Liu Xuande would never be a succubus of the Eastern Han Dynasty!

"Nothing, it's just that Xuande was too handsome just now, and I couldn't hold back for a moment. Sorry."

This is indeed true.

When Liu Bei drew his sword and fought with Jian Min, his already handsome face became even more charming, and he even exuded a scent that fascinated Cao Cao.

Who can resist this?

Cao Cao said he couldn't.

"?"

"Isn't this something that can be solved with an apology?"

Chapter 13: Tyranny Takes Shape

Under the sunshine, outside Luoyang City.

Cao Cao wiped his lips with the back of his hand and answered absentmindedly: "If apologies are useless, then what does Xuande think will be useful? How about tonight..."

"Stop, or we'll disappear."

"?"

"What's more..." Liu Bei raised his eyes and stared at the tall woman, "Lord Meng De, if you feel uncomfortable, just cry it out, don't bury it deep in your heart."

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao's gaze completely stopped on Liu Bei.

This is indeed a handsome young man.

He has sword-like eyebrows, peach blossom eyes, a fair face, and even a fascinating scent that emanates from his body at all times, but these alone are not enough to attract the eldest daughter of the Cao family.

——It’s that burning soul.

Although it was not shown on the outside, Cao Cao could sense that Liu Bei had an unyielding heart.

This person has a promising future.

Just me?

Where does my path lead me... Although I have been determined to serve my country since I was young, what should I do when my country becomes the culprit of its destruction?

Cao Cao was a little confused.

Because she is the representative of the Cao family in Luoyang, her every word and action will have a far-reaching impact, just like the dozens of Cao family guards who were taken advantage of by the Jian family thieves simply because their master was eager to move forward.

No one survived.

Although the Cao family can still dispatch guards continuously, aren't they also citizens of the Han Dynasty?

But what killed them was not the enemy's blade, but the backstab from within.

It is even possible that Jian Min would slander these dead guards as robbers, thereby adding to his so-called "military merits."

The current emperor has never had any control over the Jian family, so naturally he would not really send anyone to conduct a thorough investigation into the situation.

So the death of this group of people has become a complete joke.

And she, Cao Cao, is even more of a laughing stock.

"Xuan De, you are different from Cao."

Cao Cao was silent for a long time, then finally looked away and said, "You have profound ideals and unwavering determination, while I... am nothing more than a foolish person with nothing but superficial qualities."

"Don't say that," Liu Bei frowned slightly and put his hand on her shoulder. "Lord Meng De is already much better than the children of noble families I have met."

"How about that?"

Cao Cao smiled wryly and shook his head, completely denying his own actions: "I failed to eliminate the traitors and revive the Han Dynasty, and I failed to defend the Cao family from foreign enemies. Moreover, due to my cowardice and hesitation, I made Xuande an enemy of the Jian family for nothing."

"Although she may be able to protect you temporarily, she is a rare talent and will not be able to stay in Luoyang forever."

"And after she leaves, Xuande, you might be in danger."

Liu Bei cupped Cao Cao's cheeks with both hands so she could look directly at him, then replied nonchalantly, "So what?"

"This matter has nothing to do with Lord Meng De. As long as the Jian family is in Luoyang, and as long as Bei is also in Luoyang, there will definitely be a clash between us. This is an inevitable conflict."

He couldn't stand the fact that those in power ignored the lives of others, so as long as he saw them, he would step forward to stop them.

Such a character is bound to offend the source.

"But, fuck..."

"Alright, alright, stop saying this or that."

Liu Bei seemed a little annoyed by what he heard, and said bluntly: "I only have one question - Cao Mengde, are you willing?"

"……what?"

Cao Cao's eyes regained some spirit, but were soon filled with doubts again.

"The Jian family flaunts their power, wantonly exploiting officials and even the Han people. Now Jian Shuo controls half of the military. If no one intervenes, then I ask, when the chaos erupts, will you, Cao Mengde, truly be content to face the chaos?"

Liu Bei suddenly moved closer, and like a man switching positions, he lifted Cao Cao's chin with a few fingers, tears welling up in his peach-shaped eyes.

"Meng De can certainly go home and hide under the protection of his ancestors, but what about others? Those without backgrounds or those who are weak, who can come forward to protect them?"

"In today's world, bandits are everywhere, rebellions are happening one after another, and even treacherous ministers are in power. The people are living in poverty and the common people have to eat grass and trees to survive. Such a chaotic world has begun to take shape."

"And we're just going to stand still? Are we just going to pretend we don't see this?"

"I am just a commoner. I cannot bear to see these things happen, and I absolutely cannot tolerate evil people in power. If someone must turn into flames and sacrifice their life to enlighten this world, then why can't that person be me, Liu Bei?"

After Liu Bei finished speaking, he glanced at Cao Cao, who was in a daze, and continued, "If Meng De needs to think about it, then he can give me the transfer order and the horses, and I will go and investigate."

Although he had received the news that the Water Shelter was destroyed a long time ago, there were answers in the ruins. What's more... he had already sent people to investigate under the cliff, and he had spies all over Luoyang.

Your Jian family can indeed dominate Luoyang, but power is ultimately given by those in power. If any action is slightly wrong, everyone will condemn you.

Bei's forces are all hidden in the dark. With just a few moves, they can put certain things and certain evidence into the hands of your Jian family's enemies.

Officials have their own methods, thieves have their own methods, the people have their own methods, and the preparedness... naturally also has its own methods.

“…It’s so beautiful.”

Looking at Liu Bei in this posture, Cao Cao felt his mouth dry and there seemed to be a flash of fire in his eyes.

"What did Meng De just say?"

"nothing."

Cao Cao shook his head slightly, first removing his hand from his chin, then patting Liu Bei on the head. He smiled and said, "You unmarried boy, stop pretending to be an adult... Humph, you're just a mere Jian family. What can you possibly achieve?"

Even if the emperor's balance of power tilted towards the eunuchs, there was never a shortage of people with lofty ideals in the world.

And she, Cao Cao, is definitely not a weak person.

It was just because it happened too suddenly. First, he learned that all the family guards were dead, and then he had concerns when facing Jian Min just now, and even some recent things in the Cao family... All these big and small things piled up together, and finally made Cao Cao break his defense.

But after hearing what Liu Bei said, she stood up again and faced her inner fear.

"Xuan De, thank you for your courage..." Cao Cao smiled brightly. "Perhaps, the world needs people like you."

"wrong."

Liu Bei didn't take up the conversation, but shook his head and said, "Courage is never given by others. It is just hidden in people's hearts and cannot be discovered."

"If possible, I hope that no one like me will be born in this world."

After he finished these heavy words, he deliberately frowned and feigned anger, saying, "Besides, Lord Meng De just treated me with disrespect. I will not allow you to be defeated until you have repaid me."

"Hahahaha...Xuan De is truly amusing," Cao Cao said, his finger touching his lips, his tone hazy. "Well, we still have a long way to go, so why don't I let you pay back a little?"

Kindness: Chapter 14: Continuous Attacks

In the end, I still couldn't repay even a little.

Liu Bei was completely different from Cao Cao, who was shameless and spoke without thinking. He at least had some dignity.

What's more, the current situation is indeed not suitable.

Although Jian Min temporarily withdrew his troops, judging from the decisiveness of his turning around and leaving, his purpose was probably not to annihilate the two of them.

See the cause from the result.

This is undoubtedly another psychological tactic.

It is possible that the Jian family had been eyeing Cao Cao from a very early stage, but due to the face of their aristocratic family, they did not dare to act rashly, so they resorted to some conspiracy tactics.

This is a series of attacks on the heart.

Since you, Cao Cao, claim to be an ambitious young man, we will use the power of authority to completely destroy you and your ambition.

The Jian family no longer had to worry about the plan failing, which made Cao Cao even more determined - after all, no one is perfect.

The reason why it is called a heart attack is that it will clip your wings without you even realizing it, leaving you alone in an endless sea of anger.

When people are extremely angry, they will inevitably make irrational decisions.

The Jian family can take advantage of this opportunity to act.

Just as Cao Cao had said before, the entire Luoyang was actually a game.

Judging from the meticulous planning of the Jian family, they certainly could not be targeting only the Cao family. I'm afraid they... have bigger plans.

But Cao Cao and Liu Bei couldn't stop now.

It's like being roasted on a fire. If you struggle forward, you might have a chance of survival, but if you hide backward, you will probably become a fish on the chopping board, at the mercy of others.

Throughout history, assassinations of emperors have involved many people. Even if the pavilion has been destroyed, it will be impossible to clean up all the evidence.

But Cao Cao didn't know this...Liu Bei didn't plan to tell her for the time being.

Anyway, judging from the results, if the murderers could really clean up the evidence, there would be no need to destroy the pavilion... At worst, they could go down the mountain to search.

The assassin's body has never been examined.

Finally, after discussing with Cao Cao, Liu Bei chose to sprint forward with all his strength again.

It was not until they were about to arrive that Cao Cao jumped off his horse, first picked up Liu Bei, then wrote the letter himself, put the written letter on the horse's back, and patted his buttocks.

"What~"

The horse neighed and then began to gallop in the direction they had come from.

"General Cao will inform my sister of the relevant matters and ask her to recruit more people for us. But until then, we can only rely on the two of us," Cao Cao said in a deep voice. "Also, if anything happens to either of us during this trip, the Cao family will do everything in our power to retaliate against the Jian family."

The Jian family rose to prominence because of the favor of His Majesty, Jian Shuo. Once Jian Shuo dies, the so-called Luoyang Jian family will be nothing more than a "traitor" in history.

The noble families all understood this clearly, and the reason they did not take action to kill Jian Shuo, who had no background at all, was because they were afraid of the emperor who held military power.

Anyway, the eunuchs' dominance will only last for one or two generations. Moreover, even if the matter really gets out of hand, it will only take a few assassins to resolve the threat from the eunuchs. It would be better to cooperate with them to deal with other families and earn greater benefits for themselves.

Just like the Cao family, if everyone was determined to deal with Jian Shuo, they only needed to use Cao Cao's grandfather's connections - other eunuchs could be dealt with with just a word.

But that makes absolutely no sense.

When one Jian Shuo dies, there will be a second Jian Shuo and even a third...

"Xuan De, at this point I won't try to persuade you any further. However," Cao Cao turned to look at Liu Bei, "you are still young, and you will surely shine in the future. Do you really want to gamble your life on this?"

"I won't gamble my life today, and I won't gamble my life tomorrow. Does this mean that gambling with one's life has to be done in different situations?"

Liu Bei smiled and shook his head, his tone full of determination, not afraid of the threat posed by the powerful at all.

Regardless of the outcome of this trip, and regardless of whether anything is found, the Jian family will definitely hold a grudge against them.

Even if you survive by chance, you will face countless assassins in the future... However, this is also the only way to break the deadlock.

Although the current emperor favors eunuchs, as long as the hard evidence is placed in front of the ministers, the emperor will not be able to have a single opinion. The Cao family will even look up to her much more because Cao Cao defeated Jian Shuo alone.

If the matter is accomplished, even if there is no official title, there will be great reputation!

But if it fails, Cao Cao may not be affected much and may just go to other areas to avoid the limelight temporarily. But he, Liu Bei, is a weakling and will undoubtedly be completely wiped out. Even if he gives away all the resources and connections he has gained over the years, he will still not escape death.

...When the emperor comes to visit, Liu Bei will go to the palace alone and commit suicide in front of the emperor, so that he can also taste the blood of people with the same surname!

But this is only the worst outcome after all. The outcome is still uncertain, and you and I are both dark horses.

Anyway, this trip must be successful and there is no room for failure.

Liu Bei and Cao Cao looked at each other and walked forward calmly.

Gaoshan, outside the Bishui Pavilion, is where the Yulin Army is stationed.