Chapter 81: He Is Somewhat Mysterious

That night, Liu Xie did not summon Fu Wan or Qiao Feng; he remained alone in his bedchamber. He was carefully reviewing every step he had taken since arriving in the Han Empire.

From using a strategic retreat in the court to expose Dong Cheng’s secret edict, to sowing a significant seed with Guan Yu, and then maneuvering his way into Wu Prefecture, gradually involving himself in Sun Ce’s decisions—so far, Liu Xie’s every move had been steady and sure.

Yet he understood that as he encountered more people and his status rose, it would become impossible for his advancement to remain unnoticed. Sun Ce and Zhou Yu were no fools. His position in Jiangdong was that of a puppet—at best, a puppet who could offer some advice, but a puppet nonetheless.

Self-restraint was critical for a puppet; above all, he could not have his own power base. Of course, no one cared how many women he had. That was precisely why Sun Ce had so readily offered the Qiao sisters to him: saving their lives had only been part of the reason; gifting women to distract clever Liu Xie would keep him too preoccupied to plot otherwise.

Liu Xie soon realized that Sun Ce’s strategy toward him was relaxed on the surface, but tightly controlled beneath. Sun Ce would not watch him as closely as Cao Cao might, and would even employ his intellect to his own benefit. Yet precisely because of that, Sun Ce could monitor his actions in great detail; should Liu Xie ever form alliances with ministers or generals beyond Sun Ce’s control, the little tyrant of Jiangdong would show no mercy.

As for Qiao Feng, Liu Xie had tested her in every way for over a month, and concluded that she was not Sun Ce’s spy. After all, when he had asked for the sisters, Sun Ce himself had been caught off guard, and sent them over quite hastily. Qiao Feng was hardly a professional agent; if there had been anything suspect, Liu Xie’s probing would have exposed her.

“Guan Yu... it’s in your hands now!”

Liu Xie was acutely aware of his puppet status. In such circumstances, it was impossible to build an invincible force by himself—that would be unrealistic. Risks had to be taken when necessary.

“Elder sister, why aren’t you with His Majesty tonight?”

In the Qiao sisters’ quarters, Qiao Shuang looked at her bored elder sister and asked curiously.

According to Qiao Feng’s sole condition for Liu Xie, he would not favor Qiao Shuang for several months yet. Qiao Feng argued that her little sister was still childish and not suited to the intrigues of the harem.

Liu Xie had agreed because he had too many matters to consider of late. He admitted he was not yet a master of time management or a true philanderer; in this regard, he had a long way to go.

“Perhaps His Majesty summoned the Empress tonight?”

“But usually, the Empress only stays with His Majesty during the day, chatting and eating with him. At night, he always calls for you, Sister.”

“You...”

Qiao Feng raised her hand as if to smack her sister, but then, realizing her innocence, decided to let it pass.

As for Emperor Liu Xie, Qiao Feng found herself increasingly curious. For a supposed puppet, he seemed to have an extraordinary grasp of the affairs of the Han and the warlords fighting on its territory.

Qiao Feng was fascinated by the great events among the warlords, but much of what she had heard before was little more than rumor. Now, when she brought up such matters or asked about Xuchang and the Central Plains, Liu Xie was always willing to share everything he knew.

She found it hard to believe that someone content to be a puppet could know so much.

She had also discovered that the two women in a certain room at the corner of the palace were none other than the wives of Imperial Uncle Liu Bei. Yet Liu Xie had never shown the slightest interest in them, nor did he allow anyone else to approach them. Qiao Feng suspected there must be some deeper purpose to keeping them around, though Liu Xie claimed he was simply safeguarding them for Sun Ce.

Another thing puzzled her: by looks and figure, her sister was perhaps even more attractive than herself, yet after taking her, Liu Xie had never once mentioned wanting to sleep with her sister. This didn’t fit with the persona he had been projecting.

“Sigh, what is he hiding in his heart... Is following him a blessing or a curse?”

These questions lingered in Qiao Feng’s mind, but she had no regrets.

That night, Liu Xie worked his mind even harder than if he had spent it with Qiao Feng—for reviewing the past was exhausting. He generally avoided it, but if he didn’t, and things went wrong with Guan Yu, months of planning would be wasted.

In the days that followed, Liu Xie resumed his shameless, carefree life.

Then, Zhou Yu arrived in haste once more, bringing news that Guan Yu had indeed arrived alone in Wu Prefecture, under the title of Han Deputy General, personally appointed by Liu Xie. His purpose was not to join Sun Ce, but to meet with Liu Xie.

“Where is he now?”

“Bofu asked him about the battles between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao; his account matches what we’ve heard, so we can be fairly sure he’s not a spy for Cao Cao or Liu Bei. Under the pretext of consulting Your Majesty, Bofu has settled him in the guest quarters. As you suggested earlier, Bofu has not attempted to recruit him.”

Liu Xie nodded slightly, approving Sun Ce’s approach. To attempt recruiting Guan Yu so abruptly would only breed enmity and make further dealings difficult.

“Let him wait two days. I will see him then. In the meantime, Bofu shouldn’t pay him too much attention.”

“A strategy of feigned indifference to lure him in? I’ll go inform Bofu at once!”

Zhou Yu was quite pleased with the idea of making Guan Yu wait, for having met him with Sun Ce, he found the man insufferably arrogant—someone who made you want to kick him just for the attitude. Still, they were well aware of Guan Yu’s martial prowess and, heeding Liu Xie’s advice, treated him with courtesy.

Guan Yu, for his part, harbored no ulterior motives this time. Ever since leaving Xuchang, he had come straight to Wu Prefecture for a single purpose: to reclaim his two wives.

He had worried that after arriving in Wu Prefecture, Liu Bei’s wives might have been defiled or worse.

However, when he mentioned them to Sun Ce, it was clear from Sun Ce’s expression that he had never paid any attention to those two women, nor even cared who Liu Xie had brought along. As far as he was concerned, any women were placed in Liu Xie’s palace, and he had nothing to do with them.

Hearing this, Guan Yu immediately changed his tactics and focused all his efforts on securing an audience with Liu Xie.