The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 267 Yuan Shen's Trial Card is Temporarily Available, Liu Bei Receives Immense Wealth (4th Update)
Before long, Lady Liu was led into the hall by her attendants. Her hair was slightly disheveled and there were still tear stains at the corners of her eyes. As soon as she entered, she threw herself down in front of Yuan Shao's desk: "Qian Zhao, Tian Feng, and Tao Sheng have plotted a rebellion and have also humiliated me. This is a great disrespect to the general! Please, general, do justice for me!"

Liu immediately put herself in a vulnerable position and tearfully accused Qian Zhao, Tian Feng, and Tao Sheng. If it were the old Yuan Shao, he might have acquiesced to Liu's false accusations, but today Yuan Shao clearly did not want to ruin the grand plan of protecting the Yuan family for Liu's sake.

In the current situation, although Yuan Shao is still alive, he has lost the right to compete for power. Preserving the Yuan family bloodline is now Yuan Shao's most important task, so he can no longer favor the Liu family.

In front of Qian Zhao, Tian Feng, and Tao Sheng, Yuan Shao stared at Liu Shi, who was kneeling on the ground and weeping, and said in a cold tone: "When you secretly stole military secrets and instigated Xianfu to commit treasonous acts, did you ever think about loyalty and righteousness? Now you dare to falsely accuse loyal and virtuous people of treason?"

Upon hearing this, Liu's tears rolled down even more, but she covered her lips with her handkerchief and coughed lightly twice, her voice barely a whisper: "General, your words make me feel utterly ashamed. But..."

Lady Liu raised her tearful eyes again, her gaze brimming like autumn water: "Tian Feng and the others are secretly colluding with Liu Bei, and today they launched a fierce attack on Lu Nu. Could it be that I have wronged them?"

Seeing Liu's state, Yuan Shao was furious but laughed: "What a woman who turns black into white! It was clearly you who plotted a rebellion, which is why Tian Feng and the others came to your rescue. Now you are making false accusations. What kind of logic is that?"

Liu's body trembled slightly, like a willow swaying in the breeze, and her voice grew even softer: "General's questioning is so...so..."

Before she could finish speaking, Lady Liu coughed lightly again, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes: "All my efforts were for the sake of the Yuan family's foundation. Liu Bei, cough cough, is ultimately an outsider, yet the general..."

At this point, Liu choked up and could not speak, only twisting the handkerchief in her hand tightly.

Seeing that Lady Liu was still feigning pitifulness, Yuan Shao sneered, "Stop pretending! If I don't divorce you, how can the Yuan family maintain its dignity?"

Upon hearing this, Liu swayed as if about to fall, but managed to stand firm, her voice barely audible: "Since ancient times, the husband has been the head of the household, so it is only right that the general wants to divorce me. However..."

Raising her tear-filled eyes, Liu smiled sadly: "My heart, in the end, was given to the wrong person."

After saying this, Liu stopped arguing and silently wiped away her tears. Her frail figure appeared particularly lonely in the hall.

Qian Zhao subconsciously took a step back, and his gaze toward Yuan Shao suddenly held a hint of sympathy.

In the past, Qian Zhao did not understand why Yuan Shao always liked to listen to Liu's pillow talk and insisted on deposing the eldest son and establishing the youngest son to dote on Yuan Shang. Today, however, he witnessed Liu's scheming and methods, which far surpassed those of ordinary women.

Her frail appearance was completely different from the shrew on the city wall who had been cursing Qian Zhao for rebelling; it was impossible to associate the two with the same person.

Tian Feng and Tao Sheng reacted in the same way as Qian Zhao.

Seeing Liu kneeling on the ground awaiting death, Tian Feng sighed and advised, "My lord, please wait! Although Liu has committed the offenses of eavesdropping on military secrets and instigating Young Master Shang, she is still your wife and Young Master Shang's mother. If you divorce her today, not only will the people criticize you for being heartless, but it may also intensify Young Master Shang's resentment, making it impossible to mend the relationship between father and son."

Yuan Shao, somewhat softened by Liu's pitiful state, seized the opportunity to ask, "What do you suggest, Yuan Hao?" Tian Feng replied frankly, "We should strip Liu of her power, confine her to a separate residence under strict guard, and send trusted confidants to monitor all news, both inside and outside the palace. This will preserve the dignity of the Yuan family and eliminate any chance of them causing trouble. If, in the future, Prince Shang repents, there is still room for you and your son to reconcile."

"Furthermore," Tian Feng added, "Since you have already decided to abdicate in favor of the Left General, you should prioritize the greater good. If family discord leads to fratricide, it will only unsettle the people of Hebei and undermine your carefully crafted strategy of yielding. The Left General is known for his benevolence and loyalty, and he certainly does not wish to see you separated from your family. I urge you to reconsider."

Such words of advice, which emphasize repaying evil with kindness and prioritizing the overall situation, could only be spoken frankly by Tian Feng. Although Qian Zhao and Tao Sheng agreed with Tian Feng's words, they would not offer advice in the same way.

After listening to Tian Feng's advice, Yuan Shao remained silent for a moment before finally nodding slowly, "Yuan Hao's words are absolutely right." He then turned to Liu Shi, "Today, I will follow Yuan Hao's suggestion and punish you by moving you to the North Courtyard to reflect on your mistakes. If you cause any more trouble, don't blame me for not showing any consideration for our marital bond!"

Upon hearing this, Liu trembled slightly, then covered her face with her handkerchief and sobbed softly, "Thank you for your forgiveness, General." She then slowly raised her head, her eyes brimming with tears, and said in a weak voice, "I will remember Mr. Tian's great kindness for the rest of my life."

Tian Feng couldn't stand Liu's behavior, so he cupped his hands in response.

Liu bowed deeply to Yuan Shao again, her posture extremely weak: "Since the general has made his decision, I dare not disobey. I will go to the North Courtyard to reflect on my mistakes and will never disturb the general's grand plan again."

Seeing Liu's condition, Yuan Shao frowned slightly, but ultimately said nothing more, only waving his hand: "Go."

Liu slowly rose, her steps unsteady, like a willow swaying in the breeze. As she turned, she gently wiped the corner of her eye with a handkerchief, perfectly concealing the fleeting resentment in her eyes.

Qian Zhao, Tian Feng, Tao Sheng, you three scoundrels! You have humiliated me like this today; one day I will make you wish you were dead! And Yuan Shao… do you think you can trap me like this? Ha, as long as Shang'er is still alive, I will have my day! Since you have no regard for our marital bond, don't blame me for being ruthless too!
Although she thought this way, Liu kept turning back to look at Yuan Shao, and only left with a sense of loss after seeing Yuan Shao's cold and silent face.

Watching Liu leave, Tian Feng frowned even more deeply and whispered to Qian Zhao, "This woman is cunning and scheming; we must be more wary of her in the future. If it weren't for the greater good, I wouldn't have advised her today."

Qian Zhao nodded: "Brother Yuanhao is absolutely right. I have truly learned something today."

After whispering, Tian Feng turned to Yuan Shao, cupped his hands and said again: "To prevent Cao Cao from taking the opportunity to cause trouble, General, as I just said, first send a proclamation to all the counties, rebuking Young Master Shang for his disobedient behavior, and send an envoy to the Left General's camp, asking the Left General to consider the greater national interests and turn hostility into friendship with Young Master Shang."

Seeing Tian Feng bring up the plan again, Yuan Shao no longer remained silent and said, "In that case, I will trouble Yuan Hao to draft a proclamation for me; Zi Jing, I will trouble you to go to Hedong and convey my intentions to Xuande, so as not to let Cao Cao profit from the rear."

Then Yuan Shao turned to Tao Sheng and instructed him: "Prime Minister Tao, you can also send a letter to Zhuge Liang in Zhuo County to convey my thoughts. Then tell Zhuge Liang that if he has time, he can come to Lu Nu for a meeting, as I wish to ask for his advice on important matters."

Tian Feng, Qian Zhao, and Tao Sheng exchanged glances, then clasped their hands in a fist and bowed, accepting the order: "We will obey Your Excellency's command!"

　Update 4 is here!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)