Chapter 44 Puppet

Overnight, the power center of Xuchang City underwent another dramatic change.

To prevent the maternal relatives from seizing power again, Cao Cao deployed more than 3,000 trusted men under the guise of the Imperial Guard to guard the palace. He also issued an edict to the palace officials that from now on, any maternal relatives or clansmen who enter the palace without authorization will be executed, and those who fail to guard it properly will be punished the same way.

That young emperor became a puppet in name only.

I turned around and looked back at the palace gate.

That magnificent building seemed like a lifeless cage, and inside lived a young emperor who was unwilling to be bound by fate.

He once told me, "Do you know? If Cao Cao isn't eliminated, I'm just a glorious puppet, a puppet wearing a dragon robe..."

He once told me, "I don't want to be a puppet. This throne was bought with the lives of my elder brother and sister. I can't lose it... It's the only thing they left me..."

Actually, he was just a child who was afraid of the dark.

Children who are afraid of the dark are also afraid of being alone, and I was the same when I was a child.

"Xiaoxiao, it's time to go back to the manor," Cao Cao's voice suddenly rang in my ears.

He leaned closer to me, a smile playing on his lips, so nonchalant, as if nothing had ever happened.

He was still the same spirited prime minister.

I suddenly felt a little confused. Why was I still standing next to him at this moment? He was no longer Cao Cao. My protection seemed utterly ridiculous to him.

"When did you start regaining your memories?" I asked.

"Is this important?"

"I think I have the right to know when I started being kept in the dark like a fool!" I gritted my teeth.

"Probably after that time I took the wrong medicine from Fengxiao in the military camp," he replied noncommittally.

I paused for a moment, then lowered my shoulders and chuckled to myself.

"Alright, let's go back to the manor." He took my hand and walked towards the carriage parked outside the palace gate.

I tried to shake him off, but I was no match for his strength.

"I'm not going to the Prime Minister's residence!" I gritted my teeth and growled, then squatted down on the ground, refusing to take another step forward.

Feeling the weight on his hands drop, he turned around and looked at me with surprise, as if I had said something strange. "Where are you going if not back to the manor?"

"The world is so big, what business is it of yours to tell me what to do!" I growled at him, baring my teeth.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, holding my hand tightly without loosening his grip. With each pull and tug, a red mark appeared on my wrist, burning with pain.

"Why?" he asked, looking at me.

"I have no connection with the Prime Minister. Now that you hold great power, you dare to challenge a mere beggar like me? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"

I squatted on the ground, shouting in a completely unseemly manner.

“Ahem… Pei’er…” Guo Jia glanced at me hesitantly from the side.

I looked around and realized that I was squatting on the ground almost like a spoiled child, while Cao Cao held my hand with a smile, making me look like an unreasonable child.

Seeing the soldiers watching with expressions of amusement, I couldn't help but feel annoyed.

Cao Cao turned his head slightly, saw the red mark on my wrist, pursed his lips, took a small step forward, and relaxed the pressure on my wrist.

Just as I was thinking about escaping, I suddenly felt light as he picked me up horizontally.

"Hey, put me down!" I struggled.

"I have news about Gou'er," Cao Cao whispered in my ear.

I froze for a moment, then turned to look at him. "Really?"

"When have I ever lied to you?" He narrowed his eyes and smiled gently.

A line of black lines immediately appeared on my forehead. This guy seemed to have forgotten that his credibility had long since gone bankrupt...

Before I knew it, he had led me onto the carriage.

"Where is the dog?" I asked anxiously, ignoring the bumpy ride.

"Beside you," Cao Cao said, glancing at me.

"What?" I was completely confused, then glanced at him sideways. "You lied to me again?"

How could the dog possibly be with me? If he had known I was here from the start, given how stubborn that kid is, how could he not have come looking for me and stuck to me like glue!

Furthermore, if the dog were truly with me, Guo Jia's men would have discovered it long ago.

"I've seen him."

Where is it? (7c)

I saw him once outside the Prime Minister's residence and once outside the Imperial Palace.

I was slightly puzzled, then frowned, "Why weren't you told?"

Cao Cao didn't say a word, and remained completely calm and composed.

I glared at him fiercely, wishing I could pounce on him with my claws outstretched, but then I paused for a moment. That child... could it be... following me all along?

Suddenly I turned around, lifted the curtain on the carriage window, and leaned out. My eyes widened as I saw a small figure running alongside the carriage. Was that child really following me the whole time?

"A dog?!" I yelled. "Stop the car! Stop the car now!"

The driver was startled and quickly pulled on the reins.

I was in a hurry to get off the bus.

Suddenly my arm tightened, and when I turned around, it was Cao Cao who had grabbed me.

"He's gone." (25)

"Impossible, he was right there." I turned my head to look again, but there was no one there at all.

"Return to the manor." Cao Cao said in a deep voice, pursing his lips.

The carriage began to creak and groan as it moved forward again.

I stared blankly out the car window. The street was bustling with noise, but that little figure was nowhere to be seen.

“I originally intended to bring him to see you, but that kid is too slippery, and I couldn’t catch him several times,” Cao Cao suddenly said.

I ignored him, but I just didn't understand why that dog would run away as soon as it saw me.

The carriage stopped in front of the mansion gate. I jumped off the carriage and saw a host of servants waiting at the gate, along with a large group of beauties of all shapes and sizes.

I didn't have time to pay attention to them. I subconsciously turned around to see if the dog had followed me back.

"He didn't come with us," Cao Cao's voice rang calmly in my ear. "Let's go inside."

"Thank you for seeing me out of the palace. I should go now." Taking advantage of his momentary lapse in attention, I shook off his hand, immediately moved three feet away from him, and said with a smile.

He squinted at me, as was his habit.

"I'm not one of your concubines, I have my own freedom!" I raised my voice and reasoned with him, presenting the facts.

I glanced at the group of concubines standing at the door and felt a chill run down my spine. I didn't want to become part of his collection of puzzle pieces, especially not just because of the name "Xiaoxiao." It was absurd...

If I had known this guy was so cunning, I shouldn't have stayed in the first place.

“I will help you find Gou’er and take him in,” Cao Cao said, looking at me.

"No need for you to trouble yourself," I said with a polite but dismissive laugh.

"This is my final concession." He looked at me with his thin lips slightly pursed and said calmly.

I shivered inwardly, feeling utterly spineless.

"Why do you insist on keeping me here? There are so many beggars in Xuchang City. If you have a kind heart, you can go out and distribute porridge on the street!"

"Bring her into the manor." Without looking at me again, he gave the order directly.

This is tyrannical behavior! This is the abduction of women! I cry out in my heart... the evil old society...