Three Kingdoms: The Peerless Strategist of Wei

Chapter 26: 50,000 , Father-in-law, are you buying or not?

"But now that you have saved my life, young master, you have been very caring towards me these past few days, taking meticulous care of me in every way."

"I can also see that you have no interest in worldly fame and fortune, and only want to live a carefree life in the countryside."

"That's why Wan'er dared to tell the whole truth to the young master."

Da Qiao explained softly, and when she talked about how Gu Cheng had taken care of her these days, a faint blush rose on her cheeks, and her eyes showed a hint of shyness that she could not hide.

Gu Cheng immediately understood her thoughts.

She had previously feared that she would offer herself and the Imperial Seal of the State in exchange for an official position and a title from the court.

Only now, after seeing clearly his intention to live in seclusion and have no desire to serve in office, have I been able to completely dispel my concerns.

"You've given me the Imperial Seal of the State, but you've given me a hot potato."

Gu Cheng toyed with the jade seal in his hand, his brows furrowing slightly, and spoke.

Da Qiao smiled and said, "This item symbolizes the mandate of heaven. Countless warlords and heroes throughout the world have dreamed of it, but have never obtained it in their entire lives. Now that you have obtained such a rare treasure, why are you having a headache?"

"You yourself said that this is something those warlords and powerful figures dream of. I'm just a leisurely man from the countryside; what use is it to me?"

Gu Cheng asked in return.

Da Qiao was slightly taken aback, then suddenly realized, and said with a wry smile, "That's right, Wan'er only thought of giving you a generous gift as a way of repaying your life-saving grace, I didn't think about it this much..."

"Never mind, in the end, this is your way of showing your appreciation."

Gu Cheng smiled again: "I will accept this Imperial Seal. As for you, just stay here with me and don't worry that I will hand you over. As for your identity, heaven, earth, you and I know, that's enough."

"Wan'er thanks you, young master~"

Da Qiao's face lit up with joy, and she curtsied deeply to Gu Cheng.

Gu Cheng gently told her to take good care of herself, then picked up the Imperial Seal of the State and slowly walked away.

He returned to his courtyard, gazed at the jade seal in his hand, and muttered to himself, "To me, this thing is no different from an ordinary brick. You can use a brick to crack walnuts..."

Just as he mentioned walnuts, Gu Cheng caught a glimpse of a plate full of them on a stone table to the side.

He suddenly had an idea, picked out the largest one, picked up the Imperial Seal of the State, and smashed it down hard.

"Click!"

The hard walnut shell shattered with a crack.

"I didn't expect it could actually crack a walnut. Not bad, at least we've found a good way to reuse this thing."

Gu Cheng casually tossed the imperial seal aside and began peeling and eating walnuts.

Just then, outside the gate of the Gu residence...

Cao Cao, dressed in ordinary clothes, appeared quietly outside the gate of the mansion with Xi Zhicai and Dian Wei.

Two months earlier, Liu Bei had already sent Mi Zhu to Xuchang in secret, hoping to befriend Cao Cao and join forces to deal with Lü Bu.

Because Cao Cao was busy leading his troops to attack Yuan Shu at the time, he had put the matter aside. Now that the army had returned to the capital, the matter was naturally put back on the agenda.

Among the many strategists under his command, some strongly advocated accepting Liu Bei's secret allegiance, as this would be an opportunity to win over people's hearts and gather talented individuals.

Others hold the opposite view, arguing that when Liu Bei was the governor of Xuzhou, he had fought against Cao Cao, and that Liu Bei was a very cunning man who should not be easily trusted.

Cao Cao was also unable to make a decision for a while, so he simply changed into plain clothes and left Xuchang to come here specifically to hear his son-in-law's opinion and ideas.

"Zhicai, the whereabouts of the Imperial Seal must be searched and tracked down with utmost urgency. It must not fall into the hands of others, especially not Yuan Shao of Hebei!"

Cao Cao lowered his voice and solemnly instructed.

Xi Zhicai bowed and replied, "Your Excellency, please rest assured. I have already ordered the Secret Investigation Division to dispatch personnel to search in all directions."

Cao Cao nodded slightly. Seeing that they had arrived at the gate of the Gu residence, he gestured for Dian Wei to step forward and knock on the door.

He was a frequent visitor to the Gu residence, and as Gu Cheng's father-in-law, the servants at the gate immediately and politely welcomed the group inside.

Cao Cao walked straight to the inner courtyard and immediately saw Gu Cheng sitting on a stone bench, sipping wine and peeling walnuts, living a carefree and leisurely life.

"My dear son-in-law, you are living a truly carefree life."

Cao Cao, with a smile on his face, slowly walked forward.

When Gu Cheng saw that it was Cao Cao who had come, he quickly got up to greet him and said with a smile, "How come you have such a leisurely mood today, Father-in-law, that you have come all the way to visit your son-in-law?"

Cao Cao feigned displeasure and said, "You have the nerve to say that? You left without a word, without even saying goodbye to me. You were gone for two whole months. When you came back, you didn't even come to me to let me know you were safe."

"I should indeed let my father-in-law know I'm safe. This was my oversight. Consider this drink my apology to my father-in-law."

Gu Cheng quickly filled Cao Cao's cup with wine and presented it with both hands while smiling.

Cao Cao wasn't really blaming him. He took the wine cup and drank it all in one gulp. The displeasure on his face had long since vanished, and his expression instantly brightened.

The father-in-law and son-in-law then sat down facing each other.

Gu Cheng smiled and said, "Father-in-law, these walnuts are a local specialty of Huainan. Why don't you try some?"

Before he finished speaking, he casually picked up the Imperial Seal of the State from the side and cracked open a walnut for Cao Cao with a "snap".

Cao Cao thought to himself, "I personally led the troops to conquer Huainan. What local delicacies haven't I tasted? Let alone this mere walnut."

However, since it was a token of his son-in-law's goodwill, Cao Cao happily accepted it.

Xi Zhicai's gaze inadvertently swept over what Gu Cheng was holding, his pupils suddenly contracted, and his eyes were instantly stunned.

"Master, something seems off about the thing your son-in-law uses to crack walnuts."

He quickly lowered his voice and hurriedly reminded him.

Cao Cao, reminded by him, glanced up and looked over inadvertently.

In an instant.

Cao Cao was suddenly jolted, his eyes narrowed sharply, and he reached out and grabbed the Imperial Seal of the State.

"Oh no, I completely forgot to put this away!"

Gu Cheng instantly realized something was wrong, and his brows furrowed slightly.

But then I thought again, the person sitting in front of me wasn't an outsider, but my own father-in-law. Our two families were in the same boat, so even if he found out, it wouldn't be a big deal.

"My dear son-in-law, this, this..."

Cao Cao held the Imperial Seal of the State in both hands, his eyes filled with excitement and astonishment, staring straight at Gu Cheng.

Gu Cheng smiled faintly and said, "Father-in-law, you recognized it? That's right, this is indeed the Imperial Seal of the State."

Both Cao Cao and Xi Zhicai were startled and gasped in unison.

This Imperial Seal is a national treasure, a symbol of power and authority over the entire country.

Gu Cheng actually used it to crack walnuts!

Throughout history, he is absolutely the first person to dare to desecrate the Imperial Seal of the State in such a way.

"This imperial seal was originally in Yuan Shu's possession, but it disappeared after the fall of Shouchun. How did it end up in your hands, my son-in-law?"

Cao Cao barely managed to calm his turbulent emotions and asked with a puzzled expression.

"If I told my father-in-law I found this, would he believe me or not?"

Gu Cheng, with a serious expression, asked in return.

"Found it?"

Cao Cao was taken aback at first, then frowned and said, "This is the Imperial Seal of the State, not some roadside stone. You can't just pick it up like that. Don't joke with me like that!"

Seeing that he couldn't get away with it, Gu Cheng had no choice but to make up a story. He said that he had accidentally stumbled upon a carriage belonging to Yuan Shu's defeated army near Xia Cai City and found the jade seal on the body of a Yuan general who had already died in battle.

Xia Cai City was not far from Shouchun, and it was obtained from Yuan's soldiers, so Gu Cheng's explanation did not arouse Cao Cao's suspicion at all.

"I was just worried about the whereabouts of this imperial seal, searching everywhere without success, when I never expected it to fall into the hands of my own son-in-law, and even be delivered right to my doorstep. My worthy son-in-law is truly a divine gift from heaven to Cao Cao!"

Cao Cao examined the imperial seal in his hand repeatedly, feeling a surge of emotion in his heart, while his face was filled with unbridled joy, and a smile appeared on his face.

Just then.

Gu Cheng reached out and took the jade seal back from his hand, then cracked open a walnut with a "crack".

Cao Cao and Xi Zhicai stared wide-eyed, completely dumbfounded, and even stopped breathing.

Gu Cheng, however, seemed oblivious to everyone else. After finishing the walnut kernels in his hand, he picked up the jade seal and was about to smash it down again.

"This is the Imperial Seal of the State! My dear son-in-law, you actually used it to crack walnuts! You, you—"

Cao Cao quickly snatched the imperial seal and hurriedly examined it from all angles to see if there were any bumps or damage, his face full of heartache.

Gu Cheng, however, said dismissively, "This Imperial Seal is a priceless treasure to those feudal lords vying for power, but to me, it's only good for cracking walnuts."

Cao Cao was stunned on the spot, and for a moment he was speechless and had no way to refute what he said.

After a long while...

Cao Cao then calmed his agitated emotions and said with a smile, "Nephew, since you don't care about this thing, you can simply present this Imperial Seal to that Lord Cao."

"Absolutely not!"

Gu Cheng immediately refused: "Cao Mengde always rewards merit. If I present this Imperial Seal to him, what if he insists on bestowing official titles and ranks upon me? Father-in-law, you know that I only want to live in seclusion in the countryside, earn a little money, and be a carefree and wealthy old man."

Cao Cao suddenly realized what was going on and didn't know how to respond.

Xi Zhicai rolled his eyes a few times, then stepped forward and said, "Young master, since that's the case, why don't you hand over this Imperial Seal to our master? Our master has his own connections and can get this item into Cao Cao's hands, which will also bring you unexpected benefits."

"Yes, my dear son-in-law, you can entrust this Imperial Seal to me."

Cao Cao immediately understood and quickly echoed his agreement.

Gu Cheng couldn't help but laugh as he watched the master and servant singing in harmony before him.

He knew perfectly well that his father-in-law was trying to use his connections to curry favor with him.

"The old man has some friends in the government. If he gives the Imperial Seal to his friend, his friend can use it to curry favor with Cao Cao and will surely be promoted and rewarded. He will then receive his due benefits."

"Ha, he's really got a clever plan. He's trying to get something for nothing from me."

Gu Cheng quickly changed his mind and immediately said, "Since Father-in-law wants this Imperial Seal, then I will sell it to you. We are all family, so I won't beat around the bush. One price, fifty million coins."

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao was truly at a loss for words, thinking to himself, "This kid is really a clever monkey; he won't even let his own father-in-law have any advantage."

Not only that, they also dared to ask for an exorbitant sum, demanding 50 million yuan with a single word.

"My dear son-in-law, we're all family. Do you really have to make money off me?"

Cao Cao feigned dissatisfaction and complained.

Gu Cheng, however, remained serious and said, "Business is business, and family is family. It is precisely because we are family that I only accepted fifty million coins from you, Father-in-law. If I were to sell this to Yuan Shao, Father-in-law, you might as well guess how much he is willing to pay."

Cao Cao sighed helplessly and said, "What you said is not wrong. If Yuan Shao could buy the Imperial Seal of the State, he would be willing to spend mountains of gold and silver."

"That's right, Father-in-law is indeed a wise and insightful man."

Gu Cheng gave a thumbs up and praised him with a smile.

Cao Cao shook his head and gave a wry smile, then immediately said, "Fine, fifty million it is. I'll take the Imperial Seal with me for now, and I'll send someone to deliver the money to you another day."

"Alright, father-in-law, just take it. We're all family, how could I not trust you?"

After Gu Cheng successfully completed the deal, he quickly filled Cao Cao's cup with wine.

Cao Cao hurriedly and solemnly handed the Imperial Seal of the State to Xi Zhicai, instructing him to keep it safe and close to his body.

After drinking the entire glass of wine.

Cao Cao casually remarked, as if making a casual conversation, "I heard from a friend in the court that Liu Bei has sent Mi Zhu to Xuchang, intending to secretly pledge allegiance to Minister Cao. Minister Cao is still hesitant. What do you think of this matter, my son-in-law?"

"Father-in-law, we finally get together, why do we always talk about these political and military matters? Can't we talk about something more relaxed?"

Gu Cheng complained with a helpless expression.

Cao Cao, however, persisted, saying, "What else can a man talk about if not important national affairs? Besides, you just made fifty million coins from me. Is it beneath you to talk to me about these important national matters?"

Gu Cheng couldn't refuse him, so he could only smile wryly and say, "Alright, alright, since father-in-law wants to chat, I'll keep you company to the end."

"Then tell me, if you were Cao Cao, would you accept Liu Bei's offer of allegiance or not?"

Cao Cao remained calm and slowly asked the question.

A chilling glint flashed in Gu Cheng's eyes, and he coldly snorted, "If I were Cao Cao, I would immediately send troops to conquer Xiaopei and kill Liu Bei with a single blow!"

Cao Cao shuddered slightly, a look of deep surprise flashing across his eyes. He involuntarily turned to look at Xi Zhicai beside him.