Chapter 075: Boss Cao Takes the Fall

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Naturally, Cao Peng could only let himself be taken away. After all, if he was taken away, he could simply call on Old Cao to rescue him later. But if he caused a conflict here, things would become complicated.

“Brother Cao Peng, what should we do?” Lü Lingqi whispered to him.

Cao Peng replied helplessly, “We can only let him take us to the prison for now. I’ll have someone come rescue us, don’t worry!”

Once the two were locked up, Cao Peng called out to Man Chong, who was about to leave.

“Concerning tonight’s events, you must not speak of them, sir. Wait for the Chancellor to arrive—he will decide what is to be done!”

Man Chong frowned at Cao Peng’s words and replied coldly, “I know what must be done. I don’t need your advice.”

He said this and left in a huff.

“You…” Cao Peng was so angry he was lost for words.

What kind of person was this!

Cao Peng could only curse Man Chong’s ancestors in his heart, thinking that someday, he’d make sure Man Chong regretted crossing him.

At that moment, Lü Lingqi spoke apologetically, “I’m sorry, Brother Cao Peng, I dragged you into this.”

Cao Peng turned to look at her and smiled, “It’s fine. I told you I’d take good care of you.”

Lü Lingqi was moved—this man hadn’t even asked her why she’d appeared there so late at night.

She was hiding too much from him, and felt it was wrong.

Just as she was about to confess something, Cao Peng spoke first.

“By the way…”

“You must be hungry! Eat this, it’s delicious.”

He tossed her a strange, long object.

“What is this…” Lü Lingqi stared at the odd thing in her hand, uncertain.

How was she supposed to eat it? It didn’t look appetizing at all!

Cao Peng patiently came over and tore open the plastic wrapper for her.

A fragrant aroma wafted out, instantly captivating Lü Lingqi’s taste buds.

Her face was filled with curiosity as she slowly put the food in her mouth.

A sweet, smooth flavor filled her mouth—it was so delicious she couldn’t help but take several more bites.

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She glanced up at Cao Peng, who was smiling warmly at her.

That made her shyly lower her head and turn away.

Seeing her reaction, Cao Peng found it amusing.

This was one of the few chocolates he had left; if it could win her a smile, it was worth it.

“I still have two more pieces—take them!” he said, placing them in her hand, then went to the other side, spread some straw to make a bed, and lay down to sleep.

“Finish eating and get some rest. Tonight we have to bear with it, but tomorrow we’ll be rescued, and then I’ll take you out for a good meal.”

Lü Lingqi looked at Cao Peng’s back and felt a strange emotion stir within her.

As for the other two pieces of chocolate, she couldn’t bear to eat them, and quietly hid them away.

...

At dawn, Lü Lingqi woke gently and found a luxurious quilt covering her.

She was no longer in the prison cell, but inside a carriage.

Looking around, she realized Cao Peng was gone.

She poked her head out and saw a woman driving the carriage. She quickly asked, “What’s going on? Where are you taking me?”

The woman smiled lightly. “Miss, you’re awake. We’re from the House of Fragrant Joy. Young Master Cao carried you onto the carriage, and now we’re taking you home.”

House of Fragrant Joy?

It sounded familiar—wasn’t that Cao Peng’s business? His wine-making enterprise was thriving, and the Drunken Immortal Pavilion was his headquarters.

“Where’s Brother Cao Peng?” Lü Lingqi asked.

“The Chancellor arrived, and Young Master Cao and he have things to discuss. We were told to take you home first.”

Hearing this, Lü Lingqi fell silent.

For her, it was somewhat improper that she’d slept so soundly through such events.

Perhaps, it was because having Cao Peng nearby made her feel so safe.

...

At that moment, in Cao Cao’s residence.

Cao Peng sat in his usual place beside Cao Cao, and Man Chong stood solemnly, as if being reprimanded.

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“Lord Man Chong, could you please use your brain when you act? How could General Cao Peng ever be a villain?”

“Luckily General Cao Peng is magnanimous—otherwise, you’d find yourself in real trouble today!”

The ones berating Man Chong were Xu Chu and Dian Wei.

These two burly men had heard early that morning that Cao Peng had been locked up, and immediately brought soldiers to his rescue.

What angered them more was that Man Chong obeyed only Cao Cao’s orders and recognized no one else.

It wasn’t until Cao Cao issued a direct command that Man Chong released Cao Peng.

Man Chong was stubborn, but now, surrounded and criticized, he could only keep his head down and remain silent.

Having mocked him enough, Cao Peng spoke up to end it.

“That’s enough. Lord Man Chong was just doing his duty. In the end, I’m to blame for wandering about so late at night and running into trouble.”

With Cao Peng’s words, the others had nothing more to say.

Since the person involved had already forgiven Man Chong, no one wanted to press the matter further. Their earlier outrage was merely to stand up for Cao Peng, who was well-liked.

Cao Cao then said, “But honestly, it’s all too strange. Last night’s events are baffling.”

“Liu Bei and his men claim to have seen Lü Bu’s ghost—utter nonsense.”

Guo Jia commented, “But all we have are Liu Bei’s accounts. No one else has seen this so-called ‘Lü Bu.’”

He was right, and everyone nodded in agreement.

Man Chong then spoke gravely, “There are no ghosts, of course, but the Red Hare horse is missing. Someone in Xu City is behind this.”

“Lord Man Chong, what matters now isn’t who’s right or wrong, but how we handle what’s about to happen,” Cheng Yu said, seeing that Man Chong still didn’t grasp the situation.

Xun Yu added, “Exactly. The attempt on the Emperor’s newly recognized Imperial Uncle—those supporting the throne may use this to their advantage.”

He meant that the plotters would certainly try to pin this affair on Cao Cao.

Cao Cao was already feeling troubled.

It wasn’t that he feared being blamed or held responsible—but he found the situation deeply irritating.

The assassination really happened, but no one witnessed the true events, so the tale of Lü Bu’s ghost was merely the version told by Liu Bei and his brothers.