After reading the imperial edict, Xu You was overjoyed.
Cao Cao had been driven into a dead end!
Or rather, no matter what choice he made, His Majesty would ultimately further cement his position as the legitimate ruler of the Han Dynasty.
Seeing Xu You put down the edict, Cao Cao said, his face livid, "Fortunately, I didn't let the imperial envoy read it aloud just now. But we can conceal this edict for a while, not forever."
"Ziyuan, what should I do?"
Now he, too, was unsure what to do.
Both paths led to death. There was simply no way out!
Suppressing his wild delight, Xu You sighed. "Aman, we have no choice left. Surrender."
Chapter 215: Entering the Game Himself, Emperor Xian of Han's Final Road
Xu You had been ready to give up persuading Cao Cao to surrender, but this unexpected edict had let him glimpse hope again.
After all, given the situation, such a proposal was hardly out of place. Serving the Son of Heaven as a Dragons-following Minister was better than being branded a rebel, and there were no other choices left now.
Those were the only two paths before them.
Faced with Xu You's words, Cao Cao did not reject him outright as he had earlier. Instead, he sank into thought, his brows tightly knitted, and only spoke after a long while.
"This matter... let me think it over carefully."
Then he raised his head to look at Xu You and said gravely, "Ziyuan, I know you're eager to take revenge on Yuan Shao, and you don't want to see him hold the Son of Heaven hostage again and unify the entire north."
"But whether to submit to the Son of Heaven is a matter of enormous consequence. Especially now, when his position is