Seeing the emperor looking at him, Zhang Fei straightened his chest and stared straight ahead, eagerly awaiting the emperor's praise.
Liu Hong smiled, then stepped forward and nodded at Zhang Fei.
"Yide killed thirty-eight enemies in this campaign, only two fewer than Yunchang. That's quite good. I have high hopes for you!"
"I swear to serve Your Majesty to the death!!"
Zhang Fei, also looking excited, gave Liu Hong a military salute and swore allegiance.
Liu Hong smiled and nodded, then presented him with a military knife and medal as well.
Liu Hong also placed high hopes on Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.
Although the two of them in this life have lost the tempering of the chaotic times, with the Imperial Guard and the wider world outside, Liu Hong believes that they will surely shine brightly in the future and create a more glorious reputation than in their previous lives.
Of course, apart from Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, Liu Hong did not show favoritism to the other soldiers around him, and personally pinned medals on each of them.
The soldiers touched the medals on their chests, their hearts pounding with patriotic fervor.
To receive a personal gift from the emperor was a symbol of supreme honor for them, enough to be passed down as a treasure.
After the medal-awarding ceremony, the soldiers returned to their seats, and their comrades around them all cast envious glances.
After everyone was seated, Liu Hong picked up his wine cup, glanced at the soldiers, and said loudly:
"Since today is a victory celebration banquet, all soldiers should not be reserved. Let's drink to our hearts' content and not leave until we're completely drunk!!"
"We won't leave until we're drunk!!"
The soldiers also stood up, faced Liu Hong, and then picked up their wine cups and drank them down in one gulp.
Unlike civil officials, the soldiers were mostly straightforward and forthright individuals.
As they drank more wine and the emperor spoke, they relaxed and began to toast and laugh loudly with their comrades.
Zhang Fei, in particular, was young but had a surprisingly high alcohol tolerance. He carried two wine jars and started drinking contests with people he knew at various seats.
The usually quiet Deyang Palace became unusually lively because of the arrival of these soldiers.
The banquet didn't end until late at night, and the soldiers bid farewell to the emperor and left the palace, satisfied.
Upon returning home, Cao Cao hesitated for a moment, looking at the eight rooms in his courtyard still lit up.
"Sigh, having too many women is such a hassle!"
Cao Cao sighed inwardly, closed his eyes, shook his head, and then randomly picked a room and went over.
After entering the room, Cao Cao pulled the concubine, whose name he could no longer recall, aside and exchanged a few tender words before beginning to take stock of the public grain in the granary.
Cao Cao was not only well-versed in military strategy and poetry, but his mathematical skills were somewhat lacking.
This is just a year's worth of old accounts that I can never quite figure out. Every single income and expenditure in the accounts needs to be carefully calculated.
After several rounds of maneuvering and offsetting, the grain was finally handed over in full after the hour of Chou (1-3 AM).
It wasn't until the next day, when the sun was high in the sky, that Cao Cao rubbed his lower back, looking exhausted, and left the room to greet his parents.
As soon as Cao Cao entered the living room, he was shocked by the scene before him and rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
Cao Song was standing behind the chair with a beaming smile and a solicitous expression, massaging the shoulders of Madam Cao, who was sitting in the chair.
Madam Cao sat there with a look of enjoyment on her face, praising the scenery incessantly.
The couple were so loving and respectful of each other that they didn't even notice Cao Cao entering.
"Ahem~!"
Upon seeing this, Cao Cao turned his head away and then coughed lightly.
"Ah, it's Cao Cao!!"
Hearing the commotion, Cao Song looked up and saw his son standing at the entrance of the hall. He stopped awkwardly and sat back down in his chair.
Madam Cao also straightened her expression and sat up straight.
Cao Cao then stepped forward and kowtowed to Cao Song and Lady Cao, saying, "Your son greets your father and mother!"
Cao Song nodded: "My son, please rise!"
"Thank you, Father and Mother!"
After bowing again, Cao Cao straightened up.
"Aman, come here quickly and let your mother take a good look at you!!"
After exchanging greetings, Lady Cao beckoned Cao Cao to her side, looking at her beloved son whom she hadn't seen for a year with great concern.
"Aman, you've gotten so much darker since you left. You must have suffered a lot out there, right?"
Seeing her son, who was tanned and exhausted, Madam Cao felt extremely sorry for him.
"Mother, I'm fine, it's just that I've been in the sun a bit too much!"
When his mother mentioned his skin color, Cao Cao couldn't help but twitch his lips and casually made a vague remark.
For some reason, while he, Yuan Shao, Liu Bei, and Sun Jian were on the same boat, their skin color remained unchanged, but his own skin color grew darker and darker.
Liu Bei offered a reasonable explanation for this situation: Cao Cao's skin was influenced by his inner state.
It means that Cao Cao was so ruthless that his heart was black as nails.
For this reason, Cao Cao even fought with Liu Bei...
After a few brief pleasantries, Lady Cao looked at Cao Cao with a serious expression.
"Aman, you've been gone for a year now. Who knows when you'll be leaving again? This time, you absolutely have to find a wife for your mother!"
"Mother is right, I will obey!"
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
