Benchu, how I have suffered!

"So I say that Cao Cao taking possession of the Son of Heaven is not necessarily a bad thing for you, my lord."

Guo Tu spoke with easy confidence, his arguments sounding well-reasoned and well-supported.

But no sooner had he finished than a cold snort suddenly rang out.

"Utter nonsense!"

A stern-faced scholar stepped forward and said coldly to Guo Tu, "Wherever the Son of Heaven resides, there lies legitimate authority! If the Son of Heaven were in Ji Province, our lord would hold the mantle of righteousness!"

"When Ju Shou proposed that our lord welcome the Son of Heaven to Ji Province, had you and Chunyu Qiong not vehemently opposed it and led our lord astray, how could Cao Cao ever have succeeded?"

"And even now, you still want to deceive our lord?"

Being berated to his face left Guo Tu looking somewhat embarrassed, but rather than fall silent, he met the attack head-on. "Welcoming the Son of Heaven to Ji Province was never a wise move!"

"If the Son of Heaven came to Ji Province, whom would we obey-our lord or the emperor? Tian Feng, just what are you plotting?"

"I say you are the true fool!"

As Tian Feng and Guo Tu's quarrel grew increasingly heated, Yuan Shao finally spoke from the seat of honor.

"Enough, both of you!"

Yuan Shao frowned. Listening to their argument had only left him vexed and unsettled.

He swept his gaze over the assembled officials in the hall and suddenly noticed that a familiar figure seemed to be missing.

"Where is Gongyu? Where has he gone?"

All his officials were gathered in the hall, with Ju Shou alone absent.

Ju Shou had strongly urged him to welcome the Son of Heaven to Ji Province, but he had not taken that advice. Now it seemed Ju Shou might have been right.

He wanted to hear what Ju Shou had to say now.

"My lord, Gongyu left the city early this morning to go fishing."

The speaker was a scholar in Confucian robes, another of Yuan Shao's trusted advisers. His surname was Shen, his given name Pei, and his courtesy name Zhengnan.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao ordered the guards beside him, "Someone go and invite Gongyu here to discuss matters."

"Yes, my lord!"

The guard accepted the order and withdrew.

Yuan Shao then soothed Tian Feng and Guo Tu. "Things have already come to this. Stop arguing. We shall discuss it further once Gongyu arrives."

Though both men still felt aggrieved, with Yuan Shao having spoken, they could only bow their heads in assent.

Yet, to everyone's surprise, the guard had barely been gone before he hurried back.

"My lord! My lord! Something terrible has happened!"

The guard rushed into the hall, his expression frantic.

Yuan Shao said in displeasure, "What sort of conduct is this, shouting and carrying on? What has frightened you so?"

The guard's face was tense as he stammered, "It's Lord Ju! Lord Ju, he..."

"What has happened to Gongyu?!"

Yuan Shao instantly grew anxious.

Had something happened to Ju Shou?

The guard gritted his teeth. "Lord Ju, he... he has brought the Son of Heaven back! They are right outside the residence!"

At those words, the hall fell silent.

Confusion filled every face.

They wondered whether they were hearing things.

Ju Shou... had brought the Son of Heaven back?

Were they still half asleep, or had this guard gone mad?

Yuan Shao was the first to recover. His gaze instantly sharpened as he rebuked the guard. "Nonsense! Cao Cao has already taken the Son of Heaven to Xu County. How could he possibly be here?"

"My lord, it's true!"

The guard's face flushed crimson as he stammered, "Lord Ju is outside with the Son of Heaven right now. He asks that you and all the officials come out together to welcome His Majesty!"

He, too, thought it utterly absurd.

But it was indeed true.

Yuan Shao's brow furrowed deeply. Had this guard not served him for years, earning his trust through steady conduct, he really would have wondered whether the man had lost his mind.

But if the guard had not gone mad, then only one possibility remained: Ju Shou was up to something.

After some consideration, Yuan Shao made his decision and rose. "Come. Follow me outside!"

He would see just where Ju Shou had conjured up an emperor for him!

Yuan Shao strode toward the entrance. Tian Feng, Shen Pei, and the other civil and military officials exchanged glances before following him.

They, too, were curious about what medicine Ju Shou was hiding in his gourd.

The group soon reached the main gate of the Yuan Residence.

There, beside the main entrance, Ju Shou stood respectfully next to a young man in tattered clothes, speaking to him.

The young man's clothing was ragged, his face sallow and gaunt, making him look like a beggar. Yet a closer look revealed handsome, distinguished features, with an air of nobility between his brows.

When Yuan Shao's gaze fell upon this beggar-like young man's face, his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets!

"Y-your Majesty?!"

Yuan Shao cried out involuntarily, thinking for a moment that he was hallucinating.

Yet the man standing before him at that very moment-

Who else could he be but the Son of Heaven of Great Han?

Chapter 5: Benchu, how I have suffered!

Liu Xie was panicking.

Utterly panicking.

Although he had agreed to Ju Shou's proposal to impersonate Emperor Xian of Han, gambling on a windfall of wealth and glory to change his shitty life after transmigrating, he still felt daunted when he was actually pushed into the spotlight.

For standing before him was Yuan Shao, Yuan Benchu, whose family had held the highest offices for four generations, along with all the formidable advisers and warriors under his command!

He was impersonating the emperor here. If his cover was blown, he was finished!

After all, this idea of impersonating the emperor was merely a plan Ju Shou had come up with on a whim. Whether Yuan Shao would agree was still uncertain.

If he refused, Liu Xie's fate would be miserable indeed.

He might not even keep his life.

How could he possibly not panic now?

What should I do now...

Liu Xie felt cold sweat breaking out on his palms. He stole a glance at Ju Shou beside him, but the latter kept his eyes lowered toward his nose, his attention turned inward, refusing to meet his gaze.

Fuck! Don't go silent on me now!

Liu Xie inwardly lamented his plight.

Just as Liu Xie was debating whether to speak first and break the awkward silence, Yuan Shao suddenly moved.

He strode forward, came straight up to Liu Xie, and performed a full ceremonial prostration!

"Your subject, Yuan Shao, Governor of Ji Province, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

Yuan Shao kowtowed respectfully, touching his forehead to the ground.

At his words, the others came to their senses and followed suit, bowing down one after another.

"Your subjects pay homage to Your Majesty!"

In truth, aside from a handful of people, most of those present had never seen the Son of Heaven and had no idea what he looked like. They were paying homage now solely because Yuan Shao had knelt.

At that moment, their hearts held only shock and confusion.

Why... was the Son of Heaven here?

Liu Xie had never witnessed anything like this. Though inwardly panicked, he forced himself to remain calm, recalled scenes he had seen in television dramas, and put on an air of dignity. "Mm... you may all rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Only then did they rise one after another.

Yuan Shao remained bowed, his face full of respect. "I did not know Your Majesty was coming to Ye City and failed to welcome you from afar. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness."

By now, Liu Xie had regained his composure and begun settling into his role as emperor. "It is of no consequence. I traveled discreetly this time. It is only natural that you knew nothing of it, Minister Yuan."

Traveled discreetly?

Yuan Shao was inwardly startled.

Then he suppressed his doubts and asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, I heard that after Luoyang City fell, Cao Cao escorted you to Xu County. W-why have you suddenly come here?"

This question troubled not only him, but everyone present.

Just moments ago, they had been discussing Cao Cao's escorting the Son of Heaven to Xu County, fretting over the matter. Then, in the next instant, the Son of Heaven had suddenly appeared alone outside the Yuan Residence.

It was simply too bizarre.

Faced with Yuan Shao's question, however, Liu Xie no longer felt nervous. He and Ju Shou had already discussed how he should answer.

"Alas, Minister Yuan, you do not know how I have suffered!"

Liu Xie heaved a long sigh, then said indignantly, "Cao Cao's claim that he wished to escort me to Xu County was false. His true aim was to control me! I saw long ago that he harbored treasonous intentions, wishing to follow in the footsteps of that rebel Dong Zhuo and hold the Son of Heaven hostage to command the feudal lords!"

"Unwilling to be his puppet, I escaped under the protection of my close attendants and endured countless hardships before reaching this place..."

As he spoke, Liu Xie could not help bursting into tears. Covering his face, he sobbed, "All these days, I have had neither enough food nor warm clothing, living in fear day after day. I dared not reveal my identity, terrified that Cao Cao would capture me and drag me back. I could only beg along the way, feed on wild greens, keep company with stray dogs, and spend my nights in ruined temples."

"Only today, after reaching Ye City and meeting Lord Ju, did I finally dare reveal my identity!"