Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3927 A Gentleman's Virtue is Like the Wind, a Petty Man's Virtue is Like Grass
The hall was dimly lit.

Seeing Emperor Liu Xie's changing expression and trembling voice, Xi Lu knew the time was right and it was time to seize the opportunity. He quickly moved closer and said seductively, "Your Majesty! Hesitation will only lead to disaster! The defenses within the pass are mostly concentrated in the west…this is a golden opportunity! I have prepared carriages and horses…and to avoid detection, I have also prepared ordinary clothes…Please, Your Majesty, change immediately and follow me through the small gate on the east side. I will protect Your Majesty with my life, to get you out of this dangerous place first, and then we can plan our next move! Whether we go to Qiao and Pei, or flee to Qing and Xu, as long as Your Majesty escapes danger, a single call to arms will surely bring forth loyal and righteous men from all over the land! It is far better than sitting here waiting to die, allowing that treacherous Fei to humiliate us!"

As Xi Lu spoke, he quickly presented several pieces of mixed-color clothing that he had prepared.

get away?

Another escape?

Liu Xie's heart suddenly began to pound.

Everything was so familiar, yet everything was so strange.

A glimmer of longing flashed in Liu Xie's eyes...

The scene that Xi Lu described—"raising his arm and calling out, and receiving a great response"—though vague, held a fatal attraction for him.

Who wouldn't want to be a true emperor, not a puppet?
But the light in Liu Xie's eyes dimmed the next moment.

Just as he was about to speak, the years of wandering and uncertainty had matured Liu Xie somewhat.

The pain of repeated dashed hopes instilled in Liu Xie an almost instinctive sense of vigilance.

Only after experiencing pain do you realize that some things are dangerous.

Liu Xie looked at Xi Lu intently.

Looking at his "Xi Aiqing"...

He saw Xi Lu's shifty eyes, eyes that held a mixture of fear and urgency...

Is this a loyal "beloved minister" to him?

no.

Suddenly, some images that had been buried deep in my memory surged up.

Liu Xie took a deep breath, suppressing his initial urge to flee, and his gaze gradually regained some clarity. He didn't immediately answer whether it was yes or no, but slowly asked, "Imperial Censor Xi... your loyalty is truly appreciated... however, there is one thing I don't understand, and I hope the Imperial Censor can enlighten me..."

Xi Lu hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, please ask; I will answer to the best of my knowledge!"

Liu Xie stared at him, asking each word carefully: "If it is truly as you say, that Sishui Pass can be breached in an instant, and that staying here would be mortal danger… then, back in Xu County, when Prime Minister Cao wanted to move the capital here, why did you and the other officials in the court… why did so many of you agree and strongly urge me to come to this perilous place? Why didn't you all show such concern for my safety then, as you do today?"

Liu Xie sometimes wondered if these officials all felt like fish, only remembering the present moment and forgetting the suffering they endured on the chopping block.
"Huh? This..."

Xi Lu's face turned pale instantly.

He originally thought that as long as he threatened Liu Xie and triggered Liu Xie's previous painful memories, Liu Xie would obediently follow him. However, he did not expect Liu Xie to ask such a sharp question, which directly pierced Xi Lu's heart and lungs.

"Your Majesty...the situation was different then!"

Xi Lu stammered, his mind racing as he searched for an excuse, his words becoming increasingly incoherent. "At that time…at that time, Prime Minister Cao was powerful, and…and there were treacherous officials by his side, abusing his power and influence! We…we, though we were devoted to Your Majesty, were of lowly status and our words carried little weight. We feared that we might alert the enemy and harm Your Majesty! We…we had no choice but to submit, to endure humiliation and hardship, waiting for the right opportunity! Now, heaven has granted us this golden chance, which is why we have risked our lives to come here, hoping to save our sovereign from this dire situation! Your Majesty, please understand!"

Xi Lu once again kowtowed to the ground, weeping uncontrollably, his performance full of genuine emotion.

However, Xi Lu's hasty explanation sounded so weak and ridiculous to Liu Xie, even like a blatant attempt to cover up his guilt.

Who is the treacherous minister?

Who are the loyal ministers?

Are those who profess loyalty truly loyal subjects?
Are those who accuse others of treachery and deceit treacherous officials?
Those who appear loyal are truly loyal, while those who act cunningly are treacherous officials.
He saw it clearly, yet he couldn't see it clearly either.

These people were his subjects, but they all seemed to be his enemies.

Xi Lu's so-called "rescue of the emperor" was less a matter of loyalty to the emperor and more a desperate act of opportunism in the face of the impending collapse of the Cao family and his own inability to protect himself, as he once again attempted to exploit the emperor!

Liu Xie was indignant, but after his indignation subsided, looking at Xi Lu lying prostrate on the ground, his body trembling slightly, he suddenly lost interest in everything. He felt neither a longing for freedom nor anger at being deceived; only exhaustion and sorrow remained.

escape?
Should we follow such people and flee to the unknown East?
How long can they escape?
How could someone like that possibly do anything for him?
Liu Xie slowly shook his head, stood up, and said in a calm, unwavering voice, "I appreciate your good intentions, Censor Xi. However, I am the Son of Heaven, ordained by Heaven! At this critical moment, how can I abandon the soldiers and officials at the pass and flee alone? This is not the conduct of a ruler. You... may leave."

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please reconsider! This opportunity is fleeting! Staying here means certain death!"

Xi Lu grew anxious and, disregarding etiquette, raised her head, wanting to persuade him again. A hint of ruthlessness even flashed in her eyes, as if she were weighing whether to use force.

Liu Xie, however, no longer looked at him, and gestured to the eunuch beside him: "You may leave. I am tired."

"Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!"

The eunuch's shrill voice rang out, and Xi Lu was so frightened that he quickly stuffed the exposed clothes of a respectable young man into his sleeves.

The guards outside the hall pushed open the door and stared intently at Xi Lu.

Seeing the emperor's resolute attitude and realizing the situation was hopeless, Xi Lu, despite the mix of emotions within him, could only kowtow heavily and say, "Your Majesty, please take care. Your subject... Your subject takes his leave..."

Xi Lu then hurriedly got up and backed out of the side hall.

As soon as he stepped out of the palace gate, Xi Lu hurried away without looking back.

Silence returned to the hall.

Liu Xie sat alone on his throne, gazing in the direction where Xi Lu had disappeared, then looking out the window at the walls gradually being shrouded in twilight, a bitter smile appearing on his lips.

From childhood to adulthood, from Chang'an to Xuchang, it seems I've always lived within these high walls...

As far as the eye can see, it will always be this distance.

Staying means certain death?

To be humiliated again?

maybe.

But can you really survive by following someone like Xi Lu?

They might even die faster and in a more humiliating way.

Liu Xie suddenly felt that staying in this crumbling fortress and waiting for the return of Cao Cao, who had once held immense power but was now a fallen hero...

Or perhaps we should wait for Fei Qian, who represents a new era, to make the final judgment...

perhaps……

On the contrary, he seemed more like an emperor than someone who fled in panic with the likes of Xi Lu…

Or rather, it's the ending that a person should choose.

At least they no longer have to be treated as commodities or bargaining chips, passing from one ambitious person to another.

Liu Xie slowly closed his eyes, burying all his fear, hesitation, and resentment deep in his heart.

Waiting, waiting, waiting for the final bell of fate to ring.

……

……

On the other side, Xi Lu hurriedly left the emperor's temporary residence, his illusion of using the rare goods to enhance his own status completely shattered.

It's impossible for him to continue pretending nothing happened!
His secret visit to Liu Xie while Cao Cao and Cao Ren were not paying attention to him might be exposed at any time!
How to do?
Filled with burning fear, Xi Lu returned to a secluded courtyard, her face pale.

The accomplices had been waiting anxiously, and when they saw Xi Lu return alone with a pale face, they knew things had not gone well.

"Well? Would the Emperor like to accompany us?" A sallow-faced eunuch approached and asked urgently.

Xi Lu waved his hand irritably, plopped down, and after catching his breath, gritted his teeth and said, "His Majesty refuses to leave! Humph, he doesn't appreciate kindness! All our loyalty has been wasted!"

"Then...what should we do?" Another minor official panicked. "Without the emperor, we...even if we flee, I'm afraid...what if, what if we get caught..."

"What's the panic!" Xi Lu shouted in a low voice, forcing himself to calm down, his eyes darting around rapidly.

Actually, the one who was most panicked was Xi Lu herself.

From a certain perspective, the act of officials kneeling before the emperor and ordinary people kneeling before deities are somewhat similar in nature...

When ordinary people kneel and worship gods, they usually have a clear request in mind.

Seeking blessings, avoiding misfortune, praying for rain, and ensuring peace.

This is a form of communication and exchange between humans and supernatural forces. The officials kneeling before the emperor also implicitly contain a form of supplication.

They expect grace, reward, a just judgment, or political protection.

The emperor represents a power that transcends the individual, controlling the allocation of national resources and determining the fate of individuals.

So what happens when this 'communication' and 'exchange' fail?

The common people discovered that the deity they worshipped could not provide what they needed, and the officials discovered that the emperor they worshipped could not bring them any benefits...

Just like now, an even bolder and more dangerous thought surfaced in Xi Lu's mind. He gritted his teeth, a desperate, ferocious look appearing on his face, 'If the Emperor doesn't leave, we must leave!'

"Yes, yes, staying here means certain death!"

"They can't stay! They absolutely can't stay!"

The crowd responded in a chaotic and disorganized manner; this was their consensus, and also their "common interest" in coming together.

Just like when Dong Zhuo entered the capital, many scholars, gentry, and officials all fled first, arguing that they were only paid a pittance a year and it was not worth risking their lives for him.

But is the problem really just about the amount of salary?

After a moment of discussion, the group converged on the same question: "How do we escape?"

Xi Lu lowered his voice and said slowly, "We need an imperial edict!"

"An imperial edict?!" Some were puzzled, while others suddenly realized.

Xi Lu nodded. "That's right, it's an imperial edict! It says the Emperor orders us to leave the pass first and contact the loyalists of Dongjun for backup!"

"The Emperor's seal is with the Cao family... how could they possibly give us any imperial edict?!" someone muttered.

Xi Lu squinted. "Who said we wanted a real imperial edict?"

"This... this is forging an imperial edict, which is tantamount to treason!" someone exclaimed in fear.

Xi Lu scoffed, "Treason? Who's loyal and who's rebellious in this world? Is Prime Minister Cao Cao, who's holding the Emperor hostage, loyal? Or is General Fei, who's about to break through the pass, loyal? We can't worry about that now! Escape first! Not escaping means death! Anyone who wants to die here is welcome! But don't drag everyone down with you! Besides, in the three or four hundred years of the Han Dynasty, those who forged imperial edicts… heh, they were far from few! In times of crisis, we must act expediently! We can't worry about anything else!"

Xi Lu surveyed the crowd, his gaze icy. "If this plan fails, and the city gate guards insist on blocking us… then we'll create even greater chaos within the city! First, set fire to the area near the Emperor's residence! Then spread rumors that the Emperor has taken advantage of the chaos to leave the city for an eastern tour, and that the cavalry will break through and massacre the city tonight! With the people in disarray, the gate guards will be struggling to protect themselves; who will have the mind to carefully check our records? We can then break out in the chaos!"

The group looked at each other, but the will to survive prevailed.

When there is no other way, the only way automatically becomes the best way.

……

……

The instinct to survive is human nature.

Only by surviving can you have everything.

However, humans are also social beings.

For a country, how does sociality influence, modify, or even suppress the survival instinct?

Humans, too, will willingly place their own survival risks in a lesser position for the sake of family, loved ones, companions, or even beliefs...

Maternal love, the sacrifice of soldiers, the loyalty between friends, and so on, all transcend the simple matter of "surviving".

"Everything" is not just about breathing and having enough to eat.

In social relationships, humans can obtain love, respect, a sense of belonging, the value of their creations, and so on.

These constitute the specific meaning of human beings 'living'.

Sometimes, for these reasons, humans are willing to give up their lives.

However, all of this must be built upon two words—

"order"!
Social beings need order!

Without order, there is no sociality whatsoever!
"Survival" is the physical prerequisite for individual existence, but only within orderly social bonds can humanity find the answer to "why we live." It is precisely this social nature that allows humanity to not only "survive" but also to engage in "meaningful existence."

Without 'order,' life loses its humanity, and we regress to an era of bestiality...

But what's most interesting is that those who first disrupt 'order' are often not the ordinary people at the bottom of society, but rather those who profit from 'order' and should also be its guardians...

As dusk falls and the sky darkens, the light becomes dim, making it the perfect time to fish in troubled waters.

Xi Lu and the others had finally made it to this point, so they exchanged a glance and filed out of the courtyard.

Xi Lu took a deep breath, put on a seemingly anxious and dignified expression, took the crudely made "edict", and headed straight for the east gate, which they believed might be relatively weak in defense.

The military officer on duty at the east gate was a stern-faced middle-aged man who had long received strict orders that no one was allowed to leave the pass without a written order from Cao Cao or Cao Ren. Seeing Xi Lu and his group approaching in a hurry and acting suspiciously, he immediately waved for his men to stop them with halberds.

"Halt! Who goes there? Why are you barging in during your confinement?" The military officer, his hand on his sword hilt, demanded in a deep voice.

Xi Lu, forcing himself to remain calm, stepped forward, raised the silk handkerchief in his hand, and declared loudly: "I am Xi Lu, the Imperial Censor! I have been summoned by the Emperor to travel eastward immediately on urgent business! Open the gates at once and let me through. Any delay will incur the Emperor's wrath, a responsibility you cannot bear!"

Xi Lu deliberately emphasized the "Emperor's Edict".

The garrison commander was a cautious and conscientious man, and was not intimidated by those few simple words.

His sharp gaze swept over Xi Lu and the others, and he said in a deep voice, "Since this is an imperial edict, please show it for verification. It is my duty to verify the authenticity of the seal before allowing them to pass."

Xi Lu's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected the military academy to be so unyielding. The imperial edict in his hand was just an outer shell; it had no genuine seal or inscription. Feigning anger, he stepped forward and shouted, "Insolence! The Emperor's edict is of utmost importance. How dare you, a mere gatekeeper, examine it? If you delay this important matter, how many heads do you have?! Open the gate immediately! Otherwise, you will be charged with disobeying an imperial decree, a heinous crime!"

The military officer remained unmoved, instead becoming even more vigilant. His face darkened, and with a wave of his hand, more soldiers surrounded the gate, blocking it. "Imperial Censor Xi, please calm your anger! I am acting on imperial orders that no one may leave the gate without a written order from the Prime Minister or General Zixiao. Please hand over the imperial edict so I may examine it. If it is indeed an imperial edict, I will report it to my superiors for a decision."

Xi Lu knew that the forged edict could not withstand close scrutiny. The crude seal and hasty handwriting might be barely convincing from a distance, but careful examination would inevitably expose its deception.

Seeing that the stalemate was unsuccessful, Xi Lu made a snap decision and signaled to the people at the back of the line to take action...

Seeing that they could not successfully trick the door open, the other accomplices in the shadows of the street received a signal and immediately acted according to the second plan.

Someone quickly sneaked to a corner outside the emperor's temporary residence where miscellaneous items were piled up, and lit a tattered rag and rotten wood that had already been soaked in lamp oil.

In the dry winter, the flames suddenly shot up and quickly ignited the wooden fence next to it!
Several others mingled with the crowd that was beginning to be drawn by the firelight, and began to shout in shrill, distorted voices:
"Fire! Fire! The Emperor's residence is on fire!"

"Oh no! The Emperor... the Emperor has already left the pass!"

"Run! The cavalry has stormed in! They say they're going to massacre the city!"

"The city gates are open! Even the emperor has fled! Everyone, run for your lives—!"

"..."

These shouts, like sparks thrown into boiling oil, instantly ignited the already panic-filled Sishui Pass!
As the military officer at the East Gate confronted Xi Lu, a fire suddenly shot up in the distance within the city. Immediately afterward, shrill cries and panicked clamor surged from the depths of the streets like a tidal wave!
The military academy officer's expression changed drastically, and he shouted sharply, "What's going on?! Put out the fire immediately!"

However, Xi Lu and the others looked at each other but didn't move an inch.

Moreover, as the chaos spread, many figures suddenly emerged from the vicinity of the East Gate!

Those who go against the tide of history, especially in the Central Plains region of Shandong, are becoming increasingly rare.

When those who carry firewood for the masses meet a terrible end, who will come to put out the fire afterward?
How is a nation's collective memory written?

Is it about remembering, being grateful for, and passing on the spirit of the victims, or about forgetting, distorting, or even defaming them?
What are they advocating on stage, and what are they actually doing?
Among the vast crowd were many sons of gentry and relatives of officials.

At this moment, they didn't even bother to glance at the flames rising from the emperor's temporary residence; they were simply waving their arms and shouting at the top of their lungs...

"Sir! Open the gate! Even the Emperor has fled!"

"The cavalry are going to massacre the city! Let us out!"

"Let us out! Please!"

The surging crowd instantly disrupted the already limited security perimeter inside the city gate. The guards were thrown about, struggling to defend against potential attacks while trying to maintain order, resulting in utter chaos.

Upon seeing this, Xi Lu was overjoyed, knowing that his opportunity had arrived!

While the military academy officer was distracted and ordered his men to suppress the crowd, Xi Lu gave a signal to his trusted confidant. The group suddenly exerted their strength and mingled into the crowd rushing towards the city gate, desperately squeezing towards the closed gate!
Stop them!

The military academy student caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye and shouted anxiously, but his voice was drowned out by the clamor of cries and noise...