Chapter 23: Divine Stick

  "What's 'Hao Ran Qi'?" Liu Bian was stunned for a while, before he finally remembered that "Hao Ran Qi" originated from the book of Mencius, not from the second floor of the Datang Academy.

  "Your Majesty is wise and enlightened, with a vast and powerful energy that fills the space between heaven and earth. In harmony with righteousness and the Way, gathering righteousness to give life."

  Liu Bian's mouth twitched, and Xu Shao said that the emperor was wise, but his eyes were full of disdain, clearly looking down on his own hesitation. He felt annoyed, just wanting to scold him a few words, but swallowed them back.

  The reason is simple, this is the chief gossip of the Three Kingdoms. If he says one wrong word today, it may become a scandal tomorrow, not only making him famous all over the world but also being recorded in history. Even someone as fierce as Cao Cao would not dare to be rough with him unless forced to that extent.

  Liu Bian's eyes rolled around and he smiled instead of getting angry: "The magnanimous spirit of Yuan Taifu must have been well-cultivated."

  Xu Jie hesitated for a moment before saying: "Yuan Gong's majestic demeanor is the result of cultivating his energy for many years, so it's naturally not bad."

  Liu Bian was shocked, and then suddenly realized that it's no wonder Yuan Wei is so majestic. It turns out he has been cultivating his energy since childhood. Yuan Wei is only in his sixties this year, having cultivated for over a hundred years, starting from when he was aware of things. It sounds a bit mysterious, but the Yuan family has produced three generations of high-ranking officials, so it's likely they have some special methods. Cultivating energy from childhood isn't strange at all. Just look at Yuan Shao - he's not even forty and his dignity is already unmatched by ordinary people.

  It has to be said that being born into a noble family is really awesome. Wang Yue, Zhang Xiang and others had to rely on good fortune to receive guidance from famous teachers, while the children of noble families are born with a golden key in their mouths. He naturally asked: "How can one cultivate a heroic spirit?"

  Xu Jue remained silent and did not speak.

  Liu Bian waited for half a day, only to realize that Xu Shao was not being reserved, but rather unwilling to speak. It's also reasonable, among so many officials, how many can be as upright and honest as Yuan Wei and Yuan Shao? Such an important password, Xu Shao would certainly not say.

  "Hmm, cough!" Liu Bian cleared his throat and chuckled twice: "Mr. Xu, please advise, what instructions do you have?"

  "I wish to have an audience with Your Majesty."

  "Look." Liu Bian straightened his back and tried his best to look dignified.

  "I have seen it."

  "What was the result?" Liu Biao held his breath: "How is my life and death, what about the future of the great Han?"

  Xu Jia let out a soft sigh: "Please forgive me for speaking bluntly, Your Majesty."

  Although Liu Bian had been mentally prepared, when he heard this sentence, his heart still skipped a beat. Generally speaking, what followed such a sentence was not good news. He stared straight at Xu Shao, narrowing his eyes, feeling inexplicably uneasy.

  Is it true that I'm just a short-lived tourist in the late Eastern Han dynasty, and after satisfying my cravings, I'll die? Then how can I complete my mission?

  "You are forgiven."

  "Thank you, Your Majesty." Xu Shao bowed again: "Your Majesty has a calamity, it will come soon in three to five months, or later in one to two years, and Your Majesty may have some misfortune."

  Liu Bian was speechless for a long time. When did Liu Bian in history die, several months later? In such a short period of time, can I find the dragon? Old man, you chose a not-so-good person, how could you choose a short-lived ghost. He didn't come back to his senses until after a good while: "Is there a solution?"

  "Be close to virtuous ministers, keep petty people at a distance, remain calm and take no action, cultivate your spirit and guard yourself. Perhaps you can survive this calamity." Xu Shao bowed his hands: "Your Majesty, take care of yourself, I bid farewell!" Without waiting for Liu Bian's response, he slowly took a few steps back, turned around and left hastily, as if fleeing from the plague.

  Liu Bian was so absorbed in his own worries that he didn't notice Xu Zhi's rudeness. By the time he came to, Xu Zhi had long since disappeared from view, leaving only Wang Yue with a similarly unsightly expression before him.

  ……

  "How is it?" Yuan Wei's face wore a smile as he led Xu Shao into his seat.

  "Looking at him, he doesn't seem like a gentleman." Xu Si chuckled and said: "A few words from me would scare him out of his wits, making him lose all composure."

  Yuan Yi burst out laughing and pointed at Xu Shao, saying: "General, you're too modest. Your few words can decide life and death, who can take them lightly?" He thought for a moment, nodded in satisfaction: "Good, with your words, I'm at ease now. You stay in Luoyang for a few days, or..."

  Xu Jie took over: "I will immediately return to Yunnan to hide and avoid the world without going out."

  "It's better this way." Yuan Wei smiled. This way, it will have a mysterious feeling, and the mysterious feeling will increase the credibility of those few broken words. The more mysterious things are, the faster they spread, and he doesn't even need to deliberately publicize them. The news that Emperor Tian was sentenced to life or death by Xu Zhi will spread like wings all over the world, having an immeasurable impact on public opinion, with a power comparable to that of a million soldiers.

  This is the means of a noble family, and it's also the ability of a noble family. How could that butcher's son understand? Thinking of Liu Bian's stupid expression, Yuan Yi secretly laughed to himself.

  Xu Jue lowered his head and listened to Yuan Wei's relaxed laughter, a thread of unease flashed through his eyes.

  ……

  Tang Ying and Princess Wannian arrived together, saw Liu Bian's dejected expression, and couldn't help but feel some surprise. After inquiring about the situation, Tang Ying burst out laughing: "This kind of fame-seeking hypocrite, Your Majesty needn't take his words to heart."

  Liu Bian slowly regained his composure: "Fishing for fame and reputation, where did this come from?"

  "There were originally two people who hosted the Pingyuan Dragon, besides Xu Shi, there was also his cousin Xu Jing. The two were known as the Two Dragons of Pingyuan." Tang Ying said: "Xu Shi and Xu Jing did not get along, so he took advantage of his position as a county official to seize power, forcing Xu Jing to live without a foothold, and could only make a living by grinding and selling for others. This kind of person can't even tolerate their own brother, how can they talk about the air of magnanimity?"

  Liu Bian suddenly realized. Oh, Xu Shao spoke with a straight face, could he have calculated that Yuan Wei would be killed by Dong Zhuo, and that Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu would die so miserably in the end? He said himself that his life was short, how did he not see that he was not the original Liu Bian? From this, it can be seen that he either had ulterior motives or was simply blind.

  Liu Bian's anger grew as he thought more about it, and his face turned red with rage. He carefully recalled Xu Shao's every move, and suddenly understood, couldn't help but laugh at himself: "This rascal, unexpectedly is a master of inducing sleep."

  "Hypnotist?" Tang Ying and Princess Wannian were baffled, while Wang Yue on the side was also stunned.

  "It's a master at misleading people without them even realizing it." Liu Bian shook his head, secretly despising himself. Damn it, I'm a 21st-century elite agent, and yet I was deceived by a charlatan. "From the very beginning, Xu Zuo used his reputation to create an air of mystery, talking about some kind of heroic spirit and great calamity, but did he ever say anything accurate?"

  Wang Yue thought carefully for a moment, as if waking up from a dream: "Yes, he left room for maneuver in every sentence, without saying anything definitive."

  "That's right." Liu Bian, although still not completely at ease in his heart, put on a nonchalant expression: "If I'm not mistaken, it won't be long before rumors start circulating among the common people, and Xu Shao will also keep his mouth shut, refusing to explain, putting on an air of secrecy. If I really die, then he'll have been right, but if nothing happens, he can just say that he spoke prematurely, and I managed to avoid disaster."