Chapter 49: Unification of the World
Liu Xie secretly admired Cao Cao's skillful handling of the situation. First, he scolded and beat Song Jiu to give Liu Xie face, then pleaded for leniency on his behalf, sparing his life. Finally, he revealed Song Jiu's true intentions, demonstrating that Cao Cao's approach was impeccable in dealing with the current emperor.
Liu Xie smiled slightly: "Yesterday, when we entered the city, the people cheered and welcomed us in an orderly manner, showing that General Cao's governance is effective and the capital is prosperous. This morning, the Empress mentioned to me that she wanted to go out of the palace for a stroll. I didn't want to disappoint her, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to disguise myself as a commoner and mingle with the people, enjoying their company. What does General Cao think about this?"
After listening to Liu Xie's words, Cao Cao began to deliberate. If he let Liu Xie out of the palace, he might jump out of his control. If not, it was only the second day of the capital relocation, and he would have provoked the young emperor. In the future, he would be opposed to himself everywhere. Weighing the pros and cons, he decided to fulfill Liu Xie's wish. As long as he controlled well, he wasn't afraid that the cooked duck would fly away. So he hurriedly said: "Your Majesty is concerned about the people's livelihood, which is a blessing for the people. I will go and prepare now!" At this time, the guard who executed Song Jiu returned to report that Song Jiu had fainted. Liu Xie waved his hand: "Drag him away!"
Cao Cao said: "Today Song Jiu is probably unable to attend the emperor, why not let Li Chen take over Song Jiu's duties and accompany the emperor out of the palace?"
Liu Xie glanced at Li Chen, seeing that he was about the same age as himself, with two bright and alert eyes, looking quite clever. He felt a hint of goodwill in his heart, nodded and said: "Alright!"
Cao Cao led Li Chen out to prepare, and it was inevitable that they would exchange a few words. Liu Xie went straight to the empress's palace, where two men were waiting for him, dressed in ordinary clothes. Li Chen was already standing outside the temple, dressed as a household slave, which made his cleverness even more prominent. Behind him stood two burly men with tiger-like backs and waist, horizontal eyebrows and cold eyes, who looked like twins. Liu Xie knew that these were Cao Cao's personal bodyguards assigned to him without Li Chen needing to explain. Seeing Liu Xie looking puzzled, Li Chen quickly said: "Your Majesty, these are the guards who followed us out of the palace, and they are also the best in the imperial guard. One is called Xiao Da, and the other is called Xiao Er, they are twin brothers!"
Two attendants hastily paid their respects, and Emperor Xian helped them up, unable to help but remark: "From now on, how will I be able to tell you two apart!"
