Chapter 84: Drawing Slowly Nearer

Before the fall of Xuzhou, when Liu Bei was beaten and sought refuge with Yuan Shao, Guan Yu had honestly not seen that coming.

Liu Bei had used the prestige of being called the Imperial Uncle to gather gifted men to his side, and then, once driven to desperation, he had gone to join Yuan Shao, the man who opposed the Han house most fiercely. Was that not like striking his own face?

That he had gone to Yuan Shao was not the real issue. The real issue was that when Yuan Shao was defeated by Cao Cao, he ought at least to have stayed and shared fortune and misfortune with him for a time. Yet now, before Yuan Shao had even been dealt with by Cao Cao, he was already secretly sending men to exchange messages with Liu Biao. That was truly hard to defend.

Still, Liu Bei had always treated him well, so in front of Emperor Xian, Guan Yu would certainly not speak ill of Liu Bei.

“Does Your Majesty mean for me to take the two ladies to Jingzhou?”

Emperor Xian first nodded, then shook his head and said, “That is indeed what I intended to persuade you to do, General Guan. It is only that the Imperial Uncle is still in Yuan Shao’s camp at present. But I believe it will not be long before he reaches Jingzhou. You have just come from Cao Cao in Xuchang, so you should know that after winning, Cao Cao will surely begin devouring Yuan Shao’s territory at once. Yuan Shao has placed his three sons in three separate cities. Once he dies, the struggle among the three princes for succession will be the day of Yuan Shao’s ruin. The Imperial Uncle is a clever man; he will not wait for that day.”

At first, Guan Yu found this analysis of Emperor Xian’s quite sound and nodded repeatedly, but when he heard Liu Bei described as a clever man, his expression grew faintly unnatural.

“More than that, if you were to hastily take the two ladies to the capital of Ye now, only to discover that the Imperial Uncle had already fled from Ye, Yuan Shao would not spare you. You may have strength, General Guan, but what of the two ladies? I brought them safely all this way, and you cannot know how much hardship was endured. For one man alone, it would truly be difficult to guarantee their safety.”

“What Your Majesty says is reasonable. But if I remain here in Jiangdong too long, I fear that would be improper. Sun Ce made it clear at our first meeting that he wanted me to join him. What if...”

“Sun Ce is nothing more than a young man of twenty-five. General Guan was able to come and go at will under Cao Cao, so surely you would not be constrained by a mere Sun Ce. Once I learn that the Imperial Uncle has reached Liu Biao’s side, I will inform you at once. The two ladies are with me in the imperial residence, and for the time being at least, they are safe. Jiangdong’s power is still not as great as Cao Cao’s was in those days, so they are at least courteous to me.”

“In that case, I thank Your Majesty first.”

In Guan Yu’s view, by this point he owed nothing to anyone. Yet there was one debt he had incurred, and it was a great one, to this puppet emperor of the Han.

When he finally turned his back and brought the two ladies back to Liu Bei, Liu Bei would indeed have cause for joy, but Emperor Xian would still remain imprisoned in Wu Commandery by Sun Ce. By then, Guan Yu did not know whether he would be able to harden his heart.

Emperor Xian seemed not to have thought that far. He simply waved a hand, then rose and led Guan Yu to the chambers of Lady Gan and Lady Mi.

When they reached the door, Emperor Xian stopped and let Guan Yu enter on his own.

This won Guan Yu even more favor.

Once Guan Yu stepped inside, Lady Gan and Lady Mi were so moved they nearly shed tears. To them now, seeing Guan Yu was like seeing family.

After they had briefly asked how he had made the journey, they began praising Emperor Xian.

Indeed, much of what they had learned was true.

For example, in order to ensure their safe arrival in Wu Commandery by carriage, Emperor Xian had ridden on horseback together with Zhang Hong and Fu Shou, drawing all the pursuing soldiers’ attention onto themselves, which was why the two women had been able to travel in peace with Liu Bei’s father-in-law and the two honored ladies.

If before, Guan Yu had only thought Emperor Xian openhearted, intelligent, and kind, then now one more word had to be added: brave.

A man like that sat upon the throne of an emperor, yet was merely a puppet. What profound misfortune must that be?

In Guan Yu’s heart, Emperor Xian’s place had begun to shift gradually from that of a mere instrument to that of a flesh-and-blood benefactor. It was a transformation made quietly, through Guan Yu’s own feelings, and through the mouths of the two women who had once been Liu Bei’s wives.

This two-pronged influence was especially effective for a man like Guan Yu, who was clear-eyed in love and hate, yet also profoundly reasonable.

In the end, Guan Yu explained to the two ladies that Liu Bei would soon be seeking the protection of Liu Biao, who was not far from Jiangdong, and told them that he himself would remain in Wu Commandery. Once he received word that Liu Bei had arrived at Liu Biao’s side, he would lead the two ladies to reunite with him.

Lady Gan and Lady Mi agreed to this plan, but after this period of exile alongside Emperor Xian, the sense of belonging they felt toward him seemed even stronger than what they felt for Liu Bei.

After all, Liu Bei was their husband, but when hardship came, he chose to abandon them. Emperor Xian did not.

Until now, they had given Emperor Xian not the slightest benefit, nor had he ever taken so much as a single unfair advantage of them. What a truly admirable man he must be.

In truth, the hearts of all three had already been inclining steadily toward Emperor Xian, but because of their ties to Liu Bei, none of them spoke the thought aloud. They could only continue, for the moment, to treat Emperor Xian as an instrument, though one they did so with a guilty conscience.

In the end, Guan Yu departed the imperial residence, but he did not leave Wu Commandery. Instead, he returned to the station inn.

“Does the gentleman mean that after speaking with Your Majesty for a while, Guan Yu claimed he would remain in Wu Commandery a while longer and only go to reunite with Liu Bei once the fighting between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao had stabilized?”