Get Close to Xun You
I stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
“My lord, I have returned.”
“Gongdal! You have no idea how much I’ve been waiting for you. How was Jing Province?”
“I have much to report. But before that, I heard that even in my absence, my lord achieved a great victory in Xu Province through outstanding strategy.”
“Hahaha, this fellow really knows how to say the right things, doesn’t he?”
My first impression of Xun You was that he was both cultured and martial, with a truly manly bearing.
And in front of Cao Cao, while showing absolute loyalty, there was also a bold, unreserved camaraderie between lord and strategist.
Although Xun You was technically Xun Yu’s nephew by clan generation, he was actually six years older.
Perhaps because of that, unlike the quiet and impeccably courteous Xun Yu, he seemed far more proactive.
After all, by age, Cao Cao and Xun You were only two years apart.
“So, what do you think would interest me the most?”
“First, I will speak of Liu Biao, the Governor of Jing Province.”
“Oh? Excellent.”
At that moment, Cao Cao suddenly called out to me.
“Wenlie, go fetch us some tea.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
What a shame.
I had wanted to listen to Xun You’s information firsthand, but once again Cao Cao was sending me on an errand.
I hurried to the kitchen and prepared the tea as quickly as I could. If I returned fast enough, I might still catch some of the conversation.
But by the time I brought the tea back to Cao Cao’s quarters, it seemed the discussion was already nearly over.
“So that’s how it is?”
“Yes, my lord. Jing Province remains exactly as it was.”
“Tsk. Well, that petty bastard would act that way.”
Petty bastard? Who could he be talking about?
Since Xun You had just returned from Jing Province, was he referring to Liu Biao, the Governor?
I wanted to hear more, but the conversation had clearly ended. Regretfully, I had no choice but to withdraw.
“Uncle, I have brought the tea.”
“Ah, good.”
Cao Cao opened the teapot, saw the steam rising, and personally poured a cup for both me and Xun You. Then he formally introduced us.
“Wenlie, this is Xun You. He is one of the strategists I trust most.”
“I am Cao Xiu, courtesy name Wenlie.”
“My lord, we already exchanged light greetings earlier. Hahaha—”
“Oh, is that so? Well, you’ve always been the type to approach anyone who catches your eye and speak to them without formality, haven’t you?”
Cao Cao laughed heartily as he gave me a proper introduction to Xun You.
“Wenlie, Xun You comes from the great Xun clan of Yingchuan, the same as Xun Yu. If you stay close to him, you will learn a great deal about scholarship and military strategy. Make sure to build a strong relationship with him.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
Xun You smiled and nodded in agreement.
“My lord, then I shall now attend to my duties.”
“Ah, that’s right. You said you would share the materials you brought back from Jing Province. Go ahead.”
“Understood, my lord.”
“Wenlie, escort him.”
This time, Cao Cao was telling me to accompany Xun You all the way to his office. I saw it as an opportunity and left with him.
The moment we stepped outside, Xun You gave my back a hearty slap.
“Ugh?!”
“You’re Wenlie, right? Our lord has been singing your praises until his mouth went dry.”
“Ah, hahaha— Yes.”
“A true man should sit down over a drink and talk properly. Are you free this evening?”
It was clear that Xun You’s personality was the complete opposite of Xun Yu’s.
Just then, someone approached us from down the corridor.
“Well, if it isn’t Gongdal.”
“Ah, Uncle.”
“Master Wenruo!”
It was Xun Yu.
Despite facing a nephew who was both older and physically larger than himself, he approached with a gentle smile and offered a quiet greeting.
“Gongdal, did you complete your mission in Jing Province as our lord commanded?”
“Uncle, you’re being too formal. I’ve told you before, you can speak to me casually.”
“Even though we are blood relatives, proper courtesy must still be observed.”
His voice was calm and accompanied by a soft laugh, yet it carried an unmistakable air of refinement.
Xun Yu also bowed politely toward me.
“Young Master Wenlie, I heard your recent exploits were magnificent. Your martial talent is truly outstanding.”
“Ah, I was simply lucky.”
“Uncle, you’ve come at the perfect time. I was about to go to my office to share the materials I gathered in Jing Province. Would you look over them with me?”
“I would be glad to. I was actually looking for you because I have a request of my own.”
A request? From Xun Yu to Xun You?
As the three of us headed toward Xun You’s office, he suddenly put his arm around my shoulders and whispered quietly.
“If you want to have a proper, private talk, let’s meet this evening. If I tell our lord I called for you, he will gladly send you along.”
“Understood, Master Gongdal.”
I escorted them to the office, watched as Xun Yu and Xun You began exchanging documents, then returned.
The rest of the afternoon passed without incident as I stayed by Cao Cao’s side until it was time to retire for the day.
Then came dinner.
“Father…”
“What is it?”
It was a family meal at Cao Cao’s residence.
Cao Ang, who had been eating, suddenly called out to his father.
“Well…”
“You call your father while eating and then stutter? Is this about official business?”
“It is.”
“Hmm. Then finish eating first and we’ll talk afterward.”
Cao Cao grabbed a chicken leg with his hand and began chewing loudly.
That was when I noticed the atmosphere.
Cao Ang was clearly trying to say something, but Lady Ding kept glancing back and forth between her son and husband with a displeased expression.
Then Cao Ang’s eyes met mine.
Although Cao Cao had told us to treat each other like friends, Cao Ang had been subtly avoiding me, which made things a bit awkward between us.
Yet right now, he was looking at me with eyes full of determination.
This had to be it. As Cao Cao’s eldest son who had already come of age, he had done nothing of note while his nephew—me—had returned from the battlefield and even been entrusted with guarding his uncle. He must have felt…
Yes, that was probably it.
After the meal, I went to find Cao Cao again.
But from inside the room, I could hear the conversation between father and son.
“Wenlie earned merit on the battlefield. So you want to do the same?”
“Father, I too wish to make a name for myself and bring honor to our family.”
Just as I thought.
Cao Ang, as the eldest son of Cao Cao, was expressing his desire to accomplish something himself.
And Cao Cao’s tone sounded somewhat indifferent.
“Hmm. Then I suppose we should call Wenlie in.”
Suddenly?
I wasn’t sure how to handle this situation, but I decided to just go for it.
“Uncle, are you inside? It’s Wenlie.”
“What? Come in.”
When I entered and greeted them, both Cao Cao and Cao Ang looked bewildered.
“I was just about to send for you. What brings you here?”
“Ah, I actually came because I had something to ask you.”
“Is that so? What is it?”
“I wanted to ask for permission to go out for a while this evening.”
“You’re not a child. Why ask for permission to go outside…? Wait, you’re going out?”
“Yes.”
“Who are you meeting?”
“Master Gongdal… said he wanted to have a long talk with me this evening, so I intended to visit him.”
“Perfect! Yes, if it’s Gongdal, that makes sense.”
Cao Cao clapped his hands as if this was excellent timing and called out to Cao Ang.
“Zisu, then you should go with Wenlie to meet Xun You. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
“Yes, Father.”
Cao Cao gave his permission without hesitation.
As Cao Ang and I were about to leave together, a voice stopped us.
“Zisu.”
“Ah, Mother.”
“Aunt.”
“So Wenlie is here as well.”
It was Lady Ding. She had clearly been waiting for her son to come out.
“What did he say?”
“He told me to go with Wenlie to speak with Master Gongdal tonight and that we would discuss the details tomorrow.”
“Gongdal?”
At that moment, Lady Ding snapped her fingers and summoned the maids.
“Go fetch two rolls of fine silk.”
“Yes, my lady.”
The maids quickly returned with two high-quality rolls of silk and handed them to Cao Ang.
“Gongdal is one of your father’s most trusted subordinates. We cannot send you empty-handed. Present these to him.”
“Yes, Mother.”
“And Wenlie, make sure you look after Zisu. If by any chance…”
“?”
“If Zisu falls into any strange temptations, it is your job to stop him.”
Ah… I see.
That was what she meant.
She had worn the exact same expression back when we visited Wei Hong’s courtesan house. It was the same look now.
“Wenlie, I trust you just as much as I trust my own son.”
“Yes, Aunt. Tonight will only be a place to listen to Master Gongdal’s stories.”
“Good.”
Living in Cao Cao’s house, the atmosphere was exactly like this.
If someone were to write a family story titled The People of Chancellor Cao’s House, would future generations want to read it?
“You two came at just the right time.”
…I had promised Lady Ding.
Yet Xun You had brought us straight to one of Wei Hong’s courtesan houses.
And it wasn’t the dignified, imposing figure I had seen during the day. He was now sitting with a beautiful young woman beside him.
“My lord, who are these gentlemen?”
“Amu, go tell them to prepare a feast that will break the table legs. I’ll call for you later.”
“Yes, I will be waiting.”
“Hahaha, you lovely thing. Just wait a little longer. Once the mansion in Yan Province is completed, I will bring you in.”
Amu?
In history, she was the concubine Xun You cherished most, said to be an incredibly wise woman. Could this be her…?
At this point, I needed to reevaluate Wei Hong’s courtesan houses.
They were more than just a merchant group or a place that provided beautiful women. A tremendous amount of information flowed through them within Cao Cao’s army. There was clearly something more to it.
It was almost like a personal sponsor providing Cao Cao with both intelligence and financial support.
“Um, Master Gongdal. I’m not really accustomed to places like this…”
“Oh~ Oh~ You are the eldest son of our lord. How could I possibly show you anything unseemly? Come, we’ll simply eat and drink inside. Let’s go in.”
Xun You drew a clear line and led both Cao Ang and me into a private room.
This was exactly the same as when I had been with Xi Zhicai.
“Now then, I originally intended to speak with Young Master Wenlie, but since Young Master Zisu has joined us, I must choose my words carefully.”
“Master Gongdal, Zisu has expressed his desire to assist his father. Father ordered him to come see you.”
“Hmm. Then let us begin with this. I have just returned from Jing Province on our lord’s command.”
Cao Ang’s eyes sparkled with interest.
“I would very much like to hear about that first.”
“Before I speak of it, you should first understand why I went to Jing Province, shouldn’t you?”
“I already know that as well.”
“Oh? You do?”
Of course he did.
Before coming to meet Xun You this evening, I had already explained it to Cao Ang.
It was what I had heard from Xi Zhicai long ago—the current state of the Central Plains. We were connected vertically with Yuan Shao and Liu Biao, while Yuan Shu stood at the center of a horizontal alliance that included Zhang Yan, Gongsun Zan, and Tao Qian.
Cao Ang explained this in front of Xun You.
Xun You smiled and nodded.
“Therefore, when Father attacked Xu Province this time, aside from the fact that Tao Qian had seized our family’s assets and threatened my grandfather, isn’t Tao Qian himself one of our main enemies?”
“Excellent. To possess such insight at your age?”
Xun You nodded and praised Cao Ang.
Cao Ang smiled. I smiled. Xun You smiled. The mood was warm and harmonious as we discussed the state of the world… or so I thought.
Suddenly, Xun You’s expression changed completely.
“That was what Xi Zhicai told you, wasn’t it?”
“Y-yes?”
Cao Ang became flustered. I, too, was taken aback by Xun You’s suddenly serious face and couldn’t find words.
“If it wasn’t directly from Xi Zhicai, then you must have heard it through someone else.”
As he spoke, Xun You glanced subtly in my direction.
He quietly filled his cup, drank it down in one go, and continued.
“Was… that not correct?”
“It was only half right. Allow me to explain it properly.”
This time, Xun You’s eyes sparkled as he spoke.
“When I was in Jing Province…”
And so began Xun You’s lecture on the current state of the realm.