Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, two powerful figures at the end of the Han Dynasty.

Before he became the dominant force in the region, he was one of the Eight Colonels of the Western Garden established by Emperor Ling of Han.

They should be in Luoyang right now, so why are they here at Yanmen Pass?

Liu Wei had a sudden thought, but he didn't express his opinion, wanting to see what the two of them were planning to do.

"Sorry, I've never heard of either of you?" Li Mao asked, completely bewildered.

He spent most of his time at the border, so he naturally didn't have much contact with officials in the capital.

However, the imposing presence of Yuan Shao and Cao Cao instilled some fear in Li Mao, but he said:

"So what if you're from the capital? This is Yanmen Pass, my territory, my rules!"

“A powerful figure in the capital wants to kill this group of people.”

"I'm going to take their heads, and even the Heavenly King himself can't stop me, I said it!"

When he thought about how He Chang had told him that Liu Wei and his group had offended the current empress, what was there to be afraid of?

Even if these two are some kind of Western Garden Commandant from Luoyang, do they think they are more powerful than the Empress?

Therefore, Li Mao spoke with great arrogance and confidence.

His men also surrounded him closely.

They surrounded Yuan Shao and Cao Cao's men, along with Liu Wei's group, making it impossible for them to pass through.

Yuan Shao and Cao Cao exchanged a glance, then Yuan Shao stepped forward and smiled contemptuously:

"So you are Li Mao, the deputy general of Yanmen Pass, whom He Chang secretly sought out to assassinate the Marquis?"

"That's right... What? You're talking nonsense!"

Seeing that he had been recognized again, Li Mao simply stopped pretending and grinned maliciously, "What He Chang, what Marquis!"

"You two know quite a lot; you can't be allowed to live."

"Brothers, move out! Kill them all!"

Upon hearing Li Mao's order, nearly a hundred of his men, full of vigor, prepared to attack.

"You've got some nerve! What kind of benefits did He Chang promise you that you'd not only kill the current prince, but also two of His Majesty's Western Garden Commandants? Your crimes are unforgivable!"

Yuan Shao suddenly drew his long sword and stabbed Li Mao.

Caught off guard, Li Mao was stabbed to the ground by Yuan Shao's sword.

His dream of promotion and advancement was shattered!

The people Li Mao brought were immediately dumbfounded.

These two are really too ruthless. Li Mao is a deputy general, how could they just kill him like that?

They were filled with doubt and hesitation, wondering whether to go forward.

"I believe you have been deceived by Li Mao. If you quickly drop your weapons and leave, I will spare your lives."

But Cao Cao stood proudly with his long sword in hand, glaring and shouting at the men Li Mao had brought.

With Li Mao dead, they lost their leader and, seeing Cao Cao's overbearing aura, ultimately yielded.

They dropped their weapons and scattered in all directions.

Since everyone was wearing masks, they weren't afraid of being recognized.

The men brought by Yuan Shao and Cao Cao threw Li Mao's body off the cliff.

"My lord, we are late and have frightened you!"

Immediately afterwards, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao came over and bowed to Liu Wei.

"Generals, you are not in Luoyang, but have brought men to Yanmen Pass. Are you here specifically to help me out of this predicament?"

Liu Wei sized up Yuan Shao and Cao Cao.

At this moment, they were full of passion, loyal to their country, and full of heroic spirit; they were still young dragon slayers!

Yuan Shao hesitated for a moment, but Cao Cao spoke first:

"My lord, to be honest, we were initially sent by He Jin to hunt down your party."

"Oh?" Liu Wei looked at them with a half-smile. "Then why have you saved me now?"

"Or perhaps, you're now preparing to make your move against me!"

Upon hearing Liu Wei's words, Guo Luo and the others immediately tensed up again.

"You jest, my lord!"

Cao Cao said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "He Jin knew perfectly well that we were the Western Garden Guards, His Majesty's men, yet he still secretly approached the two of us, attempting to bribe and kill you, my lord."

"This is clearly an attempt to put us in an unjust position."

"We have been deeply indebted to His Majesty for generations, how could we possibly lay a hand on you, Prince?"

"Therefore, we pretended to agree and secretly reported to His Majesty, who then ordered us to follow him all the way from Luoyang and wait for an opportunity to protect him."

"We happened to run into He Chang's trusted confidant in Yuanping. Li Mao, who had been forced to reveal his identity at Yanmen Pass, had also been bribed and was planning to assassinate the Marquis on the way."

Yuan Shao continued, "So we chased after them without stopping, and just then we saw Li Mao attacking the Marquis and his party."

"Therefore I rushed here, and thankfully the Marquis is unharmed."

"Now that we're back, we can report back to His Majesty!"

Liu Wei asked curiously, "So, Your Majesty is also aware of my exile to the frontier?"

"Was this imperial edict that demoted me to Marquis of Yinshan and exiled me to Wuyuan personally drafted by him?"

Yuan Shao said, "My lord, there is much discussion in the court about your demotion."

"Some ministers advised His Majesty to rescind his decree, but His Majesty refused to listen to their advice."

"I think His Majesty must have been misled by Empress He and Empress Dowager Dong, which is why he is so confused."

Liu Wei said, "I also guessed that Empress He had framed me."

"But why does Empress Dowager Dong also dislike me?"

When Liu Wei mentioned Empress Dowager Dong, Diao Chan, who was standing next to Xiao Gui Zi, had a complicated expression on her face.

"My lord, these are just our ramblings; please don't believe them entirely."

Cao Cao was surprised that Yuan Shao would bring up the current emperor, so he quickly changed the subject, "Now that you are safe and sound, we will escort you out of Yanmen Pass and then report back!"

Liu Hongming knew he had been framed by Empress He, but he still issued an imperial edict to demote Liu Wei to the frontier to die.

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!