My Three Kingdoms is not right

In the southeastern sky, where dark clouds hang low, a gray-black pillar of cloud emerges from the clouds, thick at the top and thin at the bottom, like a giant dragon hanging upside down between heaven and earth.

Liu Xun and Liu Bei got up and walked to the railing. The pavilion wasn't large, and it was a bit crowded for the three of them to stand side by side. Cao Cao naturally moved closer to Liu Xun, and their shoulders almost touched.

Liu Xun felt the warmth emanating from the girl through her clothes, and his heart fluttered slightly.

Cao Cao pointed to the dragon banner in the distance: "Your Highness, are you aware of the dragon's transformations?"

Liu Xun suddenly felt a little dazed.

Where have I heard this before?

Liu Bei then cupped his hands and said, "I am foolish and ignorant, and I would be grateful if you could enlighten me."

Cao Cao stood with his hands behind his back, his bare feet on the straw mat by the railing, his clothes fluttering in the wind.

A few strands of her hair, fluttering in the wind, brushed against Liu Xun's cheek. He inhaled the sweet scent of the young woman, mingled with the aroma of plum wine, and found the voice beside him exceptionally pleasant, with its melodious rhythm.

"The dragon can be large or small, can rise or hide;

When large, it can stir up clouds and mist; when small, it can conceal itself and hide its form.

"When it rises, it soars through the universe; when it hides, it lies dormant within the waves."

Cao Cao turned to look at the two men with a triumphant air, his eyes seemingly both drunk and sober:

"The dragon changes with the times, just as a person who achieves his ambitions roams freely across the world. The dragon can be compared to the heroes and heroines of the world."

"Today is a fitting occasion. Your Highness, Xuande, why not tell me who the most outstanding women of our time are?"

Huh? ?

Let's discuss heroes over plum wine!

Is this really the iconic scene?

When he saw Cao Cao bring plum wine, he had some suspicions. But after all, this was in his own villa, and it wasn't Cao Cao and Liu Bei. The location and the people didn't match up, so he hesitated.

But when Cao Cao asked about "the heroine of our time," he had no more doubts.

He knew what was going to happen next:

According to the script of the novel, Liu Bei would list Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao, Liu Biao, Sun Ce, Liu Zhang, Zhang Xiu, Zhang Lu, and Han Sui one by one, only to have them all rejected by Cao Cao, who would then conclude that "the only heroes in the world are you, my lord, and I, Cao Cao."

Haha! I really want to grab a small stool, a handful of sunflower seeds, and watch Liu Bei put on an acting show.

The pavilion was quiet for a moment, with only the sound of rain and distant rumble of thunder.

Liu Bei raised his head, pondered for a moment, and then spoke:

"Among the outstanding women of our time, Cao Xueqin stands out."

Thunder rumbled, and Liu Xun was dumbfounded.

Wait!

Liu Bei, did you pick up the wrong lines?

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao laughed loudly and said, "Xuande has always been honest and kind, how come he has also learned to say nice things in front of others?"

Liu Bei shook his head: "My lord, there is no need for you to be modest. Since the chaos caused by Dong Zhuo, the world has been in turmoil, and the people have been suffering. My lord was the first to raise an army to fight against Dong Zhuo and save the country; he welcomed the emperor and established the capital in Xuchang; he campaigned against Yuan Shu, attacked Lü Bu, and annexed Hanoi. In just a few years, he has pacified the Central Plains and his power has shaken the world."

"If this doesn't count as heroine, then there are no heroines in the world."

Looking at Liu Bei's sincere face, Liu Xun felt his memory was somewhat confused.

Shouldn't you be bringing up figures like Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu? Why are you praising Cao Cao to the skies right off the bat?

But then he thought about it again and realized that Liu Bei had a point.

This is a classic scene from Romance of the Three Kingdoms, but the Liu Bei we know today is not a character from a game or novel, but a real young woman.

With her intelligence, how could she possibly praise a whole host of warlords as heroes in front of Cao Cao, even including figures like Han Sui and Zhang Xiu, while ignoring Cao Cao?

If Cao Cao had actually said that, he would have thought it was either extremely hypocritical or a deliberate attempt to embarrass him.

That's just asking for trouble!

Flattery works best with honest people.

Cao Cao was indeed flattered and beamed with delight, feeling extremely pleased.

She reached out and patted Liu Bei's shoulder forcefully: "Xuande, you flatter me, you flatter me."

His words were humble, but his tone carried an undisguised pride: "There are many outstanding women in the world, how can I claim to be number one? If we have to rank them, it would be more like Xuande and I should be ranked together."

She raised her cup, gesturing to Liu Bei. Liu Bei quickly raised his cup, and the two drank it down simultaneously, exchanging a smile.

Liu Xun watched from the side, his lips twitching slightly.

You two are really something else... You have to carry your own sedan chair!

After three more cups, Cao Cao's cheeks flushed a rosy pink from the alcohol.

She looked at Liu Xun, her eyes sparkling with a slightly intoxicated, dreamy quality.

"His Highness doesn't drink, so he must be laughing at us two drunk women."

Liu Xun smiled and shook his head: "Not at all. It's an honor to drink with two of the most outstanding heroines in the world."

"Your Highness, don't just watch us make a fool of ourselves." Cao Cao gave him a charming sidelong glance. "Your Highness may not be able to drink, but you can at least talk. In Your Highness's opinion, what kind of person can be called a heroine?"

Liu Xun lowered his head and thought for a moment.

An autumn breeze blew in from outside the waterside pavilion, carrying the freshness of the rain and a touch of coolness.

"I think," he looked up at the two of them, "that a true heroine needs more than just the ability and ambition to conquer the world."

"Oh? What else?"

"Only those with the virtue of embracing all rivers and the benevolence of saving the world and the people can be considered true heroes."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei's eyes seemed to light up instantly.

Cao Cao was slightly taken aback, then smiled and shook his head, saying, "Your Highness is truly a man!"

"However," she said, looking at the handsome young man before her, her voice gradually softening:

"The talk of a heroine was merely a drunken jest. But if we're talking about heroes of the world, there is none other than Your Highness!"

She raised her wine cup to Liu Xun, gesturing, "Come, let's congratulate Your Highness!"

Liu Bei smiled and raised his cup: "A toast to Your Highness!"

The rain gradually stopped. Golden sunlight shone through the thick clouds, and a faint rainbow peeked out from the clouds, stretching across the sky, appearing and disappearing intermittently.

……

Outside the Wannian Villa, Liu Xun saw off the thoroughly drunk Cao Cao, watching her carriage slowly disappear at the end of the street. Only then did he turn to look behind him.

"Did Xuande summon me today for something?"

Liu Bei nodded and lowered his voice: "Dong Cheng came to see me."

Liu Xun's face turned serious: "Come in and speak."

Liu Bei followed him back to the villa and into the study. Only when the heavy wooden door slowly closed behind him did he finally let out a long sigh of relief, as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted off his shoulders.

"Your Highness, I have seen the Emperor's blood edict."

She carefully observed Liu Xun's expression, only to find him calm, showing no surprise or panic.

He secretly rejoiced and recounted in detail the events of Dong Cheng's visit that morning.

"It's good that Xuande came to see me." Liu Xun nodded slightly after hearing her words. "Your Majesty did not mean that."

Liu Bei was slightly taken aback: "Your Highness means..."

"The edict is forged. My elder sister would not allow Dong Cheng to orchestrate such a conspiracy, nor would she write a foolish blood-written edict that would put herself in a hopeless situation," Liu Xun said resolutely.

"Dong Cheng is ambitious and is using the name of the Empress Dowager to try to seize power for himself."