Chapter 8: The Journey to Luoyang (5) Big Deceiver

  Time flies quickly, two days have passed, today is the day Cao Song and Cao Cao enter the palace to meet Emperor Ling of Han. The people in the Cao residence got up early and were busy helping Cao Song and Cao Cao prepare. Paying respects to the emperor is a big deal, it can't be taken lightly. Lü Rui also got up early, under the service of her maid, she bathed and changed into a long gown with a cyan red robe, came to the front hall, waiting for Cao Cao and Cao Song.

  Soon, Cao Song and Cao were also dressed up, came to the front hall, took Lv Rui on the carriage, and went to the imperial palace. The Taifu Mansion is not far from the imperial palace, soon Cao Song and his party arrived at the imperial palace. Under the leadership of the palace staff, Cao Song and three others came to the Imperial Garden, waiting for Emperor Ling of Han's summons.

  Lü Rui was entering the imperial palace for the first time and also visiting the imperial garden for the first time, so she was very excited. In the garden where they stayed, she looked left and right, with a lovely expression, which made the palace maids and eunuchs nearby laugh loudly. Of course, Lü Rui was pretending to be like this. As a child, she couldn't just sit there drinking tea like Cao Shuang and Cao Cāo.

  Lü Rui originally thought he would be able to see Emperor Ling of Han soon, but unfortunately, Lü Rui and his entourage waited for two hours without being summoned, only some palace staff occasionally brought fruit and snacks for them to taste. Lü Rui dozed off with his eyes closed, leaning on Cao's body during the endless wait.

  It wasn't until the afternoon that Emperor Ling of Han summoned Cao Song and his party. It turned out that Emperor Ling had just gotten out of bed, haha, truly one of the most infamous idle emperors in Chinese history, getting up at this hour, I reckon he must have been fooling around in some noble's palace again last night, hehe, since you like to fool around so much, I'll give you something to be happy about!

  "Announcing the arrival of Cao Song!" A small eunuch shouted in a high-pitched voice, and Cao Song's entourage entered the grand hall of the imperial palace. At this time, a man in his thirties, wearing a black dragon robe, sat on the throne. This was Emperor Ling of Han. During the Han Dynasty, there were no dragon robes; dragon robes emerged during the Sui and Tang Dynasties. The emperors of the Han Dynasty generally wore black robes with embroidered patterns of pythons, phoenixes, and peacocks. In the Han Dynasty, black was considered noble, while cyan and red were secondary nobility, so Lü Rui wore a cyan-red robe.

  Emperor Ling of Han was actually quite good-looking, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, regular features, and an air of heroism between his brows. It's hard to imagine that he is the Emperor Ling of the Eastern Han, a notorious tyrant in Chinese history. However, from Emperor Ling's complexion, it can be seen that he is a heavy drinker, young and vigorous, but slightly decadent, often patting his mouth with his hand and yawning.

  Cao Song and his entourage knelt down and said: "Cao Song brings his family to pay respects to Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty, forever and ever! Lü Rui also followed with a shout of 'long live'.

  Emperor Ling of Han looked at Cao Song and his entourage, then nodded and said: "Cao Aiqing, please take a seat. We've kept you waiting for a long time. Let's have lunch first, and then we'll chat with you."

  Cao Song bowed his hands and said: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

  Then, Emperor Ling of Han and Cao Song's group began to have their meal. The imperial cuisine of the Great Han left Lü Rui speechless; had the food in the Great Han already become so rich? In the imperial cuisine of the Great Han, there were not only Chinese delicacies that Lü Rui had eaten in Luoyang, but also Western delicacies, such as grape wine, grapes from the Western Regions, and even some early Western desserts. There was also Indian curry and Middle Eastern cuisine; it was simply a world culinary gathering! Nǎinǎi's, indeed, this is what it means to be a famous emperor in history - enjoying oneself so much, eating one meal so luxuriously, it's sinful, sinful! Although the Cao family was a large clan with luxurious food and drink, compared to Emperor Ling of Han, they were truly inferior.

  After lunch, Emperor Ling of Han met Cao Song and his family in the Wude Hall. Emperor Ling looked at Cao Song and said: "Cao Ai Qing, it's been many years since we last met, you've grown old. In the past when I first ascended to the throne in Weiyang Palace, weren't you still in your prime?"

  Here is the translation:

  It's worth mentioning Cao Teng, Cao Song's foster father. He was a famous eunuch of the Eastern Han dynasty and served four emperors in succession. During Emperor Ling's reign, he was enfeoffed as Marquis of Feting for his role in supporting the emperor's ascension to the throne. It was during this time that Cao Teng became acquainted with Emperor Ling. Since Emperor Huan had no heir, it was certain that a successor would be chosen from among his sons and nephews. Cao Teng pinned his hopes on Liu Hong, who is now Emperor Ling. Although Cao Teng died before Emperor Ling's accession to the throne, Cao Song was still alive and could be considered one of the emperor's trusted ministers, so the Cao family's influence in the Eastern Han dynasty remained considerable.

  Cao Song stood up, moving his massive body to stand upright, and bowed: "Thank you, Your Majesty. You still remember your old minister. In the past, I was able to welcome Your Majesty into the Weiyang Palace when you were just a child. Now, Your Majesty is like the sun in the sky, it makes me feel deeply moved." After finishing speaking, he began to wipe away tears with both hands. Lü Rui had never seen Cao Song put on such an act before - Cao Song's fake crying was even more exaggerated than Liu Bei's!

  Emperor Ling of Han saw Cao Song like this, and was also moved by the scene. He then said: "Cao Ai Qing, please get up quickly. Today, Cao Ai Qing resigned from his official position and returned to his hometown. I have decided to reward Cao Ai Qing with 10,000 taels of gold, and let him enjoy his old age."

  Cao Song listened and bowed his hands, saying: "Thank you for the reward!" Lü Rui heard this and thought to himself, "Indeed, it's a generous gift!" The 10,000 taels of gold were nothing to think about. Cao Song had spent 400 million coins to buy them, equivalent to 40,000 taels of gold. Emperor Ling of Han only returned one-fourth of that amount to Cao Song. He was indeed a shrewd businessman. During the Han dynasty, the value of gold wasn't very high because people were still struggling to make ends meet. How high could the price of luxury goods be?

  Emperor Ling of Han nodded and then looked at Cao and said: "Cao Mengde?"

  Cao hastily stepped forward and bowed: "Cao Mengde pays his respects to Your Majesty! Long live, long live, forever live!"

  Emperor Ling of Han said, "No need for excessive courtesy, Cao Mengde. You are the son of Cao Song, naturally also a loyal minister of the great Han. Although you now serve under General-in-Chief He Jin, I will use you according to your abilities in the future." Emperor Ling's words had deep meaning. He also knew about General-in-Chief He Jin's power, so he used eunuchs to suppress it. However, the eunuchs never had any real ability. As for Cao, this was just a reminder that he should remember he is a subject of the great Han, not a subject of He Jin!

  Cao bowed and said: "Thank you, Your Majesty. I will do my best to serve the Han dynasty!" Emperor Ling of Han nodded and then gestured for Cao to withdraw.

  After Cao retired, Emperor Ling of Han saw Lü Rui, a three-year-old child, playing with a night pearl beside Cao Song. The emperor smiled and pointed at Lü Rui, saying: "Cao Gong, this is your adopted grandson, the adopted son of Cao Mengde, Lü Rui?"

  Cao Song immediately stood up and replied: "Yes, Your Majesty!"

  Lü Rui immediately jumped out and knelt down, saying: "Lü Rui pays his respects to Your Majesty, long live, long live, forever long live!"

  Emperor Ling of Han burst out laughing and said: "Cao, this child is lovable, with an extraordinary air about him. He will surely become a marquis or prime minister in the future!"

  Lü Rui didn't wait for Cao Song's response and bowed to say: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for granting Lü Rui the title of Marquis!"

  As soon as this was said, everyone was stunned. Good boy, Lyu Rui, His Majesty said you would be a Marquis in the future, not that he would grant you a Marquis title now!

  Cao was busy on one side, sweating profusely, and whispered: "Rui'er, it's not the title of Marquis, it's not the title of Marquis."

  At this time, Zhang Rang scolded from the side: "How dare you, young man! The emperor is just praising you, how can he grant you a marquis title!"

  Lü Rui then pulled out his tricks and cried out in the great hall, "It was Your Majesty who wanted to enfeoff me as a marquis! It was Your Majesty who wanted to enfeoff me as a marquis!"

  Cao Song hastened forward, picked up Lü Rui and apologized to Emperor Ling of Han: "Your Majesty, Rui is misbehaving, a three-year-old child misunderstood, please forgive him." After finishing speaking, he coaxed Lü Rui, who then stopped crying.

  Emperor Ling of Han saw this and burst out laughing, saying: "Lord Cao, your adopted grandson is indeed clever, able to pick up a conversation, not bad, not bad." Cao Ang hastily apologized.

  Emperor Ling of Han looked at Lü Bu and said, "Lü Bu, if you want to be enfeoffed as a marquis, you must achieve great merit for the imperial court or for me. What great merit do you plan to achieve?" Emperor Ling saw that Lü Bu was clever and wanted to tease him a bit.

  Lü Rui heard this and smiled, then wiped away his tears and said: "Your Majesty, I have something to present to you, Your Majesty will certainly like it. If so, I would be credited with a meritorious deed."

  Emperor Ling of Han was delighted when he heard this. This young man understands something, if the things he presents are to his liking, it can be considered a great achievement, and granting him a marquis title is no problem. At that time, he can also ask Cao Song for some money, which will be another source of income. Thinking of this, Emperor Ling asked: "Lv Rui, what do you have to present to me?"

  Lü Rui took out a small bottle from his bosom, shook out a red pill and said: "Your Majesty, this medicine is called the Divine Immortal Pill. It can help you enjoy the pleasures of your harem even more. Wouldn't that be considered a great achievement?"

  Lü Rui's words left everyone stunned. What is "pleasure of the inner chambers"? How could a three-year-old child know about such things? Emperor Ling of Han was stunned, Cao Song and Cao Cao were also stunned, everyone was stunned.

  After a while, Emperor Huan of Han finally came back to his senses and asked with a playful tone: "Rui'er, do you know what the pleasures of the bedchamber are?"

  Lü Rui looked at Emperor Huan of Han and then at Cao, saying: "Your Majesty, you know that Zhongfu often rides on top of his wife and several concubines, panting with exhaustion. This is the pleasure of the inner chambers."

  Emperor Ling of Han burst out laughing and pointed at Cao Song and Cao Cao, saying: "Cao Ai Qing, your family's openness is really eye-opening for me, haha!"

  Cao Song hastily bowed and said, "Your Majesty is overpraising!" Then Cao Song glared at Cao Cao, his eyes clearly saying, "Mengde, what are you up to?" Cao Song naturally thought this was one of Cao Cao's schemes.

  At this time, Cao's face was completely innocent, really not me, who is it? Who taught Rui'er? Hum, must be investigated thoroughly. At this time, Cao's face was bright red, Nai Nai's, the joy of the boudoir, was described by Lü Rui as a kind of pig, losing face, too embarrassing!

  Emperor Ling of Han smiled after finishing the joke with Cao Song and Cao Cao, looking at Lü Rui asked: "Rui'er, what kind of elixir is this, really as magical as you said?" This foolish emperor became interested, he thought that three-year-old Lü Rui wouldn't lie, it must be Cao Song and his son trying to curry favor with him by designing this. Good, good, I like it! Cao Song and his son are great loyal ministers!

  "Your Majesty, this is very useful. This was obtained by Rui'er from an old divine doctor. Rui'er asked the divine doctor about its efficacy, and the divine doctor said that even those who have been castrated can still engage in bedroom pleasures and continue their lineage. What does Your Majesty mean by this?"

  Emperor Ling of Han heard this and indeed it was the plan of Cao Shuang's father and son. Lü Rui, of course, did not know what a eunuch was, but was this medicine really so magical? At this time, Zhang Rang, beside Emperor Ling of Han, moved his mouth slightly. What? A eunuch can still have descendants? Is there really such a wonderful medicine in the world?

  Emperor Ling of Han smiled and said, "Rui'er, the eunuchs are people like Zhang Gonggong. Is your elixir really that magical? Can they still indulge in carnal pleasures?"

  Lü Rui looked at Emperor Huan of Han and said, "Your Majesty, the divine doctor originally said that if you take this elixir for three years, you will definitely be able to resume your conjugal bliss. If Your Majesty doesn't believe it, can't you just give it a try?" After speaking, he stretched out his hand.

  Emperor Ling of Han looked and slightly stood up, while Zhang Rang also took a step forward. Emperor Ling said to the young eunuch: "You go get it for me!"

  The eunuch ran over to Lü Rui's side and said, "Your Majesty, this elixir is expensive, one million coins per pill, you need to pay."

  Zhang Rang heard this and rebuked loudly: "Lv Rui, the elixir is something that the Emperor has demanded, how can you demand wealth?"

  Emperor Ling of Han waved his hand and said, "Father, this is not right. Buying and selling are transactions that require both a buyer and a seller. This is also something Rui'er spent money to acquire. Come, give Rui'er 10,000 coins." Emperor Ling was indeed reckless and extravagant, and very bored. He didn't act like a good emperor at all, instead going to learn from others how to do business, and even turning a part of the imperial palace into a marketplace. It's really boring to the extreme! No wonder the Great Han will perish!

  Lü Rui received 10,000 yuan and handed over the elixir to Emperor Ling of Han. As soon as Emperor Ling took the elixir from the eunuch's hand, he swallowed it down. The moment the elixir entered his belly, Emperor Ling felt a burning sensation in his lower body, and he rushed towards the toilet, of course, to relieve himself.

  Left Zhang Rang and other eunuchs, as well as Cao Song and his son, and Lü Wei in the great hall. Cao Song glared at Cao Cao angrily: "This Mengde, you have such a plan without telling me? This is outrageous."

  Cao lowered his head, his mind racing with thoughts of who it could be. Who taught Rui'er these things? He must find out, and when he did, he would definitely kill him. Cao and Cao Shuang had both been deceived by Rui's appearance, never thinking that beneath the body of a three-year-old child lay an adult, and not just any adult, but one who had crossed over from another world!

  About an hour later, Emperor Ling of Han walked in with a ruddy complexion and a loud laugh. At this time, Emperor Ling seemed to have changed into another person, his feet stepped firmly, his spirit was high-flying, and he didn't show any signs of fatigue at all. Although the imperial hospital had also had elixirs for women's chambers before, there wasn't one that could compare with Lü Rui's. After finishing the matter, Emperor Ling still looked so spirited. In fact, Emperor Ling did not know that Hua Tuo had only controlled the dosage and added some calming ingredients to improve the medicine, just as Hua Tuo said, it didn't contain any harmful substances!

  Zhang Rang saw Emperor Ling of Han, and his eyes lit up, revealing a hint of excitement. Could it be true that there was such a miraculous elixir that could give eunuchs a new life? To have another child, this was the dream of these eunuchs! Emperor Ling looked at Lü Yi and burst out laughing, saying: "Lü Yi, your elixir is indeed extraordinary. How much do you have? Offer it all to me, and I'll grant you an official position at market price!" Emperor Ling was already overjoyed, and he actually wanted to buy Lü Yi's elixir at market price and sell him an official position.

  Lü Rui listened and nodded, saying: "Your Majesty, I have 400 pills of Dan medicine, all of which are presented to Your Majesty. At a price of 10,000 yuan per pill, that's 40 million yuan. I wonder what official position can be bought with 40 million yuan?" After finishing speaking, Lü Rui stretched out four fingers and waved them around.

  This time, Emperor Huan of Han was stunned and forgot that Lü Bu's elixir was not cheap at all. Four million taels of silver, that's the salary of a Grand Marshal! He had just sent Cao Song away, would he now appoint Lü Bu as Grand Marshal? A three-year-old child becoming the Grand Marshal of Great Han? This is too ridiculous.

  Just as Emperor Ling of Han was in a dilemma, Zhang Rang stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, I think that since Lü Bu has achieved such great merit, Your Majesty can make him a marquis, which is worth 4 million coins."

  Emperor Ling of Han heard this and thought it was a wonderful plan. The title of Guo Hou, the highest noble rank in the Han Dynasty, is usually only held by members of the imperial family, who enjoy the income of a vassal state, typically consisting of over 1,000 households. Although Emperor Wu's Edict of Promoting Kindness had stripped members of the imperial family of actual power, they still received many benefits from their fiefs, so this title was absolutely comparable to that of Taiwei!

  Han Lingdi said: "Come on, bring the map of Great Han and present it to Rui'er."

  Soon, a large map of the Han Dynasty was placed in front of Lü Rui. This was a large map made of sheepskin paper. Before Lü Rui could understand what was going on, Emperor Ling of Han said: "Rui'er, this is the map of our great Han Dynasty. Choose a place and I will make you a marquis." It turned out that Emperor Ling of Han was playing this trick. He was really interesting, making being an official so much fun.

  Lü Rui looked at the map and found that the fiefs of the princes were divided according to the distribution of the vassal states in the Warring States period. However, with the arrival of the great chaos of the Han Dynasty, it was still uncertain whether one's own fief could be preserved. When choosing a place for his fief, he thought that he must choose a rich and prosperous place that Cao Cao could control early on, so as to ensure the preservation of his own fief.

  Lü Rui looked at the map and calculated in his mind, then pointed to Xuzhou and said: "Your Majesty, Lü Rui wants this place as his fiefdom."

  The Emperor Ling of Han looked at him and then burst out laughing, saying: "Rui'er, you really know how to choose! Good Xuzhou, I will make you the Marquis of Qi State, with a fief of one thousand households!" Cao Song and Cao exchanged a glance. The Emperor's handwriting was indeed bold - Qi State was one of the major states in the Warring States period, its territory encompassing the current Xu and Qing provinces of the Han Dynasty, where the people were wealthy and the population was abundant. A fief of one thousand households was comparable to two thousand households in other vassal states.

  Lü Ru hastily thanked and said: "Thank you, Your Majesty, long live, long live, long live!" Thus, Lü Ru became the first foreign surname marquis of the Eastern Han Dynasty at the end of the period, starting his official career in this era.

  Emperor Ling of Han was overjoyed and kept Cao Song and others for a late dinner before letting them leave the palace. After Cao Song and others left, Emperor Ling of Han took the elixir given by Lü Yi and happily went to **.

  The next day after Lü Rui returned to the mansion, Zhang Rang came to Taifu Mansion to visit Cao Shuang. On the surface, he was there to see Cao Shuang, but in reality, it was about the elixir that Lü Rui had given to Emperor Ling of Han. Cao Shuang knew about Zhang Rang's abilities and gave him a stern look before leaving. Humph! You stinky brat, you deal with your own affairs. What is this nonsense about a eunuch being reborn? Having another child? Zhang Rang was just the vanguard; wait until later and see what will become of Taifu Mansion!

  Cao was also helpless and could only say that this was the elixir brought by Lü Rui, and he didn't have it in his hands either. However, please let Zhang Letian rest assured that when the time comes, he will let Lü Rui go to Zhang Letian's mansion to present the elixir. As soon as Zhang Letian heard this, he was suddenly surrounded by flames of anger. Cao Mengde, I am the leader of the eunuchs, how dare you treat me like this? Zhang Letian suppressed his anger and left with a flick of his sleeve.

  Cao was also unhappy, this was not something I, Cao Mengde, did in the first place, why is it all blamed on me? Hmph, Zhang Rang, you're just a eunuch, yet you dare to be so presumptuous in front of my Cao family. Hmph, back when my grandfather was still alive, weren't you just a dog? As a result, the news that there was a person who had been castrated and regained his potency through medicine in the Cao household spread far and wide, and Cao also caused quite a bit of trouble in Luoyang because of this. When Cao died and arrived at the underworld, he said to King Yan: "King Yan, this really wasn't something I, Cao Mengde, did!"