Chapter One Hundred Eleven: Seeing You Off to the Heights of Success

Xun Yu’s sachet was exquisitely crafted. A later poem said, “He Lang applies powder with care; Lord Xun leaves an enduring fragrance on his hem.” The “Lord Xun” mentioned here referred to Xun Yu himself. After Cao Cao escorted the emperor back, Xun Yu continuously held the position of Minister of the Secretariat, hence the title “Lord Xun” naturally came into use.

As for the phrase “leaves fragrance on the hem for five days,” it meant that after sitting in one place, the scent lingered for five days. Simply put, this gentleman had a fondness for wearing sachets, which were made of silk and crafted with utmost delicacy. The brocade pouch in Cao Hong’s hand came from Xun Yu. For someone who favored such exquisite sachets, having a beautiful brocade pouch at hand was only natural.

However, Cao Hong had no interest in admiring the patterns. Instead, he pondered whether to open it upon reaching Juancheng County in Jiyin Commandery or to satisfy his curiosity by opening it right then and there. As he hesitated, Cao Fu suddenly arrived, panting heavily, calling out, “Young master! Young master! Madam… is about to give birth.”

“Ah? I’ll be there immediately!” Cao Hong said, putting away the brocade pouch and hastening to the courtyard where Sheng Meizhen was staying. Upon arrival, he saw the Qiao sisters anxiously standing at the door. Both called out “Husband” upon seeing Cao Hong and stepped forward.

Da Qiao said, “Husband, the midwife is inside helping sister deliver.”

Cao Hong listened carefully and heard the midwife repeatedly urging, “Push, push!”

Sheng Meizhen emitted suppressed groans. Natural childbirth was excruciating, but she did not scream aloud, only muffled sounds, revealing her gentle yet resolute nature.

This was not something Cao Hong could assist with; he merely nodded and smiled at the two sisters. “Our elder brother will soon order me to station troops in Juancheng County, Jiyin Commandery, and recruit soldiers there. I’ll be stationed there for a while. The child’s arrival is timely, just enough for me to have a glimpse.”

At that moment, a loud cry came from the room. The midwife immediately emerged, smiling at Cao Hong. “Congratulations, young master. It’s a beautiful baby girl.”

It was indeed a girl! Could it be that they were truly destined to become in-laws with Xun Yu? Cao Hong thought to himself and said aloud, “Uncle Fu, please take the midwife to receive the reward money.”

Cao Fu agreed and left with the midwife. After waiting a while longer outside with the Qiao sisters, a young maid came out and said, “Young master, we’ve washed the baby and cut the umbilical cord.”

Cao Hong nodded and entered the room with the Qiao sisters, seeing a small infant wrapped in silk cloth lying beside Sheng Meizhen. Her face pale, Sheng Meizhen tenderly stroked her child. Cao Hong stepped forward and carefully examined his daughter, who had ceased crying and was staring at something intently.

The baby’s skin was fair, her features delicate and charming. Cao Hong held Sheng Meizhen’s other hand and smiled, “Madam, you’ve worked hard.”

Sheng Meizhen smiled and shook her head but said nothing. Childbirth was exhausting and left her too weak to speak. The Qiao sisters, however, were overjoyed upon seeing the baby. Xiao Qiao stepped forward with a smile, “What a lovely child. I wonder if she looks more like husband or like sister.”

Da Qiao smiled and said, “Her eyebrows and eyes will surely be as spirited as husband’s, and her nose and mouth as delicate as sister’s.”

At that time, it was customary not to give a newborn a formal name immediately, often just a pet name until the child could speak. But Cao Hong was not fond of this tradition, so he smiled at Sheng Meizhen and said, “Meizhen, please give our child a name.”

With a faint voice, Sheng Meizhen asked, “Husband, won’t you name her?”

Cao Hong laughed, “Boys’ names come from the Analects; girls’ names from the Book of Songs. Speaking of the Book of Songs, you know it better than I do.”

Sheng Meizhen smiled and said, “The moon rises bright; a graceful one appears. Our daughter will surely be more beautiful than the moon. Let’s name her ‘Jiao’.”

Da Qiao was the first to smile, “Cao Jiao, a good name indeed.”

Xiao Qiao said, “But no courtesy name yet.”

Sheng Meizhen replied, “That can wait until she comes of age.”

Cao Hong nodded, “Yes, the courtesy name can be given when she marries.” Then he said to Sheng Meizhen, “Meizhen, you’ve been through a lot. You need to rest well.”

Sheng Meizhen said, “I just want to look at our child a bit longer.”

Cao Hong nodded, “If you need to rest, have the servants watch over her. I must prepare to lead troops to Juancheng. I can’t stay long.”

Sheng Meizhen smiled, “Our elder brother’s foundation is not yet firm; it’s a critical time to use capable men. Husband, do not let personal matters interfere with public duty.”

Cao Hong spoke softly, “Madam truly understands.” Then to the Qiao sisters, “Please stay with Madam for a while.”

After they agreed, Cao Hong left the room and strolled in the courtyard. In truth, he had passed through Jiyin Commandery on the way from Xiangyi with troops, but had not gone to Juancheng, which lay on the border of Dong Commandery. Cao Hong had entered Dong Commandery from another direction, and since the military maps showed no signs of bandits or strong tribes in Juancheng, he had no reason to head there deliberately.

Now, the order to station troops in Juancheng puzzled Cao Hong. Xun Yu had said it was an honorable duty, so it must be correct. But what kind of duty it was, Cao Hong could not understand. He pondered but could not find an answer or recall anything special about Juancheng in history.

So, Cao Hong decided to open the brocade pouch Xun Yu had given him in advance. To him, the pouch was inanimate, but people were alive; even if he saw the strategy now, he could wait for the right moment to act.

Yet when Cao Hong took out the pouch and opened it, he was even more baffled. Inside, there was only a single large character: “Defend.” Cao Hong was utterly puzzled and muttered to himself, “What… is this supposed to mean?”

Meanwhile, in the government office of Dong Wuyang County, Cao Cao and Xun Yu sat facing each other. Cao Cao said, “Wenruo, why not plainly state the purpose of this mission instead of posing such a riddle?”

Xun Yu smiled, “My lord, do you not wish General Zilian to become a commander capable of standing on his own? If he can deduce your purpose from this single character on his own, it would prove that General Zilian is truly exceptional in intelligence. I dare assert that among all your generals, only General Zilian could grasp the profound meaning of this character.”

Cao Cao laughed, “And if Zilian cannot guess it?”

Xun Yu smiled, “Then at best, General Zilian is a talent for a hundred li, but not a commander who can lead armies across the realm.”

Cao Cao laughed heartily, “In three days, we shall see.”

Xun Yu smiled silently, thinking, “General Zilian, this plan is like a favorable wind propelling you upwards. Whether you can surpass other generals depends on whether you, a disciple taught face-to-face by Master He Shaogong, can grasp the situation and act accordingly.”