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

Chapter 83, Your Majesty, please move your carriage.
Liu Xie curled the corners of his lips into a smile. "Since Cao Cao doesn't want me to do anything, then I'll simply do nothing at all. I want to see how he responds."

After someone spotted Liu Xie, they reported it to Kong Rong, who, along with Mi Heng, hurriedly walked over in this direction.

After exchanging greetings, Liu Xie noticed that neither of them was in high spirits. Kong Rong was grimacing and glaring, while Mi Heng also looked indignant.

Even now, Kong Rong doesn't understand why he was suddenly assigned to be the supervisor. Mi Heng, a good friend of Kong Rong, naturally felt indignant on Kong Rong's behalf.

Both men harbored deep resentment towards Liu Xie for his excessive indulgence of Cao Cao.

Liu Xie laughed self-deprecatingly, "Wenju, Zhengping, I'm just as leisurely as you are now."

"Your Majesty, what do you mean by this?" Kong Rong looked at Liu Xie with a puzzled expression.

Liu Xie didn't explain, he just smiled.

Then he inquired about the progress of the Qingshui Lake project with concern. Kong Rong could only give a perfunctory reply, while Mi Heng would occasionally chime in with a few words.

What they said was nothing more than a remark directed at Cao Cao, and Liu Xie didn't take it to heart.

Everything was as usual. After strolling around for a while, Liu Xie went back as usual. He practiced his sword every day, rain or shine.

Watching Liu Xie's departing figure, Kong Rong and Mi Heng stood there in a daze. Kong Rong said in bewilderment, "Zhengping, I still can't understand why His Majesty insisted on having me come here to supervise the construction. It's just building an artificial lake; any minor official could have been assigned to this task."

Mi Heng also sighed, "Your Majesty's actions are unusual and seem too capricious. However, governing the country cannot be done according to one's whims."

"Governing the country and ensuring its stability?"

Kong Rong snorted and laughed, "The imperial court has become a mere decoration; how can we talk about governing the country? Isn't that laughable?"

The two didn't mind being overheard, and fortunately, Cao Cao didn't care much about the artificial lake either.

After nightfall, Wang Yue suddenly heard a cough from inside the room, followed by a call from inside: "Wang Yue, come in for a moment."

Wang Yue looked around, pushed open the door and slipped inside. The flickering candlelight illuminated Liu Xie's face, making it appear more somber than ever before.

"Go out of the palace and go to Tianxiang Pavilion to deliver a letter for me."

Wang Yue nodded, "I'll do it right away!"

"Leave from Qingshui Lake. I already checked there during the day, and there aren't many guards there!"

The palace was heavily guarded, but Wang Yue was extremely skilled, and the Clear Water Lake was under construction at the time. It was not difficult for Wang Yue to bypass the guards and climb over the wall.

For Liu Xie, the greatest purpose of Tianxiang Pavilion was to gather intelligence!
Those who come here to eat, drink, and have fun are all the top officials and nobles of Xudu. Even someone like Cao Anmin is not the most conspicuous person here. Cao Hong, Guo Jia, Cao Chun, and even the clansmen of Cheng Yu and Xun You often visit.

Upon receiving the letter, Ma Kui immediately took notice. With so many high-ranking officials and dignitaries coming and going every day, every beautiful woman in Tianxiang Pavilion could potentially obtain useful information.

The next day, Xun Yu discovered that Liu Xie had not attended the morning court session. At first, Xun Yu did not take it seriously.

However, after that, Liu Xie spent his days wandering around the palace, practicing swordsmanship and horseback riding, and never stepped out of the palace again. He even stopped attending court assemblies.

On several occasions, Xun Yu saw Liu Xie at the palace gate. Liu Xie simply stood quietly inside the palace gate, gazing intently at the outside world. Normally, he would have already left. Xun Yu wanted to ask him something, but before he could speak, Liu Xie left.

Xun Yu felt increasingly uneasy, so while Liu Xie was practicing swordsmanship, he came over to ask, "Your Majesty, why haven't you been attending court these past few days?"

Liu Xie smiled faintly, a smile that contained the carefree joy of complete liberation. "From now on, you and Cao Gong can discuss and handle matters of state. I entrust everything to you. Go ahead and do your jobs."

Xun Yu wanted to ask more questions, but Liu Xie waved his hand and continued to spar with Wang Yue. In an instant, the sword flashed, and Xun Yu found that Liu Xie's eyes were like lightning, and his whole aura became as sharp as the sword in his hand, full of chilling killing intent.

Xun Yu sensed something was wrong. The emperor, who used to be so friendly and joking, seemed to have disappeared all of a sudden. He had no choice but to go see Cao Cao, and Guo Jia was also there.

For several days in a row, Guo Jia's information network has always been excellent.

Cao Cao recounted the events, then said with a hint of doubt, "Perhaps His Majesty has been in a bad mood these past few days. I don't think it's that serious. His Majesty agreed quite readily at the time!"

Xun Yu looked worried, and Guo Jia shook his head helplessly.

Xun Yu advised, "My lord, since His Majesty arrived in Xudu, the relationship between the ruler and his ministers has been harmonious and peaceful, and everything has gone smoothly. It hasn't been long, yet you want to restrict His Majesty like this. Do you want to kill another Deng Zhan?"

Cao Cao was stunned for a moment, recalling the time when Liu Xie stood at the city gate but dared not take a step out.

Guo Jia sighed, "No wonder I haven't seen His Majesty these past few days. His Majesty seems to be easygoing, but I must remind you, my lord, that His Majesty is quite stubborn. On the way back east, Yang Ding and others held military power and tried to coerce His Majesty into issuing an edict to punish Duan Wei, but His Majesty did not yield."

Guo Jia continued, "If Your Excellency does not allow His Majesty to act, His Majesty will do as you wish. He will remain still to control the situation. I'm afraid that if this stalemate continues, it will be Your Excellency who will be in a difficult position."

Cao Cao said, "You don't need to make a fuss. I think His Majesty will get used to it over time." "Get used to it? I don't think so. Although His Majesty stays in the palace and no rumors that are detrimental to you will spread, the ministers will soon understand what's going on."

Soon, Wang Yue brought the letter back. Unlike Zhao Yun and Ji Ping, Liu Xie rarely discussed private matters with Wang Yue or exchanged letters with him. Liu Xie also had an agreement with Ma Kui to secretly mark the letter.

Upon receiving the reply, Liu Xie carefully checked it to make sure it hadn't been opened before he felt relieved.

Any news from Xudu is no secret in Tianxiang Pavilion.

"Oh? So it's Cheng Yu." After reading the letter, Liu Xie immediately burned it. The flickering candlelight illuminated Liu Xie's cold face.

A cold smile gradually crept onto Liu Xie's lips, and a flash of cold light suddenly appeared in his eyes!
Liu Xie now has a good relationship with Xun Yu and Guo Jia, and he doesn't believe that this was Guo Jia and Xun Yu's idea. They have no reason to show him any malice.

Cheng Yu?

It's not surprising that someone who would even resort to eating human flesh to stave off hunger would be so eager to be controlled by Cao Cao.

Back in bed, Fu Shou gently nestled against Liu Xie's chest, embracing him tenderly.

"Your Majesty, what do you intend to do?"

Liu Xie smiled and said, "Cao Cao must first obtain my approval before he can bestow any reward. That is my confidence. Cao Cao does not dare to ignore my existence now."

As long as Liu Xie did not attend court assemblies, Cao Cao could not bestow titles and rewards upon him, because Cao Cao still needed to put on a show in front of all the officials.

If the emperor were not present, Cao Cao could bestow titles and rewards without authorization, which would not be a problem, but doing so would solidify his image as a powerful minister who abuses his authority.

The relationship between the two has not yet reached that point, so even if the emperor is just a figurehead, he still has to be put on display from time to time!
If we can't display it and don't want people to see it, then we're in trouble!
Fu Shou asked softly, "So, Cao Cao will soon come to invite Your Majesty to court?"

Liu Xie nodded. "Yes, no matter who is rewarded, it must be done in front of all the officials. That's in accordance with Cao Cao's wishes."

Sure enough, a few days later, Lü Bu sent Chen Deng. Lü Bu had always wanted to become the governor of Xu Province. Last time, he was appointed as the Left General, but Lü Bu was not too satisfied.

Cao Cao sent someone to invite Liu Xie, but Liu Xie ignored him completely!

"What? Your Majesty dares to..." Cao Cao almost blurted out. He wanted to say: Your Majesty dares to disobey?
However, Cao Cao thought for a moment, his eyes darting around twice, "I understand now. I thought His Majesty agreed so readily that he would obediently stay in the palace, but I didn't expect that he had been holding a grudge all along. He's deliberately trying to embarrass me."

Cao Cao suppressed his anger and personally went to the palace to see Liu Xie.

Liu Xie, on the other hand, had also made preparations, and he directly called Dong Cheng to his side.

When Cao Cao saw Dong Cheng fully armed and imposing, he suppressed his anger.

Upon seeing Cao Cao, Dong Cheng was immediately angered and gave him a cold snort, showing him no kindness.

And this is exactly the result Liu Xie wanted.

Dong Cheng posed no threat to Cao Cao. Cao Cao could easily deal with Dong Cheng with a flick of his finger. However, Cao Cao would not do so unless absolutely necessary. Could he simply eliminate the emperor's father-in-law?
Dong Cheng's role was to make Cao Cao uneasy, just like a bad guy seeing a policeman on the street—as soon as he sees him, he feels uneasy!
The reason is simple: your heart is not pure!

Cao Cao wanted to control Liu Xie. To say that he had a clear conscience is something even Cao Cao himself probably didn't believe. After all, his childhood wish was to have the words "General Who Conquers the West of Han" inscribed on his tombstone after his death!

But now, even if the General Who Conquers the West were given to him for free, Cao Cao would still have no interest!

"Minister Cao, what brings you here?" Before Liu Xie could speak, Dong Cheng couldn't help but ask.

Normally, Liu Xie would try to keep them from meeting, but now, he deliberately arranged for Dong Cheng to sow discord between Cao Cao and others.

Cao Cao glanced at Dong Cheng but ignored him. He then looked at Liu Xie and said, "Your Majesty, you have not attended the court assembly for some time. Lü Bu has sent an envoy to court. I hope Your Majesty can move your carriage to meet with Chen Deng."

Cao Cao wanted to reward Chen Deng and his son, and have them act as his inside agents in Xuzhou, helping him to monitor and deal with Lü Bu.

Upon hearing Chen Deng's name, Liu Xie immediately guessed his intention.

Liu Xie waved his hand and said casually, "You two can take care of the affairs of the court and handle them as you see fit. I'm tired and want to rest."

Liu Xie stretched and pretended to doze off.

Cao Cao frowned slightly, feeling somewhat displeased.

"Your Majesty, Lü Bu has sent an envoy to pay his respects. It would be inappropriate for Your Majesty not to appear. Please, Your Majesty, move your carriage!"

Cao Cao's voice rose noticeably, his gaze fixed on Liu Xie, and his tone gradually became less respectful.

(End of this chapter)