Chapter 120: I Want to Hear the Details

Guan Yu proposed what he believed to be the most effective way to dispel the rumors, yet he remained unaware that the outcome Liu Bei truly desired at this moment was not merely to gauge the extent of the gossip’s reach.

Watching the anxious Guan Yu, Liu Bei sat as steady as a mountain. After a long silence, he sighed and said, "Yunchang, there is no need for such haste. This matter is merely the work of idle gossips; if we ignore it, it will naturally fade within a few days. For you to be so eager to prove your innocence in the eyes of outsiders is, frankly, beneath you."

Though Liu Bei spoke of how things appeared to "outsiders," the way he sat before Guan Yu—without so much as lifting his head or opening his eyes—made it clear that he had effectively categorized himself among those very outsiders.

Having followed Liu Bei for so many years, Guan Yu understood his master’s temperament well. This expression, combined with those words, meant only one thing: Liu Bei did not believe him.

"My Lord, you are mistaken. Even if we choose to ignore the words of outsiders, one of the two ladies was lost while under my protection. Now, with such rumors circulating, I must bring Lady Mi back from Wu Commandery. Only then can these rumors be truly shattered. The situation in Xinye is now stable; my journey will take, at most, a month. I shall go alone, as I always have. My Lord need not worry."

Though Guan Yu was known for his temper, he had rarely defied Liu Bei so deliberately in the past. This time, Liu Bei understood that since Guan Yu had spoken to this extent, he was not here to consult him, but rather to notify him of a decision already made.

In truth, for Liu Bei, Guan Yu’s plan to retrieve Lady Mi had its advantages. If nothing else, the Mi brothers had been showing signs of dissatisfaction over these recent events. Lady Mi was their own sister, and it was precisely because of her presence that their bond with Liu Bei had remained so secure.

Now that this tie had been severed and accompanied by such scandalous rumors, and with Liu Bei remaining silent and indifferent while their sister was left stranded in Wu Commandery, anyone would feel aggrieved. Liu Bei knew that if he were to gather his trusted advisors to discuss this, at least half would support Guan Yu; after all, the logic that one should resolve the trouble one has caused was irrefutable. Furthermore, bringing Lady Mi back for a confrontation would naturally clarify whether anything had actually transpired between her and Guan Yu.

Yet, he had no intention of sharing Guan Yu’s proposal with anyone else. As Guan Yu stood firm before him, Liu Bei sighed once more.

"Yunchang, the old saying holds true: brothers are like limbs, while women are like clothing. Clothing can be replaced at any time, but if a limb is severed, it is quite different. Between Lady Mi and you, I naturally value our bond far more. You need not go to Wu Commandery this time. But today, I want you to tell me yourself: what exactly happened that night? I want to hear the details..."

As Liu Bei spoke these words, his face remained almost expressionless, but Guan Yu’s eyes widened with every passing syllable. It was evident that Guan Yu found it utterly unbelievable—or perhaps, completely intolerable—that Liu Bei would ask him such a question.

It was well known that Guan Yu was a man of aloof pride. This pride was consistent with his abilities, even if it sat uneasily with his current station. To have the man he had served with his heart and soul harbor such suspicions was an humiliation Guan Yu could not endure. He knew in his heart that nothing had happened between him and Lady Mi, yet he overlooked a significant fact: he had indeed spent the night on the same bed as her.

The phrase "losing oneself to drink" was an ancient one. Though Guan Yu firmly believed he had done nothing of the sort, whether he had or not was no longer entirely up to him to decide.

Guan Yu took several deep breaths before finally speaking to Liu Bei.

"This is the first and last time I will explain this to you, my Lord. That day, at the Emperor’s palace, I, the two ladies, and all the banquet guests were heavily intoxicated. Later, I went to escort the ladies back to their quarters, but I know not how it happened—I awoke the next morning on Lady Mi’s bed. However, we were both fully clothed, and nothing occurred."

Guan Yu was not adept at lying, so his account of the night spent on the bed was as objective as he could make it. Yet, after he finished, the gloom on Liu Bei’s face did not dissipate in the slightest.

"You should not have gotten drunk! You should not have! Once you were drunk, how could the truth ever be made clear?"

Liu Bei repeated this phrase over and over, offering nothing else, until Guan Yu nearly bit through his own teeth in frustration. It was clear: Liu Bei did not trust him.

"In that case, I will bring Lady Mi back all the more. Once the truth is revealed, my Lord can decide who is right and who is wrong!"

In a fit of anger, Guan Yu rose to his feet and, having cast these words aside, departed in indignation. Watching Guan Yu’s retreating figure, Liu Bei remained lost in his dark thoughts, offering no word and making no move to stop him.

"Go, then. I shall see what you have to say once you have both returned..."

In truth, Liu Bei’s intended purpose for this meeting had been to make Guan Yu kneel and beg for his favor. He had not expected Guan Yu’s temperament to remain so defiant under such pressure, and thus he was forced to let the situation unfold as it would. Another of Liu Bei’s thoughts was that, at the very least, when Guan Yu returned with Lady Mi, Mi Zhu and Mi Fang would be pleased.

However, Liu Bei had no desire to keep Lady Mi. The solution he contemplated was to relegate her to a cold palace—though he lacked an actual one, the intent was clear.

Clearly, in this matter, both Liu Bei and Guan Yu were governed by their emotions, causing them to overlook many things. After leaving Liu Bei’s residence, Guan Yu rode out of Xinye immediately, heading toward Jiangdong without informing a single soul.

Yet, despite Liu Bei’s indifference and the ignorance of others, the news of Guan Yu leaving Xinye reached Xiangyang almost immediately.

Liu Bei believed Jingzhou to be his sanctuary, a place that would grant him a moment to catch his breath. He failed to notice that his arrival had prematurely ignited forces buried deep within this land. By failing to choose his side, he had, in his ignorance, already been forced to take one—a position that was, for him, fraught with grave danger.