Liu Wei frowned and looked at Tian Kai.
Tian Kai met Liu Wei's cold gaze. At first, he was puzzled, but then he was suddenly shocked. Cold sweat poured down his forehead, and he wished he could swallow back everything he had just said!
It's understandable that Liu Wei would call Liu Bei "Imperial Uncle" in order to win Liu Bei's loyalty and willingness to risk his life for him.
However, Liu Wei naturally felt it was inappropriate and uncomfortable for Liu Bei to flaunt this identity everywhere.
What if Liu Bei starts calling any Tom, Dick, or Harry "brother" in the future? Where would that leave Liu Wei?
It should be noted that Liu Wei did not take Liu Bei's two sworn brothers, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, seriously, and treated them as subordinates on a regular basis.
This shows that Liu Wei would only acknowledge Liu Bei as a generation younger, and no one else could take advantage of this.
Tian Kai, an unknown man, rose from county magistrate to chief clerk of the General of the North's office entirely because of Liu Wei's appreciation of him.
Now that Liu Bei and Tian Kai are on brotherhood, wouldn't that make Liu Bei a generation higher than Liu Wei?
They're practically putting him on a fire to roast!
Liu Bei appeared to be doing it unintentionally, but in reality, he was being cunning and deliberately testing Liu Wei's limits.
If Liu Wei doesn't care about how Liu Bei and Tian Kai address him now, won't Liu Bei get used to it and start calling himself "Imperial Uncle" to everyone, which would make Liu Wei lose his prestige?
Liu Wei naturally couldn't bring himself to say this, as it would be beneath him.
As a lord, one should have a broad mind and a grand vision, and not be bothered by such impolite behavior.
But if the lord doesn't speak, the subordinate must be observant and proactively express his thoughts to the lord; only then can he be a qualified subordinate.
Moreover, as the chief clerk of the General of the North's Office, Tian Kai was Liu Wei's man, and he had just said something wrong.
If I don't take remedial action now, I can forget about working for Liu Wei in the future.
"Military Advisor Liu, from now on we will be colleagues in the General of the North's Mansion, and even more so, subordinates of the Prince of Yunzhong. We should respect the Prince above all else!"
Tian Kai immediately straightened his face, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Liu Wei, and said sternly, "If you address me like that again, don't blame me for turning my back on you."
Liu Bei was taken aback, and immediately realized that Tian Kai had already figured out what was going on.
He looked at Liu Wei, but Liu Wei looked at him with a half-smile.
Oh no, Liu Wei also noticed something was amiss. I should have known better than to try that clever trick.
"My lord, it was my fault, please punish me!"
Liu Bei hurriedly apologized to Liu Wei.
He thought that if he took the initiative to admit his mistake, Liu Wei would raise the issue high and then let it go easily.
But Liu Wei used his words as an excuse:
"I heard you said quite a bit to Governor Liu!"
Liu Bei actively sought to curry favor with Liu Yu, which Liu Yu resented. When he sent an envoy to urge Liu Wei to come to Youzhou, he instructed the envoy to convey a message to Liu Wei:
The imperial uncle you acknowledge may not be recognized by us members of the imperial clan!
If it weren't for your sake, I would have given him a cold shoulder long ago!
After delivering the message, Liu Yu learned that Liu Wei had entered Zhuojun. He then summoned Liu Bei back and ordered him to come ten miles away to welcome Liu Wei. In fact, he also wanted Liu Wei to personally give Liu Bei a good talking-to.
You should manage your own subordinates; others shouldn't interfere.
Although the imperial family and clansmen had emerged as a new force in the Han court at the year-end grand court assembly, they were able to check and balance the power of the imperial relatives and eunuchs.
However, you can't just acknowledge anyone!
You may have had your own considerations when you recognized Liu Bei as your imperial uncle, but the imperial clan may not have agreed, especially Liu Yu, the Minister of the Imperial Clan.
Therefore, it's best to keep this matter to yourself.
But Liu Bei flaunted his status as the Imperial Uncle everywhere, trying to glorify himself without any sense of modesty.
This is not good!
Liu Wei was wondering where to begin, to give Liu Bei a warning and test his obedience.
Now things have gotten complicated. He and Tian Kai are on friendly terms, and Tian Kai realized something was wrong. He then spoke up to reprimand Liu Wei, giving Liu Wei an opening!
"Since you've taken the initiative to ask for punishment, wouldn't it be disappointing if I refused?"
"Then punish Liu Bei with thirty strokes of the military rod!"
"Zhang Yide, you will carry out the order."
What!
"If I don't want to fight, why should I be the one to fight?"
Zhang Fei immediately widened his eyes, looking unwilling, "Brother, you only said a few words, and you're already wrong?"
Although Zhang Fei complained, he was still somewhat afraid of Liu Wei.
After all, when he fought Liu Wei in Pingyuan County, he was always at a disadvantage.
Although Liu Wei's actions involved some cleverness, Zhang Fei felt that Liu Wei was not only incredibly skilled but also had many wicked ideas. He knew that if he clashed with Liu Wei, he would suffer a setback.
We should avoid provoking others if possible, and just listen to our elder brother.
But now, Liu Wei actually wants him to beat Liu Bei's army with sticks. What's going on here?
After those thirty strokes of the cane, Liu Bei's buttocks would definitely be swollen for ten days or half a month.
Now that Liu Wei's army has arrived in Youzhou and is about to go to war, it is the perfect opportunity to make a name for oneself.
If your buttocks are swollen and raw and you can't ride a horse, how can you go into battle and fight the enemy?
Besides, he was his sworn brother; a light beating wouldn't do, and a heavy beating would be even worse.
Zhang Fei would definitely not agree!
Guan Yu remained silent, his slightly narrowed phoenix eyes scrutinizing Liu Wei. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, revealing a sharp glint in them!
Long before Liu Bei met Liu Yu in Fanyang, Guan Yu had advised Liu Bei not to constantly refer to himself as "Imperial Uncle," as not everyone would listen to him.
However, Liu Bei believed that this would enhance the reputation of the three brothers and ignored Guan Yu's advice.
This must mean that Liu Yu said something to Liu Wei, and that sending them to welcome Liu Wei also had other hidden meanings.
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