Chapter Five: Assassins!

“Don’t worry, he won’t get far,” Liu Xie said with absolute confidence.

The eunuch had barely entered an alley when several men wielding steel blades blocked his way from both ends.

“Who are you? What do you want?” the eunuch asked, his heart filled with terror.

“Robbers,” one of them replied with a strange smile.

Without another word, they raised their blades and ended the eunuch’s life. Afterwards, they tossed a money pouch beside his corpse—though it was empty. The men departed, leaving behind the scene of a robbery gone murderous.

Late that night, within the palace.

A dozen eunuchs and palace maids were assembled before Liu Xie and Empress Fu Shou.

“You’ve gathered quite a bit of intelligence lately, haven’t you?” Liu Xie asked with a gentle smile.

“Your Majesty, we… we don’t understand what you mean,” one eunuch answered cautiously.

“Oh? Don’t understand?” Liu Xie asked. “Weren’t you sent by Cao Cao to spy on me? Surely, you’re waiting for a chance to leave the palace and report to him, saying that I, the emperor, have tried to bribe you all?”

At this, the eunuchs and maids began to panic.

“Kill them!” Liu Xie commanded.

Twenty guards, steel blades in hand, stormed in and, without a word, slaughtered them all.

In moments, the room was filled with corpses, blood staining the floor red.

“Throw the bodies outside—you know what to do,” Liu Xie said softly.

The guards carried the bodies out and placed them in different locations throughout the palace. Immediately, shouts erupted.

“Assassins! Catch the assassins!”

“Seal the palace gates! Find the assassins!”

Countless eunuchs and maids cried out, their voices echoing through the palace.

Cao Cao’s guards, stationed at the palace, rushed in and searched everywhere.

In the rear palace, Liu Xie and Empress Fu Shou feigned panic, running out as though terrified.

“Protect His Majesty! Quickly, protect the emperor!”

Their cries resounded throughout the palace.

Before long, Cao Cao arrived at the head of his armored cavalry, charging straight in and taking position at all key locations.

“Master Cao, Master Cao,”

“You’re finally here—I thought I’d die of fright,” Liu Xie, tearful and snot-nosed, stumbled forward, throwing himself at Cao Cao’s feet like a man shattered by fear.

He displayed the skills of the greatest actor of the Three Kingdoms era.

“Your Majesty is frightened—everyone’s shouting about assassins. Where are they?” Cao Cao asked impatiently.

“Master Cao, how would I see the assassins myself?” Liu Xie replied, trembling with fear. “If they really came for me, I wouldn’t be alive.”

Just then, General Cao Hong strode in with several attendants.

“Master, upon inspection, several precious jewels and porcelain pieces are missing from the palace,” Cao Hong reported. “A dozen eunuchs and maids were slain.”

“Master Cao, didn’t you promise to guarantee my safety? What’s happened here? How could robbers find their way into my palace?” Liu Xie stammered, feigning fear.

“Rest assured, Your Majesty. With me here, bandits wouldn’t dare return,” Cao Cao reassured. “Cao Hong, assign more soldiers to the palace and tighten its defenses.”

After giving his orders, Cao Cao departed with his men. That night, he summoned several eunuchs and maids to his residence.

“Well, tell me—has the young emperor been up to anything lately?” Cao Cao asked casually.

The summoned maids and eunuchs were frightened, keeping their heads bowed.

“Master Cao, the emperor spends every day indulging in wine and debauchery. His life is utterly depraved,” one reported.

“Many maids have been toyed with by him,” another added.

“Yes, master. He constantly beats and scolds us eunuchs,” said a third.

“He ignores state affairs, only drinking and flirting all day,” they said, painting Liu Xie as little more than a beast.

Cao Cao, hearing their reports, grew even more delighted.

“Neglecting state affairs? That’s good news. Keep watching him, and report anything to me immediately.”

Cao Cao’s words drew a stark contrast in the hearts of the maids and eunuchs. Liu Xie, upon hearing about their family troubles, had immediately offered help. Cao Cao, despite hearing complaints about their lives in the palace, showed no concern.

The difference was striking.

It strengthened their resolve to remain loyal to Liu Xie in the future. As Liu Xie had said, the disputes among warlords had nothing to do with them.

The dozen maids and eunuchs who were killed had all served Cao Cao. Now, with their deaths, Cao Cao hadn’t even uttered a word.

Within the palace.

Liu Xie and Empress Fu Shou shared a bed.

“Your Majesty, several maids and eunuchs were summoned by Cao Cao. Do you think they’ll slip up?” Empress Fu Shou asked worriedly.

“Don’t worry—I’ve already told them what to say. There will be no problems,” Liu Xie replied. “From now on, the palace is essentially in our hands. The training of those twenty men should begin.”

Liu Xie spoke softly.

In the twenty-first century, he had been like a king among special forces—his expertise lay in training. Back then, he had produced countless warriors.

He was confident that he could now turn those twenty men into first-rate fighters.

Of course, everything had to be carried out in secret. Even though most of the maids and eunuchs had been won over, the guards still belonged to Cao Cao.

So, much work remained to be done covertly.

The next day.

As usual, music and dance filled the rear palace, but there was one difference—Liu Xie was no longer present.

At the cellar behind the palace, used to store wine, Liu Xie sat opposite the twenty men.

“Gentlemen, I want to know—what are your true feelings toward Cao Cao?” Liu Xie asked, his gaze sweeping across their faces.

“Your Majesty, my ancestors fought alongside the founder of Han, and our family has long benefited from the dynasty,” one replied. “We are grateful in our hearts.”

“Cao Cao claims to serve Han, but in truth he is its enemy. He deserves to be punished,” another said. “Sadly, we lack the strength to ease Your Majesty’s burdens.”

Each of the twenty men wore expressions of deep pain, sighing heavily.

As Fu Wan had said, their loyalty was beyond doubt.

“You are all loyal servants of Han. It was my own incompetence that allowed Cao Cao to use you,” Liu Xie said. “But rest assured, I will rid us of this traitor and restore a peaceful era. Now, I need your help. I hope each of you can become warriors capable of facing a thousand, even ten thousand.”

Liu Xie spoke with passion, and the faces of the twenty gradually grew resolute.

“We are at Your Majesty’s disposal, but we are ordinary men. How can we hope to face ten thousand?”

They asked, puzzled.