Liu Qi said in a deep voice: "Xiahou Yuan wanted to seize Hanzhong from us, but was defeated and captured. If it weren't for my third uncle, he would have been beheaded in public. You still want to redeem him."
"This..." Xiahou Mao was stunned, "Isn't it... always like this?"
Liu Qi sneered, "Before, we were all Han officials, so we could still talk about some ties. But now Cao Cao has openly established a country, and his heart is even more sinister than Dong Zhuo. How can I let him cause trouble?"
Xiahou Mao was stunned on the spot. Although Cao Pi did not blame him for the fall of Chang'an, he felt guilty, so he volunteered to go to Xiangyang to redeem the people. He thought he could atone for his sins by relying on his friendship with Liu Qi, but he didn't expect this situation.
In desperation, he had to bite the bullet and plead, "I hope the general will give me some face for our past friendship."
"Face is always earned by oneself, not given by others!" Liu Qi stared at Xiahou Mao and said coldly: "Go back and tell Cao Pi that if he does not take the initiative to abdicate and serve the emperor, we will each serve our own master in the future without any mercy. The people of the world are on the side of Han. If you insist on going your own way, you will be wiped out. It will be too late to regret!"
Xiahou Mao was very anxious and said hurriedly: "General Liu..."
"See you out—" Liu Qi turned around and ignored him.
Xiahou Meng had a bitter look on his face. He shook his head and sighed, then turned around and prepared to have someone carry away the gold, silver and jewelry.
Liu Qi said calmly: "Xiahou Yuan and his son spend a lot of money on food and drink in Jingzhou every day, so this money can be used as board and lodging expenses!"
Xiahou Mao's face changed drastically. He turned around and pointed at Liu Qi and said sternly, "Liu Qi, don't go too far!"
"You call this bullying? You're lying with your eyes wide open!" Liu Qi's eyes were slightly stern, and he squinted at Xiahou Mao: "Compared to Cao Mengde who oppressed his ministers and killed innocent people, I have done my best. Your Excellency keeps saying that I'm bullying, but why don't you reflect on yourself? How have you been running your business these years? Have you ever seriously studied the art of war? Why do you keep losing in battles?"
"You... you you you—" Xiahou Mao's face turned red, and then turned pale. He pointed at Liu Qi and couldn't speak. He grunted for a long time and yelled: "Liu Bowei, don't be so arrogant. I, Xiahou Mao, will come again one day."
Liu Qi clasped his fists and said with a smile: "I am waiting for you in Luoyang!"
Xiahou Mao snorted angrily, flicked his sleeves and strode out the door. He didn't even go to see Xiahou Yuan. He rode out of the house and left Xiangyang, intending to go back to study military tactics hard and avenge his previous humiliation.
There was silence in the hall for a moment, and then Yi Ji said in confusion: "My lord accepted Xiahou Mi's gold beads, but humiliated him. If this gets out, I'm afraid the whole world will laugh at him."
"What people say is nothing but floating clouds and flowing water, just let it be!" Liu Qi didn't care. There were too many self-righteous people in this world. They only believed in the facts of their own imagination. No matter how much they explained, it would be in vain.
Pang Hong said: "My lord, you are the pillar of the Han Dynasty. If you want to carry out the great cause of rejuvenation, you should be known for your benevolence, virtue, and integrity. You should not use force to suppress others."
"Isn't this all because of you guys?" Liu Qi helplessly spread his hands, "Xiahou Yuan was a famous general of the time. How can we just let go of such a powerful enemy? Everyone in Cao's camp thinks that they can come and go freely if they have money. How can we be worthy of those dead soldiers?"
Pang Hong looked at Liu Qi who looked innocent, and could only clasp his fists and say, "My Lord, you are absolutely right. It is really inappropriate for us to accept the gift without reporting it to you."
"Of course it's not right!" Liu Qi stood up and walked to the row of boxes. He opened the lids casually, and the hall was filled with jewels and treasures. He pointed at the boxes and said, "What's the good of these treasures? Cao Pi and his men think I'm a money-loving person. You two shouldn't be like this! I'm a dignified Han royal relative, a general, and the Marquis of Xiangyang. I have ambitions for the world and support the court. How can I be a person who is blinded by money and ignores the overall situation?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Yi Ji lowered his head and could only agree silently.
But in his heart he was thinking that the young man who had taken control of Jingzhou at the beginning, who had tried his best to develop commerce, encourage businessmen, and do everything possible to make money from everywhere, has now become a overlord and his demeanor has changed a lot.
Pang Hong, however, secretly curled his lips. Liu Biao had died, and the treasures hidden in the treasury were priceless. Liu Qi actually sent people to "auction" the things in the palace, causing a sensation in the whole Jingzhou. Three pieces of gold, silver and jade were sold for 800 million yuan.
Half a month ago, he sold three volumes of "The Five Classics" to Shi Xie for one million coins, claiming that it was for the benefit of the people of Jiaozhi. He claimed that it was not for money, but for "copyright fees" to be worthy of his deceased father.
Today, they seized Xiahou Mi's property again, and they even said something about "food and lodging expenses". This is all unheard of, but their excuses are so convincing that no one can refute it. This is probably the aura of a king or a tyrant, right
The two of them were thinking about Liu Qi's recent changes, but they heard Liu Qi say: "This batch of money does not need to be deposited in the treasury. Convert it into banknotes and transfer it to Luoyang. Build a Hanxing Altar at the site of the old Nan Palace. There does not need to be many pavilions, but the courtyard wall must be high."
"The battle is raging in the Central Plains, and it is a time to prepare for war. It is not appropriate to engage in large-scale construction projects. I hope my lord will think twice." Yi Ji was shocked. Liu Biao had just died, and Liu Qi was ready to enjoy himself
Pang Hong also advised: "The world is not yet settled, General, you must guard against arrogance and impatience!"
Liu Qi laughed and said, "You two are worrying too much. I built this altar not for personal use, but to imprison Xiahou Yuan and others. After all, he is a descendant of the Cao family and the father-in-law of my third uncle. Imprisonment is too much. If he stays in Xiangyang, there may be trouble. I have no choice but to put him under house arrest here for the time being."
Yi Ji wondered, "Wouldn't it be better to send him to Wancheng, Jiangling, or even Hanzhong?"
Liu Qi shook his head and said, "Luoyang is the old capital. I built this altar to commemorate Emperor Taizu, to admire the famous generals of Yuntai who revived the Han Dynasty, and to remember the ancients and inspire the present. There are still many loyal and righteous people in Cao's camp, but they were deceived by Cao thieves or had no choice. We can capture them and imprison them here to make them calm down and reflect on themselves. If they still have their hearts set on the Han Dynasty and repent, wouldn't everyone be happy?"
Yi Ji was greatly impressed and said with emotion: "My lord, you have the broad mind of Emperor Gaozu in employing people, and the military ability of Emperor Shizu. Why should you worry about the failure of the Han Dynasty?"
While they were discussing the function of the Hanxing Altar, a personal guard came in to report that Sun Quan had sent Xu Xiang, an envoy from Jiangdong, to express condolences to Liu Biao on behalf of the Marquis of Wu.
Liu Qi frowned and said, "Sun Quan was defeated in Shouchun, and was ordered by Yangzhou Mu and Cao Pi to stop the war. He should have been resting and recuperating. Why did he send people to Xiangyang?"
Pang Hong pulled his beard and sneered, "I'm afraid it's just a weasel paying New Year's greetings to a chicken, with bad intentions!"
Liu Qi couldn't guess the purpose of the visitor, so he just went out to welcome him. Although Jiangdong had sent people to express condolences before, this time they were representing Sun Quan, which had a different meaning.
Everyone greeted each other at the gate of the mansion. Liu Qi first took Xu Xiang to the mourning hall to burn incense and place offerings for sacrifice. Only after the ceremony did he take him to the government office.
Liu Qi asked, "I heard that the Marquis of Wu was shot by an arrow in battle. I wonder how serious the injury is?"
"Alas, the situation is not good!" Xu Xiang shook his head and sighed: "The Queen Mother saw that the Marquis of Wu was severely poisoned. She was shocked and angry, and fainted on the boat that day."
"Is this true?" Liu Qi was surprised and asked hurriedly, "I wonder how is my mother-in-law?"
"The old lady has not gotten better yet, and now both mother and son are bedridden!" Xu Xiang looked worried, and took out a brocade box and handed it over: "Before leaving, the old lady used her sick body to make pineapple cakes by herself, and told the general to mourn and take good care of himself."