"The Han has a divine lady!"
Only these six words saved Lu Bu's life.
The existence of a divine lady in the world was no longer a secret. The Jade Maiden of the Azure Heavens, worshipped in Guanzhong, and the immortal maiden rumored to have provided relief during the reign of Empress Hexi were one and the same.
However, what Lu Bu shouted at this critical moment to save himself was certainly not some ethereal rumor he had only heard of but never seen.
Inside the military tent, Cao Cao and Liu Bei sat in silence, their eyes fixed on Lu Bu.
Lu Bu informed them of his discovery of the azure maiden's portrait while excavating Duling, as well as his previous encounter with her.
At the mention of digging up Duling, Liu Bei's expression shifted.
While emperor Xuan was not his direct ancestor, he was still a former emperor of the Han house!
After Lu Bu finished, Cao Cao glanced at Liu Bei's reaction before asking, "Where is that portrait? And where did that divine lady go?"
"This... please forgive me, prime minister."
Lu Bu lowered his head and sighed. "The portrait has been destroyed, and as for her whereabouts... I do not know."
As soon as he said this, Cao Cao replied, "Is Fengxian trying to deceive us?"
"I would not dare!"
Lu Bu shook his head vigorously in explanation. "My life and the lives of my family now rest entirely upon the prime minister's whim. How could I dare to deceive you? If you do not believe me, send someone to Duling to retrieve the bamboo slips for verification! There must be records regarding the divine lady in those documents!"
"What audacity, to still speak of grave-robbing!" Liu Bei rebuked him.
Cao Cao raised a hand to soothe him. "Xuande, do not be impatient. I am the prime minister of the Great Han; naturally, I would not engage in such acts as grave-robbing."
Having said that, he called out, ordering his men to take Lu Bu away for the time being.
Once Lu Bu had left, Liu Bei frowned slightly and looked at Cao Cao. "Does the prime minister truly believe what he said?"
Although it felt improper for a member of the imperial clan to think so, Liu Bei could not help but wonder: if a divine lady truly protected the Great Han, would it have fallen into such a state?
With the world in such turmoil today, it hardly looked like a place inhabited by gods!
Instead, back during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, there were rumors that the Yellow Turbans had received aid from a divine lady.
"Sigh, Xuande, do not be agitated..."
"I have my doubts as well. After all, no one has ever truly seen this divine lady."
Cao Cao sighed and nodded, but his tone suddenly shifted as he added, "However, if a divine lady truly exists, would that not be a wonderful thing?"
"Does Xuande not think so?"
Upon hearing Cao Cao's question, Liu Bei sighed. "Since the prime minister says so, I have nothing more to say. Just be extremely careful with Lu Bu."
"Even if Lu Bu is tricking us, there is no one left to help him make a comeback now."
Cao Cao chuckled, telling Liu Bei not to worry.
On the way back to Xuchang, Cao Cao privately ordered men to Chang'an to excavate Duling and bring back all the records from the tomb! From those records, he confirmed the existence of the azure maiden, but Lu Bu was the only one who knew what she looked like.
By the time Shaodian Qingnu learned of this news, nearly half a year had passed.
Spreading alongside the news was an order to search for any woman who preferred wearing azure robes.
'Hah—'
Quite the dreamer.
However, she did not want women across the land who enjoyed wearing azure to suffer because of her. Azure robes were beautiful, after all; it wouldn't do if people were scared away from wearing them!
Two months after this news began to spread, Shaodian Qingnu arrived in Xuchang.
As she arrived, a contingent of the army was just departing the city.
Leading them were the three Liu brothers.
Shaodian Qingnu paused on the city wall for a moment, watching them disappear into the distance. She murmured, "A fish entering the vast sea, a bird ascending the azure sky. Liu Bei... we will meet again."
Liu Bei, riding a tall horse, seemed to feel something. He looked back toward Xuchang but saw nothing.
After watching Liu Bei leave, Shaodian Qingnu went to the prime minister's residence.
Lu Bu had been kept in the manor by Cao Cao to identify the portraits of azure-clad women that had been gathered, but so far, there had been no results.
Cao Cao was quite patient.
Shaodian Qingnu sat on the garden wall for a good while before saying, "How about looking up?"
Everyone in the courtyard froze and looked up.
Lu Bu's pupils shrank as he pointed at Shaodian Qingnu in alarm, shouting to Cao Cao, "Prime minister, it is her! She is that divine lady—"
However, the moment the words left Lu Bu's mouth, Shaodian Qingnu was at his side.
A slender, jade-like finger rested on Lu Bu's shoulder.
"Lu Fengxian."
Shaodian Qingnu's expression was calm as she spoke his name.
Lu Bu felt a sudden chill emanating from her and couldn't help but shudder. He was forced back into his seat by her hand. The strength was so immense that he couldn't resist in the slightest!
Seeing this, Cao Cao couldn't help but marvel, "Truly a divine lady!"
Hearing this exclamation, Shaodian Qingnu turned her gaze toward Cao Cao. "Cao Cao, are you looking for death?"
"Prime minister, this..."
Behind Cao Cao, his advisors looked at one another in shock.
Cao Cao raised his hand to calm his subordinates, then cupped his hands in a respectful bow to Shaodian Qingnu. "Cao Cao, prime minister of the Great Han, pays his respects to the divine lady!"
Shaodian Qingnu looked him up and down. "You dug up Duling?"
Cao Cao nodded in admission. "I did!"
Seeing his admission, Shaodian Qingnu countered with another question. "Then you should know the relationship between the Han house and me. Are you not worried that I will kill you?"
"I am the prime minister of the Great Han, exhausting myself for the sake of this world! The divine lady should understand that without me, who knows what state this world would be in! Based on that alone, the divine lady will not strike me down!"
Cao Cao watched Shaodian Qingnu, his expression full of confidence.
Shaodian Qingnu looked at him. After a moment of silence, she suddenly asked, "Do you have the confidence to bring a peaceful and prosperous era to this world?"
"Of course!"
Cao Cao nodded.
After a period of silence, Shaodian Qingnu shook her head. "But I do not trust you!"
Those five simple words caused Cao Cao's expression to change drastically.
He was about to press further when he heard Shaodian Qingnu continue, "In the fourth year of Chuping and the first year of Xingping, you twice massacred Xuzhou. In the second year of Xingping, you massacred Yongqiu. In the third year of Jianan, you massacred Pengcheng..."
Shaodian Qingnu recounted every city massacre Cao Cao had committed to date. She looked at him and said slowly, "Even if I believed you, the people would not."
"In military campaigns, casualties are inevitable!"
Cao Cao frowned. "Furthermore, before I ordered the slaughters, most of the commoners were rescued by someone unknown, and I did not pursue the matter!"
Shaodian Qingnu countered, "Does not pursuing it cover up the fact that you ordered the massacres?"
"I have never intended to cover it up!"
Cover it up?
Did he, Cao Cao, need to hide such things?
Shaodian Qingnu gazed at Cao Cao and let out a long sigh. "You are a formidable hero, but you and I are destined for different paths! Searching for me is useless; I will not help you."
After saying this to Cao Cao, Shaodian Qingnu prepared to leave. Cao Cao asked once more, "Then... who will the divine lady aid? Liu Bei, or the Han emperor?"
"I will help whoever is good to the people."
Leaving those words behind, Shaodian Qingnu turned and walked away.
Some tried to block her path, but they failed to consider her identity. The snake girl simply flicked her sleeve, and the guards collapsed in heaps.
After she left, Cao Cao remained silent for a long time. Finally, he waved his hand to his subordinates.
Men stepped forward to seize Lu Bu.
"Prime minister, you cannot do this! Even if I have no merit, I have at least worked hard for you, haven't I? Prime minister, you cannot do this—"
Lu Bu struggled, but without his weapons and armor, how could he be a match for guards in full plate?
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