Author's note:

I just realize that I made so many mistakes. The right spelling for Xiaohe Yuan and Xiaohe Dun should be with Xiahou. From this chapter, I will type their name with the right spelling. Sorry for my mistype before^^. Enjoy!

Chapter 4 – The Winter's Strife

It was already late when Cao Pi and Xiahou Yuan reached the castle. Xiahou Dun was already waiting on the castle gate with his fierce face.

" Sorry for being late…" Yuan said.

Dun was just nodded. " By the way, my lord, your face looks red… Are you okay? Did you catch a cold?"

Cao Pi shook his head, " It's nothing… by the way, Dun, I want to visit the village again tomorrow"

" WHAT?" Yuan shouted, " But how about your work?"

" I will do it this night."

Dun kept silent for a while. " I'm afraid I can't allow that. Maybe it's fine with me, but I don't know wether Lord Cao Cao allow you to visit the village or not… Since you still have so many unhandled tasks…"

" Oh…" Cao Pi sighed disappoint, " I see…"

" Young lord, I think you better take a rest for now. You haven't sleep last night, and for this week, you only slept for 4 hours a day…" Yuan said.

" Okay okay," Cao Pi just passed Dun and walked into his room.

" What's wrong with him? He acted so strange…" Dun asked Yuan.

" Well…" Yuan explained what happened when they visited the village.

It was such heavy snow in the night. However, Dun can saw light came from the window of Cao Pi's room. Dun wondered what the young lord doing in such night. From the silhouette, it's seems that Cao Pi was still doing the assignment.

Dun smiled as he saw the young lord's passion. " Maybe I will ask Lord Cao Cao to give him a permission to visit the village tomorrow." And he headed back to his room to sleep.

Finally the snow stopped at the morning. Xiahou Dun opened the window and looked into the sky, " What a lovely morning!"

Suddenly Dun heard a knock from the door. " Dun, I have finished the tasks that Sima Yi gave to me… Now I can visit the village again, can't I?"

Dun took some books and scrolls from Cao Pi's hand, " Nice work! My Lord must be proud of you if he knew that you have done all of this just in one night!"

Sima Yi entered the room, " Wow, you did all the assignments that I have given to you. I really appreciate it."

" Sima Yi?"

" But unfortunately you have done so many mistakes here…" Sima Yi pointed the scroll," And here…and here…"

" But…" Cao Pi grumbled, " Okay, I will revised them…"

" And I can't allow you to visit the village too. You know, it really dangerous there!" Sima Yi added.

" Yuan will accompany me, so it's no problem." Pi stared at Sima Yi.

" I'm sorry, young lord, but Yuan and I have a meeting today, so unfortunately we can't accompany you." Dun bowed his head to Pi.

" Fine, I can go there alone!" Cao Pi murmured.

" No, you can't, my lord. Even your skill was very good; I still cannot let you go to the village. Remember, you are the next emperor. If something bad happened to you, Wei would face many problems. " Sima Yi added as he swung his black feather fan.

" Okay, okay, I got it! Now just leave me alone, I can't concentrate if you kept mumbling such boring things like that!"

" Boring things? How could you…" Sima Yi's eyes grew widen, but Xiahou Dun pulled Sima Yi away from the young lord.

" Just leave him alone, you will just distract his concentration. I think he is mature enough to think about his condition…" Dun said as he pulled Sima Yi to the door.

" And now you sided with him, Dun?"

" I'm just telling you what I think, sir. I believe that the Young Lord is mature enough to make his own decision!"

" Fine, just said what you believe, but I will believe what I think is right!" Sima Yi hissed, " Dun, I want you to watch over the young lord. Don't ever let him leave his room!"

" Leave it to me, sir. I will watch after him."

Meanwhile, Cao Pi still looked at the part that Sima Yi pointed at his scroll. " I have counted it many times, but I still got the same answered…" his forehead began to wrinkle, " And about those things that he pointed out, all of them were already correct too, I think…"

Cao Pi looked through the window," I think the castle is rather quiet now since the generals will have a meeting today…"

" And you want to run away, right?" Dun added.

" Dun? When did you enter the room?"

" Not long ago. I want to serve your lunch…"

Cao Pi kept silent. " Well, Dun… I think Sima Yi just looking for my mistakes. Look, I have checked all the part that he pointed, but I still can't find my mistakes…"

" As I thought…" Dun said as he serve the tea and over it to Cao Pi. " And you still want to go the village to visit your swallow-sword-dancer, do you?"

Cao Pi bowed because Dun has known what he thought.

Dun sipped his tea," I will help you."

" Really? But I heard that you promised Sima Yi that you won't allow me to go out from my room!"

" Well, I just said that to pleased him. I believe young lord have done his assignment well. And I think it's good for you to exercise your body, by visiting that Swallow…"

" Thank you, Dun." Cao Pi smiled, " I know I can trust you…"

" However, my lord, since I and Yuan will have the meeting today, I want you to be very careful at the village of Hope. And also, please go back to this place before the meeting ended!"

" I got it!" Cao Pi nodded.

" Okay then, just change your clothes into this soldier clothes. And you have to keep this villager's clothes in your bag. I will tell the guard that I want you to deliver my letter to the villager."

" You surely have a lot of costumes, huh?" Cao Pi looked at the soldier's uniform in his hand.

Dun smiled, " Well, I and Yuan were very naughty when we were young. We have deceived our father many times back then…"

Cao Pi laughed as he heard those stupid things from the general that he admired since he was young.