"Your Majesty, I'm doing this for your own good!" Xu Jing glanced at his old rival Huang Quan, then clasped his hands and bowed to Liu Zhang.
"Hahaha, then should I thank you as well?" Liu Zhang's laughter was as harsh and grating as a night owl's cry.
"No, Your Majesty." Xu Jing's expression turned solemn, and a trace of resilience born from enduring prejudice appeared on his face. "I ask Your Majesty to judge the matter clearly. Cao Cao is truly a peerless warlord of this age, plotting to seize the realm of the Han family. He is a traitor to the Han. Not long ago, he forced the Governor of Jingzhou, Lord Jingsheng, to his death. We followed our former lord into the Shu Region. How could we harbor disloyalty toward Your Majesty? It was only after discovering that Huang Quan and the others had colluded with Cao Cao that we contacted the King of Han as a last resort."
At this point, tears filled Xu Jing's eyes, yet his expression remained as 'unyielding' as ever. "The King of Han is an Imperial Clan Member, sharing the same bloodline as Your Majesty. He would never make things difficult for Your Majesty. But if Cao Cao entered the Shu Region... the consequences would be unimaginable. I ask Your Majesty to judge the matter clearly!"
"The reason we concealed this from Your Majesty was that there are many petty men around you. Please forgive us."
Xu Jing's speech had been deeply heartfelt, but Liu Zhang's attention was entirely focused on the fact that Cao Cao had forced Liu Biao to his death and that Liu Bei, as an Imperial Clan Member, would not make things difficult for him. He failed to notice that from beginning to end, Xu Jing had