What should be brought to the imperial palace for looting? Cao Rui was confused for a moment.
In a battle involving over 100,000 people and a complex array of military affairs, the military in Cao Tai's camp had indeed reported a special seizure to Shoushen in a previous document. However, Cao Rui had not paid much attention to this report before.
Cao Tai smiled awkwardly and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, I seized a woman at Wankou who claims to be Sun Quan's daughter, Sun Lubaan. She has been brought to the outside of the palace. Would Your Majesty like to see her?"
Cao Tai is also a middle-aged general in his forties. He is tall and well-built with a thick beard, and such a warrior smiling seems to be overly flattering.
Cao Rui, with his hands on his hips and a half-smile on his face, asked Cao Tai, "What does General Cao mean by this?"
Cao Tai replied, "Your Majesty, when we launched a surprise attack on the Wu army at Wankou, they scattered and this woman did not have time to escape, so she was captured by my troops. According to the precedent of the court, traditionally, the families of those who rebel or follow rebels are to have their female members confiscated for service in the palace."
"Your Majesty, I am simply following the usual practices of the court. I have no other intentions," Cao Tai smiled and said, "Let someone bring her in?"
If I have to find a reason, Cao Tai's statement is indeed correct. The earliest example can be set aside. In Emperor Cao Pi's Huangchu year, Qiu Yanzhi led an uprising in the whole prefecture of Xiping in Qiangzhou.
At that time, the Jincheng Prefect Su Zé led General Hao Zhao to quell the rebellion led by Qiu Yanzhi, and they captured members of several prominent clans in Xiping to Luoyang. Among them, a daughter of the Guo clan of Xiping was sent into the palace in Luoyang.
The so-called Xiping was a new county established during the period of the Eastern Han Dynasty when the Jincheng County of the Western region was divided out. The county seat was located in the western capital, which is modern-day Xining, near Qinghai Lake.
Cao Rui was well aware of the Guo incident. He had once seen Guo in the palace, but at that time he was busy with southern campaigns and did not have the time or intention to favor her.
Cao Rui was aware of this custom. Since Cao Tai had mentioned it, there was no harm in taking a look; it would just be a trivial ornament to brighten up the monotonous days.
Cao Rui nodded and said, "Then bring her in. I will wait here."
Cao Tai, after receiving the order, turned around and went out. Cao Rui also returned to his desk and began reviewing the documents.
After a while, Cao Tai and two guards led Sun Lubaan into the room.
Sun Lubaan, after all, was a captive. Her hands were bound in front of her, and her wrists were tied with a rope. This made her plump and well-proportioned figure even more prominent. Her pretty face had originally shown a hint of anger, but when the emperor sitting behind the desk looked at her, her heart began to beat faster. She didn't know what to say for a moment.
Sun Lubaan knew she was going to be sent to Shoushen. Today, she also knew that Cao Tai would take her to the emperor's presence. For the Cao family, people from Jiangdong always demonized them. Sun Lubaan remembers that people from Jiangdong referred to Cao Cao as what – the traitor Cao and the old villain.
The current emperor of the Wei Dynasty is the grandson of the traitor Cao, and he must also be a ugly and ferocious man. General Cao Tai brought her to Shoushen to offer her to the Wei emperor. If this Wei emperor were to do anything improper with her, she would show him that there are also heroic women in the Sun clan.
As the daughter of Sun Quan, Sun Lubaan was not an uneducated woman. She had seen many talented people from Jiangdong in Jianye and Wuchang, and she had been married to Zhou Yu's son Zhou Xun.
Zhou Xun was tall and handsome like his father Zhou Yu. Before that, Sun Quan had also tried to match the widow Sun Lubaan with General Quan Cong. After following her father to Wankou, she had also seen General Quan Cong a few times and had become somewhat satisfied with his stern face.
But neither Zhou Xun nor Quan Cong, in terms of appearance and demeanor, could compare to the half of this Wei emperor. As the extremely handsome face looked up slightly and straight at her, Sun Lubaan was immediately thrown into disarray.
At this time, Cao Tai said, "Your Majesty, I would like to wait outside. Should these two bodyguards also stay here to protect you?"
Cao Rui glanced at Cao Tai and shook his head slightly, "I learned martial arts at the age of ten. A woman? Can she threaten me?"
Cao Tai smiled, bowed, and then turned around to walk out slowly. The two tiger guards followed suit and exited as well. As they reached the door, they were considerate enough to close the hall door behind them.
Cao Tai himself had not noticed the figure standing in the corner of the room. At this moment, Xiahou Xuan was watching things from a distance and felt that something was not right. He quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I also wish to wait outside the hall."
Without waiting for the emperor's response, Xiahou Xuan quickly took a few steps out and quickly exited through the partially closed door by holding it with his hand and squeezing himself through.
Only Emperor Cao Rui and Sun Lubaan remained in the hall.
As a ruler, one must have the demeanor of a ruler, and the most important aspect is to always prioritize oneself and use everything for one's own purposes. Therefore, from the perspective of others, the emperor's eyes always had an aggressive and imposing aura.
Cao Rui looked up and down at Sun Lubaan. She wore a look of confusion, with her wide-open eyes staring anxiously at the ground. A jade hairpin was inserted into her bun at the back of her head, and the pearls hanging from her earlobes complemented her already fair complexion.
As the emperor in front looked at her face and figure with utter disregard, Sun Lubaan's face began to blush slightly.
Sun Lubaan slightly clenched her teeth and raised her head to look at the emperor with determination, "Your Majesty, do you need to see me until when?"
Cao Rui showed a hint of surprise: "I haven't asked you yet, and you are asking me first."
Sun Lubaan held back her emotions and forced herself to say, "There is no such thing as looking at people like this. I beg Your Majesty to treat me with respect."
Cao Rui smiled lightly: "Since you know that I am the emperor, how can you talk to me like that? You are now my captive."
Sun Lubaan said, "As a captive, if you want to kill or hurt me, please do it quickly."
Cao Rui shook his head lightly, "Sun Lubaan, is that so? I've heard you are known as Da Hu. You really are a tiger's daughter from a military family. Your father, Sun Quan, was also once a minister of the Great Wei. It would be better for you to refer to yourself as the daughter of a subject before me."
Sun Lubaan understood the emperor's teasing tone, and she was not at all angry at her previous words. Thus, she began to gain more confidence.
Sun Lubaan looked up at the extremely handsome face of the emperor, and their eyes met. She looked into the emperor's eyes and said, "If I, Sun Lubaan, am a born warrior, then since the Cao family has unified the nine states, isn't Your Majesty also a born warrior?"
"Ha ha ha." Cao Rui laughed. Since the southern tour of Luoyang, he has been busy with military affairs and dealing with governance, almost without a moment of leisure. Now that most of the busy and trivial matters have been resolved, having such a charming and witty woman challenging him is indeed a rare enjoyment.
Indeed, it is a bit of banter. The phrase 'proud of one's military birthright' is used to retort the emperor's words back at him. And what is meant by 'unify the nine states', since Wei has never truly unified the world, the term 'nine states' can only refer to nine of the thirteen states under Wei.
Cao Rui looked at Sun Lubaan, "I won't play word games with you anymore. Although your father, Sun Quan, was a rebel, he was also once a minister of the Great Wei. When you reach Shoushen, I can't let you go back, so in the future I will have to bring your father and mother to the Great Wei to pay homage to me."
"Da Hu, is that so? Do you want to be a servant by my side?" Cao Rui asked. "If you don't want to, I can find a loyal and widowed general to marry you."
Cao Rui spoke this with a smile, but the implication of his words was not something Sun Lubaan could ignore lightly. The emperor said he would marry her to any general, and according to the customs of this era, he would indeed do so.
Cao Rui did not speak, but simply sat on the hall and looked at Sun Lubaan's face. Sun Lubaan slightly bowed her head, her eyes moving restlessly around. After a moment of thought, she glanced up at the emperor, only to meet his gaze again.
She had to admit that he was after all the emperor, with such a handsome appearance. Among the many heroes in the Jiangdong region, none could compare to his beauty. Even her own father was only the King of Wu.
Under the eaves of the hall, she was also forced into it, which wasn't against her father's wishes. If... If serving the emperor, it wouldn't be a bad thing, would it?
Sun Lubaan gently nodded her head and said to the emperor, "I, Sun Lubaan, accept your command and am willing to serve Your Majesty."
Cao Rui pointed to the spot next to himself and said, "Come over here and sit next to me."
Sun Lubaan had just agreed to the emperor's request, so she naturally could not refuse his order. At this moment, although she was not sure what the emperor intended to do, as a mature woman who had been married and widowed for several years, with a mix of unease and slight excitement in her heart, she unconsciously followed the emperor's instructions and took small steps towards the table where he sat.
At this time, Cao Rui also stood up from his seat and took two steps forward to stand in front of Sun Lubaan. Sun Lubaan was half a head shorter than him, and from close up, the blush on her face could be seen clearly.
"Lift your hand." Cao Rui whispered.
"Ah?" Sun Lubaan was taken aback and looked up at the emperor. At such close range, she could almost see the emperor's lashes.
Cao Rui slightly furrowed his brow, "Lift your hand. I will untie you."
Sun Lubaan's blush on her face spread even more. When she raised her wrists from below, it emphasized her graceful figure even more.
Cao Rui didn't say much, after he untied the ropes tied around Sun Lubaan's wrists, he saw the indented and red bruises left by the tightness. He shook his head slightly. He couldn't figure out who tied the ropes so tightly. Sun Lubaan was just a woman and she couldn't fly.
The ropes had been untied, and Cao Rui gently lifted Sun Lubaan's chin with his hand, examining her face for a few moments before turning around and sitting down on the mat.
As Sun Lubaan was still in a daze, the emperor pointed to the door and said to her, "Go out by yourself now. The door is over there. After you go out, call back General Cao Tai and let Xiahou Xuan come in."
Seeing that Sun Lubaan didn't move, Cao Rui shook his head: "Do you want me to personally see you off?"
Sun Lubaan looked even more flustered, and then she deeply bowed, turned around, and quickly walked out.
At this moment, the emperor sat on the hall, silently watching Sun Lubaan as she walked out.
(End of this chapter)
