Three Kingdoms: Prince of the Great Wei, Prime Minister Cao

Chapter 40: Cao Cao: My Son’s Filial Piety Is About to Kill Me!

Cao Cao looked at his son Cao Ju’s unconventional response with a complex and exasperated gaze…For a moment, he wasn’t sure whether to regard Cao Ju’s answer as good or bad. Compared to the answer of his fourth son, Cao Zhang, at least Cao Ju’s response showed some thought.

The art of balancing as an emperor was skillfully evident in his answer. If he could shoulder the great responsibilities in the future, perhaps he might achieve the highest among all his sons.

But compared to Cao Pi’s response?

Cao Cao couldn’t see a trace of filial piety in this rebellious son, which was disappointing. Satisfied yet dissatisfied! Such were Cao Cao’s immediate feelings about Cao Ju’s response. Caught in this contradiction, praising seemed out of the question.

But as for criticism?

It couldn’t be said to be wrong. One could even argue that his answer aligned with the rules he had set earlier.

“Zhiwen, Zihuan, what do you think…”

“About Zhimu’s response?”

Cao Cao threw this question to his other two sons in his extreme headache, leaving it to them to evaluate.

“The eighth brother is just playing clever tricks! Father, didn’t you just say it earlier? A wounded beast is even scarier.”

“Zhimu’s actions here, failing to shoot the tiger, will probably end up being eaten by the tiger and wolf together.”

Cao Zhang’s response was straightforward. He also looked down considerably on Cao Ju’s answer. He didn’t delve deeper; he merely saw the surface of the problem.

“What about Zihuan?”

“Do you think the same way?”

Cao Cao turned to Cao Pi, wanting to hear the son’s perspective, whose response had pleased him greatly. Cao Pi glanced at Cao Ju. With his level of cunning, how could he not see the brilliance in Cao Ju’s answer?

Frankly speaking, If he were in Cao Ju’s position, he couldn’t have come up with such a stunning answer. It was like an exam paper with a full score of a hundred. Cao Pi, grounded in filial piety and brotherly love, had achieved the full score of a hundred that his father, Cao Cao, had expected. But his eighth brother, although he might not necessarily achieve a perfect score of a hundred, his answer’s brilliance and the points he gained were far beyond a hundred.

“Father!” Cao Pi shook his head lightly. “Compared to what Zhumu said, I, Pi, am truly ashamed!”

As he spoke, Cao Pi glanced at Cao Ju and smiled at him, saying, “Zhimu, I admire you, my brother!”

Cao Ju, looking at his elder brother Cao Pi, who was showcasing their close brotherly relationship in front of everyone, responded with a smile of his own.

“Big brother, what are you talking about?”

“It’s your response that has left me feeling ashamed.” On the side, Cao Cao, observing the camaraderie between the two brothers, Cao Pi and Cao Ju, once again shot an annoyed glare at Cao Zhang. Zhiwen might be brave, but his temperament made getting along with his brothers challenging. However, outwardly, Cao Cao waved his hand to interrupt the mutual praise between the two brothers and again focused his gaze on Cao Ju.

“Zhimu, if you were facing a human, your method might be intimidating.”

“But don’t forget! Today, I posed the question using the context of tigers and wolves. As beasts, their instincts override intelligence; they won’t care about intimidation!”

“When that time comes…” A playful smile flickered in Cao Cao’s eyes.

“How would you handle it?”

This time, it was Cao Ju’s turn to exasperatedly look at his cunning father Cao Cao.

Can’t play along, huh?

Had to throw in an unexpected twist!

In that situation, he had only one option – to run as fast as possible. But the idea of pushing his elder brother out to feed the tigers and wolves? Out of the question! Absolutely out of the question! Cao Zimou wasn’t that kind of person.

How could he stand by and let his sister-in-law Zhen Ji become a widow or leave her alone in an empty house? He, the most “caring” and “loving” younger brother-in-law, might complain in his thoughts, but when Cao Cao probed him, Cao Ju pretended to ponder before seriously responding.

“If, as Father said, wild beasts don’t heed intimidation…”

“Then.”

“Initially, your child wouldn’t do it this way.”

“Instead, I would choose another method.”

“Another method? Tell me about it, my son,” Cao Cao interjected, genuinely curious this time.

Unexpectedly, facing his father’s challenge, Cao Ju quickly devised a solution born out of necessity, not a prepared alternative answer.

“That would be…”

Cao Ju explained, “Your child would have the fourth brother, who has the strength to fight a tiger, take on the fierce tiger. For him, this shouldn’t be difficult.”

“As for me and the third brother, Cao Pi…”

“We would confront the starving wolf barehanded. While our martial prowess isn’t comparable to the fourth brother’s, we can face a mere wolf together.”

“As for bows, crossbows, and arrows.”

“All would be left in your hands, Father.”

“They can be used for defense, to assist us in shooting arrows from the side during the hunt.”

“They can also…”

Cao Ju paused briefly.

They could also transform into “Inferno,” the League of Legends champion with a 100% win rate in professional play, a champion exclusive to Wang Xiaozhang, the headmaster of the League of Legends Heroes’ League…

Pointing his bow and arrow at the backs of the three brothers, he could utter… “Who dares to retreat?”

If they weren’t willing to do that. His father, Cao Cao, could also use the opportunity when the three brothers were engaging the wild beasts to grab a weapon and find another safe place. But Cao Ju didn’t mention these two possibilities. Instead, he smiled, “They can also serve as a warning from the side to guard against other potential dangers.”

“Or if that’s not feasible!”

“Father, you could also use this opportunity to practice your archery skills. Perhaps under the pressure of life and death, you might also be able to develop the skill of shooting bullseyes from a hundred steps away, like Lu Bu and Huang Hansheng!” At the end of his words, Cao Ju’s face lost its seriousness again.

As for Cao Cao, he looked at Cao Ju, who had given another unexpected answer, and the feeling of exasperation grew stronger. Compared to Cao Ju’s first answer, this one incorporated “filial piety,” but there was something odd about it. Filial piety was evident because only this son had thought to hand the bow and arrows to his father first. The odd part was that… ask anyone in the world: where would you find a father who stands behind wielding a weapon while letting his son face danger?

This rebellious child. He didn’t just hand over the bow and arrows to his father. He simply returned the question to him unchanged. He even added a challenge: Faced with the choice between his son fighting against the beast and his safety…

With a weapon in hand, Cao Cao.

What would he do?

Would he act like the many lords and fathers who didn’t step into danger, keeping a weapon hidden in their person?

Or…

Would he become a qualified father?