Mythical Three Kingdoms

Compared to Cao Cao’s caution, Liu Ye was much more casual. Although he hadn’t noticed that a troop of Cao’s army had already been overlooked--to be precise, that troop of Cao’s army had been overlooked by everyone. There was no helping it; Xun You’s spiritual talent was just like that.

At this time, Liu Xie in Chang’an could no longer restrain his excitement. He felt that the day when he would escape from Li Jue’s clutches and ascend to the throne to command the world was imminent.

Ever since the Zhengguo Canal was completed last year, Li Jue no longer pressured Liu Xie as excessively as before. However, just because Li Jue stopped troubling Liu Xie didn’t mean Liu Xie wouldn’t court disaster.

After realizing that his living atmosphere had relaxed and was no longer filled with blood-soaked terror, Liu Xie once again entertained the thought of overthrowing the remnants of Xiliang and began secretly allying with Fu Wan, Dong Feng, and a group of loyal Han ministers.

It wasn’t just Yang Biao who discovered Liu Xie’s little movements and warned him; even Li Jue noticed them, but with the current goal of easing the tension between him and Liu Xie, before things escalated, he merely gave a light, almost painless rap on the knuckles.

Regrettably, those people were mindless die-hards who thought that since Li Jue wasn’t raging everywhere as before, he must not have discovered anything. Thus, their actions became increasingly conspicuous, with an air of, ”Whatever we do, the spirits of our ancestors will cover for us.”

As a result, the more intelligent people like Yang Biao and Liu Yu were so frightened they didn’t dare to associate with the hardcore loyalists under Liu Xie’s command, fearing it would pull down their own intelligence.

And then there were the likes of Dong Feng and Wang Zifu, who brazenly insulted Yang Biao and Liu Yu for not supporting their actions, accusing them of being unfilial and disloyal to the Han, and attacked them as if they were enemies.

Slandering Yang Biao was one thing, but to slander Liu Yu nearly enraged him to death. Among the four famous Liu-named provincial governors of the late Han, if one spoke of loyalty, Liu Yu was certainly peerlessly loyal to the Han. Yet, after being so smeared by Dong Feng and his group, Liu Yu became so exasperated that he was done with these messes.

In short, the current situation in Chang’an was that a band of brainless loyalists led by Dong Feng thought their opportunity was nigh. They rallied around Liu Xie, encouraging his destructive behavior, and incidentally sabotaged their smarter comrades-in-arms.

Speaking of which, the fact that Dong Feng and his ilk could still be alive to this day owed much to Zhong Yao’s support. Of course, Zhong Yao didn’t dare to get involved in such disgusting affairs, for the behavior of Dong Feng’s group was so despicable that it might spell disaster to join them—I might accidentally get sold out.

Knowing that someone as loyal, famous, and capable as Liu Yu could be treated as an enemy and insulted to his face, how could Zhong Yao dare to get involved? When King Huai of Chu cursed the state of Qi, he had Zhang Yi to instigate matters, but this bunch didn’t even need to instigate, which speaks volumes about their superior intelligence.

With Zhong Yao’s wit and his spiritual talent for quick decision-making, he could take a chance even against a god, but having an incompetent teammate is more terrifying than a godly opponent, especially when that teammate is not just one. Zhong Yao wouldn’t dare get involved.

However, Zhong Yao also couldn’t let Li Jue dispose of this group. After all, these people were excellent pawns that gave Li Jue peace of mind. So, in an offhand remark, he said, ”A bunch of talentless, weak, and powerless fools who only turn their comrades into enemies. How great can they really be?”

This statement, unsurprisingly, reached Li Jue’s ears, and upon reflection, Li Jue found it to be true, hence he extinguished the thought of eliminating this group. Instead, he let them unify around Liu Xie, which actually was safer. After all, an idiotic enemy in plain sight is always easier to deal with than a cunning enemy lurking in the shadows.

Afterwards, he found several books by Cai Yong and exchanged strategies with Zhong Yao, starting to fully befriend those loyal ministers of the Han who had been targeted by Dong Feng’s group.

Although many loyal ministers had been disgraced by Dong Feng and others, it was not so easy for Li Jue to win them over. However, Li Jue’s actions were open and aboveboard, visible to Dong Feng and the others. As expected, Dong Feng’s group went completely mad, targeting the officials whom Li Jue attempted to befriend.

After that, the Han Court was essentially a dog-eat-dog world, completely devoid of combat power. Li Jue was happy with this chaos; it was better to have them biting each other than to be a nuisance to him, and naturally, he was even less inclined to deal with Dong Feng and his group.

After all, even Li Jue could see that Dong Feng’s group was good for nothing but ruining things. With them united beside Liu Xie, there was no need to worry about any mishaps.

It looked like Zhong Yao’s strategy was for Li Jue’s benefit, but in reality, those loyal ministers of the Han who had been bitten by Dong Feng were not so easily befriended by Li Jue. More importantly, in the eyes of these people, the one at fault could never be the Little Emperor, Liu Xie, but only Dong Feng and Li Jue.

In this way, once these two fell, that group of loyal ministers would naturally regroup around Liu Xie. And essentially, all these ministers were intelligent and capable, with good judgment. This was the gift Zhong Yao was offering to Liu Xie.

By this time, people like Xun Yu, Hua Xin, and Zhong Yao were in great conflict. On one hand, they were loyal to the Han Dynasty, but on the other, they had come to realize that the Han Dynasty seemed to be rotten from the core.

Xun Yu chose to find likeminded loyalists, to sweep the world clean and restore the glory of the Han Dynasty before returning power back to the Han. Hua Xin roamed everywhere, realizing that the Han Dynasty had rotted completely to the core, so he decisively went looking for a wise ruler. Zhong Yao, on the other hand, put his hope in the self-redemption of the Han Dynasty.

In Zhong Yao’s view, the Han Dynasty could not be discussed without at least showing the capacity of its emperor, Liu Xie, who, without needing to be too strong, should at least be able to hold onto the world.

Otherwise, if you were a lowlife, and I fought desperately to conquer the world for you only to find that before I could enjoy a few days of peace, you exterminated my entire family and then squandered your inheritance, what would have been the point of my efforts? To seek death?

Zhong Yao was very realistic and rational. To say he was loyal to the Han Dynasty was not a problem, but his loyalty had limits. He would not foolishly devote himself to anyone; he would assist those who could be assisted, and if not, he would strive to make his own life better. Zhong Yao also had the capability to do so.

However, to be honest, Zhong Yao was not optimistic about Liu Xie. Even if his current actions left Liu Xie with a decent hand to play, allowing for a chance to regain power whether Cao Cao or Liu Bei entered Chang’an, the problem was that, from what Zhong Yao now understood, Liu Xie’s judgment was poor, his abilities lacking, and his nature indifferent. Whether Cao Cao or Liu Bei entered Chang’an, trouble with Liu Xie’s impatience for success was inevitable.

In other words, what Zhong Yao was doing now amounted to doing his duty and leaving the rest to Heaven. Who knows, maybe Liu Xie would have an epiphany and the Han Dynasty would be revived!

As for Yuan Shao entering Chang’an, Zhong Yao thought the likelihood was small. Liu Bei’s troops not only aimed to Support the King but also ensured that Liu Xie did not fall into Yuan Shao’s hands. After all, compared to the trouble that Liu Xie falling into Yuan Shao’s hands would cause, it was more likely that Liu Bei would prevent Yuan Shao from entering, rather than refusing to Support the King. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian ) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)