Chapter 143 Sima Zhao Recognizes His Father (Part 1)

In my anxiety, the thirteenth year of Jian'an arrived.

After unifying the north, in the spring of Jian'an 13 (208 AD), Cao Cao trained his navy in Ye, preparing for a southern expedition to unify the country.

The Prime Minister's Residence, Tongmeng Pavilion.

Baozi sat obediently in front of the bronze mirror as I combed his hair.

Long, flowing hair like sapphire flowed through my fingertips. In the bronze mirror, I saw a handsome young man with striking features, red lips, white teeth, and a face as fair as jade.

Baozi shifted restlessly, looked in the bronze mirror, winked at me, and gave me a flirtatious look.

I rolled my eyes at him and gave it back.

After combing her hair and changing her clothes, Baozi grabbed Yuanzhi and rushed out in a flurry.

"Slow down!" I yelled at the top of my lungs behind him.

"Madam, the young master hasn't come for a long time." As she watched Baozi leave, Rouge put down her needlework and sighed.

"Zhao'er?"

The young master that Rouge was referring to was Zhao'er, the name she had gotten used to calling him back in the Spring Breeze Pavilion.

"Yes, I remember back in the Spring Breeze Pavilion, the young master always followed the madam closely, never leaving her side," Rouge said.

I think of that stubborn yet heartbreaking child, who always followed me closely.

That stubborn child said, "You bought me, so I belong to you."

That stubborn child, with red eyes, yelled at me, "My sister promised she wouldn't leave me alone! So, she can't break her promise, even if it means death! Even if she dies, she'll take me with her!"

“People always grow up,” I laughed. “How can Zhao’er stay with me forever?”

Sima Hui, also known as Mr. Shui Jing, said that he was destined for greatness and that I should let him grow.

Rouge looked at me with a strange expression, as if she was about to speak but hadn't, as if she had something difficult to say.

"What's wrong?" I stepped forward, then frowned slightly. "Could it be that Zhao'er..."

“Although the young master told me not to tell the madam… but,” Rouge gritted her teeth, “I couldn’t stand it anymore. The young master was injured on the battlefield recently and hasn’t fully recovered. Several of the young masters in the Prime Minister’s mansion have had grudges against him and are secretly finding ways to bully him…”

I was shocked. "Zhao'er is injured? When did this happen? Why didn't anyone tell me?!"

"Young Master was afraid you'd worry..."

I was so concerned about Baozi's fate that I completely overlooked Zhao'er.

I turned around and hurriedly left Tongmeng Pavilion to find Zhao'er, with Rouge following closely behind.

As I walked through the corridor, my pace quickened, and I hurried to the west wing. Before I even entered, I heard a burst of laughter and chatter from inside.

"Haha, come on, come and hit me! You dare to be so arrogant!"

"Look at you, you can't even stand up... You might as well end it all now, so you don't have to suffer!"

"An unwanted bastard is an unwanted bastard..."

"Where's your wife, Huan? Hahaha... That kind of woman is only concerned with climbing the social ladder herself... She doesn't care about you, you bastard..."

Standing outside the door, my expression was uncertain, and my fists clenched unconsciously.

“Madam…” Rouge looked at me with some concern.

Gritting my teeth, I pushed open the door.

Zhao'er was sitting on the ground, surrounded by a group of people, her face covered in dust, looking disheveled.

"What are you doing?" My voice trembled with anger.

“Madam Huan, we were just joking with your brother.” A well-dressed young man in brocade robes stepped forward, smiling and shrugging.

This man was Cao Lin, the son of Madam Du.

I closed my eyes, trembling slightly with anger, and then suddenly grabbed a plate from the table next to me and smashed it hard against the well-dressed Cao Lin.

Cao Lin seemed to have not expected me to be so unreasonable, and he was unable to dodge in time, so I hit him hard.

Crimson blood slowly flowed down his forehead.

"You!" He was furious, his eyes flashing with malice, and he reached out to hit me.

Zhao'er, with strength she didn't know she had, rushed forward without a word, blocked my way, and pushed Cao Lin to the ground.

I pulled Zhao'er behind me, then turned around and picked up a candlestick from the table. I weighed it in my hand, stepped forward, and half-squatted down to look at Cao Lin. "Guess what? If I kill one of you, will Cao Cao kill me to pay for your lives?"

"You crazy woman!" Cao Lin, who had been pushed to the ground, looked terrified when he saw that I wasn't joking.

"Get out." I gritted my teeth and spat out the word.

Watching them hurriedly leave Zhao'er's room, the room suddenly became eerily quiet.

Zhao'er stood there with her head down, silent.

I noticed a large patch of blood seeping from his left chest. My heart clenched, and I put down the candlestick and walked up to him. "Take off your clothes."

Zhao'er blushed slightly, then shook her head, clutching her clothes and shrinking back.

I glared at him, then reached out and ripped off his clothes. Since he was only wearing a single layer of clothing, the clothes were easily torn off.

I was stunned. Her pale, thin body was covered with wounds, especially a wound on the upper left side of her chest, which had become festering. Dark blood was still flowing out, probably because the pulling and tugging had aggravated the wound.

"I'll go get some hot water and a cloth," Rouge said, turning to leave quickly.

After getting some hot water, I pulled Zhao'er down to sit and used a cloth to clean his wound.

Zhao'er sat obediently, her body stiff.

The wound was deep enough to expose the bone, and it hadn't been properly treated. It had a faint, fishy odor. I gritted my teeth and moved gently, wiping it clean.

“Madam, let me do it,” said Rouge, who was standing to the side.

"Go to my room and get the medicine powder that Hua Yingxiong left behind last time," I said without turning around.

Rouge responded and went to fetch the medicine.

"Sister..." Zhao'er began timidly.

I didn't look at him, focusing intently on wiping my wound.

"Sister, it doesn't actually hurt..." Zhao'er whispered again.

I stared at the wound, the veins on my forehead throbbing. I could almost imagine the carnage of the battlefield, and this child was actually fighting so desperately on the battlefield…

"elder sister……"

After cleaning the wound, Rouge brought the medicine. I took it, gritted my teeth, and applied a thin layer of powder to his wound before bandaging it again.

Then he turned back, washed his hands, wrung out a cloth, and wiped away the grime and dust from his face.

Zhao'er kept looking at me and obediently let me wipe her face.

"How did you get injured?" I put down the towel, looked into his eyes, and asked.

Zhao'er lowered her head slightly, as if she had done something wrong.

Just as I was about to press for answers, the door was kicked open with a bang, and Cao Lin, whose forehead I had just punched was bleeding, was being dragged into the room by Madam Du, followed by a group of guards and servants.

"Who hit my son!" Madam Du demanded angrily.