The Three Kingdoms: Starting as a county magistrate in Pingyuan, he rose to power and conquered the

Chapter 98 Li Zhao's Promise

"But this..." Guo Tu still found it hard to believe.

Before he could speak further, Li Zhao turned around, looked at Xu Shu who was rushing over, and said angrily, "How could you do this?"

"Such distinguished guests have arrived; we should have informed them sooner. I should have personally gone out of the city to welcome them!"

"They actually made us wait here! This is outrageous!"

Xu Shu's reaction was incredibly smooth. He immediately bowed and said, "My lord, please forgive me. It was my dereliction of duty..."

then.

He turned around and bowed deeply to Guo Tu with utmost sincerity, saying, "I apologize for my rudeness, sir..."

This series of reactions left Guo Tu speechless.

He quickly waved his hand, saying, "Please don't do that, I can't accept it!"

"I dare not trouble Your Excellency the Prime Minister to personally come out to greet me; I am unworthy of such an honor!"

"Sir, you've helped me so many times, please don't be so polite, come in, please come in!"

Li Zhao gestured for him to enter, but even then, he didn't forget to continue his angry rebuke of Xu Shu.

He was also told to quickly prepare a fine banquet and serve the best tea and snacks from Jingzhou to the distinguished guest as soon as possible.

Xu Shu finally let out a long sigh of relief after the two entered the room.

It's so smooth!

Li Zhao's reaction required no prior rehearsal; there wasn't a single flaw to be seen.

Not to mention Guo Tu, even he was momentarily dazed just now.

He shook his head slightly and went to prepare with a smile on his face.

at the same time.

Guo Tu stood before Li Zhao, deeply moved, unsure of what to say.

The main problem is that the reality is far too different from what I imagined.

"What are you standing there for, sir?" Li Zhao pointed to the seat next to him.

"Please, have a seat. You must be tired from your journey. What's the point of standing?"

"Thank you very much, Your Excellency..."

After bowing, Guo Tu sat down to the side, but remained somewhat reserved.

"Sir, you must be tired from your journey. Now that you're here, please make yourself at home. If you need anything, just let us know. We will definitely not treat you poorly here!"

"I owe you so much for all the things I've done in the past!" Li Zhao greeted him politely.

No one asked Guo Tu what he was planning to do there.

Not long after.

Xu Shu then personally arranged for someone to deliver the finest tea and snacks.

And they wisely withdrew without causing any further disturbance.

"Please try this, sir. This is the latest tea from Qingzhou, and these snacks are also made with recipes I personally improved. They are truly unique delicacies!" Li Zhao said with a smile as he picked up the tea beside him.

"Really?" I couldn't resist picking up the tea, drawn by its delicate aroma.

I took a small sip, and a bitter taste spread throughout my mouth, followed immediately by a unique sweet aftertaste and an indescribable aroma.

This feeling was so peculiar that he instantly remembered the taste.

He picked up a beautiful pastry at random, and its taste amazed him.

of course.

No matter how wonderful these things are, they can't compare to the attitude Li Zhao has shown.

For someone of his status to treat me so politely, it didn't seem like an act at all.

This pleased Guo Tu greatly!

He put down his teacup, took a deep breath, cupped his hands, and said, "To be honest, Your Excellency, the reason I've come here is to ask for your help!"

"What kind of talk is that?" Li Zhao waved his hand dismissively. "Sir, you absolutely mustn't say that!"

"No matter what, I will comply with anything I can do!"

"Is Your Excellency truly telling the truth?"

"I swear on my honor, this is absolutely true!"

Li Zhao said very seriously, "I will always remember your kindness, sir, for helping me time and time again."

"Now that I have the opportunity to repay this kindness, how can I refuse?"

"As I said before, please don't hesitate to ask if you need anything, sir!"

After this series of remarks, Guo Tu became somewhat embarrassed.

Although he helped several times, he also received a considerable amount of benefits in return.

But Li Zhao didn't mention it at all!

Taking advantage of this opportunity, he tentatively revealed Yuan Shao's intentions.

But he was very subtle, only saying that he didn't need his help, but also didn't want to cause any trouble.

It is hoped that both sides can continue to live in peace and even help each other.

Since we're asking for a favor, we should still show some respect!

"What you mean, sir, is..." Li Zhao stroked his chin, looking thoughtful.

"Was Lord Yuan serious about what he said before? Was he planning to deal with Cao Cao and save the court from its dire straits?"

"That's natural!"

"Sir, you are unaware of this matter. I also have my own difficulties in explaining this. That old villain Cao Cao is extremely cunning. He actually bypassed me and issued orders to Guan Yu in the name of the imperial court..."

He began to complain incessantly, and while recounting this incident, he also relentlessly denounced Cao Cao as shameless.

He fully understood Yuan Shao's actions and anger, but he couldn't do the same, otherwise he would lose the support of the people.

In short.

Li Zhao portrayed himself as extremely aggrieved, as if no matter what choice he made, there would be no good outcome.

"I fully understand the difficulties faced by Your Excellency the Prime Minister..." Guo Tu earnestly echoed.

"In fact, I have advised my lord that the mastermind behind this matter is Cao Cao, and has nothing to do with the Prime Minister!"

Is this really true?

"I am not so shameless as to deceive Your Majesty the Prime Minister with such a thing!"

"Very well! Based on your words, sir, no matter what happens next, I will never side with Cao Cao, nor will I take action against him!"

"I'll only concern myself with matters within Qingzhou; everything else is none of my business!"

"From now on, sir, you shall remain here. If you disobey this oath, may you be condemned by both gods and men!"

Li Zhao suddenly stood up and made a very generous promise.

To prove his determination, he even wrote down the promise he had just made in front of Guo Tu.

Guo Tu was so moved that he knelt down on the spot to thank Li Zhao for his understanding.

He repeatedly stated that he would do everything in his power to repay the debt after this matter was resolved.

Nearly two hours later, Guo Tu accepted the arrangements with satisfaction and settled down in the Prime Minister's residence.

This is both an excellent opportunity to escape the war and a constant reminder to Li Zhao of the promise he made, achieving multiple benefits in one fell swoop.

Only after he had completely left did Xu Shu return, and then tentatively asked, "My lord, he... he just believed it like that?"

"I wrote the promise myself, how could it be fake?" Li Zhao said without looking up, continuing to study the map in front of him.

His current state, combined with his previous performance, left Xu Shu somewhat bewildered.

Wait...

Does our lord really intend to stand idly by?

Completely indifferent?

"Has our lord really decided not to intervene no matter how the situation develops?" Xu Shu walked over and asked, somewhat puzzled.

Li Zhao's gaze swept back and forth across the map. "I promised I would never help any of them, but I never said I wouldn't help myself!"

What do you think?

Xu Shu: "..."

It has to be our lord, this is... absolutely brilliant!

……