Now, within the entire yamen, there were three factions.
One was the personal guards of Governor Zhang Miao's mansion.
The second was the Long Xiao Riders brought by Cao Xiu and Dian Wei, subordinates of Lu Yu.
Besides these, there were also over a hundred soldiers under Cao Chun.
Truth be told, Cao Chun was not affiliated with Zhang Miao or Lu Yu. He had heard that Lu Yu had mobilized the Long Xiao Riders and intended to surround the Chenliu Governor's mansion, a move to use force!
This was too significant a matter for Cao Chun to remain seated. He immediately led his troops.
One must remember that Lu Yu commanded the Long Xiao Riders, and Zhang Miao also had troops stationed outside Chenliu city. If the two sides were to clash, it was highly likely to escalate into a rebellion.
Cao Chun dared not be careless. The hundred-plus soldiers behind him were the vanguard. The military order to mobilize troops had already been issued, and it wouldn't be long before the governor's mansion here was completely surrounded.
As for what transpired in the interim, he had to ascertain it personally.
He strode quickly into the pavilion. The first thing that met his eyes was Zhang Miao, clutching his head, his entire face covered in blood, tears streaming down, appearing exceptionally horrifying.
Conversely, Lu Yu sat on a chair, his legs crossed, exuding an air of indifference, as if it had nothing to do with him and whatever happened, happened.
Huh... nothing to do with you?
Cao Chun was somewhat taken aback...
Someone had already briefed him on the general situation of what had happened here. It was evident that Lu Yu had intentionally sought trouble, injuring Zhang Miao for no apparent reason.
But the difficulty lay precisely here. Lu Yu was someone highly valued by his elder brother, Cao Cao. Even if he had made a mistake, how could Cao Chun dare to punish him?
At this moment, Cao Chun's expression was exceptionally conflicted.
"Quickly, summon the physician!" he ordered, then looked at Lu Yu helplessly. "Can't anything be discussed calmly? Why resort to a brawl? Regardless, Meng Zhuo is the governor here!"
"Is that so?" Lu Yu spread his hands, his gaze drifting towards Zhang Miao. "Governor, your secret letter has been exposed!"
Huh... secret letter?
Cao Chun froze. Before he could react, Zhang Miao's face turned ashen. He was already disoriented from his injury and felt a chill in his heart. Hearing this sentence vaguely...
Subconsciously, Zhang Miao's eyes flickered towards his chest.
However... the secret letter, the secret letter wasn't exposed?
Suddenly, Zhang Miao realized this. At the same time... he felt a piercing gaze suddenly shoot towards him.
He raised his eyes. Cao Chun was staring at him, his eyes gradually narrowing. Contrary to the sympathy he had shown earlier, his gaze was now exceptionally cold.
"Bad, it's a trap..." Zhang Miao thought to himself, a sense of foreboding rising.
At this moment, Lu Yu spread his hands again, a grin spreading across his lips, revealing a sinister smile. "War is never without deception, Governor Zhang. My apologies, I actually guessed correctly!"
In fact, it wasn't just a guess. Holmes once said—you are looking, but I am observing!
From the moment he entered the inner hall, Lu Yu had been constantly observing Zhang Miao.
In his opinion, if Zhang Miao were to collude with Lu Bu, there would undoubtedly be correspondence. These letters would surely offer substantial benefits. With Zhang Miao's position as Governor of Chenliu, he would be arrogant and unbridled within his jurisdiction. He would certainly not burn them; instead, he might even use them to win over more clans.
... And ancient people often kept their most important possessions on their person. For this reason, Lu Yu had focused his observation on Zhang Miao's chest, sleeves, and other areas from the start.
For example, the chest area. Whether something was tucked in or not would make a distinct difference. Even thin silk was still cloth. While it wouldn't increase his chest size by a full cup, half a cup or even a third of a cup was still noticeable!
With Lu Yu's rich experience, he could discern some clues from the slight difference in height between the two sides of Zhang Miao's chest.
This kind of appraisal skill... for an experienced driver, it was a piece of cake!
(I believe all you viewers can do it too!)
Of course, this was mostly conjecture. Lu Yu didn't dare to be absolutely certain. What if... the person had other letters in their chest? Wouldn't that be a slap in the face?
Therefore, Lu Yu decided to try it out. He hadn't expected this Zhang Miao to be so foolish.
It made sense. If one could abandon the strong backing of Cao Cao and defect to Lu Bu, then their brain must have been kicked by a donkey!
However, this... made things interesting.
Lu Yu licked his lips, his eyes widening. He was keenly looking forward to witnessing this year's drama of catching a cheater... ah, no, catching a spy!
...
At this moment, Cao Chun's brows were tightly furrowed.
Secret letter?
Whose secret letter?
Why would Zhang Miao become nervous upon hearing Lu Yu mention the secret letter and instinctively look at his chest? Combined with... the recent whispers in the marketplace about the famous scholar Bian Rang being lured away from Yan Province by Cao Cao and then murdered.
And... now that elder brother Cao Cao was on an expedition to Xu Province, Yan Province was internally vulnerable, a most sensitive time!
During this period, Cao Chun had been on high alert. And at this very moment, Zhang Miao was being associated with the words "secret letter."
This could not help but lead to wild speculation. In times of crisis, it is better to believe than not to believe!
"Lord Zhang, forgive my intrusion!"
Cao Chun strode forward to Zhang Miao, lifted him up like an eagle grabbing a chick, and reached into his chest with one hand.
This posture... was like a dragon's claw!
Lu Yu mused, Cao Chun's movements were so practiced, he must have trained before, he definitely trained!
"General Cao... what... what are you doing?"
Zhang Miao panicked. He couldn't bother to cover the bleeding wound on his head. His heart was filled with dread. If Cao Chun's "dragon claw" were to really grasp something... then the charge of colluding with the enemy would be utterly unwashable.
One must know...
Lu Bu's letter not only promised high officials and generous salaries but also outlined the strategy and deployment for colluding with major clans and seizing Yan Province.
It could be said... whether the sky over Yan Province would completely collapse was all contained within this thin piece of silk in his chest.
Hiss...
Seeing Zhang Miao struggling violently, Cao Chun's brows furrowed even deeper. The more Zhang Miao struggled, the more suspicious it seemed!
The more Zhang Miao resisted, the more excited Cao Chun became. When things deviate from the norm, something must be amiss!
"Riiiiip!"
A crisp sound echoed, the sound of cloth being torn. Cao Chun increased his force and ripped open Zhang Miao's entire upper garment.
With just this tear, the thin silk hidden in his chest slid out.
It was densely covered with writing. The name at the end was different from the writing, somewhat hasty... and there was also a seal. Cao Chun had attended private tutoring and recognized these characters, especially the name at the end—"Lu Bu," and the two large vermilion characters on the seal—"Marquis Wen!"
Marquis Wen Lu Bu? A glint of killing intent appeared in Cao Chun's eyes!
Continuing to read, a small passage of text at the very bottom of the silk gleamed—"Within two days, Meng Zhuo must unite with the clans of Chenliu Commandery and invite them to cooperate. On the night after two days, south of Chenliu, the city gates will open, and I will lead my army in, taking Chenliu in one fell swoop! Meng Zhuo will be the first to receive credit!"
Lu Yu, standing beside Cao Chun, also saw the writing above...
Suddenly, he became nervous, sweat beading on his forehead!
Damn it, Lu Yu had thought Zhang Miao would collude with Lu Bu to seize Yan Province, but he hadn't expected it to be so soon...
Good heavens, if not for "Zhuge Liang" proposing the connection between Bian Rang's death and Lu Bu's movements, he, Lu Yu, would have been doomed, and Chenliu would have been doomed too!
Damn it, Zhang Miao, Zhang Miao... Lu Yu and his sister had finally begun to live a good life, and you wanted to overturn it. You truly deserve to die!
For a fleeting moment, Lu Yu truly wished to grab ten more tea sets, a hundred more tea sets, and smash them all onto this fellow's head!
Such a person who sought to ruin the good lives of the people of Yan Province was truly deserving of death!
...
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