Chapter Twenty-Two Tension

  So-called successful people generally have one thing in common, that is, no matter what they do, their goals are extremely clear, and they clearly know the relationship between each step of effort and their goals. Only by doing so can a person's limited talent be brought out and fully invested in the goals they pursue.

  Li Zhe was the same, Liu Bei and his two companions knew nothing about Li Zhe, but Li Zhe was all too familiar with them, familiar to the point of being clear about their hobbies, habits, and aspirations. In this way, when interacting with the three of them, how could he not make them feel like they were basking in a warm spring breeze? Even if Li Zhe's abilities were average, the large amount of homework he had done beforehand for this meeting would not be wasted.

  What is meant by "foreknowledge" is simply that if you know beforehand, you can be prepared; otherwise, you will be abandoned.

  At the city gate, Li Zhe and San Ying chatted happily, arm in arm, as they returned.

  They didn't start discussing official business until they arrived at the city governor's office.

  "Xian De (as mentioned earlier, Li Zhe's courtesy name) is indeed a young hero! At such a young age, he can already bring life to one side and bestow favors on another land. It makes us old veterans who have been muddling along for many years feel even more that our youthful days are gone!" Liu Bei had a very good impression of Li Zhe, thinking that he was a young talent worth cultivating. In his heart, he thought that it was a blessing from heaven that this young man from a humble background would receive special treatment from him, and that he should quickly come to surrender.

  Li Zhe humbly said: "Oh no, oh no! I'm just a junior who has benefited from the legacy of my predecessors. How can I compare to the great reputation that several heroes have established through their own efforts?"

  Liu Bei and his two companions also exchanged a few pleasantries, chatting for a while.

  Then Li Zhe asked: "Duke Zhongyong, I heard that when you were in Xudu, you received the current emperor's edict to punish the rebels and ordered all heroes in the world to work together to eliminate the evil. Is this true?"

  "Of course it's true, my elder brother met the Emperor in Xudu and continued our family tree, being considered the Emperor's uncle. In secret, he was given an imperial edict to command the heroes of the world to attack Xudu. This is something that all the heroes of the world know." Zhang Fei hastily added, as if it were a matter of course.

  What he said, in modern terms, is called unconvincing evidence. He revered Liu Bei as a god and unconditionally believed and supported whatever Liu Bei said, so naturally his words were not persuasive.

  However, Li Zhe was just waiting for him to say that, and hastily took the opportunity to continue the conversation, "Since that's the case, I, a humble subject, dare to ask if I can take a look at the Emperor's edict against the rebels?"

  "What?" Zhang Fei was somewhat displeased. The conversation had reached this point, and yet you still refused to give in, insisting on seeing the imperial edict. Don't you trust us brothers? Third Brother's temper was volatile, and if it weren't for his extremely good impression of Li Zhe earlier, he would have taken action by now.

  Guan Yu was also beside him with an unchanged expression. However, this person had a gloomy temperament and disliked speaking much, only constantly stroking his three-foot-long beard beside him.

  But Liu Bei stopped Zhang Fei:

  "Third brother, don't talk nonsense. Xian De is now the head of the household with tens of thousands of people under him, so it's only natural that he is cautious in his actions. The three of us are loyal to the imperial court with all our hearts, and there's nothing we can't say openly. What's the harm in letting others take a look at the imperial edict?"

  Zhang Fei was taken aback, but ultimately could not outdo Liu Bei. He turned around and went back to the rear hall to fetch the imperial edict.

  The atmosphere in the hall was somewhat unpleasant. Li Zhe had already anticipated this situation, as people at the end of the Han Dynasty were extremely hot-blooded and would readily draw their swords to fight to the death to defend their reputation, not even allowing for suspicion. Li Zhe's actions had already offended three people's taboos.

  If it weren't for those words in front of the city gate, Li Zhe might have been killed by now. But precisely because of Li Zhe's words, the three men had a subtle feeling that they considered Li Zhe to be someone who understood them, and were unwilling to engage in a bloody battle. This was the effect of Li Zhe's carefully prepared words, everything is so subtle and obscure.

  Zhang Fei stormed out of the hall with a huff, took out a small package and handed it directly to Liu Bei, then turned around and went to the corner by himself, no longer speaking.

  Liu Bei held the package, placed it on the table, and carefully opened it step by step. His face showed inexplicable excitement, as if recalling the scene when he met the emperor that day.

  Finally, the small package was completely opened, and it turned out to be a piece of brocade, with a black background and red surface, the characters were clear and distinct, it was indeed the famous "Edict of the Imperial Seal"!

  Li Zhe stepped forward, pretending to examine it carefully, and after a while, he looked up with a somewhat embarrassed expression.

  "Lord Guan, can you give me a quiet room, so I can carefully observe it?"

  With a loud "pa", as soon as Li Zhe said this, everyone's reaction was huge. This kid really is overstepping his bounds! Zhang Fei almost fell to the ground, while Guan Yu opened his eyes wide with a stern expression. On the other hand, Liu Bei seemed completely nonchalant, since it's already been taken out, what's the point of worrying about so much? However, Li Zhe's actions have already offended the three heroes.

  Li Zhe entered the small ear room arranged by Liu Bei, carefully closed the door, and instantly changed his actions as if he had become a different person. He quickly threw down the third time-space dot he had prepared in advance, grabbed the small package, and swooshed back to modern times.

  One appeared in the room and immediately opened the door and rushed into the hall, saying to a group of fake experts who were already prepared:

  "Hurry! Hurry! Five minutes is all we have, not a second more."

  Before he could finish speaking, a group of experts who had been waiting like wolves and tigers immediately pounced on the package, snatching it away and opening it quickly. People around him took out various tools, taking pictures, filming, and using all sorts of ray-testing instruments to test the material composition of the imperial edict. All kinds of strange and bizarre tools that Li Zhe had never heard of were used, and for a time the living room was in an uproar, like a pot of porridge bubbling over with activity.

  Li Zhe stood by, wiping his sweat with a handkerchief from time to time, watching this group of people working vigorously, and sighed on the side, indeed, there is a specialized profession!

  Time passed minute by minute, and everyone was sweating profusely. Someone on the side kept wiping away, fearing that a drop of sweat would fall onto the imperial edict and leave a mark. But as they looked on, the excitement grew - these words, this content, were carefully considered... This was clearly... the legendary "Edict of the Belt"!

  A surge of pride had unknowingly taken control of the crowd, causing everyone to almost enter a state of frenzy, doing things frantically.

  Soon, someone looked at their watch and said: "Time's up!"

  Li Zheyi was taken aback, then reacted and snatched the thing back from a group of people without saying a word, completely disregarding the angry stares from the crowd.

  "Alright! Next, you all start doing it! I'll go exchange this thing back, six hours later, I'll come back to take the finished product. I have something to say first, everyone pay attention, if things go wrong, then everyone's life will be in danger!"

  After finishing speaking, he gave a wink and threw it to Liao Yun Kai beside him, and got up and left.