After Cao Cao left, Wang Han had just returned to his room when Xi Zhicai came to him, knelt down on one knee, and said, "My lord, you have finally decided to let me return."
Seeing Xi Zhicai like this, Wang Han decided to tease him, and said with a sigh, "Alas! There's nothing I can do about it. Life is hard, and I can't bear to let you come back and suffer."
Xi Zhicai: "..."
"My lord, I am so moved," Xi Zhicai said, tears streaming down his face. "But I don't quite believe what you're saying."
"Let's put it another way," Wang Han said with a smile. "Cao Cao is treating you to good food and drink, but now you'll have to come back and live a hard life."
"My lord, I swear to God, my loyalty to you is as clear as day and night." Xi Zhicai quickly raised three fingers and said, "Although Cao Cao has been good to me and tried to win me over, I have been thinking of you day and night. I have resolutely rejected Cao Cao's attempts to win me over without leaving any room for negotiation. I have not revealed any part of our plan. I have been doing my best in everything you have asked of me, and I have offended many people for this."
"I'm sorry to have troubled you," Wang Han nodded and said, "but I still find it a little hard to believe."
"Hahaha." Zhang Shan and Li Si finally couldn't help but laugh.
Xi Zhicai was speechless. Having a lord with a similar level of cunning as himself wasn't necessarily a good thing. Just now, the words he had spoken were immediately taken back.
"Welcome back." Wang Han smiled and helped Xi Zhicai up, saying, "You've worked hard these past few years, but you're still the same Xi Zhicai I know. I knew it even before Cao Cao knew about our plan, and time hasn't made us estranged."
After being helped up by Wang Han, Xi Zhi realized that Wang Han had just been joking with him, indicating that there was no estrangement between them. However, he did not intend to continue joking. After all, Wang Han was his lord, and joking with him would be too disadvantageous. So he said, "Following Cao Cao may bring one lifetime of fame and glory, but the slightest mistake could lead to failure or even infamy. But following my lord, I can achieve lasting glory for generations to come. I am not so foolish as to do such a stupid thing as sacrificing the greater for the lesser."
“That’s hard to say,” Zhang Shan suddenly said. “Don’t those powerful clans also lose their original wives and take concubines? Aren’t they also abandoning their wives to marry the new ones?”
"Hahaha..." Wang Han burst into laughter upon hearing this.
“Zhang Shan, don’t talk nonsense if you don’t understand,” Xi Zhicai said. “These are not the same thing at all.”
After saying that, Xi Zhicai said to Wang Han, "My lord, although I have been by Cao Cao's side for the past few years, I have still managed to recruit some talented people for you. Although we don't have top-notch generals like Dian Wei and Xu Chu, we do have skilled martial artists."
"Are they all martial arts practitioners?" Wang Han asked upon hearing this. "What about the civil practitioners?"
Upon hearing this, Xi Zhicai said, "There are only two scholars, a father and daughter. The father, Huang Chengyan, is a famous scholar in Jingzhou, and the daughter, Huang Yueying, is also a person of great knowledge."
"You mean you summoned Huang Chengyan and Huang Yueying?" Upon hearing this, Wang Han couldn't help but ask curiously, "How did you summon them?"
“Yes, my lord, do you know them?” Xi Zhicai said, “They came to me on their own, wanting to pledge allegiance to you, but since they didn’t know where you were, they found me.”
“I’ve heard of them.” Wang Han nodded and said, “Both of them are rare talents. By the way, Xi Zhicai, you’re not married yet, are you? How about I talk to Huang Chengyan and see if he can arrange for Huang Yueying to marry you?”
"No, no." Upon hearing this, Xi Zhicai quickly shook his head and rejected the idea, saying, "Everyone loves beauty, and marriage is a serious matter that should not be taken lightly."
Wang Han said, "Huang Yueying is also a very talented person, and you are also virtuous and talented. You are a perfect match, and I believe they will agree."
Xi Zhicai said with a bitter face, "My lord, you should know what Huang Yueying looks like. Please spare me."
"Alright, I'm not kidding anymore." Wang Han asked, "Where are they now?"
Upon hearing this, Xi Zhicai breathed a sigh of relief and said, "They left in a hurry this time and are still with Cao Cao. Before General Xiahou left, he had already conveyed to them that they were to come here. They should arrive with the people who come to welcome His Majesty in three days."
"Do you think Cao Cao will release him?" Wang Han asked. "Cao Cao cherishes talent. Releasing Xi Zhicai back has already cost him enough. Letting two more equally talented people leave would be difficult."
“My lord, you are overthinking this.” Xi Zhicai explained, “Although Cao Cao cherishes talent, he also respects it. More importantly, he understands the times better. Not releasing him would only do him harm, not benefit him. Besides, His Majesty is still with us now.”
"Yes," Wang Han nodded, "That's true."
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Three days passed quickly, and Cao Cao arrived as promised, personally leading men to welcome Emperor Xian. Just as Xi Zhicai had said, Cao Cao cherished talent, respected it, and knew how to assess the situation. Although his heart was bleeding and he was extremely reluctant to part with him, he still brought along the men recruited by Xi Zhicai. After all, he couldn't afford to offend Wang Han, not only because of Wang Han's strength, but also because Wang Han's reputation among the people was almost unmatched. If he really antagonized Wang Han, he would be the one who ultimately suffered.
Emperor Xian was of paramount importance. Cao Cao arrived and left in a hurry, taking Emperor Xian with him and leaving behind eight people.
After Cao Cao left, Xi Zhicai brought the eight men he left behind to Wang Han and said, "My lord, these are the people I have recruited over the past few years."
Then Xi Zhicai pointed to six burly men in armor and said, “My lord, these six are all military generals. When I led them under Cao Cao, they all made some contributions. They are Wang Wu, Zhao Liu, Zhou Qi, Wu Yong, Zheng Dian, and Mei Shou.”
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