The Three Kingdoms: The Oath of the Peach Garden, the Rise of the Han Dynasty

All eyes turned to Liu Bei, some with curiosity, some with disdain, some with scrutiny, and some even with hostility.

Yuan Shao came forward to greet him, and indeed, he was dignified in appearance and elegant in demeanor.

"Brother Xuande, I've heard so much about you! It's truly an honor to have you here today!"

"Brother Benchu, you're too kind," Liu Bei said, bowing in return.

Yuan Shao led Liu Bei to his seat, his gaze sweeping over Guan Yu and Zhao Yun. He was momentarily amazed, but only nodded slightly and said nothing more.

As soon as he sat down, Yuan Shu, who was sitting opposite him, picked up his wine cup and spoke with a half-smile:

"This must be the Marquis of Duting who quelled the Yellow Turban Rebellion and defeated Zhang Jiao, right? He truly deserves to be called a worthy disciple of Zigan Gong!"

However, I've heard that Liu Zhonglang and Zhang Rang have a very close relationship, and even His Majesty looks at you differently. It's truly enviable!

As soon as he finished speaking, a murmur arose in the banquet hall.

Many people looked at Liu Bei with disdain and contempt.

Firstly, it stemmed from his disdain for eunuchs; secondly, it was due to receiving a signal from the Yuan family that he firmly stood on Yuan Shu's side and made a righteous break with Liu Bei!

Guan Yu frowned, his phoenix eyes narrowed instantly, and a chilling killing intent emanated from his body.

His eyes darted to the necks of everyone present, as if searching for the angle to strike!

Zhao Yun also quietly pressed his hand on the sword at his waist, his eyes scanning his surroundings warily.

hiss!

Those nearby gasped in shock!

They looked at each other and said, "Why does it suddenly feel so chilly!"

But most people just think it's an illusion!

But at this moment, Cao Cao's eyes gleamed! His black and white pupils seemed to pierce Guan Yu and Zhao Yun with intense intensity! He even slowed his breathing!

He didn't feel that much excitement when he saw married women!

Every frown and movement of Guan Yu and Zhao Yun, the upward tilt of their eyes, wasn't alluring, but rather exuded a battlefield killing intent! Their gazes would fall on the necks of others, then quickly shift away.

Her nose wrinkled slightly, a look that was neither angry nor not angry! Even her breathing became stiff!

But Cao Cao knew that they were protecting Liu Bei, their elder brother, their lord!

Unfortunately, that person was Liu Bei, not Cao Cao.

But in those few moments, a lowered gaze, a raised eye, a pursed lip, a raised hand.

Cao Cao's blood was surging uncontrollably, and even his breath carried the murderous intent emanating from them.

The amazement and infatuation in his eyes were impossible to hide; his mind and eyes were filled only with those two menacing figures.

They completely forgot the heated arguments and the disdainful clamor of the crowd inside the hall.

He felt that there were truly such heroes in the world who could make his blood boil and his heart yearn for them at first sight, which stirred his mind and left him unable to recover for a long time!

But both generals already have masters and elder brothers!

Liu Bei smiled and patted their shoulders lightly.

He raised his glass and replied confidently:

"Brother Gonglu is joking. I am a descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan, a member of the Han imperial family. I eat the emperor's food and am loyal to the emperor. I only know how to serve the Han Dynasty and have no idea about the eunuch Zhang Rang."

As for His Majesty's favor, it is because His Majesty remembers Bei and his brothers for their meritorious service in suppressing the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and has nothing to do with anyone else!

"So that's how it is! It seems I've heard rumors. Someone must be jealous of Brother Xuande's great achievements!" Yuan Shu feigned sudden realization and then sat down.

He wouldn't easily do anything that might offend someone, unless the other person was truly useless.

"Oh?" A scion of a prominent family, having received the signal, stepped forward, his tone even more sarcastic. "Really? But I heard that Liu Zhonglang once sent a cartload of gold to the eunuchs overnight in order to secure an official position?"

The atmosphere in the banquet hall instantly became tense.

Yuan Shao quickly tried to smooth things over: "Gentlemen, please don't be rude! Brother Xuande's achievements are known throughout the land; how can you speak such nonsense!"

He verbally reprimanded the scion of the wealthy family, but there was no trace of reproach in his eyes.

At this moment, Cao Cao, who had been silent all along, finally stopped observing Guan Yu and Zhao Yun.

He suddenly spoke:

"That's a misconception! Brother Xuande fought across You and Ji, and Yunchang slew Zhang Bao and defeated Guangzong—hundreds of thousands of soldiers witnessed it all. If one could become the General of the Southern Army simply by giving gifts, wouldn't everyone in the world be giving gifts?"

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances. Whether offering gifts could secure the position of General of the Southern Army was unknown to others, but surely Cao Cao knew! His grandfather, the Grand Eunuch Cao Teng, was in that line of work! His father, the Grand Minister of Agriculture, had spent a considerable sum!

At this time, however, due to Cao Cao's excellent efforts to distance himself from the eunuchs and his righteous betrayal, the scholar-official and aristocratic circles also accepted Cao Cao.

Naturally, he will not say anything about righteous betrayal of Cao Cao for the time being.

Cao Cao paused, looked at Liu Bei, and his eyes showed admiration:

"I fought alongside Brother Xuande in Yanzhou and know his character well."

Brother Xuande possesses benevolence and compassion for the people; he is truly a pillar of the nation. Those who cannot even achieve this should not judge a virtuous person by their own petty standards.

The nobleman's face turned pale and then red after being rebuked by Cao Cao. He snorted coldly, turned his head away, and said no more.

What exactly is the Yuan family's attitude? They've made them do both the good and the bad!

Liu Bei looked at Cao Cao and gratefully cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you, Brother Mengde, for speaking up for justice."

Cao Cao smiled, raised his wine cup and clinked it against Liu Bei's: "Brother Xuande, there's no need to be so polite. I'm just stating the facts."

The atmosphere at the ensuing banquet remained awkward.

Yuan Shao would occasionally probe Liu Bei's military strength and future plans from the sidelines, and Xu You, Chunyu Qiong, and others would chime in with their opinions.

His words implied that he wanted Liu Bei to join Yuan Shao and become the next Dong Zhuo!

Liu Bei remained completely discreet, only saying that he would follow the court's arrangements and never mentioning his own thoughts.

Guan Yu and Zhao Yun stood on either side of Liu Bei behind him, like two guardian deities, their cold eyes sweeping over the entire scene, deterring those who wanted to continue their attacks from speaking.

After the banquet, Liu Bei and his two companions walked out of Yuan's residence. A night breeze blew by, carrying a slight chill.

I first got to know this circle, this upper-class circle of the younger generation, at a banquet!

But even after seeing all this, does the Great Han still have any hope?

Liu Bei let out a long sigh of relief and looked up at the night sky, which was moonless but dotted with stars:

"This banquet is more exhausting than fighting ten battles. You can see the swords and spears, but you can't guard against the verbal sparring among these people."

Guan Yu also sighed:

"These scions of noble families are all arrogant and sarcastic; they're disgusting. Yet, they might all be destined for high positions, and they only care about court intrigues, completely disregarding the common people?"

Zhao Yun nodded: "Second Brother is right!"

Li Chang was already waiting outside the Yuan residence. Seeing the three of them come out, he greeted them with a smile.

"How was it? I told you this feast wouldn't be good."

On the way, Liu Bei finished recounting what had happened at the banquet, and then sighed again:

"Fourth brother, you're right. These people don't genuinely want to befriend us; they just want to use us. Some want to win us over, some want to suppress us, but that Brother Mengde... I can't see through him."

"His situation was similar to ours," Li Chang explained, "except that he has already made his decision."

He helped us, or perhaps he saw another version of himself in us. He was both doing us a favor and observing us to see if we were worth his deep friendship.

"So what should we do next?" Liu Bei asked. "It's not a solution to keep dealing with these banquets every day. Besides, we don't know when His Majesty will assign us local official positions."

I really don't want to waste any more time on this pointless infighting!

Li Chang looked up towards the direction of the Luoyang Imperial Palace: "Perhaps..."

He was about to make his move! Instead of bribing Zhang Rang, he decided to skip Zhang Rang altogether and directly bribe Liu Hong, who was to his liking!

Just then, a bodyguard rode up at full speed, dismounted, and excitedly said:

"My lord! Strategist! Great joy! Great joy!"