Chapter 63 Exposed

  Snowflakes floated in the sky, and the mourning hall of Mei Fang was quiet. All the servants who accompanied the soul were driven out by Mei Zhu, leaving only Mei Zhu kneeling alone in front of Mei Fang's spirit tablet, staring at Mei Fang's spirit tablet and coffin. In front of Mei Zhu, there was a white letter with one line of words - "To the noble military camp, the second son of Tao Jian, Tao Ying also!"

  The silent and speechless one didn't know how much time had passed, when suddenly the direction of the gate was filled with the sound of noise and commotion, and faintly audible were sounds of scolding. If it were any other time, Mo Zhen would have already gotten up to investigate the situation, let alone during this sensitive period? But Mo Zhen remained still, not even blinking an eye, just blankly staring at his brother's memorial tablet, deaf to the noise and scolding.

  A group of fully armed house soldiers and guests rushed into the mourning hall, loudly reporting to Cao Cao: "Master, Liu Bei's three brothers who killed the second master have come, hypocritically wanting to pay their respects to the second master. The gatekeeper did not allow them to enter, and the ring-eyed thief who personally killed the second master even fought back, which is simply too much! Please give an order, we will go and slaughter the three ungrateful dog brothers!"

  Mei Zhu still didn't move, and it wasn't until much later that he spoke in a hoarse voice: "Let them come in."

  "Big Master, they are the murderers of Second Master!" A large group of customers who were originally wandering knights shouted, "For more than half a year, Da'er Zei and Huan Yan Zei have been eating and drinking at our expense, taking from you, Big Master, countless horses, money, and grain. In the end, they even killed Second Master! Their ingratitude has reached this point..."

  "Let them in!" Meng Zong suddenly raised his voice and shouted: "I said let them in, no offense allowed."

  When Mi Zhu was furious, a large group of family soldiers and guests were helpless, so they had to retreat honestly. Then, at the front gate, they passed on the order that the three brothers Liu Xian, who were kind and righteous, walked into the mourning hall where Mi Fang's coffin was placed under the gaze of a large group of Mi Zhu's family soldiers. Since there was only Mi Zhu in the mourning hall, Liu Xian ordered Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to guard the door, while he himself walked into the mourning hall, personally placing the offerings he had brought with him, pouring wine, kneeling on the ground to apologize to Mi Fang, while Guan and Zhang stood guard at the door, not allowing anyone to enter the hall without permission.

  After finishing his nonsense about being forced to kill a friend for the sake of justice, Liu Xuan finally turned his gaze to Zuo Ci, who had remained silent all along. Lowering his voice, he said: "Zi Zhong, no matter whether you understand today's events or not, and no matter whether you forgive Yu Bei or not, I must explain one thing to you - the one who killed your son was Tao Yingxiao! I mistakenly fell into a trap and had no choice but to order my third brother to kill Zifang for both my own sake and yours!"

  At this, Liu Bei paused for a moment and then gritted his teeth and said in a low voice: "Although I deserve to die ten thousand times, Zizhong can rest assured that I swear before Subei's spirit that one day I will definitely make Tao Qian's family pay the price of being destroyed, to avenge Subei's death! Repay Master and Brother for their kindness to me!"

  Zhu Ge remained motionless and silent. Liu Xuan De waited for a long time without seeing Zhu Ge respond, and tears flowed out of his eyes as he choked with sobs: "Zi Zhong, can you not forgive my sincere humility? Can't you understand my helpless bitter heart? If it's really like this, then I'll take my own life in front of your spirit today to repay the loyalty and sincerity you and Zi Fang have shown me."

  Before he could finish, our Liu Shuai had already cried to the point of tears soaking his sleeves, with his collar completely wet. The richness of his tear glands far surpassed that of Deputy Director Tao, who had only occasionally practiced crying in front of people in the 21st century. Although Deputy Director Tao's acting skills were exquisite, he hadn't really honed his skills in sobbing loudly in public, so when it came to crying scenes...

  Deputy Director Tao is indeed hard to follow in Liu Xiang's footsteps.

  Liu Bei wept for over ten to twenty minutes, before Guan Yu finally spoke up in a hoarse voice, saying: "Lord Cao, I know this is your heartfelt words, and I also know that you are forced into this situation. But let's just drop it, okay? I've already thought it through - after we bury our son, I'll lead the entire family back to Donghai, where we'll live a carefree life and never ask about worldly affairs again."

  "Zi Zhong, how can you say such things?" Lord Guan cried: "The hatred of killing a brother cannot be shared under the same sky. Can you, Zi Zhong, just forgive and forget? Moreover, Tao Ying is as cruel as a wolf and poisonous as a viper. How can he not seek revenge for past grievances? If I abandon my power and retreat to seclusion, only to be harmed by petty people, would that not add another crime?"

  "Lord Guan, don't try to persuade me anymore, my mind is made up." Zuo Ci shook his head and pointed at the letter in front of him: "Besides, Zi Fang's death was also due to his own rashness, he had it coming, no one else can be blamed. Moreover, when Tao Ying returned this letter to me, he sent someone to convey a message with four words - 'Old debts cleared'."

  Xuande Gong cried and picked up the letter, recognizing that the handwriting was from Mi Fang himself. He knew this must be the secret letter Mi Fang had sent to Cao's army on his orders, and understood that Cao had deliberately returned it to Tao Ying in order to drive a wedge between him and Tao Qian. Silently cursing Mi Fang for his foolishness in writing the letter, Xuande Gong couldn't help but break out in cold sweat again - this young Tao Ying was able to endure such a great humiliation until today, his tolerance was simply terrifying!

  "Gentlemen, today I must speak to you and your brother's spirit. Since the Yellow Turbans, the world has been in chaos. My family's wealth is immense, but in this chaotic world, it's like a sheep sleeping next to a tiger, or a child holding precious jade walking through a market. I couldn't serve under Tao Qian, not for power, but for self-preservation. Although Tao Qian has virtue and prestige, he's already old. When I look at his two sons, I think they're not capable of defending their territory. It's like the story of the Lu family in Qin, seeking to sell their strange goods. After meeting you, General, your heroic talent and grand vision moved me, so I willingly committed the crime of betraying my lord and forgetting his kindness..."

  However, Zou Jue was wrong, and he was wrong to the extreme. Zou Jue's voice became even more hoarse, and his despairing muttering went: "After doing something that betrayed his lord, Zou Jue only realized his mistake, and also discovered that Tao Ying Gongzi's heroic talent and wise intelligence surpassed that of Xuande Gong, but it was too late for Zou Jue to turn back. He had no choice but to continue down the wrong path of betraying his lord, and in the end, it led to Zi Fang's death..."

  At this, Miao Zhu smiled wryly and took the letter from Liu Xuan's hand. In a hoarse voice, he said: "Just now, when I saw this letter and heard what Tao Ying brought back, I finally understood that I was wrong again. With Tao Ying's magnanimity and grandeur, if I had turned back earlier, Tao Ying would have certainly welcomed me with open arms. It was my narrow-mindedness that led me to misjudge his noble character, and it was my own doing that led to the death of my own brother."

  Mumbling to himself, Zou ran put the letter into the burning charcoal basin, gazing at the joyful flames dancing on the letter, and slowly said: "So, I have made up my mind, I will no longer be involved in the struggle for hegemony in this life, and I will be a obedient citizen under Tao Ying's rule. I also advise you, Lord Xuan De, that you and Tao Ying are both dragons and phoenixes among men, with talents that are hard to distinguish between high and low, but since Tao Ying has taken the initiative, if you continue to fight against him, you will surely be defeated, so please

  "Lord Guan should leave Xuzhou as soon as possible and make a better plan."

  "Alas, Liu Xuande wept at every word, and by the time Zhuge Liang finished speaking, his shoes were almost soaked with tears. He sobbed: 'Zhongzuo, it's all my fault for being incompetent, dragging you into this predicament! But I still say that Tao Qian is as cruel as a wolf and as treacherous as a snake. For now, he doesn't dare harm you because he fears your influence in Xuzhou is too great, and he's afraid of shaking the foundations of Xuzhou. However, once you retire, Tao Qian will surely try every means to weaken you, and when you're powerless to shake the foundations of Xuzhou, he won't be able to tolerate you anymore! Even if Tao Qian himself can tolerate you, his followers and lackeys won't be able to!'

  Liu Bei's words finally moved Mou Zong, considering Tao Qian's tolerant personality and ruthless methods, Mou Zong really didn't dare to guarantee that Tao would not settle accounts in the future. Moreover, even if Tao let Mou Zong off easily this time, Mou Zong's wealth, which could rival a country, would undoubtedly become the target of Tao's accomplices. So Mou Zong shook his head and sighed: "What can I do? The young master is too sharp, and Zhang Fei has returned with the army. Not to mention that Mou Zong is already an ordinary citizen, even Xuande would not be a match for him."

  "Zi Zhong felt relieved, and Bei had already thought of a plan, which would surely lead to the downfall of Tao Ying's little boy, and take his head as an offering to sacrifice to Zi Fang." Liu Xuan's eyes flashed with a hint of cold light, first quietly telling Zang Gong about what happened at tonight's banquet, especially how he instigated Tao Ying to form an alliance with Lü Bu, and also specifically introducing Tao Ying's reaction and evaluation.

  Finally, Liu Bei whispered his true intention in Mi Zhu's ear, "I have decided that after returning to Xiaopei, I will immediately send an envoy to Lü Bu with 10,000 units of grain and request an alliance against Cao! Lü Bu is currently troubled by a food shortage and will certainly agree. Then, I will take the opportunity to persuade Lü Bu to proactively seek an alliance with Tao Qian and borrow grain from him. Lü Bu has an indirect debt of gratitude towards Xu Province and also covets wealth and grain, so he will certainly agree!"

  At this, Liu Bei smiled slightly and said in a low voice: "When the time comes, after Lu Bu's envoy arrives at Xuzhou, if Tao Qian's son agrees to form an alliance, it would be like plotting with a tiger for its skin. It will not satisfy Lu Bu's appetite, and sooner or later he will be counterattacked by Lu Bu! If Tao Qian's son refuses to form an alliance and also refuses to repay the grain to Lu Bu, Lu Bu will certainly become furious. After hearing about Tao Qian's evaluation of him today, being insulted and urgently needing food to cross the desert, what choice would Lu Bu have? - Zi Zhong, can't you still imagine?"

  "What a vicious and ruthless plan to drive the tiger and swallow the wolf!" Zuo Ci's whole body was covered in cold sweat, thinking that Xuande had indeed lived up to his reputation. This plan was so poisonous that it could be compared to Tao Qian's plot to force Xuande to kill my brother, which would have led to certain death with no place to bury one's bones!

  "Zi Zhong, in my opinion, this plan can be accomplished by sending just one eloquent and articulate person." Liu Xuan De continued to probe: "But if Zi Zhong were to take on this task, go as an envoy to Shanyang and negotiate with Wen Hou, the effect would certainly be even better. Zi Zhong could also seize the opportunity to avenge Zi Fang. I wonder if you are willing..."

  "Villains! Villains! You villains, how dare you show your faces in my home? Return my brother's life to me! Return my brother's life to me!"

  Suddenly, the sound of a girl's crying and shouting came, interrupting Liu Bei's incitement. Next, Zhen Er, who had cried until her eyes were bloody, stumbled to the front of the mourning hall, grabbed Zhang Fei, the executioner who killed Mao Fang, and beat him while wailing, crying and wanting revenge for her brother.

  Long discussion returns to the public way. It turned out that until today, when Miao Fang's body was sent back to the Miao Mansion, poor Miao Zhen didn't know that one of her brothers had already passed away and fainted on the spot. After being carried back to her room by the maidservants and barely revived, she immediately heard the news that Zhang Fei, the murderer of Miao Fang, was visiting. So Miao Zhen didn't even have time to change into mourning clothes and rushed here to settle accounts with Zhang Fei.

  Crying and shouting, the usually gentle and quiet Miao Zhen's sister was like a wounded mother tiger, pulling Zhang Fei and desperately hitting him. Fortunately, Zhang Fei had already realized from her tone that she was Miao Zhen's sister, so he didn't bother with her, just stiffly enduring it - after all, Miao Zhen's small fists and weak strength were like scratching an itch on Zhang San's body.

  At this time, Zou Yun rushed out and grabbed his sister who had already gone mad, shouting: "Xianmei stop, your brother's death has nothing to do with General Zhang San, you can't be rude!"

  "Big brother, have you gone mad?" Zou Jing cried out and asked: "Second brother was clearly killed by him, how can you say it has nothing to do with him? Why haven't you avenged second brother yet? Why haven't you killed him yet?"

  "Shut up! The more you talk, the less it makes sense!" Zou Zhu's face sank, and he patiently explained: "Little sister, although your second brother was killed by General San, there were reasons for it. It was also your second brother's own fault, so don't blame General San."

  To calm down the emotionally agitated Miao Zhen, Miao Zhu had no choice but to pull Miao Zhen into the mourning hall and tell her in detail about the events leading up to Miao Fang's death. Of course, Miao Zhu didn't dare to reveal the true purpose of Miao Fang's poisoning of Tao Qian, only saying that Tao had repeatedly offended Miao Fang, and in a fit of rage, Miao Fang had bought poison from a doctor to harm Tao, but was caught red-handed by Tao's people. Lord Xuande, in order to uphold the law of the great Han dynasty, ordered Zhang Fei to behead Miao Fang.

  What was extremely unexpected for both Liu Bei and Zhen Ji was that after hearing Zhen Ji's introduction of how she secretly respected Liu and belittled Tao, Zhen Ji's first reaction was one of incredulity. With a face full of astonishment, she exclaimed: "Elder brother, how can this be? How could the second master possibly offend the second brother? And how could he possibly force someone to kill the second brother?"

  "How is it impossible?" Mu Zhi asked in puzzlement: "Second Brother has always been extremely disgusted with Tao Er Gongzi, and Tao Er Gongzi has long since hated Second Brother to the bone. Don't you know, sister?"

  "Brother... Brother..." Poor Mei Zhen was so shocked that she even forgot to cry for her brother, and without feeling embarrassed, she blurted out: "Brother, why did you go to the Tao Mansion to propose a marriage, wanting to marry me off to Second Young Master Tao?"

  "What?" Liu's big ears perked up all of a sudden, almost suspecting that Mei Zhu was a double agent.

  "What?! Zou Xi was even more shocked than Zou Jing, and she exclaimed in surprise: "Who told you that I went to the Tao Manor to propose a marriage, planning to marry you off to Tao Ying? How did I not know about this?"

  "General Cao's daughter, Cao Ling's sister." Zhen Zi truthfully confessed, then hesitated for a moment, lowering her head and saying: "Also...also, the second young master personally admitted it, and said that they will soon confirm the engagement with my younger sister."

  Mò Zhù was thoroughly stunned, and hastily asked for details. Mò Zhēn initially felt a bit shy and didn't dare to speak clearly, but couldn't withstand Mò Zhù's severe questioning, and the intimidation of being forced to kneel before Mò Fāng's spirit in heaven, to confess everything about her relationship with Táo Yīng, who had killed her brother. Mò Zhēn was compelled by necessity, and also genuinely wanted to know the truth, so she bashfully told the whole story truthfully. As a result, when the two stories were compared, all the facts became clear.

  The true facts will also be exposed to the world along with Tao's ugly face of deceiving and bullying innocent girls.

  Understood the truth, Mi Zuo was naturally furious, blowing his beard and glaring with anger, rebuking Tao Ying for deceiving his sister and killing his brother. Liu Xuanzhi, who almost wore a green hat, was not angry but delighted instead, his eyes rapidly blinking as he quickly calculated how to gain the most benefit from this situation. Only poor Mi Zhen, the younger sister, stood there like a wooden chicken, unable to believe it for a long time. Suddenly, she let out a shrill cry, covering her face with both hands and rushing out of the mourning hall, disappearing into the snowy black night in a flurry. Mi Zuo feared his sister would get into trouble, so he quickly ordered his family soldiers and maidservants to follow Mi Zhen, just in case...

  ……………

  In the wind and snow, Meng Zhen rushed out of the Mengfu gate with tears streaming down her face, ran through the quiet streets of Xuzhou at night, ignoring the calls and shouts of the family soldiers and maids behind her, also ignoring the surprised eyes of the Xuzhou generals patrolling the street, and rushed to the gate of the Xuzhou governor's mansion, threw herself in front of the cold crimson gate, and knocked on the door with a clang, tears streaming down her face as she called out, "Tao Ying! Young Master Tao Ying! Come out! Come out——!"

  I don't know how long she knocked, until her throat was hoarse from crying and shouting, and her small white hands left bloody prints on the door. The door finally creaked open, revealing a tired-looking Tao Ying with bloodshot eyes, standing in front of Miao Zhen. Without hesitation, Miao Zhen rushed into Tao Ying's arms, covered in snowflakes and cold wind, crying and shouting: "Young Master, tell me, is my brother deceiving me? He said that my second brother was killed by Xuan De Gong because of you, and that he never came to ask for my hand in marriage, never thought of giving me to you! Tell me, is my brother deceiving me? Young Master, speak!"

  Tao Ying's face was cold and stern, holding Mu Zhen in his arms without saying a word. No matter how Mu Zhen questioned him, Tao Ying remained silent. Finally, Mu Zhen became anxious and slapped Tao Ying's chest, crying and asking: "Young master, tell me, who is deceiving me between you and my brother? Tell me, I... beg of you."

  It wasn't until Zhen Cui had cried to the point where she couldn't shed any more tears, and called out to the point where her voice was hoarse, that Tao Ying slowly said in a low voice: "Zhen Mei, there's too much to say about these things. I hope you can calm down for a while, then I'll tell you the truth. Otherwise, you won't be able to accept it."

  "No!" Zhen's voice was already hoarse and heart-wrenching, hugging Tao Ying only urged, "I want to hear it now! Young master, tell me, have you deceived me? Speak, speak!"

  Tao Ying was at a loss, not knowing how to explain this to Mian Zhen. He thought that now he should just tell the truth, but Mian Zhen, who had just experienced the pain of losing her brother, would definitely find it even harder to accept. Continuing to deceive this poor girl was out of the question, and the truth would eventually be exposed anyway. So Tao Ying could only remain silent in response. Meanwhile, Mian Zhen patted Tao Ying for a long time without getting an answer, then suddenly struggled free from his arms, staring at him with tears streaming down her face, and asked hoarsely: "Sir, are you deceiving me? My brother never came here to propose marriage, did he?"

  Tao Ying didn't dare to look straight into Cao Zhen's eyes, turned his face away and said in a low voice: "I didn't do it on purpose, it was Cao Ling, your good sister Cao Ling misunderstood, thinking that something was going on between us. I also had feelings for you..."

  "No———!"

  The miserable cry of Mei Zhen interrupted Tao Ying's confession, and then Mei Zhen raised her bloody palm again, ready to strike.

  She raised her palm to slap Deputy Director Tao, who felt guilty in his heart and didn't dodge even when he saw it coming. He calmly prepared to accept the angry girl's punishment, but Cao Zhen's palm slowly came to a stop. She held back her tears, gritted her teeth, and said word by word: "Scoundrel! I hate you!"

  After finishing the sentence, Mei Zhen turned around and left, but before she had taken ten steps, Mei Zhen had already fainted. Luckily, her maid rushed forward in time to hold her up, preventing her from falling unconscious into the snow. Tao Ying silently watched Mei Zhen's back, thinking to himself: "Let you calm down first, if I tell you the cruel truth now, you will only... suffer even more."

  "It's all that little girl's fault!" Tao Ying suddenly shifted the blame to Lin Qing, the chatterbox, and cursed in a low voice: "Damn girl, if it weren't for your nonsense and meddling, things wouldn't have gotten to this point! Next time I catch you, just wait and see how I'll deal with you!"