Ye Feng was certainly not intentionally making things difficult for Liu Dai. He just wanted to know who was behind the schemes. Seeing Liu Dai's mental breakdown, he smiled faintly, "If you want this King to let you go, it's not impossible. But what can you offer me?"
After that incident, Liu Dai saw clearly. Only by staying alive could there be any hope. He sighed heavily and said with utmost seriousness, "In fact, many of the feudal lords have already allied and wish to campaign against the Great King. If the Great King is willing to release this Prefect, this Prefect will gladly be your vanguard!"
"Hmph, no matter how many people come, this King is not afraid!" Ye Feng said arrogantly, "The Prefect wishes to exchange this news for his life, that won't do!"
"King of Chu!" The wine cup was slammed onto the table with a roar. Liu Dai's eyes widened in anger, and he said coldly, "This Prefect has never been so berated. What exactly do you mean!"
"If it wasn't for the Prefect wanting to come to Liangzhou himself, you wouldn't have suffered such a thing. It's all your own doing, what does it have to do with this King? Now, this King isn't stopping the Prefect from leaving. You can leave if you want!" Ye Feng slapped Liu Dai's shoulder, "As long as you have the ability to leave, and this King can promise you, he will never make a move!"
Even if Ye Feng didn't make a move, Liu Dai wasn't sure he could escape. For a moment, he felt his hands burning, wishing he could grab Ye Feng and force his way out. But in his heart, he repeatedly told himself he couldn't do that.
After a few more cups of watered-down wine, Liu Dai, drunk, slurred, "Since the King of Chu won't agree to let this Prefect leave, you can leave now. No need to be reluctant about this wine!"
Ye Feng truly sat at the table, unmoving. As for the wine, he didn't care. More important was Liu Dai's attitude and how he should face Emperor Ling.
"In fact, this King also wants to know something. I ask the Prefect to enlighten me!" Ye Feng picked up his wine, sighed heavily, and placed it on the table. "May I ask how the Prefect views His Majesty!"
After a few cups of wine, Liu Dai was already muddled. Moreover, in front of Ye Feng, who controlled his fate, there was nothing he couldn't say. He let out a belch, "In this Prefect's opinion, Emperor Ling is nothing. If he can be emperor, can't I, Liu Dai? Aren't we all descendants of Emperor Gaozu!"
"More importantly, whoever controls the majority of the soldiers has the right to speak. Just like the King of Chu, don't you get whatever you want!" Liu Dai placed a hand on Ye Feng's shoulder.
"Does the King of Chu have any other concerns? Do you need this fallen wretch like me to speak? Come on, speak!" Liu Dai looked incredibly arrogant and said heartily, "You, Ye Feng, just want to be emperor, but we feudal lords don't agree. You, Ye Feng, won't get that position!"
"Or, King of Chu, you can take your hundreds of thousands of troops and wipe us feudal lords out, and then you can have peace of mind. Otherwise," Liu Dai, after a few more drinks, slammed his wine cup to the ground, "I can't say how many of your descendants will be able to hold the imperial throne!"
"As expected of an imperial relative. You speak of such things right from the start. This King is truly frightened!" Ye Feng said with a smiling taunt, "I just wonder how many troops this imperial relative of yours can muster to deal with this King!"
"Heh heh, this Prefect doesn't have many people, but the feudal lords combined have over a million. Even with your heaven-reaching abilities, Ye Feng, you can't fight against them!" Liu Dai gently patted Ye Feng's shoulder.
"That's over a million people. Can you deal with them?" Liu Dai mocked.
As someone who had read the Romance of the Three Kingdoms thoroughly, Ye Feng knew clearly that the claim of over a million was likely greatly exaggerated. He only smiled slightly, "The Prefect is drunk. Get some rest early. I hope you can still remember what you said tomorrow!"
Liu Dai waved his hand and said hurriedly, "I'm not drunk, you're talking nonsense!" He flipped over two jars of wine, and as the candlelight fell, a fierce fire suddenly ignited on the ground!
"Fire!" Ye Feng shouted, hastily trying to pull Liu Dai out. But Liu Dai clung to a pillar, unwilling to let go. This made Ye Feng's anger erupt. Knowing that pulling forcefully would only injure himself, he changed his expression and pretended to be an old scholar, saying,
"Foolish one, have you forgotten what I taught you?" Ye Feng said with stern authority, "Extend your hand. Tomorrow after tomorrow, how many tomorrows there are!"
Liu Dai let go of his hand. Ye Feng seized this opportunity, and hastily pulled Liu Dai out. Fortunately, Qin Shu was waiting at the door. His expression changed drastically, and under Ye Feng's command, he orderly directed people to extinguish the fire!
Since wood was used as the main material, how could the fire not spread? Instantly, flames a meter high erupted from the eaves, with thick smoke billowing and crackling sounds.
Seeing the flames about to spread further, Ye Feng took the lead, "Uncle Qin, have your men dismantle the houses on both sides to prevent collateral damage!"
"Yes, Great King, this old servant will go now!" Qin Shu hastily mobilized the men. Ye Feng thought for a moment, kicked open the main door, and exerted all his strength. Instantly, veins bulged on his forehead.
However, Ye Feng, who had inherited the physique of a Hegemon, was not known for nothing. The wall trembled under Ye Feng's might and after shaking a few times, it suddenly collapsed to the ground!
Qin Shu and his men saw this scene and quickly used shovels and other tools to prop up the wall. They all exerted force together, and the other side also collapsed with a rumble. The men wiped the sweat from their brows and handed a clean white cloth to Ye Feng.
Ye Feng casually wiped himself a few times and threw it away. Qin Shu watched as the flames gradually subsided and gradually relaxed, "The Great King truly has the strength of a god. If it were us, we would have wasted so much time!"
"It's nothing, Uncle Qin, go and see what losses the King of Chu's mansion has incurred. It's a time of trouble, be careful not to let any rumors spread, or it will be difficult to handle!" Ye Feng instructed with concern.
Ye Feng's worry was not unfounded. In this era, any natural disaster or calamity would be naturally interpreted by the common people as a warning from heaven. If someone were to make a fuss, it would be troublesome. It was better to prevent it before it happened.
"It was just a maid accidentally knocking over an oil lamp, Great King need not worry about it!" Qin Shu said with ease. "However, this old servant has something unpleasant to say, Great King should also be careful. If you were to injure yourself, what would happen then? This entire household relies on the Great King!"
"Uncle Qin, don't worry, it's just a minor matter. I absolutely won't get hurt!" Ye Feng said confidently.
"I know the Great King has innate divine strength, but after all, a son of a thousand gold should not tread on dangerous ground. You must never put yourself in danger!" Qin Shu saw Ye Feng's displeasure and sighed heavily. "If the Great King is unwilling to listen, I will not say another word."
"Uncle Qin, don't worry, this King won't!" Ye Feng said casually, giving Qin Shu some assurance.
Qin Shu looked around. Ye Feng was puzzled and didn't know what he was looking for. He softly asked, "Uncle Qin, what are you looking for? Should I help you!"
"Great King, where did that Prefect go!" Qin Shu asked, scratching his head. "Shouldn't he be in the room? Perhaps he burned to death!"
Qin Shu slapped his thigh and was about to rush in, but Ye Feng grabbed him, "Uncle Qin, don't worry, this King already threw him over there!"
Ye Feng subconsciously turned his head and found that Liu Dai had vanished without a trace. His heart suddenly sank, "Uncle Qin, who is on duty in Liangzhou tonight? I'm afraid something is going to happen!"
"Tonight, tonight," Qin Shu was sweating profusely and said hurriedly, "It was supposed to be General Lu Bu leading the Third Legion, but with such a major incident, General Lu Bu has already come in to help!"
"No wonder, no wonder!" Ye Feng's gaze turned sinister. How could Liu Dai suddenly think of seeing him? It turned out it was a premeditated plan, and perhaps even knocking over the oil lamp and pretending to be drunk were all part of the plan.
Coupled with his words, which were eight parts true and two parts false, he had actually deceived Ye Feng. This caused Ye Feng to relax slightly, allowing Liu Dai to escape!
He had likely already left the King of Chu's mansion. If they were to pursue him openly, it would cause widespread panic. Thus, there was only one possibility, the Embroidered Uniform Guard taking action. If they could bring him back, that would be fine. If not, it wouldn't matter much.
"Yu Huatian, send people to capture Liu Dai. If possible, bring him back, and I will reward you handsomely!" Ye Feng ordered methodically. "If you can't find him, then forget it, but this matter must not be made public. Also, go to the old gentleman's grave, perhaps there are clues!"
If Liu Dai couldn't come up with such a plan, then there was only one possibility, it was the work of that person. Coupled with Liu Dai's deep respect for that person, since he hadn't returned for a long time, he would definitely go to see him one last time!
"Yes, my Lord!" Yu Huatian agreed. With an order, many Embroidered Uniform Guards emerged from the rafters and various places. They followed Yu Huatian up the highest mountain.
"Too late!" Yu Huatian held the recently extinguished paper money, his brow furrowed. "He can't have gone far. Hurry and chase!"
They quickly found a trace, and the Embroidered Uniform Guards eagerly pursued. The next moment, figures rustled in the grass. Seeing that the Embroidered Uniform Guards had completely left, Liu Dai emerged from the grass.
He wiped the dirt from his head and knelt before the grave. "It's all my fault, Prefect, for being willful and refusing to listen to my foster father's teachings, that such a major incident occurred. Foster father, don't worry, this Prefect has already served Ye Feng well. This time, this Prefect will definitely not get involved!"
"Foster father, rest well. I'm leaving!" Liu Dai kowtowed reluctantly, wiped away tears with his sleeve, and hobbled away in the opposite direction.
He coincidentally met a woodcutter, and Liu Dai exchanged his fine silks and satins for a set of clothes covered in dirt. He smeared some mud on his face and hurried back towards Liangzhou.
Because Liu Dai was detained in the King of Chu's mansion, and prolonged stationing outside would inevitably cause unrest, the Third Legion outside Liangzhou had already withdrawn completely. As soon as the city gates opened, Liu Dai would be able to fly freely like a bird in the sky.
"Stop! Where are you going!" the two guards glared.