"Who is this? Coming to Liangzhou is one thing, but daring to attack the King, truly overestimating oneself!"
"Who said not? The King is our protector in Liangzhou. What if something happens to him?"
"I think he's a spy sent by someone who can't stand to see us prosper. Let's beat him to death!"
Unsure who threw the first rotten egg, in an instant, vegetable leaves and the like flew through the air, heavily smashing towards the old gentleman.
Ye Feng saw it all clearly. This man was lost in his own world; without a major upheaval, he wouldn't change. So, he decided to ignore it and let the common people throw whatever they wanted at him!
In an instant, the old gentleman's head and body were covered with various items. His face turned cold, and he felt a sudden dizziness, muttering to himself, "How, how is this possible? I, I am not right. I did it all for the people, how could they treat me like this!"
But no one listened to anything the old gentleman said. Everyone was accusing him like madmen. When Liu Dai regained his composure and saw this scene, his expression changed drastically. This was his advisor, and he would never allow anyone to bully him!
He rushed over and stood in front of the old gentleman, "What nonsense are you spouting? He wholeheartedly cares for the people."
"One madman hasn't recovered from his illness, and now another one shows up!"
The common people pointed at the two of them. Liu Dai mustered his courage and roared, "I am the honorable governor, personally appointed by the Emperor! Who dares to lay a hand on me? Who dares!"
"Governor, is it? Preying on the people, we'll still beat you!" Someone, no one knew who, shouted first, and in an instant, the two of them were in the same predicament.
The old gentleman grabbed Liu Dai's sleeve, his eyes filled with despair, "My Lord, we, we are right, aren't we? We did it all for the people, didn't we!"
Liu Dai didn't know how to respond for a moment, staring blankly at the old gentleman.
"Nonsense! King Chu provides us with food and warmth. How dare you frame him, assassinate him? We won't let you off!"
"Exactly, exactly!" Even a three-year-old child echoed the angry curses. In an instant, the last glimmer of light on the old gentleman's face disappeared. He weakly let go of Liu Dai's clothes and sneered, "So it was me. So I was wrong. I have failed the people, I have delayed the people!"
The old gentleman roared several times. While Liu Dai wasn't paying attention, he snatched a dagger and plunged it fiercely into his own chest.
Liu Dai hurriedly tried to cover the old gentleman's wound with his hands, but was weakly pushed away. "My Lord, I, I am sorry to the people, and I am sorry to you. Now, now, I can be considered, considered to have atoned!"
"Someone, quickly, someone!" Liu Dai shouted urgently, but it was too late. He could only watch as the old gentleman's breath slowly faded.
At this moment, Lu Bu and his men knelt urgently before Ye Feng. The common people watched with admiration, and voluntarily cleared a path. Liu Dai felt a heaviness in his hand. The old gentleman, in a moment of lucidity, trembled and confessed, "My Lord, I watched you grow up. Now, now I cannot accompany you. You, you must not oppose King Chu, you cannot defeat him. If, if you have a chance, have a chance to bury me in Liangzhou, I want to, to watch how King Chu treats the people."
As soon as he finished speaking, the old gentleman completely lost his breath. Ye Feng looked down with a moment of sorrow and instructed Lu Bu, "Since the old gentleman has made his wishes, find the highest mountain and bury him with the rites of a national scholar. This King wants him to personally witness the prosperity of the people!"
"My Lord, I fear someone might object!" Lu Bu asked tentatively, instinctively glancing at Liu Dai.
"We object! Who is he to want to be buried in Liangzhou? This is the King's territory."
"Who says not? If everyone has their say and we agree to everything, what do you think Liangzhou is!"
"..."
Before Liu Dai could speak, the common people started chattering, "We absolutely object!"
"My fathers and elders, listen to this King!" Ye Feng raised his hand to quiet them, his face solemn. "He merely wanted to see how you live, it was the old man's last wish. What reason do we have to object?"
"But he tried to assassinate the King! Just for that, we absolutely object!" A commoner shouted loudly.
"He tried to assassinate this King out of fear that this King would not treat you well, so he acted. You cannot blame him!" Ye Feng explained loudly.
After all, he was the true master of Liangzhou, and his words carried weight. The common people gave Ye Feng some face, snorted, and dispersed. Lu Bu stepped forward, leading his soldiers to receive the old gentleman's body. Liu Dai, with his neck stiff, spoke.
"He was a subordinate of this governor! If he is to be buried, it should be in his hometown, not in Liangzhou! This governor absolutely objects!" Liu Dai roared in anger. Seeing that Lu Bu's attempt to intervene was futile, he rushed forward and grabbed Ye Feng, cursing, "He was a subordinate of this governor! If you want to act, kill me first! Kill this governor first!"
"Slap!" Ye Feng slapped Liu Dai heavily across the face. Ye Feng flung Liu Dai's hand away, composed and said, "Having a lord like you is truly his misfortune. If it weren't for you, he wouldn't have ended up like this!"
"You, what nonsense are you spouting!" Liu Dai wailed like a madwoman, then continued to himself, "I, I was raised by him! If it weren't for him, there would be no Governor! Now he is dead, he is dead!"
"Liu Dai, if you were a man, you would let him be buried, not torment him for your selfish desires! This was also his dying wish!" Ye Feng grabbed Liu Dai by the collar and roared.
Liu Dai stumbled away, his face gloomy, "He is dead, he is dead..."
Ye Feng watched Liu Dai's receding back and snorted, "If you knew this would happen, why did you do it in the first place!"
Lu Bu had already collected and buried the old gentleman's body, erecting a tombstone on a tall tree. Li Ru was also buried there, as they were both figures in Ye Feng's heart.
In the dead of night, the King of Chu's mansion was silent. Only Diao Chan tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She gently shook Ye Feng's arm, "My King, this matter is resolved. Why not release that governor? Otherwise, it will surely lead to trouble."
"My beauty, rest assured. I have already ordered Lu Bu to patrol the King of Chu's mansion. Nothing untoward will happen. Besides, Liu Dai cannot leave Liangzhou. It would be extremely difficult for him to fight to the death!" Ye Feng said confidently.
"If that is the case, why did my King keep him alive? Killing him would be the end of it, avoiding future troubles!" Diao Chan, not understanding his intentions, asked in a hurry.
"Killing one Liu Dai is a small matter, but the other lords..." Ye Feng snorted. Before he could finish, the sound of sharpening knives suddenly arose, as if someone was preparing to act.
"My King, the sound makes me tremble. I wonder who it is?" Diao Chan whispered. "My King, why don't we just get rid of that governor!"
"What are you afraid of? Lu Bu is still here. Who can match Lu Bu!" Ye Feng said with a smile. Suddenly, he heard a faint voice, "Liu Dai has invited my King for tea, and he also said..." Qin Shu hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"What did he say? Speak directly!" Ye Feng reprimanded him lightly.
"He also said that if my King does not go, he will commit suicide in the King of Chu's mansion. Then, how will my King explain himself to the world!" Qin Shu lowered his head and said hurriedly.
"If he wants to die, so be it. What does it have to do with my King!" Diao Chan said haughtily. "At most, he'll be buried with that darn old gentleman. He thinks he can threaten my King with this? Dreaming!"
"But..." Qin Shu was silent for a moment. "He said he has elite troops outside Liangzhou. I fear my King might..."
Diao Chan grabbed Ye Feng's arm, her eyes full of affection. "I'm scared. I don't want my King to go, my King~"
Ye Feng felt his bones go soft. He coaxed her gently, "My beauty, tens of thousands of elite troops are not to be trifled with. It's nothing to this King, but how many common people will be displaced? This King will go and come back quickly!"
Diao Chan's face showed displeasure, but she still got up to change Ye Feng's clothes, trying to suppress the flush on her face. She hooked his belt and said softly, "My King, when you go, you must return soon. I'm afraid!"
"Naturally. This King will go and come back quickly. My beauty, please rest first!" Ye Feng gently stroked Diao Chan's hair and strode out. Following Qin Shu, he soon arrived at Liu Dai's entrance. Ye Feng gave another instruction, "Go find two jars of good wine. This King will have a good meeting with this so-called governor today."
Ye Feng actually wanted to know what medicine Liu Dai was selling in his gourd. To think of such a method to deal with him was definitely not something he himself would have conceived, let alone the old gentleman speaking up.
In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Pang Tong's final strategy was brilliant. Ye Feng wanted to see what tricks this nameless minor figure could pull.
"It's really not easy to meet the King of Chu. This governor thought the King of Chu wouldn't come, but I didn't expect you to actually come!" Liu Dai muttered to himself, pouring a cup of tea and saying leisurely, "The King of Chu has killed my subordinate today. Do you have anything to say?"
"This King has a different opinion!" Ye Feng sat in a chair, smiling, "Rather than dying at this King's hands, it's more like he brought it upon himself. How righteous he was then, how pathetic he is now!"
"No wonder he died at the hands of the King of Chu!" The two lightly clinked cups and downed the tea. Liu Dai chuckled, "Is the King of Chu not afraid that this tea is poisoned by this governor? Then the King of Chu will die!"
"In this King's opinion, you wouldn't dare. You wouldn't dare to poison, nor would you dare to die within the King of Chu's mansion!" Ye Feng's brows relaxed. "After all, it's better to live than to die. If you wanted to die, you wouldn't have lasted until now."
"The King of Chu indeed sees through it. We should have a cup of wine and discuss the Dao!" Liu Dai put down his teacup and said leisurely, "The King of Chu wouldn't be so stingy, would he!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Shu entered with wine and placed it on the table before withdrawing.
Liu Dai grabbed the wine and drank several large gulps, his face slightly flushed. He grabbed Ye Feng and said without hesitation, "King of Chu, you, you tell this governor, what exactly must I do for you to let me go!"