He originally intended to surrender to Wei, so why did he end up restoring Han?

Zheng Xuan suddenly understood some things.

Originally, his only suspects were Liu Bei and Cao Cao. Since Liu Bei was not the culprit, then there was only one target left.

This was all Cao Cao's conspiracy!

Zheng Xuan never expected that Cao Cao, that scoundrel, would extend his reach so far, even coming from as far away as Yuzhou to cause trouble.

Zheng Xuan already disliked Cao Cao for his previous actions in Xuzhou, and now he's resorting to these underhanded tactics. Is he just trying to damage Liu Bei's image in my eyes? Haji Cao, you bastard…!

He suddenly became serious and said to everyone, "Xuande, there's no need to tarnish your reputation. I already know who did it."

Zheng Xuan's words made Liu Bei's heart skip a beat. Oh no, did he find out that it was Wen Yuan's idea?

He quickly tried to cover it up, saying, "Lord Kangcheng, it was indeed I who gave the order to do this, I..."

"I never imagined that Cao Mengde would resort to such tactics to ruin your reputation, Xuande!"

Zheng Xuan's words completely baffled everyone present.

Huh? Cao Cao? Duke Kang Cheng, are you awake?

Not content with his tirade, Zheng Xuan turned to his disciples and said, "From now on, if anyone wants to serve under Cao Cao, I will not stop them. But once you go, you will no longer be my disciple, Zheng Kangcheng's disciple, and I will no longer be your teacher! Do you all understand?"

"We understand!" the disciples replied in unison.

"Xuande, don't be alarmed. I understand your predicament. I can also explain to everyone here why you would admit to something you didn't do."

Now everyone was curious. Yes, it's understandable that others would take the blame for their leader. But if Cao Cao was behind it, why would Liu Bei admit it?

Everyone present wanted to hear Zheng Xuan's thoughts, including Liu Bei, who also wanted to hear what Liu Bei thought.

"The traitor Cao has just welcomed His Majesty back and is now a high-ranking official of the Han Dynasty. If we rashly criticize him, it will damage the dignity of the Han Dynasty. Lord Liu is only resorting to this tactic to maintain the dignity of the Han Dynasty."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei looked left and right, as if to say, "Who is this Liu Bei he's talking about? I've never seen him before!"

Everyone looked bewildered. Was this reason correct? Ah, yes, yes, ah, no, no, ah, yes, yes.

Liu Bei pondered for a while, then decided that he shouldn't wrong anyone and wanted to explain things to Zheng Xuan.

Seeing Liu Bei's slow and clueless reaction, Zheng Xuan felt a mix of disappointment and relief. It seemed Liu Bei still had a long way to go, but it was truly remarkable that he could maintain such a childlike heart at his age.

Zheng Xuan didn't want to dwell on the topic any longer, so he changed the subject, saying, "I plan to stay in Xuzhou for a while to give lectures. I wonder if there's any vacant land I can borrow temporarily?"

Chen Qun cupped his hands and said, "Our lord plans to build the Xiapi Academy in Xiapi to revive the state education system. Duke Kangcheng may temporarily reside in the city until the academy is completed."

It wasn't just Lu Wan who was advising Liu Bei to quickly build an academy to cultivate talent.

Zheng Xuan nodded, acknowledging Liu Bei's arrangement. Jian Yong quickly stepped forward and said, "Lord Kangcheng, our lord has prepared a banquet in the city and cordially invites you all to grace us with your presence."

Zheng Xuan naturally wouldn't refuse the host's request, and the Confucian scholars also wanted to take a break.

Then it was time for the banquet.

At the banquet, Chen Qun recited poetry and Zhang Fei performed a sword dance. Lu Wan even brought out her iron wok and demonstrated how to cook dishes from later generations to everyone present.

Then Liu Bei requisitioned the pot. While eating, Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, Jian Yong, and the others said that Lu Wan was really wicked for hiding such a good thing and didn't treat them like brothers at all. As punishment, the pot was confiscated.

The banquet was a great success, with everyone enjoying themselves. Except for one unlucky fellow, of course.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, the banquet finally came to an end. Zheng Xuan and his entourage bid farewell to Liu Bei and began their journey to their arranged lodgings.

Just then, Cheng Bing, a disciple standing nearby, quietly tugged at Zheng Xuan's sleeve and said, "Teacher, I don't think Lord Liu is lying. In my opinion, Minister Cao is innocent."

"Of course I know he's innocent. I wronged him, how could I not know?" Zheng Xuan glanced at his disciple, wondering if he had misjudged him back then. Why was he being so unusually stupid today? Even I think my acting was terrible, can't you see that?

Zheng Xuan was a seasoned veteran. During the second purge of the partisans, although he didn't escape and suffered the iron fist of feudalism, preventing him from ever holding office again, at least he didn't lose his head like the others. Did he really lack even this basic insight? It's obvious this was done by someone under Liu Bei.

Because Cao Cao had no motive to do such a thing. He was already the Minister of Works, possessing unparalleled legitimacy and authority. As long as he steadily developed his power step by step, none of the warlords in the world could rival him. Moreover, if a plan is difficult to implement and yields low returns, then proposing such a plan is itself a mistake.

"But teacher, why did you...?"

Zheng Xuan did not answer the question directly, but instead asked, "Let me ask you, what kind of person do you think Cao Cao was?"

"Exceptional strategist, ruthless?" Cheng Bing asked tentatively.

"Both are right, and neither are right."

This succinct way of speaking baffled Cheng Bing: "This student doesn't understand, please explain it in simpler terms, teacher."

"Cao Sikong is a capable minister in times of peace and a ruthless hero in times of chaos. Now that His Majesty has been welcomed back, he still holds onto power. I fear he will become the next Dong Zhuo. No, he is a hundred times stronger than Dong Zhuo. We must not let such a man gain power, otherwise everything will be over."

"The teacher didn't have to frame me like that," Cheng Bing thought to himself.

However, his slightly furrowed brows betrayed him; Zheng Xuan could tell at a glance what his student was thinking.

"To deal with this kind of person, we should adopt the same approach Confucius took when he executed Shao Zhengmao. We should eliminate him first and then consider whether he is guilty."

Zheng Xuan smiled bitterly and touched his sparse white hair: "I'm getting old, and I don't have many years left to live. I know that it's very difficult to restore the Han Dynasty now, but if I don't try, I'm afraid I won't be able to close my eyes in peace when I die."

"What if Magistrate Liu also harbors rebellious intentions? Who would we turn to to deal with him then?"

As Zheng Xuan approached the oxcart, he whispered, "Why go after him? Isn't he also surnamed Liu?"

"Teacher...you mean..." Cheng Bing realized what his teacher meant, but he still couldn't quite believe it.

"The course of Heaven is constant; it does not exist for Yao, nor does it perish for Jie. All I want is for the Han Dynasty to live on; I do not care who the emperor is."

--------

January of the second year of Jian'an, Xu County, Yuzhou

"Zhicai, how's the spies planted at Liu Bei's workshop going?" Cao Cao asked without looking up as he processed reports from various places and saw a figure approaching.

"My lord, you've called me by the wrong name again. I am Guo Jia. Zhi Cai passed away last winter," the blue-clad strategist gently reminded Cao Cao. Only then did Cao Cao realize that the brilliant strategist he once knew was no longer there.

The person who has now succeeded Xi Zhicai is Guo Jia, Xi Zhicai's good friend, whom he recommended to Cao Cao.

Cao Cao sighed and said to Guo Jia, "I'm sorry, I got used to it and couldn't control myself."

Guo Jia wasn't the type to dwell on other people's problems, so he got back to the main point and said, "The previous matter wasn't very ideal. These people from Xuzhou are very protective of the workshops, and they only hire workers whose household registration can be traced back to Xuzhou. Outsiders can only work in places like the salt fields, and it's too difficult to sneak in."

It turns out that when Guo Jia first took office, in order to demonstrate his strength and repay Cao Cao's kindness, he sent spies to steal the production technology of Xuzhou. Originally, by pretending and using money, the spies had already infiltrated the outer perimeter of the industrial zone, but they were discovered by a passing patrol team of workers.

They stopped us for inspection, but we had no employee badge, no letter of introduction, and not even any identification.

The patrol team arrested the scout immediately, but after interrogation, they got nothing out of him. The scout was stubborn and refused to confess, insisting that he was a refugee who had come here because he didn't know the way.

The patrol team was also in a dilemma. Reporting to their superiors would involve many procedures, which would delay their work and prevent them from being rated as outstanding at the end of the month.

Later, the patrol captain slammed his fist on the table and decided to just throw the kid into the Sishui River and drown him; it would be quick and easy to deal with. There were so many refugees in the world; if one or two were missing, no one would even notice.

Seeing that no one objected, the men dragged the scout toward the riverbank. The scout was puzzled. Why were they coming here? Shouldn't the procedure have involved reporting him, interrogating him, and then releasing him due to lack of evidence? Why were they in this desolate wilderness?

The closer they got to the shore, the faster the scout's heart pounded. He couldn't help but ask, "Where are you taking me? What are you going to do with me?"

"We're going to let you go home." Seeing that his companions were silent, one of the patrol members couldn't bear to tell him the harsh reality and decided to coax him.

Really? You don't look like you're going to let me go.

Once they reached the shore, the men made the scout lie down on the ground and started tying his legs with rope. The man who was comforting the scout even brought over a large rock from nearby and started tying it to the rope as well.

Ignoring the scout's increasingly terrified expression, the man continued tying stones to him while comforting him, "Don't be afraid. This rope is magical. Once we reach the bottom of the water, it will grow bigger and higher. Just silently chant 'Go west and don't look back.' After you get out of the water, hide at home for seven days and you'll be able to escape."

Screw you! I'm a spy gathering intelligence, how come I've never heard of this thing? You bunch of bastards just want to kill me!

In this life-or-death situation, the scout disregarded everything else and shouted, "Wait! Don't kill me! I'm Cao Cao's spy! I have a lot of intelligence! Don't kill me! Let me see your commander!"

The patrol captain couldn't help but marvel, "Wow, he's really something, able to come up with something like 'to save his life'." The other members of the patrol team also praised the scout's eloquence while their hands kept moving.

The scout was practically urinating, but no matter how much he shouted, these men showed no sign of stopping. The crowd remained silent, continuing to tie the rope. Soon, the rope was secured, and the men lifted the scout, preparing to throw him into the river.

The scout finally broke down: "I really have a lot of intelligence! I know! I know Cao Cao's list of spies, and where they gather! Spare me! I'll lead the way!"

The patrol captain then stopped everyone's actions, untied the rope, and sent the scout back. The patrolman who had been comforting the scout said with a hint of regret, "What a pity, I was really looking forward to seeing him struggle."

The spy had nothing more to say; he never wanted to be a spy again in his next life.

The patrol team placed the scout in the industrial area and asked the workers to keep an eye on him, indicating that he was a spy for Cao Cao's army and that they needed to keep an eye on him to make sure he was "alive."

Need I say more? Suddenly, I caught my enemy's henchman. He just happened to have the same face, and I just happened to have a pair of fists. Is there such a coincidence in the world? The workers, with nothing better to do, hung the spy upside down, didn't ask him any questions, didn't scold him, and just beat him up for fun.

Call me when you're tired from work, call me when you're in a bad mood, call me when you're too bored.

In the end, the factory manager decided the matter was of great importance and decided to take the spy back first to extract all the secrets before figuring out how to punish him. He immediately reported the incident. The spy, who had been beaten half to death, immediately grabbed the leg of his interrogator and burst into tears when he saw someone coming to take him away from the workshop.

The spy thought the nightmare was over, but the authorities in Xiapi took him to the dungeon and gave him another beating.

The scout was speechless, and asked in a trembling voice, "Wait, why are you hitting me? I was ready to confess."

The official shrugged: "Sorry, this is just a procedure. Please understand."

After a series of powerful memory recovery techniques, Cao Cao's scout even revealed things he had said badly about his friends when he was a child. The people of Xuzhou then realized that this guy was actually quite high-ranking, possessing so much important intelligence. But why would they need someone like him personally?

So the interrogators felt that this kid was hiding something, and gave him another round of interrogation.

By this time, the scout was somewhat delirious from the beating: "How could you let your subordinates do something so important? Would you let someone else scout ahead when you were getting married?"

He got another beating for insulting someone else's spy.

While many officials were still looking for reasons to beat up spies, Chen Qun had already arranged a specific arrest plan.

Chen Qun's men followed the addresses given by the spies and arrested them one by one, completely disabling Cao Cao's intelligence network in Xiapi.

Hearing that Chen Qun had dismantled such a large intelligence network, even the busy Liu Bei made a special trip to see Chen Qun. Upon seeing the overflowing cells, Liu Bei highly praised Chen Qun and his interrogation team.

After this incident, Liu Bei bestowed generous rewards upon the workers' garrison and strengthened patrols, ultimately thwarting Cao Cao's attempt to steal secrets.