Chapter 374 In What Identity

If this letter was only written by Liu Yang, Liu Bei would have simply burned it.

Anyway, everyone knew that Liu Yang only gave him the belt under the pretext of an annual gift for the fifth year of Jian'an. Since it was just a belt, there was no need to ask for help.

Liu Bei knew very well what his current situation was.

If he can adapt to the current situation and do his job well, he may be re-employed one day.

Although the relationship between Qiao Yan and Liu Yu was not as harmonious as reported by the court in Yecheng, Qiao Yan's power completely suppressed Liu Yu. However, she had no intention of rebelling, so at best she was just regent of Huo Guang, and she would return to the court one day.

But if he rashly got involved in the fight in Chang'an City, everything would be unpredictable.

Even Liu Yu was clearly skeptical about whether Liu Yang could inherit the throne, so Liu Bei should not let himself get bogged down in this quagmire.

But this letter was different.

Judging from the few exchanges between Liu Bei and Liu Yang, with Liu Yang's temperament and literary skills, he could not have written such a letter.

What would happen if Liu Yang wrote this letter?

He would probably take this accusation seriously, and use an extremely arrogant tone to try to win over Liu Bei to his own advantage. If necessary, he would also mention Zhang Fei's death in the letter in an attempt to arouse hatred in Liu Bei's heart.

However, the words written on the blood letter presented in front of Liu Bei were clearly a combination of Liu Yu's perspective and tone and Liu Yang's request.

In the previous chapter, it was mentioned that Qiao Yan rescued them father and son from Youzhou several years ago, and when he used the position of Grand Marshal to quell the unrest in all directions, there was a bit of plain appreciation and gratitude in every word and sentence.

This really sounds like something Liu Yu would say.

If he had no gratitude towards Qiao Yan and was an emperor who acted decisively and swiftly, he should have chosen to use his identity to seize power long ago. He would not have looked as miserable and haggard as Liu Bei saw.

And then he mentioned that his health had been getting worse recently, and he couldn't help but think about what would happen to his descendants or the Han Dynasty after his death.

Qiao Yan was worthy of the Han people, but she was very likely to have rebellious thoughts. This was a fact that could not be changed by her coming to the court to apologize earlier.

If her actions are not curbed, the Han Dynasty is likely to be destroyed.

But Liu Yu himself was supported by Qiao Yan to ascend to the throne, and the Chang'an court was re-established with the help of Qiao Yan. Even though Qiao Yan was now in Luoyang and did not stay in Chang'an for long, and could threaten and bully the emperor at any time, Liu Yu was not sure how many people he could truly trust around him.

There are only two kinds of people he can trust.

One possibility is that they were his direct subordinates who came to Liangzhou with him from Youzhou, and his own biological children, so this letter was written by Liu Yang on his behalf.

The other type was those relatives of the Han Dynasty who truly had the ambition to serve the country, such as Liu Bei. Therefore, this secret letter written in blood was delivered to Liu Bei by being clipped in his belt.

If even these two types of people were unwilling to help him and assist him in his desperate counterattack when he had finally made up his mind to capture Qiao Yan, then he would probably be very close to death.

How many days can this great man's kingdom survive?

As Qiao Yan Ling Zhong Changtong said in Changyan, there is no one in the world who is destined to succeed. It is just a battle of force and wisdom. If we use this standard, there are very few people who can compete with Qiao Yan.

Yuan Benchu ​​was "golden on the outside but jade on the outside", Cao Mengde "escorted him for ten miles", Liu Jingsheng and Shi Weiyan sent a general and an elephant respectively, and Liu Bei, who received this letter, had already become a prisoner, so there is no need to say more.

"Once Luoyang had accumulated sufficient resources, it raised an army and attacked Yecheng with overwhelming force. In the name of the emperor of Chang'an, it killed the King of Hongnong for treason. It slowly returned to the army and threatened the Purple Palace with its sword. Even if Bai Qi and Han Xin were alive, they would not be able to resist its power..."

Liu Bei looked at these two lines of words, and the hesitation and confusion in his heart could not be described in words.

During the Luoyang Rebellion, Qiao Yan was the first to rush into the capital, carrying with him the imperial edict from Emperor Ling of Han.

There weren't many people doing practical work among the allied forces back then, which made her seem like a lone minister of the Han Dynasty.

Today, he suddenly received a letter of condemnation spoken in the voice of the emperor, which made Liu Bei stunned.

Jian Yong, who Liu Bei had sent someone to look for before he took off his belt, had already arrived in front of him. After hearing what Liu Bei said, he asked, "If this is true, what are you going to do?"

Does he really want to accept Liu Yu or Liu Yang's invitation and join the ranks that intends to kill Qiao Yan?

Liu Bei is obviously not Bai Qi or Han Xin.

Compared to a general who commands troops, he is actually more like a senior official who is in charge of local affairs.

If he really wanted to compete with Qiao Yan in military affairs, the battle situation in Xuzhou could have been used as evidence long ago.

He is really no match for Qiao Yan.

So what is the guarantee that after he has lost the troops that obey his orders, he will be able to show his skills in Chang'an and turn defeat into victory?

Moreover, although this letter does not seem to be something that Liu Yang can produce, and it seems that Liu Yu asked his son to write it, it is not stamped with the imperial seal. So in essence, it is still a private document, not an invitation for cooperation with the effect of an imperial edict.

Because of this, if Liu Bei wanted to turn a blind eye to it, there would actually be no problem at all.

But when Jian Yong looked towards Liu Bei, he saw a troubled yet determined look on his face.

The twenty years of acquaintance from their youth to the present were enough for Jian Yong to easily make a judgment about Liu Bei's thoughts.

It was obvious that he was not in a state of turning a blind eye to the letter.

Liu Bei had actually already given his inclination as to whether to view it as a bait to trap him or as a last resort for the Han Dynasty to save itself.

Liu Bei sighed and said, "Xianhe, how much truth is there in this letter? I want to wait until I see the person who wrote it in person before I can tell."

Liu Yang was also clear about what kind of help Liu Bei could provide at this time.

There was nothing else but his own mind and the three or two people around him.

From Liu Bei's perspective, even he himself knew how much deterrent power this relative of the Han royal family could have.

There are more people in Chang'an who recognize Qiao Yan than those who recognize the surname Liu.

Perhaps, if the emperor was not a benevolent monarch like Liu Yu who cared about the people, but a person like Liu Bian who did not have much ability, Liu Bei would not have hesitated to make such a decision at this time.

After answering Jian Yong, Liu Bei turned his gaze to the end of the letter.

This "cry for help", or "request for assistance" letter, did not require Liu Bei to immediately rely on his own abilities to gather a group of people to rise up in rebellion after receiving the letter, or to find an opportunity to escape from Chang'an, like he was able to occupy a corner of Yuzhou as a base under Yuan Shu's territory in the past, and then find a foothold in the Nine Provinces occupied by Qiao Yan, and then serve as external aid to Chang'an. It also did not say that Liu Bei should surrender to Qiao Yan and make any assassination attempt on her.

What was written in the letter was simply that after he received the letter and made a decision, he should take advantage of the time when the Three Dukes' Mansion was discussing government affairs to accept Wang Yun's invitation, and then meet Liu Yang in the Situ Mansion.

This method is actually still somewhat unsafe, but it is much better than going to the palace to see the sick Liu Yu, as it is easier to be arrested on the pretext of murdering His Majesty. It is also more unlikely to be directly dragged into the alliance's chariot than directly contacting Liu Yang.

Although there were some conflicts between Wang Yun and Qiao Yan, and even during the post-war negotiation of the generals' posts in Youzhou, there was some intensification of the conflicts, which led to Qiao Yan reprimanding Wang Yun in court, his position as one of the Three Dukes would not be replaced in a hurry, and at least he could still preside over the government affairs in Chang'an smoothly.

Liu Bei's participation in this matter could only be considered ordinary.

Well, it would be okay to meet the person first regarding this blood letter, right?

The arrival of the fifth year of Jian'an brought with it a host of complicated affairs in Guanzhong.

The transfer of Xun Yu, Chen Qun and Wei Ji to Luoyang inevitably left Guanzhong with a shortage of available manpower.

On the seventh day of the first lunar month, Qiao Yan temporarily transferred Qin Yu from Chang'an to Luoyang to provide simple training to officials in Luoyang to help them cope with the population explosion.

There is another reason for this transfer order.

Xu Shu, who had lived in Yizhou for a long time, had to return to Luoyang to report to Qiao Yan about the war situation in Yizhou's southern barbarians and the various situations in the governance of Shu. He also had the opportunity to reunite with his mother in Luoyang for two days.

Without these people in Chang'an, the burden on Wang Yun, Huang Wan and others became heavier.

Also, because the emperor was ill, most matters needed to be negotiated with the Three Dukes first, and the meeting place was set at Wang Yun’s residence, and there were two meetings within seven days alone.

Liu Bei hid the blood letter in his bedding, sewed the untied silk thread on the belt back together, and then waited for the most suitable time for him to visit.

What he had seen and heard over the years, and the various wars he had experienced, enabled him to remain calm when he stepped into Situ's Mansion and happened to meet Cheng Yu, who was also there to discuss matters, as if he was just there to take part in the discussion.

The reception of the Han royal family and foreign relatives after the New Year was the responsibility of the Zong Zheng. As the head of the internal affairs department, Liu Bei did have corresponding written reports. It was impossible to tell that he came here because of a special blood letter.

But after he sat down, he began to pay attention to every detail in front of him.

Since he wanted to meet with Wang Yun and try not to arouse suspicion from others, it was impossible for Wang Yun to find out the mistakes in his documents and keep him alone to talk. The only possibility was that he took advantage of the opportunity to talk to him.

Liu Bei turned the ink pen in front of him and found that there were barely visible traces of engraving on the pen.

He touched it with his hand without changing his expression, trying to make out the four words "井匽一会" engraved on it.

This was said in a polite manner, but what it actually meant was that he should go to the toilet in Situ Mansion to see it.

When the meeting came to the topic of farming and cultivating the land, Liu Bei took advantage of the fact that no one's eyes would be on him, carefully left the hall, found the servant waiting at the door, asked for the direction of the toilet, and hurried over.

Although he walked quickly, he did not show any impatience. If anyone saw him, they would at most think that he walked a little hurriedly because it was winter and cold.

But when he stepped into this sheltered place, he saw Liu Yang who had arrived here earlier.

Liu Bei didn't know how this prince came to Wang Yun's residence, nor did he need to know.

After the two men made eye contact, the Han prince rushed to Liu Bei, with a hint of nervousness and expectation in his eyes that was not difficult to discern, and he even grabbed Liu Bei's hand. "Xuan De is willing to come here, so the letter between me and my father was not written in vain."

Liu Bei's eyes subconsciously swept over Liu Yang's hands, and he did not find any traces of injury on his hands, only the state of being pampered in the past few years.

But before Liu Bei could judge whether Liu Yang was insincere when he wrote the blood letter, he saw the other party took out a jade pendant from his sleeve and presented it to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei was stunned.

He had seen this jade before.

On...teacher Lu Zhi.

Now, the jade pendant appeared in Liu Yang's hand, and he held it carefully. "Xuan De, there are very few people who are still loyal to the Han royal family. If Lord Lu had not promised that you would still be a Han minister and have the heart to save the world and the people, Situ Wang and I would never dare to entrust such an important task to you."

"There are tens of thousands of Liu family members in the world. Even the son of Jingzhou Mu Liu Jingsheng, who is the Minister of the Imperial Household, did not dare to challenge Qiao Yeshu when we tried to test him. Who knows how many of them still have Han in their hearts, not just a bright future."

"If you regret it now, we will pretend that we have never seen you. You are just attending the meeting today, but I hope Xuande can help my father because he is not a mediocre ruler!"

Countless thoughts flashed through Liu Bei's mind in an instant.

During the time he was imprisoned as an official in Chang'an City, he was unable to establish any secret contact with Lu Zhi. He only knew that the other party was teaching at Leping Academy at the moment.

In the place that could be regarded as Qiao Yan's base camp, if Lu Zhi didn't want to hand over the jade pendant, no one could force him to do it. It seemed that as a prince, Liu Yang shouldn't do anything petty theft.

First there was the blood letter written in Liu Yu's tone, then there was the signal sent by Lu Zhi with the jade pendant, and then there was the Leping Monthly Newsletter, which he happened to see before the meeting, which praised Zhong Changtong's "Changyan" and his debate at Dingzhongguan with extremely high praises...

Liu Bei hesitated until the end, but finally reached out and took the jade pendant in front of him.

He didn't know whether he had made a hasty decision, but he was very clear about one thing: in the face of Qiao Yan's habitual torrential attacks, any hesitation would most likely bring him disastrous disaster.

Instead of that, it would be better——

Be decisive!

Seeing Liu Bei's move, Liu Yang was immediately delighted.

Wang Yun did not lie to him. According to this whole process, even if Liu Bei did not stand on his side because of him, but just because of the precarious Han Dynasty, he would definitely stand on his side!

Apart from the fact that the meeting place was a bit terrible, Liu Yang was very happy to have such a gain today.

Now, we are just waiting for an opportunity to restrict our father's actions and at the same time set a trap for Qiao Yan!

Liu Yang and Liu Bei, who were in Chang'an, completed such a humiliating and tortuous meeting with the assistance of Wang Yun. Qiao Yan, who was in Luoyang, also welcomed a visitor at this time.

However, it would not be quite appropriate to say that this was a guest. Soon after Qiao Yan responded to allow the other party to enter, she saw through the window that Xun Wenruo, who was well-dressed and had an extraordinary demeanor, was led by his subordinates through the winding corridor in front of the hall and was heading towards where Qiao Yan was.

There is no beautiful scenery in the pool in front of the hall in winter. The drought has reduced the water level here to a thin layer. At most, the biting east wind will add some moisture and frost. However, it also makes Xun Yu appear a little detached from the world while walking through it.

When he sat opposite Qiao Yan, the tea on the table was just boiling.

The hot air and the cold air collided in the air for a moment, causing each other's faces to appear in the mist.

The next moment, Qiao Yan heard Xun Yu ask, "Have you made up your mind, my lord?"

She took down the teapot slowly and asked, "What identity does Wen Ruo use to ask this question? An attendant of the Secretariat, the magistrate of Luoyang who assists me in governing Luoyang, a descendant of the Xun family of Yingchuan, a citizen of the Han Dynasty, or..."

"Or are you one of the people of this world?"