His face was full of anticipation.
But soon, that anticipation gradually turned to puzzlement, and finally to utter bewilderment.
"All right, take it."
Liu Xie soon finished writing, then set his brush aside and spoke to Lü Bu.
Yet Lü Bu showed little delight. He looked at the words on the paper, his expression suggesting he wanted to say something but held back.
After hesitating for a long while, he could not help asking, "Your Majesty, is this really the poem you wrote for me?"
"This... doesn't seem like one."
What was written on the paper was not praise of his valor, such as "Duke Wen's bravery is unmatched beneath heaven," but words he could not understand.
"Receiving our orders, we took leave of our sovereign, and together marched to quell rebellious ministers.
All sang the Battle-Formation-Breaking Music, together rejoicing in a people at peace.
Across the four seas, the imperial influence spread; for a thousand years, the waters of virtue ran clear.
No longer would we don our battle robes; today we proclaimed our task complete.
The sage sovereign ushered in a flourishing age; loyal ministers upheld his grand designs.
Look, once shields and spears were laid to rest, there came an autumn of peace."
Lü Bu was no illiterate brute. He had read some books and possessed at least a basic education.
The poem the Son of Heaven had written seemed more like a celebration of peace, completely unlike the line "Majesty swept in all eight directions, murderous aura billowing" that he had previously written for Zhao Yun.
The crucial point was that it never mentioned his name from beginning to end. Even if this poem was for him, he could not take it out and show it off to others.
"I told you to drink less and