Chapter 1 The Crown Prince

  However, today was destined to be Liu Bei's unlucky day. Just as Liu Bei was discussing with the crowd, according to Liu Fu's request, Emperor Xian of Han's edict arrived.

  "General, an angel has come."

  Chen arrived from outside and walked in, reporting.

  What is called an angel is a messenger of God. Generally, they are high-ranking officials who hold the imperial seal or eunuchs who proclaim the emperor's decrees.

  "What?" Liu Bei and the others were slightly startled, and then Liu Bei's face also changed subtly. Today, his relationship with Emperor Xian could be said to have broken down, and now another imperial edict had come down.

  The situation may be unfavorable.

  "My lord, at present, the situation is such that even if things go well, we can only preserve our lives, and if they go badly, we will lose them. We must remain calm and wait." Sun Qian reminded him on the side.

  "Hmm." Liu Bei nodded slightly, then closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He quickly opened them again, and in the flash of insight, said: "Let's go, come with me to welcome the angel."

  "Yes." Sun Qian, Jian Yong, Mi Zhu, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Chen Dao and the others responded in unison, following Liu Bei as he walked out of the great hall.

  At this moment, in front of the courtyard.

  Chen Guang stood proudly with several armored guards, holding in his hand the highest command under heaven, the imperial edict.

  "Liu Bei pays respects to the eunuch." Although Chen Guang was a eunuch, as the saying goes, "It's better to offend Yama, the King of Hell, than to offend a minor ghost." Even if Liu Bei held the esteemed position of Left General and Imperial Uncle, he didn't dare show too much disrespect towards Chen Guang.

  Guan Yu and Zhang Fei looked down on eunuchs, but in front of the bigger picture, they pretended to ignore it.

  "I have come only to read out the Emperor's decree. General Liu, there is no need for courtesy." Chen Gong said with a smile, his tone was mild and gentle, without any arrogance.

  With a composed expression, he cleared his throat and announced: "Yu Province Governor, Left General Liu Bei receives the edict."

  "I have received the imperial edict." Liu Bei heard this and immediately knelt down on the ground, lifting his robe to receive the edict. The people behind him also knelt down in unison to receive the edict.

  "We have heard that the attendants under the command of General Zuo are quite skilled in management. Specifically appointed as the Wash Horse for the Crown Prince, managing the private treasury of the Crown Prince, hereby ordered." Chen Guang read out the edict to the crowd, it was very simple, just a few sentences.

  Compared with the usual imperial edict which is as long as an old lady's foot binding cloth, this one is really simple.

  But such a simple imperial edict, when heard by Liu Bei and others, was like a thunderclap on a clear day. What is this, openly digging a corner of the wall?

  What kind of person is Mi Zhu? Mi Zhu was a native of Xuzhou, and the Mi family in Xuzhou had great wealth and power, rivaling that of a state. When Liu Bei was in Xuzhou earlier, he relied on Mi Zhu's supplies to establish himself.

  And repeatedly defeated and fought again.

  Apart from these accidents, Mi Zhu also married his sister to Liu Bei as a concubine. Can be considered the core figure of Liu Bei's forces. Moreover, Mi Zhu himself has very strong abilities and is absolutely good at economics.

  Such a loyal and capable aide was actually being targeted by someone, and that someone was the Emperor himself, who had even issued an imperial decree.

  Liu Bei was naturally furious. Mei Zhu was even more nervous, and after hearing Liu Bei's words, he had no good impression of the crown prince Liu Feng at all.

  Now the Emperor has ordered him to do something as a groom for the Crown Prince. Isn't this like jumping into a fire pit? At this moment, Zuo Ci can already understand Zhang Fei's feelings today.

  Following someone like Liu Feng would be better off dying by smashing into something.

  Liu Bei and Jian Yong were the first to react, with Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Chen Dao, Sun Qian, and Jian Yong also showing expressions of shock and outrage.

  Anyway, this small and brief but shocking imperial edict stirred up a great sensation in the forces of Liu Bei.

  "General Zuo, aren't you going to accept the imperial edict?" Chen Guang said very rudely at this time. Today in the hunting grounds, he was also serving on the side.

  Liu Bei's behavior was also seen by him, and the courtesy he showed earlier was entirely due to his humble nature. Now that Liu Bei seems not only to want to refute the Crown Prince's face but also to resist the Emperor's decree.

  Nature didn't give Liu Bei a good face anymore. The words also started to get cold and icy.

  "General Zuo was just delighted and stunned for a moment. After all, General Zuo's subordinates being favored by the emperor is a great blessing. Please calm down, Your Majesty." Sun Gan hastily said from behind.

  What a joke! Today Liu Bei has already offended the Crown Prince for Zhang Fei, and his situation is precarious. If he offends the Emperor again because of this matter...

  The Son of Heaven flew into a rage and issued an imperial edict stripping Liu Bei of his noble status. Or, if he had given Liu Bei a basin of dirty water, the reputation that Liu Bei had accumulated over half his lifetime would have been ruined.

  As for the matter of Miao Zhu, it can still be negotiated.

  "My lord." Sun Qian called out softly to Liu Bei after apologizing to Chen Gong.

  "This gentleman is right, being favored by the emperor is your good fortune." Sun Qian's words were quite pleasing to Chen Guang, who nodded in agreement.

  Liu Bei was also awakened by Sun Qian, his face turned pale, and he knocked his head and said: "I accept the order." Then, he stretched out his hand to receive the imperial edict.

  "Good." Chen Guang called out and handed the imperial edict to Liu Bei, then turned his head to look at the crowd behind Liu Bei and asked: "Who is Mi Zhu?"

  At this moment, Zhuge's face was also pale, but after all, he had experienced great storms. He had been in business and was rich enough to rival a country. He had planned for Liu Bei and was considered a strategist.

  He was also a figure in his own right, so he quickly composed himself and had seen it all before.

  "It's underneath."

  "The instructions have all been read, and General Liu and Master Feng both stood up to speak." Chen Gong was even more courteous than he had been with Liu Bei.

  "Thanks to the angel." After saying this, Liu Bei and others stood up together.

  "On the eve of his departure, Tianzi entrusted him with a message saying that Mr. is a virtuous talent and cannot be treated as an ordinary person. Also heard that Mr. is currently living in the Left General's house, which is quite inconvenient at home. Therefore, a house was found in the north of the city, where Mr.'s family members can live. And Mr. will move into the Crown Prince Palace to manage the private treasury for the Crown Prince."

  Chen Guang smiled and said to Mo Zhu.

  This is Chen Guang's second mention of a private warehouse. The so-called private warehouse refers to Liu Feng's personal little gold vault.

  "This." Liu Bei also had a good capacity to endure, and at this moment he had accepted this reality. He was considering how to get Mi Zhu out of trouble, because in the Han Dynasty there was such a rule.

  Although the Son of Heaven summons him to be an official, he can also choose not to go. At most, it would be to let Zuo Ci resign and return to his hometown in Xuzhou.

  Liu Bei knew that he could not stay in Xuchang forever, and Xu State or even further south, far away from Cao Cao's sphere of influence, was obviously a suitable place to take root.

  So, letting Cao Pi resign and return to Xuchang is quite feasible. However, he did not expect that Emperor Xian had already made arrangements for this matter as well.

  Is this not a disguised form of house arrest and control over Mochizuki?

  By now, Liu Bei had completely understood. Liu Xie was targeting him, and hunting outside the city had offended Crown Prince Liu Feng, which was like stirring up a hornet's nest, and from then on, there would be no more good days to live.