Chapter 296: Eat my food and drink my drinks, and you still play tricks on me. Aren’t you afraid that I will kill the king? Maybe I should choose Liu Bei to support the Han Dynasty!
Chang'an, the imperial city.

Sitting on the dragon throne, Liu Xie was sipping his tea pretending to be calm, but his eyes kept glancing at Cao Zhen who was standing beside him with a sword in his hand, with a flicker of uneasiness in his eyes.

Cao Zhen held his sword in his hand, his eagle eyes staring at Liu Xie all the time, his eyes so sharp that they seemed capable of killing people.

Just when Liu Xie was trembling with fear and feeling insecure.

Heavy footsteps were heard, and then the palace door was slammed open with a "click".

Cao Cao, wearing armor and holding a sword, strode in with a gloomy face.

Behind him, teams of tiger guards in full military gear rushed in with such ferocity that the palace maids and eunuchs in the hall all trembled with fear.

"Lord Cao~~"

A flattering smile immediately appeared on Liu Xie's face. He stood up hurriedly and wanted to go down the stairs to greet him in person.

"His Majesty!"

Cao Cao shouted loudly, like thunder in Liu Xie's ears, shocking him so much that he fell back onto the dragon throne.

"When your majesty moved east, you were impoverished and your dignity was lost. It was I who welcomed your majesty to Xudu and allowed your majesty to enjoy a life of luxury again."

"When the Yuan thief marched south to destroy the Han Dynasty, I risked my life to escort Your Majesty to Guanzhong, saving the Han Dynasty from destruction."

"I would like to ask Your Majesty, have I been worthy of Your Majesty over the years?"

Cao Cao stood in Liu Xie's sight like an iron tower and questioned him sternly.

Liu Xie felt even more guilty, and said with a smile:
"Lord Cao, you have done great service to me and the country. I will certainly remember your service, and you have certainly never treated me unfairly."

Cao Cao's eyes widened and he asked angrily:
"Since I have never wronged Your Majesty, why do you repeatedly betray me and collude with the traitor Liu Bei to become my enemy?"

Liu Xie's heart skipped a beat, knowing that this was most likely the leak of the secret decree. Liu Bei had already proclaimed himself king in Guandong, and the news had been passed back to Chang'an.

Cao Cao came here in such anger, he wanted to call him to account for his crime.

Fortunately, Liu Xie was mentally prepared.

He then pretended to be confused and asked blankly:
"My dear Lord Cao, I don't understand what you mean. When did I collude with Uncle Xuande?"

Seeing that he denied it, Cao Cao took the secret report from Dian Wei and threw it on the table.

Liu Xie hesitated for a moment, then took the silk book tremblingly and looked down at it.

It was just as he expected.

The secret report came from Shouchun, claiming that Liu Bei, in compliance with the emperor's order, had established the State of Chu in Shouchun and was promoted to the King of Chu.

"Uncle Xuande...he actually proclaimed himself king?"

Liu Xie raised his head and looked at Cao Cao in confusion and suspicion, as if it had nothing to do with him at all.

"It is clearly written in the secret report that the big-eared thief was promoted to king by the emperor's edict?"

"Where did he get the imperial edict?"

"Even a fool can figure out that the imperial edict must have come from your majesty's hand, and that the traitor Kong Rong secretly took it out of Chang'an and gave it to Liu Bei in Shouchun in the name of pacifying Liu Bei!"

Cao Cao exposed the truth and glared at Liu Xie and asked:
"I just want to know why Your Majesty hid it from me and used such a shameful and despicable method to confer the title of king on Liu Bei, the big-eared thief?"

Dian Wei and Cao Zhen both glared with their eyes wide open, their hands already on the hilts of their swords.

It seemed that they were just waiting for Cao Cao's order and then they would rush forward to chop the emperor Liu Xie into meat paste.

"My dear Lord Cao, you have wronged me. I have never given Kong Rong any secret decree, and I have never conferred the title of king on Liu Xuande."

"My dear Cao, you have made great contributions to the country and are the pillar of the Han Dynasty. I have not made you a king, so how can I make Liu Xuande a king?"

"My dear, you have wronged me~~"

Liu Xie denied Cao Cao's accusation with a look of grievance.

Anyway, Kong Rong probably doesn't dare to come back. He knows nothing when I ask him. Do you, Cao Cao, have the ability to capture Kong Rong and confront me face to face?
Cao Cao was full of resentment, but Liu Xie's self-defense choked him up and he couldn't utter a single word.

From what Liu Xie said, the so-called imperial decree to appoint Liu Bei as king was all a forged decree by Kong Rong who acted on his own?
It's not impossible.

After all, Kong Rong and Liu Bei had a life-and-death friendship. It was not impossible that Kong Rong forged an imperial edict under the pretext of a diplomatic mission to help Liu Bei ascend the throne legitimately.

But Kong Rong claimed to be a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty. Without your Liu Xie's instruction, would he really have the courage to forge the imperial edict?

"Your Majesty, do you think I'm a three-year-old child and you can tell lies and tease me?"

Cao Cao naturally didn't believe it. He asked angrily with his hand on the hilt of the sword.

At this moment, he actually had the intention to kill.

Liu Xie shuddered with fear and instinctively shrank back on the dragon throne. He was so panicked that he didn't know what to do.

Cao Cao's eyes were as sharp as blades as he stared at Liu Xie, his mind filled with murderous intent.

The air seemed to freeze, and it was so quiet that Liu Xie felt creepy.

"Sikong Cao, you must not be disrespectful to the emperor!"

A stern shout dispelled most of the murderous intent in Cao Cao's mind.

Liu Xie stuck his head out to take a look, and instantly felt as if he had grasped a life-saving straw, with ecstasy welling up in his eyes.

Xun Yu was seen rushing into the Golden Palace with a silk book in his hand and a serious expression.

Seeing Xun Yu arriving, Cao Cao's murderous intent suddenly faded away, and the hand holding the hilt of the sword involuntarily loosened.

He was still a little wary of Xun Yu.

"I don't think Liu Bei's claim to the throne has anything to do with Your Majesty."

"Liu Bei had saved Kong Rong in Beihai and recommended him to be the governor of Qingzhou. The friendship between the two was extraordinary."

"Sikong, isn't it because you valued their relationship that you sent Kong Rong to Shouchun to pacify Liu Bei?"

"It can only be said that one can only judge a person by his appearance but not by his heart. Who would have thought that Kong Rong was in the imperial court but his heart was with Liu Bei? He actually betrayed the imperial court and the emperor and forged an imperial edict to help Liu Bei become king!"

"I believe that your majesty must have been kept in the dark about this matter. I ask the prime minister to believe your majesty as well."

Cao Cao understood.

Xun Yu heard the news and rushed to the palace in a hurry to defend Liu Xie.

He still had to give Xun Yu face. Moreover, after calming down, he secretly took a breath of cold air, still frightened by his impulsiveness just now.

Back then, Dong Zhuo was in power and was so rampant, but he did not dare to kill the young emperor Liu Bian in public.

If they had to kill him, they would depose the young emperor, enthrone Liu Xie as the new emperor, and then poison him with poisoned wine.

He was now retreating to Guanzhong, and his power and strength were far less than that of Dong Zhuo back then. How could he have the confidence to kill the emperor in public?

"Besides, Liu Bei becoming king may not be a bad thing for Sikong."

Xun Yu changed the subject and a meaningful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

Cao Cao was stunned and looked suspicious.

"This is an urgent report just sent back from Guandong. Sikong, please take a look."

Xun Yu smiled playfully and handed the silk book in his hand to Cao Cao.

Cao Cao took the silk book with suspicion in his heart. His eyes, which were originally full of anger, suddenly showed surprise.

"That big-eared thief actually mobilized the entire nation's army to attack the traitor Yuan Shao!"

Cao Cao blurted out and looked at Xun Yu with surprise.

Xun Yu stroked his thin beard and sneered sarcastically:
"Liu Bei usurped the throne, his ambitions were obvious, and his arrogance and conceit were also evident, so he dared to challenge Yuan Ni with the troops of three states, intending to seize the Central Plains."

"Yuan the traitor dared to usurp the throne and naturally had ambitions to seize the world. How could he tolerate Liu Bei being his equal, let alone Liu Bei taking the initiative?"

"I expect Yuan Shao to mobilize all his troops and start a full-scale war with Liu Bei."

"If these two bandits meet in battle, it will be a bloody battle, and it will take at least a year or so to determine the winner."

"Doesn't this give Sikong an opportunity to integrate Guanlong and go south to take over Hanzhong and Bashu?"

Xun Yu had a smile on his face, as if he was planning something. He raised his hand and pointed south, outlining a blueprint for Cao Cao.

The more Cao Cao listened, the more excited he became, and the anger in his eyes was gradually replaced by ecstasy.

“If the writing is reasonable, the words are reasonable.”

"Then let the two rebels Yuan and Liu fight to the death in the Central Plains, and I will pacify Liangzhou and take over Bashu in the south!"

"When the two bandits are both defeated, I will lead the troops of the three states to clean up the mess and recover the Central Plains in one fell swoop!"

A hint of irony also ignited Cao Cao's face, and his heroic spirit and confidence suddenly surged.

Xun Yu smiled without saying anything and glanced at the emperor.

Cao Cao understood, put on a smile, turned around and bowed to Liu Xie:

"Your Majesty, I am also worried that Your Majesty has been deceived by treacherous officials, so I hurried to ask Your Majesty for the reason."

"Your Majesty, please forgive me for my impoliteness just now, considering my loyalty to the country."

He changed his attitude faster than turning the pages of a book, and Liu Xie was unable to react for a moment.

It was not until Xun Yu coughed repeatedly to remind him that he suddenly came to his senses and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Lord Cao, you are too kind. I know you are loyal to me. I will never blame you for being disrespectful."

Liu Xie wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and had a flattering smile on his face.

The corners of Cao Cao's mouth curled up secretly, as he was sure that Liu Xie would not dare to say anything against him.

After all, although I have lost the Central Plains and my strength is far less than before, it is still easy for me to control a puppet emperor like you.

"Your Majesty has just heard that the two traitors Liu Bei and Yuan Shao are now fighting for the Central Plains."

"Let's let these two rebels fight each other, and I can free up my hands to help Your Majesty pacify Liang Province and recover Yi Province."

"It won't be long before I lead my army out of the pass, destroy the two thieves, and welcome Your Majesty back to the old capital!"

Confidence burned on Cao Cao's face as he painted a big picture for Liu Xie.

Liu Xie was horrified when he heard this, but he still had an expression of longing on his face and nodded repeatedly in agreement.

As soon as the picture was finished, Cao Cao turned around, his face was as gloomy as iron, and a cold light flashed in his eyes.

"Kong Rong forged an imperial edict to plot treason. Dong Cheng, Wang Zifu, Zhong Ji and others were all his accomplices. Their crimes are unforgivable!"

"Zidan, mobilize the troops immediately, arrest Dong Cheng and the other rebels, put them in jail, and torture them severely!"

Cao Cao waved his hand and shouted loudly.

Cao Dan accepted the order generously.

Liu Xie was shocked. He never expected that Cao Cao would take advantage of the situation to eliminate Dong Cheng and other Han ministers who were loyal to him.

"My dear Lord Cao——"

Liu Xie jumped up and wanted to plead for Dong Cheng.

"His Majesty!"

Cao Cao turned around suddenly, looking at Liu Xie with a stern gaze, and asked first:
"Although Dong Cheng is the emperor's uncle, he secretly colluded with Kong Rong and is a traitor!"

"I am loyal to the country and want to eliminate these traitors for the court and Your Majesty. Your Majesty should not be biased towards relatives and friends, and will not force me to bend the law for personal gain just because Dong Cheng is the emperor's uncle, right?"

Liu Xie slumped down on his buttocks, his face as pale as paper, and he swallowed back the words of plea that were on the tip of his tongue.

Seeing that he dared not say anything, Cao Cao snorted coldly, turned around, held his sword, and left.

Liu Xie sat on the dragon throne, distraught and silent.

Xun Yu looked at Cao Cao's back, his brows furrowed.

"Did I really make the wrong choice by choosing him to support the Han Dynasty?"

"If I had known that Liu Bei would be in such a position today, would I have chosen him?"

"Oh~~~"

A sigh filled with mixed feelings echoed within the Golden Palace.

(End of this chapter)