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

Chapter 89, Cheng Yu is about to be executed.
Guo Jia said, "My lord, Cao Hong brought this up at this crucial moment. Cheng Yu's situation was already somewhat troublesome, and now, if word gets out quickly, it will not only damage your reputation but also be fatal to Cheng Yu. His Majesty is always benevolent and righteous; if he hears of this, he will surely be furious!"

A few days later, news spread through the palace, even surprising Cao Cao, who wondered how His Majesty had found out so quickly.

There were many people coming and going in the palace every day, including ministers, soldiers, palace maids, and eunuchs, making it difficult for Cao Cao to investigate. Besides, people on the street were already talking about it, so it would be hard to keep it a secret.

Sure enough, Liu Xie's response came quickly.

Guo Jia came to see Cao Cao with a heavy heart.

The Sikong Mansion has the most frequent and unrestrained interactions; in the entire Xuchang, Guo Jia ranks second, and no one dares to rank first.

Upon meeting, Guo Jia sighed and said, "This morning at court, His Majesty finally showed up, and he was furious!"

If we rewind a little, the already nominal court assembly has become much less crowded in the past few days. Even the emperor has stopped coming. Many people have asked for leave to rest, for all sorts of reasons, such as stomach aches, leg pains, or the joy of having a new baby at home.

Xun Yu saw this but could do nothing about it. However, he was undeterred by the weather. Even if there were only a few people, he would come and leave on time every day.

Even he himself sometimes doesn't understand why he's so persistent.

When Zhang Yu appeared, Xun Yu thought that the emperor would repeat the story of being unwell and unable to attend court. But to his surprise, Zhang Yu suddenly raised his voice and shouted almost excitedly, "His Majesty has arrived!"

Xun Yu was momentarily stunned and didn't react. Wu Shuo, the Imperial Secretary, Zhong Ji, the Commandant of the Changshui School, and others all instinctively widened their eyes and looked towards the palace platform.

As soon as Zhang Yu finished speaking, Liu Xie walked in, accompanied by Zhao Yun.

Ministers were not allowed to carry weapons in front of the emperor, but Zhao Yun was an exception; he was fully armored and looked majestic!

He was both a military general and Liu Xie's personal bodyguard.

If the emperor's personal guards were unarmed, it would be a huge joke.

Xun Yu was stunned for a moment, and after realizing what was happening, he became somewhat agitated.

They thought Liu Xie had calmed down and was about to officially attend court.

To his surprise, as soon as he opened his mouth, Liu Xie looked at him and asked with a serious expression, "Lord Xun, recently there have been rumors circulating in the city that Cheng Yu once used human flesh to feed his soldiers. Are you aware of this?"

"How could Your Majesty know this?" Xun Yu looked at Liu Xie in surprise, quite puzzled.

Liu Xie looked directly at him and said, "Lord Xun, even I, who am in the palace, know about this matter. It is conceivable that this is true, and that it is soon known to everyone."

"Although our Great Han Dynasty was founded on military might, it governs with benevolence and righteousness. On my way back east, I heard of the story of people exchanging children to eat each other, which was truly shocking. Cheng Yu is an official of the court and was entrusted with important responsibilities by Cao Cao, yet he acted in this way. Once this matter becomes known, what will the people of the world think? What will the famous scholars of various places say about it?"

Wu Shuo glanced at Wang Zifu and suddenly felt energized. They were already dissatisfied with the people around Cao Cao and wished they could bring down more of them.

Wu Shuo realized his opportunity had arrived and immediately stepped forward, raising his scepter high. He said indignantly, "Your Majesty, Cheng Yu, as an official of the court, is responsible for protecting the people and spreading education. What Cheng Yu has done is utterly inhuman and goes against the principles of benevolence. Are we to advocate that people eat human flesh when they are hungry? How can an official of the court set such an example? What the people want are officials who are benevolent and love the people, not cold-blooded butchers who disregard the common people."

Wang Zifu added, "Cheng Yu first sowed discord between Your Majesty and now he has exposed such a scandal. Your Majesty must punish him severely. If he is not punished severely, it will be difficult to rectify the court and reassure the people."

Zhong Ji, Ji Ping, and others also expressed their opinions, and for a time, public sentiment was surging.

These Han officials, who usually had no opportunity to vent their anger, suddenly found someone to take their frustrations out on.

This was exactly the result Liu Xie wanted. People like Zhong Ji were usually like heroes with no opportunity to use their talents, and they were really pent up. At crucial moments, having them help cheer on the troops and create momentum had a pretty good effect.

Liu Xie looked at Xun Yu again, "Lord Xun, in your opinion, how should this be handled?"

Xun Yu was quite conflicted. Just the act of sowing discord between the ruler and his ministers would make it difficult for Cheng Yu to be protected, and using human flesh to stave off hunger, regardless of the motive, would have extremely negative consequences.

Liu Xie's gaze was not sharp, but it was gentle yet authoritative, which made Xun Yu's heart tremble. After thinking for a moment, he could only reply, "If the situation is true, he should be severely punished!"

Dong Cheng snorted, "Sowing discord between the ruler and his ministers should be severely punished, and using human flesh to stave off hunger is also an unforgivable crime. But Cheng Yu is still safe and sound. It's laughable. I think someone is deliberately protecting and shielding him."

Since he had frightened Cao Cao a few days ago, Dong Cheng felt he was invincible again, and he even began to favor his concubines whom he hadn't slept with in a long time.

Liu Xie's determination to deal with Cheng Yu this time was actually aimed at boosting morale and giving his loyal followers a glimmer of hope.

With so many people like Yang Biao, Xu Huang, Zhao Yun, and Dong Cheng supporting Liu Xie, if Liu Xie's situation remains unchanged, people will gradually lose confidence.

Even though Cheng Yu died, Cao Cao still had many capable people around him, and Cao Cao's strength was not greatly affected. But it was different for Liu Xie. Even a slight change in the situation was a great encouragement!

Therefore, Cheng Yu must die! The court was united in its condemnation of Cheng Yu, and Xun Yu could not protect him.

Liu Xie finally stood up, looked at everyone, and said loudly, "Upholding benevolent governance is the foundation of the country. Since everyone feels that Cheng Yu's crime is unforgivable, then I will hand this matter over to Minister Cao and let him make a decision as soon as possible to stabilize the people's hearts!"

After Liu Xie finished speaking, he turned and left. Xun Yu stood there for a long time, and finally shook his head helplessly. He had no choice but to go and report to Cao Cao.

Cao Cao remained silent for a long time after hearing this, and finally stood up with difficulty. "Now that things have come to this, you should all take some time to see Cheng Yu."

Xun Yu understood that Cao Cao had made up his mind, so Xun Yu and his advisors went to the North Temple prison one after another.

Cheng Yu never dreamed that the outcome would change so drastically in just a few days.

Cao Cao was the last to arrive; it was already night, and perhaps only the darkness could ease his heavy heart somewhat.

The reason he arrived last was because Cao Cao couldn't face Cheng Yu. He wanted others to come first so that Cheng Yu could calm down and not become uncontrollably excited when he saw Cao Cao.

As expected, after they met, the two fell silent, staring at each other quietly. After a while, Cheng Yu knelt on the ground.

Cheng Yu calmly said, "No matter what crime I am charged with, I am willing to die. I only ask that Your Excellency treat my family well and let me leave without regrets."

Cao Cao said with great remorse, "Zhongde, I have failed you. I will take care of your wife and children, so don't worry!"

Cheng Yu kowtowed again, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Excellency. Before I die, I must remind you that you must never let your guard down against His Majesty!"

"As you have witnessed this event, His Majesty is not as weak as we imagined. If given the opportunity to inspire the people and recruit loyal and righteous individuals, he will surely threaten your safety and your ambitions."

Cao Cao listened attentively and nodded vigorously. "Zhongde, what you said is also what I was thinking. You can go in peace."

Cao Cao waved his hand, and someone brought over a pot of wine. Cheng Yu shook his head. "My lord, I am going to die either way. Since we need to give His Majesty an answer and to appease the people, I hope that you will publicly behead me!"

“Zhongde, you…” Cao Cao looked at Cheng Yu with excitement, his eyes suddenly welling up with tears.

With such a loyal minister, what more could one ask for!
Cheng Yu raised his head proudly and smiled, "My lord, consider this my final plan for you. I hope you will not refuse it."

Man Chong, standing outside the cell, was also deeply moved and impressed.

Cao Cao bowed to Cheng Yu again, expressing his heartfelt gratitude: "Zhongde, thank you. You have been planning for me until your death. Your loyalty is as clear as the sun and moon. I will treat your wife and children well!"

Cheng Yu also had his own selfish motives. Besides considering Cao Cao's interests, he also wanted to ensure his family's safety.

The next day, Cao Cao ordered Cheng Yu to be executed in public on Zhengyang Street. Cao Cao ultimately cherished their old friendship and could not bear to see Cheng Yu one last time, so he only put Cao Ren in charge of supervising the execution.

As he was escorted out of the North Temple prison and walked towards Zhengyang Street, Cheng Yu stood tall and walked with composure, showing no fear of death on his face.

Although he was a scholar, he also possessed integrity!
Pedestrians on the street gathered around, some cursing and some complaining about losing things, but Cheng Yu didn't care at all.

Since he's going to die anyway, let him bear the infamy alone.

Man Chong led his men to escort Cheng Yu. Even though he was usually cold-hearted, he felt quite uneasy seeing his former colleague about to be killed.

He enforced the law strictly and showed no mercy. He killed so many people, yet Man Chong was never moved or regretted it.

However, Man Chong found it difficult to remain calm about Cheng Yu.

Cheng Yu was willing to bear the blame to fulfill Cao Cao's wishes. When he arrived at the execution platform, Cao Ren glanced at him with a complicated expression, then looked around and loudly announced Cheng Yu's crimes.

"Cheng Yu disregards the Emperor's grace and benevolence, harming living beings and using human flesh as military rations. This time, he has sown discord between the Emperor and his ministers. His heart is despicable and his crimes are intolerable... He is sentenced to immediate execution as a warning to others!"

After the announcement was read, the crowd erupted in another barrage of curses.

"Damn it, they actually use human flesh as military rations."

"He deserves to die! He even dared to sow discord between the Emperor and Minister Cao. Wasn't he courting death?"

"That's right. The Emperor said that Cao Sikong was meritorious for saving the Emperor and is the most loyal minister of the Han Dynasty. Cheng Yu dared to sow discord and deserved to be beheaded."

Cheng Yu wasn't indifferent to these insults, but what could a dying man do even if he cared?
Cao Hong also came to see him off. He brought a pot of wine and came to Cheng Yu with an embarrassed expression.

(End of this chapter)