Liu Bei POV

*Tatatata*

The sound of horse hooves landing on the mud could be heard once more and when I looked over, it was the same driver from before. Ah… It was Pan-something right?

“My lord.” He said as he nodded towards me. I returned the nod as well.

“Go and rest now, blood brother.”

“Ah, un.” I said as I saluted him, “We’ll discuss the matter of Xinye in further details over the next few days then.”

“Ah, that works.” Liu Biao said as he too saluted, “I’ll have you meet Liu Cong at the same time as well.”

Why does he have to bring Liu Cong into the conversation… I had an ominous premonition but I didn’t dare to ask too much as my gut told me that the less I knew, the better.

And so, I bowed to Liu Biao once more before making my way to the carriage whilst helping Liao Hua carry Guan Ping, who was dead asleep, up the carriage.

As the carriage began to move off, I turned around and looked back and saw Liu Biao looking at me quietly. Only until I was some distance away and I could no longer see his face did I turn back.

I don’t know how long this last night rendezvous has gone on for but I feel like something has changed inside me.

At the same time, it feels like a lot has changed from tonight’s events. Many things I are unable to predict or fathom have begun to move once more.

“Hu… Hu…” The carriage shuddered and creaked as it travelled across the uneven roads but this did not affect Guan Ping, who was currently lying across the seats on one end with her mouth wide open.

To be honest, she doesn’t seem like the child of the impeccable Yun Chang. Instead, she seems more like Yi De’s child. Of course, by Yi De, I’m referring to the old Yi De.

But it really is a pity. Guan Ping was still raring to give a good showing but she succ.u.mbed to sleepiness and wasn’t able to partic.i.p.ate at all in the entire discussion. But this is a good thing on hindsight, given that her mental age is much younger than one would think from looking at her.

It’s best to learn about some things later after all. Though I’m not too old myself, I’m beginning to feel the heat from various things. When you start having more and more concerns and things to think about constantly, you start feeling like not having to think at all is the best.

Some examples would be like Guan Ping or Zhou Cang for instance.

Un… Leaving that aside, I’ve detected a very obvious gaze directed towards me from a while ago now.

Since we got on the carriage and entered the highway, Liao Hua’s eyes have been fixed on me. Naturally, I know that she wants to give me a lecture so I turned my face away and pretended I didn’t notice. I’d thought that she would give up and her temper would deflate after some time, but her eyes actually bulged as time went by.

“Umm, I really owe a lot of thanks to Liao Hua for today.” I really couldn’t take it anymore and saluted her as I spoke up, “If it weren’t for Liao Hua who defused the situation, I might have been hung and quartered by Liu Biao and Lady Cai already.”

Even though I knew that Liu Biao did not especially suspect me, I could tell that he was a little shaken. If Lady Cai had pressed on, the ending would be a lot more different.

Which is why the decision to bring along Liao Hua has proven to be a very wise choice simply based on that outcome alone.

“My lord should have accomplished that himself,” Liao Hua quietly said in a matter-of-fact tone that di

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splayed neither dissatisfaction nor a grudge towards me, “Could it be that if I were not around, my lord would have been helpless?”

“Un… I guess so.” I honestly replied, at which Liao Hua lightly sighed.

“If I didn’t change our stance at the last moment, was my lord planning on a.s.suming the role of the commander of Xiangyang’s garrison?” As expected, the main reason why Liao Hua was staring at me the whole time was because of this.

I gave a chuckle, “Almost, I almost arbitrarily decided everyone’s future again.” I put my hands together and knelt as I shook my head, “But after hearing what you said later on, I felt that I really had given too little thought to the matter and was convinced by what you said. Every single time, I end up making trouble for you all. Even though there is clearly a much better choice, I keep taking wrong turns.”

“Un, that’s good then.” Liao Hua nodded. Seems like she’s accepted my rather heartfelt and sincere apology. She then looked at Guan Ping and blinked, as though she were considering whether or not to say what else she had left and then turned to me, “But even if it were my lord’s arbitrary, or perhaps I should call it wilful, decision, I believe that even if everyone else had adverse opinions about it, they would follow you anyway.”

“Un… Un, I am truly grateful to everyone for this.” I nodded. This was something that even a social r.e.t.a.r.d like myself could keenly detect. It’s happened multiple times before after all.

But when Liao Hua said this, her expression was calm, so calm that even I felt fear.

After she said all of that, Liao Hua saluted me, which made me realise that she hadn’t reached her true message yet.

“That is a good thing yes, but I still hope that my lord can think for everyone more in future.” Liao Hua said softly, “Though everyone may have their own reasons for following my lord, and we are truly united; for me, a newcomer, what I place more importance on is what everyone’s own path is.”

“Everyone’s own… path huh?”

Path, dream, ambition. These words have been swirling in my head all night now. To be honest, I still don’t quite understand all these fully yet.

Liao Hua nodded, “Some people’s paths are clear to them while others are still seeking theirs. But at the end of the day, everyone hopes to continue advancing and not remain stagnant.” Liao Hua then raised her hand and pointed at me, “And my lord, you have been leading them in circles, have you not?”

“Un… Yes.”

I actually antic.i.p.ated this, and tried to think of a counterargument, but couldn’t as she was right. Leaving aside the newcomers, when you consider the ones who’ve been following me since I arrived at Xu state, and even Yun Chang and Yi De, I’ve basically achieved nothing in what has been almost a year now.

All this while, we’ve had to seek refuge in others’ lands and have almost constantly been on the move. The only gains we’ve made are in our troop size. But even that has been thanks to Zi Long and Zi Zhong, not me.

What have I done? Probably just used that t.i.tle of “Imperial Uncle”, I guess.

“I do admit that I’ve gone overboard, and as a retainer, what I have done is wrong.” Liao Hua frowned and her hands balled up into a tight fist, “But what I want to say is, my lord needs to think about what his path is. If you don’t even have full confidence in your own path, how are we going to follow you?”