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

The older people get, the more nostalgic they become. Cao Cao was already fifty years old, and recently he often thought about the past and everything that had happened between him and the emperor.

Indeed, without Cao Cao, there would be no emperor today.

Conversely, if Cao Cao had lost the trump card of the emperor, he would have been nothing more than a minor warlord. Without the emperor's authority, he might have been destroyed by Yuan Shao long ago.

Cao Cao summoned Guo Jia, Cao Ren, and others, and told them directly, "I need to return to Xuchang. How can I not handle such a big matter?"

Guo Jia agreed, saying, "Prime Minister, a meeting is fine, but this matter should not be publicized. How about this, you can return to Xu and not enter the city for the time being. You can meet His Majesty outside the city."

Cao Cao nodded. "Very well."

By blocking the news, Cao Cao could continue to mislead Sun Quan, and naturally, he would not object.

Cao Cao decided to leave Xiangyang with only Dian Wei, Xun You, and a few followers. Cao Ren was worried and pleaded, "My lord, how can you manage with just this many men? Why don't I take some troops with me and go back with you?"

Xiahou Dun also wanted to go, but Cao Cao waved his hand, "I'm going back to see His Majesty, not to fight a war. What's the point of bringing so many people? If you come along, it will only cause His Majesty to misunderstand."

Cao Cao glanced at Guo Jia and suddenly burst into laughter. “Fengxiao, even if I returned to Xuchang with thousands of troops before, I wouldn’t feel at ease. But now, even if I go back alone, I don’t feel anything is wrong.”

Guo Jia laughed and said, "That's natural. Before, you treated His Majesty as an enemy, so you were always on guard against him. Now that you no longer treat him as an enemy, you won't worry about him harming you. My lord, you can go with peace of mind. His Majesty will be very happy to see you. There's absolutely no need to worry about your safety."

"Okay, with your words, I feel relieved."

Cao Cao and his entourage of more than a dozen people quietly left Xiangyang, while Liu Xie, having received advance notice, chose Xutian as the meeting place.

Liu Xie was accompanied by only a dozen or so men, including Xun Yu, Jia Xu, and Zhao Yun. It was autumn, with clear skies and fallen leaves everywhere. It was the perfect time for hunting. Liu Xie and his men rode horses, carrying bows and arrows, and hunted in Xutian while waiting for Cao Cao.

Riding and hunting, he was in a particularly good mood. After a while, Wang Kui galloped up and jumped off his horse to report: "Your Majesty, the Prime Minister has arrived. He is less than three miles away from here."

Liu Xie put away his bow and arrows and instructed Zhao Yun, "Zilong, let's go and greet the Prime Minister together."

There was a pavilion not far away. Zhao Yun tied his horse to the side and placed the game he had hunted nearby. Guards were specially assigned to clean the game, gutting and gutting it, and preparing a meal, because Liu Xie had decided to dine with Cao Cao in Xutian today.

Two miles from Xutian, Cao Cao stopped his horse, dismounted, and saw Xudu in the distance. Although he hadn't been back for a long time, he felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity at that moment.

"Prime Minister, there's still a long way to go," Dian Wei said.

"I'm not riding anymore, I'll walk there." Cao Cao waved his hand, led his horse and strode towards Xutian, with Xun You and Dian Wei hurrying to follow.

They had only walked a short distance when someone came to meet them.

"Ok?"

Cao Cao was taken aback, because he realized that the person who was receiving him was the emperor. Moreover, the emperor's clothes looked so familiar that he recognized them at a glance. They were exactly the same as the emperor's clothes when he first met him in Luoyang.

Of course, it couldn't be the same piece of clothing, because Liu Xie was still young at that time, only a teenager, but now he is twenty-four, and will be twenty-five in two months.

When Liu Xie saw Cao Cao, he quickened his pace and walked over with a smile. Cao Cao also hurriedly dropped the reins in his hand and strode over to meet him.

Both sides smiled. Despite being Cao Cao's personal bodyguard, Dian Wei was completely unsuspecting at this moment.

Zhao Yun breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Dian Wei had fallen far behind Cao Cao and was not following closely behind.

The atmosphere was very harmonious. When Cao Cao arrived in front of the emperor, he was about to kneel down, but Liu Xie grabbed him first.

"Prime Minister, there's no need for that. I've been looking forward to this day for a long time, haha, and it's finally here."

Liu Xie grabbed Cao Cao's hand, and after a few seconds of eye contact, they both smiled.

Holding hands and arm in arm, the two walked towards the pavilion together, with Dian Wei, Zhao Yun, and others following behind in tacit understanding. Xun Yu and Xun You, the uncle and nephew, also had smiles on their faces as if they were blooming flowers.

"Prime Minister, do you know why I'm wearing this outfit today?" After walking a distance, Liu Xie spoke up. "When I returned to Luoyang from Chang'an, I still remember it vividly. At that time, I had nothing, my court officials were filled with fear and anxiety, all dressed in rags and starving. I had no imperial dignity left, and was controlled by Yang Feng, Zhang Yang, and others, like a puppet. It was you, Prime Minister, who saved the Han Dynasty from its dire straits and brought a turning point to my life. You have done a great favor for the Han Dynasty. It was you who chose me, and it was I who chose you."

Cao Cao felt that Liu Xie's last words seemed to have a deeper meaning, so he asked, "What does Your Majesty mean?"

Liu Xie pointed at Cao Cao, then at himself, "Prime Minister, all of this is ordained by Heaven. Of so many lords, why was it only you who went to Luoyang to welcome me? Of so many lords, why did I choose you?"

Cao Cao was taken aback. "Could it be that Your Majesty had a plan from the very beginning?"

Although Cao Cao had occasionally entertained such speculations in his mind before, he was still somewhat surprised to hear the emperor say it himself today.

Liu Xie smiled mysteriously, "Today, you and I are not only ruler and subject, but also old friends. I am willing to open my heart to the Prime Minister and let bygones be bygones."

Liu Xie then pointed to Xun Yu and the others behind him, "There are no outsiders among those who came today. After all these years, we all have a lot to say to each other."

As Cao Cao walked, he nodded. Being able to speak frankly and openly, to say what was on his mind, was exactly what Cao Cao hoped for.

Upon arriving at the pavilion, a bonfire had already been lit not far away, and soldiers had set up several pots, in which meat was stewing, while others were skillfully grilling it.

Although it wasn't ready yet, the aroma wafted over, and Cao Cao's appetite was immediately whetted by the smell.

The two entered the pavilion, and Liu Xie sat down first. He then pointed to the seat opposite him, and Cao Cao sat down as well. Zhao Yun and the others accompanied him.

Liu Xie was in a great mood and immediately started talking, "The Prime Minister went to Luoyang the other day, wanting to welcome me to Xuchang. I know the Prime Minister's intentions."

Although Cao Cao no longer had any other ideas, he was still somewhat surprised to hear this.

Keep in mind that the emperor was only a teenager at that time.

"May I ask Your Majesty, since you knew I harbored selfish motives, why did you still come to Xuchang?"

Knowing full well that these are all potential pitfalls, why would you willingly jump into them?

Liu Xie shook his head. "Heh... Xu Du is not a pit of fire, and the Prime Minister is not a villain like Dong Zhuo or Li Jue. I have already compared all the warlords under heaven in my mind before I came. The fact that the Prime Minister took the initiative to welcome me shows that you care about me. Even if you only regard me as a nominal emperor, at least you still show me respect on the surface. Take Yuan Shao for example. Some people advised him to welcome me to Ye City, and he was even tempted, but in the end he still thought I was a nuisance and refused to welcome me. If I go to Ye City, Yuan Shao will probably lose patience with me in no time and ignore me. He would want to kick me aside."

“Prime Minister, you are not a bad person at heart. In your early years, you were also full of enthusiasm and wanted to make a difference for the Han Dynasty. Your respect for me is not just for show. In your eyes, I am at least like an emperor. Of course, it is precisely because you have this respect for me that I have been able to find opportunities and turn the situation around little by little.”

Cao Cao nodded. To put it bluntly, he realized he hadn't been ruthless enough towards the emperor.

If you control the emperor tightly and give him no freedom at all, he can dream of turning the tables!

"Everything in the world has a cause and effect. It is because the Prime Minister has shown me respect that I remember this kindness. As for people like Dong Zhuo and Li Jue, I only want to grind them to dust and get rid of them as soon as possible."

Cao Cao smiled. Because he had treated the emperor fairly well before, the emperor wouldn't pursue the matter too much. This was probably what they meant by sowing good seeds and reaping good fruit.

"The Prime Minister's respect for me is only one reason. Secondly, the Han Dynasty is in decline, and the country is on the verge of collapse. Whom do I follow to have any hope of restoring the Han Dynasty and the ability to change this chaotic world? This is also something I value very much. Who can help me quell this chaos? Looking across the world, there is only the Prime Minister!"

These words came from the bottom of Liu Xie's heart; he did not fawn over or deliberately flatter Cao Cao.

Cao Cao was good at using people, and he had so many wise ministers and fierce generals around him. Only by following Cao Cao could the world be pacified.

Cao Cao had five capable generals, as well as a host of fierce generals such as Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren, and Cao Hong, and a group of top strategists such as Xun Yu, Xun You, and Guo Jia. Although his territory was not large at the beginning, Cao Cao had a better chance in the long run.

Cao Cao was pleased with what he heard and couldn't help but feel a little smug.

After a while, Cao Cao bowed slightly and said with a look of shame, "Your Majesty, but I have harbored selfish motives for so many years and have been disrespectful to Your Majesty. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

Cao Cao liked to hear nice words, but he still had to take the initiative to admit his mistakes.

Liu Xie waved his hand again, "No one is perfect, everyone makes mistakes. Looking across the world, how many people can act without any selfish motives? Don't I also have selfish motives? When I told you before that you were the most loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, it was indeed flattery, but it was also what I truly felt. Xuzhou, Youzhou, Jizhou, Jingzhou, Yuzhou... most of the territory has returned to the hands of the court. Isn't this all thanks to the Prime Minister?" (End of Chapter)