Chapter 6: The Perfect Scapegoat, Cao Cao
Tasting ancient beauty was certainly a first for the modern soul from Vienna.
Even though he carried the memories of Dong Zhuo and had merged with him, this was, in essence, the first time he had truly savored such an experience.
It was no wonder that the Dong Zhuo of the original timeline was intoxicated by beauty and failed to focus on his hegemony.
Just tasting this woman's pussy once had already ignited an insatiable desire within him to pin her down again and again.
But he held himself back—business had to come first, even if it was tempting to indulge in pleasure.
There would be plenty of time and opportunity to enjoy women as beautiful as this one.
The Three Kingdoms era was certainly not lacking in that regard.
Even the women he had acquired from Cao Cao's mansion had yet to be enjoyed by him.
Dressing himself in his proper armor again, he glanced at the disheveled woman before him.
She was a mess, her body marked by the aftermath of their night together.
With a calm voice laced with authority and coercion, he spoke.
"Lady Ying. You know what you need to do," he said, his tone cold but resolute. "Come to my arms and make sure you look as miserable as possible. Don't forget to shed a few fake tears. We need your sister-in-law to believe you've been raped by Cao Cao and that I gave you comfort through the night."
Lady Ying's eyes widened in shock at his words.
She looked at Warlord Dong Zhuo with a mix of disbelief and indignation.
"But, General... my reputation..." she stammered, her voice trembling.
"I will take you as my concubine," Dong Zhuo replied firmly. "You'll have all the wealth and power you could want. But to achieve that, there's just one thing you need to do for me."
Lady Ying let out a sigh of resignation. Her shoulders slumped as the weight of his words settled in.
"Yes, General," she said softly, her tone filled with defeat.
She followed his instructions without protest, throwing herself into his arms, her tears flowing freely—forced, but convincing.
Her appearance, still disheveled from the night before, was left untouched to maintain the illusion.
She had to play the role of Cao Cao's victim while portraying Dong Zhuo as her savior.
In truth, the reality was far from heroic. Dong Zhuo was no savior; he was the one who had coerced her into this act.
He was no better than Cao Cao—perhaps worse, for he wielded even greater power.
Lady Ying knew she had no real choices in this situation.
She had been stripped of her agency, forced to acknowledge her position in a world where beauty was both her weapon and her curse.
Cao Cao had already exposed the harsh truth to her: she had nothing except her beauty.
It was the reason she had gone along with him despite her husband's recent death—his strength and noble background gave her a sense of security.
But now, someone even stronger had taken her, and she had to adapt once again to survive.
Defeated and seething with anger at herself, she felt helpless.
There was nothing she could do.
In this brutal era, women were mere tools for men, nothing more, nothing less.
Even someone as talented and noble as Cai Wenji would, in the historical timeline, be abducted by savages and reduced to a breeding machine and a trophy wife.
Satisfied with the submissiveness of the ancient Chinese beauty in his arms, Dong Zhuo groped her ass one last time, relishing her helpless compliance.
With a smug grin plastered on his face, he declared, "Good. I like obedient and submissive women like you, Lady Ying. From this day forth, I will love you well. Hahaha!"
His laughter echoed arrogantly as he hugged the beauty closer, strutting out of Cao Cao's mansion with the swagger of a man who acted like he owned the place.
Li Ru approached him, his calculating eyes briefly glancing at Lady Ying before bowing respectfully.
"Father-in-law, I have informed Empress He about Cao Cao's audacity—claiming her brother's wife as his own. She is furious and wishes to meet with you to discuss the matter," Li Ru reported, his tone calm but laced with hidden amusement.
Poor Cao Cao.
Not only had he been accused of rape and earned the wrath of the Imperial Family, but now he was being used as the scapegoat for Dong Zhuo's despicable deeds.
If he ever learned the full extent of this setup, he would tear Dong Zhuo limb from limb for ruining him so thoroughly.
He hadn't even touched a single hair of the beauty he supposedly violated, yet here he was, drowning in false evidence planted by this monstrous warlord.
"Let's go, Li Ru," Dong Zhuo said with a smirk, following his trusted strategist.
Lady Ying, playing her assigned role perfectly, said nothing.
She sobbed quietly in Dong Zhuo's arms, her appearance screaming of misery and victimhood, exactly as the warlord had instructed her.
When they arrived at Empress He's chambers, Lady Ying maintained her pitiable façade.
The Empress Dowager's eyes widened at the sight of Lady Ying's disheveled state, her expression hardening with fury.
Her voice was laced with venom as she erupted, "How dare that eunuch descendant do this? How dare he?!?!"
Dong Zhuo bowed deeply, a picture of feigned loyalty.
"Do you wish to dispose of him, Empress Dowager?"
The suggestion caused her anger to waver, and she shook her head bitterly, her frustration evident.
She knew better than to make rash decisions—her power had been thoroughly hollowed out by the gentry.
"No, General. Let him rot in prison for now. I will handle the matter later," she said with an authoritative tone, though it didn't fool Dong Zhuo.
Inside, he sneered. He could see through her façade of strength, spotting the indecision and vulnerability beneath it.
The Empress Dowager had no idea how to deal with Cao Cao, and it was painfully obvious to someone as ruthless as Dong Zhuo.
"As you command, Empress Dowager," he said with a respectful bow. "I will not take up any more of your time with your family."
Her gaze shifted to Lady Ying, filled with disdain rather than concern.
Her tone turned colder as she sighed, "It seems she needs you more than I do, General. Take her and go."
The annoyance in her voice wasn't lost on anyone.
Empress He clearly didn't like Lady Ying, and her disinterest was plain as day.
Sensing this, Lady Ying clung tighter to Dong Zhuo, her dependency on him growing with every passing second.
It played right into Dong Zhuo's hands, solidifying his control over her.
With a final bow, Dong Zhuo bid farewell to the Empress Dowager and strode out, victorious as ever, with Lady Ying clinging to his arm like a lifeline.
As much as he wanted to indulge in the beauty of ancient China before him, he had business to attend to.
He turned to her and said, "You can go now. I won't hold you back from what you wish to do."
"Thank you, General. Thank you." She bowed submissively, her head lowered in respect and fear, then quickly departed as instructed.
Dong Zhuo watched her go, a cruel smirk twisting his face.
"Let's go, Li Ru. We shall visit Cao Cao in prison. I've heard his father is wealthy—perhaps we can extract some coins from the old fox."
"Yes, father-in-law," Li Ru replied, a smirk of his own creeping across his lips.
The two shared a mutual understanding, their ambitions and greed aligning perfectly.
They intended to drain every last ounce of value from Cao Cao, showing no mercy.
Of course, all the blame for their scheming would fall squarely on Empress He's shoulders, ensuring their hands remained clean—or at least appeared so to the masses.
Dong Zhuo, truthfully, was addicted to this feeling.
But he knew better—once he fully controlled Luoyang, he would play no more games.
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