Chapter 80: Suspicions Multiply

In the deepening days of late spring, the night breeze was gentle.

The air was filled with the fragrance of peaches and apricots, so refreshing that one could not help but feel one’s heart grow bright and unburdened.

Dian Wei and Cao Peng strolled through the third courtyard, taking in the spring beauty that bloomed everywhere within the garden. This was the front garden of the Tiger Guards’ residence. It was not especially large, covering roughly sixty thousand square feet. In the garden stood a small pavilion. Peach and apricot trees had been planted all around, and the whole place was a sea of blossoms.

"Afu, my return this time may not be a good thing," Dian Wei said.

He sat down in the pavilion, lifted a wine jug, took a drink, and let out a long sigh.

Under the shade of the trees, amid the sea of flowers, a small path linked the rear residence. In truth, this estate, now renamed the Tiger Guards’ Residence, could only be said to truly reach the main hall after passing into the fourth courtyard.

But because the Dian family was so small, the later courtyards had been left nearly vacant.

Dian Wei had an elder brother named Dian Xun, who suffered from a disability in the legs and remained at the old family home, childless. Dian Wei had four sons: the eldest, Dian Man, fifteen years old, had just been appointed as a court physician by Cao Cao; the second, Dian Cun, was only six; the third, Dian Fu, and the fourth, Dian You, were still infants in swaddling clothes. In addition, Dian Wei had a nephew named Niu Gang, about the same age as Dian Man, said to possess prodigious strength and the valor of a battlefield champion. Beyond these, there was no one else in Dian Wei’s household. Counting his in-laws as well, there were only fourteen people in all.

Compared with the clan behind Xu Chu, numbering in the thousands, the Dian family was truly nothing to speak of.

Cao Peng had changed into a thin light robe and sat quietly in the pavilion, listening.

"Uncle, what makes it bad? Could it be that Lord Cao suspects you?"

Dian Wei laughed heartily. "How could that be? The Lord still trusts me very much. It is just that... do you remember the man who came to meet us outside the city today? His name is Xu Chu, courtesy name Zhongkang, and he is a man of Pei County. He is extraordinarily fierce and excels in battle, which is why the Lord praised him as the Tiger Fool, even saying that Xu Chu is the Fan Kuai of our time. Before, the Lord believed I was dead, so he had Xu Chu take over the duty of palace guard... But now that I have returned, Xu Zhongkang’s position has become rather awkward. The Lord, being helpless, appointed me as General of the Tiger Guards."

Cao Peng had thought Dian Wei was unaware of these matters, but it now seemed the man understood perfectly well.

"Isn’t that a good thing?" Cao Peng asked in feigned puzzlement.

"A good thing?" Dian Wei shook his head with a wry smile. "Xu Chu and I are not in the same situation. He has the backing of his clan, and his power is formidable. Do not be fooled by his rough appearance; he is actually very shrewd. In the past, he was kept down by me only because he lacked standing... but now, he may not be willing to obey me. Even if Xu Zhongkang does submit, the family behind him will certainly not let it rest. Since joining the Lord, Xu Chu has always been known for his bold and open nature, and he has deep ties with many men... On this point, I truly am not as clever as Xu Chu."

Cao Peng fell silent.

Was Dian Wei seeking advice from him?

Just as he was puzzling over it, Dian Wei spoke again. "Afu, what I ask of you is actually very simple. My son’s temperament is much like mine, and at times he is rather hot-headed. He is young and full of spirit, and I fear someone may try to lay hands on him... I want to ask you to look after him."

"How am I to look after him?"

"These next few days, Xu will surely not be peaceful. When A Man returns, I fear he may be provoked by others and cause some trouble."

"Not peaceful?"

Dian Wei nodded and tilted his head back to drain the wine from the jug.

"Do you really think Xu Chu will willingly serve as my assistant? The Lord has ordered me to rebuild the Tiger Guards. He, or the clan behind him, will never allow me to act without restraint. That fellow may not strike openly, but in the shadows he could make things difficult for me with ease."

"What do you mean?"

Dian Wei said softly, "Xu Chu has close dealings with several great families of Yingchuan. The Xun family, the Chen family, and even the Zhong family are all on very friendly terms with him. But in Xuchang, apart from the Lord, I have no one else to rely on."

"Reorganizing the Tiger Guards is Lord Cao’s will?"

Dian Wei was startled for a moment, then nodded.

Cao Peng smiled. "Then what are you afraid of? With the Lord’s support, that is enough! Xu Chu may have the great families of Yingchuan behind him, but Uncle Dian, you can also gather allies."

"Me?" Dian Wei shook his head repeatedly. "Absolutely not. The Lord trusts me precisely because I never meddle in factional intrigue. If I were to change that, it would surely affect his trust in me. Afu, do not worry about me. Xu Zhongkang may be formidable, but I am not afraid of him."

"I am not asking you to form factions. I am asking you to recruit the Tiger Guards through the Lord."

"Through the Lord?"

Cao Peng smiled. "Lord Cao has many clansmen who are seasoned in war. Not to mention the elite troops under Generals Cao Ren and Cao Hong, even the commands of Generals Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan are full of capable men. Xu Chu’s Tiger Guards are mostly his own clansmen. If Uncle Dian wants to hold him down, you must act through the people close to Lord Cao. Call up the finest soldiers of Yu Province and select the Tiger Guards from among them. Even if Xu Chu has the support of the Yingchuan great families, what can he do then? Moreover, by mobilizing troops this way, you can use the chance to draw closer to Lord Cao’s clansmen.

"I think Lord Cao would not suspect you of selfish motives. He may even be grateful to you for it..."

After hearing this, Dian Wei fell into thought for a while, then nodded lightly.

"Still, I remain worried about A Man. When he comes back, I would like you to look after him a bit. What do you say?"

Cao Peng widened his eyes. "I look after him?"

He had not been in Xuchang for long, but he had heard a fair bit about the eldest young master of the Dian family.

That was a man with a fiery temper, fond of quarrels and rough competition.

If he happened to anger the fellow, would he not be inviting trouble for himself?

But since Dian Wei had asked, Cao Peng could hardly refuse. After a brief hesitation, he said softly, "Since Uncle thinks so highly of me, I shall do my best."

"Good, good!" Dian Wei let out a long breath when Cao Peng agreed.

"Oh, and I am planning to move to the fortified manor with my father. I wonder if that would be acceptable?"

Dian Wei did not answer at once, but asked instead, "Afu, tell me honestly. Your father... Brother Cao, can he really make blades?"

Cao Peng smiled. "My father possesses a secret family method passed down through the generations, but because he fears arousing envy, he has never dared to reveal it.

"Uncle Dian need only rest assured. My father can not only forge blades, but forge good blades as well... It is just that in order to make truly fine blades, we will need Uncle Dian’s cooperation."

"No problem!" Dian Wei thumped his chest in assurance. When Cao Ji had first brought up the matter of forging blades, Dian Wei had been somewhat doubtful. But now that Cao Peng said the same, he immediately felt reassured. Why? Even he could not say. In any case, he was willing to trust Cao Peng. "What do you need me to do? In truth, if Brother Cao can really forge good blades, then anything is possible."

"No, forging the blades is easy. What is difficult is making a name."

"What do you mean?"

"I want my father to enter the Ministry of Metalworks, but he lacks fame. Even if he gets in, it will be hard for Lord Cao to value him... Even if Uncle Dian recommends him to Lord Cao, I doubt the effect will be very great. So I want to use this blade-forging opportunity to make my father renowned.

"As for the forging itself, my father can handle it.

"But for some matters outside the furnace, I would like Uncle to lend a hand and cooperate with us... If this succeeds, Uncle may also gain great merit before Lord Cao."

Dian Wei’s eyes lit up. "How should it be done?"

Cao Peng stood up and leaned close to Dian Wei’s ear, speaking in a low voice.

"Tomorrow, you shall do it thus and so..."

At first Dian Wei’s brows were tightly furrowed. Gradually, however, a smile appeared on his face.

He narrowed his eyes and nodded lightly. After a long while, he suddenly burst into laughter. "Afu, this idea of yours is truly ingenious beyond measure."

Cao Peng settled back down with composure, a brilliant smile on his face.

Wasn’t it only a matter of making his father famous throughout the realm? What difficulty could there be in that?

Though he had not studied advertising in his past life, he had long committed to memory the art of overwhelming promotion. If one had never tasted lamb, did that mean one had never seen sheep running all over the hills? The promotional methods of later ages could be used just as well in this era.

At the same time, within the grand hall of the Carriage-and-Cavalry Residence, Cao Cao reclined on his couch with one side of his body resting on it, his pair of phoenix eyes half-lidded as he listened to the servants’ report.

"The group that came together with General Dian seem, from their accent, to be from Nanyang Commandery, though not with the local accent of Wancheng. When General Dian was feasting in the residence, they went to his home. Afterward, several people drove a carriage out and exchanged two ingots of gold at a merchant house inside the west city gate, for a total of more than seven hundred twenty strings of cash... That merchant house has no issue; it was originally one of Lord Cao’s family properties, and the one in charge is also a guest of the Cao household. The six gold ingots, weighing about nine catties, are not a problem either; they are gold ingots circulating in the market."

"Then this family has no problem?"

"There should be no serious issue... These people actually belong to three households. The main one bears the Lord’s own family name. The head of the house is named Cao Ji, said to be a blacksmith. He has a son named Cao Peng, very clever... In addition, his son-in-law Deng Ji, from Jiyang’s Deng Village, was originally a minor official in Jiyang County. According to Man Boning, this man is highly talented. There is also a father and son pair named Wang, who are neighbors of the Cao family. But it is said that this Wang father and son do not seem ordinary; they also have more than a dozen retainers with them."

"Retainers? A blacksmith’s neighbors, and they have retainers?"

"The men under Man Boning said that Wang Meng had originally been a mountain bandit in Nanyang Commandery, but later quit that life. This time, for reasons unknown, he reunited with those bandits and came together with General Dian to Xuchang."

Cao Cao lightly stroked his beard with his fingers. After a long while, he said, "Immediately send men to Jiyang to inquire into the background of these people."

"Should we also confer rewards upon the Cao family?"

Cao Cao thought for a moment, then smiled. "Why not? Send someone tomorrow and bestow on them one hundred catties of gold, thirty bolts of silk, and three hundred hu of grain. Whether true or false, they did at least save Junming. With Junming at my side, from now on I can sleep soundly through the night without remaining alert."

"And General Dian..."

Cao Cao waved a hand and smiled. "There is no need to investigate Junming any further.

"I know what kind of man he is. He would never do anything to betray his lord... but as for him and Zhongkang, in the end one of them must come out ahead."

"Yes!"

Cao Cao waved a hand, signaling the man to withdraw.

He sat up from the couch, took up a scroll, and read by candlelight.

After a while, he set the book down again, rose to his feet, and slowly paced to the doorway.

The night was deep. Stroking his beard, he seemed to murmur to himself, "Junming, if you do not fail me, I will never fail you..."

Thanks to the generous support of many readers.