NOVPUBChen Xi, holding a stack of manuscripts, intended to go back and deal with them. Although his official duties were almost non-existent, for the sake of promoting harmony among the civil officials, Chen Xi had still taken a stack of manuscripts to review. Being envied for no reason was not a good thing. Like Liu Yan, who was so idle that he drank and enjoyed the breeze on public funds, he had no idea how many times he had been swindled by Guo Jia; brothels also required money.
Chen Xi hadn’t walked far when he was blocked by a wall. He moved two steps to the left, then two steps to the right, but couldn’t get around. He jumped back and glared at Xuu Chu, "Zhongkang, what are you trying to do? Don’t block the way if there is nothing important!"
"My Lord has requested the presence of the Military Advisor at his residence!" Xuu Chu said, his voice boomed. n𝚘𝚟𝚙u𝚋.co𝚖
"What for?" Chen Xi asked out of curiosity, but then he remembered that Xuu Chu definitely wouldn’t say.
"I don’t know." Xuu Chu honestly replied.
"That guy, oh, Ruan Yuliang, take these documents to Fengxiao for me. I remember you are the leader of Fengxiao’s Personal Guard Squad. Make sure he drinks less, and if he goes to the brothel, remember not to let him stay overnight. Just carry him back," Chen Xi glanced around and finally saw a familiar face. He handed over all the documents he was carrying to the other person, after all, Guo Jia didn’t have much to do.
"Yes!" Ruan Yuliang replied loudly, quite surprised that Chen Xi knew his name. He took the manuscripts and quickly went to find Guo Jia, who was already lying in the Guo Residence. As the Personal Guard Squad Leader, his fate was tied to his immediate superior, so if Guo Jia could get ahead, it would be very helpful for him, which is why he was quite happy to bring work to Guo Jia.
"Let’s go, let’s see what’s going on." Chen Xi beckoned and then followed. He was quite puzzled about what was happening to Liu Bei. The recent event in Qingzhou was a significant matter, yet there was no audience. Now, Liu Bei was summoning him out of the blue. Could it be he was barbecuing with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei?
Xuu Chu stopped to the left of the main entrance and did not go in further. Chen Xi himself went forward into the inner courtyard, hesitating in front of Liu Bei’s door, sensing an oppressive atmosphere coming from the room even before he entered.
"Zichuan, get in here!" Liu Bei might have heard Chen Xi’s footsteps and spoke in a low tone.
Chen Xi pushed the door open to find the entire room in disarray. The bookshelves and tables were overturned, ink and paper scattered all over the floor, Liu Bei’s favorite white porcelain cup was smashed to pieces, and the sword Liu Bei had used to wreak havoc was half-buried in a pillar, the other half lying on the ground.
"Zichuan, find a place to sit anywhere! Look at this!" Liu Bei sat on the floor, leaning against the wall, looking defeated.
Looking at Liu Bei’s dispirited expression, Chen Xi was momentarily stunned. Since when had the reputedly ever-resilient Liu Bei become like this? What had happened? Was it that the woman he admired had been snatched away?
Casually glancing at the bamboo slip, Chen Xi too covered his forehead. Liu Xie, could you possibly be more disappointing? He wondered if the damage needed to be this severe. Did he not realize that by doing this just once, he was enough to make those loyal to the Han Dynasty despair in him? He was practically self-destructing his own great wall!
Although Cao Mengde had Zhong Yao as a high-level informant to provide reports, Mi Zhu’s commerce group was not to be trifled with. Even though they didn’t have high-level informants and were a bit more distant, it took only a few extra hours for Liu Bei to receive the intelligence as well.
Chen Xi said nothing, casually tossing aside the bamboo slip and just sitting there on the ground; he knew Liu Bei had something to say.
"The Son of Heaven of Han, this is the Son of Heaven! Has he forgotten the dignity of the Emperor? Has he forgotten that his every word and deed should set an example for the world? Does he not realize how much his actions have hurt us?" Liu Bei roared, "How could my Liu Clan have such an ungrateful and disloyal Sovereign King! Would saying one sentence kill him? If Li Que and Guo Si dared to harm a hair on your head, I, Liu Xuande, would be the first to send troops!"
Unlike Cao Cao, who wouldn’t dare say otherwise, Liu Bei, now established as a Han Imperial Kinsman by the Minister of Ceremonies, saw no big deal in cursing the Emperor, especially since this time the Emperor was at fault first. Having cursed, what was done was done.
Chen Xi did not join in the conversation. It was Liu Bei’s business to curse; Chen Xi simply let it go in one ear and out the other. In the age of the Han Dynasty, any of the Han Clan Relatives could hope to ascend to the throne. The maintenance of the legitimacy of the Han Dynasty and the protection of those loyal to it, in plain terms, was about protecting themselves. In short, Liu Xie’s actions had already filled Liu Bei with anger.
Did Liu Bei have ambition? Certainly! But in the current situation, he was already a recognized Han Imperial Kinsman, and because of this status, he had leapt from being a local chieftain to become a Feudal Lord. After taking Qingzhou, he instantly became a Mighty Lord in the land. It could be said that aside from his own struggle and the efforts of his followers, he also owed a great deal to the largess left by the Han Dynasty.
This was also why Liu Bei, after becoming prosperous, remembered to offer tribute to the Emperor as the first thing. After the appearance of white porcelain, he selected the best and his favorite piece to send to the Emperor. It wasn’t that he lacked ambition, but Liu Bei felt that he had already received immense grace from the emperor, and to covet more would leave him feeling uneasy in his conscience! Moreover, having heard that the Emperor was intelligent and had eliminated Dong Zhuo, Liu Bei was so excited he couldn’t sleep, convinced that the signs of the Han Dynasty’s revitalization were apparent, and that striving to emulate Duke Zhou and be remembered in history seemed far more reliable than other paths.
Just as Liu Bei had established the notion of shedding every drop of blood for the Han Dynasty and being a steadfast Han Imperial Kinsman, less than half a month had passed before the Son of Heaven of Han, representing the Han Dynasty, took an axe to the tender sapling of loyalty that had just begun to sprout from Liu Bei. Was this not driving Liu Bei to despair?
Liu Bei was lost. He felt as though his entire ideal had shattered. He considered his own efforts worthless; Liu Xie had hurt him significantly, and then he didn’t know what to do next. Restore the Han Dynasty? Was Liu Xie still worth his continued efforts? Liu Bei, who had just transformed himself into a pure loyal minister, had not recovered from the severe blow.
With his dream of becoming the Duke Zhou dashed, Liu Bei, still unable to adjust his thinking, became frantic. He vented his anger in his own room, his fury not abating until after he had forcefully snapped his sword in two.
"Zichuan, tell me, what should I do?"
"Ha, what of it? Lord Xuande’s goal is to restore the Han Dynasty, my goal is to make Huaxia formidable in all directions. Is there really any need to care about such things? Let’s just do our own thing. The Emperor does not necessarily represent the Han Dynasty, let alone Huaxia. It’s fine to just do our own thing. Whether on this path or another, don’t we still need to establish our capital in the Central Plains and pacify the realm?" Chen Xi glanced at Liu Bei, not feeling there was anything problematic with this at all. It didn’t matter if this emperor was incompetent; even if the Emperor died, wouldn’t people still have to live?
Liu Bei stared at Chen Xi, then dejectedly sat down on the ground. "Zichuan, you don’t understand. You don’t understand how I feel. Do you know that I once fantasized about becoming the Emperor? I am of the bloodline of the Han Emperor; I have the right. But as I climbed step by step to where I am now, the imperial favor I received has completely extinguished any desire I had for the throne!" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote and offer monthly support at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
