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

Zhao Yun knew very well that the emperor's words showed that he trusted him greatly.

Just because Liu Xie was able to magnanimously forgive Liu Bei doesn't mean that everything that happened before was as if it never happened.

Liu Xie was magnanimous, but he wasn't stupid!

Politics is essentially an art of compromise!

The choices Liu Xie is making now are the optimal solutions based on the current situation!

Take Cao Cao for example. If he were to be investigated, Cao Cao would become infamous, which would not benefit Liu Xie. It would be better to let Cao Cao stay in Jingzhou and focus on dealing with Sun Quan.

For Liu Bei, this is the time when he is most anxious and uneasy. If Liu Xie keeps pressing the issue and settles old scores with him, it will drive Liu Bei to the brink of despair, and he may actually stand on the opposite side of the court.

Knowing that Zhao Yun had always been fond of Liu Bei, Liu Xie said, "Zilong, I believe that after this incident, Liu Bei will be much more restrained in the future. I arranged for Lady Cai to marry him not to harm him, but simply to remind him."

Zhao Yun sighed, then nodded, "I understand Your Majesty's good intentions."

That night, Liu Xie was playing chess and chatting with Xun Yu when Wang Kui came in to report, "Your Majesty, Xun You requests an audience."

"Invite him in quickly."

A moment later, Xun You strode in. Upon seeing Liu Xie, he hurriedly knelt down and bowed, saying, "Your subject, Grand Secretary Xun You, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

Liu Xie smiled and waved his hand, "Gongda, please rise quickly."

When Liu Xie returned to Xuchang, he had a brief meeting with Xun You. Xun You's attitude of admitting his guilt was good, and Liu Xie was very satisfied.

"Gongda, tell me, how does it feel to be back by the Prime Minister's side? Has he neglected you?"

After Liu Xie finished asking his question, Xun Yu also looked at his nephew.

Xun You replied, "Your Majesty, there has been no neglect, but in the past, the Prime Minister would consult with me on everything, but now he rarely sees me."

Liu Xie nodded. "That's normal. No matter what happens, there's always an adjustment period. You need to relax and things will get better gradually."

Xun Yu also instructed him: "Gongda, now you are serving the court, and from now on you must earnestly fulfill the duties of the Imperial Censor."

Liu Xie casually appointed him as Imperial Censor, but unexpectedly, Xun You is now going to formally begin to fulfill his supervisory duties.

Xun You nodded vigorously, “I am grateful to Your Majesty for pardoning my crime of death. From now on, I will follow Your Majesty with all my heart and soul. No matter what happens to the Prime Minister, I will inform Your Majesty as soon as possible.”

Liu Xie smiled and said, "Gongda is very thoughtful."

You reap what you sow!

More and more people are turning to follow Liu Xie now, and the situation is very favorable. Liu Xie believes that Cao Cao, that stubborn mule, will eventually submit.

He must have felt powerless to contend with the emperor by now. Even his son is on the emperor's side, Zhang Liao has been poached, Xue Ti is dead, and Xun You will no longer be of one mind with Cao Cao... Although Cao Cao is still the prime minister, the situation is no longer under his control.

"Your Majesty, I have come here tonight to discuss something with you." Suddenly, Xun You's expression turned serious, and his voice became deep and powerful.

Is he trying to pledge his allegiance to me?

"Gongda, you might as well speak your mind."

Xun You said, "If Your Majesty wants the Prime Minister to obey your orders willingly, there is one person who must be eliminated."

"Are you referring to Guo Jia?"

Not only Liu Xie thought of it, but Xun Yu also guessed it. Sure enough, Xun You nodded vigorously.

Liu Xie was somewhat surprised. Although he had guessed that Xun You would join his camp and the Han family, he did not expect it to happen so quickly and so thoroughly!

They actually turned their attention to Guo Jia, but this also made Liu Xie completely believe in Xun You's loyalty to him.

Xun Yu's expression became very complicated. He was gratified that Xun You had shown his loyalty, but he was also conflicted about the infighting between his former comrades.

Guo Jia was free-spirited and unrestrained, with exceptional wisdom and resourcefulness. Everyone admired him greatly. Xun Yu and Guo Jia were once very close, like friends.

Even Liu Xie was no exception.

Xun You seemed to have made up his mind. "Although the Prime Minister has people like Mao Jie, Xu Yi, and Dong Zhao who help him with his plans, the one he relies on the most is none other than Guo Jia. The plot to frame Liu Bei and seize Jingzhou were all Guo Jia's schemes. If we can get rid of this man, it will be like cutting off one of the Prime Minister's arms."

Liu Xie rose and walked over to Xun You. He gently patted Xun You's shoulder with satisfaction. "Gongda, your suggestion is good. I am very pleased that you said these words today. However, I must tell you, I will not adopt it!"

Liu Xie's tone was very certain, revealing an unquestionable resolve.

Xun You was taken aback and asked in confusion, "Your Majesty, please forgive my ignorance, but why is this?"

In Xun You's view, since he had already sided with the emperor, there was no need to consider their past camaraderie. If he wanted Cao Cao to submit as soon as possible, Guo Jia obviously could not be kept alive.

Xun Yu also looked at Liu Xie, thinking to himself: Could it be because His Majesty has a good relationship with Guo Jia and is reluctant to do so?
Everyone who had ever lived in Xuchang knew about the relationship between the emperor and Guo Jia. In the past, the emperor often went shopping and chatted with Guo Jia, and they even visited brothels together. If you removed the emperor's identity, the two seemed to be close friends.

Liu Xie glanced at the two men and said, "Cao Cao's troops are stationed at Wulin, and Sun Quan has also begun to reinforce his troops at Chibi across the Yangtze River. A great battle is imminent. At such a critical moment, if I kill Guo Jia, wouldn't I be helping Sun Quan?"

Although Liu Xie wanted to use Sun Quan and Liu Bei to dampen Cao Cao's spirit, he couldn't lose his bottom line. He killed Guo Jia before the battle even started. So, which side was Liu Xie on?

Xun You tentatively asked, "What kind of outcome does Your Majesty desire in this war? Do you hope the Prime Minister will win or lose?"

Liu Xie glanced at Xun You and said, "Whether we win or lose, as long as the Prime Minister does his best, that's enough. I never thought that we could pacify Jiangdong in one battle."

Even though Cao Cao had the superior military strength and many people believed he would win, Liu Xie remained very calm.

Xun You stayed a while longer before taking his leave. Through this meeting, Xun You solidified his stance: as the Imperial Censor, he was essentially a surveillance camera installed next to Cao Cao by Liu Xie.

Like Xu Huang, Xun You could report anything that happened on Cao Cao's side to Liu Xie at any time. Moreover, in addition to reporting, Xun You could also directly criticize and correct Cao Cao if he did something wrong.

The Grand Censor was equivalent to a vice prime minister, whose function was to assist and monitor the prime minister. If the prime minister did something wrong, he could impeach him directly and report to the emperor.

After returning, Xun You immediately went to Cao Cao's residence. It was already night, and the guards at the gate tried to stop him, but Xun You glared at them fiercely and said, "You dare to stop me? I am the Imperial Censor, appointed by His Majesty. Get out of my way."

Xun You has now completely stood up for himself. In the past, he himself did not take this position seriously, but now, he is like someone holding an imperial sword, his imposing aura shocking all the guards.

"Get out of the way! I need to see the Prime Minister!"

Xun You snorted coldly and strode inside.

Cao Cao was in a very bad mood today. If others had become the governor of Jingzhou, they might have been overjoyed, but Cao Cao was not happy at all.

He would much rather be the governor of Ji Province, but now he can't go anywhere. Even if he defeats Sun Quan, he, as the governor of Jing Province, will have to stay in Jing Province without the emperor's permission.

Feeling frustrated, Cao Cao naturally wanted to relieve his frustration, so he sent someone to invite Lady Cai over. However, to his surprise, Lady Cai, who had always been very obedient to Cao Cao, refused him this time.

“Uncle, why don’t I go over there? I guarantee I can bring that woman to you.”

Although Cao Anmin doesn't have much to do on a daily basis, and his academic papers and martial arts discussions are unremarkable, he is still very considerate when it comes to women.

Cao Cao paced back and forth in the room in frustration. The more he was rejected, the more interested he became. He was eager to find out what had happened to Lady Cai.

Cao Cao then nodded to Cao Anmin, "Remember, don't let others see you, be careful and cautious."

"Uncle, don't worry."

This was clearly not the first time Cao Anmin had done something like this. He chuckled at Cao Cao and then turned and left.

Lady Cai's courtyard was very secluded. Since Liu Biao's death, she only had a few maids serving her.

Lady Cai disliked crowds, which benefited Cao Cao. Even when the two were on good terms, Cao Cao would occasionally stay at their place.

It is secluded, so that it is not easy to be discovered or disturbed.

Liu Cong would come to pay his respects to her morning and evening. It was late at night, and not long after Liu Cong left, Madam Cai was about to retire for the night when she heard the sound of a maid arguing with someone.

"You can't go in."

"Get out of the way, make way for me. I was sent by the Prime Minister."

Without saying a word, Cao Anmin shoved aside the maid blocking his way and stormed in with several guards.

Madam Cai's almond-shaped eyes widened, her face instantly darkening. She stared coldly at Cao Anmin and questioned, "How dare you trespass here!"

Cao Anmin laughed dismissively, “Madam, I am here on the orders of the Prime Minister. There is no place in the world I dare not go, let alone here.”

Madam Cai was incredibly clever; she immediately seized the loophole in Cao Anmin's words and countered, "Is that so? So you dare to trespass even into the imperial palace?"

Cao Anmin paused for a moment, then quickly changed the subject, "Enough nonsense, Madam had better come with me obediently, lest my men act recklessly."

Madam Cai sneered, "If you dare to touch a single hair on my head, you will regret it. Go back and tell the Prime Minister that I was just summoned by His Majesty this afternoon, and I am now exhausted. It is late at night, and it is really not appropriate for me to meet with the Prime Minister again."

Madam Cai subtly hinted at Cao Anmin's intentions by mentioning the emperor. Had it been anyone else, they might have guessed that things were not simple. However, Cao Anmin was a simpleton and, without further ado, ordered the guards he had brought with him, "Take the man away. I don't care what your reasons are."

When Xun You arrived at Cao Cao's courtyard, before he even entered the house and saw Cao Cao, he ran into Cao Anmin and his entourage who had just returned. Xun You immediately spotted Lady Cai.

Lady Cai was escorted by two guards, her face full of reluctance, but considering her reputation, she did not shout loudly.

Xun You stormed into the house and went straight to see Cao Cao. Cao Anmin followed him in with Lady Cai.

Upon hearing footsteps, Cao Cao excitedly rubbed his hands together, a hint of joy appearing on his face. But when he turned around, he saw Xun You storming in.

Cao Cao immediately sensed something was wrong, and then Cao Anmin brought Lady Cai in as well.

Cao Anmin, unaware of the seriousness of the situation, fawned over Cao Cao, saying, "Uncle, I have brought the man to you. Please enjoy him!"

Xun You sneered, "What a fine 'enjoy slowly'! Prime Minister, Lady Cai is the wife of a member of the imperial family and holds a very important position in Jingzhou. Yet you sent people to forcibly abduct her for your own selfish desires. As Prime Minister, you should set an example by abiding by the law. Prime Minister, can you give me an explanation for what happened tonight?"

Cao Cao glared at Cao Anmin, blaming him for his lack of tact.

Cao Cao and Lady Cai had been intimate before, and Xun You knew this. However, he is now holding onto this matter, which clearly indicates that Xun You's stance has changed.

Previously, Cao Cao and Lady Cai could do whatever they wanted, and Xun You didn't care.

But now, sorry, it's not possible!
Xun You pressed on relentlessly, causing Cao Cao to lose face.

Cao Cao glared at Cao Anmin again, then smiled and said to Xun You, "Gongda, tonight was just a misunderstanding. I just wanted to discuss some things with Madam. I didn't expect Anmin to be so rude to Madam."

Cao Cao quickly apologized to Lady Cai, "Madam, this is purely a misunderstanding, please don't take it to heart."

Turning around, Cao Cao shouted towards the door, "Someone come here!"

Dian Wei strode in. "My lord, what are your orders?"

Cao Cao pointed at Cao Anmin and, feigning anger, ordered, "Drag this rebellious son out and give him thirty lashes. This is outrageous! I clearly told him to politely invite the lady, but he was so arrogant and rude. It's truly despicable."

"what?"

Cao Anmin stared in astonishment, thinking: What on earth is going on, Uncle? You're being so unethical!

However, Cao Anmin couldn't very well expose Cao Cao's shortcomings in front of Xun You. He was like a mute eating bitter herbs, and could only suffer in silence. He was dragged out by Dian Wei and whipped in the courtyard.

This beating left Cao Anmin in excruciating pain, making him bark like a dog.

Cao Cao apologized to Lady Cai repeatedly. To dissuade him, Lady Cai solemnly reiterated her stance, "Prime Minister, His Majesty just saw me this afternoon. My affairs are now entirely under His Majesty's discretion. I hope you will not disturb me further. Please respect yourselves! After all, men and women are different; this will only cause gossip and damage your reputation!" (End of Chapter)