xymnovel Chapter 8 is merely a matter of assumption based on the present situation.
Chapter 8 is merely a matter of assumption based on the present situation.
In the matter of Miss Lü, Yuan Yao and Huang Yiqian did their calculations but overlooked one factor, making a basic mistake.
That means it's easier to deal with the King of Hell than with his underlings.
Given Cao Cao's personality, especially since he was currently in high spirits, if he knew that Yuan Yao was asking him for Lü Bu's daughter, he would probably have readily agreed. If he were to see Yuan Yao's sycophantic article and be pleased by the flattery, he might even send some gifts as a wedding gift, leaving behind a beautiful story of helping others achieve their goals.
However, Yuan Yao's messenger used official channels and delivered his letter in the normal manner of sending diplomatic documents.
The clerk in charge of receiving and sending documents didn't care about any praise or criticism. Seeing that the letter was neither a gift nor had any other important figures given prior notice, he handled it officially and went through the open process.
This is troublesome.
It should be noted that Yuan Yao's current status is very special. Theoretically, he is the second most important person in the Zhong clan, with a position similar to that of the crown prince. How could his letter to Cao Sikong be equated with a regular private letter?
As a result, the officials of the Xu Du court took notice of the letter and began to escalate the matter.
Unfortunately, this is something that can't be weighed.
Yuan Yao's demand for his fiancée from Cao Cao may seem like a trivial favor, but on a larger scale, it represents the Zhong clan's puppet regime issuing orders to the legitimate Han court.
This won't do.
Therefore, Cao Cao didn't even read Yuan Yao's letter and directly made a public political statement that he would not compromise with the puppet regime.
Upon realizing this oversight, Yuan Yao and Huang Yi both frowned and remained silent for a long time.
Neither of them had expected this.
Yuan Yao goes without saying; he's from another era, so it's normal that he doesn't understand the many unspoken rules of this time.
Huang Yi, on the other hand, came from the prominent Huang clan of Nanjun. No one had ever dared to have designs on him before, and he was equally inexperienced.
Now look what's happened, all our efforts have been in vain, what should we do?
It's not so easy to remedy the situation at this point.
Cao Cao had already explicitly rejected the offer. As a politician, how could he change his mind so easily?
Yuan Yao had a headache.
Not only was it because without Miss Lü, he couldn't subdue Cao Xing and Lü Bu's remnant army, but worse, he had seen Cao Xing drowning his sorrows in alcohol all day and getting drunk. In order to prevent the other party from becoming increasingly wasteful, he took the initiative to mention that he was trying to rescue Lü Bu's daughter.
The effect was indeed very good. As soon as Cao Xing heard that he could save Wenhou's bloodline, he was more than half alive again. He would run to Yuan Yao's mansion from time to time to inquire about any news from Xuchang.
But now?
Yuan Yao sighed, "How am I supposed to explain this to Cao Xing? I've already accepted the gifts..."
Yuan Yao and Huang Yi, two cobblers, discussed for a long time but couldn't come up with a good idea. In the end, they had no choice but to turn their attention to Yan Xiang, the only one with high intelligence among the trio.
But does Yan Xiang have a solution?
He wasn't even very familiar with Lü Bu, a semi-ally, let alone Cao Cao, who had been his enemy from beginning to end.
In the end, she could only seek help from that man.
"How about we ask Master Yang again?"
Yuan Yao was slightly surprised: "Yang Hong actually has connections in Cao Cao's camp?"
Huang Yi explained, "Yang Gong was from the Hongnong Yang clan, so it's not surprising that he knew a few people."
"Oh." Yuan Yao nodded, then suddenly froze.
Make up the difference!
He said, "How come Yang Hong, that scoundrel, changed his ways last time? He gave me free advice and didn't even ask for anything in return."
This guy probably anticipated this day and was just waiting here!
On second thought, doesn't this mean Yang Hong was very confident in solving Miss Lü's problem, which is why he let Yuan Yao run into obstacles?
Having no other choice, Yuan Yao immediately set off for the Yang residence.
Upon seeing Yuan Yao arrive, Yang Hong showed no surprise and rose to greet him, saying, "I was unaware of Your Highness's arrival. Please forgive my lack of hospitality."
"No need for formalities, Master Yang." Yuan Yao didn't have time to beat around the bush and went straight to the point, stating his purpose.
"Hmm." Yang Hong pondered for a moment, "If that's the case, I'm afraid it will be difficult to handle."
This time Yuan Yao understood; Yang Hong meant that more money was needed.
Despite being penniless, Yuan Yao still confidently declared, "Please, Lord Yang, just ask. I'll do whatever you need me to do."
Cao Xing and his 500 elite soldiers were of great importance to Yuan Yao. These men had almost no vested interests with the original Zhong clan regime and were very likely to become his private army.
Therefore, Yuan Yao was able to accept being exorbitantly asked for by Yang Hong; he accepted it, knowing he would simply seek recourse elsewhere in the future.
"Alright, if that's the case, I'll do my best." After several rounds of back and forth, Yang Hong finally spoke up: "However, Cao Mengde just refused this matter. If we want him to change his mind, we need to ask a few influential people in Xudu to speak on his behalf, and we also need to smooth things over with people at all levels to avoid repeating the same mistake."
Yuan Yao prepared himself mentally: "Please tell me, Yang Gongming, how much money do you need?"
Yang Hong stroked his beard and said, "If it were before, 30,000 coins would have been enough. But now the situation is complicated, so it will probably cost at least 100,000."
One hundred thousand.
To be honest, it was less than Yuan Yao had imagined.
But it makes no difference; he already said he has no money and can't come up with it at all.
"Alright." Yuan Yao grasped Yang Hong's hand: "The 100,000 coins will be sent immediately. Thank you for your trouble, Lord Yang."
That evening, Yuan Yao handed over to Yang Hong a total of about 100,000 coins of gold and silver, which he had plundered from Huang Yi's residence, borrowed shamelessly from Yan Xiang and other ministers, and added several thousand coins that Cao Xing had voluntarily contributed after hearing about the matter.
It's understandable that Cao Xing didn't have much money when he fled in a hurry. The others, including Yuan Yao himself, were all high-ranking members of the Zhong clan's regime. How come they couldn't even scrape together 100,000 coins? You know, when Cao Cao's father bought an official position, he spent 100 million coins in one go.
This is all Yuan Shu's fault for being incompetent. He governed Huainan in a way that angered both heaven and man, causing local prices to skyrocket and leaving everyone short of money. In addition, the people had become impoverished, with no one to exploit. With only expenses and no income, it was inevitable that they would run into financial difficulties over time.
Regardless, despite being heavily in debt, Yuan Yao managed to get Yang Hong to step in, and now it's time to see what he does.
Several days later, in Xuchang, at the Taichang Prefecture.
Grand Master Yang Biao held a letter in his hand, pacing back and forth with a frown, seemingly caught in a dilemma.
Just then, Yang Xiu, Yang Biao's son, who was twenty-four years old and renowned for his talent, happened to pass by and casually asked, "Father, what troubles you?"
"It's Dezu," Yang Biao explained, "that's your cousin in Huainan. He's willing to pay 30,000 coins to ask me for help with the matter of the Yuan family's son and the Lü family's daughter."
"I see," Yang Xiu said, suddenly understanding. "So, what are Father's plans?"
"I don't know either," Yang Biao sighed. "If he had written the letter earlier, this matter would have been effortless. But now that Cao Mengde has just explicitly refused, how can I defy him to his face?"
"So, Father is willing to help, but just doesn't know how to begin?"
"That's natural. Although Yuan Gonglu harbors rebellious intentions, Yuan's son is a man of honor, and with your uncle pleading for him, I am naturally willing to help him achieve his goal."
"That makes things easier. This is a simple matter; Father, you may as well entrust it to me."
"You?" Yang Biao blinked, wondering what Yang Xiu's abilities were that could make Cao Cao swallow back what he was about to say.
A few days later, the imperial court, recognizing Cao Cao's merit in defeating Lü Bu, increased his fief by three thousand households. The Sikong Mansion held a grand banquet to commemorate this, and Yang Xiu also attended.
Halfway through the banquet, Yang Xiu suddenly stepped forward, bowed to Cao Cao, and said that he had heard that Cao Cao's eldest son, Cao Pi, had just gotten engaged, and he was there to congratulate him.
Immediately, someone laughed and said that Yang Dezhu was drunk, and that Cao Pi was only twelve years old and not yet engaged.
Yang Xiu looked surprised: "I heard that Cao Cao wants to follow in the footsteps of Emperor Gaozu. Could I be mistaken?"
The crowd became even more puzzled and pressed for details about the past of Emperor Gaozu.
Yang Xiu said, "When Emperor Gaozu conquered Guanzhong, he bestowed Ziying's wife upon Emperor Hui."
Some people quickly realized that Yang Xiu must have misremembered. When Liu Bang conquered Guanzhong, Emperor Hui of Han, Liu Ying, was only three years old. How could he possibly marry Ziying's wife? This unofficial history is too far-fetched.
Yang Xiu, however, remained steadfast in his belief that he could not have misremembered.
Only after Cao Cao, seated at the head of the table, witnessed the entire farce, did he slowly ask, "Yang Dezu, from which classic text does this saying originate?"
As soon as Cao Cao spoke, everyone else immediately shut up, and the once lively banquet became completely silent.
Yang Xiu, his drunkenness gone and his eyes clear, rose again to bow to Cao Cao, and then replied:
"Judging from today's perspective, it's just wishful thinking!"
Cao Cao remained silent for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter.