Can I get to the other side?

Propaganda room.

Gao Lan was under martial law outside and no one was allowed to approach. Liu Xie and Kong Rong were the only two people in the propaganda room.

After Liu Xie sat down, he said to Kong Rong beside him: "My dear, you are not above the court. You and I, our monarch and our ministers, don't need to be polite, just sit down."

At this time, the seriousness and gloominess on his face were gone, replaced by a spring-like smile.

Kong Rong was unexpected by this sudden change of attitude.

He looked at Liu Xie in astonishment and was stunned.

Why does Your Majesty change his face and still call me Aiqing?

Seeing Kong Rong's face full of surprise, Liu Xie showed a bitter smile: "Don't be surprised, Aiqing. Back then, Dong Zhuo was so powerful, but you dared to disobey him. I know that Aiqing is loyal and loyal, so how could you be a traitor to Cao Cao?" Coerced or bribed? I was angry in the hall just now because I had no choice but to do so."

With that said, Liu Xie pointed to his side and invited Kong Rong to sit on the same bed.

"I am terrified."

Faced with such an honor, how could Kong Rong dare to agree?

He asked in a somewhat astringent tone: "Your Majesty, forgive me for being stupid, but what do you mean by what your Majesty just said? Why... is it necessary?"

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

Compared with the emperor in the main hall, the emperor in the announcement room is simply a different person!

In the Zhengyang Palace, the emperor is stern and cold, and the emperor is full of majesty, which makes people feel like Mount Tai weighing them down.

In the announcement room, the emperor is calm and gentle, just like a gentleman in ancient times, making people feel like they are taking a breath of spring breeze.

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

"It's just the literal meaning." Liu Xie poured himself a cup of tea and said calmly: "When I escaped from Cao Cao's thieves and came to Yecheng, I discovered that Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu were the same, both harboring disloyal intentions. Heart.

I need to disguise myself in front of him, making him think that I am a hot-tempered and irascible emperor. If not, how could he rest assured. If not, how could I have lived safely until now?

After all, all he needs is the title of emperor. Cao Cao can find someone to pretend to be me, so why can't Yuan Shao do such a thing? "

In these words, he not only denounced Yuan Shao as a traitor, but also quietly hinted that the emperor of Xu County was someone Cao Cao found to pretend to be.

When Kong Rong heard this, he suddenly looked up at Liu Xie and exclaimed: "Yuan Shao actually has a disobedient heart! Why did your majesty say this? He is a loyal minister who killed his relatives for justice."

He never expected that Liu Xie would call Yuan Shao a traitor.

Yuan Shao was impeccable in terms of his reputation, deeds, and attitude towards the emperor. He was hundreds of times better than Cao Cao!

The Yuan family, who was born in the fourth generation and the third prince, attacked Dong Zhuo and defeated Yuan Shu. Before arriving in Yecheng, he even heard that Yuan Shao personally presided over the execution and executed Yuan Shu in public!

In addition, since entering the city, Yuan Shao has also been gentle and courteous, and his attitude towards the emperor has also followed the principles of a minister.

Such a hero can be regarded as a model for the world, how can he be disobedient?

Kong Rong felt that Liu Xie had made a mistake.

"It's just an appearance." Liu Xie showed anger, as if he was afraid that the wall had ears, and growled: "Yuan Shao is a rebellious minister like Cao Cao! Everyone in the world has been deceived by him!"

At this moment, Kong Rong felt that the emperor in Zhengyang Palace was back again.

When angry, it is a thunderous fury that makes people tremble with fear.

Liu Xie took a deep breath, suppressed his emotions, and returned to his previous spring-breathing smile: "I must have many questions in your mind. I will answer them for you one by one. Sit down."

Kong Rong hesitated for a moment, but did not refuse this time. He was flattered and walked to sit next to Liu Xie.

"I am all ears."

He had too many questions about Liu Xie.

How did his majesty come to Yecheng, and how did Yuan Shao become a rebel in his heart.

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

"At first, the two thieves Li Jue and Guo Si attacked the city for several months, killing thousands of people, and 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 into Luoyang. I thought he was a loyal minister by assassinating Dong Zhuo, but I never thought that he was just trying to gain my reputation."

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

"I am afraid that these experiences are now known to everyone. What Aiqing wants to know is my subsequent experiences."

Kong Rong immediately cheered up after hearing this.

What Liu Xie wants to say next is what he is really interested in.

This is the so-called whole story of the emperor being in trouble and fleeing to Yecheng.

"In Xu County, I was completely at the mercy of Cao Cao. Even the courtiers around me succumbed to his coercion and inducement. Everyone betrayed me, including Yang Biao, Fu Wan, and even the queen... …”

When he mentioned the queen, Liu Xie fell into a trance and his voice changed. He seemed to be deliberately suppressing the sadness in his heart, not wanting outsiders to see his heartbreak at being betrayed by his closest relatives.

"Fortunately, God has been kind to me. Even though my courtiers and concubines betrayed me, I still have loyal people around me. With the help of several eunuchs, I escaped by hiding in a vegetable cart going to and from the palace, and traveled all the way to Yecheng. , I almost starved to death in the wilderness several times during this period.”

When Kong Rong heard this, he analyzed it in his mind and found no flaws.

Instead, he saw the flash of sadness on the emperor's face when he mentioned the queen's betrayal, and the sadness of almost starving to death in the wilderness.

Liu Xie laughed at himself and continued, "Does it sound incredible? The ministers who claimed to be loyal betrayed me one by one, while those eunuchs who were looked down upon by them were loyal to me. They were even willing to sacrifice their lives to help me escape."

Looking at Liu Xie's seemingly relaxed look, but actually with sadness and hatred in his eyes, Kong Rong remained silent and sighed in his heart.

If all this was true, he could not imagine how desperate, helpless, and sad the emperor was when he was betrayed by the ministers and concubines he trusted the most and was closest to.

"Why did your majesty choose to come to Yecheng?"

"Yangzhou, Xuzhou, and Jingzhou are all adjacent to Yuzhou, and Liu Biao of Jingzhou is a royal relative, and Lu Bu is also loyal to your majesty."

"Even at that time, Yuan Shu did not become emperor, and he was still a descendant of the Yuan family with three generations of officials. Your majesty can go anywhere more convenient than Jizhou, so why did you come all the way here?"

Kong Rong asked the doubts in his heart.

Judging from the situation at that time, which one of Lü Bu, Liu Biao, and Yuan Shu was not closer than Yuan Shao? And Liu Biao was a relative of the Han Dynasty, so why did he choose to flee to Jizhou?

"Because I had no choice." Liu Xie said calmly: "After I fled Xu County, I wanted to go to Jingzhou to find Liu Biao, or to Xuzhou to find Lü Bu, but Cao thieves had already secretly searched for me. Especially the roads to Jingzhou, Yangzhou, and Xuzhou were searched strictly."

"In comparison, the search in the direction of Jizhou was the most loose. I had no choice but to flee to Jizhou."

Kong Rong nodded slightly, and then he suddenly realized.

He knew that Yuan Shao didn't really care about the emperor in front of him at the beginning, and what he really wanted to support was Liu Yu, the governor of Youzhou who had been killed by Gongsun Zan.

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

The result was counterproductive.

"May I ask how your majesty got here all the way? Yecheng and Xu County are thousands of miles apart, and the journey is extremely difficult." Kong Rong asked again.

He was exhausted when he came to Yecheng from Xu County by carriage.

The emperor lived a life of luxury and had no money or carriages, so how could he escape to Yecheng?

"Become a refugee, hiding during the day and going out at night. Drink mountain springs when thirsty, eat wild fruits in the forest when hungry. If you can't find wild fruits, eat wild vegetables. If you can't find wild vegetables, learn to gnaw on tree bark like refugees. If you can't even find tree bark..."

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

Just a few words, but it tells the vicissitudes of life.

Kong Rong couldn't help but respect him when he heard this.

Although the emperor didn't want to say it, the maturity and indifference he showed were definitely a calm state of mind that could only be developed after experiencing all kinds of pain and torture. How much suffering did he have to endure along the way?

It must be a past that he couldn't bear to look back on.

Sitting next to the emperor at a close distance, Kong Rong found an opportunity to secretly look at the emperor.

His skin was delicate and tender, and there were no calluses on his hands. It was obvious that he had been spoiled since childhood and never worked.

He looked more noble than the one in Xu County.

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

All those things just now were made up by him. 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 road, it would be unreasonable to make up any story, so he could only be vague.

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

Fortunately, Kong Rong did not continue to pursue it, and instead asked about Yuan Shao. He really wanted to know why Yuan Shao became a traitor.

"May I ask your Majesty, why do you think Yuan Shao is a traitor?"

Liu Xie's tense heartstrings were loosened when he heard this.

Finally, it was the simplest part. He was best at saying bad things about Boss Yuan!

"Pah!"

Liu Xie's face suddenly turned cold, and he slapped the teacup in his hand on the table with anger.

"Yuan Shao is even worse than Yuan Shu!"

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

"He coveted my reputation. Under the advice of his adviser Ju Su, he also wanted to hold the emperor hostage to force the disloyalty!"

Kong Rong said, "How could this be? Yuan Shao has a good reputation and has never overstepped the boundaries with Your Majesty. He even spent a lot of money to build a palace for Your Majesty. Some time ago, he killed his own brother Yuan Shu for the sake of justice. Please tell me clearly, Your Majesty, how Yuan Shao was disloyal."

Like most people of this era, Kong Rong recognized Yuan Shao.

And since he arrived in Yecheng, he could not see any place where Yuan Shao could not do well.

I really don't know where to start with the four words "a traitor pretending to be loyal".

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

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

"Furthermore, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu are already as powerful as fire and water. My beloved, you don't know that Yuan Shao didn't recognize me at the beginning and wanted to support Youzhou Mu Liu Yu, but Yuan Shu refused. This time, Yuan Shu was killed just to make a name for himself! Don't you think so? Yuan Benchu ​​and Yuan Shu’s heads will never fall to the ground?”

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

He didn't know that there was such a secret behind Yuan Shao's dazzling deeds.

Liu Xie took another sip of tea to moisten his throat: "Yuan Shao was respectful to me on the surface, but when others couldn't see him, he was arrogant and rude to me, bullying me! To protect myself, I can only imitate King Gou Jian of Yue, who endured humiliation and endured heavy burdens. ”

"My dear, all I have to do is tell Yuan Shao what we just talked about, and I will definitely not end well. Do you know why I took the risk to tell you this?"

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

Liu Xie stepped forward and took Kong Rong's hand. He still couldn't forget the traditional skills of the old Liu family.

"Because I know that I love you and you are a loyal person!"

"Aiqing met the pseudo-emperor who looked the same as me in Xu County, but he did not make any judgments. He refused Cao Cao's request to stay and insisted on coming to Yecheng for a look. He is so cautious in treating the orthodoxy of the Han Dynasty, and he deserves my trust."

Kong Rong looked at Liu Xie who was holding his hands tightly, with various emotions mixed in his heart.

Isn’t this the legacy of Emperor Gaozu!

After listening to what Liu Xie said, he looked solemn: "Your Majesty, your words are serious. This is the duty of a minister. The true and 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 a family?"

"If the great Han Dynasty had loyal ministers like Aiqing everywhere, how could it gradually decline!" Liu Xie pretended to be filled with emotion.

If the Han Dynasty had ministers like Kong Rong everywhere, how could he be the emperor?

Just like the emperor, he might have been chopped down by Yuan Shao long ago. How can he enjoy the glory and wealth?

When mentioning the decline of the Han Dynasty, Kong Rong's face turned gloomy 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 Aiqing everything, does Aiqing have any decision in mind? Which one is true or false between me and the person from Xu County?"

Life or death depends on this knife.

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

Liu Xie's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that he had seen some clues?

After a moment of silence, Kong Rong opened his mouth and finally said: "Your Majesty, please forgive me for being stupid...I can't tell the difference."

Okay okay okay.

Liu Xiehan was almost frightened.

Although Kong Rong did not admit that he was the emperor, as long as he was not seen to be fake, it was a victory.

After all, today's Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty cannot be compared with him anywhere.

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

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 uncertainly: "What other doubts do you have in your mind?"

"Wait, could it be..."

Liu Xie's puzzled expression changed, and he said angrily: "Did Aiqing believe the words of Fu Wan, Yang Biao and others, and the words of my concubines?"

Kong Rong looked complicated. He stood up and came to the center of the announcement room. 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 true and which one was false.

The emperor in front of him was extremely majestic. Whether it was his words, deeds, or demeanor, he was impeccable. He was infinitely better than the cowardly emperor in Xu County.

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

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

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

Although the emperor in Xu County was a bit cowardly, he felt extremely real to him, and there were witnesses from the emperor's close ministers and the queen's concubines.

Neither emperor seems fake.

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

"That's all, that's all." Liu Xie waved his hands, his face full of disappointment, he seemed to have lost his energy, and leaned on the couch tiredly, "My concubines and close ministers are all in Xu County, it is reasonable for you to be deceived. "Please step back, I'm tired."

Seeing the emperor like this, Kong Rong's heart was full of bitterness and sadness, and he was unwilling to leave just like that.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

"I thought that I could judge the authenticity of the emperor by his appearance, words and deeds, but I didn't expect that the appearance of the real and fake emperor was exactly the same."

"In terms of words, deeds, and imperial dignity, His Majesty is more like the Emperor. Perhaps there are ministers and concubines of the Emperor in Xu County who can testify."

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

Both of them were like emperors. Kong Rong really didn't dare to make a decision easily. The pressure brought by this responsibility was too great.

Once he recognized the wrong emperor, the Han Dynasty's orthodoxy would not be preserved, and he would become a sinner through the ages.

"Ai Qing, 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 your dear wife cannot prove my identity for me, who in the world can do it? If you don't identify the false emperor, people in the world will question my identity. How can I save the world, and how can I make it happen? My Han Dynasty is quiet and bright!"

"My aspirations, my aspirations, and my strength will all be ruined because of your beloved's escape!"

Liu Xie's few 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, Liu Xie sat down again and sighed: "If you avoid it to the end and refuse to make a decision, my original plan to get rid of Yuan Shao's constraints, pacify the north and sweep the world from this 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 like the one in Xu County, who was in the base camp of treacherous ministers and was completely controlled by others.

How can we talk about getting rid of constraints and sweeping the world?

However, thinking about the first time he saw the emperor in the palace and now, Kong Rong knew that the emperor in front of him had thunder in his heart, but he was just lying on the straw and tasting gall, hiding his light and biding his time.

"Please tell me in detail, Your Majesty!"

Liu Xie was overjoyed when he heard this.

Kong Rong took the bait!

I didn't save the draft, I wrote it now, and I have updated nearly 10,000 words today

Still working hard to type...