At those words, Yuan Shao gave a cold laugh.
"An Imperial Edict? This is nothing but a forged decree from those two villains, Yuan Xi and Lü Bu! They are the ones truly holding the Son of Heaven hostage!"
Enraged, Cui Lin pointed at Yuan Shao's nose and cursed, "How dare you, Yuan Shao! You refuse to bow before the Son of Heaven's Imperial Edict! Are you planning to rebel?"
"His Majesty's decree is right here! It states everything clearly and plainly: you, Yuan Shao, are the villain holding the Son of Heaven hostage! His Majesty orders you to surrender within one month, or you will be treated as a rebel! You will also be stripped of your posts as Grand General and Grand Marshal!"
"You insolent wretch!"
Yan Liang, Ju Yi, Jiang Qi, and the others instantly changed expression and moved to seize Cui Lin for his outrageous words.
But Yuan Shao waved them back and snorted. "He is the Son of Heaven's emissary, after all. Spare his life for today and drive him out of the city!"
"Yes!"
Jiang Qi accepted the order and led his men in dragging Cui Lin out.
Then Yuan Shao had someone retrieve the Imperial Edict from the floor. He unrolled it and read it carefully. His face soon darkened, and he cursed through gritted teeth:
"Lü Bu! Yuan Xi! What a pair of rebels!"
The contents of the Imperial Edict were indeed just as Cui Lin had said: he was to surrender as soon as possible, or he would formally be declared a rebel and stripped of all his offices and titles.
But he did not believe Liu Xie had issued this decree. It had to be a forgery drafted by those two villains, Yuan Xi and Lü Bu!
Nevertheless, although the