With Cao Cao by my side, what do I have to fear from the world?

Chapter 241, Someone Attempted to Assassinate Gan Ning

On this day, Zhuge Liang was studying in Longzhong when suddenly an uninvited guest arrived.

"Is Mr. Zhuge here?"

The visitor was very polite, standing outside the thatched hut and greeting them softly.

Hearing the noise, Zhuge Liang curiously came out of the house.

The man who arrived was a soldier, dressed in bright armor, with a sword hanging at his waist, and he was extremely strong.

After Zhuge Liang came out, he was puzzled and asked, "I am Zhuge Liang. May I ask who sent you and what business do you have with me?"

The armored soldier immediately clasped his hands in a respectful gesture and replied, "My name is Wang Kui. I have come from Xuchang with a letter that His Majesty asked me to deliver to you."

"His Majesty?"

Zhuge Liang stared in surprise. He was usually calm and composed, but today he showed a slight look of astonishment.

"Does Your Majesty also know that Zhuge Liang lived in Longzhong?" Zhuge Liang was very surprised.

Just like Liu Bei's expression when Kong Rong sent Taishi Ci to ask Liu Bei for help.

"Could it be that Kong Beihai also knew about Liu Bei of Pingyuan?"

Zhuge Liang took the letter and, filled with curiosity, opened it and read it.

“My dear minister, you need not be surprised. I have some knowledge of divination. Although you are currently living in seclusion in Longzhong and your reputation is not yet known, you will surely become a great talent like Guan Zhong and Yue Yi in the future.”

Zhuge Liang had not been in Longzhong for long. Back then, Cao Cao, seeking revenge for his father, launched an attack on Xuzhou, massacring countless people and causing the Sishui River to be blocked by corpses.

It was around that time that Zhuge Liang's family left Xuzhou. Initially, the family went to Lujiang, where Zhuge Liang lived with his uncle Zhuge Xuan, who had served as the Prefect of Yuzhang for a period of time.

Later, Yuan Shu arranged for someone else to replace the Prefect of Yuzhang, so Zhuge Xuan brought Zhuge Liang and his family to Xiangyang.

Liu Xie did not fight unprepared battles; before sending anyone, he had already learned about Zhuge Liang's situation in advance.

At this time, Zhuge Liang did not yet have the title of "Sleeping Dragon".

When the emperor praised him for becoming a great talent like Guan Zhong and Yue Yi, Zhuge Liang was not particularly proud, because he was always very confident and believed that he could do what Guan Zhong and Yue Yi could do.

Zhuge Liang continued reading, "Although you are exceptionally intelligent and talented, you ultimately lack experience. Jade cannot become a useful object without being carved. I would like to test you so that you can gain experience while studying and learning."

Although he didn't know why the emperor would go to such lengths to test him by writing a letter, Zhuge Liang didn't mind doing so.

Capable people are never afraid of challenges.

The emperor's meticulous examination stirred a strange excitement within Zhuge Liang.

"Pang Tong is known as the crown jewel of the Southern States. Kongming, I have high expectations for your performance. I believe that your reputation will not be inferior to Pang Tong's in the future."

Although Zhuge Liang was steady and composed, he also had a proud and unyielding spirit. Last year, Pang Tong became famous overnight in Jingzhou after a comment from Mr. Shui Jing, becoming the most famous person in Jingzhou.

It's possible that Sima Hui promoted Pang Tong's fame, but Pang Tong's abilities were indeed extraordinary.

Compared to Pang Tong, Zhuge Liang is still relatively unknown, with only a few close friends like Xu Shu, Meng Gongwei, and Shi Guangyuan appreciating his abilities.

Liu Xie mentioned Pang Tong in his letter, which immediately piqued Zhuge Liang's interest.

"What I'd like to discuss with you today is how Liu Biao will handle the Jingzhou situation. To be honest, I've already met with Kuai Yue, the envoy sent by Liu Biao..."

After Wang Kui finished reading the letter, he said, "His Majesty said that I can only return with your reply."

Zhuge Liang smiled and nodded. He found this kind of dialogue across distances quite interesting.

"Then please wait here for a moment, I'll be right back."

Zhuge Liang turned back to his thatched cottage, picked up his pen, and began to write a reply. Soon, the letter was finished.

Wang Kui waited for a while, and then saw Zhuge Liang come out again. He was stunned. This was too fast!

"Take the letter back."

Zhuge Liang eagerly awaited the emperor's reaction upon reading the letter.

"It's finished so quickly?" Wang Kui looked at Zhuge Liang in disbelief.

Zhuge Liang simply smiled faintly.

Wang Kui carefully put the letter away and walked away quickly, as if carrying a sense of mission.

Even a second's delay on the road would feel like a betrayal of His Majesty's orders.

After he left, Zhuge Liang stood there, staring blankly in the direction of Xudu, lost in thought.

After a while, Zhuge Liang muttered to himself, "Longzhong is hundreds of miles away from Xuchang. His Majesty not only knows me, but also predicts that I have great talent. Could his divination skills be so remarkable?"

Zhuge Liang was very knowledgeable about world affairs. As far as he knew, the emperor's accurate prediction that Yuan Shu would declare himself emperor caused a great sensation.

Even the fact that Cao Cao would take a beautiful concubine when he was fighting against Lü Bu was predicted by the emperor.

Zhuge Liang was not averse to such mysterious things, but he never expected that one day the emperor would become interested in him.

Two days later, Liu Xie received a reply from Zhuge Liang while chatting with Xun Yu at the Imperial Secretariat.

Half of the staff in the Ministry of Personnel have been replaced. Xu Yi, Mao Jie, and others have left, and several new faces have joined.

Because Xun Yu and Jia Xu both worked here, Liu Xie gradually came here more often.

The power of the Secretariat was not diminished. Liu Xie was like the chairman of the board, and Xun Yu was like the general manager. Almost everything, big or small, was still handled by the Secretariat.

Liu Xie walked out of the Imperial Secretariat with the letter in his hand, with Zhao Yun following beside him. Zhao Yun was different now than before; he would spend half of his time training soldiers in the barracks every day, and the other half of his time taking turns with Wu Anguo by Liu Xie's side.

Zhao Yun said, “Your Majesty, I have a question. You can consult great talents like Jia Xu and Ju Shou about matters in Jingzhou. Why go to the trouble of sending someone to Xiangyang to consult Zhuge Liang, who is not yet famous?”

Zhao Yun felt it was completely unnecessary, because the emperor was not lacking in talented people.

Liu Xie smiled. "First of all, I must correct you on one point: I can never have too many talented people. Han Xin's troops were always a welcome addition, and for the Han Dynasty to regain its former glory, we also need as many talented people as possible. Besides, isn't it easier for me to recruit Zhuge Liang precisely because he's not yet very famous? As for his young age and lack of fame, and Zilong's concerns about his abilities, there's plenty of time. I will examine him slowly. If he has genuine talent and learning, my tests will naturally not be difficult for him." Liu Xie opened the letter and read it through. He had been reading quickly, but his gaze soon stopped, and he smiled.

Then, he handed the letter to Zhao Yun, who read it over. Soon, Zhao Yun's face turned furious. "Your Majesty," he said, "Zhuge Liang said that Liu Biao would deceive you. He would pretend to dismiss Cai Mao, but in reality, he would not hand over military power to anyone else."

Liu Xie asked, "What do you think of this matter?"

Zhao Yun shook his head, somewhat skeptical, and said, "Your Majesty, does Liu Biao really have the audacity to resort to deception and fool Your Majesty? However, Zhuge Liang also said that Liu Biao will still provide the troops and provisions, but he will not deliver them immediately; he will deliberately delay for some time."

Liu Xie's gaze gradually turned cold. "What Zhuge Liang said in his letter coincides with my own. I had already predicted that in Liu Biao's eyes, Jingzhou was his own Jingzhou, not mine. I asked him to cut off his own flesh and bleed, but he couldn't bear to. This old fellow is really cunning."

The emperor, who was usually gentle and refined, suddenly swore today, which surprised Zhao Yun.

"Then, Your Majesty, how do you think we should respond?"

Liu Xie thought for a moment and said, "I think Jia Xu is better at handling this kind of matter."

Liu Biao is known for his cunning and deceit, so let's give him a taste of his own medicine and use Jia Xu to deal with him.

Liu Xie returned to the Imperial Secretariat and went straight to Jia Xu, handing him Zhuge Liang's reply.

Jia Xu was also somewhat surprised after reading it. He hadn't expected that Zhuge Liang, who was only in his early twenties, could guess Liu Biao's next reaction.

However, Jia Xu nodded in approval, saying, "Your Majesty, just as I expected, Cai Mao has just been flogged a hundred times and needs some time to recover. Therefore, Liu Biao will temporarily suspend his military post at this time to make a show of it for Your Majesty. Once Cai Mao has recovered, the military power will rightfully be his!"

Liu Xie asked, "Then, Wenhe, how do you think I should respond?"

Jia Xu pondered for a moment, then picked up his brush and wrote a few words on the paper.

After reading it, Liu Xie's eyes lit up immediately. "Okay, let's do it that way."

The two men weren't speaking loudly, and Xun Yu and the others kept glancing over. Although they weren't quite sure what they were saying, they couldn't help but feel a chill for Liu Biao.

Liu Xie immediately picked up his pen and wrote a reply to both Gan Ning and Zhuge Liang.

As Zhuge Liang had predicted, Liu Biao quickly dismissed Cai Mao. However, Liu Biao privately comforted Cai's family, saying a lot of nice things.

As for the troops and provisions that Liu Xie requested, Liu Biao also sent someone to reply that he was doing his best to raise them.

Liu Biao played a clever delaying tactic.

I do whatever His Majesty tells me to do, and I agree to it readily, but it has no real effect.

After his first dialogue with the emperor, Zhuge Liang gradually developed expectations while studying.

He had already guessed Liu Biao's response, so how should the emperor retaliate next?

This kind of thing is much more interesting than boring reading. Zhuge Liang was looking forward to the showdown between the emperor and Liu Biao.

Liu Xie's reply arrived quickly, and he did not conceal his upcoming actions in the letter.

He wasn't worried that Zhuge Liang would leak the secret, because leaking the emperor's secrets was a very serious matter.

After reading the reply, Zhuge Liang remained silent for a long time, looked towards Xiangyang, and sighed, "This has really stumped Liu Biao."

As the year draws to a close, Gan Ning is carrying out a major overhaul in Jingzhou. Although he has offended many people, he is still highly regarded by the people.

Some people's land was seized, some people's wives and daughters were bullied... Many injustices were redressed in Gan Ning's case.

That night, while Gan Ning was on patrol, he was suddenly attacked by a group of men in black. Fortunately, Gan Ning was strong and the Jinfan Camp arrived in time. Seeing that the situation was not good, the bandits quickly fled the scene, but Gan Ning was slashed in the left arm.

Cai Mao had been lying in bed for a month, and his injuries had just begun to improve when Liu Biao stormed over to find him.

Upon meeting, Liu Biao abandoned his usual amiable demeanor, his face darkening and his expression extremely stern.

"De Gui, you've gotten yourself into a huge mess."

Cai Mao, who was lying on the headboard, managed to turn to his side and was taken aback. "My lord, what did you say? I don't understand."

Liu Biao stretched out his still trembling hand, pointed at Cai Mao, and loudly questioned, "Even now, you still won't admit it? Why did you send someone to assassinate Gan Ning?"

"What? Assassinate Gan Ning? I didn't!" Cai Mao hurriedly shook his head. "Although I wanted to kill him, otherwise I wouldn't be able to get over this, I really didn't send anyone to kill him."

Cai Mao felt wronged, but Liu Biao clearly did not believe him. "I know Gan Ning hit you and you have been holding a grudge. But you should know that Gan Ning was sent by the court. If the court investigates this matter, neither of us can bear the consequences."

Cai Mao's voice grew louder and louder, "I said no, so it's no. How would I know who tried to assassinate him? Hasn't he offended enough people? Why are you so sure it was me?"

Cai Mao refused to admit it no matter what, which made Liu Biao so angry that his beard stood on end.

He shook his head and led his men to visit Gan Ning. Gan Ning was sitting there with his sword drawn, his left arm wrapped in thick gauze, and there was a lot of blood on the gauze, so he seemed to be seriously injured.

Liu Biao first offered his condolences, then tentatively asked, "Prefect Gan, did you see clearly? Who was responsible?"

Gan Ning shook his head and gritted his teeth, saying, "It was too dark at the time. Those people ran away when they saw that things were not going well. They seemed to be well-trained. They came quickly and ran away quickly. There was nothing unusual about them."

At first glance, Gan Ning seemed to have suffered a loss without being able to capture the person, but Liu Biao still gleaned very important information from it.

Those men were well-trained and must have been soldiers, which led Liu Biao to suspect Cai Mao once again.

Despite Cai Mao's vehement denial, everyone now knows that Cai Mao was beaten by Gan Ning, and he must be resentful and looking for an opportunity to retaliate.

"Don't worry, I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly to find out who did it, and we absolutely cannot let it go like this."

Liu Biao feigned anger to express his stance, then advised, "I still hope that this matter will not alarm His Majesty."

Gan Ning glanced at Liu Biao and said, "I'm not a three-year-old who only knows to ask for help when he's been bullied. This matter must be investigated thoroughly. Someone actually dared to assassinate an official of the imperial court. It seems that Governor Liu's rule is really unstable."

After Liu Biao left, a man named Wang Meng followed Chen Gong in.

"General, are you alright?" Wang Meng asked worriedly, looking at Gan Ning's injured left arm.

Gan Ning glanced at him and burst into laughter, "It's alright, if your slash had been a little off, things might have been different."

Wang Meng said in a simple and honest manner, "I was so worried. Even if you beat me to death next time, I won't do this kind of thing again."

(End of this chapter)