"My lord, you're finally back." Wang Han and the other two had just returned to the small village and hadn't even entered the grove where his residence was located when Zhang Shan, who happened to be in the village, quickly came to greet them.
"Hmm." Wang Han nodded and patted Zhang Shan on the shoulder, saying, "You've been taking care of the home all these years. You've worked hard. Are you doing well?"
"My lord, it's no trouble at all. I'm grateful for your concern. I'm doing well," Zhang Shan said, touched by the words.
"My lord, wait a minute." Seeing Wang Han heading towards the grove to go home, Zhang Shan quickly stepped forward and whispered, "My lord, some old ministers of the Han Dynasty have brought His Majesty Emperor Xian here."
"What?" Wang Han was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, stopped in his tracks, and asked incredulously, "What did you just say?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Shan quickly repeated, "My lord, two and a half years ago, about half a year after you left, several loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty brought Emperor Xian here. After learning that you were not here, they stayed here."
"..."
"Besides you few, who else knows about His Majesty the Emperor's affairs with me? Do the villagers know?" Wang Han asked quickly. The Emperor was not only a hot potato, but also brought with him a lot of trouble, and Wang Han had no intention of taking on the responsibility.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Shan quickly replied, "My lord, besides us, a few people in the village also know that His Majesty Emperor Xian is here. However, the villagers do not know that it is His Majesty Emperor Xian. Apart from that, I am afraid only Lord Cao Cao knows. After that, we have kept our doors closed to guests, and His Majesty Emperor Xian and several old ministers of the Han Dynasty have not left the courtyard. There should not be many more people who know."
"Do you know how Cao Cao found out?" Wang Han asked.
"Lord Cao Cao learned of this when he came to visit our lord shortly after Emperor Xian's arrival, and happened to meet an old minister of the Han Dynasty who was just coming out of the restroom," Zhang Shan replied. "Lord Cao Cao specifically instructed us that we must not let the news of Emperor Xian's arrival in our area get out before our lord returns, and that we must not let anyone else know. Lord Cao Cao visited our lord several more times afterward, but since our lord was not there, he returned early each time, without mentioning anything else."
"What is Cao Cao trying to do?" Upon hearing this, Wang Han couldn't help but ponder.
"Giddy up, giddy up..." Before Wang Han could finish thinking, shouts of urging on horses rang out from outside the village.
Upon hearing the sound, Wang Han and the others looked over and saw Cao Cao leading dozens of cavalrymen on horseback towards the village. Besides Xiahou Yuan, Cao Cao also had an unfamiliar general behind him, and even Xi Zhicai had come along.
'Speak of the devil and he appears!' Wang Han couldn't help but think when he saw Cao Cao in the lead.
Cao Cao approached, dismounted, and hurried over, saying happily, "Lord Wang, it's been three years since we last met, and I've missed you dearly. I heard someone say you were coming this way, and guessing that you must have returned, I brought my men here."
Cao Cao said in a low voice, "I just saw General Zhang Shan talking to you. I suppose Lord Wang also knows that His Majesty is in your residence."
"I already know," Wang Han nodded and said, "See, I just mentioned you, and here you are."
"Haha, it seems I, Cao Cao, have arrived just in time," Cao Cao said with a smile, then asked Wang Han, "I wonder how Lord Wang intends to handle this?"
"I heard from Zhang Shan that you, Lord Cao, have come several times already," Wang Han said with a smile. "I suppose you have some important business to discuss with me, Lord Cao."
"As expected, nothing can hide it from Lord Wang." Upon hearing this, Cao Cao said, "I would like to ask Lord Wang for help in persuading His Majesty the Emperor to come to my place. I wonder if Lord Wang can do me this favor. I will certainly repay you handsomely."
"Lord Cao, you intend to use the emperor to command the feudal lords." Upon hearing this, Wang Han looked at Cao Cao, just as he had expected. "Why doesn't Lord Cao personally go to invite His Majesty?"
"Lord Wang is too kind," Cao Cao said awkwardly. "If I were to invite His Majesty, he would not be willing to come with me. Moreover, if I were to invite His Majesty to my territory without your permission, Lord Wang, I would have a hard time explaining myself to you if you came looking for me afterward."
"I agree." Upon hearing this, Wang Han said with a smile, "I'll go back later, you can go and invite him." Wang Han couldn't wait for Emperor Xian of Han to leave.
"..." Cao Cao hadn't expected Wang Han to be so decisive, not making any demands whatsoever. But...
"Lord Wang, I will have to trouble you to persuade His Majesty." Cao Cao explained, "Now His Majesty probably only trusts you, Lord Wang. Otherwise, His Majesty and the others would not have come here. If you can get His Majesty to go to my place willingly, there will be no gossip."
“I won’t try to persuade him,” Wang Han said, shaking his head. “However, I will express my stance to His Majesty. Whether you can persuade His Majesty to leave with you voluntarily depends on your own eloquence.”
"Alright." Cao Cao immediately agreed. He knew what Wang Han meant by his attitude. From the moment he met Wang Han, he knew that Wang Han did not want to restore the Han Dynasty, and Wang Han's subsequent actions were enough to prove that he would not do so. If Wang Han really expressed to Emperor Xian that he did not want to restore the Han Dynasty, then after Emperor Xian had lost his greatest hope, Cao Cao's chances of persuading Emperor Xian to leave with him would undoubtedly be much greater.
Although he didn't know what Wang Han had been trying to do all along, why Wang Han killed Dong Zhuo and then remained silent for three years after establishing the rules, during those three years Wang Han simply took his doctors around to treat the sick and save lives, and to train his subordinates' medical skills. Although he didn't know why Wang Han personally led his doctors to train their medical skills, he knew it couldn't be something as simple as that. Otherwise, why would Wang Han personally lead his doctors around to practice medicine? With Wang Han's wisdom, if he wanted to save lives, he could have saved many more people, and might even have stopped the various warlords from waging war.
He knew Wang Han was definitely planning something, and Xi Zhicai must have played some role in it, but he had always guessed it. However, Cao Cao knew that Wang Han's plan was definitely not to contend for the world, otherwise Wang Han would have already made his move. With Wang Han's strength and reputation among the people, none of the warlords could stop him.
"Lord Cao, what are you thinking about?" Wang Han interrupted Cao Cao's thoughts and said, "Let's go inside first."
"Oh, okay." Upon hearing this, Cao Cao realized what was happening and quickly followed Wang Han toward the house in the grove.
"What exactly is his purpose?" Cao Cao looked at Wang Han's back and found that the more he interacted with Wang Han, the less he could see through him.
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