remark from Xi Zhi, but even if he had heard it, he would probably have just smiled calmly. Since killing Cao Hong, who had murdered good people and taken credit for their achievements, Qin Xu had already given up on the idea of surrendering to Cao Cao. Moreover, Lü Bu was now unlikely to be able to return to White Gate Tower, with his unmatched martial prowess and the super strong combat power of his army as backing, where else in the world could be safer than here? Not to mention that Cai Yan and Lü Lingqi seemed to have some special intentions towards Qin Xu, how could Qin Zhu Bo, who had never left the ranks of local officials for two lifetimes, be foolish enough to leave now?

  "My lord, don't be annoyed. I have a friend whose talent is slightly better than Zhuge Liang's and is ten times more clever than Qin Xu. I wonder if my lord would be interested?" Xi Zhi said with a smile, seeing that Cao Cao was not very enthusiastic, and the entire army of officers and men were all being extremely cautious, not daring to breathe loudly.

  "What did Mr. Xi say? Is there really a great talent?" Cao Cao was moved by Xi Zhi's words and temporarily suppressed the idea of recruiting Qin Xu, asking with interest.

  "This man has the talent to master the universe, with unpredictable abilities like a ghost or god. He has the knowledge of ten thousand volumes in his belly and the strategy of one hundred thousand soldiers in his chest. His plans are unparalleled, don't even mention that Qin Xu, I'm afraid there's no match for him in this world!" Zixu's words were astonishing, and Cao Cao's eyes gleamed with excitement.

  "Brother, the person you're talking about isn't that rogue, is he?" Xun Yu heard Xi Zhicai's words and slapped his forehead, sighing: "If he finds out you want to disrupt his carefree days, won't he turn the world upside down?"

  "If words were like this, shouldn't you also have lured me with your clever words? Now that only the rogue is left, isn't he lonely?" Xi Zhi suddenly gulped down a large mouthful of wine and laughed loudly.

  "What are you two talking about?" Cao's wife, apart from having a hobby of collecting talented women, also had a penchant for collecting talented people. She was teased by Xun Yu and Zhong Jun's harmonious conversation, which made her extremely curious, and she asked repeatedly.

  Xun Yu and Guo Jia exchanged a glance, then burst out laughing in unison: "Guo Jia!"

  Qin Xu returned to Lü Bu's military camp, feeling great after meeting Wei Yan at the banquet. He was thinking of ways to get Cai Yan out under the strict guard of Cai Yong and Lü Lingqi. How could he have imagined that due to his own instigation, Guo Jia, also known as Guo Fengxiao, who would not be recommended by Xun Yu until the end of the year when he passed away, would appear in Cao Cao's vision ahead of time, helping him establish his dominance over the north.

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