"Noble Township..."
"Not here! Not here! Get lost!"
The rider had barely opened his mouth when the man before him shouted and slammed the gate shut.
The gate nearly struck the rider in the face.
The rider's expression darkened and shifted, and he nearly drew his saber.
This was the same rider who had accompanied Wang Su before and treated Guo Ze so rudely.
That unruly, arrogant rider, who had once held everyone beneath his notice, now found himself facing palace guards even ruder than he was.
The men Guo Jian had brought cared nothing for the rider's status.
The rider glared resentfully at the tightly shut gate, then turned and left.
Meanwhile, the man who had just shut the gate had already returned to the inner chamber.
Guo Jian was devouring roast meat, while Cao Mao sat obediently beside him.
The man hurriedly reported, "General, Wang Su sent another rider. I told him to get lost!"
Guo Jian burst out laughing.
"Exactly as you should!"
"I'm going to humiliate him properly and let him taste what it's like to be turned away at the gate! Go on out! Keep watch!"
"Yes, sir!"
The man went outside.
Cao Mao still looked worried. "Uncle, what if Wang Su writes to the Grand General and speaks ill of you?"
Guo Jian looked at his nephew with undisguised dissatisfaction.
"You're the future emperor! How can you be so afraid of trouble?"
"Who does that Wang Su think he is? Why should you fear him?"
"I've already written to my elder brother, accusing Wang Su of refusing to receive us!"
"My brother is the Grand General's son-in-law. Do you think he'd be afraid of Wang Su?"
Guo Jian brimmed with confidence. Cao Mao all but applauded him.
Moved, Cao Mao roasted a few extra meat skewers for Guo Jian.
Now this was a real uncle!
Guo Jian belched, patted his chest, and said, "Mao, with your uncle here, you can rest easy! I command the palace troops. How dare Wang Su provoke me?"
"Hahaha, you're right, Uncle! Here, have another skewer!"
"With me and your eldest uncle here, you can sleep soundly on a high pillow! Looking across the world..."
"General!"
Just as Guo Jian was about to continue boasting, the man from earlier rushed back inside.
All his earlier smugness had vanished. His face was filled with terror.
"General! Disaster!"
Guo Jian hurriedly rose. "What happened?"
"Someone from the Sima Family has arrived! He says he's acting on the Grand General's orders!"
"What?!"
Guo Jian immediately panicked, at a loss for what to do.
"Did you really call it? Did that old dog Wang Su submit a memorial impeaching me?"
Cao Mao, however, frowned. Someone from the Sima Family?
Who had come?
Could it be Sima Fu?
He looked at the frightened Guo Jian and said, "Uncle, this visitor comes with ill intent. You're a brave warrior, and if he speaks disrespectfully, you might clash with him. Please go to the rear hall first. I'll receive him myself!"
Guo Jian was already afraid, so naturally he was delighted to hear Cao Mao suggest this.
But Cao Mao called him Uncle at every turn, and he had just finished boasting. To hide away now...
Guo Jian simply could not bear losing face. Frightened as he was, he still hesitated.
Cao Mao hurriedly bowed. "Uncle! Please go back! How could I bear to have you offend someone else for my sake? If you won't leave, I can only leave fir-"
"All right, all right. I'll go back first!"
Given a graceful way out, Guo Jian looked at Cao Mao even more warmly.
"Don't be too frightened yourself. If anything happens, shout for help. I won't let him harm you."
"Thank you, Uncle!"
Guo Jian led his men away.
Cao Mao hurried toward the front hall.
There he saw a youth standing amid numerous mounted guards. The youth was handsome, with long, flowing hair and hands that reached past his knees...
Cao Mao froze, then quickly realized who he was.
Emperor Wu of Jin! Sima Yan!
Cao Mao immediately put on a different face: warm, youthful, and cheerful.
Laughing heartily, he strode toward Sima Yan.
Before Sima Yan could react, Cao Mao clasped both his hands and looked at him affectionately. "Are you Anshi? I've long heard of your great name! To think we would meet today!"
"An extraordinary man truly does have extraordinary features!"
"That long hair!"
As he spoke, Cao Mao reached out and stroked Sima Yan's long hair. It was good hair, wonderfully silky.
Sima Yan was stunned.
Who the hell are you? Why are you touching my hair the moment you walk up?
"I am Sima Yan. And you are..."
"I'm Cao Mao!"
Startled, Sima Yan remembered his father's instructions and hurriedly bent to bow.
Cao Mao quickly caught him.
"Why act like this, Anshi? I regard you as a dear friend I wish to make, yet you insist on treating me as a stranger?"
I don't even know you!
Before Sima Yan could recover, Cao Mao was already pulling him by the hand toward the inner chamber.
"Your visit today brings splendor to my humble dwelling, Anshi! I simply must share some wine and meat with you. How fortunate I am!"
"Someone bring the finest wine in the residence!"
Cao Mao called out. Only after being dragged into the inner chamber did Sima Yan come to his senses and hurriedly interrupt him.
"Your Majesty, the wine can wait. I've come on orders. I heard that Your Majesty has repeatedly refused to ascend the throne..."
Cao Mao gave a long sigh.
"I've long felt a kinship with you, Anshi, though we had never met. Now that we have, I'll hide nothing."
"Anshi, I don't possess the talents those worthy men at court claim I have. I'm merely an ordinary man. What right do I have to inherit this great undertaking?"
"How could I unite the realm and restore peace to the world?"
"Everyone knows how wise the Prince of Pengcheng is. I believe the Grand General should install the Prince of Pengcheng as emperor!"
Sima Yan shook his head. "You mustn't say that."
"The Imperial Court is full of worthy talent. With loyal men like my uncle to assist you, what is there to worry about?"
Your uncle is exactly what I'm worried about!
Sima Yan continued, "Look at that foolish ruler of the Shu Kingdom. He has neither talent nor virtue and favors eunuchs. Even a man like him can govern Shu well with a worthy talent like Marquis Wu of Zhuge to assist him..."
"Huh???"
This time, Cao Mao was the one left bewildered.
Marquis Wu of Zhuge?
Whose side are you on, kid?
You're Sima Yi's grandson! Aren't you supposed to call him Zhuge Rustic?
Seeing Cao Mao gape at him, Sima Yan realized something and hurriedly said with a smile, "Please don't misunderstand. I'm not calling Your Majesty a foolish ruler or comparing you to Liu Shan."
"No, I... you just said... Marquis Wu of Zhuge?"
"Yes!"
Sima Yan's eyes immediately lit up. He said earnestly, "Marquis Wu of Zhuge was such an outstanding talent! Accomplished in both civil and military affairs, gifted in letters and strategy, benevolent, righteous, and virtuous. I only regret being born twenty years too late..."
Otherwise what? What were you planning to do? Defect to Shu?
Sima Yan launched into an endless stream of praise for Zhuge Liang, while Cao Mao found the whole thing utterly absurd.
"Don't you agree that Marquis Wu of Zhuge was the greatest able minister in the world?"
Sima Yan turned the question back on him.
Cao Mao fell silent for a moment. "I still think Duke Xuanwen was the greatest able minister."
Duke Xuanwen referred to Sima Yi.
Cao Mao genuinely thought Sima Yi was far more formidable than Zhuge Liang. Just think: after all those years campaigning against Wei, how many of its great generals had Zhuge Liang killed?
Five Northern Expeditions, and he had only taken out Zhang He and Wang Shuang!
Yet in a single Gaoping Mausoleum Incident, Sima Yi had taken out Cao Shuang, Cao Xi, Cao Xun, He Yan, Deng Yang, Ding Mi, Bi Gui, Li Sheng, Huan Fan, and others.
He had even exterminated their entire clans!
What an enormous tally of victories! How could Zhuge Liang possibly compare?
Sima Yan smiled. "My grandfather was indeed formidable and a brilliant strategist, but he fell somewhat short in governance. He was no match for Marquis Wu of Zhuge there!"
Cao Mao wiped the sweat from his forehead. If even a filial grandson like you says so, then let's say you're right.
With Cao Mao having led the conversation astray, the two began discussing the many outstanding figures of the Late Han.
They were the same age, and once they started talking, they actually found plenty of common ground.
Compared with his father and elder brother, Sima Zhao could be considered a sunny, cheerful young man. Compared with his many elders, Sima Yan was practically a gentle, enthusiastic little lamb.
Of course, that only applied to his somewhat adolescently grandiose self at this moment, and only in comparison with his elders.
"Anshi, hearing of someone is no substitute for meeting him. Only after meeting you today did I realize the rumors were true. You're a genuine talent! Even Marquis Wu of Zhuge could be no better!"
Sima Yan was startled. "How could I possibly be mentioned in the same breath as Marquis Wu?"
"If I inherit the great undertaking, you'll be my Marquis Wu of Zhuge!"
"We brothers, sovereign and minister united in purpose, will unify the realm and establish achievements unmatched through the ages!"
Before you continue