Chapter 13: The Silver Tongue of Cao, Master of Deception
Cao Residence.
As soon as he stepped through the door, Chen Cong immediately summoned servants to escort Huang Zhong and his family to the main hall for a brief rest.
He himself hurried straight to Cao Cao’s study.
“Father-in-law! Wonderful news, great joy!”
The door opened...
A young lady exited, covering her face, her features not fully visible, but her figure was quite striking. Chen Cong couldn’t help but glance twice.
Cao Cao sat calmly behind his desk, sipping tea as if nothing had happened. “Does Zining fancy her?”
Chen Cong waved his hands repeatedly. “...”
Cao Cao sighed in exasperation. “If it’s not great news, then do speak up.”
“Oh, right, it is good news, father-in-law! A mighty warrior, a formidable general has come to join us!”
“Oh?”
Chen Cong omitted the part where he coaxed Huang Zhong, knowing that telling the truth would earn him a scolding. Instead, he decided to go all in.
“Father-in-law, why are you still sitting? This man’s martial prowess rivals that of Lü Bu—surely you know Lü Bu?”
Pfft!~
A mouthful of aged tea sprayed three meters away. Cao Cao leapt up like a startled firecracker, clutching his backside as he dashed forward, grabbing Chen Cong and heading straight for the main hall.
Only when they neared the great hall did Cao Cao sense something amiss.
At this moment, Cao Cao was like a rat caught in a bellows—looked down upon by the righteous, shunned by the opportunists.
If this man was truly as fierce as Lü Bu, why would he come to him?
“Zining, are you hiding something from me?”
Chen Cong shrugged indifferently. “Nothing major, just revealed your grand plan to slay Dong Zhuo.”
He then recounted in detail how he had persuaded Huang Zhong.
Cao Cao’s eyes gleamed, and he exclaimed, “Excellent, excellent!”
If the newcomer was drawn by the plan to kill Dong Zhuo, he surely was a man of loyalty and righteousness.
A loyal warrior whose strength matched Lü Bu!
Cao Cao had plotted and schemed for such a moment, all for the sake of these outstanding generals and ministers.
As for Chen Cong’s daring—speaking of matters that could cost his head to outsiders—Cao Cao didn’t even consider the risks.
The logic was simple: Huang Zhong’s enlistment was a foregone conclusion. As long as the outcome was good, few ever dwelled on any irrationalities in the process.
The usually cunning and suspicious “Bandit Cao” was now basking in his triumph, believing his efforts had finally borne fruit, and that he had raised a clever, decisive little “Bandit Chen.”
Bold, meticulous, sharp-minded.
...
Cao Cao met Huang Zhong.
One admired the other’s valor, the other respected his righteousness.
The two conversed like old friends reunited after many years, quickly progressing past polite greetings to the moment of holding hands and tearful gazes.
Chen Cong, once the angelic introducer, was now relegated to the role of an eyesore—a lamp post standing awkwardly at the side.
The two talked of everything under the sun—from the Yellow Turban Rebellion to the disaster of the Ten Attendants, to strategies of marching and military governance.
Their topics shifted swiftly, and even if Chen Cong wanted to interject, he could not.
By noon, a servant came to report, “Master, there is news from Imperial Physician Dong.”
Huang Zhong was about to inquire, but Cao Cao was quicker, rushing toward the guest rooms, losing a shoe in his haste.
Grabbing Dong Miao, the physician, he demanded, “Zhuoran, what is the result?”
“Born weak and further harmed by acquired illness, but with nourishing treatments administered gradually, he can recover in three to five years. However—”
“Good!” Cao Cao didn’t want to hear the ‘however.’
With a wave, a servant brought forth a tray of gold ingots.
Cao Cao accepted them and handed them personally to Dong Miao.
“Thank you, Zhuoran. A small token of gratitude, please do not refuse, lest you think little of me, Cao Cao.”
Dong Miao stroked his graying beard and smiled, “As you wish.”
He then composed a prescription and handed it to Cao Cao.
“Follow this formula, two doses daily, year after year. Even with Master Mengde’s wealth, sustaining it will be difficult. That is all—I take my leave.”
After sending off the physician, Cao Cao withheld the prescription from Huang Zhong, passing it instead to a servant.
He instructed, “Search every pharmacy in Luoyang. Gather as much as you can, and quickly!”
“Yes, sir.”
Everything arranged, he turned back.
By this time, Huang Zhong was already in tears.
In the years since Huang Xu fell ill, he had tasted all the bitterness of human relations.
For the thirty gold pieces he once knelt outside his commander’s tent, pledging loyalty, only to receive a cold reply: ‘I am powerless.’
He had no choice but to sell everything he owned, even parting with old comrades-in-arms from his early campaigns as if they were mere nags.
The holes grew deeper, the illness dragged on.
Local doctors, seeing his misfortune, took advantage—ordinary medicine now cost thirty coins a dose.
Even after taking the medicine, the illness did not improve.
Poor Huang Xu was only eight, yet every day he pretended to be mischievous to cheer his father.
More than once—
Huang Zhong had thought of resorting to others’ ways: exploiting the payroll, bleeding the troops, oppressing the innocent, trampling the people.
But his sense of righteousness would not allow him such depravity.
He didn’t want to give up, but truly had no way out.
Huang Xu was not only his heart’s burden, but a demon haunting his soul.
Night after night, in his dreams, he saw his young son, bloodied, asking, “Father, is loyalty more important than my life?”
Huang Zhong dared not answer, nor did he know how.
Cao Cao’s generosity had saved not only Huang Xu, but more than one soul.
He was like a beam of light, piercing through the shadows of life.
A towering man nine feet tall, who had licked blood from blades for decades without ever flinching, could no longer hold back.
He fell to his knees, bowing deeply.
“Your grace is immense, my lord. I have nothing to offer in return—only my life in your service!”
Cao Cao helped Huang Zhong up, laughing, “Hansei, such courtesy is unnecessary. The matters I entrust to you are weighty. You have done me great favors, and I am ashamed to repay you with mere tokens. How could I command you?”
“What do you mean, my lord?”
Huang Zhong turned, glaring at Chen Cong in protest. “Does my lord intend, now that he has Zining, to cast aside Huang Zhong’s valor?”
Chen Cong, caught in the crossfire, was speechless.
‘What did I say? Why glare at me?’
Cao Cao was startled.
“Hansei, how could you say such a thing! In truth... Enough. If you insist, then after we return to Qiao County, wait a few days. If I am fortunate..., we shall continue our friendship. If I fail..., I must ask you to look after my wife and children, and thus not betray our bond.”
Huang Zhong was deeply moved; Chen Cong was clicking his tongue.
This was true linguistic artistry!
Clouded in metaphor, the meaning was made clear.
Not a word was strictly honest, yet every phrase was heartfelt.
Clearly, the plan to strike at Dong Zhuo was a feint, with little risk, yet it was made to sound like a tragic parting.
Meanwhile—
Chen Cong was sure his father-in-law had no time to manipulate the physician.
Meaning, the prescription was indeed outrageously expensive.
Despite planning something grand, poised on the brink of revolt where money was needed everywhere, he still went to such lengths for Huang Zhong.
If it were merely a gesture to win hearts, the scope would be excessive.
Chen Cong preferred to believe that Cao Cao truly cherished Huang Zhong.
Just as there was a certain general who crossed five passes and slew six generals, and Cao Cao still refused to harm him.
Such a bandit, a traitor, a villain—
His words were fanciful, but his goodwill was genuine.
Not honest, but kind—it was hard to judge.
Fortunately, as a confidant son-in-law, Chen Cong could still hear a few truths.
Otherwise, he’d doubt whether he even knew which way was north.
But Huang Zhong wouldn’t accept it. He clasped his fists tightly.
“Regarding the care of your family, I ask my lord to entrust it to someone else. I possess some strength, and swear to advance and retreat alongside you!”
“No!”
Cao Cao was still considering, but it was Chen Cong who refused.
He had brought Huang Zhong here for a purpose, not to leave him in Luoyang to play a part in his father-in-law’s drama.