With Cao Cao by my side, what do I have to fear from the world?

Chapter 160, Military Deployment Imminent

Yuan Shao waved his hand, "You may all leave."

"My lord, please take a look."

After everyone left, Liu Bei stopped keeping them in suspense and directly took out the wrapped jade seal.

Yuan Shao's eyes lit up immediately. He saw several streaks of multicolored light flash by, which made him feel extremely happy. Yuan Shao hurriedly asked, "Xuande, what is this?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, this is the Imperial Seal of the State that Sun Jian obtained in Luoyang."

"Oh?"

Yuan Shao was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately got up and walked over. Liu Bei, understanding the situation, handed over the imperial seal.

Yuan Shao examined it closely, and the more he looked, the more his heart fluttered.

In fact, Yuan Shao once secretly had a fake imperial seal made.

At that time, Dong Zhuo moved the capital to Chang'an, and Yuan Shao wanted to secretly support Liu Yu to become emperor. Yuan Shao went to great lengths and made many preparations.

"Is this truly the Imperial Seal of the State?"

Holding the imperial seal carefully in his hands, Yuan Shao clearly felt that it was a hundred times better than the fake one he had made before.

For Yuan Shao, this was like a dream, like someone suddenly winning the lottery. His first thought would definitely be, "Did I really win?"

When a surprise comes too suddenly, it's hard to believe.

Liu Bei nodded. "My lord, it is absolutely true. There are eight characters engraved on it by Li Si of the Qin Dynasty: 'By the mandate of Heaven, may your life be long and prosperous.' Moreover, one corner is damaged. When Wang Mang usurped the throne, he ordered his brother Wang Shun to go to the palace to ask the Empress Dowager for the Imperial Seal of the State. The Empress Dowager was furious and smashed the seal against Wang Shun, breaking off one corner. Later, Wang Mang found skilled craftsmen to repair it with gold."

Yuan Shao was finally certain, and he was immediately overwhelmed with joy and excitement.

He didn't even bother to ask how the imperial seal ended up in Liu Bei's hands or what was happening to Yuan Shu.

A person's first reaction is entirely from the heart; it is the most instinctive response!
There is a story about a couple who were hiking. They sat on the edge of a cliff to enjoy the scenery when suddenly the woman slipped and began to slide down the mountain. In this life-or-death moment, she hurriedly reached out to grab her boyfriend while shouting for help.

However, her boyfriend instinctively dodged backward, avoiding his girlfriend's outstretched hand, fearing that she would drag him off the cliff as well.

If there were no danger, they might have fallen in love and been a wonderful couple.

Unfortunately, true friendship is revealed in times of trouble! In ordinary times, when everyone's on good terms, some things are simply unseen!
After a long while, once he had calmed down, Yuan Shao asked, "Xuande, how exactly did this imperial seal end up in your hands?"

Liu Bei said, “My lord, Yuan Shu originally brought this item to you to seek refuge, but he encountered Lü Bu on the way. In the chaos, someone escaped with the imperial seal, which was then obtained by my third brother Yide. When Yide heard that I was in Hebei, he came to meet me and handed the imperial seal over to me.”

"So why did you come here?" Yuan Shao wasn't particularly interested in the news of Yuan Shu's death.

Upon seeing the imperial seal, Yuan Shao became quite giddy and no longer cared about anything else.

Even without the Imperial Seal of the State, Yuan Shao had considered ruling the world more than once.

Liu Bei said, “Cao Cao bullies the emperor and mistreats Han officials. My second brother was outraged and took action, but unfortunately Cao Cao escaped by chance. I believe that only you, my lord, can eliminate the traitor, restore the Han dynasty, and bring peace to the world. I am not worthy of such a position and dare not keep the imperial seal by my side.”

As Liu Bei spoke, he shook his head, feigning fear and trepidation.

Yuan Shao was secretly delighted, but on the surface he pretended to be humble, "Xuande, you are the current imperial uncle, you are too modest. You should keep this with you. When I have wiped out Cao Cao, we will return this to His Majesty."

Yuan Shao's words were very eloquent, but he remained motionless, still tightly clutching the imperial seal.

Liu Bei said, "If it weren't for your kindness in taking me in, I wouldn't even have a place to stay. Your reputation and strength are exemplary. You are the only one in the world capable of eliminating Cao Cao and restoring order. Please don't refuse."

I pushed it away repeatedly, and gave in again and again.

Finally, Yuan Shao laughed loudly, "Very well, since Xuande is so kind, and we are both working to bring peace to the world, then I will respectfully accept your offer."

Zhang Fei glanced at Yuan Shao with disdain. Seeing Yuan Shao's beaming face and overjoyed expression, Zhang Fei really wanted to curse him out and give him a piece of his mind.

You, Yuan Shao, dare to talk about stabilizing the world? You're really good at patting yourself on the back.

Yuan Shao's attitude towards Liu Bei suddenly became much warmer. He warmly held Liu Bei's hand and had a long chat, almost inviting Liu Bei to stay and sleep next to him.

After Liu Bei returned, Zhang Fei said indignantly, "Brother, I really don't understand. How could His Majesty bear to let you hand over such a precious item as the Imperial Seal to Yuan Shao?"

Liu Bei waved his hand, "Yide, Your Majesty is both magnanimous and capable. Rest assured, after we eliminate Yuan Shao, I will personally retrieve the Imperial Seal for Your Majesty. Just as Your Majesty said, the Imperial Seal was only temporarily lent to Yuan Shao, and it will surely be returned to its rightful owner!"

After obtaining the imperial seal, Yuan Shao's confidence in defeating Cao Cao was further strengthened, and he subsequently made frequent troop deployments.

With a major battle imminent, Cao Cao reacted decisively, deciding to rush to the front lines immediately.

As for Chen Lin's proclamation of attack, Cao Cao ignored it completely.

At the court meeting, Liu Xie naturally agreed to Cao Cao's proposal to send troops without any hesitation.

Before setting out, Liu Xie came to see Jia Xu, who smiled and said, "Your Majesty, the secret passage leading to the Sikong Mansion has been dug. Next, I will order people to do their best to dig a secret passage leading outside the city. This secret passage leads directly to the North Mountain. The North Mountain is covered with lush vegetation and no one lives nearby, so it will not be easily discovered."

Liu Xie nodded with satisfaction. "Wenhe, I have always trusted you to do things. After I send out troops, we will keep in touch."

Before parting, Jia Xu did not forget to remind him: "Your Majesty must take care on this trip. Cao Cao and Guo Jia will not let Lü Bu, Zhao Yun and others go unattended. Your Majesty's strength is growing day by day. Cao Cao wants to become a powerful minister, so naturally he cannot tolerate it!"

Liu Xie smiled confidently and said, "I have no objection to Cao Cao wanting to be a powerful minister, but he must be an obedient one! He wants to use Yuan Shao to deal with me, but it won't be that easy. Didn't Wenhe say that as long as I perform well, I can further enhance my prestige? There are too many people in the world who don't take me, the emperor, seriously. Haha, I'll let them see for themselves that I am by no means an incompetent mediocre talent, nor a useless figurehead!"

Jia Xu looked at Liu Xie and could feel the imperial aura emanating from him that refused to submit to anyone.

Liu Xie is no longer the same as before; he has become increasingly composed and confident.

From having nothing when he first arrived in Xudu, he has now, while not exactly a powerful figure, at least capable of protecting himself.

Even if Jia Xu did not serve Liu Xie, Liu Xie was still able to gradually accumulate strength and turn the tide. Jia Xu was not irreplaceable in this process.

Next, Liu Xie summoned Tian Yu, Liu Biao, and others together.

Zhao Yun and his men brought over several jars of fine wine. Just as the others were about to pour the wine, Liu Xie smiled and walked straight over. "Let me do it!" Liu Xie had a friendly smile on his face, without any airs of an emperor. The hundreds of assassins in the room all stood up on their own and looked at him with solemn expressions.

Liu Xie walked up to each person, patted each of them on the shoulder, and then poured them wine.

"You are a criminal investigator from Hebei."

"You are Li Yi from Hebei."

Liu Xie could accurately call out everyone's name, which moved everyone. As Liu Xie poured wine for them, many people couldn't help but have tears in their eyes.

After filling everyone's cups with wine, Liu Xie poured one for himself. "Gentlemen," he said, "I am truly grateful to you all. Thank you for your trust in me and for your willingness to follow me. I will remember each and every one of you, just like Wang Wu and Li Zhong—I will never forget you!"

"We swear to serve Your Majesty to the death, even at the cost of our lives."

Although everyone deliberately lowered their voices while inside the sealed room, their heavy and orderly responses were still full of fearless determination, which commanded respect.

"Come, let's do it together. I'm entrusting the affairs of Xuchang to you all."

After saying this, Liu Xie picked up his wine bowl in front of everyone and drank it all in one gulp.

Everyone followed suit and drank it down together.

Liu Xie put down his wine bowl and laughed loudly: "When I drink with those ministers, we use bronze wine cups and speak grand words. To be honest, it's quite boring. But when I drink with you all from these simplest earthenware bowls, I am genuinely happy because our hearts are together. With you, I don't need to pretend, and I can say whatever I want."

Liu Biao said, “Your Majesty, we are all rough men, and we are not afraid of your ridicule. Not many of us are literate, but we know the meaning of loyalty and righteousness. Your Majesty can rest assured that serving Your Majesty is the greatest honor of our lives!”

Li Yi mustered his courage and said, "Your Majesty just said that you will remember each and every one of our names. With your words, even death would be worthwhile!"

Tian Yu watched quietly from the side. Since arriving in Xudu, he had not had much contact with Liu Xie, but Liu Xie had entrusted him with such an important task as training assassins and had also let him know the secret of the secret passage.

This trust is enough, enough for Tian Yu to repay with his life.

But today, he couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, I've always wanted to ask, why did you entrust me with the task of training them?"

Liu Xie's answer was simple: "Because you are willing to come to Xuchang, and because you are willing to stay by my side!"

Tian Yu exclaimed excitedly, "Your Majesty, I will serve you with my life!"

Others chimed in, "We are also willing to die for you!"

Liu Xie was also deeply moved, and a few tears welled up in his eyes. "Good, you are all excellent. Most of you are rough and unruly knights-errant. To be honest, I admire people like you the most. You can distinguish right from wrong far better than those who talk big all day long."

"Those learned scholars and those warlords who control their own armies, each of them claiming to be loyal and virtuous, spouting benevolence and morality, yet few of them have stood up to speak a word of justice in this chaotic state of the Han Dynasty. But you are able to distinguish right from wrong, and you dare to draw your swords when you encounter injustice. Loyalty and righteousness are already engraved in your bones. Therefore, I trust you and respect you!"

Zhao Yun watched quietly, deeply moved. He had previously admired Liu Xie for his ease and skill in navigating the world of Cao Cao and his ilk.

But at this moment, Liu Xie completely opened his heart and revealed his most sincere side when facing these most honest and simple wandering knights.

Gradually, tears welled up in everyone's eyes. These chivalrous men, who would kill without batting an eye, were completely moved by Liu Xie's words, and tears streamed down their faces uncontrollably.

Finally, Liu Xie bowed deeply to everyone.

Then, he turned and left.

Zhao Yun saw that, in the instant the emperor turned around, he wiped the corner of his eye with his sleeve.

After Liu Xie left, Tian Yu looked north towards Youzhou and sighed inwardly, "My lord, you didn't see His Majesty, but I did. You had no chance in this life, but I was fortunate enough to follow His Majesty. His Majesty is truly a good person, worthy of anyone risking their life to follow him!"

Liu Biao looked at the others and said, "Alright, now everyone knows what to do. When it comes to fighting for your lives, no one can back down. Otherwise, I, Liu Biao, will be the first to kill him!"

"Don't worry, there isn't a single coward here!"

The crowd chorused, "Yes, His Majesty thinks highly of us. It's worth risking our lives!"

…………

Back in the inner palace, Liu Xie took a stroll around. The lights were on in the rooms of Fu Shou and the others, who were all waiting for him, because they also knew that he would be leaving Xudu the next day.

"Zhang Yu."

"Your servant is here!"

"I'm going to the Empress's place tonight. Summon Consort Dong and the others as well. Remember, they all have to come. I have something to say to them."

Zhang Yu quickly agreed, but in his heart he was thinking, "This is something I've never heard of before. Could it be that His Majesty is going to bestow his grace widely tonight and make everyone's favor equal?"

In the past, no matter which emperor it was, he would only favor one concubine at a time. But Liu Xie did something different, gathering all four concubines together at once.

When Liu Xie met Fu Shou, she was helping him tidy his clothes. Although there were palace maids serving him, Fu Shou did not ask anyone for help.

When Liu Xie returned, Fu Shou's eyes were slightly red, as if she had just been crying.

"What's wrong? It's not like I'm leaving and never coming back." Liu Xie smiled, feeling a warmth in his heart.

Whether emperor or commoner, every man hopes that the woman beside him will care about him and always keep him in her heart.

Fu Shou bit her lip tightly and sighed softly, "Your Majesty, only when you are in the palace can I have someone to talk to and feel a little comforted. On ordinary days, I dare not say a word to the palace maids and eunuchs around me."

This is true. Cao Cao had planted spies all over the palace. Although Lü Lingqi's arrival had slightly intimidated some people, it was still a long way from completely purging the palace.

"Don't worry, I've already thought of that problem."

"His Majesty."

A moment later, Lü Lingqi walked in cheerfully. Always outgoing, she first greeted Liu Xie, then bowed to Empress Fu Shou, saying, "Greetings, Empress!"

(End of this chapter)