Jingzhou, Xinye County, the county order of the inner hall.

A kind-looking middle-aged man dressed in a moire coat, wearing a small crown and big ears is weaving a yak tail knitting hat by himself. In order to be frugal, the stove in the inner hall has been extinguished, which makes it a little cold, but the man does not care at this time because he grew up in the colder Northland. This man in Yanju civilian clothes is the world-famous left general Liu Bei and Liu Xuande. At this time, he was living under the door of Mu Liu Biao in Jingzhou, guarding the northern gateway Xinye for Liu Biao.

Although Liu Bei claims to be a descendant of the royal family, he is also called the emperor's uncle by the current Son of Heaven, but when he was young, his family was poor and often made straw mats a profession. It is precisely because of this past experience that Liu Bei likes to compile some small objects as a means of recreation whenever he has his spare time.

One person, one table, one line, one hat, fingers move and the heart is calm, and the picture seems to be frozen. However, this moving and quiet picture was broken by the sudden intrusion of an uninvited guest.

The intruder looks quite heroic, wearing a two-beam Jinxian crown, wearing a dark court dress, wearing a leather tiger head sac on the waist, decorated with a blue, white and red three-color blue ribbon, and a black room saber hanging on the right. Because he was in such a hurry that he didn't have time to untie his shoes when he arrived in the hall, he left a series of mud-stained shoe prints on the clean birch floor.

"Uncle save me!" While crying, the person who came knelt down with a thud and pleaded loudly with Liu Bei.

As soon as Liu Bei saw this person, he immediately threw away the knitting hat in his hand, took three steps and made two steps forward to help him up.

"Don't worry, please take your time." Liu Bei patted the back of the man's hand and comforted him with kind words.

It turned out that this uninvited guest was Liu Qi, Liu Biao's eldest son.

Although Liu Qi inherited Liu Biao's heroic appearance, he was a person who lacked assertiveness and had a soft personality. When Liu Bei saw his panicked appearance, he knew that something big must have happened.

Sure enough, Liu Qi calmed down a little, and then said urgently:

"Today, my nephew went to visit my father, but I didn't expect to be scolded by my father, and warned my nephew to be restrained in doing things in the future, and if there is a next time, he will not be spared. The nephew was still puzzled at the time, and he didn't know why he offended his father, but later he inquired and found out that something big had happened! ”

"What's wrong?" Liu Bei asked.

Liu Qi stomped his feet and said urgently:

"Zeng Fan was beaten to death!"

"Is that true?" When Liu Bei heard this, he couldn't help but exclaim.

This Zeng Fan is the brother-in-law of Zhang Yun, the nephew of Liu Cousin, and the son-in-law of Kuai Yue, a great clan in Jingzhou. This person is shrewd and capable, has always been loved by Kuai Yue, responsible for taking care of the Kuai family's business, and is a well-known and well-known figure in Xiangyang City. His death will definitely have a huge impact on the situation in Xiangyang.

Liu Bei was shocked that the situation was not good, and hurriedly asked:

"Who killed Zeng Fan? Why did Liu Yuanjun blame his virtuous nephew? ”

Liu Qi was a little excited when he heard this, he couldn't help but swallow his saliva, and said urgently:

"Because there are rumors everywhere in Xiangyang City, it is said that the nephew is dissatisfied with Zeng Fan's favoritism towards Liu Cong in business, so he sent someone to beat him to death."

Liu Qi called Liu Cong by his name in front of outsiders, which shows the depth of the contradiction between the two brothers.

Liu Bei was a little puzzled when he heard this, so he asked:

"Liu Envoy Jun is virtuous, he won't conclude that this matter is the work of his virtuous nephew just because of rumors, right?"

Liu Qi sighed, and then explained to Liu Bei:

My nephew thought so, too. However, the Kuai family killed several people who participated in the attack at the scene, and two of them were members of the Jiang Han Society, so the father concluded that his nephew was behind the scenes. ”

"Is that so?" Liu Bei was surprised, but after thinking about it, he hurriedly asked Liu Qi for confirmation, "Are those two newcomers who have just joined the club or old people who have already joined the club?" ”

Liu Qi patted his thigh and sighed:

"Not only is he an old man who has already joined the association, but he is also a confidant of his nephew. The nephew has always been close to them, and the nephew has no doubt about their loyalty. ”

Liu Qi's words were full of anxiety, which showed that his mind was in turmoil and he had long lost his mind.

Of course, Liu Bei, who has ups and downs in the sea of eunuchs, will not easily mess up. He thought for a moment, and then comforted Liu Qi and said:

In this case, there should be another mystery in this matter. But please rest assured, Uncle Wei will definitely handle this matter properly for the nephew. ”

As soon as these words came out, Liu Qi was overjoyed, and the sadness on his face also stretched a little, and he hurriedly thanked him:

"Then there's Uncle Law."

From the perspective of others, it can be seen from Liu Qi's search for Liu Bei when he was in danger that he relied on Liu Bei deeply.

※※※※※※※※※

Xiangyang, near the Great North Gate, a tavern.

Ren Ruyue is still meeting the woman in red who is known as "Captain He" in the old place. After the two sat down, Ruyue went straight to the point and said:

"Zeng Fan is dead! There's a lot going on in this matter, so I'm looking for you to discuss it, just in case. ”

Captain He was wearing a hood and two light veils hanging from her face, so she couldn't see her expression at this time, but her tone was very calm, as if she had expected this to happen. I only heard her ask knowingly:

"It is rumored that Zeng Fan's death was done by the Jianghan Club. What does General Ren think about this? ”

Ruyue looked directly at Captain He and said eloquently:

"Zeng Fan is Kuai Yue's son-in-law, and Kuai Yue is a big family in Jingzhou, and he is very influential in Jingzhou, especially Xiangyang. If Jiang Hanhui is really so unwise and kills Zeng Fan, he will inevitably anger Kuai Yue. Once Kuai Yue stands on the side of the Xiangyang Society, then the Jianghan Society will be passive. So I think it's probably a lieu of something. I heard that Liu Qi had been reprimanded by Liu Biao for this matter, and then hurried to Xinye to find Liu Bei for help. ”

Captain He smiled coquettishly and immediately said:

"Liu Qi, this kid has been tricked."

"Medium?" Ruyue was puzzled, and asked, "Whose plan is it?" ”

"Of course, it's Liu Bei's plan." Captain He said with a smile.

Ruyue didn't understand the deep meaning, and asked rhetorically:

"Aren't Liu Qi and Liu Bei together? How could he fall for Liu Bei's plan? ”

Captain He raised his hand and pointed to the northeast direction, and explained to Ruyue:

"Liu Bei has been using Liu Qi from beginning to end, but Liu Qi himself doesn't know it. Liu Bei is extremely ambitious, and Liu Biao has long seen his nature, so he has not reused it. Only let Liu Bei take his headquarters to be stationed in Xinye County to take care of the northern gateway for him. But Liu Bei is not a thing in the pool, he will definitely find ways to meddle in Jingzhou's internal affairs and seize power, just like he did when he seized Xuzhou. If you want to meddle in Jingzhou's internal affairs, you must find an entry point. ”

"This entry point is the dispute between Liu Qi and Liu Cong's heirs." Ruyue interjected.

"That's right." Captain He bowed slightly, and continued, "Liu Qi is friendly with Liu Bei, and he is the object of Liu Bei's full support. Liu Cong, on the other hand, chose to be attached to the Cai clan of Jingzhou and regarded Liu Bei as an enemy. It is precisely because of Liu Bei's support that Liu Qi has fallen into today's desperate situation, and this eldest prince Liu Qi still doesn't know it, thinking that Liu Bei is his big backer. In this way, Liu Qi fell for Liu Bei's plan. ”

When Ruyue heard this, she asked with doubts:

"What good is Liu Qi in a desperate situation for Liu Bei?"

Captain He tapped a few times with his fingers and continued to analyze:

"It is precisely because Liu Qi is in a desperate situation that Liu Bei can reap the benefits of the fisherman! In fact, from the time Liu Cong and Cai's relationship began, Liu Qi was doomed to defeat in the battle for heirs. In today's world, the person who can most influence Liu Biao's decision is the Cai family of Jingzhou, so although Liu Qi is the eldest son and looks the most similar to Liu Biao, Liu Biao can't withstand Cai's soft grinding and hard bubbles, and will eventually choose Liu Cong as his heir. And Liu Qi, as a loser, would never completely rely on Liu Bei if he did not lose badly. Therefore, Liu Bei deliberately supported him to vigorously suppress Liu Cong's forces, which made Liu Cong annoyed and embarrassed and fought back with all his might, so that he fell into today's field.

"In fact, Liu Biao saw that Liu Qi was so dependent on Liu Bei, I guess he must be dissatisfied with Liu Qi. Because Liu Bei is the most feared person by Liu Biao, he is worried that Liu Bei will occupy the magpie's nest after his death. Isn't what Liu Qi did to create an opportunity for Liu Bei to plot wrongdoing? It can be said that it was Liu Bei's support that hurt Liu Qi. In other words, Liu Bei could only make Liu Qi more dependent on him by putting him in adversity, so that he could fully intervene in the internal struggle in Jingzhou after Liu Biao's death in the future, waiting for an opportunity to seize power. ”

After listening to Captain He's analysis, Ruyue immediately asked:

"In this way, Zeng Fan's death Liu Bei is the most suspicious?"

Captain He waved his hand and replied confidently:

"I don't think Liu Bei is suspicious."

Ruyue was even more puzzled when she heard this, and hurriedly asked:

"According to what you said, Liu Bei can only make Liu Qi completely dependent on him if he puts him in adversity. And killing Zeng Fan and framing Jiang Hanhui will immediately put Liu Qi in adversity. If you chase the murderer from the perspective of the beneficiary, isn't Liu Bei the most suspicious? ”

"That's true." Captain He bowed slightly, and then changed his words, "But Liu Bei Ke is a clever politician, he likes to act in secret, and he will not be superficial. Just as he vigorously supported Liu Qi's Jianghan Society and suppressed the Xiangyang Society in his own jurisdiction, Mingli helped Liu Qi. In this way, others will not find a reason to attack him, and it will not be easy to make Liu Qi suspicious. And killing Zeng Fan is clearly to trap Liu Qi, and with Liu Bei's shrewdness, he will never do such a stupid thing. However, he will definitely take advantage of the situation and take advantage of this matter to make Liu Qi more dependent on him. ”

"I see." Ruyue thought for a while, and then asked, "I have a bold idea, is it that Liu Cong himself deliberately killed Zeng Fan through his traitor in the Jianghan Association in order to win over Kuai Yue's support, so as to blame Liu Qi?" ”

"It's unlikely." He Xiaowei denied, "Because the person who gave advice behind Liu Cong was Cai Mao." ”

"What does this have to do with Cai Mao?" Ruyue didn't understand.

"Cai Mao and Kuai Yue are both members of the Xiangyang Wang clan, and they have intersected for generations, so they are in the same voice, and they can't use such a vicious method to win Kuai Yue." Captain He explained.

After listening to Captain He's analysis, Ruyue was even more misty, and she asked:

"Then who did Zeng Fan's death?"

Captain He stretched out a finger and shook it in the air, and then responded with a little excitement:

"I'm afraid that in addition to our Heavenly Kingdom, there is another hidden force trying to influence the political situation in Jingzhou."

Based on the clues in front of him alone, Captain He could not deduce who was behind the scenes. However, this incident aroused the strong curiosity in Captain He's heart, and she looked sideways out the window and said to herself:

"Interesting, very interesting!"