Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

The twilight glow gradually enveloped the entire palace. Liu Xie just quietly accompanied Liu Bian. Time passed slowly in the quiet and slightly dull atmosphere until evening.

Liu Xie's gaze remained fixed on Liu Bian. Liu Bian's expression was tinged with madness, a look Liu Xie had never seen before, a strange one. Liu Xie pondered to himself that even he, someone close to him, felt Liu Bian had become a completely different person. Such madness was almost unbelievable. Perhaps manipulating people's minds, toying with their thoughts at will, truly brought an indescribable and strange pleasure? Otherwise, Liu Xie couldn't understand how the brother he once knew, Liu Bian, had become like this. Power, it was truly a magical thing. Just looking at Liu Bian's face, stained with madness by power, filled Liu Xie with a secret envy. He, too, longed for the power to control everything, but at the moment, he was nothing more than a commander without any real power. He held only the title, but no real authority.

However, when he thought of what Wang Yun and Lu Bu had said to him, Liu Xie couldn't help but feel a surge of passion in his heart, as if he saw a ray of light in the endless darkness.

Just like that, in the evening when the sky gradually darkened, Shi A came to meet the emperor in a mysterious manner. Liu Bian's eyes were filled with anticipation, and he couldn't wait to ask, "Have all the things been arranged?" Shi A looked wretched and flattering, "Your Majesty, don't worry. I have fulfilled my mission and everything has been arranged." After that, his eyes unconsciously looked at Liu Xie, with a slight hesitation in his expression. Seeing this, Liu Bian waved his hand and said, "Don't mind me. Brother Xie is not an outsider. You can tell me anything you want."

At this moment, Shi Acai seemed to have remembered something important. He hurriedly and carefully pulled out two exquisite porcelain bottles from his bosom, as if he were presenting a treasure. He said with some pride, "Your Majesty, one of these porcelain bottles contains the miraculous medicine I mentioned to you earlier." Upon hearing this, Emperor Liu Bian frowned slightly and asked in confusion, "Hey, why two bottles?" Shi Acai became even more proud at this moment, his lips curled up slightly, and he said with a bit of boasting, "Your Majesty, this time I not only obtained this miraculous medicine, but this other bottle is a man's most precious treasure. Your Majesty, please listen to me carefully explain. The effects of this bottle of medicine are even more miraculous." Upon hearing this, Emperor Liu Bian was immediately intrigued. His eyes were full of curiosity and he urged, "Oh? Tell me, what is so wonderful about this bottle?"

Shi Ah chuckled, leaned forward slightly, and lowered his voice. His expression was filled with mystery, as if he was about to reveal the most secret and precious secret in the world. He said, "Your Majesty, please listen carefully. This medicine is no ordinary medicine. It is worthy of being called a miracle medicine! It is said that it was personally refined by the Yellow Emperor during the Yanhuang period. It is a combination of countless rare medicinal herbs and a unique alchemy method. It was successfully refined after going through numerous hardships and dangers."

Shi A paused, his face filled with reverence and admiration, and continued, "Your Majesty, do you know that the Yellow Emperor, relying on the power of this magical medicine, was able to wield three thousand women and ascend directly into heaven? That miraculous scene is simply unimaginable!"

At this point, Shi A's eyes lit up and he became increasingly excited. "Your Majesty, this kind of magical medicine has now fallen into your hands. It is a great blessing! For men, its effects are even more miraculous. Once a man takes this medicine, it is like a dragon finding water, a tiger gaining wings! It is said that it can instantly make a man's energy reach the extreme, as if he has endless strength, and his whole body exudes a strong power. Moreover, his ability in that area will be magnified to a level beyond ordinary people's imagination. Not to mention having sex with seven women at night, even tossing and turning for several nights in a row is no problem. Your Majesty, what do you think of this magical medicine?"

Upon hearing this, the emperor's eyes lit up instantly, filled with burning desire and surprise. He couldn't wait to say, "Oh, it's so magical! This is truly a treasure sent by heaven! Tell me quickly, how should I take it?"

Shi A looked cautious, slightly bowed, and said in a tone full of concern: "Your Majesty, although this magical medicine has miraculous effects, you must remember not to take too much. After all, this is a panacea, and the spiritual power contained in it is extremely enormous. Your Majesty, if you take too much on your first try, your body may be overwhelmed by the spiritual power and unable to withstand it for a while. Your Majesty only needs to take one pill at a time. You must remember this and never use more than you can take. If you use too much, the spiritual power will be too full in your body, and your dragon body will not be able to withstand it. At that time, many dangers may arise. I hope Your Majesty will be cautious."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor nodded slightly, his expression showing a hint of approval. He said, "Excellent, excellent! Such a miraculous elixir should not be taken in large quantities at once. Everything should be approached gradually; how can it be accomplished overnight? I know this truth. This time, you have found this miraculous medicine for me and arranged everything so perfectly. You have truly performed a tremendous service. You have worked so hard. In my opinion, your contribution this time is even greater than that of your master. I will definitely reward you generously in the future."

When Shi A heard this, he was immediately overjoyed. His smile, which already had a bit of vulgarity in it, now stretched to his ears and he almost couldn't hold it back.

Upon seeing this, the emperor's expression straightened. He said to Shi A, "Shi A, don't be so happy just yet. There's something else you need to do. Go see how your master is preparing. During this operation, we must hold Dian Wei back. We can't make any mistakes. Dian Wei is a tough guy to deal with. You must keep a close eye on him."

Shi A quickly suppressed his overly ostentatious smile and replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, rest assured. I understand. It's really getting late, and I must hurry to meet up with Master to figure out a way to get that idiot Dian Wei drunk. He has a terrible alcohol tolerance, and it's not easy to get him drunk alone. But rest assured, Your Majesty, Master and I will do our utmost to ensure he doesn't ruin your good fortune."

The emperor raised his hand slightly and urged, "Then hurry up and don't delay the important matter. If this matter succeeds, I will definitely treat you well and will reward you handsomely. Just wait to enjoy the glory and wealth."

Shi A responded, and left in a hurry with joy and gratitude in his heart, his steps seemed to be filled with eager excitement.

Emperor Liu Bian constantly employed his art of manipulating people's hearts. A narrow smile graced his face as he turned to look at Liu Xie, his tone tinged with pride as he spoke, "Look, brother! I've easily managed to alienate these two, master and disciple, with the promise of mere wealth and glory. My safety is at stake, so how can I allow these two to get along so harmoniously? Humph, if I want to be as stable as a rock, I must understand their desires and then manage them accordingly. Only then can I be absolutely sure of success."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xie couldn't help but sigh, "Brother Emperor, your methods are truly brilliant. I truly admire you."

Liu Bian gently toyed with the two exquisite medicine bottles in his hands, his gaze fixed on them, his heart ablaze with excitement. He thought of the miraculous elixir contained within, rumored to have been concocted by a former emperor, whose miraculous properties were enough to astonish. His thoughts drifted far away, his heart filled with longing for the great achievements of the Yanhuang Emperor. He felt as if he could, with this miraculous elixir, embody a touch of that emperor's grace, and he felt a wave of ecstasy.

Liu Xie, too, gazed at the bottle of elixir said to have been refined by the emperor, a flicker of envy in his eyes. At the same time, he grasped the key point in Shi A's words: "Don't take too much of this medicine at once. If you do, I'm afraid the dragon's body won't be able to withstand it." These words struck Liu Xie like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, stirring up a strange thought in him.

Liu Xie secretly thought, this medicine is so miraculous yet so dangerous. If he could somehow get a few pills and accidentally mix them into the emperor's food, and let the emperor take it, perhaps it would cause his spiritual power to be too strong, making the dragon's body unable to withstand it. Thinking of this, Liu Xie said, "Brother, I am truly envious of this miraculous medicine. I wonder if I can take a look at it too?"

When Liu Bian heard this, a playful expression suddenly appeared on his face. He looked at Liu Xie and said jokingly, "Why, brother, do you also want to ride three thousand horses at night and ascend to heaven in broad daylight?"

Liu Xie hurriedly smiled shyly and said, "I dare not take away your beloved. It's just that I have never seen such a miraculous medicine before. I am curious and want to take a look at it to satisfy my curiosity."

Emperor Liu Bian raised his eyebrows and said, "What's the harm in you taking a look? It's not a big deal." As he spoke, he gently shook the medicine bottle in his hand. Feeling that there seemed to be quite a few pills in it, he pretended to be generous and said, "Since brother wants to see this elixir, how can I keep it all by myself? Forget it, I'll reward you with two pills." He wanted to use this to show his generosity, and he thought that if Liu Xie knew how to advance and retreat, he would not dare to accept it.

But Liu Xie was thinking at this moment about how to get two pills to fulfill the secret desires in his heart, so he did not refuse, but bowed respectfully and said, "I thank you for your kindness, my emperor. I will repay you with my life in the future." After that, he still bowed respectfully, but held the pills straight with both hands. Although he was still kneeling, he was ready to take the pills.