Chapter 105 Cai’s beauty trap, Liu Biao is seriously ill!
"My lord, because of your favoritism, the Cai family allowed Cai Mao, your wife's family, to seize power. Now they control most of the Jingzhou navy. If they pretend to obey you but secretly disobey you, where will you stand? We can't let this go on any longer."

Yi Ji advised:

"The court is bound to send troops south. If His Majesty blames us in the future, the court will not think that the Cai family acted on their own initiative and pretended to obey but actually disobeyed. Instead, they will think that it was the master who secretly instructed them to rebel against the court!"

When Liu Biao learned that Cai Mao and other generals pretended to obey but secretly disobeyed, he was furious. However, he did not attack them immediately, but summoned his trusted subordinates to discuss the matter.

These confidants were all from the same hometown as Liu Biao, or were die-hard followers of him since he was young. They would prosper together and it was impossible for them to betray Liu Biao.

After hearing this, Liu Bian looked a little hesitant: "A day of marriage is a hundred days of grace. Cai is virtuous and kind. If I become enemies with Cai because of this, it will definitely alienate the relationship between husband and wife!"

"My Lord, a man should not worry about not having a wife."

Yi Ji said in a deep voice: "I still remember what Liu Qingzhou (Liu Bei) once said, women are like clothes, and brothers are like limbs. Clothes can be mended if they are torn, but how can limbs be mended if they are broken?

"My lord, if you ignore the affairs of your family and country because of your love for your children, it would be an act of disloyalty, unfilial piety, unkindness and injustice.

"Moreover, since Cai was favored by you, she has been suppressing the legitimate son Liu Qi. My lord, I dare to advise you to depose the eldest son and enthronize the youngest son, which is the way to chaos.

"If we allow the Cai family to continue to grow, we will suffer in the future!"

...

Hearing this, Liu Biao still looked a little reluctant!
This made Yi Ji sigh!

Liu Biao was once one of the "Eight Handsome Men" with a gentle and majestic appearance, and was well-known in the world when he was young. Later, he rode alone into Jingzhou with great courage and momentum, and was worthy of being called a hero.

But as he grows older and weaker, he not only loses his former ambition, but has become somewhat indecisive!
Yi Ji advised again: "My Lord, given your Majesty's temperament, your hesitation at this moment will put Jingzhou in an irreparable situation. If you don't consider yourself, you should also consider your descendants!"

Boom! ——

Like a bolt from the blue, Liu Biao suddenly woke up!
Liu Biao recalled the decisiveness of the Han Emperor Liu Bian in killing people. Although he had not yet taken action against the relatives of the Han royal family, he still believed that one should be prepared for the worst!
The Yuan family of Runan has three dukes in four generations, and their students and former officials are spread all over the world. Even the late emperor, considering the stability of the world, would not execute the entire Yuan family!

however!
Your Majesty can kill if he wants, even if the Yuan Shao brothers bring together Yuan's followers, students and former officials, and trick the princes into besieging the capital with their troops.

Your Majesty, you still have not compromised!
If Jingzhou disobeys the imperial will, given Your Majesty's temperament, I'm afraid everyone will be killed!

"Ugh--"

Liu Biao sighed and nodded heavily, saying, "For the sake of the common people of Jingzhou and the country, sacrificing my own family for the sake of the country is the duty of a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty. What's more, I am a relative of the Han Dynasty!"

"My lord is wise!" Yi Ji breathed a sigh of relief.

Liu Biao nodded, and the two immediately began to discuss how to take back the Cai family's power and remove Cai Mao's military power. They even talked about the issue of succession. Liu Biao rarely expressed his preference for his eldest son Liu Qi.

In the original history, Yuan Shao's decision to dethrone the eldest son and enthroned the youngest son led to civil war among his subordinates. In fact, Liu Biao of Jingzhou also had his sons killing each other because of the issue of succession.

Even Cao Cao was hesitant about the choice of successor and wanted to depose the eldest son and enthronize the youngest son. Fortunately, Jia Xu said, "Thinking of Yuan Benchu ​​and Liu Jingsheng, father and son", which stopped Cao Cao from deposing the eldest son and enthroning the youngest son.

Deposing the eldest and enthroning the youngest is a way to cause chaos and it has been around since ancient times.

just.

The two men were discussing heatedly, but they didn't know that outside the door, Madam Cai was bringing ginseng soup to reward Liu Biao. She heard everything in full and clearly, and her expression turned into anger!
Mrs. Cai looked at the ginseng soup in her hand, turned around and left, throwing it next to the dog cage in the backyard to feed the dog.

"Liu Jingsheng, you are such a jerk. If it weren't for my Cai family, would you have been able to gain a foothold in Jingzhou? Now that you have grown wings, you want to fly, right? If you want to fly, then fly. Why do you want to cross the river and destroy the bridge, and add insult to injury?"

Mrs. Cai was brewing a rage. What she could not tolerate the most was that Liu Biao wanted to designate his eldest son Liu Qi as the heir.

It is true that the system of primogeniture has been in place since ancient times, but there are many precedents of deposing the eldest son and enthroning the youngest son.

What's more, the second son Liu Cong was the flesh and blood of Lady Cai who was born after ten months of pregnancy, while the eldest son Liu Qi was the son of Liu Biao's ex-wife.

This made Mrs. Cai unbearable!
In fact, for a woman, she may not love her husband, but she definitely loves her own flesh and blood that she gave birth to after ten months of pregnancy. Even a tiger will not eat its own cubs, and this is actually referring to the tigress!

Mrs. Cai ordered her maid to go back to her parents' home and summon Cai Mao to see her.

But when she thought that she had also overheard an important event, in order to avoid the news leaking out, she gave up the idea and went straight back to her parents' home to visit her relatives.

The visit to relatives was naturally fake. The real purpose was to inform Cai Mao and other family members about this matter.

"What?! How dare Liu Jingsheng turn his back on us and destroy our bridges?!"

Cai Mao was suddenly a little shocked and angry. Wasn't he just pretending to obey but secretly disobeying? But Liu Biao wanted to deprive him of his military power?
Even to the point of making his nephew lose his position as heir? !
My uncle can't bear it, but my aunt can't!
"We can't just let this go!"

"However, Liu Biao's control over Jingzhou has already won the hearts of the people. It is not easy for us to undermine Liu Biao, and we cannot do that!"

"Liu Biao is an official appointed by the imperial court and a relative of the Han royal family. If he goes too far and breaks off relations with us, our Cai family will become the target of public criticism!"

"what to do?!"

"How about coercing the five counties in southern Jing to rebel? We will be sending troops to suppress the rebellion and will have no time to take care of Liu Yao. The imperial court will be helpless, right?"

"..."

After hearing this, the core members of the Cai family immediately worked together.

however.

Cai Mao shook his head and said:
"If Liu Jingsheng insists on doing this, we in the Cai family won't be able to stir up any trouble!
"Why are those families willing to follow our lead? Is it really because our Cai family controls most of the military power of the Jingzhou navy? This is just one of the reasons!

“The real reason is that my eldest sister’s biological son, my nephew Liu Cong, may inherit Liu Jingsheng’s position!
"In addition to resisting the imperial court's land tax system, those families were also betting in advance that Liu Cong could inherit Jingzhou.

"If Liu Jingsheng directly appoints Liu Qi as the heir, and then gradually weakens the power of our Cai family, those families will gradually distance themselves from us."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the Cai family immediately became worried and frightened.

At the beginning, the Cai family was not the leader of the aristocratic families in Jingzhou. It was only after Liu Bei entered Jingzhou alone that they intermarried with them and helped and benefited each other, which led to their rise to power.

In fact, if there was no Liu Biao, the Cai family would at most be a middle-to-lower-class family in Jingzhou.

But thanks to Liu Biao, the Cai family suddenly became the dominant family in Jingzhou.

It is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but it is difficult to go from extravagance to frugality!

The Cai family has tasted the feeling of being the "calling party". If Liu Biao weakens their power and reduces them to their original status, they will not be able to accept this contrast!
"Why don't we just go all out and poison Liu Biao!" Mrs. Cai's sister said viciously.

This immediately scared everyone!
The Cai family worked together and thought of many ways, but never thought of taking action against Liu Biao.

I dare not! I cannot!

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Cai immediately retorted: "No!!!"

A husband and wife are bound by a hundred days of grace. Mrs. Cai also has feelings for Liu Biao. She can't poison Liu Biao!
Cai Mao immediately said:

"Liu Jingsheng was an official appointed by the imperial court and a relative of the Han royal family. He died suddenly, and no one could hide it from him.

“By then, our Cai family will become the target of public criticism, and those families will not only add insult to injury, but will also exterminate the Cai family.

"Because we broke the rules! Those who started this will have no descendants!"

...

"I was just kidding."

Mrs. Cai's sister laughed and said, "Then what do you say we should do? We can't take action against Liu Biao, but we can't let Liu Biao weaken the Cai family. This is a contradiction!"

...

Cai Mao thought for a moment and said, "We can't poison Liu Biao, but we can make him seriously ill. Then, our Cai family can control the power and even establish Liu Cong as the heir!"

…"this……"

Mrs. Cai was a little hesitant at this time. As long as Liu Biao was not killed, it didn't matter if he was seriously ill. The disease could be cured.

More importantly, her son Liu Cong could become the heir.

...

"That `s a deal."

Cai Mao felt that his elder sister's resistance had weakened and knew that she was somewhat moved.

...

"Is it really a good idea for the Cai family to rebel against the imperial court? The imperial army is heading south, and that is a foregone conclusion."

Mrs. Cai was a little hesitant, but put it another way, "In fact, isn't it the best choice for Jingsheng to comply with the court? A man who knows the times is a hero?!

Yuan Shao of Hebei was such a tyrant, but he was eventually pacified by the imperial court. If we continue to resist, aren't we courting death?"

...

"Sister, the situation is different!"

Cai Mao said firmly and confidently:

“Although Yuan Shao is the overlord, his geographical location is not good.

"Although Jizhou is located in the North China Plain, it is a fertile land. It is also known as 'a land of ten years of grain and a million soldiers'. However, it is flat and has no strategic location to defend.

“The imperial court has many infantry and cavalry under its command, which can sweep across Jizhou with overwhelming force.

"But Jianghuai is different. Cavalry won't work there. We need a navy.

“Even when soldiers from the north came to the south, they had to spend a long time adapting to the local climate and water.

"Your Majesty, if you want to go south, you have to either conquer Jingxiang or cross the Huai River. But neither is easy.

"and--"

Cai Mao looked around and always felt like someone was eavesdropping, but this was the core of the Cai family, and it was also the Cai family's secret room, so no one should be eavesdropping.

Cai Mao secretly thought that he was guilty of his crime, and after a pause, he continued:
"Why did the court order us to rush to Liu Yao's aid? Wasn't it because Liu Yao was defeated by Sun Ce?

"As long as we delay time, Sun Ce will surely defeat Liu Yao, and Jiangdong will fall into Sun Ce's hands.

"And Sun Ce is a general under Yuan Shu. After Jiangdong and Huainan formed a strategic alliance, if we rush to Liu Yao's aid at this time, wouldn't that be courting death?
"Compared to the imperial court that is out of reach, Yuan Shu, Sun Ce and other enemies that are right next to us are the ones we need to ease the tension with.

"As the saying goes, 'A distant relative is not as good as a close neighbor'. If we anger Yuan Shu and Sun Ce, they can directly attack Jingxiang, and we will not be able to stop them!

"The Jiangdong Navy and the Huainan Navy are not inferior to the Jingzhou Navy."

...

After hearing this, Cai’s core senior executives suddenly realized!

"Listening to your words is worth ten years of reading!"

"Then it's settled, we'll try to make Liu Biao seriously ill!"

"How... should I do this?!"

"Well, we can only use drugs!"

After hearing this, Mrs. Cai's sister sneered in her heart. Wasn't this the suggestion she just made?
After going around in circles for so long, in the end, Liu Biao still had to be given medicine!
It's just that she put it a little too bluntly, saying something like "poisoning". If she had said it differently, she would have been praised by the family a long time ago.

After everyone worked together, the Cai family persuaded Madam Cai to take action against Liu Biao.

It is impossible to defend against the attack of Madam Cai, the person beside you. Since Liu Biao wants to attack them now, it is better to strike first!
However, we cannot "poison" Liu Biao, but we have to make him "seriously ill", which is a bit difficult to do, mainly because we need to find a balance!
Finally, after communicating with their trusted doctors, they came up with a perfect solution:

"Jingsheng, you've been working hard day and night recently, so I specially made some ginseng soup for you to drink."

After Mrs. Cai returned to the governor's mansion, she immediately started to carry out the "Cai family conspiracy", and another bowl of ginseng soup was sent to Liu Biao.

Yi Ji and others had been gone for a long time, and Liu Biao had been decisive during the discussion. But now, facing Madam Cai, he felt reluctant and indecisive.

Especially Mrs. Cai's virtuous appearance, and the fact that she made ginseng soup for him to nourish his body, made Liu Biao secretly blame himself.

but!

It's hard to be both loyal and righteous!

For the sake of the country, the people, and the people, I can only sacrifice my own small family and let Mrs. Cai down.

"Thanks a lot."

Liu Biao took the ginseng soup and drank it without any suspicion. He said, "I am old now and it is time to choose a successor. Who among my many sons do you think is capable of this important task?"

"Of course it's Liu Qi. He's the eldest son, so he's the right one!"

Mrs. Cai smiled and said that although she wanted her son Liu Cong to take the throne, she also knew the virtue of humility.

This is a tradition since ancient times!

But who knew that after Liu Biao drank the ginseng soup, he nodded and said: "Since you think so, then I will appoint Liu Qi as the successor!"

"..."

Mrs. Cai's smile gradually froze, and she felt more and more resentful towards Liu Biao. Wasn't he deliberately fooling her?

Since you already have someone in your heart, why ask more questions?
Originally, she felt a little apologetic for wanting to "assassinate" Liu Biao, but now Mrs. Cai doesn't even have any psychological burden at all!
"Hmm? This ginseng soup..."

Liu Biao was just about to discuss the issue of "successor selection" in depth, but his body suddenly felt hot, "Is there something wrong with this ginseng soup?!"

"Jingsheng, you have been feeling weak lately, so I specially added tiger penis, deer penis, ox penis, dog penis, etc. to the ginseng soup. They are all tonics and will definitely help you regain your strength!"

Mrs. Cai's charming smile made Liu Biao even more agitated.

Yes, this is Cai’s “trick”!
It is impossible to poison Liu Biao. No matter what the poison is, even if the amount is small, there is a possibility of accidents.

But they could do the opposite and give Liu Biao a lot of tonic medicine. However, too much is as bad as too little. If you give too much, your body will definitely have problems.

And it's not fatal.

Liu Biao wanted to denounce Mrs. Cai for her nonsense, but since it was a matter of dignity as a man, he could not say much, so he could only say in a light tone:

"Nonsense!!!"

Mrs. Cai wanted to seduce Liu Biao, but the old couple no longer had much emotional fluctuations, so Liu Biao was able to suppress his heat.

However, Mrs. Cai was well prepared. She immediately entered the room with her body covered by a veil. Liu Biao's blood immediately expanded and boiled.

In the days that followed, Mrs. Cai found ways to drug Liu Biao, either in his food or in his tea, making it hard to guard against. It is said that all the tiger whips in Jingzhou were sold out, causing the price of tiger whips to soar to as high as a thousand gold coins!

This made Liu Biao's health worse day by day!
at last.

fall sick!

(End of this chapter)