Second-hand time travel: Liu Bei, the big-eared bandit

Chapter 81 Covering the sky with one hand
Where is Liu Wei right now?

Liu Bei decided to go directly to find Liu Wei.

"They said they were going to arrange spring plowing, but they should be in his villa right now. If there's one place most likely to hide assassins, it's definitely Liu Wei's villa."

Zuo Yuan was well aware of the prefect's movements; it was part of her job.

"Have Xianhe blockade Zhuoxian, and don't let Liu Yu leave... I'm going to find Liu Wei."

Liu Bei had no intention of resolving this matter in a roundabout way. Avenging his mother was a matter of righteousness, and he didn't care if he had to become a thief again.

Originally, Liu Bei had no intention of continuing to be a thief, but the gangsters from other places were too unscrupulous in their dealings. They didn't even bother to pay respects at the docks, and their arrival brought disaster upon his family. They completely disregarded the rules of the underworld.

Liu Wei is now someone that out-of-town gangs want to protect. Taking down Liu Wei will naturally uncover other gangs, and no matter what kind of outsider they are, they will have to pay a price.

With Zhang Fei and a squad of personal guards, Liu Bei rode straight to Liu Wei's fortified village.

Jian Yong closed most of the city gates of Zhuo County, leaving only the south gate open, claiming that Liu Yu, the governor of Youzhou, had been assassinated and seriously injured in the county.

Guan Yu led his troops into the city, took control of the south gate, and detained all suspicious persons—including Liu Yu's followers.

Before this major treason case is fully investigated, anyone who does not cooperate is a suspect.

At the same time, Zuo Yuan sealed the doors of the guesthouse, prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving, saying that he wanted to protect Liu Yu and Liu Bei's mother from being assassinated again.

The county clerks, who were originally those wandering knights, went to various wealthy households to question them, saying that Liu Yu, the governor of Youzhou, had been assassinated. Governor Liu suspected that the matter was related to the wealthy households in Zhuo County and asked the heads of these households to come to the south gate of Zhuo County to defend themselves.

The assassination just happened at the residence, so these measures are reasonable and necessary, except that Liu Yu was seriously injured instead of Liu's mother.

Liu Yu never expected that Liu Bei could control everything in Zhuo County. Right now, he is staying in the guesthouse and dares not make any rash moves.

After all, Liu Bei had said that this was a family feud, and he was willing to do anything to avenge his mother.

If out-of-town gangsters could intimidate Liu Yu, what about the revenge of local gangsters?

……

Liu Wei was indeed in his fortified village.

The outer walls of the fortified village were still not repaired, so Liu Bei led Zhang Fei to scale the walls and enter.

There were only a dozen or so servants inside the fort. They were somewhat alarmed when they saw Liu Bei fully armed, but most of them did not resist.

Only two people tried to escape, but Zhang Fei and Liu Bei each cut them down.

The soldiers searched the fortified village and bound all the servants, taking them aside.

"Xuande, why are you doing this? Are you plotting a rebellion?!"

Liu Wei came out of the house, his clothes disheveled. Although he was flustered, he was still able to ask questions calmly—he obviously had some confidence, otherwise he wouldn't be so calm.

"The governor of Youzhou, Liu Bo'an, was assassinated in the county and is critically wounded! How could it be that Your Excellency is unaware of this?"

Liu Bei looked at Liu Wei with a cold eye.

"what?!"

Liu Wei was shocked: "Seriously injured and dying?! How is that possible!"

But as soon as he was shocked, his face fell – he had misspoke.

He didn't ask about the assassination attempt, but immediately exclaimed that he was seriously injured, which meant he knew someone had tried to assassinate him, and that it wasn't to kill him.

"It seems that you, my lord, knew all along that someone wanted to assassinate Liu Bo'an, but did not inform me... My lord, you and I were originally friends, not enemies, so why do you have to harm me?"

Liu Bei stepped forward and grabbed Liu Wei by the collar: "I have refused Liu Bo'an's offers of recruitment time and time again, and I have no desire to have anything to do with him. You saw this, my lord! But you didn't even say hello, and you've already framed me for plotting to murder the governor..."

"Liu Bo'an was stabbed and seriously injured at Bei's home, which is forcing Bei to a dead end..."

"After much deliberation, it seems certain that I will die. In that case, I have no choice but to take the Prefect with me!" "Prefect, who is the mastermind behind this? He is not only harming me, but also you!"

Liu Yu's injury was insignificant, but Liu Bei deliberately exaggerated it as a serious and fatal one, obviously to scare Liu Wei, since Liu Wei wasn't present when the assassination attempt occurred.

But it is a fact that Liu Bei was driven to a dead end.

If Liu Yu was assassinated, then Liu Bei is the prime suspect, since Liu Yu was assassinated at his mother's house.

Explaining this matter is useless, and clearing his name is also useless, because the enemy has no need to frame Liu Bei for assassination.

If anyone secretly reports it, Liu Bei will be convicted of "raising a private army of assassins," just like Zuo Yuan's father. Liu Bei did indeed raise a private army, and a large one at that, with a lot of armor.

This wasn't actually a frame-up, nor was Zuo Yuan's father's conviction a frame-up. It was a follow-up tactic of using assassins to intimidate and control people.

Both Liu Yu and Liu Bei were actually the targets of intimidation. The assassination attempt at Liu Bei's mother's house was deliberately arranged, and Liu Bei was a carefully selected target. The mastermind behind it would not lose money.

Once Liu Bei is imprisoned, someone will inevitably come and ask him – would you be willing to serve so-and-so elder?
If they are willing to serve, then they should hold Liu Bei's family members hostage and incorporate Liu Bei's private army.

If one is unwilling to serve, the least punishment is death, along with the enslavement of the entire family. However, with a little manipulation, one can still take over Liu Bei's private army.

Trading three loyal soldiers for five hundred elite private troops is a good deal—even if it fails once, there are always two or three more times.

Liu Bei did not immediately realize this approach. It was only after hearing about Zuo Yuan's background and recalling the Yuan family's historical practices that he understood that the Yuan family's assassins were actually an investment of resources.

A family that had held high office for four generations, a man of great influence and prestige, he was indeed very good at business.

The practice of hoarding grain and refusing to sell it during famine years was actually part of this industry, and most of the suicide squad members were recruited from among the disaster victims.

It's no wonder the Yuan family reacted so strongly after the former Lang Ge burned down the grain shop, because it was the upstream source of the Yuan family's industrial chain... That's why the Yuan family preferred to send grain to the palace at a fair price rather than let the disaster victims benefit from it.

Yuan Shu probably hadn't forgotten Liu Bei.

It's just that Liu Bei had diverted the trouble by rescuing Duan Jiong, which resulted in Yuan Shu being trapped in Luoyang and unable to cause any trouble.

Now, Liu Bei is likely being targeted again.

In fact, Liu Wei was not Liu Bei's enemy. Liu Wei was not capable of forming a suicide squad during this period; he was merely a pawn for the Yuan family.

Liu Bei only wanted to use a combination of coercion and intimidation to force Liu Wei to reveal who was behind it all.

Or rather, the goal is to force Liu Wei to become a witness against the mastermind behind the scenes—whether it's Yuan Shu or someone else, it's definitely a big shot, and Liu Wei's testimony is necessary to make the other party pay the price.

"What is the extent of Liu Bo'an's injuries? Is his life truly in danger?"

Liu Wei has once again become that bald man pulling out his hair; there's hardly any hair left on his head.

“Liu Bo’an could die at any moment! Once Liu Bo’an dies, you, my lord, will also be silenced… You should be able to understand that, my lord.”

Liu Bei wasn't lying; if he wanted to, Liu Yu could die at any moment.

"Hiss...this..."

Liu Wei could understand that if no one was seriously injured in Liu Yu's assassination attempt, then it wasn't a big deal—regardless of whether Liu Yu was afraid or not, he didn't have any troops under his command, so as long as there was no evidence, it didn't matter.

But if Liu Yu was seriously injured or died after being assassinated, that would be a serious matter.

Once Liu Yu's life is in danger, he will not submit to anyone. If the assassins really want to take his life, it will be a fight to the death, which will force Liu Yu to stand against the Yuan family.

If Liu Yu died in Zhuojun, it would be even more troublesome. Liu Wei would definitely be investigated by the Court of Justice. Now that the Commandant of the Capital Region and the Court of Justice are no longer members of the Yuan family, the Court of Justice will most likely pursue the matter to the end.

The person behind the scenes will most likely silence Liu Wei to prevent the court from finding fault with him.

"My lord, while Liu Bo'an is still alive, quickly give him the evidence of the mastermind's crimes, and together we will report to the Emperor... Only by eliminating the mastermind can we both live!"

Liu Bei pointed to the servants who had been forced to squat in the corner: "Among these servants of your Lordship, there must be people from other families... Does Your Lordship wish to kill them?"

(End of this chapter)