Reborn Liu Bei: I'll lead this Three Kingdoms to victory!

April 19th, the seventh year of Jian'an, Xuchang.

The last day of the three-day deadline.

Chief Chen knelt in the main hall of the Prime Minister's residence, his forehead pressed against the floor tiles, sweat dripping onto the ground and leaving a small dark stain.

He had been kneeling for half an hour.

Cao Cao sat in the main seat, holding a thin document in his hand, which contained all the results that Chief Chen had found out over the past three days.

Three pages.

Page 1: The identities of the two deceased—one named Zhang Heng and the other named Li Gui, both were veterans of the School Affairs Office, one having served for eight years and the other for five.

Page 2: The duty log for that night—Zhang Heng and Li Gui were supposed to be on duty in the East Wing, but someone saw them in the West Wing where Wang Pu was being held. As for why they went to the West Wing, no one knows.

Page 3: Background checks on the two men—Zhang Heng's hometown is Runan; his parents died early, and he has a younger brother who farms in the countryside. Li Gui is a local from Xudu; he married a widow and has no children.

The three pages contained not a single word about who the murderer was, nor a single word about Wang Pu's whereabouts.

Cao Cao put the document down.

"Three days." His voice was flat. "That's all you found out?"

Manager Chen's body trembled slightly.

"Prime Minister, I have questioned everyone in the Imperial Secretariat, and truly no one knows what happened that night..."

"Nobody knows?" Cao Cao stood up and walked up to him. "Two people died right under your noses, and you don't know what the murderer looked like, how they got in, or where they ran off to—tell me, Prime Minister, nobody knows?"

Manager Chen dared not raise his head.

Cao Cao bent down and whispered in his ear, "Do you think I'm too old and easy to fool?"

Manager Chen trembled. "I wouldn't dare! I really wouldn't dare!"

Cao Cao straightened up.

"You dare not?" He laughed, a laugh devoid of any warmth. "Then tell me, why are these two people in the West Courtyard?"

Manager Chen opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.

Cao Cao turned and walked back to his seat. "Someone come here."

Two armored soldiers entered at the command. "Drag him out and behead him."

Chief Clerk Chen suddenly looked up. "Prime Minister! Prime Minister, spare my life! I've served you for twenty years..."

Cao Cao did not look at him.

"Twenty years?" he said. "What's the use of keeping an old man around who can't even solve a case after twenty years?"

Two armored soldiers grabbed Chief Chen and dragged him outside. Chief Chen's voice grew fainter and fainter.

"Prime Minister! Prime Minister, spare my life—"

The sound abruptly stopped. Cao Cao sat motionless in the main seat. After a while, he spoke:

"Issue the order: starting today, the four gates of Xuchang will be strictly inspected, and everyone entering or leaving must register. Search every house in the city, and arrest anyone suspicious."

"And—" he paused, "the entire School Affairs Office, from top to bottom, has been replaced. Not a single old one has been left."

Someone answered from outside the door. Cao Cao stood up and walked to the map. He looked at the location of Xuchang and the densely packed streets.

He suddenly felt that the city was unfamiliar.

At noon, in a secluded house in the east of Xudu City.

Zhao Yan sat inside, with someone sitting opposite him. Xun Qu. Three days had passed, and he had finally arrived.

"Master Chen is dead," Xun Qu said calmly. "It just happened."

Zhao Yan's hand tightened slightly. "Was it Cao Cao who killed him?"

"Hmm." Xun Qu nodded. "The three-day deadline has passed, and he still hasn't found any results."

Zhao Yan remained silent.

Chen, the Chief Clerk, was a familiar face to the old guard of the Imperial Secretariat. He had served Cao Cao for twenty years, handling over a hundred major cases and executing more than four hundred people. Now, it was his turn.

"What will happen next?" Zhao Yan asked.

Xun Qu looked at him.

"A city-wide search was launched," he said. "Cao Cao ordered a house-to-house search. The entire staff of the Imperial Secretariat was replaced from top to bottom."

Zhao Yan's heart skipped a beat. They searched house to house. Could he possibly hide in this room?

"Have you notified all your men?" Xun Qu asked.

Zhao Yan nodded. "I've notified them. Zhou Yuan, Sun Fu, and those new recruits—I've told them to stop."

Xun Qu grunted in agreement. "That's not enough," he said. "From now on, none of your men are to be moved. Even if there's a fight in the street, you're not allowed to go out and watch."

Zhao Yan looked at him. "And what about you?"

Xun Qu was silent for a moment. "I have other things to do."

Zhao Yan wanted to ask what was wrong, but he swallowed the words back.

What shouldn't be asked, I won't ask. Xun Qu stood up, walked to the window, and glanced outside.

"I'm leaving," he said. "Take care of yourself."

Zhao Yan nodded.

Xun Qu walked to the door and suddenly stopped. "Zhao Yan."

Zhao Yan looked up. "Do you still have your master's letter?"

Zhao Yan was taken aback for a moment, then realized that he was referring to Xun Yu's letter.

"Keep it."

Xun Qu nodded. "Keep it safe," he said. "It'll be useful later."

The door opened and then closed. Xun Qu left. Zhao Yan sat inside, listening to the sounds outside.

It's very quiet.

But that silence made people uneasy.

Xiapi.

In the secret chamber where no one could sue at night, Sima Yi and Pang Tong sat facing each other.

The secret report that had just been delivered was spread out on the table.

"Chen, the chief clerk, was beheaded. A city-wide search was launched in Xuchang. The entire staff of the Imperial Academy was replaced."

Pang Tong took a swig of wine. "Cao Cao has gone mad."

Sima Yi remained silent. He looked at the secret report, his brows furrowed slightly.

"Zhongda, what are you thinking about?" Pang Tong asked.

Sima Yi raised his head. "I was wondering, with Chief Chen dead and the Directorate of State Affairs replaced, are Xun Qu's men still around?"

Pang Tong was taken aback. "You mean...?"

"Xun Qu said he had people in the Imperial Secretariat," Sima Yi said. "But with Chief Clerk Chen dead, the entire Imperial Secretariat was replaced. Are his people still there?"

Pang Tong remained silent.

He couldn't answer that question.

"Furthermore," Sima Yi continued, "Xun Qu's return this time has been too drastic. He rescued Wang Pu, killed the officials of the Imperial Secretariat, and now he's conducting a city-wide search. Cao Cao isn't stupid; he'll investigate, he'll dig, he'll turn Xuchang upside down."

Pang Tong looked at him. "Are you worried that Xun Qu will be exposed?"

Sima Yi did not answer. He simply stared at the secret report, remaining silent for a long time. Finally, he spoke:

"Sir, do you think Xun Yu's twenty years of hard work might be ruined in these few days?"

Pang Tong took a swig of wine. "No," he said.

Sima Yi looked up. "Why?"

Pang Tong put down his wine gourd.

"Because Xun Qu is still here," he said. "As long as he is here, those people are here too."

Xiapi resettlement site.

Wang Pu sat in the courtyard, basking in the sun. He had been there for five days.

Every day, someone brings him food, someone changes his dressings, and someone visits him. But he still doesn't quite get used to it.

When he was in Xudu, he had to keep track of the time every day, knowing when he was on duty, when he would go home, and what he was supposed to do.

There's no need to calculate now. He suddenly didn't know what to do.

"Captain Wang."

A voice came from behind him. Wang Pu turned around.

Sima Yi stood behind him, holding a cloth bag in his hand.

"This is yours." Sima Yi handed him the cloth bag.

Wang Pu took it and looked down at the character "Xun".

"Sima Jun, Sima," he began, "I have a favor to ask of you."

Sima Yi looked at him. "Speak."

Wang Pu was silent for a moment. "I want to see that person."

Sima Yi was taken aback. "Which person?"

"The person who saved me," Wang Pu said, "I want to thank him in person."

Sima Yi thought for a moment. "He can't come now."

Wang Pu lowered his head.

"I know," he said, "but will there be a chance in the future?"

Sima Yi nodded. "There's an opportunity."

Wang Pu looked up at him and said, "Then I'll wait."

Xiapi Academy.

Xun Yun sat by the window, a scroll in his hand. But he didn't read it. He was thinking of Xun Qu, his cousin whom he had never met. His father had written in a letter that seeing him was like seeing himself.

But when will he be able to see him?

In the east of Xudu City, there is a general store.

Sun Fu stood behind the counter, holding the pair of scissors in his hand.

The officers and soldiers came this afternoon.

The three men, dressed in the new clothes of the school administration, searched the shop inside and out.

He finished reading and left without saying anything.

Sun Fu stood there, waiting until they were far away before slowly tidying up his things. The curtain was lifted.

A person walked in. Sun Fu looked up.

He was in his fifties, dressed in ordinary cloth clothes, with gray hair and deep wrinkles etched on his face.

Xun Qu. "Shopkeeper, do you have lamp oil?" Xun Qu asked.

Sun Fu nodded, turned around and took a small jar of lamp oil from the shelf.

Xun Qu paid, picked up the oil can, and left. The entire process was uneventful. But just as he took the oil can, a slip of paper slipped into Sun Fu's hand.

Sun Fu didn't look at it. He waited until it got dark, until the door was closed, until all was quiet. Only then did he unfold the note under the oil lamp.

The note only had a few words: "It's alright now."

Sun Fu stared at those three words and remained silent for a long time. It's alright.

He suddenly wanted to laugh. But he didn't. He stuffed the note into his mouth, chewed it, swallowed it, then blew out the light and lay down.

He stared at the dark ceiling. This time, he fell asleep quickly.

The Prime Minister's Residence in Xudu.

Cao Cao stood before the map, motionless.

Standing behind him was a man named Zheng, the newly appointed head of the Military Affairs Office. He was in his forties and had previously been in charge of military law in the army.

"How's the investigation going?" Cao Cao asked.

Zheng, the head of the department, bowed his head.

"Reporting to the Prime Minister, today we checked 372 households and arrested 23 people. They were all petty thieves, nothing serious."

Cao Cao remained silent.

After waiting a while, Chief Clerk Zheng spoke again: "Prime Minister, if we continue this investigation, I'm afraid..."

"What are you afraid of?"

Manager Zheng gritted his teeth. "I'm afraid we'll alert them."

Cao Cao turned his head and looked at him. "Startle the snake?" He laughed. "This Prime Minister intends to startle the snake. Only when the snake is startled will it move. Only when it moves can it be caught."

Chief Clerk Zheng lowered his head. "The Prime Minister is wise."

Cao Cao turned around and continued looking at the map. "Continue the investigation tomorrow," he said. "Investigate to the end."

Zheng, the steward, acknowledged and withdrew. Cao Cao stood alone before the map. His gaze was fixed on the north.

It landed in Xiapi. In that place, there was a person. A person who kept him awake at night.

"Liu Bei," he murmured, "how many men have you hidden in Xuchang?"

The answer is not on the map.

Only the densely packed streets, under the candlelight, resembled a giant net.