Yang Feng sat upright on the dragon throne, looking at the golden words frozen on the Heavenly Screen, yet he could not help feeling a little drum beating in his heart.
What was going on?
The script seemed a little off.
The Heavenly Screen had only vaguely said that Fa Zheng and Li Yan were dissatisfied with their current boss, Liu Zhang.
But then what?
Then there was nothing more!
Did those two being dissatisfied with their boss necessarily have anything to do with me, Yang Feng?
Just because they were unhappy, did they have to jump ship to me?
What if they wanted to start their own venture, or simply strip Liu Zhang of his power and become the local emperors of Yizhou themselves?
Yang Feng's mind raced.
According to the Heavenly Screen, Li Yan and Fa Zheng belonged to Yizhou's powerful local families-the local snakes among local snakes.
What was I?
The leader of a band of battered remnants who had fled from Huainan. Put nicely, I was a kinsman of the Han imperial house; put harshly, I was a dog that had lost its home.
Why would they think anything of me?
For all I knew, they might act perfectly polite to my face while playing me for a sucker behind my back. They might even join forces with Liu Zhang and sell me for a good price. That wasn't impossible either.
This Heavenly Screen was going to drive a person mad, only saying half of everything.
Just as Yang Feng was furiously grumbling inwardly, trying to untangle this tangled mess, the atmosphere below the dais suddenly changed.
With two dull thuds, Yan Xiang and Ji Ling exchanged a glance, then dropped to their knees together in overwhelming excitement.
Their faces bore an almost fanatical worship, and their voices trembled slightly with excitement as they cried out, "Your Majesty is wise and mighty!"
"We were still worrying about Your Majesty's predicament, never imagining that Your Majesty had already devised plans within the command tent to secure victory a thousand miles away!"
Ji Ling's entire face flushed with excitement, as though he could already see the dawn of victory.
"Brilliant!"
"Truly brilliant!"
"To think of winning over Fa Zheng and Li Yan and using them as inside men to help Your Majesty take all of Yizhou without bloodying a single blade!"
"Such divine strategy is something I have never heard of or witnessed!"
"Your Majesty truly holds the mandate of Heaven!"
Sitting on the dragon throne, Yang Feng was utterly dumbfounded.
Huh?
No... wait!
When did I say I was going to win them over?
The Heavenly Screen didn't seem to say I succeeded either, did it?
What were you two making up in your heads?
Your imaginations were far too rich. It was a waste of your talents not to become scriptwriters.
Yang Feng felt his temples throbbing.
My heavens, this rabid-fan act of yours was a little frightening.
If the Heavenly Screen really revealed later that they had played me for a fool, wouldn't you two be so ashamed that you would slit your own throats on the spot to atone?
However, before Yang Feng could say anything to correct their thinking, which had raced far too far ahead.
In the great hall, the civil and military officials who had been exchanging bewildered looks suddenly seemed to have had their conception and governing vessels opened after hearing Ji Ling and Yan Xiang's impassioned analysis. Understanding dawned on every face.
Immediately afterward, it was like toppling a line of dominoes.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Every official, civil and military alike, dropped to his knees in unison, leaving only the clang of armor striking the floor throughout the great hall.
"Your Majesty is wise!"
"We were dull-witted and failed to see Your Majesty's profound intentions. Please punish us, Your Majesty!"
"Indeed, following Your Majesty truly was the best decision I ever made in my life!"
"To sit watching the winds and clouds of the realm and find a chance of survival amid peril-such is the mark of a true dragon sovereign!"
The tidal wave of praise nearly drowned Yang Feng outright.
His head truly felt twice its usual size now.
You people...
Please, gentlemen.
The Heavenly Screen hadn't even pronounced the verdict yet, and you had already held the victory feast in advance. Was that appropriate?
What if there was another reversal later?
Was I supposed to throw away this old face of mine?
Ah, what was I to do!
Yang Feng sighed deeply and could only force out an inscrutable smile, adopting an air of "everything is under control," while inwardly praying like mad that the Heavenly Screen would come through and not slap him in the face.
Meanwhile, far away in Cao Cao's camp in Yan Province.
Cao Cao likewise had his brows tightly knitted as he stared fixedly at those lines on the Heavenly Screen, his eyes full of doubt.
Stroking his short beard, he turned to question the advisers beside him.
"What exactly does the Heavenly Screen mean by saying that Fa Zheng and Li Yan are dissatisfied with Liu Zhang?"
"Does it mean this Yang Feng can recruit those two for his own use?"
"Every time this Heavenly Screen speaks, it's like someone stopping to gasp for breath. Always keeping us in suspense-how hateful!"
Guo Jia considered briefly, then cupped his hands and replied, "My lord, in my view, I fear that is not the case."
"Fa Zheng and Li Yan both belong to Yizhou's great local clans. Their roots run deep, and they have always held their eyes above their heads."
"If they look down on the weak and benighted Liu Zhang, would they really respect Yang Feng, who rose on the strength of Yuan Shu's remnants?"
"I fear these two will not only fail to help Yang Feng, but instead become the greatest stumbling blocks to his taking control of Yizhou!"
"Presumably, these two caused Yang Feng enormous trouble, which is why the Heavenly Screen specifically singled them out!"
Hearing this perfectly reasonable analysis, the clouds of worry instantly vanished from Cao Cao's face.
He slapped his thigh hard, his whole face breaking into a delighted smile.
"Hahahaha, well reasoned!"
"Well reasoned indeed!"
"I knew it! This Heavenly Screen loves playing these games, putting someone down before lifting them up, then putting them down and lifting them up again!"
"One moment it says Yang Feng is trapped in a hopeless situation, and the next it says he has some ingenious strategy. After all that fuss, this so-called ingenious strategy turns out to be an enormous pit!"
Cao Cao's laughter echoed through the council hall, utterly carefree.
"Don't tell me this so-called emperor for the ages, Yang Feng, is about to be finished again!"
"Quick, let the Heavenly Screen continue! We can hardly wait to watch the show!"
Cao Cao and all the advisers and generals under him stared intently at the sky as though injected with chicken blood, afraid of missing a single detail.
Meanwhile, in Liu Bei's tent in Yuzhou.
"Hahahaha!"
Zhang Fei's booming laughter nearly blew the roof off the tent.
"Elder Brother, Second Brother, what did I tell you!"
"We were worrying for nothing!"
"Apart from that good-for-nothing Liu Zhang having a bit of wealth to his name, how could Yizhou be so easy to take?"
Guan Yu narrowed his phoenix eyes and stroked his long, magnificent beard, a rare trace of a smile appearing on his face as well. "Third Brother is right. Yizhou's great clans have roots and branches tangled together. It is extremely difficult for outsiders to get a hand in."
Liu Bei sat in the seat of honor, a relaxed smile on his face as well.
"Indeed, we really were overthinking things."
"Though Liu Jiyu"-Liu Zhang's courtesy name-"is weak, benighted, and incapable, Li Yan and Fa Zheng under his command are by no means easy to deal with."
"Yang Feng's march west may be called a search for a chance of survival, but in truth, he is casting himself into the net."
The three brothers exchanged smiles, all feeling that Yang Feng faced far more danger than good fortune this time.
However, just as the lords throughout the realm were each interpreting things in their own way, with differing states of mind.
Far away in Chengdu, inside the residence of the Governor of Yizhou.