Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1322 Farewell
Zhuge Liang had expected Wei's reaction, because from Cao Wei's perspective, Jin and Hannan had just gone through great wars, and their national strength and logistics were not sufficient. Attacking Xu Du at this time would obviously be a loss.

The only reasonable explanation is that what both sides need is not practical benefits, but status. The only answer can only be Liu Xie.

The Kingdom of Hannan needed Liu Xie's name to support the Han Dynasty, and the Kingdom of Jin needed Liu Xie to formally abdicate. In other words, both countries must have something to ask of Liu Xie.

The officials and advisers of Cao Wei also found an opportunity that they could exploit. There was only one emperor of the Western Han Dynasty, and they had to make a choice: should they hand him over to the more powerful Jin State or the more legitimate Hannan State? They couldn't just give it half to each of the two countries, right?

At that time, in order to compete for Liu Xie, the two countries will inevitably have disputes and discord. Even if the hidden dangers cannot erupt for a while, the situation of cooperation will inevitably be affected, and the pressure on Xu Du will inevitably be reduced a lot.

So in this situation, Cao Wei was eager to hand over Liu Xie, the hot potato. Anyway, Liu Xie was seriously ill and would not live for a few more days, so it would be better to send him away as soon as possible and use him.

Therefore, even though Jin had put forward extremely harsh conditions that Wei could not accept at all, the Wei State still packed up its bags in the direction of Xudu, threw the dying Liu Xie onto the carriage, and sent him out of the city along with his few remaining family members, without even putting forward any additional conditions.

When Yuan Xi heard the news, he couldn't help but laugh in his heart. He thought that the Wei State probably wanted to see the good show of internal fighting between him and Guan Yu, but from the beginning to the end, he had not intended to do that. He was afraid that after the Wei State learned the truth, it would be so angry that it would jump up and down.

As the news of Liu Xie's arrival at the military camp came, there was also news that Guan Yu had arrived in person. Yuan Xi thought that although he had made a promise, Guan Yu might not be completely assured. After all, Liu Xie might be much more important to the three Liu Bei brothers than to the State of Jin.

As several carriages arrived at the entrance of the tent, Yuan Xi and others came out to greet them. The carriage driver was Liu Xie's attendant, who greeted Yuan Xi and said, "Your Majesty is seriously ill, and I'm afraid it's a serious illness. I hope you will be careful."

Yuan Xi smiled and said, "It's okay. I'll ask the doctor to come and take a look."

Soon two doctors came over. When Liu Xie entered the palace, they opened the gate and saw Liu Xie lying in the carriage with a beautiful lady in palace dress sitting beside him to look after him. Yuan Xi saw that the lady had a pretty face and was not very old. The attendant beside him said, "This is Empress Cao."

Yuan Xi knew that because of this time and space, Cao Xian's three siblings were rescued by Yuan Xi early on, so after Cao Cao deposed Fu Shou, he found another woman from the Cao clan to marry Liu Xie as queen, and it seemed that it was this woman.

However, it was a bit unexpected that this woman still followed Liu Xie. Yuan Xi blurted out: "The emperor of the former Han Dynasty was like this, and the queen still stayed with him."

The attendant next to him sighed, "They say that His Majesty is seriously ill, but the Queen has always been by his side."

Cao, on the other hand, bowed from a distance and said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: "No matter what my family is like, once I get married, I will stay faithful to my husband forever."

"If your majesty goes, I will follow you."

After hearing this, Yuan Xi bowed to Liu Xie from a distance and said, "Your Majesty is very lucky to have Empress Fu before and Empress Cao after, both of whom were willing to die for your Majesty. It is truly a pity."

Liu Xie, however, managed to sit up and returned the greeting to Yuan Xi, saying, "I guess it must be the King of Jin."

"Now that I have abdicated, I cannot call myself "I". I only want to thank the King of Jin for saving me."

Empress Cao was just wondering how Liu Xie had regained his strength. Yuan Xi's medical officer had already come up and poured a bowl of medicine for Liu Xie. Liu Xie frowned and drank it. After a while, he began to move his hands and feet and said, "The numbness in my hands and feet is gradually disappearing. The medical skills and medicinal materials of the Prince of Jin are exquisite. I admire them. Otherwise, they would not have been able to hide it from the medical officer of Cao Wei."

Queen Cao opened her eyes wide and stammered, "What's going on?"

Yuan Xi smiled and said, "It's windy outside, Your Majesty, please come into the tent and talk."

Empress Cao's mind was in a mess. She helped Liu Xie into the tent and just sat down when Liu He and his wife came in to pay their respects. Empress Cao was even more surprised when she saw them. She shrank back and asked, "What's going on?"

"Didn't the virtuous couple die of illness?"

Mrs. Yuan, the wife of Liu He, was familiar with Empress Cao. Seeing this, she came over with a smile and explained, "If not, how could we escape from that den of tigers and wolves in Xudu?"

Empress Cao finally understood and was speechless with shock. However, Liu Xie's next words shocked her even more. "May I ask the King of Jin, is Empress Fu still alive?"

Yuan Xi said, "He is still alive, but he has a hidden illness. Although he has been recuperating for a few years, he is still unable to move. His strong will is admirable. If it were someone else, I'm afraid they would have collapsed long ago."

After hearing this, Liu Xie sighed and said, "It's me... I'm sorry for her."

Yuan Xi said, "This is not your Majesty's fault, so there is no need to blame yourself."

Empress Cao then realized that it was Prince of Jin who had a way to make Liu Xie look seriously ill and dying, and to deceive Cao Wei and escape!

When she thought of this, she couldn't help but feel happy and worried. She was happy that Liu Xie was free, but she was worried that she was a member of the Cao family and didn't know where to go. Moreover, Empress Fu was not dead, so wouldn't she be even more lost?

At this time, a guard announced that Guan Yu had arrived. Yuan Xi asked someone to invite Guan Yu to come. Guan Yu strode into the tent and saw Liu Xie serving him. He immediately knelt and said, "Your servant Guan Yu, on the order of the King of Hannan, is here to welcome the emperor to Hannan."

Liu Xie hesitated for a moment after hearing this, and then said to Guan Yu: "The Han Dynasty has already perished in my hands, how can I face my uncle?"

"Now I just want to find a secluded place in the mountains to spend the rest of my life. Hannan is not going there."

Guan Yu was very surprised to hear this. He said, "My elder brother has been trying to rescue His Majesty since he received His Majesty's order. Now he is seriously injured and lying in bed, looking forward to seeing His Majesty day and night. What does His Majesty say? How can I go back and report?"

Liu Xie just shook his head when he heard this, but Yuan Xi, who was standing beside him, knew what Liu Xie meant and said, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid you think I will follow Cao Cao's example and attack Hannan, right?"

"I will not stop you from going wherever you want to go. If you want to go to Hannan, I will send Empress Fu to reunite with you. I will never interfere, nor will I send troops to attack Hannan."

Liu Xie was surprised when he heard this and asked, "So, does that mean I am no longer useful to the King of Jin?" Yuan Xi smiled and said, "You can say that, or you can put it another way."

"First, the relationship between me and Hannan is not simply mutual exploitation as Cao Wei thinks. There is a lot of affection involved."

"Second, Your Majesty may think that I need Your Majesty to complete the abdication ceremony, but in my heart, this ceremony is actually not that important."

"Just like even if the Wei Kingdom successfully completed the abdication ceremony, the world would still think they were traitors, I have never concealed the fact that the Yuan family is also a traitor."

"I don't care much about these false reputations. I just want the world to be unified as soon as possible so that the people can live a good life."

After hearing this, Liu Xie stood up solemnly and said, "I heard that the people of Jin live and work in peace and contentment under the rule of the King of Jin, and that he is highly respected by the people. It's a pity that I am trapped in a city and cannot see him. It's really a pity."

"When I go to Hannan to meet the Emperor's uncle, I might go to the Jin King's jurisdiction to see how the Han Dynasty has lost the support of the people."

Yuan Xi smiled and said, "I'll be at your service any time."

After hearing this, Guan Yu bowed deeply to Yuan Xi and said, "Prince Jin has helped my three brothers countless times over the years, and I remember it all."

"I cannot repay all this kindness right now, so please forgive me, King Jin."

Yuan Xi stepped forward and helped Guan Yu up, saying, "What are you talking about? The three generals are heroes of our time. It is my honor to be able to help a little. I hope you can tell Lord Xuande to take care of yourself."

He hesitated, "Does King Jin still need Yu's help to fight Xu Du?"

Yuan Xi smiled and said, "No need, Lord Xuande is still waiting over there, you guys can go now."

After hearing this, Guan Yu bowed deeply again, turned to Liu Xie and said, "Your Majesty, please move."

Liu He and his wife also came to say goodbye. Liu He said to Yuan Xi: "I know that the king is very affectionate, but as a descendant of the Han Dynasty, I really..."

Yuan Xi smiled and said, "Brother Liu, you don't need to say anything. The Yuan family owes Brother Liu a lot. Just consider this as my repayment for my father's debt."

After hearing this, Liu He also bowed deeply, then took Yuan and stood behind Liu Xie.

Empress Cao then said, "Then, what about me?"

Liu Xie said, "You are a member of the Cao family. If you follow me, you will be displaced. It is better for you to return to Xudu."

Cao bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes. Seeing this, Yuan Xi asked, "Back then, Empress Fu showed deep love and loyalty to Your Majesty, and was willing to die in return for her love. Has Your Majesty ever regretted it?"

Liu Xie sighed, "How can I not regret it? If I had been nicer to her and talked to her more, maybe she wouldn't have suffered so much..."

Yuan Xi said: "Isn't it the same for Empress Cao now?"

Liu Xie then sighed, turned to Empress Cao and said, "If you are not afraid of suffering with me, then let's go together."

Empress Cao then burst into laughter and bowed, saying, "I will always follow Your Majesty."

Guan Yu was eager to go home, so he immediately wanted to take everyone away. They agreed to set off in a quarter of an hour. Liu He and his wife went back to pack their bags. When they returned to the camp, Yuan suddenly remembered Wu and asked Liu He, "What about Madam Wu?"

Liu He thought for a moment and said in a deep voice, "We are going to Jingzhou next. Given the current situation of Hannan, I am afraid that we will never be able to fight back to Yizhou, or to attack and destroy Wei and avenge her."

"You can explain these things to her."

After hearing this, Yuan stood up and went to Wu's tent, saying that she was going to Hannan. She also relayed Liu He's words and finally said, "If Madam doesn't want to seek revenge, you can go anywhere."

"But in Hannan, it's unlikely to fulfill Madam's wish?"

After hearing this, Wu bit her lip and said, "Isn't that just asking me to serve you with my beauty?"

Yuan sighed, "Madam, in this world, there are only so many things a woman can do, let alone a widow. If you want to fulfill your wish, you have to pay a price."

"If Madam didn't have any obsessions, she could go anywhere in the world, but Madam just can't let go."

Wu lowered her head for a long time before she raised it and said, "I... am really unwilling to accept this."

She bowed deeply, "I understand. Madam, you saved my life, but I am unable to repay you for the time being. I can only thank you for your kindness."

Yuan helped her up and sighed, "Take care, Madam. Be more open-minded about everything. You can always withdraw at any time."

Wu sent Yuan out the door and did not return to the tent until her figure disappeared.

(End of this chapter)