Liu Xuande would never be a succubus of the Eastern Han Dynasty!

Several volunteers struggled to squeeze out from the crowd and sat down as soon as they entered the pawnshop, fearing that they would have to drink standing up if they were late.

"We've traveled extensively over the years, but we've never tasted the wine from the capital. We don't know how heavenly it tastes..."

"Please bring me two barrels of wine!"

"Okay, sir."

The shopkeeper responded, then put down the chess piece in his hand and looked up at these people. It would have been better if he hadn't looked at them, but once he started looking, he couldn't take his eyes off them.

He said in surprise: "Oh, I was mistaken. It turns out that it is Master Baji who has come..."

As soon as these words were spoken, the righteous men stopped what they were doing. One of them was about to reach for his waist, but was stopped in time by the person next to him.

“…Third brother, don’t be rude.”

"But big brother, this shopkeeper is really not simple..."

"Nonsense, can opening a tavern in the capital be simple?"

"My brave man, this is wrong. This is wrong."

The shopkeeper smiled and shook his head, his expression slightly lonely. "I don't have a strong background. I only opened this tavern because I received financial support from 'Mr. Chen' when I was young."

When the righteous men heard the name 'Mr. Chen', they were all shocked. One of them asked tremblingly, "Boss, may I ask your name?"

"No need to bother, my last name is Chen Gu."

"!Σ(OдO|||)ノノ"

All the heroes stood up immediately and bowed solemnly to the middle-aged shopkeeper.

"We were mistaken. We didn't expect it to be Master Chen Gu, a disciple of 'Mr. Chen'!"

"Oh, what's the big deal? We're all commoners now, so let's not get into that... Xiao Liu, there's no need to bring any more wine. Come down and close the shop."

"Got it."

Xiao Liu was a taciturn young man. After coming down from the second floor, he did not look at the people at the scene. He just walked forward calmly, closed the door, and then locked himself outside.

He bowed and said goodbye, then left early.

After Xiao Liu left, Shopkeeper Chen pulled out a pot of wine from under the table and said with a faint smile, "You guys were heroes back then, but how can you drink muddy wine now that you're old? You should drink good wine."

"This is……"

A righteous man sniffed, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Could this be the legendary Yongbai liquor that only the Liu family can drink? It's said that one sip can extend one's life by ten years, and two sips can make one immortal..."

"It's not as magical as the rumors say. It's just wine after all," Shopkeeper Chen shrugged, feeling a little emotional. "These days are not like the past. Now as long as you pay enough money, you can buy anything in the palace."

"...No, Shopkeeper Chen, this gift is too valuable. I won't accept it without merit."

"Yo."

Shopkeeper Chen turned his head and stared at the old man with gray hair on his temples, his lips curled slightly. "Mr. Chen has already done the so-called merit for you. Yes, just as you thought, this pot of wine was specially left with me by Mr. Chen. He specially left it for future heroes."

"That's even more unacceptable," the old man frowned slightly. "There are so many righteous people in the world today. We are just old bones with half a foot in the ground. Why should we drink this wine?"

"Let's not talk about the distant past. Let's just talk about the 'daughter of the Cao family' that's been making so much noise today. She single-handedly caused a great loss to the evildoers in the palace."

"Oh, no, no."

Shopkeeper Chen smiled and shook his head: "I know this girl from the Cao family. Although she has great ambitions, she also has some evil intentions in her bones. She doesn't look like a famous person."

"Besides, she may have some abilities, but to say that she single-handedly cut off Jian Min's ear and caused harm to the imperial guards on the Bieshui side... I simply don't believe it."

"Oh?"

Originally, he just wanted to tell the news he heard on the road to show his humility, but he didn't expect that Manager Chen seemed to have a more accurate truth.

The old man Zhang Jian's expression changed slightly, and he said with a folded hand, "I would like to hear the details."

"It's easy to talk about."

Shopkeeper Chen didn't hide anything and said immediately: "It is said that at noon, the girl from the Cao family came to the market to pick up a prisoner. Then the two of them left the city and went to the water shelter. What happened during that time is what is being spread today..."

"So what?" Some of the heroes didn't understand.

But Zhang Jian understood: "The girl from the Cao family originally had limited strength, but after taking in this prisoner, she set about dealing with Jian Min and the imperial guards... It seems that this prisoner is indeed not simple. Who is he?"

"Why, are you thinking of taking in a disciple again?"

"Jian is dedicated to public service. The world is in chaos today and we urgently need heroes to gather together to fight the darkness and restore order to the world. That's why I ask this question."

"Then you'll probably be disappointed," Shopkeeper Chen continued smiling. "He already has a master."

"Oh, I wonder who it is?"

"The Lu family of Zhuo County, Doctor Lu Zhi."

"!"

There's no comparison. There's absolutely no comparison at all.

The old man immediately lost his temper, but still pretended to be energetic and asked, "What's the name of this kid, and where is he now?"

Shopkeeper Chen glanced at him and understood what the old man was thinking. He said cheerfully, "His surname is Liu, his given name is Xuande, and he comes from the Liu family in Zhuo County."

"The Liu family of Zhuo County... turns out they are descendants of that bloodline. This is quite interesting."

"But when the Cao family's child came back today, there was no sign of the young man with him," said Manager Chen in a deep voice. "Perhaps you could go to Lu Zigan to see him?"

"...Okay, I'll bring this jug of wine with me. If that young man is truly a hero, this wine will be his."

-

"The world is dark and gloomy these days. Resigning from office was indeed the right decision. Now I see he hasn't changed at all. It would be best to leave again."

In a dark alley, a woman in black packed her luggage and prepared to leave when she suddenly heard the rumor that "the eldest daughter of the Cao family single-handedly broke the conspiracy of the treacherous ministers."

So she stopped.

"...Cao Cao? No. Judging from her appearance, it will take more than a decade for her to truly mature into a powerful figure. She's still too immature to have done this alone."

"It seems that the water in Luoyang is not ordinary deep. It is better to leave than to stay. Let's slip away."

The woman in black was even more determined to run, and as a result, she walked too fast and bumped into a figure as she turned a corner.

"oops…"

Fortunately, the figure reached out in advance and held her steady, otherwise she would have fallen.

"Thank you... eh?"

The woman in black covered her heart with her hands, looked up, and froze in a daze.

The man in front of me has a well-proportioned body, sword-like eyebrows like ink, and a pair of peach blossom eyes that have a sense of nobility. When you look closely, they are captivating. He looks like a handsome man in ancient times.

She was so wet...she was stunned.

"Is there anyone in the world who is so beautiful? Is there anyone in the world who has such a face?"

"Thank you for the compliment."

The young man in plain clothes was stunned for a moment, nodded slightly at her, then stepped aside to make way for her, and continued walking forward without stopping.

"He's so handsome... so handsome... but a little weird."

The woman in black looked at the handsome young man's back, twitched her nose, and frowned slightly: "The smell of smoke... and blood, um... 'prepare'?"

"I heard there was a fire in Gaoshan, and this person also smells like smoke. Coincidence? No, that's not right. I heard Cao Cao took a prisoner away at noon, and that prisoner's name also had the word 'Bei' in it... Could this person be the man behind Cao Cao?"

She hesitated for a moment, but her curiosity eventually overwhelmed her desire to leave. After looking left and right, she followed the boy in plain clothes.

Chapter of Kindness: Chapter 19: My surname is Chen and my name is Xu. I am the granddaughter of the Grand Marshal!

The woman in black followed the young man in plain clothes for a while, and when she saw the latter suddenly turn around, she stopped.

She sighed helplessly, "Since you've already spotted me, why not just turn around and ask me normally? Why did you have to hide around the corner and wait for me to pass by and scare me? How childish!"

"..."

There was no response at all.

Only the strange looks from passersby seemed to be silently saying, "Does this person have a brain disease?"

The woman in black looked a little embarrassed, and she couldn't stay there any longer, so she rolled her eyes and turned a corner.

"Alright, alright, stop messing around and let's introduce ourselves first... Eh? Where are you?!"

But on the street behind the bend, there was no trace of the young man in plain clothes, as if he had left a long time ago.

I…was he playing a trick on me? Or is it just my imagination going too far?

No, it must be behind me!

The woman in black was not surprised for long. She was just about to turn around and look behind her, but before she could do that, a pair of strong hands reached out from behind.

One hand covered her mouth, another hand was placed on her shoulder, and before she could even make a move to resist, her vision changed.

The surrounding area has changed from a main street to a small corner that no one pays attention to.

then.

The hand grabbed the black-clothed girl's wrists and locked them upwards, while the other hand pressed against her ear, stirring up a breeze.

At this moment, the pair of highly recognizable peach blossom eyes reappeared before his eyes.

“…Who sent you?”

Liu Bei's voice was gentle and magnetic. Even if he acted a little fierce, he only turned from a puppy into a big fierce puppy.

If she were a weak-willed woman, she would probably be so intoxicated by his words that she wouldn't even know where to go.

The eyes of the woman in black lit up slightly. Even though the current situation was extremely unfavorable to her, she did not show any fear. On the contrary, she seemed eager to try.

"…Cao Mengde was ordered to re-examine the Bishuiting case, but upon her return, she only undermined the Jian family's momentum without producing conclusive evidence."

"And you, a poor boy from Zhuo County, clearly had the opportunity to marry into a prestigious family, yet you didn't even bother to stay. You actually sneaked back here alone... and you were so cautious... Plus, you smelled like smoke."

"That's really interesting. Did you...did you really find any evidence there?"

She licked her rosy lips, her cheeks slightly flushed, and her whole body seemed to have entered a certain state, which was really scary.

"And this evidence might even be related to the Cao family... So, you had no choice but to separate from Cao Cao, return to Luoyang alone, and secretly be wary of certain people with ill intentions, correct?"

"..."

"Did you peek at the script?"

"What?" The woman in black froze in thought, not knowing what the young man in front of her was saying.

"nothing."

Liu Bei gave her a displeased look.

The woman had fair skin, a pair of beautiful phoenix eyes, dark eyebrows like cold flowers in December, and cherry lips that were naturally rosy and full. To describe her face as "so beautiful that the moon could hide and the flowers would be ashamed" was a bit cliché.

She is more like Miss Baihe who made clothes to express her gratitude, or like Chang'e who flew into the Moon Palace.

She fully displays her fairy-like nature, and can also be described with a phrase from later generations - a queen who is intellectual and understands people's hearts.

But the only flaw was that the corners of his mouth were always raised, his eyes were slightly closed, and even when he laughed occasionally, his eyes did not open wide.

There seems to be evil between her eyebrows. When you think she is a pure and innocent fairy, your intuition will always tell you in time that this woman must have bad intentions.

Weird face.

Liu Bei thought that he should not have any further contact with such a strange person, so he said: "Since you have packed your luggage, please set off immediately."

"!!!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the woman's face paled slightly, and she hurriedly said, "Wait a minute, young man. My surname is Chen Xu, and I am the granddaughter of General Chen Dan. If you spare me, I will reward you handsomely!"

“…Oh, and then?”

Liu Bei always felt that the man in front of him had been kicked in the head by a donkey. Although he was a little smarter than ordinary people, he was not so crazy as to kill the other person just because he made a few guesses.

Such behavior is no different from that Cao thief... Well, the future Cao thief.

These were just a few guesses. Even if they were put on the table, not many people would believe that a commoner could be so powerful. As for the Cao family, he had his own plan. He only needed to go into Cao's mansion alone at night and persuade Cao Cao in person.

What's more, the woman has already packed her luggage and looks like she is about to leave Luoyang, so there is no need to pay much attention to her. All you need to do is secretly send someone to follow her.

But Liu Bei did not expose the misunderstanding of the man in front of him. He simply wanted to see what kind of brilliant strategy this so-called "smart man" would come up with when redeeming his life.

"I see that you are a man of noble character, quite extraordinary. How about this: if you can let me go, I will marry you... Think about it, not only can you inherit the legacy of General Chen in the court, but you can also marry a beauty like me!"