Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 81 True Big Man Succubus

Inside the Handan City Government Office, the charcoal basin burned red, keeping the winter chill out of the carved wooden windows.

Liu Bian, wearing a red brocade robe with a coiled dragon pattern, sat upright at the desk with a slightly frowned brow. His slender fingers gently stroked every mountain, river, terrain and pass on the Qingzhou map. Next to the map was a memorial with red seal that was ready to be returned to the Secretariat. The cold and humid climate of the snowy day caused the ink on the memorial to never dry out, leaving some irregular marks.

Not long after, Cao Cao walked out of the door, shook off the snowflakes on his cloak, handed his sword to the guard of the Prince's Mansion standing at the door, and slowly walked into the hall.

"Your Highness, I pay my respects to you."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bian shifted his gaze from the map to Cao Cao, a gentle smile on his face. He raised his hand and pointed to the lower seat beside him, nodded slightly, and said softly, "Meng De, please sit down and drink a glass of warm wine to warm yourself up."

Seeing that the prince seemed to be dealing with memorials, Cao Cao did not say anything more. Instead, he reached out and steadily took the wine pot handed to him by the eunuch Zhao You, and nodded slightly to show his gratitude. Zhao You also nodded in return.

Cao Cao mostly ignored the eunuchs except Gao Wang with a cold expression, even Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and Guo Sheng, but Zhao You was different.

The group of eunuchs newly promoted by the crown prince were all virtuous and non-competitive eunuchs. Five of them were well-known in the court and the country. They were Ding Su of Jiyin, Xu Yan of Xia Pi, Guo Dan of Nanyang, Li Xun of Ruyang and Zhao You of Beihai in front of him. The scholars called these five people "pure and loyal". They all lived in the streets and alleys and did not compete for power.

Especially Zhao You, who was knowledgeable and well-read. He was once ordered by the emperor to write and proofread books. Even the doctors in the Imperial Academy praised Zhao You's knowledge. Such a virtuous eunuch naturally made Cao Cao respect him.

Cao Cao took the wine pot, which was still steaming. He raised his chin slightly to sniff the aroma of the wine, took a sip, and his eyes lit up.

"It's Du Kang?"

Cao Cao took another sip. As the wine went down his throat, he couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly, and an expression of enjoyment appeared on his face. He suddenly felt a warm current flowing through his body, dispelling some of the winter chill.

"I remember that whenever Du Kang was served at a banquet, Meng De would even disdain Golden Syrup and Rambutan Wine. Could it be that he was obsessed with it?"

As he spoke, Liu Bian put down the pen in his hand, raised his eyes and looked at Cao Cao. The emotion in his eyes was sincere and there was a gentle smile on the corner of his mouth.

Cao Cao's hand on the wine jug trembled slightly. He raised his head suddenly and asked in surprise, "How dare the Crown Prince care about what kind of wine I like to drink?

"Yuan Chang likes to drink the nourishing Longtan rice wine." Liu Bian saw the curiosity in Cao Cao's eyes and counted on his fingers, thinking about everyone's preferences. "Fengxian has lived in the bitter cold of Bingzhou for a long time and likes to drink the warming pepper wine. Gongren likes sweet things and likes to drink rambutan wine. Xuande likes gold juice..."

"Your Highness's love for talent is unprecedented."

Cao Cao couldn't help but feel emotional when he saw that Liu Bian was able to understand the preferences of the officials in the Prince's Mansion.

Since ancient times, only ministers have tried to figure out the king's preferences and do things to please him. How could a king remember the preferences of his ministers?

Seeing Cao Cao's emotion, Liu Bian said to Cao Cao with a smile, "Well, does Meng De still have any resentment towards me?"

"Ah?" Cao Cao was startled when he heard this. His originally straight back stiffened instantly. He twisted his body uncomfortably a few times while sitting on his heels. His hands subconsciously grasped the hem of his clothes. He immediately fell to the ground with his forehead pressed to the ground. His voice was a little panicked: "How dare I complain to Your Highness!"

Liu Bian slowly stood up, stretched out his hands and gently helped Cao Cao up, sat beside Cao Cao, and said with a gentle smile on his face: "Don't dare to complain, then there are complaints."

"It's human nature to have complaints. I've been neglecting Meng De lately and paying too much attention to the many cavalry commanders in the army." Liu Bian said this as he bent down slightly to brush away the water droplets left by melted snow on Cao Cao's cloak. He smiled and said, "Will Meng De forgive me?"

"Your Highness!"

Cao Cao's eyes were slightly red, his lips were trembling slightly, and his eyes were full of emotion as he looked at Liu Bian.

After hearing what the prince said, what grievance did he have? Just for this courtesy, he was willing to serve the prince as the Tiger Guard General and guard the palace for the rest of his life.

Moreover, he also understood that the lack of opportunities to make merit during this period was not because the prince neglected him, but because the prince's mansion was full of talented people!

The Northern Army was originally a standing army of combat soldiers, while the Tiger Guards were imperial guards. Although they were not necessarily less elite than the Northern Army, they were not combat soldiers after all.

Just like the personal guards of a military commander, no matter how elite the guards are, their duty is to protect the commander. How could they abandon the commander to fight in the battlefield?

Moreover, Sun Jian was the Captain of Tunqi and Lu Bu was the Captain of Yueqi, both of whom were cavalry generals in charge of cavalry. His cousin Cao Ren and brother-in-law Xiahou Yuan commanded the left and right cavalry of Yulin respectively. These battles were almost all won by cavalry, so it was inevitable that he had no chance to make any merit.

"Well, Meng De, at such an age, why is she still acting like a little girl?" Liu Bian raised his lips and teased Cao Cao, "Please don't insult the name 'Hu Ben', okay?"

Liu Bian did not mind using any means to win over his loyal ministers, even going so far as to care about their preferences, not to mention lowering his status to comfort them. He even enjoyed the wonderful feeling of being loved and supported by these contemporary talents, which was no less than his intoxication with power.

After the king and his minister chatted for a while, Liu Bian brought the topic to the point. He ordered Zhao You to fetch the map of Qingzhou and placed it on the table in front of them. He then asked, "Meng De, do you know who Jiao He, the governor of Qingzhou, is?"

Cao Cao pondered this and replied, "I have never had any contact with this man, but I have heard Sima Jian say, 'His conversation is clear and profound, but when he is out, he is chaotic and his fate is unpredictable.' If my prediction is correct, has Qingzhou been in turmoil because of this man?"

"Sima Jiangong?"

Liu Bian was slightly startled when he heard the surname. Zhao You, who was standing beside him, saw this and bent down slightly, whispering a reminder: "Jingzhao Yin Sima Fang, from the Sima family of Wen County, Henei."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bian suddenly realized that it was Sima Yi's father. However, at this time, only half of the "Eight Simas" were born, and even the second child Sima Yi was only four years old. He did not pay too much attention to him.

"Sima Jiangong is quite capable of judging people." Liu Bian nodded, confirming Cao Cao's guess. He handed the report from the Secretariat to Cao Cao and snorted coldly, "That idiot Jiao He is dead."

When Cao Cao heard the prince call him "fool," he roughly guessed that Jiao He must have done something foolish that led to his defeat and death, and the chaos in Qingzhou. He thought he was mentally prepared, but after reading the report, he was still stunned.

"How can there be such a fool in the world!"

Cao Cao didn't know whether he was really angry or just echoing the prince's emotions, and he couldn't help but curse.

"Qingzhou is in such a state, and there is also a cold disaster. I should choose a capable minister to go and quell the chaos."

Liu Bian suddenly held Cao Cao's hands tightly, and Zhao You presented a lacquer tray that had been prepared long ago and knelt in front of the table.

Cao Cao's eyes shifted slightly, and he saw two silver seals tied with green ribbons on the lacquer tray. His heart suddenly sank, and then his heartbeat quickened and his breathing became rapid.

The emperor once restored the provincial governor to the rank of two thousand stones, and the two thousand stones were given silver seals and blue ribbons!

Could it be!

Accompanied by Cao Cao's violent heartbeat, Liu Bian took out the two silver seals from the lacquer tray.

"I wish to appoint you as the Governor of Qingzhou, the General of the Central Army to Suppress Bandits, and grant you the authority to command the imperial seal and axe!"

"Don't move." Liu Bian lifted Cao Cao's cloak and tied two green ribbons to the buckles around Cao Cao's waist. He said with a smile, "Qingzhou is about to fall into chaos. Only a genius can save it. Is it you who can bring peace to the country?"

"Your Majesty... Your Highness..."

Cao Cao's body tensed as he watched the prince bend down to tie the silver seal on him. His throat seemed to be choked by something and his eyes turned red again. He raised his hands slightly, as if he wanted to do something, but didn't know what to do.

Last time, His Highness threatened him with these words in Yong'an Palace, but this time, His Highness encouraged him with these words... Cao Cao felt mixed emotions at the turn of fate, and he was even more grateful to the prince for his recognition.

"Go ahead, go ahead. It's very cold in Qingzhou. Don't catch a cold. This brocade robe is given to Meng De. I hope you take good care of it!"

Liu Bianjie draped the red brocade robe on Cao Cao, gently patted the wrinkles on the robe, looked at Cao Cao in the red brocade robe, nodded with satisfaction, and a relieved smile appeared on his face.

Although he was entrusted with the heavy responsibility of Qingzhou, he did not mention any expectations for him. Instead, he asked him to take care of his health.

Cao Cao didn't know whether the prince was too confident in his ability to stabilize Qingzhou, or whether the prince cared more about his personal safety than the peace of Qingzhou. But no matter whether it was the former or the latter, he had no way to repay the prince's kindness!

"As long as Qingzhou remains stable, I will not turn back even if I die!"

Liu Bian looked at Cao Cao's departing back, who had put down his bold words, and nodded slightly with a deep look in his eyes.

Well, due to my previous inappropriate behavior, I caused the Xiahou family of Zhu Cao to take charge of the Yulin Left and Right Cavalry and the Huben Guards at the same time. It’s not too late to remedy the situation now.

Kill two birds with one stone!
(2751 words)
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PS: I'm stuck on a writer's block... Actually, I could have just written a chapter, but I'd rather not write anything than force myself to write a bunch of stuff for my readers, so I'll just update once today.

(End of this chapter)