Chapter 3

And so, Ma Chao began his life in the Three Kingdoms era.

Sometimes he wondered what he really wanted. In his previous life, he thought he lived a simple life. As long as his parents and family were safe and happy, and his friends were all well, he hoped to meet someone he loved and who loved him in return, and they would grow old together. As for work, he just wanted to do something he liked, and didn't need to earn a lot of money, as long as it was enough to live on.

Unfortunately, none of these could be realized now. After being transported here, Ma Chao asked himself many times what he really wanted.

Power? Maybe. If he could lead and unify, that would be great, but were the ancients fools? Of course not. Ma Chao didn't think he was stronger than Cao, Sun, and Liu. With their abilities, they could only divide the world into three parts. Could he come here and unify the world? Ma Chao shook his head inwardly; this couldn't be taken for granted.

However, Ma Chao knew he had many advantages over the ancients. The first was his knowledge of historical figures. "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and "Records of the Three Kingdoms" were not read in vain, and he also benefited from TV shows and the internet.

Although Ma Chao couldn't say he knew everything about contemporary figures, he was familiar with the personalities and abilities of those who left a name. He believed this was the greatest advantage of a time traveler: the ability to recognize talent. If he could gather all the talents of the world for his own use, how could he fail to achieve great things?

The second advantage was his grasp of history, though Ma Chao didn't know how much history would change. But he thought, no matter how it changed, there would always be something that remained the same. As long as there was something that wouldn't change, he would have a certain advantage.

Ma Chao didn't know that history had already begun to change slowly when he was about to be born, and he, this butterfly, caused a huge effect.

His grasp of history was his second advantage.

Thirdly, Ma Chao was from the future, so he naturally knew more than the ancients.

He didn't realize it at first, but after thinking about it, he understood that he really had a chance to unify the world. At this point, his confidence grew. Initially, he just wanted to play his role well and strive to be a hero.

But now, he wanted to vie for the throne and conquer the Central Plains. If he had the empire, then the next step would be the beauties. The terms "empire" and "beauties" often appeared together. As for the beauties, there was no need to say more; every man understood, and it was all unspoken.

While Ma Chao was lost in thought, he was picked up. He knew it was time to eat.

Being a few months old, of course, he had to drink milk. But Lady Liu had no milk, so they found a wet nurse for Ma Chao. The wet nurse was now holding Ma Chao and feeding him.

Ma Chao wanted to protest and not drink, as he really didn't like it. But he had no choice; if he didn't drink, he would be hungry, and his parents wouldn't allow it. So he had to compromise.

After drinking, Ma Chao was put back on his small bed. He thought he should start learning the Han script. After all, the script of the Han Dynasty was not the simplified characters of modern times. If he didn't learn, how could he survive in the future? But he didn't dare to show himself as too extraordinary.

After birth, Ma Chao was particularly quiet. In his previous life, he was a person who preferred quiet to activity. After birth, he spent his days eating and sleeping, waking up to eat, and then sleeping again. This cycle repeated, making him almost like an animal.

What he most wanted was to grow up quickly and go out into the world, but his parents, of course, didn't know this.

They each had their own thoughts. Lady Liu wondered if her son was a fool or a mute, as there was no newborn who didn't cry, fuss, or move. Lady Liu shed many tears over this and even called a doctor to examine her son.

But Ma Chao's behavior was seen differently by Ma Teng. After listening to Nan Hua, Ma Teng firmly believed that Ma Chao would become an emperor. So, in Ma Teng's eyes, Ma Chao's behavior was normal. Emperors were not like ordinary people, and it was right that they were different. Ma Teng was very pleased with this.

When he learned that Lady Liu wanted to have him examined, Ma Chao had no choice but to make some sounds and kiss her. This reassured Lady Liu, as nothing was more joyful than a healthy child.

Time flew by, and three years passed in the blink of an eye. Ma Chao felt that time had passed quickly, day by day, for three years.

He remembered a viewpoint from his previous life: if you felt time was passing quickly, it meant you were happy. Only happy and joyful times seemed to pass quickly. When you encountered difficulties or were in great pain, time seemed to drag on.

It seemed he was indeed living a comfortable life. Ma Chao looked at himself and couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly.

He came to a room in the courtyard, knocked on the door, and a young woman's pleasant voice said, "Come in."

He pushed the door open and closed it behind him.

"It's Chao'er, come over and let Mother take a good look at you."

The woman in the room was Ma Chao's mother, Lady Liu. At twenty years old, Lady Liu was already the mother of two children. Just last month, she gave birth to another boy, whom Ma Teng named Xiu, meaning "beautiful and good."

"Yes. I came specially to see Mother and Brother Xiu," Ma Chao said as he walked to Lady Liu's bedside.

Looking at the newborn Ma Xiu and Lady Liu, who was still radiating maternal warmth, he felt very happy and content. They were his closest family in this life, and he would protect and take care of them!

Lady Liu looked at Ma Chao, who had walked to her bedside, and smiled with satisfaction. Although she had two children, her favorite was Ma Chao.

Not only because Ma Chao was her first child, but also because he combined all the best qualities of his parents and resembled his mother, Lady Liu, the most. More importantly, although Ma Chao was only three years old, he was sensible and filial, often making Lady Liu happy.

Who wouldn't love such a child? Even if Lady Liu had twenty children, her favorite would still be Ma Chao.

"Chao'er, come over and let Mother give you a good hug."

Ma Chao climbed onto the bed and nestled in Lady Liu's arms. Lady Liu held Ma Chao with one hand and gently patted him with the other, kissing his forehead.

Ma Chao enjoyed this feeling. Lady Liu doted on him the most, always holding him for half an hour, and he liked to snuggle in her warm embrace.

Although, including his previous life, Ma Chao was over twenty-seven years old, he still had a childlike side.

"Chao'er, I heard your father will be hiring a tutor to teach you reading and writing next month."

"Yes, Mother. I also think it's time to learn reading and writing. Only with knowledge and learning can I achieve my ambitions in the future!" Ma Chao said firmly.

Lady Liu looked at Ma Chao and smiled, "So our Chao'er has great ambitions. I didn't know this before. But I'm very happy. Chao'er, if you have dreams, work hard to achieve them. You will succeed, and I will always support you!" She pulled Ma Chao closer to her.

"I will, Mother. As the saying goes, 'Ambition is not limited by age.' I will not disgrace my father, mother, or the Ma family in the future!" Ma Chao said, clenching his fist.

"Yes, I know. Well, Chao'er, I'm tired and need to rest. I can't play with you now. Go play by yourself."

"Alright, Mother, rest well. If the brazier needs more charcoal, I'll have someone add it." It was still very cold in the northwest in February, and they could only warm themselves with charcoal.

Ma Chao got off the bed, pulled the covers up for Lady Liu, and then left the room.

In the third month of the fourth year of Jianning, Ma Chao was woken up from his sleep.

"Chao'er, Chao'er, wake up. Today is your first day to meet your tutor. You can't be late," Lady Liu's voice said. Ma Chao got up very reluctantly.

"Mother, what time is it now?"

"It's now the hour of Chen, but it will be the hour of Si in less than half an hour. Master Cui will arrive at the hour of Si."

In ancient times, the hour of Chen was from 7 to 9 AM, and the hour of Si was from 9 to 11 AM. It was still early spring, so Ma Chao usually woke up very late, often after the hour of Si. Since it was his first day to meet his tutor, he had to wake up early.

After washing and dressing, Ma Chao left the room and walked to the study. This was not the same study where Ma Teng had met Nan Hua, but Ma Chao's own study. After Ma Teng married Lady Liu, the Liu family, of course, couldn't let their daughter live in the small house Ma Teng had bought. Lady Liu's mother, Lady Liu, bought a large mansion for the couple, so they had plenty of rooms.

Ma Chao entered the study and was slightly surprised to see Ma Teng there. He quickly recovered and was about to speak when Ma Teng said, "Chao'er, you're here."

"Yes, Father, I'm here. Mother woke me up and told me to wait for the tutor here."

"You usually wake up late. Now that you're starting to study, you should wake up early to listen to the tutor's teachings."

"Yes, I will follow Father's instructions."

"Chao'er, are you wondering why I'm waiting for you here?"

"I indeed don't know."

Ma Teng fell into thought for a moment, then looked at Ma Chao and said, "Do you know about our Ma family?"

"Of course! Our ancestor was the Han General Ma Yuan, who wielded a pair of drum-hammer maces and was feared throughout the land!" Ma Chao said proudly.

"Yes, our ancestor was a great hero. Unfortunately, your grandfather often said to me, 'Teng, our family's decline is due to the unworthiness of our descendants. Each generation has tried to revive the family, but none have succeeded. If I can't achieve it in my lifetime, it will be up to you. If you can't, it will be up to your children. I believe one day we will succeed, and I can rest in peace.'"

Tears glistened in Ma Teng's eyes, though not many, and Ma Chao, who was observant, noticed them.

"Father, you..."

"It's fine, I'm fine. Chao'er, about three years ago, on the day you were born, a guest came to our home. He called himself Nan Hua and said..."

Ma Teng then told Ma Chao about Nan Hua's astrological predictions and the mandate of heaven. He had been wondering whether to tell Ma Chao everything. He thought a three-year-old wouldn't understand and that it would be useless to tell him.

But then he thought, Ma Chao had always been different from other children. He believed that although Ma Chao was young, he was mature for his age.

Sometimes, when he secretly observed Ma Chao, he noticed that Ma Chao often seemed to be thinking deeply, and expressions that shouldn't appear on a child's face often appeared on Ma Chao's face. He was puzzled and couldn't figure it out, finally concluding that this was the mandate of heaven. Ma Teng was quite imaginative.

As Ma Teng spoke, Ma Chao's face showed little expression, but his mind was in turmoil. Although he had read about ancient astrological predictions, actually experiencing it was quite shocking. Was he really the chosen one? Ma Chao wasn't particularly confident.

"Before leaving, Nan Lao left two books, saying they were for you and would be helpful in the future." Saying this, Ma Teng took out two books and placed them on the table.

"Originally, Nan Lao wrote three books, but the first, 'Taiping Yaoshu,' was already given away, so the remaining two are for you."

"Taiping Yaoshu?" Ma Chao said in surprise.

"Yes, have you heard of it?"

"No, no. I'm just curious."

Of course, the name Nan Hua sounded familiar. It was him. Ma Chao thought to himself.

"You probably don't know. But, Chao'er, Nan Lao said the Han Dynasty's fate is coming to an end, and the world will soon be in chaos. In such times, with my abilities, I can at most be a regional lord, and the outcome may not be good.

But you are different. You are only three years old, the rising sun of our Ma family, and will eventually shine across the entire world! Today, I pass on Nan Lao's books to you, hoping you will not辜负他的期望，成就一番帝业！我们马家几代先辈未竟的事业就由你来完成了！"

听完马腾的话，马超觉得这个便宜老爹还真有自知之明。他就是一个军阀，还是失败的，看来三国的诸侯没有一个是好对付的。

确实，即使是被公认为冢中枯骨的袁术，也不是只靠自己家四世三公的招牌成事的，所以说三国的水真的很深，很深。

马超在马腾面前跪了下来，“儿必不负父亲期望！不会丢我马家的脸！今后一定成就一番事业！”

“好，我儿能如此，为父心甚慰！有子如此，夫复何求啊！哈哈，哈哈哈！”马腾大笑着离开了书房。