The Son of Heaven Arrives!

"Ju Shou?"

Slightly startled, Liu Xie took another look at the middle-aged scholar before him.

Having read the history of the Three Kingdoms extensively, he was certainly familiar with that name. Although Ju Shou was not particularly famous, he was still an outstanding strategist.

He had never expected the first historical figure he met after transmigrating, someone whose name had been preserved in the history books, to be this man.

"Sit down first, young friend."

Ju Shou pressed Liu Xie back down onto the ground before continuing, "You may not know this, but Dong Zhuo is dead, Cao Cao has captured the imperial capital of Luoyang, and the Son of Heaven has been forced to move the capital to Xu County."

"Cao Cao has the ravenous ambition of a wolf. With the Son of Heaven in his hands, he is bound to follow Dong Zhuo's example and hold the emperor hostage to command the lords. When that happens, the realm will fall into chaos, and the empire itself may cease to exist!"

Ju Shou's voice was grave, his expression filled with anguish.

Then his tone shifted, and he looked at Liu Xie excitedly. "Fortunately, Heaven has not abandoned our great Han! It brought me to you, young friend!"

"Your appearance and bearing are so similar to the Son of Heaven's that you could easily pass for him."

"If you agree to work with me and impersonate the Son of Heaven, we can thwart that treacherous Cao Cao's ambitions and prevent him from issuing decrees in the emperor's name."

"And you will enjoy honor and riches equal to those of the Son of Heaven!"

Ju Shou's words left Liu Xie utterly stunned.

He actually shared more than a name with Emperor Xian of Han-even their faces were identical?

Why did that sound so unreal?

Still... he has no reason to lie to me. Right now, I'm just a penniless refugee who only recently transmigrated here. Apart from this face, I don't seem to have anything he could want.

Liu Xie sank into thought, sorting through everything.

From what Ju Shou had just told him, he gleaned a great deal of information, beginning with the current point in history.

Cao Cao had captured Luoyang and escorted Emperor Xian of Han away to relocate the capital.

That meant it was the first year of Jian'an.

Next, according to historical records, Ju Shou had advised Yuan Shao to bring the Son of Heaven to Ji Province. Yuan Shao had rejected the suggestion, allowing Cao Cao to succeed instead.

For Ju Shou to encounter someone who looked exactly like Emperor Xian of Han at this particular moment, it was little wonder he had come up with such a wild proposal.

That explains it, but this is still absurd.

Impersonating the emperor? If I'm exposed, I'm dead for sure!

Even after figuring out Ju Shou's motives and establishing that his words were genuine, Liu Xie still hesitated.

The risk was simply too great. One wrong move could get him killed.

Noticing Liu Xie's concerns, Ju Shou continued earnestly, "Young friend, there's no need to worry. You won't be exposed."

"You look exactly like the Son of Heaven. Once my lord announces to the whole realm that you are the emperor, who would question it?"

"And although you'll only be impersonating the Son of Heaven, the honor and treatment you receive will truly equal his. You'll wear fine silk and feast on delicacies, never suffer hunger or cold again, and have beautiful women at your side. Doesn't that tempt you?"

"If you let this opportunity slip away, you'll never find another."

Ju Shou's voice was full of enticement.

He knew that persuading this young man to cooperate required a gentle approach. Force would not work.

There was no denying that Ju Shou knew how to read people's hearts.

His words had indeed struck Liu Xie right where it hurt.

Ever since transmigrating, reality had beaten him black and blue. This was the only opportunity he had encountered so far to change his fate.

Take a gamble, or keep scraping by?

After only a brief hesitation, Liu Xie had his answer.

"I'll impersonate the Son of Heaven!"

Liu Xie drew a deep breath and looked up at Ju Shou, his eyes shining.

I've already transmigrated. I'm going to live a different life!

At worst, I'll die!

"Good! You truly are a clever young man!"

Ju Shou breathed a sigh of relief and laughed as he patted Liu Xie's shoulder. "Oh, that's right. I haven't asked your name yet, young friend."

Liu Xie said, "My surname is Liu, and my given name is Xie."

Ju Shou nodded approvingly. "Excellent. You've slipped into the role so quickly. That's the right answer. From now on, that will be your name!"

Liu Xie said, "..."

No, my name really is Liu Xie!

Suppressing his frustration, Liu Xie pointed at the grilled fish, which had already begun to blacken, and swallowed. "Can I eat now?"

He was starving. If he did not eat something soon, he felt as though he would faint at any moment.

"Of course! Eat as much as you like!"

Now in an excellent mood, Ju Shou picked up a skewer of grilled fish and handed it to Liu Xie, then took one for himself.

Liu Xie accepted the fish and immediately wolfed it down, without the slightest concern for appearances.

He had gone hungry for five whole days. This was his first meal since transmigrating.

Despite having no seasoning whatsoever, the grilled fish tasted countless times better than any delicacy he had ever eaten before. It was so delicious that he wanted to cry.

"Slow down, slow down. There's more if that isn't enough. Here, take mine too."

Watching from beside him, Ju Shou felt his heart leap into his throat. He genuinely feared Liu Xie might suddenly choke to death on a fish bone.

Before long, Liu Xie had swept through all four grilled fish like a gale scattering clouds.

With his stomach full, he reclined on the grass, picking his teeth with a fish bone and letting out a satisfied burp.

Seeing that he had more or less finished eating, Ju Shou rose and said, "Come along. Return to Ye City with me, and I'll take you to meet my lord."

"Wait a moment."

Liu Xie spoke languidly.

Ju Shou could not help frowning. "What else is it?"

"Heh."

Liu Xie chuckled, then raised his eyes to Ju Shou and said coolly, "You will not even address Us as Your Majesty."

"What?"

Ju Shou froze, unable to react for a moment.

"We said..."

Bracing his hands on his knees, Liu Xie slowly stood. He clasped his hands behind his back and narrowed his eyes at Ju Shou, his gaze cold and commanding.

"Kneel."

That single word carried an inexplicable majesty. Ju Shou shuddered, almost dropping to his knees instinctively.

But just then, Liu Xie reached out and caught him.

"Well? Was my performance convincing?"

Liu Xie grinned, returning to his earlier flippant manner as though he had not been the one radiating such authority moments before.

Still dazed, Ju Shou murmured, "Very convincing..."

Liu Xie smiled. "Good, then. Let's go into the city."

With that, he stepped past Ju Shou and strode toward the gates of Ye City.

Ju Shou stood where he was, staring at Liu Xie's retreating back. Only after a long while did he come to his senses and hurry after him.

Chapter 4: The Son of Heaven Arrives!

Ye City, the Yuan Residence.

Advisers and military officers had gathered in the council hall.

Yuan Shao sat in the seat of honor at the head of the hall, studying the secret report in his hands, his expression dark and livid.

The news had only arrived that morning.

Cao Cao had captured Luoyang and escorted the Son of Heaven to Xu County. Not only that, he had publicly announced that he would reestablish the imperial court!

"Cao Mengde! Oh, that Cao Mengde!"

Yuan Shao slammed the secret report down on the table and spoke through gritted teeth.

With the Son of Heaven in his hands, rebuilding the imperial court would give Cao Cao the mantle of legitimacy. That would inevitably draw talented men from across the realm to his side. Worse still, it would give him the authority to speak for the empire!

He had previously thought little of it, but only now did he truly realize what a golden opportunity he had missed.

He had handed Cao Cao this tremendous advantage for nothing!

Drawing a deep breath to suppress his frustration, Yuan Shao turned his gaze toward the assembled retainers and said, "I assume you have all read the secret report delivered this morning."

"Whatever thoughts you have, speak freely."

Although Cao Cao's hold over the Son of Heaven was now an unalterable fact, Yuan Shao still could not accept it. He felt that he could not let Cao Cao reap the benefits so easily.

All he could do now was place his hopes in the advisers under his command.

Perhaps they could find a way to turn the situation around.

As soon as Yuan Shao finished speaking, a scholar with a pointed mouth and monkeylike cheeks stepped forward first. "My lord, I believe this is not a bad thing."

"Oh? Why do you say that, Gongze?"

Yuan Shao frowned, puzzled.

The scholar was none other than Guo Tu. Meeting Yuan Shao's gaze, he calmly cupped his hands and said, "My lord, although Cao Cao has secured the Son of Heaven and can act in his name to recruit worthy and talented men, Dong Zhuo's example stands before him. Should he make a single misstep, he will become the target of every arrow."

"You, meanwhile, command four provinces, with a million armored soldiers and countless worthy advisers and capable generals. Whether you have the Son of Heaven in your hands is of little consequence. Without him, you can even avoid having your hands tied."