Chapter 40: Smitten by Beauty

A squad of soldiers, numbering around a dozen, marched through the door.

In stark contrast to this modest number, however, was their commander—a man clad in scale armor, with the long, flowing tassel of a Colonel adorning his helmet.

He was a Colonel, likely the Colonel of Elite Cavalry, ranking equivalently to two thousand shi, holding the exact same rank as Zou Jing.

"By imperial decree, we are here to apprehend this female bandit."

The Colonel stepped right up in front of Liu Bei, narrowing his eyes as he spoke, "Seeing that you are awaiting a summons, I will not make things difficult for you. But her... she must stay."

Looking at the Colonel's deeply sunken eye sockets, Liu Bei thought he looked for all the world like a man who had severely indulged in sensual pleasures.

Moreover, a rather unseemly, cruel grin hung on Cao Poshi's face.

Without waiting for Liu Bei to respond, he reached out directly, aiming straight for Zuo Yuan's...

Chest.

Of course, they weren't here to chase after any Big-Ears, nor were they here to capture Duan Jiong... and certainly not specifically targeting Zuo Yuan.

This damn fool was purely acting on lust at first sight.

Liu Bei sighed, drew his sword, and asked, "Have you ever heard the name Yuan Benchu?"

...

Liu Bei had stayed behind not to use his infamous "Big-Ears Thief" moniker to draw fire.

While having large ears was indeed a striking and distinct feature, Liu Bei knew that Cao Jie’s men wouldn't actually track him all the way here. After all, the target of Cao Jie and the Emperor's pursuit was Duan Jiong, not him.

When Liu Bei fooled Duan Jiong at the post station last night, it was simply to create an opportunity to commit a crime—he intended to frame someone.

Regardless of whether Cao Jie recognized Duan Jiong or not, and regardless of whether anyone gave chase, Liu Bei was determined to pin Duan Jiong's prison break on someone else's head.

This wasn't for his own personal safety, but to divert the disaster eastward.

After all, Liu Bei had formidable enemies...

Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu.

If the Emperor discovered that Duan Jiong was likely not dead, but had instead broken out of prison and fled, who would the Emperor suspect was most likely to have rescued Duan Jiong?

The eunuchs?

No. The eunuchs would never rescue a man the Emperor wanted dead.

The ones most eager to rescue Duan Jiong were actually the elite gentry clans—such as the Yuans of Runan.

If the gentry faction rescued Duan Jiong, it would essentially be equivalent to gaining control of the Xiliang army and immense military prestige.

The gentry lacked for nothing; they had wealth, grain, and manpower. What they lacked was a blade with the legendary reputation of a military god like Duan Jiong—especially a blade that had almost been murdered by the Emperor and was filled with bitter resentment.

With Duan Jiong in their hands, they could rally military generals, use him to bite back at the eunuchs, and leverage military might to force concessions from the Emperor.

For instance, lifting the Proscription of Partisans, or pressing for even greater demands.

Sikong Yuan Feng had once tried to win over Duan Jiong, and Duan Jiong's appointment as Grand Commandant had been recommended by Yuan Feng—which was precisely why Duan Jiong had agreed to help Liu Bei resolve his grudges.

Therefore, the Emperor would urgently seek Duan Jiong's death and pin the blame for killing him onto Yang Qiu, a cruel official pushed forward by the gentry, thus cutting off any lingering thoughts the gentry might have of drawing military generals to their side.

Now that the詔狱 (imperial prison) had caught fire and Duan Jiong had vanished without a trace, the Emperor would actually refuse to admit that Duan Jiong was still alive. He had to erase Duan Jiong's reputation and immediately announce his death.

At the same time, an investigation into the various great gentry clans would be launched.

And Liu Bei's goal was to make the Emperor believe that Duan Jiong had been rescued by the Yuan family...

His staying in Goushi was meant to shift the blame for burning the imperial prison onto Yuan Shao or Yuan Shu, thereby washing himself clean while dragging his enemies into the muddy waters.

After all, the Yuan family was the most likely candidate to commit the act of burning the imperial prison to rescue Duan Jiong.

Yuan Shao was lingering in Luoyang, in mourning and building his reputation while refusing summons, all the while rescuing partisans and keeping retainers bound to die for him day in and day out.

Meanwhile, Yuan Shu had secured the post of a Gentleman of the Household, yet he remained hoarded in Runan, completely unresponsive to orders.

At the same time, Yuan Shu's father, Yuan Feng, was the reigning Sikong, the leader of the gentry faction, and had previously attempted to recruit Duan Jiong.

What a perfect target to frame...

The Emperor would naturally suspect the Yuan family first, and the Yuan family already harbored enmity toward Liu Bei.

However, this scheme required avoiding Duan Jiong and Yang Qiu's personal attendants, which was why Liu Bei had sent them away first.

Framing someone like this was actually quite simple; all it took was "conspiring in a loud voice."

To pull off such a frame, one only needed to "conspire loudly"—conversing with Zuo Yuan right here in the post station, letting people overhear the story that "it was very likely the private retainers of Yuan Shao who set fire to the imperial prison," spreading gossip in the manner of wandering knights-errant.

As long as Duan Jiong's name was linked with the Yuan family, all he had to do was wait for others to make the accusation.

Once real pursuers arrived to investigate, he would simply plead complete ignorance. After all, Liu Bei was merely eating, drinking, and chatting idly about gossip in the post station, using phrases like "it is very likely" and "it is estimated." Drinking and bragging were hardly crimes, after all...

Furthermore, Liu Bei had just paid his fees to the West Garden; many officials awaiting a summons hung around the Goushi region waiting for their appointments, making him completely unafraid of investigation.

Liu Bei possessed no grand gentry background or partisan connections, and even his original backing through Lu Zhi was gone now. Even if placed directly before the Emperor, His Majesty would never believe that Liu Bei was capable of orchestrating the rescue of Duan Jiong.

It was enough to let the pursuers sent by the Emperor or the eunuchs overhear that the prison fire might be connected to Yuan Shao.

True or not, it didn't matter. As long as it deepened the Emperor's suspicions and made him believe the Yuan family posed the greatest threat, that was enough. The Emperor did not require conclusive evidence.

Such "loud conspiracies" carried no risk; they merely served to remind the Emperor where the greatest probability lay, shifting the mindset of the Emperor and the eunuchs from one of mere "pursuit and investigation" to one of "factional struggle."

Therefore, after Duan Jiong left, Liu Bei rehearsed his lines with Zuo Yuan right there in the post station.

The problem was...

Right now, pursuers had actually arrived, but it turned out to be some spoiled scion of a noble house?

No wonder these people managed to track him down so quickly!

This mob wasn't out to hunt down Duan Jiong at all; they were out hunting for beauty... and through sheer blind luck hitting a dead rat, they had stumbled right onto the correct person.

Come to think of it, with a job as high-risk as hunting down Duan Jiong, this pampered aristocrat would naturally head in the exact opposite direction.

Duan Jiong's hometown was Wuwei in Xiliang, and Cao Jie had previously seen him heading north. Most likely, this young lord had ordered his subordinates to chase north and west, while he himself sneaked off to the east to seek women... which explained why he had brought along such a tiny escort.

There was probably nothing entertaining in the military camp anyway. Once given orders and sent out of the camp, of course he would let loose and indulge himself!

Yet, running into this hedonistic brat meant the originally planned "loud conspiracy" to frame someone was likely going down the drain... The fellow clearly thought entirely with his lower half.

Truly, man proposes, but heaven disposes.

...

"To forcefully seize a commoner's daughter in the name of the Emperor—this is the crime of usurpation and treason!"

Liu Bei held his sword horizontally, blocking the Colonel and shielding Zuo Yuan behind him. "Who are you? Have you ever heard the name of the Yuan family of Runan?"

"Ha! I see you are a bandit as well... Take him down!"

The Colonel glanced dismissively at Liu Bei, took a step back, and waved his hand, completely indifferent to the name of Yuan Benchu.

The soldiers behind him stepped forward, intending to make a direct arrest.

Since this fellow acted with such blatant directness, Liu Bei naturally wasn't going to submit without a fight.

Liu Bei suddenly lunged forward, bounding toward the Colonel in a single stride, thrusting his sword straight at the man's eyes.

The Colonel seemed completely unprepared for Liu Bei to strike first. Reacting purely on reflex, he stumbled back two steps and tripped awkwardly over the door frame, crashing backward onto the floor.

Was he really this pathetic?

Liu Bei honestly hadn't expected that a Colonel clad in scale armor would possess zero martial arts skill!

Still, this was a golden opportunity.