Chapter 206: Be worthy of heaven and be worthy of people

Cao Cao kept drinking.

He didn't stop until Liu Bei grabbed his hand.

Liu Bei stared at Cao Cao's evasive eyes and said, "Brother Meng De, you already have the answer in your heart."

silence
Long silence

Finally, under Liu Bei's gaze, Cao Cao gave it his all.

"I want to leave Luoyang, this place of trouble. I don't want to work for the court anymore. I want to go back to my hometown! I want to study and seek answers at the same time!"

After yelling, Cao Cao felt a lot better, but when he saw Liu Bei in front of him, he couldn't help but blush. It was really shameful to say such words in front of Liu Xuande, whom he admired.

Liu Bei really wanted to laugh, but fortunately, he was a man who never showed his emotions, so he managed to keep his composure.

In his opinion, Cao Cao at this moment seemed to have all his expressions written on his face. He was an extremely emotional person, a bit like himself in the script.

Liu Bei was afraid that Cao Cao would cry. Having grown up in Zhuo County, he would not frown even if a knife was placed on his neck, let alone cry.
However, Liu Bei could understand Cao Cao's feelings, although this setback was nothing in his eyes.

However, Liu Bei, who had experience in parenting, slowly helped Cao Cao to ease the situation. When Cao Cao saw that Liu Bei did not make fun of him, he was moved and simply poured out his true feelings, such as how his previous behavior had offended the powerful in Luoyang, how he had given up on the emperor's unlimited indulgence of eunuchs, and how his hard-earned political achievements had come to nothing.

As for why I made up my mind, but ended up hesitating.
"Today I met Brother Xuande, he was so majestic, Your Majesty also has the destiny to recognize people, perhaps..."

Cao Cao did not say the following words. After being enlightened by Liu Bei, he calmed down and thought carefully. He realized that the Majesty he knew was still the same Majesty, but Liu Bei was different.

Thinking of this, Cao Cao looked at Liu Bei.

"Brother Xuande, can I ask you a question?"

"Brother Meng De, please speak up. I will tell you everything I know."

Thinking about Liu Bei's origin, Cao Cao expressed his doubts

"Brother Xuande, I think you have encountered far more setbacks than I have. How did you overcome them and achieve such great success?"

Looking at Cao Cao's face full of desire, Liu Bei's mind seemed to drift to the theater, to the cold scene in the theater when Cao Cao drew his sword at Lü Bushe.

Can we say that the Cao Cao at that time is the same person as the Cao Cao before us?
The Cao Cao in front of us is like a young boy who has just started out. He wants to make great achievements but is suppressed by reality and feels frustrated.

However, Cao Cao in the novel was also a brave man who eliminated bandits for the country.

That is
Liu Bei lowered his eyebrows. Was he talking about the time with Lü Bushe? Because he had broken through the bottom line and untied the shackles of morality, he felt relaxed. Like a wild horse that had broken free from its reins, he was sinking deeper and deeper into the quagmire of desire. At first, he only wielded the butcher knife against one family after another, and gradually he became cruel to the people of a state. In the end, slaughtering the city and digging graves was as easy as eating and drinking.

Thinking of this, Liu Bei had a plan in mind.

He said in a deep voice: "Brother Meng De, do you know what a hero is?"

Cao Cao became interested. He sat up straight and said, "I'd like to hear more details."

Liu Bei looked up and could see the floating clouds in the sky through the cracks in the window. He sighed and said, "Someone said that a dragon can be big or small, can rise or hide. When it is big, it can create clouds and mist, and when it is small, it can hide its shape. When it rises, it soars in the universe, and when it hides, it lurks in the waves. The dragon changes with the times, just like a man who can travel across the world when he is successful."

Cao Cao's eyes lit up: "When it is big, it raises clouds and mists; when it is small, it hides its shape; when it rises, it soars in the universe; when it hides, it lurks in the waves... Can the dragon be compared to the heroes of the world?"

Taking a sip of warm wine, Liu Bei neither nodded nor shook his head. He said frankly, "This is the hero in one person's heart. Another person thinks that being smart and outstanding is called a hero, and being brave and strong is called a hero."

"Good, what this person said is also right!" Cao Cao nodded.

"Someone else once said that a hero is someone who is extremely brave. Someone with heroic qualities. Someone who is selfless, selfless, brave enough to fight for the people of the world, and admirable."

Cao Cao was stunned. If he were to use a third person's standard, the only hero in the world might be the person in front of him.

Unexpectedly, Liu Bei shook his head. "Although the third person's statement makes sense, it is too demanding."

"So, Brother Xuande, what do you think a hero should be like?" Cao Cao asked.

Facing Cao Cao's question, Liu Bei did not answer directly. He smiled and said, "Brother Meng De, why don't I tell you a story."

"I'd like to hear the details." Cao Cao concentrated and pricked up his ears.

Liu Bei poured a bowl of wine for Cao Cao and himself. As he drank, he said, "There was a man who was young and righteous. At that time, the court was in chaos. He often sighed and wished to punish the traitors for the country. When the opportunity came, he failed at the last moment."

"When the plot was exposed, he had no choice but to flee, and on the way he made friends with like-minded people." "To avoid being pursued, this man and his friends hid in the home of his father's good friend Lu Gong."

"When Lu Gong saw my nephew coming, he smiled and said he would go to buy some wine for my nephew and treat him well."

"This man and his companion breathed a sigh of relief. They were both exhausted from the journey and went to bed early."

"While he was half asleep, he heard the sound of knife sharpening. He was frightened and quickly woke up his companion."

"The companion asked: What happened? Why are you so panicked?"

"This person said: I think Lu Gong must have gone to the government to inform them, and the sound of sharpening knives outside the door means they are going to take action!"

"The companion said: What should we do then?"

"This person said: It is better to strike first!"

Hearing this, Cao Cao felt something was amiss. Shouldn't he sneak out and take a look first? However, in this time of crisis, such an action seemed understandable.
Liu Bei took a sip of wine and continued, “This man and his companions slaughtered everyone in the Lu Mansion, but it turned out that they were actually killing pigs.”

Cao Cao's heart trembled. This was a huge mistake!

Liu Bei's voice continued.

"This man and his companions knew they had made a big mistake, so they jumped on their horses and fled at night. However, they heard Lu Gong's voice from afar, 'Why did you leave, my dear nephew? I ordered someone to kill a pig and buy wine. Come back with me quickly. I want to entertain you two!'"

Cao Cao secretly said that it was not good. He seemed to have guessed how the situation would develop, but he still held a glimmer of relief in his heart, hoping that it would not turn out as he thought.

"This man's face darkened, and he made up his mind. He lied to Lu Gong that there was someone behind him, and when Lu Gong turned around, he stabbed him to death with a sword."

"The companion was shocked and asked hurriedly: It was just a misunderstanding, why did you kill Lu Gong?"

"The man said coldly: Are you waiting for him to report to the authorities by not killing him?"

"He also said: I would rather let the world betray me than let the world betray me!"

"His companion left him in anger."

After hearing this, Cao Cao was horrified and shouted, "How could there be such a person!"

After calming down, Cao Cao put himself in the situation again. If he were in such an environment, with pursuers behind him, killing Lu Gong's family, and meeting Lu Gong while fleeing, he really could not guarantee that he would not make such a choice.

The first thing he thought of was Liu Bei. He looked at Liu Bei and asked:
"Brother Xuande, if you run into Lu Gong after killing his family, what will you do?"

What would it do?
Liu Bei couldn't help but laugh in his heart.

This issue was difficult for Cao Cao to decide, but it was not a problem at all for Liu Bei. If it were him, he would never doubt Lü Bushe from beginning to end, because he believed in his father's vision.

As he thought about it, he sat up straight, his eyes clear, and said frankly: "If I meet Lu Gong, I will let my companions leave and confess my faults. Even if I deceive Lu Gong and leave like this, I will never have peace in my life."

"."

Cao Cao opened his mouth and wanted to say, "Brother Xuande, are you joking with me?" But when he looked at Liu Bei's serious gaze, he knew that he was not lying at all, so the joke that was on the tip of his tongue could not be squeezed out.

Liu Bei stood up and revealed the answer. He put his hands behind his back and said with emotion: "Any hero must have a bottom line. Whether facing the people or friends, he can summarize his life with the word honesty. He will not do bad things because they are insignificant, nor will he choose to ignore good things because they are insignificant. When I am old and look back on the past, and face the gods and the earth, I can say from the bottom of my heart that I have lived a life without regrets and without regrets to anyone!"

Cao Cao closed his eyes and murmured: "Looking up, I am not ashamed of heaven, looking down, I am not ashamed of people."

He was filled with emotion in his heart, I am far inferior to Liu Xuande.

Therefore, he secretly made up his mind: I want to stay, not for the official position, but for Liu Xuande.

Liu Bei thought that it was a good thing for Cao Mengde to go back. In this way, there would be no subsequent Mengde offering his knife, and there would be no tragedy in Lü Bushe's family. Saving as many people as possible is a good thing.

Thinking of this, Liu Bei turned around.

Just at this moment, Cao Cao raised his eyes.

The two looked at each other, saying nothing.

　Second update
　　
　
(End of this chapter)