Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Guo Jia pushed the door open and saw the two people's slightly shy expressions. The corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly, and he said jokingly, "It seems that I came at the wrong time and disturbed you and Miss Yunlu." Cao Ang glared at Guo Jia and said, "Mr. Fengxiao, please don't joke with me. What is the purpose of your visit?"

Guo Jia's smile faded, his expression becoming serious. He said, "Sir, we have been lingering in Chang'an for many days. A fierce battle is underway in Luoyang with Yuan's army, and our mission has yet to progress. You are also injured. If we linger any longer, we will inevitably be punished by Cao Gong. In my opinion, we should return to Xudu as soon as possible and report the situation here to Cao Gong."

Upon hearing this, Ma Yunlu exclaimed, "Nonsense! How could he possibly make the long journey back to Xudu in his current state?" Guo Jia, his face filled with worry, explained, "Miss Yunlu, you don't know that our army is currently engaged in a fierce battle with Yuan Shao's army. Any further delay could mean the loss of our opportunity."

As they were talking, Cao Hong loudly reported from outside the door: "Master, Mr. Guo Fengxiao, the bags are packed and we are ready to leave at any time." Guo Jia replied: "Okay, you wait outside for a while. Once Master has finished packing, we will set off back to Xudu."

Ma Yunlu stood up suddenly and said loudly: "No, you can go back if you want, but you can't take him with you. How can his body bear it?" Guo Jia smiled bitterly and said helplessly: "Hey, Miss, this is not up to me. The war over there is raging and we can't delay any longer." Ma Yunlu was so anxious that his eyes turned red, and he said: "I will go and report to my father. You must not take him away before I come back, otherwise if my father vents his anger on me, you will be in trouble." Ma Yunlu was quite resentful of Guo Jia at this moment. He glared at him fiercely and ran out in a hurry.

Cao Ang looked at Guo Jia with a puzzled expression and said, "Sir, what do you mean? Why did you make Yun Lu so unhappy? How can we just leave today? How can we leave today?"

Guo Jia smiled slightly, leaned close to Cao Ang and whispered, "Young Master, I am deliberately provoking you. You can just rest here and recuperate, and wait for that old fox Li Ru to come and talk to us in person." Cao Ang was slightly stunned, as if he understood something.

Ma Yunlu hurried away, becoming increasingly anxious the more she thought about it. Her mind was preoccupied with Cao Ang's still-unhealed body. If she were to embark on the journey back to Xudu right now, how could he possibly bear it? As she thought about this, her steps became increasingly hurried, and as she walked, tears welled up in her eyes.

At this time, Ma Teng and Li Ru were discussing how to deal with the upcoming peace talks with the Cao family in their study, when they suddenly saw Ma Yunlu rushing in in a panic, her face covered in tears. Ma Teng's heart suddenly tightened, and he hurriedly asked, "Yunlu, what's wrong?"

As soon as Ma Yunlu saw his father, he seemed to have suffered a great injustice. He threw himself into Ma Teng's arms and cried, "Dad, Cao Ang and the others are leaving today. You must stop them. How can Cao Ang withstand such a long journey in his current state?"

Ma Teng was shocked, his brows furrowed. He said, "He's just been seriously injured. Leaving now is ridiculous!" As he spoke, he gently patted Ma Yunlu's back and coaxed his daughter, "It's okay, it's okay. Daddy is here to take care of everything. I will never let them leave like this and disregard Cao Ang's life."

Li Ru, standing by, narrowed his eyes slightly, his hand unconsciously tugging at his beard as he pondered, thinking to himself, "How impressive!" He then looked at Ma Yunlu and said slowly, "Miss Yunlu, there's no need to panic. In my opinion, this is just Guo Jia's trick to force us into an alliance."

Ma Yunlu looked puzzled, stopped crying and asked, "Mr. Wenyou, what do you mean by this?"

Li Ru smiled faintly and explained, "They came to negotiate with us, but we haven't explicitly agreed. It just so happened that Master Cao Ang was seriously injured while saving you, which is a critical moment. Guo Jia must have deliberately used this to manipulate our army. He knew we wouldn't just watch Cao Ang leave injured. Otherwise, Xiliang would be known as heartless and ungrateful. So, to avoid this, we had no choice but to approach them for talks."

Ma Yunlu listened to Li Ru's analysis and nodded, seeming to understand. Li Ru continued, "Miss Yunlu, please sit down. I will go and stop them myself later."

Ma Yunlu was still worried about Cao Ang's condition at this moment. She quickly wiped her tears and said, "Then it's up to Mr. Lao Wenyou." After that, she turned around and left in a hurry, thinking of going back to see Cao Ang as soon as possible.

Ma Teng watched his daughter leave, helplessly holding his forehead with his hand and sighing, "Ah, it really is true that when a girl grows up, she cannot be kept." Then he turned to look at Li Ru and said, "Wenyou, how do you think we should respond to Guo Jia's actions?"

Li Ru pondered for a moment and slowly said, "Mingsong, since Guo Jia has already made this move, we might as well follow the trend. I will go and talk to them. Yuan Shao's power is so great now, it would be difficult for Cao Cao to fight him alone."

Ma Teng frowned slightly and said, "You mean, we have to send troops too? But we don't have enough troops in Chang'an right now, and Chao'er won't be back for a while. How can we have extra troops to join them in the expedition against Yuan Shao?" Ma Teng pondered in his heart and continued, "Alliance is an alliance, but didn't the King of Liang just send 3 fine war horses? We can give them 2 to reassure them. We will then send troops to cooperate with them to lift the siege of Hangu Pass. As for the rest of the confrontation with Yuan Shao, it will be Cao Cao's turn. After all, our troops are limited. They got 2 war horses for nothing and lifted the siege of Hangu Pass. I can't say for sure that Cao Cao would laugh in his dreams." Ma Teng sighed with a look of heartache, "Alas, giving them these 2 war horses so easily. If they had the horses, their power would surely increase greatly. Once they had 2 cavalry, their strength would be extraordinary."

Li Ru smiled slightly and said, "Mingsir, 2 war horses are not so easy to come by. Cao Cao will need to face Yuan Shao's resistance alone in the future, and we really don't have the extra troops to send out. Besides, when you marry your daughter, don't you even want to give her a dowry?"

When Ma Teng heard this, his face froze. He was stunned for a long time before he sighed helplessly, "Oh, forget it, you go and talk."

Li Ru accepted the order with a bow, saying, "Rest assured, my lord. I will do my utmost to secure the greatest benefit for Xiliang. This negotiation will not only demonstrate Xiliang's sincerity, but will also make Cao Cao understand that an alliance with us is a mutually beneficial move. However, when negotiating the specific terms with them, we must proceed with caution and not let them gain too much advantage."

Ma Teng nodded slightly and said, "Well, I trust you to do this. However, the stakes are high, so we must not take it lightly. If the marriage can be accomplished, it may greatly assist in forming an alliance, but we must not let down our guard against Cao Cao."

Li Ru said, "Your Excellency is absolutely right. Cao Ang and Miss Yunlu are in love, which is a good thing. However, we must also consider Cao Cao's attitude and the position and interests of Xiliang in the alliance after the marriage. I will skillfully maneuver in the negotiations and strive to achieve the most favorable outcome for us."

Ma Teng patted Li Ru on the shoulder and said, "Go! Come back quickly. I'll await your news." Li Ru responded, turned, and walked out of the study, heading towards the general's residence where Cao Ang was staying. Along the way, he pondered how to approach Guo Jia and Cao Ang, how to strike the right balance in the negotiations and secure the greatest benefits for Xiliang. Ma Teng paced back and forth in the study, hoping Li Ru would reach a good outcome, yet also worried about Xiliang's future in this alliance game...

Ma Yunlu hurried back to the general's residence, tears still stained on her face, but now she looked rather arrogant. She walked straight up to Guo Jia and said, "My father already knows your intentions. Mr. Wenyou will come to talk to you soon. Please don't bother him any more."

After hearing this, Guo Jia smiled as if his evil plan had succeeded, and with a playful look in his eyes, he looked back and forth at Cao Ang and Ma Yunlu, and said, "In that case, I, an eyesore, will not bother you two here." After that, he pretended to be calm and walked slowly towards the study in the general's mansion, secretly thinking about the upcoming meeting with Li Ru, and calculating how to gain the upper hand in this confrontation and push the peace talks and marriage matters in a favorable direction.

Cao Ang watched Guo Jia's departing figure, then turned to look at Ma Yunlu, his eyes filled with gratitude and tenderness. He said, "Yunlu, I'm sorry for worrying about me. This time, thanks to you for informing Uncle Ma in time, otherwise, who knows what would have happened."

Ma Yunlu snorted softly and said, "Hmph, it's all because of your Mr. Guo Jia, who keeps coming up with these worrying ideas. If I hadn't gone to beg Father, I really don't know what you would have done."

Cao Ang explained with a smile, "Yunlu, Fengxiao is doing this for our own good, to facilitate the peace talks with us as soon as possible. He is acting out of desperation, hoping to force Uncle Ma to come to us for talks."

Ma Yunlu frowned slightly, and said with a confused look, "Even so, it shouldn't be so scary. I was really worried that you would be taken away by force. Your body can't withstand the torture."

Cao Ang gently held Ma Yunlu's hand and said, "Don't worry, I'm fine. Now that Mr. Li Ru is coming to talk, it might be a good opportunity. The talks and our matter may have a result."

Ma Yunlu looked up at Cao Ang, his eyes filled with concern and expectation, and said, "I hope so. However, I'm still worried that my father and Uncle Cao won't reach an agreement. After all, there are too many interests involved."

Cao Ang gently placed Ma Yunlu's hand in his own and comforted him, "Don't worry, Feng Xiao is here. He is resourceful and will definitely come up with a solution. Besides, I will also work hard. No matter what, I will not let you down."

Ma Yunlu said with a determined look, "Hmph, even if they can't reach an agreement, so what? If it really doesn't work out, I'll go find my brother and let him make the decision for us. No one can break us up!"

As they were talking, the sound of horse hooves echoed outside the general's residence, suggesting Li Ru's arrival. Cao Ang and Ma Yunlu exchanged glances, each realizing that a crucial negotiation concerning their future, as well as the relationship between Xiliang and the Cao family, had begun. They couldn't help but tighten their grip on each other's hands, their eyes filled with determination.