“Zhongda is right. Let’s wait until tonight and bring him in!”
Liu Cheng gave Sima Yi a deep look, then waved his hand, dismissing him.
As soon as Sima Yi stepped out of the palace, he saw Zhou Cang standing awkwardly not far from the palace, with two Imperial Guards on duty staring at him with gleaming eyes.
"Didn't I tell you to come back tonight? Why are you here now?" Sima Yi stepped forward and asked Zhou Cang.
Zhou Cang hurriedly said, "I thought it was always better to be early than late. It's always good to come early and wait for you, sir. Besides, I'm a rough man and don't know much about etiquette. I hope you can teach me!"
"Heh, you're quite observant!"
Upon hearing Zhou Cang's explanation, Sima Yi couldn't help but chuckle and looked at this seemingly rough but actually shrewd fellow with newfound respect.
"I have already informed His Highness that he will be receiving you tonight!"
"Thank you so much, sir!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Cang was overjoyed and immediately bowed to Sima Yi.
Come with me!
Sima Yi waved his hand and then walked towards his residence, with Zhou Cang quickly following behind.
After returning to the mansion, Sima Yi had someone bring Zhou Cang a new set of clothes and then took him to his study.
After sitting down, Sima Yi glanced at Zhou Cang and said in a deep voice, "Zhou Cang, I see that you are quite capable. Why didn't you join the army back then, but instead traveled thousands of miles to Yizhou?"
"In response to your question, sir, when I was young, I was naturally unruly and disliked constraints. I couldn't stand the rules of the army. Although I later came to my senses, I was already too old. So I had no choice but to respond to the imperial court's call, gather a group of brothers, and go to sea to find a new way out. Unfortunately, I was unlucky and didn't find any new land. So I had no choice but to take up the business of protecting merchants here..."
Zhou Cang also briefly recounted his experiences to Sima Yi.
"I see." Sima Yi nodded, then said meaningfully, "Although there is no turning back in life, there are still opportunities to change one's destiny; it all depends on whether you can seize them!"
Sima Yi could tell from Zhou Cang's remarkable performance that this man wanted to attract his and the Crown Prince's attention by defeating five opponents at once. This also showed that Zhou Cang had a desire for fame and fortune far beyond that of ordinary people.
Sure enough, upon hearing Sima Yi's words, Zhou Cang immediately declared, "Please rest assured, sir, with just one word from His Highness the Crown Prince, I am willing to go through fire and water, even unto death!"
"good!!"
Seeing this, Sima Yi smiled with satisfaction, then summoned one of his subordinates and began to teach Zhou Cang the etiquette to observe when paying homage to the Crown Prince.
As night fell, Zhou Cang followed Sima Yi to the Crown Prince's temporary palace.
Inside the main hall, Zhou Cang was also tense, not daring to breathe. Although Sima Yi had told him more than once before that His Highness was very approachable, he still couldn't suppress his inner unease.
After a short while, Liu Cheng came out from the back hall.
"This humble commoner, Zhou Cang, greets Your Highness the Crown Prince!"
After Liu Cheng sat down, Zhou Cang also followed the etiquette taught by Sima Yi and respectfully performed a deep bow, his voice trembling slightly, revealing his inner excitement.
Liu Cheng smiled and raised his hand: "Brave warrior Zhou Cang, no need for formalities!"
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
After getting up, Zhou Cang kept his head down, staring at the ground.
Looking at Zhou Cang's robust physique, Liu Cheng asked with a smile, "Where are you from, Warrior Zhou?"
"Your Highness, I am from Guanzhong!" Zhou Cang replied respectfully.
Liu Cheng said with a smile, "Guanxi is full of brave men, and seeing you today, I can confirm that you are indeed a hero!"
"Your Highness flatters me. I am unworthy of the title of hero!" Zhou Cang said modestly.
Liu Cheng raised his eyes: "I can give you a chance to be a hero, but being a hero means you can die. Are you afraid?"
"Please give your orders, Your Highness. I am willing to go through fire and water, even unto death!" Zhou Cang replied without hesitation.
Liu Cheng then looked at Sima Yi: "Zhongda, tell the brave warrior Zhou Cang what needs to be done!"
"Here you go!"
Sima Yi agreed, then looked at Zhou Cang and said in a deep voice, "Your Highness's public announcement of recruiting personal guards is just a pretext. In reality, you want to recruit a group of loyal and brave men to go to Parthia in the name of Han envoys and kill the Parthian king!"
"What……?"
Upon hearing Sima Yi's words, Zhou Cang's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't expected that the Crown Prince would ask him to do something like this.
Sima Yi's eyes narrowed: "Of course, if brave warrior Zhou Cang is unwilling, he may leave at any time, but please do not leak this matter!"
"No, I am willing..." Zhou Cang hurriedly replied after regaining his senses.
As a Han envoy, he executed the king of Parthia, a powerful state, for disobeying the king's orders.
In Zhou Cang's view, if this were to succeed, his reputation would immediately rival that of Ban Chao and others, and even if it didn't, he could still leave a mark on history like Jing Ke.
This temptation was fatal to Zhou Cang, who had endured many years of hardship; he couldn't think of any reason to refuse.
Liu Cheng, seated, said in a deep voice, "Very well, since Warrior Zhou Cang is willing, then from now on, he shall train with Zhongda!"
"Here you go!"
Just as Zhou Cang was about to leave, Liu Cheng called out to him: "By the way, does the brave warrior Zhou Cang have a family?"
Zhou Cang said embarrassedly, "I have been wandering around for a long time and have not yet married!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Cheng looked at Sima Yi and said, "Zhongda, make some arrangements. We must ensure that the brave Zhou Cang has a successor!"
"Here you go!"
Sima Yi agreed and then took Zhou Cang away.
Watching Zhou Cang's departing figure, Liu Cheng couldn't help but sigh.
At this moment, he finally understood why his usually strong father always looked helpless and bitter when mentioning Li Ru.
As a monarch, whether driven by political needs or personal ambitions, certain things always require sacrifices from certain individuals.
Li Ru was like that back then, and Zhou Cang is like that now.
They loved their country so much, yet they, father and son, were pushing them onto a path with almost no chance of survival.
Although he did it voluntarily, it was undoubtedly an ordeal for Liu Cheng.
Afterwards, Liu Cheng summoned Zhou Yu, Guo Jia, and others to continue discussing the matter of killing the Parthian King. He also wanted to do his best to ensure that Zhou Cang and the others could escape unscathed.
Zhou Cang, who had followed Sima Yi back to his residence, was so excited that he could hardly contain himself. He lay on his bed and began to fantasize about the various honors he would receive after his success, while also constantly thanking Liu Cheng for giving him this opportunity to make a name for himself.
As for his life, he had long since forgotten about it.
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