"Your Majesty!"
Early the next morning, Hu Zun came to pay his respects to the emperor.
Yesterday's banquet had been for others to see, and the two had tacitly refrained from discussing any other important matters.
Cao Mao took Hu Zun straight into the Western Hall. Everyone else remained outside, with Zhang Hua guarding the door.
This was their first time together in private.
This time, Cao Mao dispensed with the elaborate courtesies. His casual manner made him seem all the closer. He had someone bring the tea he liked and prepared for a long, intimate conversation with Hu Zun.
Hu Zun, however, was once again studying the emperor before him. He looked somewhat hesitant.
"Your Majesty, I come from the frontier. Though I have a rough knowledge of a few classics, I have spent decades in the army, and my speech is inevitably coarse and blunt. I really cannot be someone like Zhuge Dan. If I should offend against propriety, I hope Your Majesty will not blame me."
Hu Zun was giving Cao Mao fair warning.
Hu Zun and Zhuge Dan really were two entirely different sorts of men. Zhuge Dan prized his reputation and always appeared cloaked in righteousness, fitting perfectly with the ministers' notion of a scholarly general. Hu Zun, meanwhile, fitted their notion of a frontier fighting man.
Hu Zun knew his own temperament. He feared the emperor might misunderstand him if he grew too heated while speaking.
Cao Mao laughed and immediately said, "Speak freely, General. Back in Yuan City, I made friends with bold heroes myself. Come to think of it, since entering this Imperial Palace, I haven't dared utter a single coarse word. I like forthright men like you, General Hu!"
Hearing Cao Mao's answer, Hu Zun immediately felt more assured.
*Good. Since