Chapter 112 Returning to Xuchang
In the Battle of Guandu, more than 70,000 elite troops were either killed in battle or captured. Yuan Shao suffered a severe loss of talent and never again had the strength to contend for the Central Plains.
The triumphant team returned all the way to Xuchang.
Since I can't ride a horse and the weather is getting colder, I was afraid that Baozi would get cold, so I had to hold Baozi and sit in the carriage while Zhao'er rode her horse closely behind the carriage.
At my insistence, Guo Jia also sat in the car.
Wearing glasses and holding a book in one hand, he looked down at the book; the car was very quiet.
The carriage swayed along, making Baozi drowsy in my arms, but she pouted her rosy little mouth, looking like she couldn't sleep.
"Good mother, good baby, love a home... Good mother said something to her good baby, and I told the baby to grow up quickly..." Turning my head to look at the little dumpling in my arms, I gently patted his soft little bottom and started humming off-key in my hoarse voice, "...bring happiness home to mother, there's only one mother in the world who is good, a child with a mother is like a treasure..."
Baozi snuggled against me, seemingly unbothered by the noise, and closed her eyes to drift off to sleep.
"What are you singing?" Guo Jia asked curiously as he approached.
"Shh!" I quickly reached out and covered his mouth, lowering my voice, "Keep it down..."
Guo Jia nodded nervously, and only then did I let go of his hand.
Silence returned to the carriage, and Guo Jia lowered his head to continue reading.
I pursed my lips and reached out to snatch the book from Guo Jia's hand.
Guo Jia adjusted his glasses, looked up at me, and asked, "What's wrong?"
“Those who overwork their minds are easily harmed,” I said seriously, then smiled with narrowed eyes, “Have a chat with me.”
Guo Jia also laughed, and the worry in his clear eyes lessened. It seemed that he had passed the transition period, and the woman's existence had been completely erased from his memory.
Thinking back to those days when he struggled so hard, I felt a pang of bitterness in my heart. But seeing his peaceful expression now, though still weak and sickly, he seemed to have lost that sense of desolation.
"What shall we talk about?" he asked with a good-natured smile.
"Hmm... how about you sing for me?" I looked at him expectantly.
"Huh?" He looked at me with a blank expression.
And so, the carriage followed the victorious army all the way back to Xuchang.
When we returned to Xuchang, it was already winter.
Outside Xuchang city, a large group of people were already waiting to welcome them.
Holding the steamed buns, I followed Guo Jia off the carriage.
"Your Majesty." Cao Cao's voice suddenly rang out.
I looked up and saw a pair of misty eyes, and I couldn't help but think of that blood edict incident.
The young emperor, amidst the triumphant and joyous atmosphere, still stood alone in the crowd, wearing a wide-sleeved dragon robe with a black background and red trim, on which golden dragons seemed to rise from the clouds.
"Thank you for your trouble, Prime Minister. There's no need for such formalities." The young emperor spoke in a measured tone, reaching out to support Cao Cao. His beautiful eyes were misty, making him appear like a puppet on strings.
Cao Cao had no intention of kneeling in the first place, so he stood up by the young emperor's hand.
Through the crowd, the young emperor's misty eyes seemed to glance at me, staring at the steamed bun in my arms.
I instinctively hugged the steamed bun tighter.
"I have prepared a banquet in the palace to reward the Prime Minister." Turning his gaze away, the young emperor lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes covering his beautiful, misty eyes.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Cao Cao said with a smile.
To outsiders, this scene appeared to be a picture of harmony between the emperor and his subjects. Who could have imagined the turbulent undercurrents beneath the surface, or the tragic coup d'état that occurred?
The palace was hosting a grand banquet, but the mere thought of that magnificent cage filled me with dread, and I couldn't help but reach out and tug at Cao Cao's sleeve.
Cao Cao turned his head slightly to look at me, softening his voice, "What's wrong?"
As soon as I said that, everyone's eyes immediately focused on me.
For a moment, some whispered among themselves, others speculated with suspicion, not to mention the steamed bun I was holding in my hand—it was practically living evidence of an affair…
Cold sweat poured down my forehead, and I gritted my teeth, winking and glaring at Cao Cao.
Cao Cao raised an eyebrow slightly. "What's wrong with your eyes?"
I'm absolutely speechless.
"I...don't...want...to...go...to...the...palace!" I said in a low voice, forcing myself to move closer to him in a seemingly intimate manner, and I grimaced as I whispered.
"Hmm?" The person raised an eyebrow again.
I gritted my teeth and leaned forward again, repeating in a lowered voice.
Suddenly, I heard a gasp, and only then did I belatedly realize that I was lying in Cao Cao's arms. If it weren't for the steamed bun in my arms, the situation would probably be even more ambiguous.
I looked down at the steamed bun, and the little guy was drooling and smiling at me.
"Is that so... If I help you, will there be a reward?" A certain fox imitated him and began to whisper in public with great interest.
"What do you want?" A wise man doesn't fight a losing battle; I can bend and stretch...
A fox narrowed its eyes and smiled maliciously.
I broke out in a cold sweat and instinctively jumped back a step to get away from this dangerous person.
"The lady is unwell, so please escort her back to her residence first," Cao Cao suddenly straightened up and said solemnly.
The word "Madam" revealed the truth, and the malicious, frivolous gazes that had been pressing down on me immediately disappeared, and the whisperers who had been talking earlier fell silent.
Is he trying to clear my name?
I am not a lowly woman; I am Cao Cao's wife.
I am not a thief whom everyone can despise and slander, nor am I a homeless orphan. I am Cao Cao's wife and Baozi's mother.
I have a home.
I have family.
"I'll escort my sister back to her residence," Zhao'er said solemnly as she stepped forward.
Cao Cao smiled and nodded in agreement, then selected two more guards to accompany him.
I rolled my eyes at him, my goodwill towards him vanished instantly. He clearly didn't trust me and was afraid I'd run away halfway through!
Yeah. Although... I really do want to slip away...
The journey was uneventful, and the carriage stopped in front of the Prime Minister's residence.
After getting off the carriage, I saw a row of people standing at the gate of the mansion, and I froze on the spot, still holding the steamed bun.
A large group of beautifully dressed women and servants from the mansion came out in droves to welcome Cao Cao back to the mansion. However, they never expected to be greeted by such an uninvited guest as me. Their gentle smiles froze on their peach-blossom faces, and they had not yet had time to withdraw them.
When they saw the steamed buns I was holding, their already darkened faces turned even darker.
I grinned, inwardly cursing myself for being so foolish as to forget about this.
"My sister is back." Madam Ding, who was in the lead, was the first to come to her senses and greeted her with a smile. "The sisters have been talking about her."
I grinned, laughing so hard it looked like I was having a seizure.
"Where is the Prime Minister? Why hasn't he returned?" It was Madam Yin, who was standing at the door, who spoke. I remember she was He Yan's mother.
"The Emperor hosted a banquet in the palace, and he went to attend it," I had no choice but to explain.
"Yes, that's how it should be." Madam Ding didn't seem to mind, and simply walked forward, smiling as she looked at the steamed bun in my arms. "This child isn't..."
My lips started twitching. This was like slapping myself in the face. I was the one who made a big fuss about leaving, and now I'm the one who's come back looking pathetic... and carrying a baby...
Madam Ding took the steamed bun from her arms, beaming with joy, "Look at those eyes and nose, they really do look just like the Prime Minister..."
Baozi had just woken up, and with her bright, black, jade-like eyes, she looked at Madam Ding, waved her arms and legs, stuck her little bottom out, and gave Madam Ding a big kiss on the face.
I was petrified again.
You sycophant, Baozi... I despise you!
Mrs. Ding paused for a moment, then smiled, "What a well-behaved child..."
Upon seeing the steamed buns, the ladies were also tempted and, forgetting their jealousy, all stepped forward to look at them.
As a result, steamed buns became an instant hit.
Even if he's a heartthrob, he's still a heartthrob bun, no different in essence. He peed all over me yesterday, and he drooled while sleeping the day before yesterday... a certain indignant mother thought to herself.
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