At that very moment, Liu Zhang felt as though his three souls and seven spirits were about to be scared clean out of his body.
The words on the screen-"countless grievances and resentments had long since risen in their hearts"-seared his face like a red-hot branding iron, and struck his cheeks like invisible slaps raining down from both sides.
He actually knew this perfectly well himself.
Fa Zheng and Li Yan, relying on their status as members of Yizhou's local gentry, had never shown much genuine respect for him as provincial governor. They had done plenty of things that amounted to outward obedience and covert defiance.
But knowing was one thing. Having this damned Heavenly Screen expose it before everyone under heaven was another matter entirely.
Where was he, Liu Jiyu, supposed to show his face after this?
My heavens.
This is nothing short of a public execution.
Liu Zhang raised his head. His eyes, bloodshot with fear and fury, glared fixedly at Fa Zheng and Li Yan below the steps, who looked equally dumbfounded.
He shook all over with rage, his lips trembling, yet he could not get a single word out.
Fa Zheng and Li Yan instantly turned ashen too, scared out of their wits.
They exchanged a glance, each seeing utter terror in the other's eyes, then dropped to their knees without hesitation with a thud.
"My lord!"
Li Yan's voice trembled slightly as he hastily defended himself. "You must not believe this Heavenly Screen's nonsense!"
"Our loyalty to you is unwavering, my lord. The sun and moon can bear witness!"
"We have not the slightest intention of betraying you!"
Fa Zheng hurriedly kowtowed as well, shouting himself hoarse. "Indeed, my lord! These are baseless claims, slander through and through!"
"Our families have received your great kindness for generations. How could we dare harbor such treasonous thoughts?"
"Please discern the truth, my lord!"
Their protestations did nothing to quell the anger in Liu Zhang's heart. Instead, it burned all the fiercer.
Of course he was angry.
But what could he do?
Actually have the two of them dragged out and beheaded?
What a joke.
The Fa and Li families were powerful, prestigious clans that had entrenched themselves in Yizhou for who knew how many generations. Their roots ran deep, and their protégés and former subordinates were scattered throughout the province.
Forget beheading them. If he so much as gave them a displeased look, whether he could still hold his seat as provincial governor tomorrow would be an open question.
He, Liu Zhang, truly could not afford to offend these two mighty gods.
At that thought, the towering fury in Liu Zhang's heart involuntarily turned into a trace of helpless desolation.
But on second thought, he felt that perhaps things were not so bad.
After all, the Heavenly Screen had only said they were dissatisfied with him. It had not said they were actually going to jump ship.
Besides, even if they really intended to betray him, they would need to find a reliable new master.
What does that Yang Feng amount to?
A homeless cur who got his start picking through Yuan Shu's trash. To put it bluntly, his ancestors were slaves.
I, Liu Zhang, am at least a member of the Han imperial clan, a genuine descendant of royalty.
However blind those two might be, surely they wouldn't pass over a true dragon like me to throw in their lot with some mud-legged peasant.
As for that "greatest emperor of all time" the Heavenly Screen praised to the point of making flowers rain from the sky...
Hmph. Anyone who believes that is a fool.
After analyzing it this way, Liu Zhang immediately felt much better, and most of the stifling humiliation of being publicly executed dissipated.
He felt this was no great problem.
So he merely gave a cold snort and flicked his sleeves, then ignored the two men kneeling on the floor and turned his gaze back to the golden words in the sky, deciding to keep watching.
Meanwhile, in distant Ji Province.
As Yuan Shao watched the Heavenly Screen, he first froze, then burst into earth-shaking laughter.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Interesting. Truly interesting!"
He pointed at the sky, rocking back and forth with laughter until tears nearly spilled from his eyes.
"Look, all of you! One is weak and incompetent, unable even to control his own subordinates."
"The other overestimates himself and dreams of swallowing an elephant like a snake."
"Watching these two pieces of trash peck at each other is simply the funniest joke this general has seen all year!"
"They've even dragged those high-and-mighty clans in Yizhou into it. Now things are getting lively! This is killing me!"
Below him in the great hall, the advisers led by Feng Ji and Shen Pei immediately took the hint when they saw how happy their lord was, and stepped forward to flatter him.
"You are absolutely right, my lord!"
"That Liu Zhang is nothing but a dog guarding its own door, an incompetent fool. With Yizhou in his hands, its downfall is only a matter of time."
"As for Yang Feng, he is even more of a cavorting clown. He merely got lucky and acquired a few remnant troops, and now he no longer knows how high heaven is or how deep the earth."
"In my opinion, this Heavenly Screen must have made a mistake. The greatest emperor of all time? What an utterly preposterous joke!"
"Indeed! Looking across the realm, you alone deserve to be called a hero, my lord."
"These two merely add a little amusement to your future path toward unifying all under heaven, my lord."
As he listened to his subordinates' perfectly coordinated flattery, Yuan Shao's smile grew ever more radiant. He nearly floated off the ground, feeling comfortable from head to toe.
Meanwhile, at the center of the storm, inside Shouchun City.
Yang Feng stared blankly at the screen, utterly bewildered.
What is all this supposed to be?
Why has it even exposed the internal conflicts in Liu Zhang's camp?
What exactly is this Heavenly Screen trying to do?
He now found the direction of this script completely incomprehensible.
By all rights, his situation was far worse than merely bad.
Although Liu Zhang had been judged "weak," he was at least the rightful ruler of Yizhou, with powerful troops, sturdy horses, and ample money and grain.
Then there were Fa Zheng and Li Yan, two local snakes among local snakes.
Even if these three forces were united in appearance but divided at heart, so long as they joined hands a little, would crushing an outsider like him not be as easy as crushing an ant?
No matter how he looked at it, he did not have the slightest chance of victory.
What exactly is the Heavenly Screen after, putting me on such a high pedestal?
Does it want to make my death a little more dramatic?
The more Yang Feng thought about it, the more his head ached, his heart tossed up and down in turmoil.
And just then, under the eyes of everyone beneath heaven.
Golden light flowed across the Heavenly Screen, which had fallen silent for a moment, and it actually began moving once again.