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

Chapter 270, Bringing Sima Yi to Xudu
The maid was filled with fear; her frail body trembled incessantly, like a flower in the wind.

But instead of a pardon, Zhang Chunhua suddenly took a gold hairpin from her hair and, without any hesitation, plunged it into the maid's neck.

The maid let out a scream, which was perfectly masked by a clap of thunder. Her gentle and pretty face instantly contorted in pain.

Zhang Chunhua watched quietly as the maid's body twisted and convulsed until it finally came to a complete stillness.

Raindrops began to fall softly. With her small, delicate hands, Zhang Chunhua laboriously dragged the body to a dark spot, then turned and went back into the house to discuss it with her husband.

Sima Yi told her that the body must be hidden immediately, so he secretly helped her sink the body into the lotus pond in the courtyard.

Sima Yi didn't say much about his wife's decisive killing of the man.

Perhaps anyone else would be shocked if their woman killed someone without any mercy, but Sima Yi felt gratified; he needed such a virtuous wife.

A few days later, just as Sima Yi had predicted, Cao Cao indeed sent someone to spy on them.

Cao Cao suspected that he was faking illness, but Sima Yi's superb acting skills did not reveal any flaws, and he successfully deceived the people sent by Cao Cao.

Since Sima Yi was ill, and suffering from rheumatism that made it difficult for him to move around, Cao Cao temporarily abandoned the idea of ​​recruiting him.

However, news of this matter also came from Xudu.

After the morning court session ended that day, Jia Xu and the others stayed behind.

"Your Majesty, Liu Biao just sent word that a very strange thing has happened in Wen County. Sima Lang's younger brother, Sima Yi, suddenly fell ill overnight and is unable to get out of bed."

If he were just an ordinary person, Jia Xu might not have paid much attention to him, but the Sima family of Hedong held a very important position, and Sima Yi was the younger brother of Sima Lang, a high-ranking official of the Cao family, so Jia Xu took it to heart.

"Oh? Sima Lang's younger brother, Sima Yi?"

Liu Xie's eyes suddenly lit up. He had been so busy lately that he had almost forgotten about this person.

Jia Xu nodded. "Yes, it is said that Sima Lang's brothers are all exceptionally talented and famous in the Hedong area. Sima Yi was perfectly fine, even going out hunting during the day, but suddenly fell ill after only one day. Doesn't Your Majesty find this very strange?"

Liu Xie narrowed his eyes, a smile playing on his lips. "Yes, it is indeed very bizarre."

"Moreover, he had just received a recruitment offer from Cao Cao before he fell ill."

Liu Xie naturally understood that Sima Yi was faking illness, so he ordered, "In that case, immediately send someone to Wen County to bring Sima Yi to Xudu. He's supposed to be sick, so I'll personally examine him."

"Your Majesty, is this necessary?"

Jia Xu was unaware that Sima Yi was feigning illness and thought the emperor was genuinely kind and wanted to help Sima Yi.

Liu Xie said, "Of course it is necessary. The Sima family enjoys a great reputation and has produced many important and capable officials. Sima Lang is now the Governor of Henan and is working for the court. His younger brother is ill, how can I ignore him?"

Jia Xu immediately did as instructed and sent men to Wen County as quickly as possible.

It goes on for a long time when there's something to do, and it goes on for a short time when there's nothing to do.

On this day, a troop of cavalry suddenly arrived in Wen County. They were dressed in bright armor, riding tall horses, and each of their helmets had the character "dragon" engraved in the center.

The word "dragon" is a symbol of status. Once discerning people recognized it, they immediately exclaimed, "These are the Dragon Guards sent by the imperial court!"

The helmets of the Dragon Guards all have the character "Dragon" on them.

The Dragon Guards were the emperor's personal guards. Wherever they appeared, it was as if the emperor himself was present, inspiring awe and reverence.

Pedestrians consciously made way for him, and the imperial guard rode his horse through the streets, eventually arriving directly at the gate of the Sima family mansion.

The gatekeeper was startled and hurriedly went inside to report. Soon, Sima Fang and Sima Fu came out to greet them.

"What brings you all here?"

Sima Fang felt somewhat uneasy facing these strong and imposing Dragon Guards who exuded a murderous aura.

Everyone says that officials are powerful, but even officials are afraid of soldiers, let alone these soldiers who are not ordinary soldiers.

The leading Dragon Guard took out a waist token, held it high, and said to Sima Fang, "I am Wang Kui, a Dragon Guard. His Majesty heard that your esteemed Sima Yi has fallen seriously ill and is very worried. Considering that the Sima family is a meritorious and prestigious clan, His Majesty specially ordered us to come here to bring the patient to Xuchang so that His Majesty can personally treat Sima Yi."

"Ah? I never expected that my son's matter would alarm His Majesty."

Sima Fang had no idea that his son was faking his illness!

Sima Fang warmly invited these people to the front hall and immediately ordered tea to be served.

Wang Kui waved his hand and said seriously, "We have come by imperial decree and dare not be negligent in the slightest. We must take the person away immediately. We hope you can prepare a carriage so we can take the patient away right away."

Sima Fang nodded. "Very well, I will prepare immediately."

Sima Yi lay stiffly on the bed, completely unaware of what was happening outside. After a while, Zhang Chunhua rushed in, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "Husband, something terrible has happened. Xu Du has sent people to fetch you."

"Huh?" Sima Yi was stunned. He quickly opened his eyes and looked at his wife with confusion. "What exactly is going on?"

Zhang Chunhua shook her head; she wasn't quite sure either. Just then, footsteps sounded, and Sima Fang led the way, bringing Wang Kui and the others over.

Sima Yi quickly closed his eyes again and continued to feign illness.

Wang Kui stepped in, took a look, and even touched him. "He was indeed sick. Now that he's better, stop dawdling and carry him to the carriage."

Two imperial guards came over, lifted Sima Yi off the bed, and strode into the courtyard. Sima Yi remained motionless, still having to pretend to be sick, while his heart pounded wildly, filled with panic.

What's going on? Why are people from Xuchang suddenly here?

Sima Yi couldn't understand it at all. He really wanted to open his eyes and ask him properly.

But once he opens his eyes and speaks, won't he be completely exposed?

Soon, he was placed on the carriage, and Sima Yi heard his father's voice in his ear, "Shuda, take a few attendants and go to Xudu with us, so that we can look after each other."

Sima Fu hurriedly nodded in agreement. Zhang Chunhua was also worried and begged to go with him. Sima Fang thought about it and agreed as well.

When it comes to getting things done, the Dragon Guard is all about speed!

From the moment they arrived at Sima Yi's house until they left, less than an hour had passed.

On the way back, Sima Yi suffered terribly. No matter how comfortable the carriage was, it was still bumpy. Moreover, Sima Yi could not move around freely. Even eating, drinking, and relieving himself were problems because the Dragon Guards stayed by his side and paid him great attention.

Only when staying at an inn would Sima Yi quickly take care of his personal needs, such as relieving himself or eating.

Even Sima Yi was starting to regret it; wasn't this just making things worse?
The journey from Wenxian to Xudu by horse-drawn carriage would take at least half a month, which is no joke.

Moreover, Sima Yi had no idea what kind of situation he would face once he arrived in Xuchang.

What's meant to happen will happen; there's no escaping it. On this day, Sima Yi and his entourage arrived safely in Xuchang. After entering the city, Wang Kui took Sima Yi directly to a secluded residence and arranged for many guards to protect him.

Seeing so many guards and such a tense atmosphere, Zhang Chunhua panicked.

Sima Yi was carried into the house by the guards, and Zhang Chunhua hurriedly followed. Zhang Chunhua noticed that there were also guards standing guard outside the house.

Wang Kui said to Sima Fu, "Don't worry, His Majesty has instructed that your safety must be absolutely guaranteed."

Just as Sima Yi had settled in, Liu Xie arrived, and Sima Fu hurriedly came out to greet him.

Seeing his polite manner and honest appearance, Liu Xie smiled and asked, "Are you Sima Lang's third brother, Sima Fu?"

Sima Fu nodded, appearing somewhat reserved in front of the emperor.

Having a fairly good impression of Sima Fu and Liu Xie, Sima Fu led the way, explaining Sima Yi's illness as they walked.

Upon entering the room, Zhang Chunhua hurriedly bowed. Liu Xie waved his hand and then came to the bedside, carefully examining Sima Yi.

Sima Yi lay motionless, his eyebrows and eyelids as still as a dead man's. Liu Xie chuckled inwardly and reached out to check his pulse.

When a person is nervous or anxious, their pulse becomes very unstable.

When Liu Xie placed his hand on Sima Yi's arm, he could clearly feel that Sima Yi's pulse suddenly quickened.

After all, no matter how powerful Sima Yi was, he was still just a mortal. When the emperor appeared, he would instinctively feel a strange pressure.

Sima Yi didn't take the doctors who treated him seriously, which is why he was able to remain calm and composed.

However, the fact that the emperor sent someone all the way to bring him to Xuchang was suspicious in itself. Coupled with the emperor's unpredictable power, it was difficult for Sima Yi to remain as composed as before.

After a while, Liu Xie smiled and said, "Don't worry, it's not serious."

Zhang Chunhua breathed a sigh of relief, and Sima Yi also breathed a sigh of relief.

Sima Yi was secretly relieved. Everyone said that the emperor had studied under the legendary physician Hua Tuo and was highly skilled in medicine. Unexpectedly, he hadn't even been able to detect that his illness was fake.

Liu Xie turned around, looked at Zhang Chunhua and Sima Fu, and ordered, "You may all leave. I do not like to be disturbed when I am practicing medicine."

"Here."

Sima Fu didn't think much of it and went out with his sister-in-law.

As she left, Zhang Chunhua kept looking back, wondering what the emperor was up to.
Sima Yi continued to lie on the bed, wondering what was going on. After waiting for a while, there was still no movement. Sima Yi was stunned and subconsciously wanted to open his eyes to take a look, but he didn't dare.

Suddenly, he heard the emperor's voice.

"Sima Yi, deceiving the emperor is a capital offense. How long are you going to keep up this act?"

These words struck Sima Yi like a thunderbolt, startling him so much that his soul seemed to fly away, and his body trembled involuntarily.

But he did not open his eyes immediately, and Sima Yi mistakenly thought that the emperor was bluffing him.

"Still not awake?"

Liu Xie grew impatient and reached out, pulling Sima Yi off the bed and onto the floor.

This fall gave Sima Yi quite a jolt; the emperor's unexpected action truly terrified him.

He hurriedly opened his eyes, not daring to meet the emperor's gaze, and knelt on the ground in terror.

"Your Majesty, please spare my life."

"Hmph, feigning illness when you're not sick, Sima Yi, you've got some nerve. What do you take the world for? What do you take Cao Cao for? And what do you take me for?"

Liu Xie's voice was terrifyingly cold, and the aura of someone who had long held a high position immediately intimidated Sima Yi.

Sima Yi was so frightened that he trembled all over, his body shaking like a leaf, and he hurriedly kowtowed forcefully.

Bang bang bang!
Each slam was hard, and after only a few slams, his forehead started bleeding.

Liu Xie flung his sleeves and stormed out. Once outside, he ordered the guards at the gate, "No one is to enter without my order!"

Sima Yi panicked completely. His feigned illness had backfired, causing a terrible disaster.

When they arrived in the courtyard, Liu Xie had regained his composure, because he wasn't really angry at all; he was just trying to scare Sima Yi.

Upon seeing Zhang Chunhua and Sima Fu, Liu Xie did not greet them again and simply walked away.

Both of them were somewhat flustered and wanted to visit Sima Yi, but were stopped by the guards.

Zhang Chunhua panicked. Had she been exposed for deceiving the emperor? This was no laughing matter.

Back in the palace, Jia Xu took the initiative to inquire about the matter. Liu Xie did not hide anything and said with a smile, "Sima Yi was not sick at all. He was just pretending to be sick because he couldn't see the situation clearly for the time being and didn't want to serve Cao Cao."

Jia Xu was taken aback. "Ah? How dare he feign illness to deceive Cao Cao and even His Majesty! What does His Majesty intend to do with him?"

Liu Xie laughed, "His actions have already thrown him into a panic without me even needing to take action. Let's leave him out of the picture for a few days."

"Does Your Majesty wish to subdue this man?" Jia Xu guessed Liu Xie's intention.

Liu Xie nodded. "I have seen through his feigned illness. Now his life is in my hands. I can kill him or I can spare him. If I don't kill him, what will Sima Yi do?"

Jia Xu said, "Then he will naturally be grateful for Your Majesty's kindness and will do his best to serve Your Majesty in the future."

"Your Majesty, I suggest we make this public so that the whole world knows that Sima Yi is faking his illness."

Liu Xie asked, "Oh? Is it necessary to do this? The reputation of scions of noble families is what they care about most. If this matter is made public, won't it ruin him?"

Jia Xu said, “Your Majesty, he was the one who feigned illness first. Even if it is made public, it is Sima Yi’s own fault. Besides, once this matter is made public, Cao Cao will also hold a grudge against him. Sima Yi will only be able to follow Your Majesty wholeheartedly from now on. In addition, the world will know that it is Your Majesty who values ​​talent and has made an exception for him. Everyone will be grateful for your tolerance.”

Liu Xie thought for a moment and said, "Wenhe, what you said makes sense, but I still feel it is inappropriate to do it this way."

Although Sima Yi was the biggest gravedigger of Cao Wei in history, and he personally destroyed the Wei dynasty established by Cao Cao, Liu Xie would not completely deny Sima Yi as a person.

As long as you can control him, completely manage him, and take precautions against him, this person is still worth using.

Sima Yi did not eat anything all day and was locked in a room. He could not even see his wife, Zhang Chunhua.

The next day, Wang Kui pushed open the door and handed him a piece of paper with a few words written by the emperor on it.

(End of this chapter)