With Cao Cao by my side, what do I have to fear from the world?

Chapter 67, Recently, feeding kills has become popular.

After the ceremony, with Cao Cao's introduction, Prince Chen entered the palace and met the emperor for the first time.

Liu Xie was quite enthusiastic, smiling as he stepped down from the platform. "Prince Chen, I'm so glad to finally meet you. In fact, you are my closest relative. I should call you Uncle."

King Chen was also deeply moved. Upon meeting him, he was very pleased. Seeing that Liu Xie had handsome features and a radiant appearance, King Chen felt relieved.

This shows that although the emperor did not rule personally, his situation was still relatively good.

Cao Cao smiled and said, "It's a rare occasion for Prince Chen to come to Xuchang. You two can continue your conversation. I'll take my leave now."

Cao Cao bowed and left the hall. He looked to his left and right, then quickly gave a look to the eunuch next to him before walking away.

Cao Cao didn't need to stay here every step of the way; he could retreat strategically and command remotely—that was what Cao Cao needed to do.

By nightfall, Cao Cao had learned the contents of Chen Wang and Liu Xie's conversation. It was nothing more than a casual chat about family matters. Cao Cao nodded and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Fengxiao, to be honest, this Prince Chen is really putting me in a difficult position."

Guo Jia laughed and said, "The State of Chen is only a hundred miles away from Xuchang. This King of Chen is not good at anything else, but he likes archery and training troops. His army is no less than 30,000 men. In terms of military strength alone, it is almost equal to ours. Moreover, he is a member of the Han imperial family and a close relative of His Majesty. He is really a troublesome person."

Cao Cao nodded. "Yes, even if he has no ambition to contend for hegemony and his mind is only on protecting the borders and ensuring the safety of the people, having such a fierce tiger beside his bed is truly unsettling."

Despite the sentimentality, even if Prince Chen killed Zhang Kai for Cao Cao, Cao Cao would not easily lower his guard against Prince Chen.

King Chen had troops at his disposal, and his forces were no less than Cao Cao's, along with well-trained crossbowmen.

Guo Jia confidently said, "My lord, in my opinion, Yuan Shu's attempt to borrow grain failed, and Zhang Kai, whom he sent to assassinate, was killed. He must be filled with resentment and may even raise an army to attack King Chen. At that time, my lord can observe from the sidelines for the time being and wait until King Chen's forces have been weakened before we make our move."

"Oh? Do you really think Yuan Shu will wage war against the State of Chen?"

Guo Jia confidently advised, "Yuan Shu has just declared himself emperor, and he is at the height of his ambition and arrogance. At this time, whether it is a shortage of food or a need to establish his authority, he will take action. In addition, he and you have a grudge against each other. Even if Chen is located in Yuzhou, Yuan Shu will still take action."

The feud between Yuan Shu and Cao Cao can be described in four words: deep-seated hatred!

Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao were always at odds, while Cao Cao had always been very close to Yuan Shao. Before welcoming the emperor, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were practically staunch allies. Cao Cao's rise to power was inseparable from the care of his elder brother Yuan Shao.

After leaving Nanyang, Yuan Shu initially did not intend to go to Huainan. He wanted to compete with Cao Cao for territory, but he suffered a series of defeats and was driven away by Cao Cao.

Yuan Shu had a very high opinion of himself. As the heir to a family that had held high office for four generations, he was actually driven away and expelled by Cao Cao. He lost face completely. So until his death, Yuan Shu hated Cao Cao with a vengeance.

Cao Cao had been hospitable to Prince Chen for the past few days, and in the end, he even personally escorted him to the outside of the city.

The court assembly, which had previously gone unnoticed, gradually began to attract attention because Liu Xie would occasionally make startling deductions during casual conversations with the assembly members.

For example, on this day, Liu Xie said, "Gentlemen, Yuan Shu has declared himself emperor without authorization. I think he will try to win over Lü Bu and continue to be hostile to Liu Bei."

"Your Majesty, what makes you say that?" Xun Yu asked curiously.

Liu Xie smiled. "Lord Xun, I am not knowledgeable in military affairs. We are just having a casual chat. It doesn't matter if we are right or wrong. I think that although Lü Bu is a good person and helped me get rid of Dong Zhuo before, his vision and magnanimity are ultimately a bit small. Moreover, Lü Bu's biggest flaw is that he is greedy and forgets righteousness. Yuan Shu only needs to promise some benefits, and Lü Bu will easily take the bait." Xun Yu nodded. "What Your Majesty says makes some sense."

Unexpectedly, Liu Xie changed the subject and said, "While we may try to win him over, Lü Bu is a fickle man, and with Chen Gong by his side, he won't be a one-track mind to ally with Yuan Shu."

After a few words, Liu Xie's topic quickly became less serious. "Indeed, I have heard that Lü Bu has a daughter who has loved riding horses and shooting arrows since she was a child. She is lively by nature and quite beautiful."

Xun Yu coughed lightly and reminded him, "Your Majesty, it is not appropriate to discuss matters of romance and nature in the court. I hope Your Majesty will be careful with your words."

Dong Cheng glanced at Wu Shuo, and the two of them shook their heads in unison. What kind of situation was this? The emperor's mind had wandered off to women.

Liu Xie disagreed, saying, "Lord Xun, as the saying goes, food and sex are human nature. This is not an indecent thing. In this respect, Lord Xun is not as carefree as Lord Cao and Libationer Guo. They, like me, appreciate beautiful women quite a bit."

Liu Xie brought up Guo Jia and Cao Cao, leaving Xun Yu feeling somewhat helpless.

Furthermore, Cao Cao had also reminded Xun Yu that it would be a good thing for everyone if the emperor focused more on eating, drinking, and having fun, so that Cao Cao would not have to worry about the emperor seizing power and interfering in politics.

Liu Xie smiled and said half-jokingly, "However, my taste is quite different from Cao Cao's. Cao Cao likes big ones, while I prefer smaller ones!"

The discussion escalated to the point of absurdity, and only the emperor dared to discuss such matters in court. After the court session, Xun Yu went to the Minister of Works' residence and told Cao Cao about the matter, where Guo Jia happened to be present.

The two laughed after hearing this. Cao Cao stroked his beard and said with a smile, "Wenruo, what His Majesty said makes some sense. Food and sex are human nature. It's not a bad thing to like beautiful women. However, His Majesty's comments are quite unique. What do you mean by 'I like big ones'? He likes small ones."

Guo Jia explained, "I think His Majesty means that you prefer older women, while His Majesty, like me, prefers younger and more beautiful women."

Cao Cao nodded, seemingly quite pleased with himself. "Fengxiao, it seems you and His Majesty still don't quite understand the charm of women. These older ones... are more alluring, more captivating..."

Seeing that the two were getting more and more out of line, Xun Yu's face turned very ugly, and he quickly started coughing.

"There is one more thing. His Majesty mentioned two things at court today. He said that Lü Bu would form an alliance with Yuan Shu, and that they would soon turn against each other."

Cao Cao thought for a moment, "Lü Bu has always been fickle, so there's nothing strange about it."

A few days later, Xun Yu came to see Cao Cao again. "This time, His Majesty said that Lü Bu will send a head to you soon."

"Feeding kills?"

Cao Cao was taken aback. Had it become fashionable to send someone's head as a gift these days?
However, it was soon confirmed that Lü Bu had indeed sent someone to Xuchang with Han Yin's head.

Upon seeing Han Yin's head, Cao Cao and Guo Jia exchanged a glance, both thinking of the woman in the palace.

Liu Xie was strolling around town. Princess Qinghe had also been going out frequently lately, always arriving at the right time. Often, not long after Liu Xie left the palace, he would run into her on the street.

This time, Princess Qinghe took Cao Ang and his sister shopping together. At Liuhe Bridge, they encountered Liu Xie.

(End of this chapter)