Outside Changle Palace, the crowd dispersed.
However… within Changle Palace, Emperor Liu Xie’s heart was in turmoil, unable to calm down for a long time.
Since entering Changle Palace, he finally understood what Lu Yu meant by many surprises.
The various artifacts and imperial items displayed throughout Changle Palace were exactly the same as those in the former imperial palace, and many were even items previously used by Liu Xie’s father, Emperor Ling.
Tears had long since welled up in Liu Xie’s eyes…
The scent of home;
The scent of the former capital;
The scent of his father, Emperor. At this moment, Liu Xie felt that Cao Cao’s arrangements were truly thoughtful and painstaking.
“Your Majesty…” Consort Dong had already retired to her own palace. Empress Fushou stayed by the Emperor’s side, watching him weep with joy. Fushou said, “This is the first time in these years that I have seen Your Majesty so genuinely happy. I… I am also happy for Your Majesty!”
*Hoo…*
Liu Xie sighed deeply. “National misfortunes reveal loyal ministers, what loyal ministers!”
He still marveled at Cao Cao’s thoughtfulness…
Empress Fushou lowered her head and asked softly, “Does Your Majesty still remember the young man named Lu Yu from earlier?”
*Mmm…*
The topic suddenly shifted to Lu Yu.
“Him?” How could Liu Xie not remember?
Lu Yu had left a deep impression on him…
At such a young age, not only did he oversee the construction of Changle Palace, but he also held the important position of Mugufu Gongcao. He must not be simple!
Liu Xie countered, “Why does the Empress specifically mention him? Is there something different about this Lu Yu?”
“He is indeed different…” Fushou’s tone remained soft. “My father has mentioned this Lu Yu under Cao Cao’s command many times. According to our informants, it seems… Cao Cao’s recent rise to power is closely related to this Young Master Lu.”
*Mmm… a young master in his teens?*
*He has already helped Cao Cao rise to power?*
Emperor Liu Xie felt a hint of suspicion…
Empress Fushou continued.
“The Dragon Soaring Camp, Your Majesty has likely heard of it, right? This Dragon Soaring Camp, with only a few hundred men, has defeated tens of thousands of Bing Province cavalry under Marquis Wen. It is said that Runan Commandery, south of Xudu, was also captured by the Dragon Soaring Camp in five days!”
“And the commander of this Dragon Soaring Camp is precisely this Lu Yu, Gongcao Lu! Besides that… it is heard that Cao Cao’s westward advance to Luoyang to welcome Your Majesty this time was also proposed by this Young Master Lu.”
Just as Cao Cao had spies in the Sanfu region, Fu Wan also had spies in Yan Province.
These years…
Every piece of news reported by the spies concerning Cao Cao seemed to be related to this Lu Yu.
Therefore, Fu Wan and Fushou were deeply impressed and familiar with Lu Yu’s name.
This was also why Empress Fushou wanted to introduce him to Emperor Liu Xie first.
*Huo…*
Liu Xie suddenly stood up.
He was somewhat surprised.
Lu Yu was around his age, yet his accomplishments over the years were extraordinary!
…helping Cao Cao rise in one leap, his methods were even more formidable. Liu Xie even subconsciously linked him with the widely discussed “Hidden Dragon” from two years ago.
It seemed the Hidden Dragon was also around this age…
*Hoo…*
He let out a soft breath, and Emperor Liu Xie asked in a low voice, “Empress? According to you, could this Lu Yu be the ‘Hidden Dragon’ who disappeared two years ago?”
*Mmm…*
Empress Fu was momentarily stunned. The Hidden Dragon disappeared, and the Hidden Dragon joined Cao Cao?
Her eyes suddenly widened…
Liu Xie continued, “If it is him, then the Yue Dan Ping assessment stated: ‘Whoever obtains the Hidden Dragon can pacify the world!’”
Deeply…
Lu Yu’s name was firmly etched in Emperor Liu Xie’s mind. If he was indeed the Hidden Dragon, then… Liu Xie would have to win him over!
After all, “Whoever obtains the Hidden Dragon can pacify the world!”
…
…
Xudu City, Grand General’s Mansion.
The Emperor’s settlement was a concluded matter, but… for Cao Cao, it was still not easy…
Many matters required detailed discussion.
However, the urgent task was to reward merits.
On this day, sweet dew fell from the sky, seemingly heralding a turning point after hardship…
The first to arrive at the Grand General’s Mansion, braving the rain, were Generals Yu Jin and Yue Jin!
Yu Jin and Yue Jin looked travel-worn, as the construction of Xudu City was far from complete. Cao Cao observed them, noting the dust all over their bodies…
From this, it was evident that the soldiers of the Second Camp had put in considerable effort in building the palace.
“Generals, you have worked hard.”
Cao Cao stood up, walked to their side, and squatted down, personally dusting the dirt from their legs…
“Duke Cao…” At this moment, their lord was squatting before them, and they felt that all their efforts and hardships over the past few days were worth it.
However…
Cao Cao was curious.
Speaking of which… when he sent the Second Camp to Xudu to build the palace, it was somewhat rushed, and Cao Cao’s support for them was far from sufficient.
For example, the wood, stone… and funds required for building the palace…
It seemed Cao Cao had not considered these at the time.
As the saying goes, a clever woman cannot cook without rice. Let alone replicating the Luoyang imperial palace, even building a palace was incredibly difficult…
Cao Cao was very curious how they managed it.
“Come, Generals, sit down! Have some tea to moisten your throats.” Cao Cao took tea from a guard and personally handed it to them.
Yu Jin and Yue Jin sat down…
Cao Cao asked with a smile, “Generals, I have always been curious, where did the money, wood, and stones for the construction of the imperial palace in Xudu City come from?”
Logically, the wood and stone required for building palaces were often quarried from nearby mountains…
However… Cao Cao knew clearly that in just three months, to build so many palaces with the troops of the Second Camp… if they also had to divide their forces for logging and quarrying, there would certainly not be enough time.
This meant that the Second Camp had a new method!
Yu Jin and Yue Jin exchanged glances and replied earnestly, “Duke Cao, if we were to log and quarry nearby, the time would certainly not be enough, so… we…”
At this point, Yu Jin became somewhat hesitant to speak.
After all, he still cared about his reputation and was embarrassed to reveal their bandit-like actions.
Yue Jin had fewer scruples. “We entered Liu Biao’s territory… he sent people to transport a large amount of stone, wood, and gold and silver to Luoyang. It seems the Emperor had issued an edict for him to build a palace in Luoyang, so we disguised ourselves as forest bandits and seized all these materials!”
*Mmm…*
Upon hearing this, Cao Cao was stunned, and his brow furrowed.
Borrowing someone else’s wheat to grind at one’s own mill, brilliant, brilliant!
Cao Cao subconsciously thought this was a plan devised by the Second Camp’s strategist, Xun Yu. But then, he realized it was not so. Xun Yu was a very upright person and would not have come up with such a method.
“Hahahaha…”
Cao Cao burst into laughter and then asked, “Wen Ze, Wen Qian, who among you… came up with such a brilliant plan? Intercepting wood and stone, building palaces, haha… The Emperor is delighted, this is a great merit!”
As soon as he said this… Yu Jin, being quite honest, replied without hesitation, “Duke Cao, this is not our merit. We were merely acting according to the plan.”
As expected, was it Wen Ruo?
Upon hearing this, Cao Cao smiled slightly. It seemed Xun Yu had also become a bit mischievous!
Cao Cao continued to ask with a smile, “I didn’t expect Wen Ruo to change his past demeanor and propose such an ingenious strategy, haha… It seems the credit should be attributed to him.”
“Duke Cao, it is not Grand Marshal Xun’s merit either…” Yu Jin continued, “It is Gongcao Lu’s merit!”
“Although it was Wen Qian and I who supervised the construction, and the soldiers of the Second Camp who executed it… the one who proposed intercepting Liu Biao’s materials was Gongcao Lu. Furthermore, Gongcao Lu also drew the blueprints. Where Changle Palace was to be built, where the Chongde Hall was to be built… even the general appearance of Changle Palace, its layout, and furnishings… he meticulously detailed all of it!”
“The reason the imperial palace could be completed on schedule is entirely according to Gongcao Lu’s blueprints. Wen Qian and I merely carried out the work. How could we dare to claim credit? Without Gongcao Lu, Wen Qian and I would have been a laughingstock.”
Yu Jin’s nature was such that he would not claim credit that was not his, but he would not steal credit that belonged to others. In this regard, his disposition was quite similar to Xu Huang’s.
Cao Cao exhaled.
This…
He subconsciously asked, “Why did Gongcao Lu not tell me?”
Materials, blueprints, layout…
Good heavens, when did Yu learn about palace construction?
If… one also considers Yu’s previous demonstrated talents, such as lifting a stone tablet with soybeans, predicting a great drought, frying insects, and the Five Elements of Yin and Yang…
Cao Cao narrowed his eyes. How did he feel that Yu was somewhat monstrous?
However, Cao Cao was very pleased. For the Cao family to have produced such a monstrous talent, ah no, such an all-knowing peerless genius, how could he not be gratified?
Cao Cao glanced at Yu Jin, very satisfied with his honesty…
“Wen Ze, you and Wen Qian have both made contributions. Gongcao Lu drew the blueprints and proposed the method for obtaining the wood and stone. If you had not worked diligently, you would certainly not have been able to complete the palace on schedule and achieve this merit.”
At this point, Cao Cao paused and immediately wrote Yu Jin’s and Yue Jin’s names on the documents before him…
These documents were for tomorrow’s memorial to the Emperor, listing all those who had contributed to welcoming the Emperor.
Official ranks and titles awaited!
After writing, Cao Cao specifically unfolded the document and let Yu Jin and Yue Jin see it clearly…
— Yue Jin was enfeoffed as Colonel of Suppressing Bandits, and granted the Marquisate of Guangchangting;
— Yu Jin was enfeoffed as General of Pacifying the Distant, and granted the Marquisate of Yishou!
“Thank you, Duke Cao…”
Yu Jin and Yue Jin clasped their hands in a bow. In truth… they knew that for this great merit, they had only contributed a small effort. The true reason they had obtained these marquis titles was Lu Yu!
“Alright, you may withdraw!”
Cao Cao waved his hand…
In fact, he also had his own plans. This time, he had particularly rewarded Yu Jin and Yue Jin. Originally, Cao Cao had not intended to enfeoff them as marquises…
However, since this matter was related to Yu!
In order to make Yu Jin and Yue Jin feel indebted to Yu, Cao Cao had made an exception and granted them marquis titles.
He also hoped that when he later planned to establish Yu, his illegitimate son, as the heir apparent, Yu Jin and Yue Jin would firmly stand by Yu and provide support.
Under the constraints of worldly customs, even if Cao Cao wanted to establish his illegitimate son as the heir apparent, he would face great resistance. Being an old father was not easy!
Yu Jin and Yue Jin withdrew from the hall…
After them came Xiahou Dun and Cao Hong from the Second Camp, and Xiahou Yuan and Cao Chun from the Third Camp!
Later still… Xun Yu, Xun You, and Xi Zhicai also entered the hall in succession.
Cao Cao informed them all that he would memorialize the Emperor tomorrow to bestow their official titles and rewards.
It is worth mentioning that Xun Yu, Xi Zhicai, and Xun You would all enter the Ministry of Personnel. Cao Cao was memorializing Xun Yu for the extremely important title of “Minister of Personnel”!
One must understand…
In the Han Dynasty’s official system, court documents and memorials could not be directly delivered to the Emperor. The Ministry of Personnel had priority, serving as a gatekeeper connecting the Emperor and the officials.
It was precisely because of this that the former Ministry of Personnel was controlled by Zhang Rang, one of the Ten Eunuchs. Any memorial impeaching them would be intercepted and retaliated against!
“Since Duke Cao has made these arrangements, Xun will surely not fail his mission!” Xun Yu clasped his hands…
Cao Cao exchanged a few more pleasantries with him, and Xun Yu slowly withdrew, going ahead to familiarize himself with the Ministry of Personnel.
Now…
It seemed that all those who deserved rewards had been rewarded…
However, Cao Cao’s eyes narrowed…
There was still a major group left: the Dragon Soaring Camp under Lu Yu, Cheng Yu, Cao Xiu, and even Xu Chu and Xu Huang, who joined later, had not yet been rewarded…
Oh, and Yu’er, how could he have forgotten him?
But… what should he be enfeoffed as?
This question momentarily stumped Cao Cao.
…
…
Dragon Soaring Camp Barracks.
After settling the Emperor, Lu Yu did not rush to find Old Cao… but first went to the Dragon Soaring Camp.
It made sense. Old Cao was certainly very busy now, perhaps dizzy from all the arrangements. Lu Yu did not want to add to the chaos.
On the contrary, he had not seen the brothers of the Dragon Soaring Camp for a long time, and they had all worked so hard. As the commander of the Dragon Soaring Camp, it was only right for him to visit and comfort them.
Although Lu Yu was unwilling to risk his life on the battlefield, he greatly admired these brothers who kept their lives on the line.
Unexpectedly, when Lu Yu arrived at the central military tent with Dian Wei and Xu Chu, there was no one to be seen.
Cao Xiu? Cheng Yu?
Lu Yu was curious…
He was about to go out to look for them when, as he turned, “Your subordinate Xu Huang pays his respects to Young Master Lu!”
*Mmm… Xu Huang?*
Lu Yu’s spirit was lifted, and he immediately sized up the man before him. His clothes were simple, and his hat was made of cloth. Such an appearance in the generally “affluent” Dragon Soaring Camp barracks… could be described as slum-like attire.
This was not the point. The main point was that historically, Xu Huang always dressed this way – low-key, simple, and profound!
Wait…
Was he really Xu Huang?
But… how could he recognize who Lu Yu was?
“General Xu recognizes me?”
Lu Yu asked directly…
Xu Huang clasped his hands. “Young Master Lu’s reputation precedes him. Who in the Dragon Soaring Camp would not recognize Young Master Lu?”
While saying this, it was mainly because Cheng Yu had told Xu Huang that in the Dragon Soaring Camp barracks, any burly, broad-shouldered man who looked like he could take on three Xu Huangs… and was protecting a young master, then without a doubt… that young master must be Lu Gongzi, the commander of the Dragon Soaring Camp!
This characteristic was easy to identify!
Ever since Lu Yu entered the camp, he had always been accompanied by two burly, broad-shouldered, exceptionally robust men. Wasn’t it obvious that this was Young Master Lu?
Of course, Xu Huang was surprised. Cheng Sima had only mentioned one!
How could there be another one…
Originally, this was not a problem!
But Xu Huang felt that if they were to fight barehanded… any one of these two burly men could beat him, Xu Huang, three times over!
“Are you truly General Xu Gongming?” Lu Yu finally confirmed…
“Genuine and authentic!” Xu Huang nodded heavily.
Lu Yu was overjoyed. He had come here, firstly, to comfort the brothers of the Dragon Soaring Camp, and secondly, to meet this Xu Gongming.
“General Gongming…” Lu Yu called out his name and then, without forgetting, looked back at Xu Chu. “General Zhongkang…”
“Since you two are here together, I will take you to meet Duke Cao and secure some merit for you!”
Before he finished speaking, Lu Yu grabbed the arms of Xu Huang and Xu Chu, intending to lead them out the door…
However, it was obvious that the small arms of these two were thicker than Lu Yu’s thighs, so he couldn’t hold on…
Instantly, Lu Yu felt a bit awkward…
“Two, please follow me…”
Lu Yu smiled slightly…
“General Zhongkang, your three pounds of grain and two pounds of meat, I, Lu Yu, keep my word. Today I will help you obtain it!”
“As for… General Gongming, our Cao Camp is in dire need of a general like you who can fight tough battles!”
Fight tough battles…
That’s right, although Cao Cao had many generals under his command, in Lu Yu’s opinion, most of them were liabilities.
Among the entire Cao Camp, only a handful could fight tough battles, and Xu Huang, Xu Gongming, was the most shining one.
*Tap, tap, tap…*
The hurried footsteps echoed in the Dragon Soaring Camp.
Lu Yu arrived in a hurry and left in a hurry!
…
…