The Three Kingdoms: I asked you to save Guan Yu, not to destroy Sun Quan.

Chapter 633 Liu Bei Receives a Letter from Xu Shu

Upon hearing Xu Shu's question, Liu Jun instinctively recalled Liu Bei's appearance and voice.

He had met Liu Bei before. Back when Liu Bei was staying under Yuan Shao's command, he returned to his hometown. At that time, his grandfather and father were still alive, and Liu Bei chatted with them all night. But he was still young then and didn't think Liu Bei was anything special, so he didn't pay much attention to him.

But who could have imagined that Liu Bei would rise against all odds to become emperor? If I had known, I would have followed Liu Bei no matter what.

Therefore, Liu Jun, like Xu Shu, hoped that the negotiations would be successful. If the negotiations were successful, Liu Bei would soon be able to conquer the Central Plains and unify the world. At that time, based on the fact that he was Liu Bei's cousin and that his grandfather had helped Liu Bei, he could at least get a marquis title.

He dared not hope for a dukedom, but a marquisate was a certainty, provided that Liu Bei could win the war.

If Liu Bei fails to reclaim his title, his own title will be lost. He can't possibly move his entire family to Jiangling, even if he wanted to, Cao Pi wouldn't agree.

Liu Jun said, "I haven't seen my uncle for a long time, and I can't remember what he looks like. Uncle Yuanzhi, do you think my uncle would agree to the gentry's conditions?"

Xu Shu shook his head and said, "Probably not. Who is the King of Hanzhong? He didn't yield to the immense pressure from the late emperor back then, so why would he compromise with the gentry now? Let's go and build some rapport and come back. There's no point in arguing about ideological differences; in the end, we'll have to return to the battlefield."

Xu Shu also wanted to succeed in the negotiations, but he knew Liu Bei too well. If Liu Bei were someone who would easily compromise, he would have surrendered to Cao Cao back in Xuzhou, and there would be no Liu Bei today.

Neither of them spoke again, each lost in their own thoughts as they continued on their way.

……

"What? Yuanzhi is coming?"

The tranquility of the palace was broken by a letter delivered in the morning. Upon receiving the letter, Liu Bei jumped up excitedly and shouted impatiently, "Quickly summon my second brother, third brother, and the prime minister. Tell them it is extremely urgent and they must drop everything and come here immediately!"

After giving his instructions, he turned his gaze to the letter, staring at Xu Shu's name with trembling hands, his whole being as excited as a child.

His mind instinctively conjured up memories of his past with Xu Shu. Back then, when he was being chased all over the world by Cao Cao, Xu Shu, disguised as Shan Fu, suddenly appeared and helped him defeat Cao Cao's army, giving him a precious chance to catch his breath.

He originally thought that with Xu Shu's assistance, his great cause was promising. However, Cao Cao, that scoundrel, had no martial virtue and kidnapped Xu Shu's mother, forcing Xu Shu to go to Xuchang. Xu Shu had no choice but to leave him.

Nevertheless, before leaving, Xu Shu still recommended Zhuge Liang to him. It was this recommendation that led to the Han Dynasty we have today. Otherwise, without Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei probably wouldn't have even survived the Battle of Red Cliffs, let alone have what he has today.

"It's been more than ten years. I can finally see Yuanzhi again."

Thinking about meeting Xu Shu again, Liu Bei's heart was burning hotter than when he saw his first love. He wished he could fly to Xu Shu's side right now and give him all the good things he could offer.

Soon Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhuge Liang arrived together. Before they could even greet him, Liu Bei rushed up to them, handed them a letter, and said, "Look who's here!"

The three men exclaimed in unison upon seeing the letter, "Yuanzhi is coming back?"

The name evoked too many memories for Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. After a long pause, the two exclaimed excitedly, "Great! We can finally fight alongside Yuanzhi again!"

Zhuge Liang frowned and said worriedly, "Things are probably not that simple. Cao Pi will not let Yuanzhi come here for no reason. Yuanzhi must have an important mission here. Moreover, Your Majesty, don't forget that when Cao Pi usurped the throne and became emperor, Yuanzhi submitted a memorial urging him to take the throne."

On the day Cao Cao died, the gentry of the Central Plains collectively submitted a petition urging Cao Pi to become emperor, and Xu Shu was one of them.

In other words, Xu Shu was already a true traitor to the Han Dynasty, so his coming to Liu Bei at this time was definitely not to help Liu Bei fight against Cao Wei.

Although Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu were also friends, Zhuge Liang was much more calm and rational than Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei. Zhuge Liang had already lost faith in Xu Shu when Xu Shu wrote to Cao Pi urging him to ascend the throne.

Zhuge Liang's words brought Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei back to reality. The smiles on their faces froze, and they all fell silent as they looked at the letter.

After a long silence, Liu Bei shook his head to bring his thoughts back to reality, and sighed, "Why did Yuanzhi submit a memorial urging Cao Pi to ascend the throne? He was foolish."

By submitting a memorial urging Cao Pi to ascend the throne, Xu Shu would not only be betraying Liu Bei but also the Han Dynasty. Under such circumstances, even if Xu Shu wanted to return, Liu Bei would not dare to give him an important position. Xu Shu's actions effectively ended his chances of remaining with Liu Bei.

Nevertheless, Liu Bei still tentatively asked, "Prime Minister, do you think Yuanzhi had some difficulties back then?"

Even at this point, Liu Bei still harbored illusions about Xu Shu, which shows how deep his feelings for Xu Shu were.

Zhuge Liang shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, there's no use in guessing here. We should wait for Yuanzhi to arrive in Jiangling and find out his purpose before making a decision."

Xu Shu's letter only stated that he was sent by Cao Pi to the Southern Han Dynasty without explaining his purpose. Therefore, Liu Bei and the others did not yet know why Xu Shu had come.

It is worth mentioning that although the Cao Wei people referred to the Han Dynasty as the "false Han," they could not call it that in official documents. They could only reluctantly refer to it as the Southern Han.

Hearing that they had to wait for Liu Bei, he became somewhat displeased and tentatively asked, "Why don't we call An Guo over and ask him?"

When faced with a problem, consulting Guan Xing before making a decision has become a conditioned reflex for the four of them. Now, at this moment, Liu Bei instinctively thought of his good nephew.

Zhuge Liang shook his head and said, "Anguo's understanding of history changed after Yun Chang's defeat at Maicheng. He has no precedent to refer to, so it's useless to ask him. Let's just wait patiently."

Liu Bei sighed, "This is the only way."

The four chatted for a while longer before parting ways. As soon as the small meeting ended, Liu Bei announced the news of Xu Shu's impending arrival and ordered all government offices to make immediate preparations to receive him with the courtesy due to a duke or marquis.

Meanwhile, at the Shence Marquis's residence, Sun Luyu was already several months pregnant, her belly bulging. Guan Xing lay on Sun Luyu's lap, his ear pressed against her belly, listening to the baby's movements. The family of three was enjoying a rare moment of peace and harmony when Zhang Bao's raspy voice suddenly entered their ears.

"Get out of the way! When did I report to the Marquis of Shence's residence? Something has happened in Anguo. Xu Shu is coming to Jiangling. Come out quickly, His Majesty has a mission."

"What the hell?" Guan Xing sat up abruptly in shock and asked incredulously, "Who, who did you say?"

Xu Shu is coming? Are you kidding me? Do you think Cao Pi would let him come back?

Guan Xing knew Xu Shu's identity and his relationship with Liu Bei, so he found it extremely unbelievable that Xu Shu was coming to Jiangling.

Furthermore, Xu Shu certainly couldn't have come without Cao Pi's permission. Why did Cao Pi let him come? Could there be some kind of conspiracy?

Before he could figure it out, Zhang Bao called out again, "May I come in?"

He doesn't need to announce his entry into the Shence Marquis's residence, but he still needs to inform Guan Xingsun and Lu Yu before entering their bedroom. Otherwise, what if he barges in and sees something indescribable?

Guan Xing snapped irritably, "Come in, stop pretending!"

Zhang Bao pushed open the door and came in. He nodded to Sun Luyu and then plopped down on the single sofa next to him.

When rebuilding the new city, Guan Xing harvested a lot of precious timber from Wushan. Most of this timber was used to build houses, and the rest was used to make various furniture such as desks, sofas, and coffee tables. The furniture in Guan Xing's mansion is currently made of the finest Phoebe zhennan wood.

Seeing that he wasn't treated like an outsider, Guan Xing asked impatiently, "When is Xu Shu coming? What does His Majesty want us to do?"