Chapter 305: Completely Numb
The sky gradually darkened and the clouds blocked out the sunlight.

After nightfall, the weather was unusually cool.

Cao Cao drank a few cups of wine and was about to take a nap. While he was half asleep and half awake, he heard hurried footsteps.

Thinking it was a dream, Cao Cao woke up in a sweat.

Wiping the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve, he turned around and stepped onto the couch, then heard Xu Chu asking outside the door, "Mingsir, someone is coming from the palace, very urgent."

"What's the emergency now?"

Cao Cao asked in self-mockery, and walked out of the bedroom while fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan, and saw Xu Chu standing in front of the door: "Zhongkang, come in."

"Here."

Xu Chu led a military officer in, and Cao Cao recognized him as Lu Zhao from Dongping. "What's the matter?"

"Here is the letter from the Cavalry Commander."

Lü Zhao held a brocade bag in both hands and explained, "This was given to me by the Cavalry Commander himself, who ordered me to deliver it to Lord Cao quickly. He also said that anyone who stands in my way can be killed."

"Can they all be killed?"

Cao Cao felt vaguely uneasy, so he stepped forward, picked up the brocade bag, and took out the balled-up silk book inside.

Spreading it out in his hand, he saw Cao Chun had written: "The thief Hua Tuo murdered the emperor during the Taiping period."

"Zihe, too. What is this written about?"

"Nonsense."

Cao Cao casually threw Cao Chun's letter on the ground, but Xu Chu noticed that Cao Cao's legs were unstable and trembling slightly.

Lü Zhao didn't understand what was going on, so he saw Xu Chu turned his head and gestured. Lü Zhao bowed cautiously and took his leave.

Just as he was about to leave the door and turn around, he heard Cao Cao say, "Wait a moment."

"Here."

Lu Zhao saluted, then turned around and walked out, waiting at the distance in the corridor.

Xu Chu hurried forward to support Cao Cao: "Mingsir?"

“No problem…No problem!”

Cao Cao waved his hand to try to break free from Xu Chu, and took the opportunity to slide down and sit limply on the ground.

I reached out and picked up Cao Chun's handwriting. I felt dizzy and my mind was empty.

After resting for a while, Cao Cao regained some strength and said to Xu Chu, "Call Wen Lie and Zi Dan."

"Here."

After Xu Chu left, Cao Cao struggled to get up and sat back on the couch.

It was just that it was difficult to straighten my back, and my whole body felt slack as I sat there.

Soon, Cao Xiu and Cao Zhen entered the hall together.

Xu Chu was standing guard outside the door, watching. Inside the hall, Cao Cao handed the letter to the two of them.

Cao Xiu and Cao Zhen were both shocked after taking a quick look and seeing clearly.

After the two men's mental states stabilized, Cao Cao said, "You two should quickly go to the palace to see Zihe."

"Here."

The two men saluted immediately, turned around and walked away quickly.

Cao Cao raised his hand and rubbed his brow. After a moment, he said to Xu Chu, "Please ask Mr. Wenhe to come see me."

At this time, the strategies of Xun You and Cheng Yu were no longer able to reverse the situation, but Jia Xu had rich experience in this regard.

Jia Xu lived in the mansion, and when he was invited out, he felt a chill in his nose.

I raised my hand to touch it, then looked up and heard raindrops as big as beans falling one after another around me, making crackling sounds.

Although Jia Xu didn't really believe in the idea of ​​divine connection, he still felt something was wrong.

Ever since the changes in Xudu began, clouds and fog began to appear in the clear sky. The clouds and fog connected together and the sun was not visible. This in itself was a bad omen.

Not long after, when Jia Xu arrived at Cao Cao's bedroom, the rain had already become heavier.

The soil that had been dry for a long time was suddenly soaked, and a peculiar smell filled the house.

When Jia Xu arrived, Cao Cao had propped up the window and was looking at the rain curtain on the eaves with his arms clasped together.

Cao Cao was silent for a long time, then turned around and glanced at Jia Xu: "Mr. Wenhe, is there anything important happening tonight?"

Jia Xu had a clear conscience, thought for a moment, and said, "I don't know."

"The sky has changed."

Cao Cao said hoarsely, "There is a genius doctor named Li Feng in Guanzhong, who is from the Taiping Dao and has learned the magic of Zhang Jiao's talisman water. Hua Tuo in Qiao County is also a genius doctor of the time. It is obvious that he has something to do with the Taiping Dao and was bewitched by it. It is reasonable." When Jia Xu heard him mention Hua Tuo, his face changed immediately, "Are you saying that the sky changed tonight?"

"Yeah, I don't know what to do."

Cao Cao did not look back, feeling the cool and fresh air brought by the rain curtain outside the window, but his eyes were full of confusion.

Abandoning the army and fleeing, living in seclusion in the mountains or outside the Great Wall is the most foolish way.

When the army loses its organizational ability, whoever is close to the army will be the first to suffer.

Even if he dies, he will die among thousands of soldiers.

Listening to the conversation between Cao Cao and Jia Xu, and the sound of heavy rain outside the window, Xun You and Cheng Yu both looked pale.

How dare Hua Tuo?
The palace is located in the Shangshutai.

When Cao Zhen and Cao Xiu arrived, their robes were soaked by the rain. They saw Cao Chun sitting in front of a candlestick drinking.

Cao Chun is an introverted person and rarely drinks.

Seeing Cao Chun's appearance, the two younger generations, Cao Zhen and Cao Xiu, saluted in unison: "Uncle."

"follow me."

Cao Chun stood up and went straight into the side hall where everyone in the Secretariat rested. When Cao Zhen and Cao Chun entered, they smelled blood.

The air was fresh on rainy nights, and the bloody smell was even stronger.

Walking around the wooden screen, one can see a row of brightly lit candlesticks. Emperor Liu Xie is lying on the couch with a calm expression, his hands folded on his chest.

Hua Tuo fell beside the couch, leaving only his back and the back of his head.

Seeing that there was no blood at the scene, Cao Xiu picked up a candlestick, returned to the screen and came to the front hall.

The candlelight flickered, and two guards were seen lying dead in the corner, their blood oozing out and coagulating.

Cao Chun also came out and said to Cao Xiu: "Hua Tuo is good at using medicine. He prepared Ma Fei San with a very large dose. Before the emperor used the medicine, Hua Tuo tested the medicine with the guards."

"The emperor then died of shock. Hua Tuo took a lot of medicine, and I died before I could ask any questions."

Cao Chun glanced at the two guards' bodies and said, "To prevent the news from leaking out, I killed these two as well."

There were only three members of the Cao family at the scene. Cao Zhen was reluctant to speak, so Cao Xiu said, "Hua Tuo poisoned the emperor. I'm afraid it will be difficult to convince the public."

“There is no need to convince others anymore.”

Cao Chun said hoarsely: "At this point, even if the emperor is alive, who would believe it?"

If they controlled Hebei in the Central Plains and then 'the Liu family rebelled', it would be a real rebellion; but in the current situation, it is hard to explain the killing of so many members of the Liu family.

As for whether Hua Tuo dared to poison the emperor?

It wasn't poisoning at all, it was just to help the emperor, that's all.

It cannot be washed away. Hua Tuo was from Qiao County and had no family. The previous imperial doctors were either killed or fled.

As time was running out, Hua Tuo, a fellow villager from the same county, was brought to the palace to stabilize the emperor's condition.

Who would have thought that Hua Tuo, a fellow villager, could be so cruel and stabbed Cao Cao in the face.

Cao Chun was worried, so he arranged two guards to supervise nearby.

Even so, Hua Tuo still saw the emperor off.

As a fellow villager, it is basically no secret that Hua Tuo had connections with Taiping Dao!
He also thought that Hua Tuo would stabilize the emperor's injuries, and then Cao Cao would bring other ministers to pay a visit to the emperor.

Dying now is no different from dying on the spot.

Without any evidence from other ministers or important officials, the people of the world believed that the emperor died in the chaos of war!

Now we can only find a substitute, there is no other way.

After Cao Zhen and Cao Xiu confirmed that the emperor was dead, they returned to the palace without delay, taking Cao Chun's handwritten letter.

When they came back, Cao Cao was not in the hall, but in the toilet.

Cao Zhen and Cao Xiu also came to the toilet with a blank expression. No one stopped them and they came to Cao Cao's side.

Cao Cao was completely numb and stared blankly at Xun You who committed suicide in the toilet.

Xun You knelt against the wall and stabbed himself in the neck with the knife he carried with him. His head drooped limply, and his hands holding the knife were pressed under his chin.

The blood gushing out of the wound on his neck dyed the surrounding yellow ground red, making it look pitch black.

Jia Xu stood in the corner without saying a word, looking at the people around him out of the corner of his eyes, as if it had nothing to do with him.

Cheng Yu was tall and at this moment he looked hunched over, and it was difficult for him to straighten his back.

It seemed as if Xun You had ripped away all his energy and spirit.

(End of this chapter)