Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 168: Liu Shijun's Merits Make Him King

"Mr. Lu, you forgot to wear your shoes."

At this time, the servant finally came over and put the shoes on the ground.

Lu Su apologized and lowered his head to put it on.

Liu Bei sighed, "Zi Jing forgot his shoes to welcome me."

He felt a little sad thinking that it was him who went to see Liangcai in this way before, but he didn't expect that someone else would come to see him now.

Lu Su was quite embarrassed. He bowed and smiled bitterly, explaining, "Lord Xuande's sudden visit made me so surprised that I lost my composure for a moment. I hope you will not be offended."

Liu Bei smiled and shook his head, saying, "No wonder, Zi Jing will lead the way."

"Please come in, Lord Xuande!"

Lu Su led the way in front, while Dian Wei, Liu He and dozens of knights followed behind, vigilantly checking for any abnormalities.

Seeing this, Liu Bei apologized to Lu Su, and Lu Su shook his head to show his understanding that Lord Xuande's safety should be put first.

After walking through the courtyard and entering the house, Dian Wei stood beside Liu Bei, while Liu He and his men guarded outside.

Lu Su and Liu Bei sat opposite each other on the couch. They first talked about the affairs of Xuzhou, and then talked about Gongsun Zan of Youzhou and Yuan Shao of Hebei. After a conversation, the atmosphere became more harmonious.

Liu Bei smiled and asked, "Recently, I heard that Tu Gao, who replaced the Han Dynasty, and Yuan Gonglu in Runan are widely spread in the Huainan area. I wonder if Zijing has heard of it and what do you think of the prophecy?"

"Your Excellency!" Lu Su bowed respectfully and said, "Please forgive me for speaking frankly. This is just Yuan Gonglu's nonsense. He just wants to use prophecies to seek reputation for himself. He is like a dead bone in a tomb. If he dares to risk the disapproval of the world, he will surely be attacked by the princes of Huainan."

"Although the Han Dynasty has declined, the benevolence of the previous emperors has long been in people's hearts. The kindness of one person will be remembered for generations. How can the kindness left by the Liu family be matched by Yuan Benchu ​​and Yuan Gonglu?"

"During the Xinmang period, the royal family of the King of Changsha rose up, and there were still powerful families vying for their allegiance, so they used their wisdom and strategy to pacify the world. Now, you have stood up in Qingzhou, Hebei, and rose over the years. With your noble virtues and wisdom, you have led the wise men to pacify the bandits and punish the rebellion. In Luoyang, you have worshipped the ancestral temple and established the country. You are the one with the highest merit in the Han Dynasty. The other princes dare not compare with you. In terms of your greatest merit, you deserve to be the king. The fact that Liu of Han received the Mandate of Heaven again is truly your merit."

Lu Su said passionately.

Who says that the Han Dynasty will decline? As long as Liu Shijun is here, our Han Dynasty will surely prosper again and surpass the achievements of Emperor Guangwu.

Lu Su knew that with his literary and military talents, if he served a lord like Yuan Shu or Yuan Shao who valued people from noble families, it would be great for him to become a county magistrate.

If you join Lord Xuande, you will at least be a prefect of 2,000 stones in the future, and if you are lucky you can be promoted to one of the Nine Ministers.

However, Lord Xuande was now so famous that the sons of the Xuzhou noble families vied with each other to examine the state officials. It was said that even scholars from the neighboring Yuzhou came from afar to join him.

It is no wonder that Yuan Gonglu lost his mind and came up with the prophecy that Dangtu Gao would replace the Han Dynasty. Faced with the visible loss of talent, how could he not have imminent worries?

Now that the order to recruit talents has been issued, many scholars have come here upon hearing the news. People from all over Xia Pi are coming and going, which gives Lu Su a headache.

With so many people, things would naturally get complicated. Fortunately, the county officials were divided into three groups for examination, and a total of 300 people were recruited.

Lu Su thought that since he was good at fencing, riding and shooting, it would be more appropriate for him to take the examination for the military officer. However, he did not expect that good news would come from the sky: Lord Xuande would come to visit him in person.

Seeing Lu Su speaking so passionately, Liu Bei laughed and shook his head, saying, "My achievements are still insignificant, so I dare not claim to be king at this moment." Although King Liu sounded awe-inspiring, it was still too early to say so. At least he had to wait until the two Yuan brothers were annihilated before he could choose a county to pass through and be crowned king.

Lu Su also nodded in agreement and said, "Sir, it would be best if you can hold back for now. If you want to be king, you must recover Jizhou and Youzhou, occupy the four states of Heshuo, and then you can naturally rule the world."

As for the Emperor of Guanzhong, his name has not been heard of in Guandong for a long time because of the road separation. The court has been in the hands of the bandits in Liangzhou for a long time. Whether the emperor is real or fake, alive or dead, no one in the world knows.

"I heard that Zijing often went hunting in the Nanshan Mountains and taught military training. Now I want to set up a military office in Xiapi, and many military officials will be transferred to serve there. Zijing, are you willing to serve as a military historian and assistant to me?"

Liu Bei asked with a smile.

Lu Su immediately bowed and said, "I have long been looking forward to seeing you, Lord Liu. I am willing to be a minor official under your command, just to support the Han Dynasty. How dare I not obey you?"

Liu Bei couldn't help Lu Su because there was a table between them. He could only raise his hand and said, "Zi Jing, there's no need to be polite. Get up quickly."

Then he asked, "I wonder when Zijing will be able to take up his post. Currently, there is a shortage of officials in various places, and a lot of official business has piled up. Today I urgently need to return to Xiapi to handle the affairs. Should I go back with Bei or come back later?"

During the days when Liu Bei was inspecting the counties, Gongcao Chen Yuanlong could hardly bear it anymore.

I didn't feel anything when the envoy was here, but when I actually took over, I found that the amount of affairs I had to handle had increased four or five times.

Chen Deng complained bitterly, wondering how Lord Xuande could lead the county officials to handle the county's affairs on time every day, but when it was his turn, the affairs kept piling up.

Lu Su thought for a moment and said, "Sir, after I bid farewell to my grandmother, we can leave today."

He just told his servants to pack two or three robes for him, and the rest could be given to the people who didn't have many robes.

Then he asked his servants to sell some of his bamboo slips and wooden tablets, and distributed the money to those who had no money to buy firewood and were unable to move around.

Dian Wei heard this nearby and asked curiously, "I have lived in Chenliu for many years and have met many noble families and the sons of wealthy families, but I have rarely seen a noble family as kind to the people as the Lord of Lu. You have no relatives or friends with those people, so why are you so kind to them?"

Lu Su replied with a smile: "These things are just my possessions. Since I am valued by the envoy, I should take it as my responsibility to help the world and restore the Han Dynasty. The common people outside are also Han people. Why can't I take the things I don't need and save the people and the world?"

He can distinguish what are external things and what are what he pursues in his life, so why should he hold on to money?

A real man should have great ambitions and the desire to achieve great things. How can he be influenced by money? If he is, he is not a real man.

Upon hearing this, Dian Wei bowed his hands in respect.

Not long after Liu Bei went out, Lu Su said goodbye to his grandmother and left without even taking the servants with him. He led out a skinny horse, mounted the saddle skillfully, bowed solemnly towards the Lu family's courtyard, and sighed slightly in his heart.

After a moment, he rode away without looking back and followed Lord Xuande.

On the way back to Xia Pi, Liu Bei asked a scout to pass on his message to Taishi Ci, asking him to take Lu Zijing's family from Gaowang Township to Dongcheng County for resettlement, where the city walls were strong and there were many soldiers, so they would be safe even if Yuan Shu attacked suddenly.

The manors of the wealthy families in the countryside were still difficult to preserve themselves during the war. After Xia Pi was completely under control for a while, Lu Su would bring all his relatives to Xia Pi County.

The incident in which Xu Yuanzhi's family was captured by Cao Mengde must never happen again.

(End of this chapter)