My younger brother Lü Fengxian

Chapter 330 Rescue
"Cao Cao..."

Empress Dowager He seemed to have been stimulated by something and was a little confused. She muttered twice before coming to her senses. When she saw that there was no one around and no sign of Liu Bian, she burst into tears.

"Bian'er! My prince!"

"What, the emperor is missing!?"

Cao Cao was shocked when he heard this, and he no longer cared about the widow of the late emperor.

He immediately rushed out of the back hall and gave orders to the soldiers guarding outside the hall.

"The Emperor and Prince Chenliu have been abducted by Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and others. Find the Emperor and Prince Chenliu as soon as possible!"

"promise!"

Everyone couldn't help but feel excited when they heard this.

There is no greater merit than saving the emperor, and what lies before them now is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

If you perform well, it is possible to be awarded a title of nobility.

Therefore, there was no need for Cao Cao's urging at all. They all gathered their strength and scattered in all directions, leaving only Cao Cao alone who remained where he was.

Cao Cao was also preparing to set out to look for the emperor, but suddenly he felt something strange in his hand.

There seemed to be some warmth from the Queen Mother still on his hand, so he unconsciously put it to his nose and sniffed it gently.

……

Just when Yuan Shao and others were having a great time killing people in the palace.

Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and other ten eunuchs who were familiar with the palace had already escaped from the palace with Emperor Liu Bian and Prince of Chenliu Liu Xie.

The group fled in a hurry and soon reached the foot of Beimang Mountain.

Now all the noble families in Luoyang have joined in the feast of slaughtering the eunuchs.

Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and the other ten eunuchs now trusted no one. They did not dare to come out of the mountains to seek help, nor did they dare to continue on their journey, for fear of running into the hungry butcher knives of the aristocrats.

Therefore, he took Liu Bian and Liu Xie and hid at the foot of Beimang Mountain for a whole night.

It was not until dawn the next day that I was awakened by a noisy sound coming from afar.

Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong knew very well that these were pursuers who came to search for the emperor and Prince of Chenliu, so they immediately panicked.

But Liu Bian could not understand the current situation. He had not eaten or drunk anything all night and at the moment he only felt hungry, so he gave orders to Zhang Rang and others with some fear.

"Zhang Daban, Zhao Daban, my brother and I are hungry. When can we have dinner?"

"It is my fault for letting Your Majesty starve, but we fled in a hurry and brought nothing with us. We will be out of food for a while."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Rang immediately kowtowed in front of Liu Bian and said.

Although Zhang Rang was prepared to hold the emperor hostage to control the nobles, he did not want Liu Bian to suffer immediate harm.

In his plan, Liu Bian only needed to be like his father Liu Hong and enjoy wealth, luxury and good food every day.

Just give the right to govern the world to yourself and others.

Now that the emperor had been humiliated and was in such a miserable state, Zhang Rang felt extremely uncomfortable.

After all, no matter how powerful the eunuchs were, they were only sharing the emperor's power.

Now, the leader of the world has become like this, his prestige has been greatly lost, and the power of Zhang Rang and others will also be greatly affected.

"Your Majesty, the rebels are chasing us now. They are so bloodthirsty that we may not attack you. We can't even have a meal right now. Please continue to flee with me and the maidservants!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhong also hurriedly tried to persuade him.

"This……"

Liu Bian grew up in a Taoist temple and had never received any systematic training as an emperor. Not only was his vision as narrow as that of ordinary people, but he also had very little political strategy. He could be said to be a perfect puppet.

Since he ascended the throne, he has always been led by the nose, either controlled by his mother, Empress Dowager He, or used by his uncle He Jin.

Now being held hostage by Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and others, he was completely unable to act like an emperor and seize any initiative. He continued to accept everything submissively, looking like a punching bag.

Naturally, they have made no contribution to the current situation, and they dare not raise any objections.

It was his younger brother Liu Xie, although young.

However, he had been raised in the palace since he was a child and was adopted by Empress Dowager Dong. Although he was young, his vision and means were much higher than his brother's. Upon hearing this, he immediately refuted.

"My royal brother is the emperor of today, and I am the Prince of Chenliu!"

"How dare you, my lord, be an enemy of my two brothers?"

"That's because Your Highness doesn't know that these ministers who look righteous are actually thieves and prostitutes. As the saying goes, you can never know a person's heart, but you can know his face. If the ministers are loyal ministers as Your Highness says, then how could a loyal minister lead troops to attack the palace and kill people?"

"Your Highness and His Majesty, please follow me and escape as soon as possible."

"That's right, Your Majesty and Your Highness, please rest assured. Even if it means death, we, the old slaves, will not let these traitors harm Your Majesty and Your Highness in the slightest!"

However, although Liu Xie was smart, he was just a child after all. How could he be better than eunuchs like Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong who had served two dynasties?

After Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong fooled them with a few words, they were ready to escape again with Liu Bian and Liu Xie.

However, just as he got down the mountain, he was caught up by Min Gong, an official from central Henan.

Zhang Rang and his men had no horses and could not shake off the pursuers, and they only had a few dozen weak eunuchs who were no match for the pursuers.

It is possible to see the eyes.

Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and the other ten eunuchs saw that the situation was hopeless and, unwilling to suffer humiliation or implicate Liu Bian and Liu Xie, decided to commit suicide by jumping into the river.

Before jumping into the river, Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and other ten eunuchs knelt down in front of Liu Bian and Liu Xie, crying.

"Your Majesty, the only people these traitors want to kill now are me and the Ten Attendants."

"I would rather jump into the river and die than be caught and humiliated by these traitors."

"I am a disabled person, childless, and all I want is to be rich and famous."

"And those hypocritical scholars who talk about morality and justice are thinking about your Majesty's kingdom!"

"We can no longer serve Your Majesty. Please be careful and do not be deceived by the traitors."

Although Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and others were greedy for money and power, they were not heartless.

When they were about to die, they did not hold Liu Bian and Liu Xie hostage to threaten the nobles. Instead, they decided to commit suicide to help Liu Bian and Liu Xie escape.

Human nature is still very complicated, and it is really hard to tell what is right and what is wrong.

Even Liu Bian and Liu Xie, who were held hostage by the two men, could not help but look moved when they heard this, and they spoke one after another to try to retain the Ten Eunuchs and others.

However, just as Zhang Rang and others were about to jump into the river, they suddenly saw thick smoke rising in the distance, obviously a large group of cavalry were approaching. They were frightened and prepared to wait and see the situation.

Min Gong, who had already led his troops to Liu Bian and others, couldn't help feeling worried, and hurriedly stopped and looked around.

When the smoke gradually dissipated, the troops arrived in front of everyone. "General Anbei, Governor of Bingzhou, Marquis of Jin, Lu?"

"It's Lu Yi!"

Min Gong was shocked. He had been following the traces of the Ten Attendants and others all the way before he discovered them. He didn't understand why Lu Yi could arrive here so timely.

More importantly, he did not know Lu Yi's political views and faction, so he could not judge whether the visitor was an enemy or a friend.

"It's Lu Yi!"

Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong, who had helped Lu Yi in the past, were overjoyed upon seeing this, and suddenly felt a sense of relief after the disaster.

"Your Majesty, the man who came is Lü Yi, the governor of Bingzhou. He is an important official of the court and a loyal and good man of the Han Dynasty. With him here, Your Majesty can rest assured, and we can also save our lives!"

Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong quickly guarded Liu Bian and Liu Xie in front of them, while guarding against Min Gong's possible counterattack, they explained the situation to Liu Bian and others.

"Lü Yi?" Liu Bian had just reacted when he heard this, but his younger brother, Liu Xie, the Prince of Chenliu, was suddenly startled and quickly introduced him to Liu Bian.

"Brother, Lü Yi is a famous general who suppressed the Yellow Turban bandits, the Black Mountain bandits, the Qingzhou bandits, and the rebellions of Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun. He even suppressed the turmoil of the Xiongnu and Wuhuan. With him by my side, no one dares to resort to war again."

“I just don’t know what’s in his heart.”

"So that Your Majesty and the Prince of Chenliu can rest assured, Lü Yi started out as a commoner, and rose step by step to become the governor of Bingzhou based on his merits. Now he is the Marquis of Jin. How could he be a person with ulterior motives?"

"Your Majesty, please quickly summon his guards and return them to the Luoyang Palace!"

Zhang Rang had been kind to Lü Yi, and over the years, because he missed Liu Zhi, he had helped Lü Yi a lot. Therefore, seeing Lü Yi now was like seeing a savior. How could he allow Liu Xie to speak ill of Lü Yi in front of Liu Bian's ears?

"In that case, please ask Zhang Daban to quickly summon this person to come and protect the emperor!"

But Liu Bian only knew that a great change had taken place, and he was not aware that his uncle had been killed by Zhang Rang and others. In addition, Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and others wanted to jump into the river to protect him just now, which made him still have some trust in Zhang Rang and the other Ten Attendants. Therefore, he spoke repeatedly after hearing this.

Without waiting for Liu Xie to say anything more, Zhang Rang immediately led more than a dozen young eunuchs holding swords and walked towards Lu Yi.

Although Min Gong wanted to stop him, he could not figure out Lu Yi's intention for the time being, so he did not dare to act rashly. He did not have a noble family like Yuan Shao, and no matter who won or lost between the eunuch party and the aristocratic family, he could not afford to provoke them. Therefore, he could only watch Zhang Rang walk to Lu Yi's army.

"Is it the Marquis of Jin himself who is coming up ahead?"

Zhang Rang asked loudly and urgently as soon as he arrived in front of the army.

"Lü Yi is here. I wonder what happened. Why is Eunuch Zhang so haggard?"

"Is your Majesty here with you?"

Seeing this, Lu Yi pretended to be confused and hurried forward to support Zhang Rang and asked.

The Ten Eunuchs still have some use to him at present, so Lu Yi is not prepared to sacrifice them.

Moreover, Lu Yi is not a heartless and ungrateful person. Considering that they have supported him in the past, Lu Yi has to take care of them.

"You don't know, Marquis Jin, there has been a shocking incident in Luoyang City. We have escorted Your Majesty and Prince Chenliu to take refuge here. Your Majesty and Prince Chenliu are in front of us. Marquis Jin, please follow me to protect the emperor!"

After Zhang Rang briefly told Lü Yi what had happened, he immediately took Lü Yi's hand and walked towards Liu Bian.

"This kind of thing actually happened!"

Lu Yi pretended to be shocked, pulled his sleeve out of Zhang Rang's hand without leaving a trace, and walked towards Liu Bian.

When he arrived beside Liu Bian, Lu Yi, with the help of Zhang Rang, recognized Liu Bian and Liu Xie, and immediately knelt on one knee.

"Your Majesty and the Prince of Chenliu were frightened by your late rescue. I deserve death!"

"I am wearing armor, please forgive me for not being able to perform the full ceremony!"

"This……"

Lu Yi was tall and strong, and behind him were fierce generals such as Lu Bu, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Zhang Liao, and Zhang He. In the distance, there were also thousands of elite light cavalry from Bingzhou beside him.

Suddenly, a murderous aura of swords and horses almost hit me in the face.

Liu Bian had never seen such a scene before. He was a cowardly and weak person, and he had suffered a great change. His family was poor and he was almost frightened to death by Lu Yi's aggressiveness.

Fortunately, Liu Xie was still calm. He knew that he must not show weakness in front of Lu Yi at this moment, so as not to damage the emperor's golden body. Therefore, he immediately took over the conversation and spoke to Lu Yi with a pleasant face.

"It turns out that it is the Marquis of Jin who has come to rescue you."

"The Marquis of Jin has repeatedly made great contributions to the court. Although I am in the imperial palace, I often hear the late emperor praising the Marquis of Jin for his loyalty."

"Today, with the Marquis of Jin's guards by our side, my brother and I can rest assured!"

After Liu Xie calmed Lu Yi with a few words, he spoke very naturally to Liu Bian beside him.

"Brother Emperor, Marquis Jin has done a great job in protecting the emperor, and he deserves a reward. I think it would be better to promote General Anbei to General Zhenbei to show the emperor's great grace."

"Ah, yes, yes, yes, what the emperor said is very right. Let's promote Lu Yi to the rank of General Zhenbei!" After being reminded by Liu Xie, Liu Bian woke up as if from a dream and said hurriedly.

Liu Bian's incompetence formed a sharp contrast with Liu Xie's eloquent speech.

This caused the generals behind Lu Yi to look at each other in surprise.

The emperor, who was originally supreme in their minds, seemed to be just like this, which made them feel some contempt in their hearts.

But Lu Yi did not look away, and his expression was still extremely respectful.

"Your Majesty, I, Lü Yi, thank you for your grace. Long live the emperor!"

After he received the reward from Liu Bian, he immediately stepped forward to express his gratitude.

Lu Yi's respectful behavior formed a sharp contrast with the Luoyang nobles who broke into the palace yesterday and kept chasing him and others today. Liu Bian and Liu Xie couldn't help but have a very good first impression of Lu Yi, and they couldn't help but relax a lot.

Liu Bian wanted to say something else, but suddenly his stomach, which had not eaten or drunk anything for a day and night, started to growl at an inopportune time, and his face turned red.

Seeing this, Lu Yi hurriedly gave orders behind him.

The attendant immediately brought a food box that had been prepared long ago. After Lu Yi took it, he personally stepped forward and presented it to Liu Bian.

"Your Majesty has not eaten anything for a day and a night. Your health is at stake. Your servant Lu Yi will serve you a meat soup. Your Majesty and the Prince of Chenliu are invited to eat first!"

"Meat soup?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bian did not bother to answer Lu Yi, and hurried forward to open the food box. Immediately, the aroma of meat soup filled his nose, making him swallow hard.

When he looked inside the food box, he saw that there were indeed several bowls of delicious meat soup. He didn't care about the heat and picked up a bowl and started eating.

Even though it was so hot that tears were streaming down his face, he was unwilling to put down his bowl and chopsticks.

Zhang Rang, who was standing by, saw this and hurriedly served the young Liu Xie to eat and drink together.

After a long time, Liu Bian, who had eaten a whole bowl of meat soup, put down his bowl and chopsticks contentedly, and could not help but praise Lu Yi.

"If the Duke of Jin had not offered me the meal, how would I have known how delicious the meat soup was?"

……

(End of this chapter)