sjar Chapter 256 Dong Bai came and got along well
Chapter 256 Dong Bai came and got along well
Ma Chao later reported this to Ma Teng, who was delighted. First, in the presence of Ma Teng and his wife, members of the Ma family, Madam Lu, Lu Wan, Lu Yu, Cheli Ji, Xun Yu, and other relatives and important officials, Ma Chao sat at the head of the table, while his two children, Jia Ersi and Wei Guan, kowtowed respectfully to Ma Chao. Xun Yu presided over the ceremony, solemnly and loudly declaring, "Today is an auspicious day. General Ma Chao has adopted two sons. This is a great event."
During the ceremony, Jia Ersi and Wei Guan kowtowed solemnly. Ma Chao, smiling, personally gifted the two children the Four Treasures of the Study and an exquisitely crafted sword as a token of his respect. He then said, "From now on, Jia Ersi will be known as Ma Xiang, and Wei Guan as Ma Guan. I hope you will both study diligently, cultivate your martial arts, and become promising individuals."
Everyone was moved by this solemn and heartwarming scene, and they offered their blessings to Ma Chao and his two children. Ma Chao expressed his desire for a grand banquet, and Ma Teng naturally agreed. They then summoned the leaders of the various tribes and held a grand banquet to celebrate Ma Chao's adoption of his two adopted sons. This gesture was enough to delight Che Liji and Cai Wenji. After all, the more grand Ma Chao's ceremony was, the more he valued his two adopted sons.
At the banquet, all the leaders of foreign tribes gathered together, it was very lively. Because Wei Guan also wanted to be introduced to everyone, Cai Wenji also had to be present. Cai Wenji was shy, so Lu Wan came with her.
At the banquet, Ma Chao stood up, his eyes gleaming as he spoke loudly, "Today, I, Ma Chao, want to explain to you why I adopted these two as my sons. We live in troubled times, wars raging, and the people suffering. However, I firmly believe that the hope of the future lies in the new generation. Jia Ersi and Wei Guan are both intelligent and lovely. I treat them like my own children. I wish to do my best to raise them to talent and ensure their safety, adding a little more justice and strength to this world. I adopted them as my sons to shoulder this responsibility, and I hope you will bear witness with me."
As soon as Ma Chao finished speaking, the leaders of the various tribes, though envious of Cheliji, stood up to offer their congratulations. One leader spoke first, "General Tian is so righteous and magnanimous. Congratulations on the birth of your son." The others chimed in, "Congratulations to General Tian and General Ma. May both sons become pillars of the nation."
Then, someone turned to Cheliji and said, "The King of Western Qiang taught his children well, which is why General Tian did such a righteous act. We are truly lucky. Congratulations to the King of Western Qiang." Everyone spoke one after another, and the whole banquet was filled with congratulations.
At this point, Cheliji stood up, clasped his hands together, and said, "Thank you for your kindness, brother. My son's opportunity is a blessing to our clan. From now on, we will fully support General Tian and work together to maintain peace in this area." Cai Wenji also stood up and said softly, "On behalf of my young son, I thank the general."
During the banquet, there was constant laughter and everyone was immersed in this joyful atmosphere.
At that moment, a soldier reported that General Xu Rong of Longxi Commandery, along with Xu Shu, Xu Huang, Fa Zheng, Zhang Ren, and other civil and military officials, had arrived with their troops. Among them was a figure Ma Chao was deeply concerned about, yet he didn't know how to face. Miss Dong Bai had also arrived. Ma Chao had previously planned a campaign against the Xiongnu, and had ordered the generals to bring their troops. Dong Bai, distraught since Ma Chao's departure, arrived with the army after receiving Ma Chao's letter.
The other generals and foreign leaders, bewildered, hurried to their feet to greet them. Ma Chao, however, looked at Lu Wan and Cai Wenji with embarrassment. Cai Wenji, her eyes etched with concern, softly asked, "Brother Chao, who is this Miss Dong Bai? Why is she giving you such a hard time?" Ma Chao frowned slightly, sighed, and said, "Ah, it's a long story."
Seeing Ma Chao's embarrassment, Lu Wan pulled Cai Wenji aside and whispered, "Miss Dong Bai, I've told you this before. Brother Chao had a huge argument with Uncle Ma because of us. Miss Dong Bai and I were together at the time, putting Brother Chao in a difficult position. Uncle Ma was adamantly opposed to it, believing it would bring disgrace to the family. Brother Chao argued forcefully, and things got pretty awkward. Now that Miss Dong Bai is here, I don't know what Brother Chao should do."
After hearing this, Cai Wenji nodded slightly, with a hint of understanding and sympathy in her eyes.
At this time, Xu Rong and others had already walked into the hall, and Miss Dong Bai followed behind, anxiously searching for Ma Chao in the crowd.
As soon as Dong Bai saw Ma Chao, his face was filled with joy. He rushed forward, his eyes oblivious to anyone else. He stretched out his hand and put his arm around Ma Chao, saying excitedly, "Brother Chao, did you know we were coming and specially set up this banquet to welcome us?" Ma Chao was speechless at Dong Bai's sudden enthusiasm and could only explain awkwardly, "Oh, no, this, this is what I wanted. I'm holding this banquet to celebrate because I've adopted two adopted sons."
Dong Bai didn't mind at all after hearing this. She continued to smile and said, "Oh, so Brother Chao has adopted two adopted sons." Then, she turned her gaze to the people present and said, "Oh, Sister Wan'er is here, and Brother Cheliji is here too. Please take a seat, leaders. There's no need to be so polite."
At this moment, the leaders stepped forward and saluted. After all, Dong Bai was Dong Zhuo's granddaughter. Although Dong Zhuo was now deceased, her position was still very stable thanks to Ma Chao's support. Dong Bai waved her hand nonchalantly and said, "Alright, alright, no need for all the formalities. Hurry and bring the two little ones here so I can take a good look."
Jiaersi and Wei Guan were quickly brought before Dong Bai. Dong Bai squatted down, looked at the two children gently and carefully, and said with a kind smile on his face: "You are two lovely little guys. You must follow Brother Chao and learn skills well in the future." The two children nodded obediently after hearing this, and their appearance was very adorable.
Dong Bai smiled brightly. Gently, she untied a lustrous jade pendant from her belt and carefully placed it around Ma Guan's waist. Then, without hesitation, she took an exquisitely ornate dagger from her own waist and carefully placed it around Ma Xiang's waist. She said, "Hey, two such adorable and well-behaved little ones! Tell me, who are you and where are you from?" Ma Chao's expression grew slightly nervous, and his words became halting. He explained, "The sturdier one is Ma Xiang, the son of my eldest brother, Cheliji. The thinner one is Ma Guan, an orphan of the Wei family in Hedong, now brought here by Wen Ji. Seeing his difficult life, I felt pity for him, so I adopted him as my adopted son."
At this time, Ma Chao turned to look at Cai Wenji and said gently: "Wenji, come and say hello to Bai'er, let's meet each other and get to know each other." Upon hearing this, Cai Wenji walked forward nervously, bowed slightly, and said in a soft and slightly nervous voice: "Cai Wenji greets Sister Bai'er." A hint of doubt appeared on Dong Bai's face, and her eyes turned to Ma Chao. Ma Chao seemed a little flustered at this moment, hesitating and dumbfounded. His helpless look made Dong Bai feel more confused.
Seeing Dong Bai didn't return the greeting and still looked puzzled, Ma Chao hurriedly forced an explanation: "Bai'er, Wen Ji and Wan'er met in Luoyang in our early years and were close friends back then. Later, Wen Ji married the Wei clan of Hedong. Some time ago, Hedong County was unfortunately conquered by the Xiongnu, and Wen Ji suffered greatly in this disaster. Later, the Xiongnu learned that Wen Ji and I knew each other and sent her to me." Ma Chao was about to explain more, but Dong Bai understood, thinking to herself: Judging from Ma Chao's expression, this must be another of his confidantes. But Dong Bai was very thoughtful and didn't want to embarrass Ma Chao in front of everyone. So she stepped forward, smiled and saluted, saying: "Sister Wen Ji, since you have come to Xiliang, just treat this place as your home. Don't feel any restraint. Brother Chao, Sister Wan'er, and I will protect you in everything."
Lu Wan, fearing Ma Chao would be embarrassed, tried to mediate, saying with a smile, "Sister Bai'er has always been kind, and Sister Wenji has been through many hardships. It's fate that she has Brother Chao's protection. We must all live in harmony from now on and contribute to the peace of Xiliang."
These words eased the atmosphere a lot, and Ma Chao felt relieved. After all, Bai'er and he had also been through many hardships, and he liked both Wan'er and Wen Ji. If the three women had conflicts with each other, he didn't know what to do.
Dong Bai nodded gently and said, "Sister Wan'er is right. I won't make things difficult for Sister Wenji." Cai Wenji also quickly responded, "Thank you, Sister Bai'er and Sister Wan'er, for your generosity. Wenji will definitely remember this."
Wen Ji walked gently to Ma Chao's side and whispered, "Brother Chao, I am very happy to see this scene. All the worries I had before have disappeared now." Ma Chao held Dong Bai's hand, his eyes full of gratitude and affection.
Dong Bai and Lu Wan watched from the side, smiled at each other, without any suspicion or grudge in their eyes.
Ma Chao was pleased that all three of them were aware of Dali's concerns and were concerned about the overall situation. As he looked at the harmonious scene before him, his worries gradually dissipated.
Ma Chao raised his glass and said in a loud voice: "I am very lucky to have such a wonderful scene today. I hope that everyone will be successful in the future and work with me to create the glory of Xiliang." Everyone raised their glasses in response, and the atmosphere became more cheerful.
After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Ma Chao raised his cup again and said, "We have enjoyed the feast today, so let's all retire early. Tomorrow, we will see the might of our Xiliang army."