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

Chapter 273, Liu Bei kills Liu Qi

Originally, Liu Bei did nothing wrong, and Liu Qi's poisoning had nothing to do with him.

However, under Guo Jia's skillful manipulation, Liu Bei gradually fell into an abyss.

Liu Qi's eyes widened in shock; he almost fainted on the spot. He never dreamed of this.

Madam Cai continued, "Think carefully about why you and your father both suddenly fell ill so quickly. Who benefits the most from all of this?"

“Your father died and you took over, but after you fell, everything in Jingzhou fell into Liu Bei’s hands. So when you’re gone, won’t Jingzhou completely become Liu Bei’s?”

Whoever benefits the most is the murderer.

Liu Qi, being no fool, easily grasped this simple truth.

Lady Cai was naturally very happy to have the opportunity to pin Liu Biao's death on Liu Bei as well, and this was Guo Jia's brilliance; he wanted to completely smear Liu Bei's name.

He rose to power because of Liu Bei, and he also fell because of Liu Bei!
In order to seize Jingzhou, Liu Bei did not hesitate to poison Liu Biao and his son. Once this is confirmed, Liu Bei will never be able to recover!
"Could my father really have died from poisoning?" Liu Qi was utterly shocked; the news was simply too devastating!
Madam Cai squeezed out a few tears and said, "At first, I didn't want to believe it either, but when I think about your symptoms, you and your father are exactly the same. If it's not a conspiracy, how could there be such a coincidence in the world?"

To convince Liu Qi that it was true, Madam Cai made up another excuse: "I've already had someone check the medicine you drank, and it is indeed quite different from normal medicine."

Liu Qi was struck dumb; he didn't know how to react.

"He...he is the current imperial uncle, a member of the Han imperial family just like me. How could he do such a thing?" Liu Qi murmured, almost collapsing.

Madam Cai let out a cold laugh. "Every man for himself. If you don't believe me, why don't you ask him directly and see how he responds?"

Lady Cai then instructed, "You must not tell Liu Bei that I said these things, otherwise he will not let me off the hook."

After Lady Cai left, Liu Bei came to visit again. He found Liu Qi with a sallow complexion, lying motionless with his eyes closed, and he could not even feel his breath.

Liu Bei looked worried, but couldn't suppress his joy.

Is he about to die?

"Nephew, nephew..."

Liu Bei bent down and called out softly a few times.

After an unknown amount of time, Liu Qi slowly opened his eyes.

His life was slipping away rapidly, and he was on his deathbed. Madam Cai's words were a fatal blow to his spirit and his body.

Liu Qi didn't want to believe it, but as he lay in bed, he thought about it for a long time, and he simply couldn't come up with any strong evidence to convince himself.

Apart from Liu Bei having any motive to harm him, no one else did.

And why is it so difficult for me to go to Xuchang for medical treatment? I asked Liu Bei to write a letter, but it disappeared without a trace.

He tried to contact Xu Du himself, but Liu Bei sent people to stop him.

If it wasn't Liu Bei who was harming him, then who was?

Meanwhile, Guo Jia was also closely watching the matter. Guo Yuan asked him, "Fengxiao, why does Liu Bei insist on preventing Liu Qi from going to Xudu? Wouldn't it be more beneficial for Liu Bei if Liu Qi went to Xudu? Jingzhou cannot be without a master for a day. As long as Liu Qi leaves, Liu Bei can take over the city in a reasonable way."

Guo Yuan was originally a staff member of Yuan Shao, and later followed Yuan Tan. However, after Yuan Tan's death, he went to Ye City and surrendered to Cao Cao.

Because he had a very close relationship with Zhong Yao, he was Zhong Yao's nephew.

This time, he also came to Xiangyang.

Guo Jia shook his head. "To be honest, Liu Bei's performance was actually quite good when Liu Qi was sick and bedridden. He actively helped Liu Qi find someone to treat him. However, as Liu Qi's condition worsened, the ugly side of human nature was gradually exposed."

“Sending Liu Qi to Xuchang is indeed something Liu Bei could do. However, His Majesty’s medical skills are superb, and Liu Bei will inevitably worry. What if Liu Qi’s illness is cured quickly? What if the court continues to appoint Liu Qi as the governor of Jingzhou?”

"Liu Bei dared not gamble. In his view, Liu Qi was already terminally ill and would die soon, which would end everything. At that time, naturally no one would know that he had once prevented Liu Qi from going to Xuchang for medical treatment, which was the most advantageous option for Liu Bei. As long as he allowed Liu Qi to go to Xuchang, many variables would arise."

Guo Yuan nodded repeatedly, "Judging from this, Liu Bei harbored a sliver of hope. He stopped Liu Qi from going to Xuchang because he thought Liu Qi would die soon, which is why he did it."

Guo Jia smiled and said, "That's right. Actually, things are multifaceted. Liu Bei is a good person, but external factors must also be considered. He and Cao Cao have been secretly competing. Cao Cao has already seized Ji Province, Bing Province, and You Province, while Liu Bei still doesn't have a territory that is completely his own. Naturally, he won't be content with that. So when an opportunity arises, Liu Bei will naturally be tempted."

Guo Yuan said, "That's right, Fengxiao is still more accurate in judging people and things."

This time, Guo Jia's clever scheme was because he saw the little bit of selfishness hidden deep in Liu Bei's heart.

Liu Bei did not poison Liu Qi, nor did he originally hope that Liu Qi would die. However, Liu Qi suddenly fell ill, and his condition worsened day by day, which made Liu Bei's selfish desires begin to stir.

"Liu Bei believed he had done nothing wrong and felt no remorse for Liu Qi's death. He didn't even care how Liu Qi fell ill or whether someone had poisoned him."

Liu Bei hadn't done anything, and then Liu Qi died. For him, this was like a windfall, and the temptation was too great.

So when Liu Bei saw the hope of taking over Jingzhou, his mind started to stir.

Throughout the entire process, Liu Bei only did one small thing: he prevented Liu Qi from going to Xuchang.

As long as Liu Qi dies soon, no one will know that Liu Bei once stopped him. But Liu Bei never dreamed that all of this was part of Guo Jia's plan.

Liu Bei thought he was only dealing with Liu Qi, a dying man, but little did he know that he was dealing with the brilliant strategist Guo Jia, a man whose heart was as venomous as Lady Cai, who was willing to obey Guo Jia's orders.

…………

"Uncle... I'd like to speak with you alone for a few minutes."

Liu Qi looked at Liu Bei, barely managing to remain calm.

He still harbored a sliver of hope, wanting to save face for Liu Bei and not wanting to question him in public.

Liu Qi's expression puzzled Liu Bei. He waved his hand, signaling Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to leave, and the servants in the room also left one after another.

Soon, only Liu Bei and Liu Qi remained in the room. Liu Qi was very weak, but his eyes were wide open.

He looked at Liu Bei, just staring at him silently for a long time without saying a word. Liu Bei, always composed and with extraordinary self-control, was puzzled and asked with concern, "Nephew, what's wrong with you today?"

Before Liu Bei arrived, Liu Qi had been resting in bed for a long time, and his speech was much smoother than before, perhaps as a result of a final burst of energy before death. "Uncle, there is something I don't understand, and I hope you can enlighten me."

Liu Qi's performance made Liu Bei inexplicably uneasy.

Liu Bei's voice remained as kind and approachable as ever: "Nephew, your father and I are as close as brothers, and you and I are not strangers either. Speak frankly."

Liu Qi nodded. "May I ask, Imperial Uncle, has there been any reply from Xu Du?"

Liu Bei shook his head and replied, "There is no news yet."

"My uncle wrote a letter but didn't reply. So why did my uncle send someone to steal the letter when I wrote to His Majesty?"

Liu Qi became increasingly agitated, his eyes fixed intently on Liu Bei.

He once regarded Liu Bei as his closest and most trustworthy person, but Liu Bei actually deceived and tricked him.

Liu Bei's heart skipped a beat. He thought to himself, "The letter was stolen. How did he find out?"

Liu Bei naturally wouldn't admit it, shaking his head, "Nephew, it must be a misunderstanding. I had no idea you wrote a letter to Xuchang, how could I possibly send someone to steal it?"

Liu Qi sighed, feeling somewhat desperate. "Uncle, I trusted you so much, but I never imagined that you wouldn't tell me the truth before I die. I'll ask you again, why did you poison me? Why did you poison my father?"

"..."

When this question was raised, even the usually composed Liu Bei was caught off guard.

What's going on? Who poisoned them?

Liu Bei was somewhat bewildered as to how Liu Biao had been dragged into this as well.

“Nephew, what makes you say that? Has someone said something to you? Tell me, and I can confront them face to face.”

Liu Qi shook his head. Now that things had come to this, he naturally wouldn't betray Madam Cai.

“Uncle, everyone in the world knows that His Majesty’s medical skills are superb, but you prevented me from going to Xudu. You even blocked my correspondence with Xudu. You don’t want me to go to Xudu. Because you don’t want His Majesty to cure me. You are afraid that your poisoning will be exposed.”

"You not only poisoned me, but also my father, because my symptoms are exactly the same as his. My father passed away, and although I will take over, it is actually the most advantageous thing for you... Now... I am poisoned and about to die, Imperial Uncle, so you can take over Jingzhou smoothly."

As Liu Qi spoke, he became increasingly agitated. Suddenly, he coughed violently, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

It is true that Liu Qi tried to stop him from going to Xudu, but unexpectedly, the emperor saved him.

However, the poisoning had absolutely nothing to do with Liu Bei; this was a huge injustice.

Liu Bei immediately denied it, saying, "Nephew, someone must be trying to sow discord between us. How could I possibly poison you, let alone your father!"

Liu Bei was starting to panic. Liu Qi was so agitated; if the two continued like this, their conversation might be overheard.

"Uncle, stop lying to me. You prevented me from going to Xudu and didn't want His Majesty to save me. That's irrefutable proof. If you hadn't poisoned me, how could I have become like this? First, you poisoned my father to death, then you pretended to be kind and helped me, and now you've poisoned me again to completely... take over Jingzhou. Uncle, that's the truth, and you can't deny it."

Liu Bei is more wronged than Dou E. He had no idea about the poisoning, so how can he now be blamed for poisoning Liu Biao as well?

Liu Qi had lost control of his emotions. He vomited blood again, which splattered on his chest like snowflakes. Liu Qi's body gradually became emaciated. This was the last madness of a dying man.

Suddenly, Liu Qi gritted his teeth and stared at Liu Bei, "Liu Bei, I will never trust you again... I will expose the truth to the public, and I will tell everyone about how you poisoned my father and me."

Liu Qi even changed his form of address, no longer calling Liu Bei "Imperial Uncle".

Liu Qi struggled to sit up on the bed and opened his mouth to shout outside.

All of this happened so suddenly that Liu Bei was completely unprepared.

Liu Bei only hoped that Liu Qi would die peacefully without causing any trouble, so that he could smoothly take over Jingzhou.

But he never dreamed that Liu Qi would believe that he was the one who had harmed him and Liu Biao.

Once Liu Qi shouts and attracts attention, although Liu Bei can deny the poisoning, there are some things that Liu Bei simply cannot explain.

It is a fact that Liu Bei was prevented from going to Xuchang. There are so many capable people in Jingzhou, so they will definitely suspect Liu Bei. People will wonder, why doesn't Liu Bei let Liu Qi go to Xuchang? Is he guilty?
At that point, it would be difficult for Liu Bei to explain the poisoning incident.

Moreover, if his relationship with Liu Qi were to break down, it would be a fatal blow to the good image that Liu Bei had always maintained in public.

Various thoughts flashed through Liu Bei's mind like lightning. He quickly reacted, stepped forward, and covered Liu Qi's mouth with his hand.

Liu Qi's face turned bright red, and he twisted and struggled desperately. Liu Bei held his hand tightly and did not move. At this moment, Liu Bei's expression was extremely ferocious.

Cao Cao was a ruthless and ambitious man, and so was Liu Bei, so when it came to making a decisive move, Liu Bei would not hesitate.

Everything is developing in the direction that Guo Jia most hoped for.

Regarding Liu Qi's illness, Liu Bei mostly acted as a good person, but Guo Jia cleverly seized upon that slight selfishness and brought it to its fullest extent.

Liu Bei only wanted to stop Liu Qi from going to Xuchang, but he never dreamed that he would become the culprit who killed Liu Qi. He even took the blame for Liu Biao's death.

Now he had no choice but to do it; he had to cover Liu Qi's mouth.

If Liu Qi summons his men and escalates the situation, Liu Bei will be unable to clear his name even if he jumps into the Yellow River.

Liu Qi's body was already very weak. After struggling for a short while, his eyes dimmed and his movements gradually became weak.

But Liu Bei still didn't let go. He held on tightly, his eyes unusually fierce. Clearly, he had already decided to kill him.

This situation is something Liu Bei never dreamed of, but once he lets go, as long as Liu Qi isn't completely dead, it will immediately cause a sensation.

For the sake of his reputation and to secure Jingzhou, Liu Qi must die today!

(End of this chapter)