Volume 1: I Want to Be an Emperor Chapter 15: Blocking the Road

  Liu Xuan stopped his horse, turned back to look at Cao Cao, and then glanced at the five cavalrymen following behind him - Zhang Liao was surrounded in the middle, so he wouldn't run away. He pointed to the opposite manor: "Does Meng De know who the master of this manor is?"

  This place is not far from Luoyang, and no matter how you look at it, the generals in Luoyang should know his background. Cao Cao thought for a moment, then said: "I heard that Cui Lie, the former Minister of Works, retired and lived in seclusion with his brother near Beimang Mountain after leaving office. I think this must be the place!"

  Liu Xuan nodded and didn't say anything, directly riding his horse to the front of the gate. The cavalry had already jumped off their horses and were knocking on the door, shouting for someone to come and open it.

  Sure, here is the translation:

  As expected, it wasn't long before a man opened the gate of the mansion, surrounded by three to five servants, holding lanterns to examine the outside - at this time the sky was already dark, with the moon hanging high in the air, and precisely because of this, the search for the Son of Heaven became even more difficult.

  Logically, at this time, there is no light pollution, the moon and stars are bright in the sky, and it's not that difficult to see things. However, ancient people had limited living standards, especially in terms of nutrition intake, which was often inadequate, leading many people to have night blindness and similar problems.

  Liu Xuan also knew this point until he came to this era, and only then did he know that in ancient times, there were almost no big battles at night, and there was a reason why soldiers could not see things at night.

  Of course, these people around me have no difficulties in eating, dressing and using, nor will they have those problems. At this time, the door opened, and the inside of the door was clearly visible at a glance.

  A man in Chinese attire strode out, glanced at the several soldiers in front of him, then looked at Cao Cao who was fully armed, and finally fixed his gaze on Liu Xuan - he was well-versed in worldly affairs, with a sharp eye, and at a glance, he saw that Liu Xuan was the one in charge. He asked: "You came to visit in the middle of the night, I don't know what you are here for?"

  Liu Xuan remained silent, and the soldier who had knocked on the door said: "This is the King of Liang, come to search for the whereabouts of the Emperor. I don't know if the master of the house has seen him?" He then gave a rough description of the Emperor's appearance, but before he could finish, Liu Xuan noticed that the master of the house was not paying attention to these words. As soon as the soldier finished speaking, he immediately bowed and said: "I am Cui Yi, younger brother of Cui Lie, former Minister of Works. The Emperor is resting in my humble abode, please enter and meet him!"

  As soon as the words came out, everyone let out a sigh of relief. Liu Xuan jumped off his horse and bowed to Cui Yi: "Please lead the way, Master Zhuang." Then he didn't say much on the road and rushed straight to the village.

  As soon as he entered the inner chamber of the Zhuang, he saw Emperor Liu Bian sitting there with a tired face, but trying to stay awake. However, Chenliu King was lying on the couch, his eyes tightly closed, breathing rapidly, and his face was also red and eerie. Liu Xuan took one glance and knew that his third brother, due to his weak body and being frightened, had contracted wind chill.

  It turns out that the original Liu Xie and Liu Bian, although they suffered this disaster, also showed their extraordinary abilities. Unexpectedly, after getting involved, due to various reasons, Chenliu Wang fell ill, and if not treated early, there would be concerns about his life.

  "It's all because of me, so I must use every means to ensure your safety!"

  He strode forward, and the sound of his footsteps startled Liu Bian, who was already on edge after a series of unexpected events. The young emperor thought something else had gone wrong and jumped up, opening his eyes to warily scan the crowd. When he saw that it was Liu Xuan in front of him, his eyes suddenly turned red and tears began to fall.

  "Older brother!"

  Liu Bian had ascended to the throne as emperor, but for several months, he just went through the motions of attending court sessions and did not have any sense of being an emperor. All major and minor matters were decided by General-in-Chief He Jin or his mother Empress Dowager He, so it was impossible to get anything done through him. As a result, he felt that being an emperor was meaningless, not only boring but also more dull than before.

  Although I had few friends in the palace before, I was free to do as I pleased and go wherever I wanted. Now that I've become emperor, I can only sit there stiffly and even thinking about taking a walk is not allowed.

  Now that another unexpected event has occurred, I am extremely grieved in my heart. At a time when I don't know what the future holds, I suddenly see Liu Xuan and feel that I finally have someone to rely on. Overjoyed, I forget even the dignity of an emperor, and tears flow down my face.

  Liu Xuan looked at his second brother and saw that he was genuinely emotional, absolutely not pretending. In his heart, he also sighed: "After all, he is still just a young man!"

  Even if calculated according to his virtual age at that time, Liu Bian was only fourteen years old. A young man encountered such a great change, which is indeed enough to be endured.

  Liu Xuan stepped forward and wiped away Liu Bian's tears: "Let's put aside other matters for now, I'll take a look at Third Brother's situation first!"

  Liu Bian suddenly remembered that he had been kidnapped by Duan Xiao all along, and if it weren't for Liu Xie's calmness as his younger brother, who occasionally reminded him of what to do, even taking him to a haystack in the backyard to rest after they arrived at the villa, he would have suffered more.

  Moreover, due to this turmoil, Liu Xie also fell ill and was anxious in his heart. Upon hearing the words, he hastily said: "Elder brother, quickly take a look at third brother, his body is scorching hot!"

  Liu Xuan nodded, bent down to examine Liu Bei's forehead, and then pressed his wrist to feel the pulse. Just then, Cao Cao and Cui Yi also came forward, and seeing Liu Xuan's actions, Cui Yi asked in surprise: "Does the Prince of Liang know medicine?"

  Cao Cao knew that Liu Xuan understood the mysteries, and people who generally understand the mysteries also have a good understanding of medicine. Therefore, he did not suspect whether Liu Xuan understood medicine or not, but only suggested: "You should return to the palace as soon as possible, where all the medicinal herbs are available, so that Chenliu Wang can recover as soon as possible!"

  Liu Xuan nodded slightly and secretly transmitted a gentle and even energy into Liu Xie's body. His dragon energy was mainly used for protection and warding off evil, and healing injuries and illnesses was not his strong suit. However, Liu Xie was a close relative of the imperial family, and according to history, he had also occupied the throne for several decades, so he should have been blessed with dragon energy. At the same time, Liu Xuan's own dragon energy foundation came from Liu Xie in the first place. Therefore, when this strand of energy entered his body, although it didn't show any external signs, it could ensure that Liu Xie would be fine. He just needed to go back and brew some medicinal soup, take it after a few days of recuperation, and he would recover.

  "Now that both the Emperor and King Chenliu have been found, quickly return to the palace!"

  At this time, we can't afford to give birth to any variables. We should return to the palace as soon as possible. Then, pick up Liu Xie and turn around to ask Cui Yi: "Is there a horse in the village?"

  "There were only a few thin horses!"

  Helpless, he ordered: "Let His Majesty ride the horse, I will carry Chenliu King on another horse!"

  This arrangement was naturally unobjectionable, and everyone immediately came out of the villa. Before they could even set off on their horses, they heard the sound of horseshoes coming from the darkness. Liu Xuan focused his gaze and saw a figure emerging from the darkness, looking around as if searching for something.

  Just as they approached, before the man opposite could open his mouth, Cao Cao shouted: "Who is it?"

  The man opposite, hearing the sound, pulled his horse to a stop and shouted: "I am Men Gong, the Zhongbu of Henan, who has come here after executing the bandits and searching for the Son of Heaven. Who are you?" At this time, he had already seen the general outline of several people opposite him, and seeing that they were fully armed, he knew that he had encountered another group of soldiers who had also come out to search for the Son of Heaven.

  Cao Cao did not respond, but instead said: "The Emperor and both Prince Chenliu and Prince Liang are all here!"

  Min Gong didn't care who the speaker was, hastily dismounted his horse and led it over to pay respects. When he approached closer, he found that everyone was looking up to a young man, and in his heart, he secretly thought: "The Emperor and the King of Chenliu are still young and cannot take charge of affairs, this person is also young, but has already reached the age of wearing a crown, and is at the forefront, could it be that he is the Prince of Liang?"

  Just as he was about to speak, the young man said: "Now that King Chenliu is suffering from a cold, and the Emperor is anxious to return to the palace, let these matters be dispensed with for now. Hurrying back to the imperial city is the most important thing!"

  These words were spoken hastily and somewhat rudely, but when Meng Gong heard them, he felt that although Liang Wang was not very old, his actions were decisive and his reasoning clear, so he couldn't be underestimated.

  They marched with Liu Xuan and others for a while, and halfway through, they met Chunyu Qiong, the Left Military Colonel of the Western Garden, who was leading his troops to search for the Emperor. This Western Garden military colonel saw Liu Xuan as if he were a mouse seeing a cat, and when he found the Emperor, he didn't waste any words, but followed obediently at the back of the team, and ordered his soldiers to guard the left wing. The few cavalrymen led by Cao Cao guarded the right wing, with Liu Xuan leading the way on horseback, the Emperor in the middle, and they hastily returned to Luoyang.

  Halfway, they met Taishi Yang Bi and Situ Wang Yun. These two were both important officials in the court, but seeing the current situation, they didn't dare to say much either. They obediently joined the queue and then returned to Luoyang together.

  However, the two of them couldn't help but take a few more glances at Liu Xuan on the way. Even Taishi Yang Bi was quite curious about this Prince Liang, whose name he had rarely heard before, and whispered to Wang Yun: "This Prince Liang didn't seem particularly remarkable in his early years, but today's performance has many unusual aspects."

  King Yong hastily waved his hand: "Be careful with your words!" However, his eyes were still sizing up Liu Xuan without stopping, and in his heart he was also thinking: "This King Liu Xuan of Liang seems to have some skill, those two Western Garden Army officers originally only obeyed He Jin's orders, but in front of him they didn't dare to be presumptuous at all? And looking at Cao Cao, it seems that he is quite close to King Liu, could it be...

  Thinking of this, he didn't dare to think any further. He felt that if he thought deeper, he might invite disaster. However, even though he didn't dare, a thought still emerged in his mind: "The new emperor has just ascended the throne and is still young, unable to take charge of affairs. Observing his behavior, it's not that of a wise ruler. The situation in the world is chaotic, and only a wise ruler can bring order out of chaos. If this Prince of Liang were to ascend the throne..."

  Thinking of this, I suddenly woke up with a start, and found that my forehead was covered in cold sweat. I looked around cautiously, and seeing no one paying attention to me, I secretly let out a breath and muttered to myself: "I've been too reckless!" From then on, I didn't say another word, but quietly followed the procession as it moved forward. Along the way, many more officials and officers joined the group.

  Just then, a group of soldiers suddenly appeared in front of them, blocking the way and refusing to budge. No one came forward to speak, and the crowd was shocked by this sudden turn of events. Some timid officials nearly fell off their horses. Liu Bian, who had been gradually calming down as more people arrived, turned pale with fright and couldn't even speak. If it weren't for Liu Xuan in front of him, he might have fallen off his horse immediately. Wang Yun, who was standing beside them, shook his head and sighed inwardly.

  Cao Cao, who had been forced to stop, looked around for a while and suddenly said to Liu Xuan in front of him: "These are not the soldiers and horses from the capital!"

  How pitiful...