Chapter 36: I Want Their Bodies
The sudden appearance of a figure outside their gate instantly caught the attention of Liu, Guan, and Zhang.
"Hey! Where did you come from, you little thief?"
Thinking a thief had come to their door, Zhang Fei let out a thunderous roar and moved forward to seize him, but Liu Bei stopped him.
"Third Brother, be patient."
Then Liu Bei looked at the figure standing in the darkness. Though he could not make out the man's face, he somehow seemed familiar. Cupping his hands, Liu Bei asked, "May I ask what brings you here so late at night?"
The man was actually Zhang He, who had come to deliver a letter.
Liu, Guan, and Zhang had strolled slowly home after leaving the Imperial Palace, whereas Zhang He had run straight over upon receiving Liu Xie's command, arriving even before the three of them.
Zhang He remained in the shadows without revealing his face. He merely took a sheet of paper from inside his robe and placed it on the ground.
"His Majesty asked me to deliver this to Lord Liu."
"I shall take my leave."
With that, Zhang He turned and hurried away.
He still had duties to attend to and could not linger.
Besides, if anyone discovered that he, the Palace Guard Commander, had come here to meet Liu Bei and his brothers in secret, he would be in serious trouble.
Had it not been Liu Xie's command, he would never have come.
"Sent by His Majesty?"
Liu Bei frowned, his gaze falling on the paper on the ground. He walked over, picked it up, and unfolded it to read.
His expression changed after a single glance.
Seeing this, Guan Yu could not help asking, "Elder Brother, what does the letter say?"
Liu Bei's face was as still and dark as deep water. He tucked the letter into his robe and said quietly, "We'll talk inside!"
With that, he pushed open the gate and entered.
Zhang Fei and Guan Yu followed close behind.
The three went to the study together. Only after closing the doors and windows did Liu Bei take out the letter and place it beneath the oil lamp.
"Second Brother, Third Brother, take a look."
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei turned their eyes to the letter.
There were only five characters written on it.
"Yuan Shao knows."
Both men's expressions changed at once, shock and anger mingling on their faces.
Zhang Fei widened his tiger-like eyes and said through gritted teeth, "Elder Brother wanted to help him, and he went and informed Yuan Shao?!"
His immediate assumption was that Liu Xie had informed Yuan Shao.
How else could Yuan Shao have found out?
There had been no one else present!
Guan Yu frowned. "If His Majesty told Yuan Shao about this, why would he send someone specifically to warn us?"
Informing on them and then warning them was far too contradictory.
Guan Yu felt something was amiss.
"We were careless."
At that moment, Liu Bei, who had remained silent, suddenly spoke in a grave voice. "If I'm not mistaken, Yuan Shao deliberately gave us the opportunity to visit His Majesty today."
"After we left, Yuan Shao must have pressured His Majesty into revealing why we had gone there."
"His Majesty took an enormous risk by sending someone to tell us. He has done all that kindness and duty could demand. This is not his fault."
Liu Bei's thoughts reached much further. Looking back carefully, everything that day had gone far too smoothly. Why would Yuan Shao have allowed him to meet the Son of Heaven in private so easily?
He simply had not considered that at the time.
At his words, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei could no longer remain calm.
They had gone to the Son of Heaven to request an edict so they could recruit troops and rally the regional lords to his rescue. If Yuan Shao knew about it, how could he possibly let the matter rest?
He certainly would not let them off lightly!
"Elder Brother, let's pack up and leave the city right now!"
"Yuan Shao must already be gathering men to come after us!"
Zhang Fei spoke with desperate urgency.
No matter how capable they were, if they were trapped amid thousands of soldiers, they would still meet their deaths!
One man's valor was far too insignificant before an army.
Guan Yu shook his head. "The city gates are already closed. And since Yuan Shao knows, he will certainly have taken precautions. We can't get out."
"Our only chance now is to fight our way into the Imperial Palace and capture Yuan Shao. Only then can we wrest a sliver of hope for survival!"
Guan Yu narrowed his eyes as a fierce killing aura surged from him.
But what they would actually do still depended on Liu Bei's decision.
"Elder Brother!"
"Elder Brother."
Zhang Fei and Guan Yu both looked at Liu Bei.
Liu Bei sat in his chair with his eyes closed, lightly tapping his fingers against the desk. After pondering for a long time, he finally opened his eyes and rose.
"We go to the Imperial Palace and see Yuan Shao!"
The banquet hall of the Imperial Palace.
The hall, so boisterous earlier, had nearly emptied. Only Yuan Shao and a few of his trusted advisers remained.
"My lord, Liu Bei harbors treacherous intentions! We must not let him live!"
Tian Feng's tone was utterly earnest and filled with concern. "My lord, you merely put him to a simple test today, and he immediately showed his cloven hoof. Clearly, he is a man of immense ambition who can never be brought into your service."
"If we do not kill such an ambitious man now, he will surely become a great menace in the future!"
Yuan Shao had already told his advisers about the test.
The revelation had greatly shocked them all.
No one had imagined that Liu Bei would be so bold as to seek a private audience with the Son of Heaven, hoping to obtain an imperial edict and rally the regional lords to his rescue!
Shen Pei agreed with Tian Feng and nodded. "Yuanhao is right. Now is the best time to kill Liu Bei. My lord, you must not show mercy."
Both Tian Feng and Shen Pei believed Liu Bei should be killed.
This time, even Guo Tu and Feng Ji, who were at odds with Tian Feng, chose not to object. Clearly, they shared the same view.
Yet Yuan Shao said nothing. Despite their repeated urging, he still could not reach a decision.
Seeing this, Ju Shou asked, "My lord, do you have some concern?"
"Ah..."
Yuan Shao sighed and nodded. "Liu Bei can be killed, but killing Guan Yu and Zhang Fei would be far too great a waste."
"These two are tiger generals of our age, no less formidable than Sun Jian and Sun Ce. Bringing them into my service would be like giving a tiger wings."
"But the three brothers share such a deep bond. If I kill Liu Bei, how am I to win over Guan and Zhang?"
This was why Yuan Shao had delayed taking action for so long.
Liu Bei was merely Liu Bei. Killing him was of no concern. But Yuan Shao cared about those two tiger generals, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. He wanted to find a way to kill Liu Bei while still bringing Guan and Zhang into his service.
"My lord."
At this, Ju Shou could not help giving a rueful smile. "You cannot have both the fish and the bear's paw. Guan and Zhang may be fierce warriors, but they cannot be won over."
"If we do not kill Liu Bei now, he will surely bring endless trouble in the future. My lord, please hesitate no longer."
Yuan Shao rubbed the space between his brows, feeling a considerable headache coming on.
He understood their reasoning, but he truly could not bear to give up.
Before Warm Wine and Slay Hua Xiong, he had utterly looked down on Guan Yu, a mere mounted archer. Later, Guan Yu had slain Hua Xiong, and then the three heroes had fought Lü Bu. Yuan Shao's attitude had changed completely, and he had coveted Guan Yu and Zhang Fei ever since.
His own generals were certainly capable, but not one could stand against Lü Bu. Guan and Zhang alone could fight Lü Bu to a standstill, showing just how formidable their martial prowess was. How could he bear to kill them?
In Yuan Shao's eyes, Liu Bei did not deserve such mighty generals at all!
Only he deserved them!
Just as the advisers continued their remonstrations and Yuan Shao remained torn, a guard suddenly entered the hall to report.
"My lord, Liu Bei and his two brothers are outside the palace requesting an audience."
Chapter 37: Liu Xie: Report! Someone Is Serving Up Their Head!
The sudden news caught everyone in the hall off guard.
They had been discussing how to deal with Liu, Guan, and Zhang, yet the three had come straight to their door. It was utterly unexpected.
"Why have they come?"
Yuan Shao was also astonished and could not help asking.
The guard making the report shook his head. "I do not know. Liu Bei only said he wished to see you, my lord. He did not explain why."
Ju Shou knitted his brows and pressed further. "Are they wearing armor or carrying weapons?"
"No. They came empty-handed."
Hearing this, a gleam of murderous intent flashed in Tian Feng's eyes. He said to Yuan Shao, "My lord, this is a perfect opportunity! They have no weapons. We can lure them into the palace, then order the bowmen and crossbowmen to shoot them dead in a storm of arrows!"
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