Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Liu Biao was a little undecided for a moment. He looked at Cai Mao, Kuai Yue and Kuai Liang in the hall with a serious expression, his eyes full of inquiry.

Kuai Yue spoke first, frowning slightly, a hint of worry in his tone: "My lord, Yuan Shu sent an envoy here, most likely regarding Liu Yao's matter. The current situation is complicated, and I'm afraid Yan Xiang's visit at this time is not a good intention."

Liu Biao nodded slightly and sighed softly, "Yes, when I first accepted Liu Yao, I was worried that Yuan Shu would use this trick. What I feared really came true. Now that Yuan Shu has sent an envoy to Jingzhou, it seems that he must be given an explanation."

Cai Mao, with his head held high and his chest puffed out, shouted, "Who cares what Yuan Shu wants to do! Our lord, as a relative of the Han dynasty, has every right to accept Liu Yao. Jingzhou is strong and powerful, so why should we be afraid of Yuan Shu? If he dares to make any unreasonable demands, we can just send him away!"

Liu Biao frowned unconsciously, a hint of worry in his eyes. He spoke slowly, "That being said, if we act this way, wouldn't that create an enemy with Yuan Shu? The Yuan family has three dukes in four generations, and their family background is profound. They hold great prestige among the aristocratic families. Nowadays, many powerful families follow their lead. The two brothers, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, one dominates the north, the other the south. They have become powerful forces. Even the imperial court is currently fighting them, and the outcome is still uncertain. If we rashly antagonize Yuan Shu, I'm afraid it will cause many disasters in the future."

Kuai Liang lowered his head in thought for a moment, then slowly spoke, "My lord, we must not be careless. Yuan Shu is indeed powerful, and when this envoy arrives, he will undoubtedly make a big fuss about Liu Yao. However, General Cai Mao's words also make sense. We might as well meet with him first and see what he demands. If his request is truly too rude, Jingzhou is not to be trifled with, and we must respond firmly. It's not too late to hear what he has to say first, and then make a decision."

Liu Biao nodded slightly and said thoughtfully, "Kuai Liang's words make sense. Then let Yan Xiang enter the city. I want to hear what he is up to this time."

Just as the soldiers on the city wall were about to turn around and convey the order, Kuai Yue hurriedly stopped them and said, "My lord, wait a moment."

Liu Biao was a little puzzled, frowned slightly, and looked at Kuai Yue inquiringly.

A shrewd glint flashed in Kuai Yue's eyes. He leaned forward slightly and said respectfully, "My lord, although we are going to meet Yan Xiang, we still need to appease Liu Yao first. I believe Liu Yao will be particularly concerned about people coming from Yuzhang. Now that we have accepted him, we should first reassure him to avoid any suspicion."

Liu Biao was quite puzzled, a hint of impatience on his face. He said, "Now that Yuan Shu's envoys have arrived, why should we bother with Liu Yao? The most urgent thing is to deal with Yuan Shu's envoys."

Kuai Yue was not in a hurry, his eyes gleaming as he said calmly, "My lord, you can't just focus on this matter at hand. Although the fight between Yuan Shu and Liu Yao has come to an end, from the overall perspective, the Yuan brothers are now evenly matched with the imperial court, and the outcome is still unknown. Let's not talk about Yuan Shao who is far away in Jizhou. Just talking about Yuan Shu, although he has taken Yuzhang County, Sun Ce of Jiangdong has already ordered Zhou Yu to raise an army in Wu County after occupying Wu County, and is now attacking Yuan Shu's Jiujiang County. And that Ma Chao, under the order of the emperor, is now in Runan and Yuan Shu's general, Zhang Xun, is engaged in a fierce battle. Yuan Shao may appear to have the upper hand, but he is under attack from all sides, and his situation is precarious. My Lord, you have accepted Liu Yao as your kinsman. If Yuan Shu were to suffer defeat under the siege of Ma Chao and his men, you could then, under the guise of revenge for Liu Yao, dispatch troops from Jingzhou, under Liu Yao's banner, and seize Yuzhang County. This would both demonstrate your righteousness and expand Jingzhou's sphere of influence—killing two birds with one stone. Therefore, stabilizing Liu Yao is crucial to our future plans."

Liu Biao was slightly startled by Kuai Yue's words, a thoughtful look in his eyes. He pondered them carefully, feeling that Kuai Yue's words made sense. His frown gradually relaxed, and he nodded slowly. "Well, you're thinking long-term. Then, as you suggest, we'll send someone to appease Liu Yao and reassure him. Then, we'll meet with Yan Xiang to see what he has to say."

Kuai Yue continued slowly, "My Lord, there's no need to send someone specifically to appease Liu Yao. From what I know about him, he must be uneasy upon hearing of Yuan Shu's envoy's arrival, and he's probably already on his way to seek an audience. We might as well issue an order to have Yan Xiang wait outside the city to give him some time to dry out. If this order is issued in a grand manner, Liu Yao will undoubtedly feel more at ease once he hears the news. He will guess that we are making our stance clear to Yuan Shu while also appeasing him."

After listening to Kuai Yue's analysis, Liu Biao felt that it was very reasonable. He followed his advice and turned to the city gate guard and said, "You don't need to be secretive on the way to convey the order. If you meet Liu Yao or his people and ask them, tell them the truth. We just want to expose Yuan Shu's envoys to show our Jingzhou's loyalty to the Han Dynasty." The city gate guard clasped his fists, accepted the order, and quickly retreated.

Kuai Yue, Cai Mao, Kuai Liang, and Liu Biao quietly awaited Liu Yao's arrival in the meeting room. Sure enough, just as the messenger emerged from the City Lord's Mansion, they encountered Liu Yao and Xu Shao, both looking hurried and on the move. Beads of sweat formed on Liu Yao's forehead, evidently from his rapid progress. Seeing the gatekeeper emerging from the City Lord's Mansion, a flicker of nervous anticipation crossed his eyes. He hurriedly asked, "What's the news? Yuan Shu's envoy has arrived. How will Liu Jingzhou respond?"

Following Liu Biao's instructions, the messenger truthfully replied, "Don't worry, Envoy Liu. My lord has ordered Yuan Shu's envoy to wait outside the city, but he hasn't specified when he'll be there. Our lord, Liu Jingzhou, is known for his loyalty to the Han Dynasty; how could he easily meet such a traitor?" Upon hearing this, Liu Yao's tense face suddenly revealed a look of relief, a heavy weight lifted from his heart. He straightened his clothes and said to the defending general, "That's good. I dare not detain you too long. Please quickly reply to Yuan Shu's envoy."

The city commander saluted Liu Yao, took his leave quickly, then mounted his horse and galloped away, a cloud of dust rising. Liu Yao and Xu Shao beside him exchanged a glance, the apprehension that had lingered on their faces seemingly easing considerably. They breathed a sigh of relief, nodded to each other, straightened their clothes, and headed towards the city lord's residence to seek an audience with Liu Biao.

When they arrived at the City Lord's Mansion, Liu Yao raised his head slightly, and with a touch of trepidation and anticipation, he explained his purpose to the guard at the gate. The guard, not wanting to delay, hurried inside to inform him. A moment later, they were allowed in. Led by the guard, Liu Yao and Xu Shao walked along the palace's corridors toward the meeting hall. All the while, Liu Yao pondered what to say to Liu Biao upon meeting him, how to express his gratitude and loyalty, while also subtly trying to ascertain Liu Biao's response to Yuan Shu's envoy.

Xu Shao followed Liu Yao silently, his eyes revealing a hint of caution and alertness, always paying attention to the movements around him. Finally, they arrived in front of the meeting hall.

Liu Biao, with steady steps, emerged from the meeting room, accompanied by Cai Mao and the brothers Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue. Sunlight streamed down upon them, and Liu Biao's eyes shone brightly. Seeing Liu Yao's hurried demeanor from afar, he spoke first, his voice steady and concerned, "Brother, what brings you here in such a hurry?"

When Liu Yao saw Liu Biao and others coming to greet him in person, his heart tightened slightly, and a look of panic appeared on his face. He hurriedly took a few steps, clasped his fists and said, "Oh, how dare I trouble you to come and greet me. I just heard that Yuan Shu sent an envoy, and I was afraid that you would be embarrassed, so I came to say goodbye." These words were obviously a countermeasure that he and Xu Shao had carefully discussed before coming. He intended to use this tactic of retreating to advance so that Liu Biao would not easily hand him over even in the face of pressure from Yuan Shu's envoy.

Upon hearing this, Liu Biao's originally gentle expression suddenly changed. A trace of anger flashed in his eyes, and he said in a somewhat excited tone: "Brother, what are you talking about! You and I are both relatives of the Han Dynasty. We are both guarding a region for the emperor and shouldering heavy responsibilities. I still want to lead the army in the future to help you recapture Yuzhang and avenge our previous humiliation. How could I do such a thing as you said? Brother, your words are really disheartening!"

Seeing Liu Biao's anger, Liu Yao was secretly delighted, but outwardly he pretended to be deeply terrified and bowed to apologize. "Brother, please calm down. It was my fault for not thinking carefully and speaking out of turn. It's just that Yuan Shu is so powerful, and I was really worried that I would cause trouble for you. I was so worried that I lost my composure. I hope you will forgive me."

Seeing this, Kuai Yue, standing by, smiled slightly and stepped forward to smooth things over. "Envoy Liu is simply worried and distracted, and he's concerned about our lord's situation. The situation is complicated right now, and everyone is inevitably anxious. But our lord has always valued friendship and loyalty, so how could he abandon Envoy Liu?"

Kuai Liang nodded slightly and continued, "That's right. Yuan Shu must have ulterior motives in sending his envoys this time. But we in Jingzhou are united, so why should we fear Yuan Shu? Envoy Liu, just rest assured and stay in Jingzhou. The lord will have a plan for dealing with it."

Cai Mao snorted with a heroic look and shouted, "Why should we be afraid of him? I have a strong army in Jingzhou. If Yuan Shu dares to play any tricks, he will be defeated! Don't worry, Envoy Liu. With us here, no one can touch you."

After hearing what everyone said, Liu Yao felt relieved. He looked at Liu Biao and the others with gratitude and said, "I feel relieved to have you and your help. If you need me in the future, I will go through fire and water for you without hesitation."

Liu Biao still wore the kind smile of a loyal elder. He affectionately put his arm around Liu Yao's shoulder, gently stroked his back, and spoke softly, "My dear brother, rest assured and stay in Jingzhou. As soon as I get the chance, I will personally lead the army to recapture Yuzhang County for you. I don't plan to meet with the envoy sent by Yuan Shu yet, so let him stay outside the city for a while. Once he stays long enough and feels embarrassed, he will naturally leave. My dear brother, you came today fortuitously. It's a cold winter day, and I was just thinking of inviting you to have a feast around the fire, but I didn't expect you to be here. Come on, my dear brother, I've prepared a sumptuous feast. Let's enjoy a good drink together."