"Cao Zhi, you idiot!"
Cao Zhang, who had just arrived at the prison gates on horseback after a swift ride, heard the report from the jailer. The three of them were still...
He roared at his personal guards.
"If Zi Jian insists on forcefully rescuing these two, then..."
"Execute them both!" Ding Yi said coldly.
Cao Zhang was stunned by this.
Ding Yi, however, stated resolutely, "Great Wei belongs to the Marquis. Anyone who obstructs him, no matter who it is, must die!"
...
...
In Luoyang City, within a Marquis's residence.
Cao Pi stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the bright moon in the sky through the window...
In the pitch-blackness, a bright moon appeared especially dazzling and clear.
"Have the dates been delivered?" Cao Pi asked softly...
Wu Zhi, standing behind him, nodded heavily. "The poison in the dates will only take effect half a day later... It will be perfect to use Young Master Ziwen's hand to kill Cheng Yu and Xu Shu. By then... Zi Huan will act righteously and execute Young Master Ziwen, presenting his head... At that time, both Great Wei and the Dragon Cavalry Camp will be grateful for your kindness. The position of Crown Prince of Great Wei will undoubtedly be yours!"
Hearing this, a sharp glint flashed in Cao Pi's eyes... as if he could already see the final outcome of this grand game.
Just then.
A man rushed in swiftly. He whispered a few words into Wu Zhi's ear.
Wu Zhi's pupils widened...
He quickly reported to Cao Pi, "Young Master Zi Jian stole Ziwen's token and went to the prison to see Cheng Yu and Xu Shu..."
"What?"
Cao Pi was taken aback...
After a brief silence, his eyes widened dramatically. Ziwen, Zijian, Zixiu... none of them were simple characters.
In the prison, it was rare for anyone to visit. Cheng Yu and Xu Shu were chatting with Cao Zhi...
As they talked, the few of them began to sing poetry together.
"Let us drink and sing, how long can life be? Like dew in the morning, the days gone by are too many. With overflowing spirits, my sorrow I cannot forget. How to relieve my worries? Only Du Kang!"
At this moment, Cao Zhang, accompanied by his personal guards, kicked down the door...
Seeing Cao Zhi singing with Cheng Yu and Xu Shu, he became furious. He grabbed Cao Zhi by the collar and roared, "Are you crazy? Do you know who they are?"
Cao Zhi, somewhat inebriated, said, "Third Brother... you're here. We're singing Father King's poem. Come... join us?"
Perhaps due to the alcohol... Cao Zhi was speaking incoherently. With a slap, Cao Zhang forcefully struck him.
Ding Yi looked coldly at Cheng Yu and Xu Shu. "Young Master Zi Jian came to save you, yet you refuse to leave and are still drinking here?"
Cheng Yu smiled calmly and said, "If I don't leave, you will eventually kill me. If you kill me, the Dragon Cavalry Camp will not stand idly by. If you kill me... the officials will be terrified. If the officials are terrified, how can you establish yourselves? Therefore, I am not going anywhere!"
Ding Yi was enraged.
"Do you seek death? Very well... I shall grant you your wish!" Saying this, Ding Yi drew his sword...
Who would have thought that Cheng Yu's words would awaken Cao Zhang? He grabbed Ding Yi and stopped him. "Heh heh, as expected of Commander Cheng, you have backbone. However, this general will show you that my blade specifically beheads those with backbone!"
At these words...
Cao Zhang waved his hand and said, "Guards, bind Cheng Yu and Xu Shu and take them to the execution ground. Let Zi Jian personally witness their beheading! The plan for the enthronement ceremony remains unchanged!"
Cheng Yu appeared fearless. He glanced back at Xu Shu.
He said faintly, "Lead the way! It is worth it to face our country's misfortune together with Yuanzhi..."
At the execution ground outside the Meridian Gate... Cheng Yu and Xu Shu were bound. It was not yet noon, but the executioners were already in position... their formidable blades gleamed with an increasingly bright sheen.
Cao Zhi looked at Cheng Yu and Xu Shu and sighed, "Commander Cheng and Master Xu are right. After Father King's demise, Great Wei will be in turmoil for a while, and some people will be sacrificed. But in the end, all this will subside. It is a pity for Commander Cheng and Master Xu!"
"No pity..."
Xu Shu smiled, "To have Young Master Zi Jian see us off, I have no regrets even in death."
Cao Zhi also smiled, "I wish I could save you both, but I am powerless..."
Chapter 678: The Virtuous Gentleman's Demeanor, What is Sought Through Bowing?
...Unable to help, I can only offer this poem as a farewell gift to you both!"
Speaking of this, Cao Zhi forced out a smile and sighed, "The virtuous gentleman's demeanor, what is sought through bowing. Fierce winds scatter the white sun, the fleeting moments rush to the west. Time waits for no one, a hundred years swiftly pass. To live in grand houses, then to wither and return to the hills. Who among the ancients does not die? Knowing fate, what is there to fear?"
"Hahahaha..." Cheng Yu laughed with a sigh, "A good poem... a good poem! A virtuous gentleman's demeanor, what is sought through bowing. Cheng admires this poem!"
With Cao Zhang absent, Ding Yi clearly did not want them to have too much time to converse.
His eyes blazing, he said, "Still scattering the white sun... What is tonight? Today is your day of death!"
The execution marker was thrown down, and the executioners immediately stepped forward with their large swords.
...
The dawn was breaking, and the city gates were tightly shut.
The galloping horses outside the city stirred up clouds of dust. Xiahou Dun and Ma Chao, leading the cavalry, arrived at the west gate of Xudu City.
Cao Zhang occupied the city wall, with the guards by his side drawing their bows and stringing their arrows... aimed at the city below.
He shouted from above, "Uncle, if you do not retreat further, my arrows might unfortunately lose their aim."
Xiahou Dun angrily exclaimed, "Ziwen, have you gone mad? Open the city gates immediately!"
Cao Zhang sneered, "Uncle is standing with rebels. How dare your nephew open the city gates?"
Xiahou Dun looked back at Ma Chao beside him. "Mengqi is one of us!"
"Hmph!" Cao Zhang snorted coldly.
Unexpectedly, Xiahou Dun shouted, "King Wei established Luoyang as the capital of Wei. Now, his remains should return to the capital. How can the King of Wei's remains be placed in the capital of Han?"
Cao Zhang was in a panic. "Father King has just passed away. Without the Crown Prince's escort and proper rituals, how can he leave Xudu City?"
Xiahou Dun proclaimed, "Ziwen, are you rebelling against Great Wei..." As he spoke, Xiahou Dun held up Lady Ding's letter. "The Queen has decreed that the late King's remains are to be returned to the capital. Anyone who obstructs this act is considered a traitor. Those who lay down their arms and surrender will not be questioned. Those who open the gates will be rewarded with a thousand gold pieces, and anyone who captures Cao Zhang alive will be enfeoffed as a Marquis of ten thousand households!"
At this...
The entire city wall became chaotic. Some soldiers quietly retreated, while others lowered their bows.
Cao Zhang glared furiously. "Anyone who dares to retreat will be executed!"
Xiahou Dun took out another letter, tied it to an arrow... and shot it up.
"Third Brother, this is from your own mother... Your mother wants you to return to Luoyang. Your current actions are aimed at destroying Great Wei!"
Cao Zhang was speechless...
He scanned the letter, and it was indeed from his mother, Lady Bian.
Of course... this letter also carried a deeper meaning. Your mother... and your soldiers' mothers... are all in someone else's hands.
At this point...
The discussions on the city wall intensified.
The soldiers were in an uproar...
"What should we do?"
"Should we open the city gates?"
Cao Zhang was completely flustered. He drew his sword and plunged it into the chest of the soldier who dared to suggest opening the city gates. His eyes glared furiously, "Anyone who dares to speak of retreat again will be executed!"
As if that was not enough.
Cao Zhang drew his bow and shot an arrow at Xiahou Dun...
Fortunately, Xiahou Dun was prepared. Several shield-bearing soldiers quickly raised their shields in front of him. Xiahou Dun retrieved the arrow from the shield, swept his gaze over it coldly, and then exerted force with both hands...
With a snap, the arrow broke.
He knew...
Cao Zhang had missed his last... chance to survive!
At the execution ground, the executioners' blades were raised high, greeting the first light of dawn.
Suddenly....
"Swish swish..."
A series of piercing sounds of air being cut through arrived. Two sharp arrows flew through the air. One struck the executioner's arm, and the other knocked away the great sword...
Ding Yi was stunned and quickly said, "There are assassins! Guards, kill this traitor first!"
As he spoke, more executioners appeared, raising their great swords. Unexpectedly, there were still the sounds of "swish swish."
The executioner's arm was hit again, and the great sword was thrown away again. Ding Yi was anxious and went to pick up a sword himself to carry out the execution...
But before he could even pick up the sword.
(End of this chapter!)
Chapter 678: The Virtuous Gentleman's Demeanor, What is Sought Through Bowing?
"Swish!"
With an incredibly crisp sound.
It was as if... this sound had pierced the sky, breaking the silence of the night...
"Ugh..."
Before everyone's astonished eyes, a completely black arrow pierced Ding Yi's palm!
The end of the arrow bore a crimson carving... faintly bearing the words "Divine Archers' Camp"!
And accompanying this arrow... was a powerful and vigorous voice.
"Hit!"
Ah...
Pain surged, accompanied by a heart-wrenching cry.
Ding Yi also spotted the archer. It was a man with a head full of white hair but incredibly sharp eyes.
The bow in his hand... seemed a hundred times sharper than the scythe of Death!
--Huang Zhong!
Ding Yi had seen him once, a very, very long time ago, on the training grounds of the Dragon Cavalry Camp...
He had also heard that there was an old general in the Dragon Cavalry Camp named Huang Zhong, who could shoot a hundred paces with accuracy. That meeting had left a deep impression on Ding Yi.
But he had never dreamed... that one day, he... would become Huang Zhong's target.
Wait...
Suddenly, Ding Yi, forgetting the pain in his hand, thought of something abruptly... and large drops of sweat began to trickle down his forehead.
—How could Huang Zhong be inside the city?
But... this doubt was quickly dispelled!
Because... that person appeared.
The execution ground had already descended into chaos. Those trying to save the prisoners were clashing with those trying to kill them...
But soon... the moment one person appeared, everything fell silent.
--Lu Yu!
This name, which existed only in myth, this name that had already fallen in the Yinlin Abyss of Taihang Mountain, appeared once again. He stood on the execution ground.
And with his appearance, all the soldiers dropped their weapons, dumbfounded.
Stomp...
Stomp...
Lu Yu walked step by step to the center of the execution platform and personally untied the ropes binding Cheng Yu and Xu Shu.
"Commander Cheng, Master Xu, you have suffered these past few days!" his voice was faint...
But Cheng Yu and Xu Shu could no longer answer, or rather, they were already in tears.
Endless suffering, eternal night, and finally the arrival... the arrival of that ray of light that was destined to grow stronger?
"Gulp..."
It was unclear who made this sound.
Lu Yu's and Cheng Yu and Xu Shu's eyes met, and all their grievances were unspoken... Those in the Dragon Cavalry Camp never spoke of their grievances.
Meanwhile.
Cao Zhang was still roaring on the city wall.
"Uncle, don't you think about the future of Great Wei? If Chongdi ascends the throne, will this land belong to my Cao family, or to his Dragon Cavalry Camp? Uncle... Uncle, you are the one who truly needs to wake up, aren't you?"
Xiahou Dun looked at the broken arrow in his hand and shook his head with regret.
"Ziwen, you have lost!"
"Your father's true ambition was to pacify the realm, not to have you... to have you engage in fratricide!"
As soon as he finished speaking.
With a rumble, a soldier opened the city gate...
Cao Zhang was shocked and was about to rush over, when a long spear suddenly thrust from behind him. Cao Zhang had no time to react. He instinctively blocked... but the spear was like a swimming dragon. As the spear shaft struck Cao Zhang's hand, with a clang, Cao Zhang's sword fell to the ground, and the tip of the spear pointed at his neck.
As for the personal guards behind Cao Zhang...
Their instinctive reaction was not to save Cao Zhang, but to act together and tie him up.
Cao Zhang looked at the man holding the spear with disbelief. "Xiahou Mao... When... when did you get into the city!"
"Last night!" Xiahou Mao's cold voice came out. "Not just me, the Marquis of Nan Shou is also in the city. Ziwen, you have lost. You have been digging your own grave all this time!"
The other words... Cao Zhang did not care about. But... Marquis of Nan Shou?
In an instant... panic appeared in his pupils...
Chapter 678: The Virtuous Gentleman's Demeanor, What is Sought Through Bowing?
He looked at Xiahou Mao with disbelief. "Marquis of Nan Shou... He... he isn't dead... He... he faked his death?"
"Ziwen..." Xiahou Mao's tone was filled with regret and sorrow. "Marquis of Nan Shou employed a small trick, but... who could have predicted that you would have such ambition?"
As he spoke, Xiahou Dun had already arrived at the city gate. Face to face with Cao Zhang...
With a slap, Xiahou Dun used all his might. Towards Cao Zhang... he was more mournful and regretful than his son Xiahou Mao. "Third son, you scoundrel! Now even Heaven cannot save you!"
...
The imperial seals of Great Wei were placed on the coffin...
Cao Zhi knelt before the coffin. Seeing Xiahou Dun and his men arrive, he guiltily called out, "Quickly..."
Xiahou Dun looked at him, feeling both pain and hatred. He raised his hand as if to slap him.
Cao Zhi lowered his head in sorrow and remained motionless... It was the armored soldiers of the Tiger Guards who stopped him, advising, "Great General, we owe much to Young Master Zi Jian this time. If not for him, how could the gates of Xudu City have been opened?"
Only then did Xiahou Dun lower his hand...
He glared at Cao Zhi again. "No matter what, you should not have helped Third Brother in his bid to succeed to the throne!"
Speaking of this...
Xiahou Dun walked to the King of Wei's coffin. With a "clatter," he knelt down... tears flowed uncontrollably. Suddenly, he appeared immensely aged. Stumbling, he rushed forward and cried loudly.
"Great King, Great King... Didn't we agree that you would wait for me to win a battle leading my own troops? Why did you... why did you leave so early?"
Xiahou Yuan quickly helped Xiahou Dun up...
"Yuanrang, bear your grief!"
Xiahou Dun, however, fixed his tiger-like eyes on the King of Wei's body within the canopy...
Suddenly, he seemed to find something on "Cao Cao's" face, and immediately let out a shocked cry:
"No... this is not the King of Wei!"
It should be known that Xiahou Dun was one of the few men permitted by Cao Cao to directly enter his chambers. Their familiarity was such that Xiahou Dun would not fail to recognize the true identity of Cao Cao before him.
"No, no!"
At once...
Xiahou Dun roared!
At the same time... Lu Yu also arrived.
Xiahou Dun hurried towards him. "Zi Yu, look... look... this is not the King of Wei. Although the face is very similar, it is not the King of Wei... definitely not my elder brother!"
Lu Yu, however, rolled his eyes. He did not answer, as if remaining noncommittal...
After a moment of contemplation, he cast his gaze towards the door of the sleeping chamber.
He muttered to himself.
—That guy... he won't be able to sit still, right?
...
...
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Chapter 678: The Virtuous Gentleman's Demeanor, What is Sought Through Bowing?