Can I get to the other side?.

Chapter 126 Kong Rong: I can’t tell the difference. I really can’t tell the difference.
Xuanshi.

Gao Lan imposed martial law outside and did not allow anyone to approach. Only Liu Xie and Kong Rong were inside the Xuanshi Hall.

After Liu Xie sat down, he said to Kong Rong, "My dear, this is not the court, so there is no need for us to be polite. Just sit down."

At this moment, the seriousness and gloom on his face were gone, replaced by a smile like spring breeze.

This sudden change of attitude caught Kong Rong off guard.

He looked at Liu Xie in astonishment and was completely stunned.

Why did Your Majesty change his face and still call me your beloved?

Seeing Kong Rong's surprised face, Liu Xie showed a bitter smile: "My dear, don't be surprised. Back then, Dong Zhuo was extremely powerful, but you still dared to disobey him. I know that you are loyal to me, so how could you be coerced or bribed by Cao? I was angry in the hall just now, but I had no choice."

As he spoke, Liu Xie pointed to his side and invited Kong Rong to sit on the same bed with him.

"I am terrified."

Faced with such an honor, how could Kong Rong dare to agree?
He asked in a somewhat awkward tone, "Your Majesty, please forgive my ignorance, but what did you just say? What do you mean by... having no other choice?"

At this moment, Kong Rong's mind was full of questions, and he even forgot some of the private questions he originally wanted to ask.

The emperor in Xuanshi was like a completely different person compared to the one in the main hall!

In the Zhengyang Palace, the emperor was stern and cold, and his imperial majesty was so overwhelming that it felt like a mountain was pressing down on people.

Inside the Xuanshi Hall, the emperor was calm and gentle, just like an ancient gentleman, making people feel like they were in the spring breeze.

The changes between the two are so great that it is simply astonishing.

"It's just the literal meaning." Liu Xie poured himself a cup of tea and said calmly, "When I escaped from Cao Cao and came to Yecheng, I found that Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu were the same, both of them had rebellious intentions.

I need to disguise myself in front of him, so that he thinks I am an irritable and naive emperor. If not, how can he feel at ease? If not, how can I live peacefully until now?

After all, all he needs is the title of the Son of Heaven. If Cao can find someone to pretend to be me, why can't Yuan Shao do the same?"

In these words, he not only denounced Yuan Shao as a traitor, but also subtly hinted that the emperor of Xu County was an impersonator hired by Cao Cao.

Upon hearing this, Kong Rong suddenly raised his head and looked at Liu Xie, exclaiming, "Yuan Shao actually has a rebellious heart! Your Majesty, why do you say that? He is a loyal minister who would sacrifice his own family for the greater good."

He never expected that Liu Xie would actually say that Yuan Shao was a traitor.

Yuan Shao was impeccable in terms of reputation, deeds, and attitude towards the emperor. He was a hundred times better than Cao Cao!
The Yuan family, whose family had three generations of officials, fought against Dong Zhuo and attacked Yuan Shu. Before arriving in Yecheng, he heard that Yuan Shao personally presided over the public execution of Yuan Shu!

In addition, since entering the city, Yuan Shao has behaved gently and politely, and his attitude towards the emperor has been in accordance with the principles of a minister.

How could such a hero, a role model for the world, have any rebellious heart?

Kong Rong wondered if Liu Xie had made some mistake.

"It's all just appearances." Liu Xie's face was filled with anger, as if he was afraid that someone could hear him. He growled, "Yuan Shao is just as much of a traitor as Cao Cao! Everyone in the world has been deceived by him!"

At this moment, Kong Rong felt that the emperor in the Zhengyang Palace had returned again.

When he gets angry, his rage is like thunder, which is terrifying.

Liu Xie took a deep breath, suppressed his emotions, and resumed his previous gentle smile: "I believe you must have many questions in your mind, I will answer them one by one for you. Please sit down."

Kong Rong hesitated for a moment, but this time he did not refuse. He walked to Liu Xie and sat down flattered.

"I am all ears."

He had too many questions about Liu Xie.

How did this Majesty come to Yecheng, and how did Yuan Shao become the traitor in his mind?

"Let me start from the beginning." Liu Xie took a sip of tea and began to slowly tell Kong Rong about his experiences during this period.

"At that time, the two thieves Li Jue and Guo Si attacked the city for several months, and tens of thousands of people died. Chang'an was almost reduced to ruins. After I got rid of the control of the two thieves Li and Guo, I fled to Hongnong, stationed in Anyi, and then traveled eastward, wandering all the way."

"During this period, Cao Cao led his army to welcome me to Luoyang. I thought he was a loyal minister because he assassinated Dong Zhuo, but I never thought that he was just plotting against my reputation."

"Under the coercion of Cao, I had no choice but to move the capital to Xu County, and became his puppet to control the emperor."

"These experiences are probably known to everyone now. What you want to know is my later experiences."

Kong Rong immediately perked up after hearing this.

What Liu Xie was going to say next was what he was really interested in.

This is the whole story of how the emperor fell into trouble and fled to Yecheng.

"In Xu County, I was completely a puppet manipulated by Cao Cao. Even the ministers around me succumbed to his coercion and inducement. Everyone betrayed me, including Yang Biao and Fu Wan, and even the queen..."

When talking about the queen, Liu Xie became dazed and his voice changed. It seemed that he was deliberately suppressing the sadness in his heart and did not want outsiders to see the pain of being betrayed by his loved ones.

"Fortunately, God has been kind to me. Although my ministers and concubines have betrayed me, I still have loyal people around me. With the help of several eunuchs, I escaped by hiding in a food delivery cart that came and went in the palace. I traveled all the way to Yecheng, and nearly starved to death in the wilderness several times."

When Kong Rong heard this, he analyzed it in his mind but did not find any flaws.

On the contrary, he saw the sadness that flashed across the emperor's face when he mentioned the queen's betrayal, and the sadness that she almost starved to death in the wilderness.

Liu Xie laughed at himself and continued, "Doesn't it sound incredible? The ministers who claimed to be loyal betrayed me one by one, while the eunuchs they looked down upon were loyal to me. They were even willing to sacrifice their lives to help me escape."

Looking at Liu Xie, who seemed relaxed but actually had sadness and hatred in his eyes, Kong Rong remained silent and sighed secretly in his heart.

If these were all true, he could hardly imagine how desperate, helpless, and sad the emperor felt when he was betrayed by his most trusted and closest ministers and concubines.

"Why did Your Majesty choose to come to Yecheng?"

"Yangzhou, Xuzhou, and Jingzhou are all adjacent to Yuzhou. Liu Biao of Jingzhou is a relative of the royal family, and Lu Bu is also loyal to Your Majesty."

"Even Yuan Shu at that time had not yet proclaimed himself emperor, and he was still a descendant of the Yuan family, with three generations of officials. Your Majesty, it would be more convenient to go anywhere than to Jizhou, so why did you come all the way here?"

Kong Rong asked the questions in his mind.

Judging from the situation at that time, which one of Lü Bu, Liu Biao, and Yuan Shu was not closer than Yuan Shao? Moreover, Liu Biao was a relative of the Han Dynasty, so why did he choose to flee to Jizhou?
"Because I have no choice." Liu Xie said calmly: "After I escaped from Xu County, I wanted to go to Jingzhou to find Liu Biao, or to Xuzhou to find Lu Bu, but Cao Cao has already secretly hunted me down. In particular, the roads to Jingzhou, Yangzhou, and Xuzhou have been searched closely."

"Comparatively, the search in the direction of Jizhou is the most lax. I had no choice but to flee to Jizhou."

Kong Rong nodded slightly, then he suddenly realized.

He knew that Yuan Shao was not actually interested in the emperor in front of him, and the one he really wanted to support was Liu Yu, the governor of Youzhou, who had been killed by Gongsun Zan.

I'm afraid that because of this incident, Cao Cao thought that the emperor would not flee to Jizhou.

The result was counterproductive.

"May I ask how Your Majesty got here? Yecheng and Xu County are a thousand miles apart, and the journey is extremely dangerous." Kong Rong asked again.

He was already exhausted when he took a horse-drawn carriage from Xu County to Yecheng.

The emperor lived a life of luxury and had no carriage, horses, or money. How could he escape all the way to Yecheng?

"I became a refugee, hiding during the day and going out at night. When I was thirsty, I drank the clear spring water in the mountains. When I was hungry, I ate wild fruits in the forest. If I couldn't find wild fruits, I would eat some wild vegetables. If I couldn't find wild vegetables, I would learn from the refugees to chew on tree bark. If I couldn't even find tree bark..."

A trace of sadness and complexity flashed across Liu Xie's eyes, and he smiled very reluctantly: "Forget it, it's just a little bit of wind and frost, why bother to mention it again?"

Just a few words, but they tell the whole story.

When Kong Rong heard this, he couldn't help but feel awe in his heart.

Although the emperor was reluctant to say it, the maturity and indifference he displayed was definitely the calm state of mind that could only be developed after experiencing all kinds of pain and torture. How much suffering must he have endured along the way?
I think it must be a past event that is hard to recall.

Sitting close to the emperor, Kong Rong found an opportunity to secretly observe the emperor.

She has delicate skin and no calluses on her hands. You can tell at first glance that she was spoiled since childhood and never does any work.

He looks more noble than the one in Xu County.

When Kong Rong was secretly observing and watching, he didn't know that Liu Xie, who had a calm face, was already extremely nervous.

All those things he just made up were fabricated. He could barely find a reasonable explanation for how he escaped from Xu County and why he fled to Jizhou; but escaping from Xu County to Yecheng was too outrageous. Unless he died on the way, any story he made up would be unreasonable, so he could only be vague.

If Kong Rong asked further, he would have to pretend to be angry and not answer, but this would inevitably arouse suspicion.

Fortunately, Kong Rong did not pursue the matter any further and instead asked about Yuan Shao. He really wanted to know why Yuan Shao became a traitor. "May I ask, Your Majesty, why did you decide that Yuan Shao was a traitor?"

When Liu Xie heard this, his tense nerves finally relaxed.

Finally, it came to the simplest part. Speaking ill of Boss Yuan was his best skill!

"Snapped--!"

Liu Xie's face suddenly turned cold and angry. He slammed the teacup in his hand on the table, making a crisp sound.

"Yuan Shao is even more evil than Yuan Shu!"

"I was deceived by his reputation and thought he was a loyal minister. Who would have thought he was actually a treacherous person who looked loyal!"

"He covets my reputation, and under the advice of his adviser Ju Su, he also wants to use the emperor to control his disobedience!"

Kong Rong said, "How could this be? Yuan Shao has a great reputation and has never overstepped the boundaries with Your Majesty. He even spent a large sum of money to build a palace for Your Majesty, and recently he killed his own brother Yuan Shu for the sake of justice. Your Majesty, please tell me clearly how Yuan Shao has been disloyal."

Like most people of that era, Kong Rong approved of Yuan Shao.

Moreover, since he arrived in Yecheng, there was no sign that Yuan Shao had failed to do anything well.

I really don't know where to start when it comes to the phrase "a traitor appears loyal".

"Look, even you have been deceived by his appearance!" Liu Xie sneered, "Yuan Shao is the best at cultivating reputation. He rebuked Dong Zhuo in the court and sacrificed the lives of all the Yuan family members in Luoyang in exchange for his own reputation."

"He originally wanted his second son Yuan Xi to marry Zhen's daughter in order to seize Zhen's family property. However, he never expected that Zhen's daughter had a prophecy of a phoenix, which caused a sensation in the city. In addition, Yuan Shu usurped the throne, and Yuan Shao was worried that his second son would be criticized for marrying Zhen's daughter. He had no choice but to present Zhen's daughter to me!"

"As for beheading Yuan Shu... Ha! Yuan Shu was defeated by Lu Bu and Liu Bei, what does it have to do with Yuan Benchu?"

"Besides, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu are enemies. My dear minister, you know that Yuan Shao did not recognize me at the beginning and wanted to support Liu Yu, the governor of Youzhou, but was rejected by Yuan Shu. This time, I killed Yuan Shu just to gain fame! Without him, Yuan Benchu, would Yuan Shu's head not fall to the ground?"

Liu Xie's sarcastic words made Kong Rong frown deeply.

He had no idea that behind all of Yuan Shao's brilliant deeds, there was such a hidden story.

Liu Xie took another sip of tea to moisten his throat. "Yuan Shao is respectful to me on the surface, but when others can't see him, he is rude and arrogant to me. He bullies his superiors! To protect myself, I can only learn from Gou Jian, the King of Yue, who endured humiliation and endured hardships."

"My dear, just tell Yuan Shao what we just talked about. I will definitely not end well. Do you know why I would risk telling you this?"

Kong Rong shook his head: "I don't know."

Liu Xie stepped forward and held Kong Rong's hand. He still could not forget the traditional skills of the Liu family.

"Because I know you are a loyal and righteous person!"

"My dear minister, you met the fake emperor who looks like me in Xu County, but you did not make any judgments. You refused Cao's request to stay and insisted on coming to Yecheng to see it. You are so cautious in treating the orthodoxy of the Han Dynasty. You deserve my trust."

Kong Rong looked at Liu Xie who was holding his hands tightly, with a mixture of emotions in his heart.

Isn’t this the legacy of Emperor Gaozu?
After listening to what Liu Xie said, he looked solemn: "Your Majesty, you are too serious. This is the duty of a minister. The true or false emperor is related to the orthodoxy of the Han Dynasty. How can I not treat it with caution? How can I listen to the words of one family?"

"If the Han Dynasty were filled with loyal and righteous ministers like you, how could it have gradually declined?" Liu Xie pretended to sigh with emotion.

If the Han Dynasty was full of ministers like Kong Rong, how could he become the emperor?
If he looked like the emperor, he might have been chopped off by Yuan Shao long ago. How could he enjoy wealth and glory?
When talking about the decline of the Han Dynasty, Kong Rong's face darkened and he sighed heavily.

Liu Xie was worried that Kong Rong would ask about the emperor's privacy again, so he quickly changed the subject: "I have told you everything. Do you have a decision in your mind? Between me and the man in Xu County, who is true and who is false?"

Life or death depends on this one knife.

However, unexpectedly, Kong Rong remained silent and did not answer.

Liu Xie's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that he had discovered something?
After a moment of silence, Kong Rong opened his mouth and finally said, "Your Majesty, please forgive my stupidity... I can't tell the difference."

so far so good.

Liu Xie Khan was almost scared to death.

Although Kong Rong did not admit that he was the emperor, as long as they did not see that he was a fake, they won.

After all, the current Emperor Xian of Han cannot compare with him in any way.

There are many more people in the world who recognize him than those who recognize Emperor Xian of Han.

Of course, although I was excited in my heart, I still had to pretend on the surface.

"Why?" Liu Xie frowned and looked at Kong Rong doubtfully: "What other doubts do you have in your mind?"

"Wait, could it be..."

Liu Xie's puzzled expression suddenly changed, and he said angrily, "My dear minister, did you believe the likes of Fu Wan and Yang Biao, and the words of my concubines?"

Kong Rong had a complicated look on his face. He stood up and walked to the center of the Xuanshi Hall. He knelt down and kowtowed to Liu Xie: "Your Majesty, I can't tell the difference. I really can't tell the difference."

Now his mind was in a mess and he couldn't tell which one was real and which one was fake.

The emperor before him was extremely majestic. His words, deeds, manners, and demeanor were all impeccable. He was much better than the cowardly emperor in Xu County.

He also hoped in his heart that this one was real.

But... he couldn't make that decision.

Because he couldn't be sure that what the emperor in front of him said was true. What if he was just lying to him?

Although the emperor of Xu County was a bit cowardly, he gave him a very real feeling, and there were also testimonies from the emperor's close ministers and the empress and concubines.

Neither of the two emperors seems fake.

He couldn't tell, he really couldn't tell.

"Forget it, forget it." Liu Xie waved his hands, his face full of disappointment, as if he had lost his energy and spirit, and leaned tiredly on the couch, "My concubines and close ministers are all in Xu County, it is reasonable for you to be deceived. You can leave now, I am tired."

When Kong Rong saw the emperor like this, his heart was filled with bitterness and sadness, and he was unwilling to leave.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

"I thought I could tell the emperor's authenticity by his appearance, words and deeds, but I didn't expect that the real and fake emperors looked exactly the same."

"In terms of words, deeds, and imperial demeanor, Your Majesty is more like the Son of Heaven. But the Emperor's close ministers and concubines in Xu County can testify to this."

"I really don't know who to trust."

Both of them were like the emperor, so Kong Rong did not dare to make a decision easily because the pressure brought by this responsibility was too great.

Once he recognized the wrong emperor, the legitimacy of the Han Dynasty would be lost and he would become a sinner for all eternity.

"My dear, do you want to escape?"

Liu Xie stood up suddenly, his handsome face was covered with dark clouds and his eyes seemed to contain thunder.

"If even you, my beloved minister, cannot verify my identity, who else in the world can do it? If you do not identify the fake emperor, the people of the world will question my identity. How can I save the world and restore the Han Dynasty?!"

"My ambitions, my aspirations, my Han Dynasty will all be ruined because of your escape!"

Liu Xie's words were like a heavy hammer, hitting Kong Rong's heart hard.

But he really didn't dare to make a decision easily.

After venting his anger, Liu Xie sat down again and sighed quietly, "If you continue to avoid making a decision, my original plan to get rid of Yuan Shao's constraints, pacify the north and then conquer the world will be in vain!"

Kong Rong suddenly raised his head and looked at Liu Xie. In his opinion, the emperor in front of him was just like the one in Xu County. He was in the base camp of treacherous ministers and was completely controlled by others.

How can we talk about breaking free from constraints and sweeping the world?

However, thinking about the moment from the first time he met the emperor in the palace to the present, Kong Rong knew that the emperor in front of him had a thunderbolt in his heart but was just lying in wait, trying to bide his time.

"Your Majesty, please tell me in detail!"

Liu Xie was overjoyed when he heard this.

Kong Rong took the bait!
　I didn't save any drafts, I'm writing now, and I've updated almost 10,000 words today

　　Still working on coding...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)