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

Chapter 250, It's time for Dalang to take his medicine.

Seeing Xiahou Xue nod, Liu Xie was very happy and immediately announced the marriage.

Lu Xun's clansmen are all in Xudu now, and they all sincerely support Liu Xie. People like Lu Jun and Lu Ji were also fortunate enough to attend the banquet.

The emperor bestowed the marriage upon them, so the Lu family naturally did not object. Even Lu Xun, the person involved, was only slightly embarrassed but not opposed to it.

Liu Xie immediately made the decision, "There's no time like the present. Since everyone is here, let's have them witness this. Let's keep things simple and hold the wedding now."

Everyone cheered, and the atmosphere became exceptionally lively. Only Zhang Fei picked up a bowl of wine and gulped it down, venting his dissatisfaction.

The more Zhang Fei drank, the more Liu Bei assumed he was thinking about women.

The wedding was simple. Ma Yunlu blinked as she watched Lu Xun and Xiahou Xue hold their wedding in public. Every now and then, her gaze would sneakily drift to the man who was always by the emperor's side.

That man in white robes and silver armor!
Ma Yunlu was not from a wealthy family. She loved horseback riding and archery from a young age. Influenced by Ma Teng and Ma Chao, she was naturally free-spirited, cheerful, and lively. If she fell in love with someone, she would express it in a generous and open manner.

Ma Yunlu had never seen a general as unique as Zhao Yun before.

The military generals she had encountered before were all rugged and fierce; few of the generals from Xiliang were good-looking.

As for character, the Liangzhou generals were prone to swearing and cursing, and their personalities were like a raging fire. They would resort to violence at the slightest disagreement, so very few of them could catch Ma Yunlu's eye.

But as a military general, Zhao Yun was tall and imposing, meticulous in his work, and very polite and kind to people.

All of this caught Ma Yunlu's eye and made her heart flutter.

After the wedding ceremony, the newlyweds left the hall amidst applause to go to their bridal chamber. Zhang Fei angrily put down his wine bowl, picked up a jar of wine from the table, and gulped it down in front of everyone.

Those nearby, unaware of the situation, gave a thumbs-up and praised, "General Zhang is truly magnanimous."

Liu Xie had already noticed Zhang Fei's actions.

But it would be very difficult for Liu Xie to grant his request.

You, Zhang Fei, kidnapped a young woman and took her to the mountains, intending to forcibly make her your woman.

If Liu Xie disregarded everything and directly forced Xiahou Xue to marry Zhang Fei, would that work?

Lu Xun and Xiahou Xue had spent more than half a year together on Mount Mangdang, and Lu Xun had always treated Xiahou Xue with courtesy. Both in terms of sentiment and reason, Liu Xie was more inclined to let Lu Xun marry Xiahou Xue.

Most importantly, Lu Xun was personally trained by Liu Xie, and his loyalty to Liu Xie is beyond question.

Zhang Fei would only obey Liu Bei's orders. Even if Liu Xie were to give Xiahou Xue to him, Zhang Fei would at most be grateful. But Lu Xun would be willing to risk his life for Liu Xie.

Therefore, considering all factors, granting Lu Xun's request is clearly the most advantageous choice for Liu Xie.

Before the Lunar New Year was over, the two Yuan brothers in Hebei couldn't wait to fight each other. Yuan Tan returned to Qingzhou and gathered tens of thousands of troops, and engaged in a fierce battle with Yuan Shang in Liyang. The two sides committed more than 100,000 troops.

Cao Cao also decided to return to Yanzhou to reorganize his troops and prepare to advance into Hebei at any time. Before setting off, Cao Cao went to Lingyan Pavilion alone.

It's unclear when exactly, but the Lingyan Pavilion began to hold a mysterious attraction for Cao Cao.

Before each campaign, Cao Cao would habitually come here to take a look.

Cao Cao discovered that beneath his portrait was an extra scroll of bamboo slips, wrapped in a layer of golden silk.

Cao Cao curiously opened it, and to his surprise, it was a document he had once written entitled "Declaration of My Ambition."

Cao Cao recognized the characters on it at a glance: they were strong and powerful, with bold and vigorous strokes.

Even Cao Ang's calligraphy was learned from the emperor, so Cao Cao recognized it very easily.

Emperor Xie wrote in regular script, and even Zhong Yao, the inventor of regular script, had to learn from the emperor, since he was a step too late.

Before he even invented the regular script, Liu Xie had already caused a sensation, with even Cao Ang imitating his calligraphy.

Cao Cao read it once and felt that the scroll in his hand was heavy, its weight suddenly becoming much heavier, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

After a while, Cao Cao sighed and muttered to himself, "Your Majesty, I have been deceived by you from the very beginning."

From the beginning, Liu Xie praised Cao Cao incessantly, bestowed upon him countless gifts, and cooperated fully with Cao Cao's decisions.

Cao Cao could promote whomever he wanted and do whatever he wanted.

At that time, Cao Cao thought that Liu Xie was very sensible and cooperative, saving him a lot of trouble.

But later, Cao Cao understood.

The emperor kept praising himself and claiming to be a loyal minister.

Over time, even those who weren't loyal ministers became loyal ministers.

Cao Cao believed that this was the most brilliant tactic an emperor could employ.

The words "The First Loyal Minister of the Han Dynasty" on the portrait were very eye-catching. Cao Cao smiled meaningfully, and his desire for conquest was once again aroused. "Your Majesty, I have not yet admitted defeat!"

After bidding farewell to his family, Cao Cao led his army to leave Xuchang. Liu Xie also personally saw Cao Cao off. After exchanging a few polite words with Cao Cao, Xun Yu couldn't help but look at Xun You several times.

Xun Yu was genuinely worried about his nephew. Even Cao Cao was no match for the emperor, let alone a mere Xun You.

The emperor held the power of life and death, and could make him a scapegoat in the struggle between the emperor and Cao Cao at any time.

After the troops set off, Guo Jia and Cao Cao rode side by side, and Guo Jia mentioned something.

“My lord, although Yuzhou is now entirely under His Majesty’s control, Qiao County remains unchanged, and His Majesty has not replaced a single official, large or small.”

Qiao County was Cao Cao's hometown and the foundation of the Cao clan, but it belonged to Yu Province.

Cao Cao nodded. "I already know. Your Majesty did me a favor."

"Yes, His Majesty has always been very good to you, Lord Ming. Liu Bei and Lü Bu have complained a lot, but His Majesty still tries his best to protect you."

Cao Cao gave a bitter smile. "I have to admit that His Majesty has been very good to me, even excessively so. But Fengxiao, you also know that His Majesty is using methods that are meant to kill someone by destroying their spirit."

“The better he treats me, the less I can resist him; it’s like having a shackle around my neck.”

Guo Jia said, "My lord, His Majesty's actions are not necessarily just a means of retaliation. His Majesty also sincerely hopes that you can be a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, rather than deliberately trying to create the image of you as a loyal minister."

Guo Jia's words plunged Cao Cao into a brief silence.

Cao Cao always felt that the emperor was deliberately praising him so that everyone would know he was a loyal minister, thus binding his hands and feet and forcing him to obediently submit.

But upon closer reflection, Cao Cao realized that Guo Jia's words made some sense.

After Cao Cao left Xuchang, Liu Xie sent people to closely monitor the situation in Qingzhou. He even drew a large map of Qingzhou and would study it with Jia Xu, Chen Gong, and others whenever he had time.

In addition to serving as the magistrate of Xudu, Jia Xu was also in charge of intelligence from various regions.

Liu Biao and his men moved around freely, their whereabouts unpredictable, and they would occasionally gather useful intelligence to send back to Xuchang.

After Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang turned against each other, Zhang He and Gao Lan chose to follow Yuan Tan. Gao Lan is now by Yuan Tan's side fighting against Yuan Shang in Liyang, while Zhang He is stationed in Linzi, helping Yuan Tan guard his home.

Liu Xie remained in Xudu, urging everyone to divide their tasks and train. Liu Bei also received orders to be ready to join the battle at any time.

Liu Bei had served as the magistrate of Pingyuan and Gaotang, and was very familiar with Qingzhou. The martial prowess of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei was also highly valued by Emperor Xie.

From February to April, the brothers Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang were locked in a fierce battle, while Cao Cao and Liu Xie watched closely from the sidelines.

While training his troops, Liu Bei also kept a close eye on the war situation in the north.

In addition, he also paid close attention to Jingzhou and Liu Biao.

Since the beginning of the year, Liu Biao had fallen ill, and several months had passed without any improvement, which greatly piqued Liu Bei's interest.

…………

Xiangyang, the governor's residence!

Liu Biao lay quietly on his sickbed, his face looking extremely haggard, as if he were only a few steps away from leaving this world.

His face had lost its former composure and dignity; it looked more like that of an old man nearing the end of his life, trembling as he struggled to hold on to his existence.

No one expected that Liu Biao's illness would come on so suddenly and become so severe.

As night deepened, Madam Cai approached gracefully with two personal maids, one of whom carried a bowl of steaming medicinal soup.

After Liu Biao fell ill, Lady Cai toned down her usual sharpness and became very considerate.

She would stay by Liu Biao's side every day, helping him feed his medicine and taking meticulous care of him.

Lady Cai took the medicine, waved her hand to dismiss the maid, and while Liu Biao wasn't looking, she took out a medicine bottle from her sleeve and quickly poured some powder into the medicine.

Then, she gently blew on the steam rising from the bowl and shook it a few times, saying, "You brought it up so hot, aren't you afraid of burning someone?"

Then, Lady Cai personally fed Liu Biao the medicine until he finished the bowl. Only then did Lady Cai leave.

After a while, someone came in to report, "My lord, Han Song requests an audience."

Liu Biao waved his hand, "Let him in."

A short while later, Han Song hurriedly walked in.

Seeing that Liu Biao's complexion was getting worse, Han Song was very worried and hurriedly said, "My lord, what's wrong with you? Why is your condition getting worse?"

Liu Biao coughed weakly a few times. He had been thinking about this matter recently, but he couldn't figure it out. In the end, he could only attribute it to mental distress.

Liu Biao never suspected Lady Cai, but it was Lady Cai who tampered with the medicine.

Cai Mao was killed, and dozens of members of the Cai family were implicated, turning the once powerful and influential family in Jingzhou into a desolate and neglected household.

It was as if the Cai family had become synonymous with plague, and no one dared to approach them.

The Cai family became the talk of the town, and the Cai family members became the object of ridicule.

This was something that the ever-powerful Madam Cai could not accept!
In addition, Liu Biao's attitude towards her became cold, and even Liu Cong was alienated by Liu Biao.

Lady Cai's marriage to Liu Biao was originally a union of interests, but now she can no longer gain any benefits from Liu Biao.

The Cai family lost power, Madam Cai fell out of favor, and Liu Cong was also alienated; everything was developing in the worst possible direction.

So Lady Cai made a ruthless decision: since she couldn't gain any benefit from Liu Biao, she would make him disappear from the world completely.

Lady Cai prescribed Liu Biao a slow-acting medicine, adding a little bit to the decoction each time. Over time, the toxins accumulated in Liu Biao's body, causing his health to deteriorate and his body to become increasingly weak.

After exchanging pleasantries, Han Song mentioned the situation in Hebei and took out a letter from his pocket, handing it to Liu Biao.

Although Liu Biao was unable to get out of bed, he could still read letters without any problem.

The letter was written by Yuan Tan, because Yuan Shao and Liu Biao were once very close allies, and even after Yuan Shao died, the relationship between the Yuan family and Liu Biao was not completely severed.

In his letter, Yuan Tan poured out his grievances, saying that his current situation was very bad and hoping that Liu Biao could provide some support.

Although Yuan Tan was the eldest son, he was constantly on the defensive after fighting for more than two months.

Liu Biao shook his head and sighed helplessly, "I have been bedridden for a long time and can barely take care of myself. How can I help him? Besides, Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang have turned against each other. Helping one is the same as harming the other."

Suddenly, Liu Biao's eyes widened, and he said to Han Song, "The Yuan family is about to be destroyed, and those two brothers are still unaware of it and are still fighting among themselves. The emperor and Cao Cao are probably already sharpening their swords and are ready."

Han Song nodded. "Yes, they are still fighting amongst themselves. Even if they can determine a winner, what's the use? Since the court has already killed Yuan Shao, it will definitely not show any mercy and will eliminate him completely."

"But my lord, once the court has pacified the north, what's next?"

Han Song's reminder startled Liu Biao: "Could it be that the imperial court will take action against Jingzhou?"

Han Song frowned and said, "That's not necessarily true. Gan Ning has already gone to Changsha, and I heard he's been recruiting soldiers and training them day and night. Coupled with our lord's illness, I'm afraid..."

Han Song didn't continue, but Liu Biao guessed it.

Gan Ning's arrival was ill-intentioned. Although he had left Xiangyang, he was still causing trouble in Changsha, which meant that the imperial court had already extended one foot into Jingzhou.

Furthermore, since I am ill, wouldn't Jingzhou become the imperial court's possession?
Liu Biao lay on his back on the bed. He had talked so much and was exhausted. He needed to rest and recuperate, and also calmly think of a solution.

Han Song was not in a hurry and waited quietly to the side. After a while, Liu Biao spoke again.

"Write a reply to Yuan Tan on my behalf, telling them to stop fighting and be careful, as the imperial court may use force against them at any time."

Han Song nodded hastily, and Liu Biao added, "Let's give them a piece of advice out of consideration for our past relationship with Yuan Shao."

Liu Biao hoped that the two brothers, Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang, could join forces and fight against external threats, as this would be beneficial to both them and Liu Biao.

At the very least, it can delay the imperial court's move towards Jingzhou.

(End of this chapter)