The first to come and question were Liu Biao and Liu Yan, a pair of unfortunate brothers. Yes, they were unfortunate brothers!
At this moment, the two of them were in an absolutely terrible mood!
This morning, while the two were drinking at a restaurant, they suddenly heard a storytelling performance of "The Story of Da Er's Ambition," and then they were completely taken aback.
Unlike ordinary people, as members of the imperial clan, and especially as members of a distinguished lineage, Liu Biao and Liu Yan possessed a political acumen that Liu Bei, a poor man of humble origin, could not match.
Therefore, as early as when I heard the Oath of the Peach Garden in the first chapter, and heard that the Azure Heaven was dead and the Yellow Heaven should rise, and that the year was Jiazi and the world was in great fortune, I felt that something was wrong when I heard about the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
However, at the time, the two brothers didn't take it to heart. In their minds, this was probably a scheme devised by someone who had offended the Taiping Dao, and that person was doing it to get revenge on the Taiping Dao.
Using storytelling and fabricating tales to exact revenge was quite novel. Liu Biao at the time even jokingly called it a very interesting method of framing someone.
However, when Liu Biao heard that Dong Zhuo had died, that Fei Fei was causing chaos in the government, and that the other warlords were attacking Dong Zhuo, he was no longer happy.
Although he subconsciously thought it was just a storybook with all the content made up, Liu Biao couldn't resist in the end, which led to this trip to the bookstore.
"Shopkeeper, I'll ask you one more time, where did this book come from?" Liu Biao asked with some dissatisfaction, looking at the fat, pot-bellied bookstore owner in front of him.
This was the second time he had asked, but the bookstore owner had avoided answering earlier, deliberately trying to fool him. How could he tolerate this?
Upon hearing this, he glanced at Liu Biao's clothes, which were embroidered with dragons, confirming that he was undoubtedly a member of the imperial clan. Therefore, after thinking for a moment, he began to explain.
“Young man, it’s not that I’m unwilling to tell you, but the problem is that keeping our customers’ information confidential is a principle of our bookstore. Some scholars like to show off, but there are also some scholars who prefer to keep things to themselves, so we keep their information confidential.”
"This recluse of the lake and sea is the type who prefers quiet and secrecy. Therefore, I will not tell you any information! Don't even think about finding someone or pulling strings, it's useless! This concerns the very survival of our bookstore, it's a matter of principle, and we will not betray this recluse of the lake and sea," the bookstore owner said firmly.
At the same time, he was secretly alarmed. It seemed that his peers had good judgment. They had seen the potential of this book so quickly and even found a disciple of a grandmaster. Fortunately, he had prepared in advance.
With that thought, he clapped his hands, and instantly a team of rangers appeared. Each of these rangers possessed a third-tier cultivation level, and the team was formed to prevent anyone from causing trouble.
"Boss, are you really unwilling to speak? I am Liu Bei, the current magistrate of Luoyang. Please give me some face." With these words, Liu Bei appeared.
Upon hearing this, the bookstore owner's eyes widened instantly. The magistrate of Luoyang was probably the lowest-ranking official in the entire city of Luoyang.
There's an old saying: "Three lifetimes of misfortune, and you're a county magistrate living in the capital. Three lifetimes of evil deeds, and you're a provincial governor living in the capital. The most heinous crimes, and you're a prince living in the capital."
In this capital city, any official you encounter is of higher rank than him, and any ordinary citizen you meet may have an ambiguous relationship with some high-ranking official in the court.
It is quite possible that a merchant who is unintentionally judged is actually a front man for some bigwig in one of the Six Ministries of the imperial court. Under such circumstances, a mere magistrate of Luoyang would naturally collapse.
This is why the magistrate of Luoyang throughout history has never held a long-term post. The problem is, a local official is more powerful than a distant one!
Moreover, to be fair, the idea that one shouldn't be afraid of the magistrate of Luoyang is a thing of the past. Everyone knows that the current magistrate of Luoyang, Liu Bei, is an outstanding member of the imperial clan. Under such circumstances, who would dare to disrespect him?
"Well, I'll think about it. After all, I can't make the decision on this myself. Give me an hour," the bookstore owner said hesitantly.
However, soon, one important figure after another arrived. There was Yuan Shao, who had been temporarily teleported back from Bohai (Cao Cao had told him about the matter), Cao Cao, who was originally drinking and carousing in a brothel, and Lin Yang, who pretended to have just arrived in Luoyang from Jiangdong.
With the arrival of these important figures, the bookstore owner was overwhelmed with headaches! However, before he could even complain, he no longer had to worry about it.
"I am Liu Hao, the current Princess of the Great Han Dynasty. These are the Embroidered Uniform Guards. I'll give you three breaths. If you don't confess, then go talk to the Embroidered Uniform Guards!" Liu Hao said coldly.
As he spoke, a commander of the Imperial Guards behind him grinned menacingly and waved his hand. Squads of Imperial Guards, lined up in neat rows, stepped forward to arrest the man.
“I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you everything. He was a middle-aged man in a blue robe, who looked very refined. He took out these storybooks and asked me to spread them far and wide. After reading them, I found they were of very good quality, so I agreed. His appearance was…”
At this point, the bookstore owner suddenly cried out and rolled on the ground in a headache. His fine clothes were now filthy.
"Tell me, what does this person look like?"
"My head hurts so much, I don't know, I can't remember anything at all."
"Sure enough, I knew it! How could someone who can conceal all the secrets of heaven be an ordinary person!" Liu Hao said somewhat unwillingly.
"Don't worry, everyone, I will go to the palace now to see my father and report this matter to him. He will surely give you all an answer." Turning his head, Liu Hao smiled and looked at everyone.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Princess," Lin Yang said calmly.
"Yes, please."
"That's right, we must find out the truth. This recluse of the lake and sea is truly treacherous and has ulterior motives," Cao Cao said with a grim expression.
Of all those present, his expression was the most unpleasant. Could an ordinary person truly control the emperor and command the feudal lords?
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Chapter Thirteen: The Way of Peace's Response, Zhang Jiao's Reaction
If Cao Cao was on the verge of collapse, feeling that someone was framing him, then Zhang Ning was truly on the verge of collapse!
"The Azure Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise; the year is Jiazi, great fortune will come to the world. The Yellow Turban Rebellion, the Heavenly General, the Earthly General, the Human General..."
The more Zhang Ning watched, the more devastated he became! Yes, the Yellow Turban Rebellion, or more accurately, the Taiping Dao Rebellion, was real.
As Zhang Jiao's daughter and the Holy Maiden of the Way of Peace, Zhang Ning naturally knew many inside stories. This rebellion had been in preparation for a very long time.
Preparations included weapons and armor, as well as food and cloth. In addition to these basic supplies, all sorts of rare and precious materials had already been stockpiled long before.
However, in the beginning, it was just Zhang Jiao planning it all by himself. When the Land of Reincarnation opened, it was only a preliminary plan.
It wasn't until half a year ago that the date for the uprising was set, which was the year of Jiazi! It was also at that time that several different worlds were initially conquered, and after conquering these worlds, extremely rich rewards were obtained.
It wasn't until a few days ago that the current general outline for the rebellion was finalized. It includes plans for each step, as well as how to deal with various unforeseen circumstances.
So, the question arises: how did the author of "The Story of Da Er's Ambition" know about the Taiping Dao's plan?
"Holy Maiden, could it be that we really are starting a rebellion in the year of Jiazi?" Zhou Cang asked with some worry, looking at Zhang Ning's changing expression.
This morning, on his way back from his morning exercise, Zhou Cang received this book. A quick glance told him that something terrible had happened! The Taiping Dao uprising plan had been leaked by a traitor!