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

Chapter 76 Liu Qi: "Does Liu Xuzhou actually know that there is such a person as Liu Qi in this world?"

"You weren't sent by Father?" Liu Qi wasn't stupid; he naturally sensed that the person in front of him might have received some information and come to report him.

But this reason is really too weak. The whole of Jingzhou knows that these two want to take me away. Do I need you to explain it?

Wait a minute, could this person be sent by my father to test me, to see if I'll take any risks after learning this news?

However, he quickly changed his mind and thought, "I'm already like this, what's the point of fishing?"

At this moment, Liu Qi assumed that some force was trying to use him again, and said calmly, "How could that be? Uncle Degui and Kuai Yidu are my trusted confidants in Jingzhou, how could they be against me? If you continue to spout nonsense and sow discord here, I will immediately have you arrested."

The attendant, sweating profusely, immediately pulled out a logbook from his robes recording the comings and goings of people: "Why does the young master suspect me? This is a record of recent visits to the prefecture. If it weren't for something extremely important, why would Lord Yiji be in such a hurry to send a messenger back?"

Liu Qi took the document with some skepticism. His fingertips touched the familiar record format, and his heart skipped a beat. He quickly scanned it; it clearly recorded the time and reason for the messenger's arrival at the mansion.

Liu Qi's voice suddenly sounded strange: "What does this mean?"

"Young Master, you are wise," the attendant whispered, "I risked my life to hide outside the window and overheard it with my own ears: Liu Bei, the Governor of Xu Province, recommended you to the court—you are the one he recommended! He wants to recommend you for the position of Governor of Yang Province!"

"What?!"

Liu Qi looked as if struck by lightning, his face filled with disbelief, and he took a step back abruptly.

"You—you said—the Governor of Yangzhou? Me? Liu Bei, he—" Liu Qi was somewhat incoherent, pointing at the document and then at himself. This news was simply too absurd, completely beyond his imagination.

"This is absolutely true; I heard it with my own ears. Moreover, Liu Bei did this to demonstrate his sincerity in forming an alliance with Jingzhou," the attendant replied affirmatively.

A wave of unreal ecstasy instantly overwhelmed Liu Qi's reason. The Governor of Yangzhou! The Governor! The position his father had fought for most of his life to achieve! Now, the legendary Liu Bei, whom he had only heard of in Xuzhou, was actually recommending him, Liu Qi, and at his most desperate time.

"How could Liu Xuzhou know that Liu Qi existed in this world?"

However, this joy lasted only a moment, as the attendant's next words plunged his spirits back down to earth.

"But Cai Mao and Kuai Yue immediately and vehemently opposed it. They are still urging our lord to submit a memorial to the court, strongly arguing that you, my lord, are weak and lack dignity, and are unfit for this great responsibility. Moreover, our lord seems to have tacitly approved of it—"

Liu Qi's smile froze instantly. He swayed and had to reach out to steady himself on the table. The newly ignited flame of hope had been easily extinguished by his loved ones; this pain far surpassed the coldness that had always been ignored.

However, this was not the end. The attendant looked at his pale face, swallowed hard, and said the most important and fatal news: "Kuai Yue also said that the young master should not see any unnecessary people during this period and should just focus on studying at home."

That last sentence was the final straw that broke the camel's back. Liu Qi felt everything go black; boundless despair, like an icy tide, completely overwhelmed him. These two not only wanted to rob him of his hope, but also to imprison him, ensuring he would never rise again!

Liu Qi slumped to the ground with a thud, and his attendant was about to offer him some words of comfort when a commotion suddenly erupted at the courtyard gate. Liu Qi snapped back to reality, grabbed his attendant, and said, "These must be the men my father sent to monitor me. Hide immediately and don't let them see you. Once they've lost their attention, climb out through the backyard and spread the news throughout Xiangyang that I'm going to be the governor of Yangzhou. My life will be in your hands. I can't promise anything now, but I'll definitely repay you when I succeed in the future."

Liu Qi wasn't unfamiliar with these techniques; it's just that he had never had any allies and had nowhere to use them. Now that he had gained his first ally, and given that Cai and Kuai were backed into a corner and had no intention of letting him go, he naturally had to use all his abilities to fight back.

Having said that, Liu Qi, disregarding what his attendant thought, strode out the door and shouted at the crowd, "What are you all arguing about here?"

One of the soldiers stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Liu Qi: "We are here on the orders of our lord to protect the young master! Recently, there have been many bandits in Xiangyang City. Our lord is worried about the young master's safety, so he specifically ordered us to come and protect him."

Liu Qi smiled and nodded, but the smile didn't look human at all; it had a somewhat artificial feel to it. He said, "Alright! Okay! Please make yourselves at home."

Just as Liu Bei's three major army groups were sweeping through Huainan and returning to their rightful place, Liu Biao had already written a document, sealed it in Shu brocade, and sent it to Xu County by a messenger.

Liu Biao and Kuai Yue sat facing each other playing chess, while Cai Mao absentmindedly fiddled with the decorative tassels on the hilt of his sword.

"The strategies of the aliens are always so meticulous." "The memorial refuting Liu Bei must have already passed Wancheng and will arrive in Xuchang soon. Although Cao Mengde is not on good terms with me, he will probably not sit idly by in the face of such a matter of sowing discord among relatives and disrupting the social order."

Kuai Yue smiled slightly and calmly replied, "My lord, you flatter me. Although Liu Bei's plan is vicious, he used it too hastily. If he had acted in secret, he might have achieved some success. Now that we have seen through it and acted first, he can only shoot himself in the foot. Once the court rejects his false accusation, the world will know who the unreasonable troublemaker is."

Cai Mao chimed in with a grin, "Exactly! Once the imperial decree is issued, what face will that big-eared scoundrel have left to live in the world? Then our army will be the first to—"

His words were suddenly interrupted again, but this time not by having his foot stepped on, but by a series of hurried and flustered footsteps outside the door.

A servant from the manor, his face deathly pale, practically stumbled and crawled into the hall. Forgetting all decorum, he cried out in a trembling voice, "My lord! Prefect Kuai! An envoy from Xuchang! The envoy from Xuchang has arrived at the gate!"

Liu Biao frowned and said unhappily, "What a fluster! What kind of behavior is this! It's not the first time we've seen an envoy from Xuchang. Why are you so panicked? It must be that Lord Cao has delivered other official documents. Just receive him according to protocol."

"No! It's an envoy from the imperial court, an angel, carrying a scepter!"

The chess piece in Liu Biao's hand fell to the ground with a "crack"; the composure on Kuai Yue's face vanished instantly, turning him stiff; Cai Mao's fingers, which were fiddling with the tassel of his sword, also stopped.

The hall was deathly silent.

A very bad premonition, like a dry and cold hand, suddenly gripped the hearts of the three.

"Quickly open the central gate! Set up the incense table! Welcome the envoy!" Liu Biao still knew that he had to pay attention to etiquette at this time. He stood up abruptly and gave the order loudly, but his voice suddenly became a little hoarse.

After a flurry of activity, the gates of the governor's mansion swung open, and an incense table was set up. Liu Biao, along with the civil and military officials of Jingzhou, knelt to welcome the imperial envoy.

The eunuch messenger, expressionless, unfurled the bright yellow imperial edict in his hand and read aloud in a high-pitched, clear voice: "Imperial Edict: To Qi, son of Liu Biao, Governor of Jingzhou, I have heard that his grandfather and father were men of loyalty and virtue for generations. Qi is a member of the imperial clan, of virtuous and even character, and well-versed in military affairs. Now that Yangzhou has been newly pacified, there is an urgent need for talent. Therefore, I hereby appoint Qi as Governor of Yangzhou. This is my decree!"

The edict was short, but every word struck like a heavy hammer blow to the hearts of Liu Biao, Kuai Yue, and Cai Mao!

After reading the edict, the envoy closed it and looked at Liu Biao, who was kneeling at the front, his face ashen and his body trembling slightly. He said calmly, "Prefect Liu, accept the decree and express your gratitude. Congratulations to your family. Prefect Liu is young and promising; he is truly a pillar of the nation."

Liu Biao, relying almost entirely on his decades of experience in officialdom, mechanically kowtowed and squeezed out the words through clenched teeth: "Your subject Liu Biao receives the imperial decree and expresses his gratitude. Long live the Emperor!"

He took the imperial edict with both hands, feeling as if it weighed a thousand pounds, and his vision blurred.

The eunuch nodded, secretly thinking to himself: "It has to be the 'Eight Steeds' again." Hearing that his son had become a high-ranking official, he looked apprehensive. If it were anyone else, they would have already started a grand banquet.

After completing their mission, the envoy was led away to rest by the reception staff. Only a few key figures remained in the front hall of the governor's mansion.

Kuai Yue stood rooted to the spot, all his former brilliant strategies and flawless plans now a joke. His face drained of color, and he muttered to himself, "Impossible! How could Cao Cao side with Liu Bei? Besides, our army is all fast horses; the memorial should have arrived first. How could it be—"

He suddenly understood everything.

Liu Bei, that old fox, had already calculated everything and even reached some kind of agreement with Cao Cao beforehand. While Cao Cao thought he had seized the initiative, all his actions were in vain. All countermeasures had been anticipated by Liu Bei, and his documents had already been sent to Xuchang before Yi Ji even received the news.

Most critically, their memorial opposing the imperial edict is already on its way to Xuchang. All their schemes and actions, in the face of this imperial edict, have become irrefutable evidence of disobedience and treacherous intentions. If this matter were to spread, the entire Han Dynasty would know of the disgraceful affair in Jingzhou, and the three of them would be utterly disgraced, becoming a laughingstock for the entire world.

It can be foreseen that this secret will become Cao Cao's best leverage to control Jingzhou. Cao Cao did nothing, and the people of Jingzhou handed themselves over to Cao Cao.

Liu Biao had clearly also considered this terrifying future, and his body trembled uncontrollably. He was one of the "Eight Steeds," a renowned figure among the noble families. For Liu Biao, reputation was more important than life itself, a precious thing he had risked his life to obtain in the treacherous city of Luoyang. Now, his reputation, public prestige, and the opinions of those who would follow him would all become utterly disgraced. How could this not fill him with fear?

After a while, Liu Biao finally stood up and walked step by step into the prefectural capital. However, his movements were extremely stiff, and he swayed like a stroke victim. Everyone bowed to him along the way, but he seemed not to see anything and kept walking forward. Cai Mao finally couldn't hold back anymore, hurriedly caught up with Liu Biao, hugged his legs, and cried loudly.

"My lord! My lord! Brother-in-law! Calm down! Be normal! Don't scare us!"

Kuai Yue followed, tearing Cai Mao off Liu Biao's legs, shouting, "Fool! Shut your mouth! Let our lord have some peace and quiet!"

After saying that, he forcibly dragged Cai Mao away, while Liu Biao continued walking forward blankly as if he hadn't heard anything.

On the other hand, after learning that Liu Qi had been appointed as the governor of Yangzhou, his house arrest became a mere formality.

Several days ago, the aristocratic families learned from the common people that Liu Qi had been recommended by Liu Xuzhou to be the governor of Yangzhou. However, this matter was so unbelievable that few people believed it. Only a few aristocratic families, such as the Pang family, the Huang family, and the Ma family, believed that it was mostly true and began to try to make secret contact with Liu Qi.

The soldiers guarding Liu Qi weren't fools. Aside from the fact that each of the powerful families they were dealing with was incredibly influential, and their monthly pay was exorbitant, it wouldn't justify the soldiers risking offending them. Furthermore, no matter how bad the relationship between Liu Qi and Liu Biao was, they would still be father and son in ten thousand years. What if they reconciled one day? Wouldn't that cause an uproar? Similar things had happened in history.

Therefore, these powerful families successfully established connections with Liu Qi, indicating that they would definitely support him when needed.

They didn't have to wait long before news of the angel's arrival spread throughout Xiangyang. This was at Cao Cao's special instruction; he wanted to make a big fuss about it. Soon, everyone in Xiangyang, from powerful families to commoners, knew that Liu Qi was going to become the governor of Yangzhou.

To everyone's surprise, the fastest to react and the most eager to defect were not any powerful clans, but rather the army guarding Liu Qi. Upon learning this, the leading officer immediately approached Liu Qi, expressing his desire to switch allegiance and join his ranks. Liu Qi, coincidentally, had no armed forces of his own. The two quickly reached an agreement, and the hundreds of soldiers guarding Liu Qi transformed into his personal guard.

Next to curry favor with Liu Qi were the many powerful families who had initially adopted a wait-and-see attitude. Liu Qi accepted their flattery and fawning with a smile, but in reality, he was extremely disgusted. However, his strength was too weak at the moment, so he couldn't afford to be picky.

Next came the Pang, Huang, and Ma families, who contacted him after hearing the rumors. These people had already come to serve him, so Liu Qi valued them the most. Time was of the essence; Liu Qi had to assemble a team before Kuai Yue and Cai Mao realized what was happening and dealt with him, and then find a way to leave Xiangyang.

Before leaving Xiangyang, he was like a bird in a cage, a fish in a net. But once he left Jingzhou, Liu Qi was like a bird soaring into the sky, a fish swimming in the sea, free from all constraints!