Chapter 594

"Not at all! Not at all! Lord Xuande, you are too serious! These are all things we ought to do!"

"We also wish to defend Xuzhou and not let it fall into the hands of that thief, Lu Bu;"

"Furthermore, we admire your character and conduct, Lord Xuande, which is why we do this. You are worthy of it!"

Chen Deng also smiled humbly on the surface.

These words sounded extremely pleasant to Liu Bei's ears.

"*Cough, cough! *"

Seeing this, Tao Qian felt a great weight lifted from his heart. He glanced at Tao Shang and Tao Ying, and upon discovering that expressions of unhappiness and unwillingness still lingered on their faces, his heart sank.

However, he quickly composed himself, took the King of Qi's seal from his side, and handed it to Liu Bei: "Lord Xuande! This is the King of Qi's seal. Please keep it safe! From now on, you are the King of Qi and the master of Xuzhou!"

"Many thanks, Lord Tao!"

Seeing this, Liu Bei hurriedly took the seal and bowed to Tao Qian: "Please rest assured, Lord Tao, I will certainly guard Xuzhou well and protect the Tao family."

"Good! Very good!"

Tao Qian nodded in satisfaction and then said: "I am tired! Lord Xuande, you all should leave first and handle the handover matters!"

"I have some words I wish to say to my two good-for-nothing sons."

"Very well! We shall take our leave! Please take care of yourself, Lord Tao!"

Liu Bei, Chen Deng, and the others naturally did not hesitate; they immediately took their leave and turned to depart.

Once they were far away, Tao Qian looked at Tao Shang and Tao Ying and asked with a sunken face: "It seems you are still somewhat unwilling?"

"That's right, Father!"

Hearing this, Tao Shang looked at his father with a sullen face and replied: "Your son is indeed somewhat unwilling. Why must you abdicate the position of master of Xuzhou and the title of King of Qi to Liu Bei?"

"Do you really trust him that much? Do you think that highly of him?"

"Could you not have abdicated to me, your son, and let Liu Bei continue to serve me?"

Although Tao Ying, who was to the side, did not speak, Tao Qian could see that he actually held the same thought.

"Sigh!"

Hearing this, Tao Qian sighed with a headache: "Why must you both be so foolish?"

"Did I not already tell you both before?"

"We are in troubled times, and your abilities are extremely mediocre! If Xuzhou were truly handed over to you, you would absolutely be unable to hold it!"

"Moreover, you actually wanted Liu Bei to serve you? On what grounds? Who do you think you are?"

Naive. Is Liu Bei such a simple character?

On what grounds did his two foolish sons think they could obtain this man's loyalty, or that they could control him?

Did they not see that even he had failed to subdue Liu Bei, and had merely gained his assistance?

In the end, the man simply looked down on him, Tao Qian.

Furthermore, that Liu Bei had immense ambition and was a heroic figure; how could he possibly bow to others?

Even if he were to bow to someone, couldn't he just go and serve the likes of Su Xuan, Yuan Shao, or Cao Cao?

Why would he choose him, Tao Qian, or even Tao Shang and Tao Ying?

It was simply nonsensical.

How could he leave in peace when they were so unable to see the situation clearly?

Fortunately, he had prepared early to yield Xuzhou to Liu Bei and had arranged a way out for the Tao family; otherwise, given the situation of his two foolish sons, the Tao family would surely be doomed forever!

"This..."

Tao Shang and Tao Ying were speechless upon hearing this.

Not to mention, he really had no way to make Liu Bei loyal to him.

In fact, he even felt some fear toward Liu Bei and his two sworn brothers.

He didn't know why, but they just felt afraid of this man.

It was as if there were some kind of invisible deterrent force.

"Enough!"

Seeing this, Tao Qian waved his hand: "Do not even think about the positions of Xuzhou and King of Qi!"