Disorder in the Palace, Love Blossoms

Chapter 15

Cao Cao woke up the next morning with a slight headache and noticed that Xun Yu was not in the room. He's not here. I hope I didn't do anything stupid. No more wine drinking contests. I should probably get up and look for him. Cao Cao slowly got out of bed, trying not to agitate his headache, and Xiahou Dun quickly walked into the room.

"Cousin, there is someone here to see you." The one-eyed general stated blandly.

"Who is it?" The ruler asked. He didn't remember anyone scheduling a meeting with him.

"I'm not sure. He said that he is here on urgent business and requested an audience with you." Xiahou Dun replied.

"Very well, send him in."

Xiahou Dun nodded and went to tell the man that he could enter the room. A few moments later, an older looking man with black and grey hair walked into the room. He was wearing a burgundy robe, and he did a slight bow towards the ruler as he entered the room.

"Greetings, Cao Cao," The man stated, a sinister note could be heard in his voice. "I have come to make you an offer."

"An offer? For what?" The ruler inquired. He didn't like where this was going, he could sense that the man was plotting something.

"I can guarantee the safety of your kingdom, if you do something for me." The man said with a smirk.

"What makes you think that my kingdom is in danger? And who are you? Who do you work for?"

"I am not allowed to disclose that information, but an ally of mine plans on attacking your kingdom. He told me that he would delay attacking and causing your total annihilation if you did something for him, but he also made it clear that something would happen to your precious strategist if you refuse." The man stated, at this point he was practically grinning.

"Leave him out of this," The ruler growled. "And get to the point. What does he want me to do?"

"It's quite simple, really." The man said calmly as an evil grin formed on his face. "He wants you to assassinate Jiang Wei."

Cao Cao's expression remained unchanged, but he resisted the urge to laugh. "Really? That's it? I thought it was going to be something awful and unbearable, but this will be an easy task."

The man frowned. "I didn't finish. We have spies planted in this palace to ensure that you complete your duty. If my ally hears word that your strategist is distracting you or trying to prevent you from completing the assignment, then he will not hesitate to spread awful rumors about him and ruin his reputation. You wouldn't want his reputation to be tarnished, would you?" The man inquired with a malicious grin.

A frown came to rest on Cao Cao's calm, expressionless face. "Fine, but if you even try to hurt him before I have killed Jiang Wei, then I will hunt you down like the scum you are and kill you in the slowest and most painful way possible." Cao Cao replied, giving the man a bloodthirsty glare, causing him to gulp.

He nervously laughed. "I knew it! You are the one who unleashed that massive amount of power yesterday. Things are finally starting to get interesting. I will be back in one week, unless you manage to kill Jiang Wei before then. Don't disappoint my ally."

The man then left the room, leaving Cao Cao to glare at the spot where he once stood. Damn it! Why did I agree to this? If I knew who his ally was, then I could have easily refused the request. But I can't be mean to Xun Yu or ignore him, I hate seeing him upset, and a sudden change in my attitude would cause him to distrust me in the future. There is just no easy way to deal with this situation, is there? Then, as if right on cue, Xun Yu walked into the room, and the Lord's face paled. Oh no, just act natural!

"Oh, uh, Xun Yu, I'm glad you're here. I need a plan to get rid of Jiang Wei. Do you, uh, have any ideas?" The ruler asked.

"I could easily come up with a few plans, but may I ask why you're planning on eliminating Jiang Wei?" Xun Yu inquired, his voice was soft and sounded like silk.

Damn, why is he so attractive?! Don't think about that. I need to think of something, quick! "Uh, well, he tried to attack us in our own territory, and he deserves to be taught a lesson that he won't soon forget." Cao Cao began to internally panic after saying that. Oh no, that was a terrible reason!

"Are you feeling okay?" Xun Yu inquired, placing a hand on the ruler's forehead to check his temperature. "That sounds like something a brute would say."

Xun Yu's face was close to his, and the concerned look on his face was adorable. Cao Cao forced himself to look away and he gently grabbed Xun Yu's hand to remove it from his forehead. "I am fine. I just want him taken care of. That's all."

"Mengde..." Xun Yu gave him a worried look. He could tell that the man was hiding something.

"Stop, please don't. Can you come up with a plan or not?" The ruler said, closing his eyes to avoid seeing Xun Yu's expression. I hate doing this. I will never do anything like this ever again if I can avoid it.

"Of course," Xun Yu said distantly as he focused his eyes on the floor. "He frequently habits a cave southwest of here. He constantly keeps five guards there, but they are nothing special. You could take a small unit there and easily corner him, then kill him however you please."

Urgh, nooo! Don't look so sad Xun Yu, I love you. I'm only doing this for your safety. I can still thank you, right? Yeah, that's neutral. "I see. Thank you Xun Yu. You are dismissed."

Xun Yu bowed and exited the room, leaving Cao Cao alone with his thoughts. What have I done? Knowing how perceptive he is, he probably sensed that I was hiding something from him. I have probably damaged his trust in me and upset him at the same time. That's not a good combination. I need to finish this as soon as possible, then I can explain everything to Xun Yu, and we can laugh at how stupid I am for agreeing to do this. But right now, I need to find someone that I can take with me to eliminate Jiang Wei. Man Chong! He's perfect for this task. With that thought, Cao Cao quickly exited the room and went to find Man Chong.

When he found him, he was in the jail, torturing a prisoner. As Man Chong aimed to whip the prisoner, Cao Cao quickly interrupted and asked Man Chong if he could stop for a moment since he had something that he wanted to discuss with him. Man Chong agreed and, when they were out of earshot, Cao Cao told Man Chong that he was going to infiltrate Jiang Wei's lair tomorrow and asked the man to join him. Man Chong enthusiastically agreed to join him on his raid tomorrow and suggested that the ruler should ask Guo Jia to join them. He nodded in agreement and thanked the man before leaving to find Guo Jia, who was sitting on a bench with Xun Yu in one of the palace hallways. Cao Cao's expression changed to a sad, sympathetic one when he saw Xun Yu's sad and confused expression. Xun Yu... I'm sorry. I know Guo Jia is trying to comfort you right now, but I need to talk to him so I can bring an end to this situation between us. Please don't be mad at me. After resolving to walk over to the two, the ruler did just that, and he told Guo Jia that he needed to speak with him. Guo Jia reluctantly let go of Xun Yu's hands and softly said to Xun Yu that he would be back in a few minutes. After glaring at Cao Cao, he then got up and followed the man to his room.

"You better have a good reason for this. My best friend is upset because of you." Guo Jia stated angerly.

"I can explain, but you have to promise me that you won't breathe a word of this to anyone."

Guo Jia nodded, and Cao Cao began to tell him about everything that led up to Xun Yu becoming confused and upset. Guo Jia calmly sat there and listened to the man's lengthy explanation before sighing and shaking his head disapprovingly once he finished. He didn't approve of Cao Cao choosing to do something like this behind Xun Yu's back, but he knew that it was to keep Xun Yu and the others safe, so he couldn't entirely fault the man for it. Sighing, he told Cao Cao that he would help him kill Jiang Wei tomorrow, adding that he should apologize to Xun Yu afterwards because the ruler's sudden change in attitude worried him. Cao Cao agreed to do so and thanked the man. Guo Jia then exited the room and went to check on Xun Yu. Alone again, the ruler sighed and thought to himself before laying down for the night – I hope he can forgive me.