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

Chapter 29, Liu Xie Wants to Abdicate
Upon seeing Cao Cao approach, Liu Xie quickly bowed and said, "Welcome back victorious Lord Cao!"

Everyone was stunned. Liu Xie was actually standing there, waiting for Cao Cao, and he even bowed to Cao Cao.

Dong Cheng hurriedly stepped forward and asked loudly, "Your Majesty, what is this?"

Cao Cao was also surprised, his eyes widening, and he subconsciously took a few steps back.

The emperor bowed to him, but he could not accept it and dared not bear to!
What's more, this is on the street!
Cao Cao hurriedly stepped forward and said somewhat flusteredly, "Your Majesty, it is only my duty to send troops to quell the rebellion. Why should Your Majesty personally wait for me? Why should Your Majesty treat me with such courtesy? Your Majesty, you are making me feel ashamed."

Just as Liu Xie was about to step forward, he carefully lowered his raised leg, turned to look at Deng Zhan, and said weakly, "Commander Deng, I did not leave the city, I did not cross over!"

Deng Zhan broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly knelt on the ground, "Your Majesty, this humble general is guilty."

In front of so many people, Cao Cao felt his face burning with embarrassment and discomfort. He was so ashamed that he wanted to disappear!

Even though it was his order, could Cao Cao admit it in front of so many people?
That slap in the face really hurt!

Dong Cheng was furious and shouted, "Good, good! His Majesty doesn't even dare to take a step outside the city. How wonderful!"

Cao Cao's good mood vanished instantly.

Gritting his teeth, Cao Cao glared fiercely at Deng Zhan and strode over. Deng Zhan knelt on the ground, trembling, realizing that something bad was about to happen.

With a clang, Cao Cao, who was not supposed to draw his sword in front of the emperor, disregarded the rules.

The Qinggang Sword was suddenly drawn. Without any hesitation, Cao Cao strode forward and thrust the sword into Deng Zhan's heart.

Liu Xie did not stop him, because Deng Zhan was Cao Cao's man. Even if Liu Xie could save his life today, Cao Cao would still find an opportunity to kill him tomorrow.

Because Deng Zhan embarrassed Cao Cao and made him lose face!
Blood immediately flowed out, and Deng Zhan stared wide-eyed in horror at Cao Cao in disbelief.

He had strictly followed Cao Cao's orders, so why was he killed by Cao Cao?

Cao Cao exerted force again, his eyes cold to the point of madness, and blood slowly flowed from the long sword. The surrounding ministers all stared blankly at this scene.

"Your Majesty, I have failed in my duty of discipline. Someone has been so disrespectful as to dare to obstruct Your Majesty's journey. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

Pfft!
After killing Deng Zhan, Cao Cao hurriedly dropped his sword and knelt on the ground!
This was the first time Liu Xie had knelt before Cao Cao since they had known each other for two months.

Liu Xie hurriedly helped Cao Cao up, saying, "Alright, Lord Cao, you flatter me. Let's talk this out back at the palace. Do you think we, as ruler and subject, should continue to stay on this street?"

After glancing at the already dead Deng Zhan, Liu Xie shook his head and walked towards the palace with a sense of helplessness.

Cao Cao flicked his sleeves, said nothing, and hurriedly followed.

Xun Yu shook his head and hurriedly ordered the soldiers, "Move the body away immediately and clean this place up!"

Xun Yu originally wanted to say that Deng Zhan should be properly buried, but in front of everyone, it was not convenient for him to say anything more.

The palace was built entirely according to the layout of the palaces in Luoyang, and it was divided into the South Palace and the North Palace. The North Palace was the residence of the emperor and his concubines, and unauthorized personnel were not allowed to enter.

The Southern Palace was a place specifically for deliberation, and the offices of all officials, including the Secretariat, were also located in the Southern Palace.

The place specifically for holding meetings was called Chengguang Hall.

Upon arriving at the main hall, Liu Xie sat in the center. Soon after, the ministers arrived one after another, all looking at Liu Xie with unease. For the first time, Liu Xie had attracted so much attention.

As soon as Cao Cao entered, he knelt down on the ground.

Liu Xie sighed, stood up, and said, "Lord Cao, you don't need to blame yourself. I didn't mean to blame you. I was very happy to hear that you had won a battle and were returning to the capital. I wanted to greet you with my ministers outside the city, but I never expected this to happen." Cao Cao knelt on the ground, gritting his teeth, and said, "This is all because of that scoundrel Deng Zhan. He disrespected Your Majesty without cause, acted on his own, and blocked the imperial procession. Your Majesty, rest assured, this matter will not end here. I will definitely order a thorough investigation. No matter who is implicated, I will not let them off lightly."

Liu Xie waved his hand. Deng Zhan had already become the scapegoat, and he didn't want to make the matter any bigger.

Are we to wipe out Deng Zhan's entire family?

"Lord Cao, it is just in time for your triumphant return today. I have been thinking these past few days that I am neither a scholar nor a warrior, and the Han Dynasty is in decline. I am truly powerless to do anything about it. To pacify the world and restore the state, we still need Lord Cao. So, I have decided to abdicate the throne to you. From now on, you will be the ruler of the world!"

Liu Xie has already made up his mind these past two days; he's going to start his counterattack.

Over the years, Cao Cao made far too many concessions, to the point that his subordinates no longer respected the emperor.

"what?"

This startled Cao Cao, but in the short time he was stunned, he realized that the emperor had already taken off his crown.

Immediately afterwards, Liu Xie began to take off his clothes in front of everyone.

As he undressed, he said, "I am utterly incompetent and incapable, neither skilled in literature nor martial arts. It is entirely impossible for me to restore the Han Dynasty. I am not joking with you today. I am going to hand over the empire to Cao Cao, because he is the most loyal minister of the Han Dynasty in my eyes!"

Cao Cao had just stood up for a moment when he suddenly knelt down on the ground again.

"Your Majesty, you mustn't do this! You're killing me!"

Cao Cao knelt and crawled forward, kowtowing repeatedly in repentance, "Your Majesty, Deng Zhan and the other wicked villains have brought shame upon Your Majesty and humiliation upon you. I deserve to die for my failure to properly discipline them, which has led them to offend the majesty of Heaven."

Xun Yu and the others also knelt on the ground, constantly trying to comfort them.

Cao Cao's career has only just begun. Once the news of the emperor's abdication spreads, people will surely think that Cao Cao is bullying the emperor and has the intention to usurp the throne.

In an instant, Cao Cao would be branded with an indelible infamy and become the target of public condemnation.

Liu Xie quickly took off his robe and said, "I am the emperor, and my word is law. It is decided then. Lord Cao, choose a date for your ascension to the throne."

After saying that, without even looking at anyone else, Liu Xie, wearing only his underwear, turned and left.

Zhang Yu was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly shouted, "Dismiss the court!"

Zhang Yu and Xu Huang followed, and soon Liu Xie returned to the North Palace.

Cao Cao and the others, who were waiting in the main hall, were all dumbfounded.

Cao Cao never dreamed that things would turn out this way.

Turning to look at Guo Jia and Xun Yu, Xun Yu shook his head repeatedly. He never dreamed of such a situation.

Cao Cao dared not get up, because all of this was caused by him. He had been unwilling to kneel before, but now he dared not stand up.

Dong Cheng felt a bit conflicted. He slowly stood up and looked at Cao Cao kneeling on the ground with a mournful face. Dong Cheng felt very smug.

However, he was also worried that if the emperor really abdicated and refused to continue, that would be a real problem.

Dong Cheng rushed to the North Palace. Others dared not enter or leave the North Palace at will, but since his daughter was Consort Dong, Dong Cheng still had a chance to enter.

(End of this chapter)