Wei Xiaobao's Three Kingdoms Adventure

Chapter 78: Love Over Time

It was already late at night when Wei Xiaobao woke up from his drunkenness.

A dim oil lamp was lit in the room. Zhao Yun was guarding Wei Xiaobao. When he saw him open his eyes, he hurriedly said with concern, "Second brother, you're finally awake. I thought you were going to sleep until dawn."

Wei Xiaobao rubbed his forehead and thought, "This Han Dynasty wine is really not as good as the Qing Dynasty wine. It gives me a headache. If I had known earlier, I would have secretly learned some winemaking skills in a winery outside Yangzhou City. Then I could have made a fortune selling wine in the Han Dynasty."

Wei Xiaobao saw Liu Bei standing in the middle of the room with his back to him, seemingly holding something in his hand. Guan Yu was sitting at the wine table, resting with his eyes closed, while Zhang Fei was lying on the floor, snoring with his eyes wide open, which really scared Wei Xiaobao.

Liu Bei turned around and looked at Wei Xiaobao and asked, "Is Bozhi sober?"

Guan Yu also opened his eyes slightly and looked at Wei Xiaobao.

Wei Xiaobao was curious: "Second brother and third brother are really strange. One is not asleep but has his eyes closed, while the other is snoring with his eyes open."

Wei Xiaobao said, "I'm awake, but I have a slight headache."

Guan Yu said, "It's all my fault, second brother, for urging me to drink. I got drunk and almost missed my important mission."

Wei Xiaobao was in a panic. "Did I get drunk and tell them I was going to Shouchun? This is over. Judging from the look in Liu Bei's eyes, he must have known I was going to Shouchun to steal the imperial seal. With his personality, how could he let me steal anything? Especially the imperial seal! It's all over. I have to think of a way to trick them."

Liu Bei said, "Now that you're awake, I have something to ask you."

Wei Xiaobao was anxious: "I haven't thought of a solution yet, can you wait a moment?"

Without waiting for Wei Xiaobao to reply, Liu Bei held up the letter in his hand and asked, "Is this a letter from the teacher to Cao Cao?"

Wei Xiaobao took a look and felt relieved. "So you're asking about this! I was so scared. You're my godfather's student, so you must know his handwriting. Aren't you asking even though you already know the answer? Oh, how did he get this letter?"

Wei Xiaobao originally wanted to ask Liu Bei whether he had searched him, but then he thought that the four people in front of him were all great heroes, so how could they do such a dirty thing like him, Wei Xiaobao? So he nodded and said nothing more.

Liu Bei asked again, "Is what is said in the letter true? Or is it just a trick to provoke an attack?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "I haven't read the letter, so I don't know what you're talking about, brother."

Liu Bei said, "Teacher, tell Cao Cao that when the emperor was on his way back to Luoyang from Chang'an, he was pursued by Li Jue and Guo Si. To avoid danger, he took a detour to Shandong and sent Cao Cao to Chenliu to welcome him."

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "Fortunately, I didn't say that I was the one who brought Liu Xie out of Chang'an, nor did I say that Liu Xie was hiding in my godfather's house at the time."

Wei Xiaobao said, "What the letter said is absolutely true, but it was also another plan prepared in case the plan to incite Zhang Miao to revolt failed. Now that Cao Cao has withdrawn his troops, there is no need to deliver the letter."

Liu Bei said, "Bo Zhi is foolish! Your Majesty is stranded in exile, pursued by pursuers, and must be terrified day and night. This matter concerns not only the safety of Xuzhou, but also the rise and fall of the Han Dynasty and the people of the world."

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "That's going to have to wait until I get the Imperial Seal from Shouchun. I heard in the teahouse that Liu Xie is still alive. When I return to the Qing Dynasty, I'll leave him with you. That way, the Han Dynasty won't end so soon."

Guan Yu said, "Brother, since we know the emperor is in Chenliu, why don't we go to greet him?" Liu Bei replied, "Cao Cao and Lü Bu are fighting in Yanzhou. If we lead our troops there, we'll probably cause a lot of trouble. Not only will we not be able to see the emperor, but we'll also suffer unnecessary losses in Xiapi. If Cao Cao returns, we won't be able to resist. If we don't lead our troops, even if we can see the emperor, how can we escort him back to Luoyang? After all, the Western Liang troops led by Li Jue and Guo Si are too numerous for us to defeat."

Zhang Fei had been woken up by the noise and had heard the general idea. He said, "Wouldn't it be the same if we could bring the emperor to Xia Pi? When the emperor is in Xia Pi, we'll see if Cao Cao dares to attack!"

Liu Bei said, "Third brother, this is wrong. Even if the Emperor were willing to condescend to come to Xia Pi, what difference would there be between me and Dong Zhuo, who abducted the Emperor? Furthermore, allowing the Emperor to serve as a shield for one's subjects is not the proper way for a minister to act."

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "I've taken the little emperor on a spree, so am I worse than Dong Zhuo? But Dong Zhuo's intention is to bully the little emperor, just like Aobai's idea of ​​using Xiao Xuanzi as a puppet. I've never thought of that, so it seems that I'm not such a bad guy after all."

Wei Xiaobao said, "We are just like gambling now. Even if we win the jackpot, the dealer won't let us take the money away. Because we are outnumbered and the gambling guards are many, we can't beat them. So, the dealer will win the jackpot, and we can just win a little money."

When they heard Wei Xiaobao suddenly talk about gambling, the other four were stunned.

Liu Bei thought to himself, "Although Bozhi's comparison of the emperor to the jackpot is a bit inappropriate, he does make sense. Judging from the current situation, Cao Cao is the most suitable candidate to escort the emperor back to the capital, both in terms of position and military strength. The teacher must have understood this when he sent Bozhi to deliver the letter to Cao Cao."

Liu Bei said, "Bo Zhi, this mission is for you. You must deliver the letter to Cao Cao as soon as possible. However, Yanzhou is in chaos right now, so you must be careful."

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "Once I'm out of the city, I'll head south. There's no fighting over there, so there's nothing to worry about. Zhang Jue and I finally escaped, and if you ask him to go back to Luoyang and be watched by those palace maids and high officials every day, he won't want to."

Zhao Yun said, "Brother Liu, the danger in Xuzhou has been temporarily lifted. I want to go back to Youzhou to visit my brother. I just happened to accompany my second brother to Yanzhou."

Liu Bei said, "With Zilong by my side, I feel much more at ease."

Wei Xiaobao, however, complained in his heart, "I'm worried about having my elder brother with me. I just said I wouldn't lie to him. Do I really have to follow him to Yanzhou?"

Guan Yu said, "Zilong, what do you think of what I have said? Why not take this opportunity to return home and speak to Governor Gongsun, and bring your brother to Xuzhou as well?"

Zhao Yun said, "Gongsun Zan has treated me well, and Yuan Shao is eyeing Youzhou covetously. I cannot bear to abandon him now."

Liu Bei said, "We'll talk about this later. You two brothers should set off now."

Zhang Fei grabbed Wei Xiaobao and said, "Brother Zilong has a duty of loyalty and integrity and cannot come back. Brother, you can't just go away and never come back! I'm looking forward to getting drunk with you again!"

Liu Bei thought to himself, "Xuzhou is in great need of men, and I am willing to keep him. What my third brother said is exactly what I want."

Liu Bei said, "After you send the letter, go back to see your wife. After everything is settled, go to Xiaopei to have a drink with your third brother. We are all waiting for you."

Guan Yu patted Wei Xiaobao on the shoulder and said, "Take care!"

Wei Xiaobao could see the sincerity of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei's affection, but he murmured in his heart, "I'll run away the moment I see Cao Cao. You don't know whether I'll send a letter or not. I won't go to Xiaopei again. I've been with you for so long, I'm really reluctant to leave."

Brothers Zhao Yun and Wei Xiaobao left the city overnight and headed straight for Yanzhou.

(End of this chapter)