Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 220 The Hunt Turns into a Joke, Liu Bei Plans to Scheme Against the Two Yuans (Seeking Monthly Tickets and Subscriptions)
Early the next morning.

Liu Bei rose to power from the comforts of a gentle, loving home.

Despite the long periods of separation, we still need to work hard.

Having a child is an unpredictable event.

Flowers planted with intention may not bloom, while willows planted unintentionally may thrive.

Liu Bei could only try his luck.

Riding his horse all the way to the main hall, Liu Bei, as usual, had Jia Xu present a memorial requesting the reconstruction of the Imperial Medical Bureau.

Liu Xie was preoccupied with hunting and agreed to Liu Bei's petition without a second thought.

After the ministers presented their memorials addressing their urgent concerns, Liu Xie finally had his chance. He addressed the assembled officials, saying, "Ancient emperors would hunt in spring, harvest crops in summer, hunt in autumn, and hunt in winter: they would go out to the suburbs in all four seasons to demonstrate their military prowess to the world. Now, in these times of turmoil, I wish to emulate the ancient emperors and use hunting as a means to practice military skills. What do you all think?"

Upon hearing Liu Xie's words, Liu Bei was immediately surprised.

Hunting?

Military training?

Is this Liu Xie's style?
Liu Bei looked at Jia Xu, only to see a look of surprise on Jia Xu's face, clearly indicating that Jia Xu was also unaware of this matter.

If even Jia Xu didn't know, then it's highly likely that it had nothing to do with Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu.

Liu Bei remained calm and quietly observed the reactions of his officials.

Based on Liu Bei's understanding of Liu Xie, the idea of ​​hunting was definitely not Liu Xie's own.

Now that Liu Xie has spoken, there must be shills among the officials who will chime in.

As expected.

Not long after, Liu Ai, the Minister of the Imperial Household, stepped forward and shouted: "I have heard that the Book of Rites, in the section on the Monthly Ordinances, says: 'In the first month of spring, otters offer fish as a sacrifice before the hunters enter the marshes and bridges; in the first month of summer, beasts are driven away so as not to harm the five grains, and the Son of Heaven then tastes the rice with his dogs.' The ancient sage kings hunted not to display the power of weapons, but to follow the seasons and conserve the land's resources. Now Your Majesty is emulating the hunting practices of the four seasons, which is in accordance with the way of Heaven to care for the common people. I believe this is truly excellent!"

The voice just fell.

Grand Herald Zhong Ji also stepped forward to support this, saying: "Mencius once said to King Xuan of Qi: 'King Wen's hunting park was seventy li square. Those who gathered straw and wild vegetables went there, and those who hunted pheasants and rabbits went there, sharing the joy with the people.' Therefore, a king's hunting is not merely a display of military might, but also a demonstration of sharing joy with the people. Now that the world is not at peace, if Your Majesty personally ventures into the forests and fields, allowing the people to see the banners and the joy of hunting deer, it will demonstrate the principle of the ruler and the people sharing weal and woe!"

A smile appeared on Liu Bei's lips.

A junior official and a senior official were arguing about hunting, citing classical texts.

This is because they don't want me to object.

Seeing Liu Bei remain silent, General Fu Wan stepped forward and said, “The Book of Changes, Hexagram 45 (Revolution), says: ‘The superior man changes like a leopard, his markings are ever new.’ Hunting is not only an ancient ritual, but also an opportunity for a gentleman to cultivate virtue. Your Majesty rides a fine horse and draws a carved bow, tempering your mind and will in the midst of the chase, just as the leopard’s markings are ever new. This is the way to cultivate inner virtue and secure the country outwardly. Is it merely about military training?”

Come again.

Are they all so bookish, just to let the emperor go hunting?
Liu Bei wanted to see what tricks these three were up to, so he gave Jia Xu a look.

Jia Xu understood and said, "Your Majesty's desire to conduct hunting and military exercises is truly excellent. I second that proposal."

After Jia Xu spoke up, the six ministers Zhong Yao, Xun Yu, Xun You, Wu Qiong, Zheng Tai, and Xu Jing also echoed his opinion.

Seeing that the chief official of the Secretariat had seconded the motion, the remaining officials, including Liu Bei, also seconded it.

The resolution was passed so smoothly that Liu Xie, Liu Ai, Zhong Ji, and Fu Wan all looked at Liu Bei in surprise.

Liu Xie was even more hesitant: I want to go hunting and practice martial arts, and the General actually agreed.

Fearing he wouldn't be able to secure the important task, Fu Wan hurriedly volunteered to take charge of all the preparations for the hunt, setting the date for December 12th.

Liu Bei did not object; instead, he thoughtfully asked Fu Wan if he needed money or supplies, which could be drawn from the national treasury.

Fu Wan, filled with suspicion and uncertainty, stayed behind with Liu Ai and Zhong Ji after the court session ended. Under the pretext of escorting Liu Xie back to the palace, they followed Liu Xie into the palace.

"Do my three ministers know what the General intends to do today? I want to conduct a hunting and military exercise, yet the General doesn't object at all?" Liu Xie voiced his doubts.

After Liu Xie, Fu Wan and the other two also had the same doubts.

"Perhaps, the Imperial Uncle wants to steal His Majesty's thunder during the hunt," Zhong Ji maliciously speculated.

Liu Xie was taken aback and said, "Your Imperial Uncle is brave and skilled in battle, and his horsemanship and archery are superb. If that's the case, how can I show my bravery?"

Fu Wan hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty need not worry. I will be in charge of this hunt. Even if Your Majesty's uncle tries to steal the spotlight, I will not let Your Majesty lose to him!"

Liu Xie finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Liu Ai thought for a moment and said, "I think that the Imperial Uncle may not have intended to steal the limelight from Your Majesty, but more likely he regards Your Majesty's hunting as a child's play."

Liu Xie's expression changed drastically.

If Liu Bei viewed hunting as child's play and therefore didn't object at all, then it would be better for Zhong Ji to maliciously speculate and try to steal the limelight.

The former shows that Liu Bei didn't take Liu Xie seriously, while the latter at least considered Liu Xie a threat.

A sense of irritation rose in Liu Xie's heart once again, and his tone became more indignant: "Minister Fu, on the day of the hunt, I must show my martial prowess. You should go and prepare quickly, and do not make any mistakes."

Fu Wan vowed, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will not fail in my duty!"

Liu Ai's guess was pretty much right.

Liu Bei didn't take Liu Xie's hunting trip seriously at all.

If even hunting can be taught martial arts, then there will be no rebellions in the world.

Liu Hong, after all, proclaimed himself Supreme General and held a military review at Ping Le Guan.

If we're talking about military prowess, Liu Xie should have followed Liu Hong's example and reviewed his troops, instead of going hunting.

"Should we eliminate Fu Wan and the other two?"

Jia Xu's perspective on the issue differed from Liu Bei's. Although Fu Wan and the other two were being cunning, Jia Xu believed they were restless and unruly.

As long as Liu Bei gives his approval, Jia Xu will devise a plan to eliminate the three men in a legitimate and legal way.

"It's just a hunting trip, let them do whatever they want." Liu Bei rejected Jia Xu's suggestion, saying, "What interests me more is, even Wang Yun has quieted down, how dare these three cause trouble?"

Jia Xu replied without hesitation: "They are all related to the new policies. Not only these three people, but also many imperial relatives, high-ranking officials and nobles are dissatisfied, mainly because of the abolition of slavery."

“These people are used to being served, and they are extremely uncomfortable when they suddenly have no servants to serve them. The memorials they sent to the Ministry of Personnel all contained subtle hints that they hoped to restore their status as slaves and allow those who voluntarily become slaves to join the slave system.”

Upon hearing the words "voluntarily becoming slaves," Liu Bei couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Although there are still fools in this world who would like to voluntarily become slaves to the imperial relatives and high-ranking officials, who gets to define what 'voluntarily becoming slaves' means?"

"If slavery is restored and those who voluntarily become slaves are allowed to join the slave system, who knows how many forced purchases and forced enslavements will occur. This rule cannot be broken."

“Next time someone submits a petition, send him to a labor camp for three days. Don’t they like having people as slaves? Let them experience the daily life of losing their freedom.”

Labor camps were places where criminals were reformed through labor. Although they were not essentially the same as slavery, they were not much different from slavery for those who were used to a life of luxury.

Jia Xu gave a cold smile: "I will obey the Emperor's wishes."

Since Liu Xie wanted to go hunting, Liu Bei also had to participate to bolster Liu Xie's prestige. The twelfth day arrived.

Fu Wan prepared fine horses, famous eagles, excellent dogs, and bows and arrows, and invited Liu Xie to the fields outside Luoyang.

The participating officials also rode their horses and took up their bows, adding to the atmosphere of Liu Xie's hunt.

Liu Bei also prepared his own bow and horse and joined in, following from a distance like his ministers.

Liu Xie is very excited today.

Under the deliberate arrangement of Fu De, son of Fu Wan, Liu Xie shot three prey in succession.

Every time a bullet hits its mark, Fu Wan would organize his men to shout "Your Majesty is mighty!"

However, as the number of prey increased, the ministers gradually realized that something was wrong and began to secretly glance at Liu Bei.

This wasn't some kind of hunting or martial arts demonstration; it was clearly meant for Liu Bei's benefit.

Those who managed to infiltrate the imperial court in Luoyang, while perhaps not exceptionally skilled, were mostly quite shrewd.

However, Liu Bei always had a warm smile on his face, and showed no emotional change whatsoever when Liu Xie shot the prey and Fu Wan and others shouted "Your Majesty is mighty".

Unbeknownst to everyone, Liu Bei was already lost in thought, plotting how to trick Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu.

After years of fighting, Liu Bei's soldiers also needed rest.

The people of Yuzhou, Yanzhou, and Xuzhou also need time to adapt to the new policies.

Liu Bei wanted to eliminate the rebels in the three provinces as soon as possible so that the people of the three provinces could live and work in peace.

Yuan Shao's grain supply was seized by the Yellow Turban rebels of the Black Mountain, and he has suffered repeated defeats this year, so he will not be heading south for the time being.

Although Yuan Shu had acquired Jingzhou and Yangzhou, he feared he could not defeat Liu Bei and therefore would not march north.

Although we are in a brief period of peace, we still need to use means other than war.

However, Liu Bei had not yet figured out how to use non-military means to trick Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu.

Liu Bei not only wanted to destroy Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, but also to destroy the powerful clans and families they supported, thus reducing the difficulty of land surveying in the future.

While I was thinking.

Liu Xie suddenly rode up and asked, "Uncle, why don't you go hunting too?"

Interrupted from his thoughts, Liu Bei glanced at the prey hanging on Liu Xie's horse and laughed, "I am not good at riding and archery. How about we find someone else to entertain Your Majesty?"

Liu Xie was taken aback: "Whom does Imperial Uncle wish to replace?"

Liu Bei beckoned to his ministers, and Lü Bu rode up on horseback.

"Captain Lü, it's a bit boring for His Majesty to hunt alone. Why don't you accompany him?" Liu Bei whispered, "Just for fun, don't take it seriously."

Lü Bu understood and clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "Your subject Lü Bu is willing to entertain Your Majesty."

Liu Xie's face stiffened, and seeing that Liu Bei was unwilling to hunt while Lü Bu was very excited, he had no choice but to let Lü Bu join in.

When they saw Lü Bu return with Liu Xie, Liu Ai, Zhong Ji, and Fu Wan's expressions also stiffened.

Fu Wan, in particular, felt gloomy.

If Liu Bei accompanied Liu Xie in archery, winning would be seen as stealing Liu Xie's prestige, while losing would be seen as diminishing his own prestige.

As a result, Liu Bei did not accept the challenge and instead had Lü Bu accompany Liu Xie in shooting.

Who in Luoyang doesn't know about Lü Bu's archery skills?
If Lü Bu wins against Liu Xie, that's only natural; if Lü Bu loses to Liu Xie, that's just human nature.

"Just as Liu Shaofu predicted, the Imperial Uncle only regarded the hunting as a child's play!" Fu Wan said bitterly.

Despite making such a grand show of things, Liu Bei treated it like playing house with children.

Does hunting display the might of an emperor?
It's more accurate to say it makes you look ugly!
Lu Bu's deliberate teasing and the fact that he missed his prey with all three arrows made Fu Wan extremely resentful.

Lu Bu also treats hunting like a game!
After a while, Liu Xie also found it boring.

Although all he could hear were shouts of "Your Majesty is mighty!", Liu Bei remained a spectator with a warm smile, as if the hunt was just an entertainment performance.

Seeing Liu Xie's increasingly gloomy expression, Fu Wan felt extremely distressed.

Hunting was conducted at set times, and even if Liu Xie was unwilling, he had to continue.

Once the hunting trip was over, Liu Xie could no longer hold back. He said a few words hastily and then returned to the palace.

“Uncle, this isn’t right. I’ve already been accommodating to His Majesty, so why does he still look so unhappy?” Lü Bu returned dejectedly.

While accompanying Liu Xie on the hunt, Lü Bu believed he had used all his archery skills to ensure he didn't hit the prey, which was ten times harder than actually hitting the prey.

"Thank you for your hard work, Brother Fengxian." Liu Bei said in a gentle tone, and spurred his horse to turn around.

Lu Bu sensed something was wrong: "Uncle, you didn't expect this all along, did you? You deliberately made me accompany His Majesty on the hunt? It's not good if I hit the target, and it's not good if I miss. His Majesty's childish temper is really hard to please."

“Brother Fengxian, be careful with your words. His Majesty is not a child.” Liu Bei said with a smile, “If you feel uncomfortable, just find an opportunity to make trouble for Fu Wan, Liu Ai and Zhong Ji. His Majesty’s hunting trip today was instigated by the three of them.”

Lu Bu said angrily, "No wonder those three kept shouting 'Your Majesty is mighty!' They wanted to curry favor with His Majesty, but they made me suffer. I will definitely make them pay in the future."

Liu Bei smiled and ignored the hunting matter.

Liu Bei had initially thought that Fu Wan and the other two would deliver a brilliant performance, but the result was so poorly made that even he lost interest.

Liu Bei did not return to the General's Mansion, but went directly to the East Gate.

Today's hunt did not involve the elderly men from Dongguan.

Upon seeing Liu Bei arrive, Cai Yong's expression changed drastically, and he immediately got up and left.

"Father-in-law, what's the matter? Why are you avoiding me?" Liu Bei looked at Cai Yong with a smile and directly blocked Cai Yong's way.

Cai Yong said irritably, "Xuande, how dare you ask me? You kept having Zhuge Liang borrow books from me in order to set up the Imperial Medical Academy. It was supposed to be a loan, but that old man Hua Tuo just said he wanted them. He even said it was your order! You gave him any book he wanted!"

"That's a medical book I've treasured for twenty years, a unique copy, a truly unique copy!"

Cai Yong's voice became shrill with anger, causing Liu Bei to take a few steps back and rub his ears.

"Father-in-law, you yourself said it's a unique copy, and I can't find another one for Hua Tuo. How about this, I'll have someone make a copy of this unique book for you?" Liu Bei said with a smile.

The reason Zhuge Liang was sent to assist Hua Tuo in establishing the Imperial Medical Bureau was because Zhuge Liang could freely enter and leave the Eastern Pavilion and borrow books from Cai Yong.

Considering that Zhuge Liang was Liu Bei's disciple, Cai Yong was not stingy. However, he did not expect that Zhuge Liang was borrowing it on behalf of Hua Tuo, and even more unexpectedly, that old man Hua Tuo simply borrowed it and never paid it back!

Cai Yong, however, wouldn't listen and scoffed, "You made a copy, but does that still make it a unique copy? I want a unique copy! What collectible value does it have if it's not unique?"

Liu Bei understood Cai Yong's temperament, so he leaned closer to comfort him: "Father-in-law, the position of Imperial Physician is also for the sake of the country and the people. There are too few skilled doctors now. If I don't spend money to train them, what if we encounter an incompetent doctor who might harm Wenji in the future? You should think about Wenji, even if you don't think about yourself."

(End of this chapter)