Zhang Fei and Guan Yu were both startled.
Go see the Son of Heaven?
Though they did not know what their eldest brother intended, they still chose to support him, following Liu Bei toward the imperial bedchamber.
After the guards escorted Liu Xie back to his bedchamber, he washed up briefly and lay down, but he tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
His mind was filled with everything that had happened at tonight's banquet.
Before Yuan Shao and that crowd, he amounted to nothing, no more than an ant. That sense of helplessness filled him with panic.
"My life isn't mine to command."
Liu Xie opened his eyes and gazed at the ceiling beams, murmuring to himself.
He wanted to control his own fate.
Not be toyed with like a clown, left for others to slaughter as they pleased.
But how could that be easy?
Liu Xie sighed, tucked his blanket around himself, and rolled over to sleep.
Just then, however, he suddenly heard a voice outside his bedchamber.
"Your Majesty, your subject Liu Bei requests an audience."
Liu Xie's eyes, which had already closed, snapped open. He threw off the blanket, sat up, and looked toward the door.
Three silhouettes stood outside.
What are they here for?
Liu Xie was puzzled, unsure why the trio had suddenly come to see him. Still, he draped a robe over himself and said, "Come in."
The door was pushed open, and the three men entered.
Seeing Liu Xie sitting on the bed with a robe draped over him, Liu Bei immediately apologized. "Forgive me, Your Majesty, for disturbing your rest."
"It's quite all right."
Liu Xie smiled to show he did not mind, then asked curiously, "Isn't the banquet still going? Why did you leave so early, Imperial Uncle?"
Could Yuan Shao have driven them out too?
That didn't seem likely.
If Yuan Shao truly dared do that, Zhang Fei would surely be the first to charge up and plant a fist in his face.
Liu Bei shook his head. "That isn't it. I was worried when I saw Your Majesty being asked to leave, so I came to request an audience."
They had come to check on him?
Liu Xie froze for a moment, a little touched. "There's no need to worry, Imperial Uncle. I've merely caught a slight chill. It's nothing serious. A few days' rest will set me right."
But the moment he finished speaking, the impatient Zhang Fei blurted out, "Why lie to us, Your Majesty? That bastard Yuan Shao clearly had you taken away on purpose!"
"My eldest brother couldn't stand watching it, so he brought me and our second brother away with him!"
Liu Xie plainly was not ill, yet he lied to them and claimed he was, not daring to tell the truth. Zhang Fei simply could not understand it.
Why the hell be afraid of Yuan Shao?
Chapter 34: Imperial Uncle! I Have Suffered So Much!
Once Zhang Fei finished speaking, the atmosphere immediately grew awkward.
It was true that Yuan Shao showed no respect for the Son of Heaven and had treated Liu Xie rudely, but saying it outright tore away that last scrap of cloth covering the shame.
"Yide, you..."
Liu Bei was utterly helpless. He had repeatedly warned Zhang Fei not to speak recklessly again, yet he still had not managed to prevent it.
His third brother was good in every way, except for that impulsive temper.
Didn't the Son of Heaven have his dignity to preserve?
How could he just blurt out something like that?
He could at least have put it more tactfully!
But the words were already spoken and could not be taken back, so Liu Bei could only continue. "Your Majesty, I had thought Yuan Shao a loyal subject of the Han Dynasty, but what I witnessed tonight has left me deeply disappointed."
"May I ask whether Yuan Shao has been coercing Your Majesty?"
He needed to know exactly what situation Liu Xie was in.
And whether Yuan Shao had become another Dong Zhuo.
Faced with Liu Bei's question, Liu Xie fell silent for a moment, then sighed and walked over to a nearby chair to sit down.
"Your Majesty?"
Liu Bei was puzzled, unsure why Liu Xie would not answer.
Just as he was about to press further, Liu Xie raised his hand, covered his face with his sleeve, and actually began to sob softly.
"There is something you do not know, Imperial Uncle."
Liu Xie's eyes reddened and brimmed with tears as he choked out, "I too believed Yuan Shao was a loyal subject. That was why I endured a thousand hardships to escape from Cao Cao and come to Ji Province, hoping to receive his help."
"Who knew... who knew I had only just escaped the wolves' den to fall into the tiger's jaws!"
"He keeps me confined in this palace, forbids me from contacting the outside world, and even forced me to issue an edict appointing him Grand General! He alone holds all the power!"
"I spend my days shut away deep within the palace, unable to speak my heart or act of my own will. Sometimes I cannot even get enough to eat..."
"Imperial Uncle! I have suffered so much!"
At this painful point, Liu Xie threw his arms around Liu Bei and began bawling, his tears and snot mingling as he wiped them all onto Liu Bei's clothes.
His weeping was so grief-stricken that anyone who heard it would feel their heart ache and tears rise.
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei exchanged looks.
It was their first time seeing the Son of Heaven lose his composure like this. They could only imagine how much indignity he had suffered under Yuan Shao.
Holding Liu Xie, Liu Bei's face grew dark and still, anger seething within him.
Yuan Shao, have you become the very image of Dong Zhuo after all?
How high-spirited Yuan Shao had been when he led the Eighteen Route Lords against Dong Zhuo. Back then, Liu Bei had admired him from the bottom of his heart.
Yet now Yuan Shao was gradually drawing closer to Dong Zhuo's ways.
If no one stopped him, he might well become the next Dong Zhuo!
"Your Majesty has suffered."
Liu Bei sighed, his expression full of self-reproach. "It is my own incompetence that prevents me from rescuing Your Majesty from this place. I can only watch helplessly as you endure such humiliation here."
"Please don't say that, Imperial Uncle!"
Liu Xie wiped away his tears and said, deeply moved, "Knowing you have that intention is enough for me! Our Han Dynasty is not entirely without hope. At least it still has loyal subjects like you!"
Feeling the weight of trust in Liu Xie's words, Liu Bei's heart surged. His expression turned solemn at once. "Your Majesty! I implore you to grant me an edict. Tomorrow, I will leave Ye City and rally the lords across the land to defend the throne and rescue you!"
With an imperial edict in hand, Liu Bei would have legitimate grounds to recruit troops and purchase horses. He could also unite with other powers to campaign against Yuan Shao!
But at those words, Liu Xie's expression changed drastically, and he waved his hands repeatedly. "No, no! I absolutely cannot agree to this!"
"Why not?"
Zhang Fei grew agitated. "If you won't give us an edict, how are we supposed to recruit troops? Are we meant to conjure men out of thin air?"
Even someone as rough and reckless as Zhang Fei understood the importance of legitimacy.
Simply put, one needed a proper justification to recruit troops and purchase horses. Without even that, on what grounds could one raise an army? Who could know whether one was a rebel? Who would follow?
The local powers would be even less likely to offer their support.
Without recruits or support from local powers, there was no way to form an army capable of fighting. Even putting everything else aside, provisions alone would pose an enormous problem after troops were recruited.
Guan Yu also said, "Rest assured, Your Majesty. We three brothers once campaigned against Dong Zhuo, and our eldest brother is a Han House clansman. He is nothing like Yuan Shao and his ilk."
"As long as you are willing to grant our eldest brother an edict, we will surely gather enough troops and horses to come rescue Your Majesty!"
"A mere Yuan Shao is beneath the notice of us brothers!"
Guan Yu looked down on Yuan Shao. In his heart, the only true hero was his eldest brother, Liu Bei!
"I know..."
Yet Liu Xie still shook his head, looking deeply troubled. "It is not that I am unwilling. I truly cannot."
Liu Bei pressed him. "Why do you say that, Your Majesty?"
Liu Xie did not conceal the reason. He said frankly, "If I give you an edict and Yuan Shao learns of it, what will become of me?"
"I have only survived this long because I obey Yuan Shao in everything. If he discovers I harbor other intentions, I fear he will harm me, or even..."
Liu Xie left the sentence unfinished, his face filled with fear.
Hearing that reason, Liu Bei could find no reply.
It was indeed the truth. Liu Xie was still under Yuan Shao's control, after all, and could not even be certain of surviving from morning to night.
If Yuan Shao discovered that he had secretly issued an edict calling on the lords to defend the throne, he would certainly not let him off lightly. Even if Liu Xie did not die, his fate would not be pleasant.
"Bah! We can't do this, we can't do that, so what exactly are we supposed to do?"
"This is damned suffocating!"
Zhang Fei felt thoroughly irritated and could not help complaining aloud.
Liu Xie looked ashamed. "Others hold the knife and chopping block, while I am the fish upon it. I have no control over my own fate either."
Seeing this, Liu Bei comforted him. "There is no need to blame yourself, Your Majesty. I understand your helplessness. Please rest assured that I will find another way."
"One day, I will surely rescue Your Majesty!"
His words rang out with the weight of iron striking stone, filled with unwavering resolve.
Before you continue