Sun Ce took a big gulp of wine after hearing Zhou Yu's words, "What Hidden Tiger, Yin Tiger, it's all just mystical nonsense!"
"Some charlatan from the mountains, daring to call himself a 'Tiger' alongside me? He's not worthy!"
Zhou Yu advised, "I specifically investigated, and this Hidden Tiger has a great reputation in private among the gentry of Ji and Yan provinces. He is skilled in the art of observing the stars and is rumored to be an extraordinary person of this era. He specifically wrote a letter to Bo Fu, so it's obviously not an unfounded rumor. Perhaps he saw something?"
Sun Ce disagreed, "Gongjin, do you also believe in this kind of trickery used by wandering scholars?"
"It's all just remnants of the Yellow Turbans trying to deceive people!"
"Wasn't Yu Ji exposed and killed by me, and nothing has happened since?"
"That Hidden Tiger said not to kill, but I insist on killing. I will go to the prison later and personally chop off Xu Gong's head!"
Seeing that he couldn't persuade him, Zhou Yu sighed inwardly, thinking that killing him was fine. If he didn't kill him, Bo Fu wouldn't feel at ease. Besides, Xu Gong wasn't an important figure anyway.
The crowd exchanged toasts, and Sun Ce was already seven or eight parts drunk. A guard came in, whispered a few words in Sun Ce's ear, and Sun Ce, upon hearing this, exclaimed in surprise, "Is that really the case?"
He fell into contemplation for a moment. Seeing Sun Ce's conflicted expression, Zhou Yu asked, "Bo Fu, what happened?"
Sun Ce shook his head, "Someone has come, and Gongjin would never guess who it is."
Zhou Yu was completely puzzled. Then he heard Sun Ce say, "Qiao Gong is back!"
Zhou Yu was also surprised to hear this, "Qiao Gong?"
"Wasn't he captured by the Fierce Tiger?"
Sun Ce said, "Indeed, he followed Yuan Yao in attacking Anyi and was captured. I thought he would never return, but unexpectedly, he has come to find me."
"What's even stranger is that I heard he also brought an imperial edict from the Han court!"
At this point, Sun Ce's face became somewhat gloomy, "Could it be that besides Xu Gong, someone else has recommended me as an official to the capital?"
"If I find out who these troublemakers are, I will kill their entire families, leaving no one alive!"
Zhou Yu said, "Bo Fu, don't be impatient. Why not let Qiao Gong come in and explain things clearly?"
Sun Ce nodded and stood up, saying to the generals in the hall, "I'm drunk!"
"I'll have another drink with you brothers tomorrow!"
Upon hearing this, the generals bid farewell and left, leaving only Zhou Yu behind.
Seeing that everyone had left, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu walked out of the hall, around to the backyard. In a room to the side of the gate, Qiao Rui had already been led inside and was waiting.
As soon as Sun Ce entered the room, he walked up to Qiao Rui and took his hand, saying, "Qiao Gong! I never expected to see you again today!"
Qiao Rui's face was also filled with emotion, "This old man, with his useless body, never expected to see Bo Fu again. It's truly like a dream!"
Zhou Yu also stepped forward and asked, "Hearing that Qiao Gong was lost, Bo Fu and I were worried every day. I never expected Qiao Gong to return safely. You truly have the blessings of heaven."
Qiao Rui smiled bitterly upon hearing this, "Don't mention it. What blessings of heaven? It's embarrassing to say, but both times, I was spared by that Fierce Tiger."
Sun Ce and Zhou Yu were both stunned. Sun Ce's expression turned unpleasant, "Fierce Tiger? Why is he involved again?"
Zhou Yu knew that Sun Ce became agitated whenever the Fierce Tiger was mentioned because of the disappearance of his mother, Madam Wu. He quickly interjected, "Qiao Gong, why did you come to see Bo Fu?"
"As a general under Shi Jun, if you were released by the Fierce Tiger, you should have met with Shi Jun to explain the situation. Why did you bypass Shouchun and come to Yang Province to see Bo Fu first?"
Qiao Rui sighed, "This is a long story. After I was captured, it was the Fierce Tiger who, against all odds, made me an envoy of the Han court to deliver a secret edict to Bo Fu."
Sun Ce and Zhou Yu exchanged glances. A secret edict?
Indeed, things were not that simple!
The three of them sat down, and Qiao Rui explained the ins and outs of the matter. Finally, he sighed, "Back then, because Shi Jun attacked Huai City, the officials of the Han court all suggested that I be beheaded. When my life was hanging by a thread, it was the Fierce Tiger who saved my life. I am truly ashamed."
Zhou Yu asked curiously, "I never expected that the Fierce Tiger would appreciate Qiao Gong so much. If I didn't know Qiao Gong's character, I would have thought that Qiao Gong was a spy planted by him."
"However, if that were the case, releasing Qiao Gong would be too deliberate and not the Fierce Tiger's style."
Qiao Rui was grateful. He knew that Zhou Yu was saying this to help clear him of suspicion because the matter of his release was unclear. If Sun Ce really became suspicious, it would be difficult for him to convince Sun Ce next.
He quickly explained, "The reason I was able to be released was also a coincidence."
"The first time I was captured in Guangling City, the Fierce Tiger released me because he intended to test Bo Fu, because the Fierce Tiger suspected that Bo Fu had some kind of plot in attacking the city, so he simply released me to guess Bo Fu's intentions in attacking the city."
Zhou Yu, upon hearing this, realized, "Indeed, that's how it is. I thought the Fierce Tiger would never act aimlessly. He is indeed very calculating!"
"Did the Fierce Tiger tell you this himself?"
Qiao Rui smiled bitterly, "Gongjin guessed correctly, but the Fierce Tiger is so frank with me not because he wants to befriend and win me over, but because in his eyes, I still have some value."
Sun Ce and Zhou Yu exchanged glances, secretly accepting this explanation. Although they had a good personal relationship with Qiao Rui, it was only a personal relationship.
Privately, they felt that Qiao Rui was only worth winning over in terms of ability and reputation, and it had not reached the point where he was indispensable.
Sun Ce's subordinates, whether strategists or generals, were all talented. Qiao Rui was not outstanding in either category, so Sun Ce and Zhou Yu valued Qiao Rui's reputation most of the time.
Seeing that Qiao Rui's expression was open and honest between words, and he did not show the slightest timidity or guilt, Zhou Yu thought that Qiao Rui's words were very credible.
Sun Ce asked, "The Fierce Tiger released Qiao Gong to be his spokesperson?"
Qiao Rui sighed, "Yes, and no."
"The Fierce Tiger did express his intention to befriend Bo Fu."
Sun Ce snorted coldly upon hearing this. The grievances between him and the Fierce Tiger could not be explained in a few words.
His mother, Madam Wu, was still missing because of the Fierce Tiger.
Moreover, Sun Ce vaguely felt that the Fierce Tiger might know about Madam Wu's situation. What he feared most was that Madam Wu had fallen into the Fierce Tiger's hands!
He was now most afraid that the other party would use Madam Wu as a trump card to coerce him at the most critical moment!
If the Fierce Tiger made this matter public, the Sun family would lose face no matter what he did.
Therefore, Sun Ce could only pretend to be ignorant to avoid excessively stimulating the Fierce Tiger, putting himself in a dilemma.
Now, whenever Sun Ce heard the name of the Fierce Tiger, he gritted his teeth in hatred, but he could do nothing about it!
Zhou Yu naturally knew Sun Ce's thoughts and quickly said, "I heard that Qiao Gong came with an imperial edict. It is said that the Fierce Tiger is highly valued by the emperor. Did the Fierce Tiger have a hand in this edict?"
Knowing that Sun Ce hated the Fierce Tiger, Qiao Rui smiled bitterly, "If I said that the Fierce Tiger did not intervene, then I would be lying."
"The emperor's edict is indeed closely related to the Fierce Tiger, but I think this edict will also be extremely beneficial to Bo Fu's future hegemony."
"It is useless for me to say more. Just wait for Bo Fu to read the edict and judge for himself."
Seeing Qiao Rui present the edict, Sun Ce nodded slightly, grabbed it, unfolded it, read it carefully, and then handed the edict to Zhou Yu, saying, "Gongjin, please take a look."
Zhou Yu took it, read it word by word, stood up abruptly, and walked back and forth in the room, deep in thought.
After a long while, he took a deep breath and said, "Bo Fu, this emperor's edict is very sincere and much more generous than Cao Mengde's previous conditions."
"Moreover, this is, after all, a personal appointment by the emperor, which is legitimate and proper."
Sun Ce was also silent. He was also tempted.
For no other reason than that the conditions in the edict were very favorable to him.
Liu Xie promised to appoint Sun Ce as the Grand Administrator of Yuzhang, General Who Pacifies the East, inherit Sun Jian's title, and establish his own government!
Although these were all empty titles, Sun Ce lacked these empty titles. He now had strength, but the family foundation was too weak, so he could only rely on Yuan Shu to sell his life.
However, Yuan Shu was extremely narrow-minded and unwilling to give Sun Ce even a Grand Administrator position. Although Sun Ce hated him in his heart, he could only swallow his anger.
He now had strength, but he was still weaker than Yuan Shu, who claimed to have 300,000 soldiers.
Now, Liu Xie sent him what he wanted most, and more importantly, the price Sun Ce had to pay for accepting the Han court's appointment was very small.
Rather, the price was something Sun Ce was going to do anyway.
When the time was ripe, he would rebel against Yuan Shu and work with other forces of the Han court to eliminate Yuan Shu.
This was what Sun Ce wanted most. He was closest to Yuan Shu, and it was most convenient for him to take action. If Yuan Shu was destroyed, he would benefit the most.
The conditions were so favorable that Sun Ce was suspicious for a moment. Was there a trap in this?
Zhou Yu saw Sun Ce's doubts and said, "Bo Fu, our current strength is enough to make us an object of contention for all parties."
"Didn't Cao Cao not hesitate to use marriage as a condition in order to establish a relationship with Bo Fu and jointly attack Yuan Shu?"
"Cao Cao is also plotting against Yuan Shu, and his intentions are the same as those of the Han court!"
"Choose between the two, and take the more important one!"
Sun Ce, upon hearing this, said, "I heard that Cao Cao has also received an appointment from the Han court. In that case, what if I agree to the conditions of both him and the Han court at the same time?"
Zhou Yu, upon hearing this, thought for a while and then shook his head, "This matter is not that simple."
"Things must be prioritized."
"If you try to eat from both sides, you may not be able to eat from either side."
"Moreover, if this edict is the work of the Fierce Tiger, I'm afraid he and Cao Cao have thought of the same thing, but the two of them are definitely not on the same side, otherwise they would have made it clear long ago. Why bother with this?"
Sun Ce snorted coldly, "Fierce Tiger!"
"Does he think that I owe him a favor and that all grievances will be forgiven?"
Zhou Yu sighed, "Bo Fu, it is not impossible to put aside personal grievances for the sake of the great cause of the world."
"The edict also said that Bo Fu's appointment is a secret, and only when Yuan Shu declares himself emperor can Bo Fu take out the edict to maximize the impact on Yuan Shu."
"Before that, Bo Fu should lie low and be patient."
Sun Ce nodded slowly upon hearing this, "I will consider Gongjin's words carefully."
He turned to Qiao Rui, "Seeing that Qiao Gong is safe, I am overjoyed. I will have the wine prepared again to welcome Qiao Gong and cleanse away the dust!"