Chapter 4: Family Banquet? Diao Chan Enters Cao Fu for the First Time!

  Lü Bu returned to his own courtyard, where Xu Shu arranged for Lü Bu's family to move in, and also prepared two empty guard rooms for Gao Shun and Cao Xing.

  After settling down the Lv Bu's family, Xu Shu entered Lü Rui's room, cupped his hands and said: "Master Hou, the life of Wen Hou's family has been arranged, and the young lady has also moved into the largest wing room, please rest assured."

  "Alright, good. Yuan Zhidao, Wenhou's family is coming to the Cai residence, they might not be used to it, so you help take care of some things." Lü Rui said slowly. The Cai residence still has rules, which places cannot be entered, when meeting people, one must pay respects and introduce themselves, what Dīng Lǎo Hǔ's taboos are, Cáo's preferences, all these need to rely on Xú Shū to guide.

  "Yes, Master Hou, Yuan Zhi understands!"

  "If there's nothing important, Yuan Zhi can go down and prepare for tonight's dinner banquet." Lü Rui waved his hand, indicating that Xu Shu could withdraw.

  "Lord Hou?"

  "What else?" Seeing Xu Shu's hesitant expression, Lü Bu glanced at him.

  "This... Lord Hou, it's like this, Lady Wen thinks that since the Wen family is officially moving into the Cai residence, shouldn't there be some sort of gesture?"

  "Huh, what does it mean? What's going on?" Xushu also learned Tibetan and said a few words, but they didn't make any sense.

  "Lord Hou, look, it's almost time for the festival. If it were usual times, tonight's banquet should be a family dinner of the Cao family before the festival. Since it's a family dinner, there must be music and dance to liven up the atmosphere. Lady Wen said that the Wenhou Fu has excellent music and dance performances, led by Miss Diao Chan. Why not let them perform as well? Leave a good impression on the Cao family?"

  Lü Rui tapped his fingers on the table, glanced at Xu Shu and said: "This... hmm, Yuan Zhi makes sense, Yan Shi has also considered it thoroughly. The Prime Minister's mansion? It's not our Houye's mansion after all, let them perform! Since Diao Chan can't hide anymore, she'll make a stunning appearance, definitely many people will be staring at her, and Cao the husband won't dare to act rashly."

  "Yes, Lord Hou, Yuan Zhi understands and will go prepare right away!" Xu Shu bowed his hands and retreated.

  "Master Hou, it's time to bathe and change!" Ling'er woke up Lü Rui from his short nap. After washing and dressing, he should go to the main hall. In the Si Kong Fu, Lü Rui was a junior and couldn't let his elders wait for long.

  "His Excellency Shi Kong has arrived!" The butler shouted loudly, and everyone stood up.

  "Pay respects to Lord Cao!" As soon as Cao took his seat, everyone bowed their hands in respect to Cao!

  Cao sat down in the main seat, indicating that everyone could sit down, then said: "You don't have to be too polite, today is a family banquet, Cao's and Xiahou's families are all here, and even the Prime Minister is not the Prime Minister now, but just an elder brother at home. Today we will have a good family dinner, no need to be formal!"

  "Thank you, sir!"

  Then it was the Cao family's banquet, and only Xu Shu, Yan Shi, and Lü An followed Lü Rui to attend the banquet. Those who took the stage had to have a certain status, Diao Chan was just Lü Bu's concubine, not qualified enough. After dinner, during the song and dance segment, Du Shi first took the stage, accompanied by Cao Cao, and performed a dance for everyone.

  "Good, good! Elder brother's Quyi is getting better and better. Hong Naiyi is a martial artist, but elder brother's Quyi, paired with Madame Du's dance, makes even a coarse person like me unable to forget. Elder brother's Quyi is wonderful, but Madame Du's dance is even more wonderful!"

  "Zi Lian is absolutely right!" Xiahou Dun chimed in.

  "This dance is truly magnificent!" Cao Ren echoed in agreement.

  Cao Hong, the younger brother of Cao, is indeed a loyal fan of Lady Cao. Seeing Ding Lao Hu's displeased face, he immediately came out to take control of the situation and set the tone for Du Shi. The Cao family and the Xiahou family all followed Cao Hong's lead, and Ding Lao Hu had to show consideration, as Cao's dignity also needed to be maintained!

  "I, Du Shi, pay respects to Your Excellency! I am unworthy." Du Shi walked up to the main seat and bowed once to Cao.

  "Hmm!" Cao nodded his head, still having to follow the rules at the family banquet.

  "I have met Mrs. Ding before, please take care of her from now on." Du Shi turned to face Ding Shi and bowed, at the family banquet, by reason, Ding Lao Hu should be the host, as they say, men are in charge outside, women are in charge inside!

  Ding the tiger's face was expressionless, he just nodded and said: "Once you enter the Cao mansion, you must follow the rules of the Cao mansion. If there is anything improper, even I may not be able to protect you!"

  "Yes, I understand!" Du Shi replied with a gentle "yes" and a nod.

  "All right, madam, let's leave these matters for later. Du will also come to your courtyard frequently to ask for advice!" Cao saw that Ding was being difficult and found an excuse to let Du off the hook.

  "I will definitely go to the madam's courtyard more often to ask for advice and follow the rules of the Cao family."

  "Hmm!" Mr. Ding nodded expressionlessly.

  "Alright, everyone. Today, I have something to announce. Wen Hou's daughter, Lv Bu, is Rui Er's cousin. Since Wen Hou has passed away, his family members have entrusted Rui Er with their care. From now on, we are all one family. Before Rui Er comes of age, he was still a foster son of the Cao household, and Wen Hou's family members were also part of our Cao household. Everyone should treat them as kin. If anyone intentionally causes trouble, I, the official, will not forgive!"

  "Yes, sir!"

  "Thank you, Uncle Cao!" Lü Rui stepped forward and expressed his gratitude.

  "Madam Yan, widow of General Wen, thanks Your Excellency, Sir Cao!" Madam Yan also slowly walked out and expressed her gratitude to Cao.

  "Madam, you're being polite. Although Cao and Wen Hou were enemies in the past, Cao still admired Wen Hou's martial arts skills. Moreover, Wen Hou and Rui'er are relatives, so Cao has no choice but to take responsibility for this matter!" Cao's expression was one of "who else can I rely on", and Lü Rui thought: "Uncle Zhong, don't take everything upon yourself, there will be consequences!"

  "An'er thanks Grandfather for taking care of the Lü family!" An'er also ran out and bowed to Cao.

  "An... An'er?" Seeing a young girl, Cao was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood that this person was Lü Bu's biological daughter, adopted by Lü Rui as his own.

  "Haha, unexpectedly, I, Cao, actually have a granddaughter now! Good! Good! An Er? Not bad, the name is good, and she's pretty too, worthy of being my granddaughter!"

  Wow, Cao Zhen is really good at flattering herself. Others are born beautiful because of their genes from Lu Bu, not your short and dark genes, Cao! Although your daughter is also beautiful, it's because of her mother's genes! Lü Rui rolled his eyes in speechlessness.

  "Congratulations to Sir Cao on the arrival of his granddaughter!" Dog brother Cao Hong led the way, and a group of people started flattering Cao again.

  "Who would have thought that Rui'er, still so young, has such a beautiful daughter? What a delightful thing!" Xiahou Dun had also drunk quite a bit and was playing with his wine cup, smiling at Lü Rui.

  "Huh? So I won't die and become the second master? The grandson of the eldest brother, I am... the second master!"

  "Rui'er, Rui'er, you're really something! Now... now you're a father! And below... is it mature yet? Hahaha!" Cao Hong looked at Lü Rui with a smile that was not quite a smile.

  You, this stupid old man, are really stupid. Have you had too much to drink? Lü Bu awkwardly waved his hand and said: "Uncle... uncle is just joking!" Out of nowhere, he gained an extra daughter who's even older than himself. What kind of thing is this? (After asking Yan Shi, it turned out that Lü Bu's daughter was already in her twenties)

  "Zi Lian has had too much to drink, Cui'er, help General Cao sober up!" Ding Laohu wasn't about to let Cao become a laughing stock, so as soon as he saw Cao Hong starting to lose his composure, he immediately ordered someone to get him to sober up. Of course, it wasn't by using violence, but rather several maidservants went over to attend to Cao Hong and got him to drink some hangover soup.

  Having settled Cao Hong's affair, Lady Ding showed off her prestige as the mistress of the Sima household and said: "Housekeeper, continue with the evening feast!"

  "Yes, ma'am!" The butler bowed and continued to host the dinner party.

  As a burst of silken strings sounded, the orchestra of the Cui Kong Mansion struck up on their chimes, and Diao Chan's dance began.

  A group of dancers dressed in yellow, slowly emerged from the side hall and formed a circle. A woman with colorful clothes used two fans to cover her face and started dancing in the center, accompanied by the yellow-clad dancers on the sides!

  The colorful fan of the woman slowly opened to both sides, revealing her face. All the men in the audience were stunned, this...this woman was really too beautiful!

  "Mother, this sister is so beautiful!" Cao Pi pulled on Madame Bian's sleeve and said blankly.

  "Ah, so beautiful!" Cao Zhi and Cao Zhang also nodded in agreement.

  Ding... A mistake! One of the bell musicians made a mistake! Diao Chan and the dancers were stunned, standing still in the middle of the performance, not knowing how to proceed. Diao Chan and the dancers all knelt down on the stage!

  "Bastard!" Cao slammed his wine cup heavily on the table. "Who made the mistake?"

  A musician rolled out like a dog, constantly knocking his head and saying: "Great... sir, it was my fault, please... sir, punish me!"

  Diao Chan and the other dancing girls covered their noses with their fans, Cao seemed to have smelled something too, his eyes rolled around, it turned out that the musician who made the mistake was so scared that he urinated!

  The guests present also seemed to have sensed something, but they didn't dare speak out for fear of offending Cao, and merely covered their noses with their hands.

  "Take him away and give him fifty lashes! The Prime Minister's residence does not tolerate useless people!"

  "Alright!" In no time, the guards beside him dragged the musician out and gave him fifty lashes, which was almost a death sentence!

  The housekeeper was also a clever person, and while the guard dragged away the musician, he quickly brought people to clean up the urine in the hall. Cao only reacted at this time, there is a beautiful woman here!

  Cao's eyes were fixed on Diao Chan, sizing her up and down, his eyes gleaming with desire as he looked left and right, a trickle of saliva escaping from the corner of his mouth.

  "Older brother!" Ding Laotiger's sudden cry brought Cao back.

  Cao looked at Ding Laohu and smiled, asking: "Who is this young lady?"

  "I was originally a concubine of the Marquis of Wen, and now I am a female historian in the Qi Hou Mansion. The young master has given me the name Diao Chan!" Diao Chan replied slowly and calmly as she stood up.

  Lü Rui smiled upon hearing this, and it turned out that Xu Shu had arranged for Diao Chan to become a female historian? This was truly ridiculous! Originally, female historians were female officials within the palace, and the Hou Mansion wasn't qualified to have one. However, when Emperor Ling of Han first appointed Lü Rui as a marquis, he was confused and rewarded the Hou Mansion with two female historians as a symbol of his favor. This had become Diao Chan's protective charm - as a female historian, she was an official, albeit a minor one, but still part of the Hou Mansion's establishment and the imperial court's establishment. Palace maidens getting married were subject to imperial law!

  "It's actually Lady Historian, I'm Cao Hong, Zizhilian, General of the Guard, nice to meet you, Lady Historian!" Cao Hong was really drunk, seeing a beauty, his words were incoherent, and he even started introducing himself.

  "Your Ladyship, I am Xia Hou Dun, also known as Yuanrang, General of Jianwu. I have met Your Ladyship before!" Another one who's drunk to the point of confusion!

  Diao Chan smiled and bowed: "Diao Chan has seen the two generals!"

  Diao Chan shouted "General!" and both Cao Hong and Xiahou Dun were stunned. Cao saw the situation, in his seat, he was anxiously tapping his foot, how did Lü Bu have such a beautiful concubine? Why didn't I know about it? It's over, everyone knows now!

  Looking at the men's performance, Ding Laohu just snorted disdainfully.

  "Be careful, miss!" Just then, Cao Ren suddenly jumped up and landed behind Diao Chan, knocking a marble to the ground.

  Everyone looked and found out it was Cao Xiong holding a slingshot, shooting a pellet at Diao Chan!

  "Xiong'er, stop!" Madame Bian hastily took away Cao Xiong's slingshot.

  "Xiong'er is being reckless! Why did you attack Diaochan with a slingshot?" Cao scolded Cao Xiong.

  "Waaa... Waaa! Father, you always teach us that beautiful women can ruin a country, don't be infatuated with beauty, red makeup is a disaster. I, Cao Xiong, will eliminate the harm for father!" Several-year-old Cao Xiong cried and complained to his father Cao Cao. As a mature politician, Mrs. Cao taught her children not to covet female beauty, but to achieve great things!

  "What......?" Cao was stunned, this indeed was what Cao had taught his children, and it seemed that Cao Xiong wasn't wrong either?

  "I'm to blame for not teaching Xiong'er properly and misunderstanding Master Siku's intention!" Madame Bian immediately knelt down to apologize.

  "Sister, no mistake, Xiong Er also said it right, beauty is a calamity, we Cao family children should remember! Sir? I'm right, aren't I?" Ding Laohu fired his shot, blasting it to Cao's place.

  Cao's face turned red with embarrassment as he said: "This...? Today is just a family banquet, madam, it doesn't involve state affairs, you're being too serious!"

  "I'm just reminding you, sir. If there's anything wrong, please point it out!" Cao was left speechless and couldn't refute her.

  "Sir, today Miss Diao Chan's dance was disrupted and she got a fright. Why not let her withdraw first? We can appreciate the dance later?" Lady Bian intervened to ease the awkwardness of Cao Cao.

  "Right! Right! Diao Chan, you go down first!" Cao said with a straight face.

  "I bid you farewell!" Diao Chan bowed and led the dancing girls out, with the eyes of all the men following her as she left.

  Lv Rui pinched her own forehead, alas, originally thought there was still a good temper, even Zhì will be infatuated with Cao Ren by Mei's beauty, my courtyard? It's going to be lively!