Awaiting the Master's Rites, Old Liu's Weakness

Liu Bei had been lost for so long that now, having finally encountered someone capable of pointing out a clear path, he bowed once more and said:

"Though I am of little fame and meager virtue, I hope you will not despise my humble status and will emerge from seclusion to assist me."

"I shall listen to your wise counsel with the utmost respect and serve you as my teacher!"

He knew he lacked the prestige of The Two Yuans and the strength of Lord Cao; he had only a heart of absolute sincerity, hoping it might move Qin Tian.

But upon hearing this, Qin Tian shook his head with a smile, stepped forward to help Liu Bei up, and said:

"The Envoy need not do this. Today's words are merely a token of thanks for your visit the other day."

"Since parting ways with Lord Cao, my heart has grown cold; I cannot accept your commission!"

Hearing Qin Tian's words, Liu Bei felt his heart turn cold, and he hurriedly asked:

"If you do not emerge, what will become of the common people?"

Having said this, he added with a touch of sorrow:

"I understand what lies in your heart, but the warlords are currently locked in chaos, the people are scattered, and they can no longer sustain their livelihoods."

"If it were for my own sake, I truly could not bear to force you."

"But every time I see families broken and lives lost, my heart feels as if it is being pierced by knives. They are all subjects of our Great Han, and because of the failings of my Liu clan, they suffer so. As a descendant of Gaozu, I feel a deep sense of shame."

"Now that I have seen your great talent, I realize that to pacify the world, one must gather extraordinary people. With such ability, how can you let your life wither away in the woods and springs?"

"I pray you will consider the plight of the common people and lend me your strength!"

"Let us pacify this chaotic age and return peace to the world!"

Watching Old Liu's eyes turn red, Qin Tian felt a stir in his own heart.

To be honest, Lord Cao and Old Liu each had their own style.

Relatively speaking, Lord Cao was more practical, his thoughts more complex, and he was more forthright, though it was a pity he was so prone to suspicion.

Liu Bei was the type of person whose true nature you could never quite see clearly.

Such people were rarely liked, because you never knew their true intentions.

Yet, as you spent time with them, you would discover that beneath an inscrutable exterior lay a heart of absolute sincerity.

It was no wonder he could utter words like, 'Do not neglect a good deed because it is small, and do not commit an evil deed because it is small. Only through virtue and wisdom can one win the hearts of men.'

Thinking of this, Qin Tian helped Liu Bei up once more and said:

"The Envoy need not do this. Very well, let me ponder this for a few days!"

Seeing that Qin Tian had not flatly refused, Liu Bei turned his sorrow into joy:

"I knew you were a man of benevolence and high ideals. I only hope you will prioritize the people."

"But if you truly do not wish to emerge from seclusion, I would not dare to force you. I only hope you will remain nearby so that I may listen to your teachings; that would be enough to satisfy my wishes!"

Qin Tian did not reply, but instead smiled faintly:

"The weather is clear today, and I am taking my family to admire the plum blossoms here. I wonder if the Envoy and Xu Yuanzhi would care to join us?"

Liu Bei, not understanding Qin Tian's intent, could not help but look at Xu Shu:

"Yuanzhi, would you care to go admire the plum blossoms?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Shu shook his head and said:

"I have just taken up my post, and the military affairs are heavy; I have no leisure to admire plum blossoms!"

"The Lord has also come away from his duties, so we should return together."

"However, could the Lord go on ahead? I would like to speak with Zixuan for a moment longer!"

Liu Bei knew that Xu Shu intended to act as a lobbyist for him, so he hurriedly bowed to Qin Tian:

"In that case, I shall come to pay my respects and listen to your teachings again when you have leisure."

With that, he turned and led his horse away.

Once Liu Bei had departed, Xu Shu frowned and said:

"I saw that Zixuan was moved just now; why did you delay in giving an answer?"

Seeing this, Qin Tian sneered:

"Xu Yuanzhi, you have quite the thick skin. When I arrived, I said I needed to observe things for a while before discussing service!"

"Why are you so impatient, insisting on dragging me into this?"

Seeing Qin Tian's displeasure, Xu Shu could only smile bitterly:

"I have now joined the ranks of Lord Xuande, so I must naturally recommend talent for my lord!"

"I know Zixuan is an extraordinary talent, and given the current situation, I have no choice but to do this. If you hold a grudge, then so be it!"

"Shall I come to your door another day and carry a bundle of thorns to beg for your forgiveness?"

Seeing him yield, Qin Tian nodded:

"That's more like it. Make sure you choose some thick thorns, otherwise it won't hurt when you're whipped!"

As soon as his voice fell, Xu Shu's expression shifted.

"You're actually going to hit me?"

Qin Tian smiled faintly.

"That goes without saying. Otherwise, how could you atone for your sins?"

Xu Shu knew that Qin Tian always followed through on his words, so he gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, I deserve the beating. If Zixuan wishes to strike, then strike!"

"But it cannot be for nothing. You must tell me why you did not respond just now."

Seeing this, Qin Tian stopped joking and said leisurely, "Because my heart was burdened with concerns."

Upon hearing this, Xu Shu recalled the moment they had just left the Cao Camp and hurriedly asked, "Are Zixuan's concerns related to the weaknesses of Lord Liu that you mentioned that day?"

The day they left the Cao Camp, Qin Tian had pointed out that Liu Bei possessed three major weaknesses, but unfortunately, he had been interrupted by Xun Yu.

Throughout the journey, he had never found the opportunity to ask, so he simply brought up the old matter now.

"I do not know what those three things are. If Zixuan would try to state them, I could certainly relay them."

Qin Tian saw no reason to hide it and spoke plainly.

"If we speak of these three things, Yuanzhi, I suspect you have felt them as well."

"First, Lord Liu has the ambition, but lacks the heart for it!"

Hearing this, Xu Shu frowned deeply. "What do you mean by having the ambition but lacking the heart?"

Facing his close friend, Qin Tian did not hold back and began to analyze.

"Lord Liu's ambitions are vast, but it is a pity that while he has great ambition, he lacks the heart to achieve great things."

"Those who accomplish great things must always keep the world in their hearts. Yet Lord Liu does not focus his efforts there; he has the aspiration, but no concrete goal!"

"Take Cao Mengde as an example. His initial ambition was to be a General Who Conquers the West for the Great Han. Later, when the world fell into chaos, he changed his goal, raised an army, and fought to pacify the warlords."

"Because of this, he recruited many talented and ambitious people to serve him."

"But Lord Liu has been drifting aimlessly. He has the ambition, yet lacks a target, which has led to years of wandering without a place to call home!"

Xu Shu listened and nodded. "That is indeed the case. However, my lord puts benevolence and righteousness first. If he had capable advisors—just as you said earlier, Zixuan—this trouble could be resolved!"

"This trouble can be resolved. Having seen him today, the Lord already possesses the ambition; he can certainly achieve great things!"

Qin Tian did not refute this and continued.

"The first point can be resolved from the outside, but the second and third must be solved by the Lord himself!"

"He built his reputation on the name of benevolence and righteousness, and his actions follow suit. But because of this, it has become a shackle; in all major affairs, he worries about his reputation for benevolence and cannot act freely!"

"Therefore, the second weakness is that Lord Liu does not recognize the Greater Righteousness, being too concerned with his reputation for benevolence!"

"In my strategy, we must take the provinces of Jing and Yi. These two lands are held by Liu Biao and Liu Zhang."

"If he worries about his reputation for benevolence at that time, it will ruin the great cause!"

Hearing this, Xu Shu frowned. "My lord is a man of benevolence and righteousness. How can he be concerned only with his reputation and not know the Greater Righteousness?"

He had come to serve Liu Bei precisely because of his benevolence and righteousness. If he agreed with Qin Tian now, wouldn't he be denying his own convictions?

"From this, it seems Yuanzhi is far inferior to Lord Liu!"

Qin Tian grinned. "You must understand that the Greater Righteousness and a reputation for benevolence are like fish and bear's paw—it is difficult to have both!"

"What is the Greater Righteousness? It is to prioritize the trends of the world and the stability of the imperial court."

"What is a reputation for benevolence? The Book of Rites says: 'Mutual affection between superior and inferior is called benevolence!'"

"In this chaotic world, with warlords rising everywhere, how can there be mutual affection between superior and inferior?"

"Just like when the Lord yielded Xuzhou three times in the past; his reputation for benevolence was indeed widespread. But have you thought about it, Yuanzhi? How much warfare was caused by those three yieldings of Xuzhou?"

"How many common people died in the chaos because of it?"

"Therefore, accepting Xuzhou would have been the Greater Righteousness; it would have been prioritizing the big picture."

"Yielding Xuzhou and taking in Lu Bu—that was mere petty benevolence, losing the Greater Righteousness!"

"Just as Emperor Wu campaigned against the Xiongnu; it may have seemed like he was exhausting the military, but in reality, he secured the foundation of the Great Han's prosperity and expanded the borders. That was prioritizing the Greater Righteousness over petty benevolence—a merit for the present and a benefit for a thousand years."

"Lord Liu's problem is that he knows the weight of the masses, but he is shackled by his reputation for benevolence, unable to carry out acts of Greater Righteousness!"

"And your problem, Xu Yuanzhi, is that you are too rigid and do not know how to adapt."

Xu Shu listened, feeling as if his head had been struck by a heavy hammer.

In his mind, it was precisely because Liu Bei had yielded Xuzhou that he held him in such high regard.

Yet, Qin Tian's perspective ran contrary to the moral values of this era.

However, it could not be denied that Qin Tian's words also carried great logic.

Was yielding Xuzhou truly an act of benevolence and righteousness?

To the scholar-official class, it certainly aligned with the Confucian impression of benevolence and righteousness.

But it had also led to the subsequent chaos across the Central Plains.

Looking at the results, it was indeed a case of caring only for a reputation of benevolence while remaining ignorant of the greater cause!

For a moment, Xu Shu was unable to refute this, so he could only say in a deep voice:

"Then what is the reason for this third weakness?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Tian replied:

"Guan Yu and Zhang Fei!"

"For Lord Liu, his success lies with Guan and Zhang, and his failure shall also lie with Guan and Zhang!"