Just as she brought up the topic of teaching, Mengde suddenly remembered Liu Bei’s teacher—Lu Zhi.
Come to think of it, wasn’t Liu Bei still attending classes under Lu Zhi?
If Mengde was going to have Liu Bei study with her, shouldn’t she inform Lu Zhi first and ask him to draw up a schedule for Liu Bei’s coursework? Otherwise, if their lessons ended up clashing, it would be a hassle to sort out.
But then again, Liu Bei had been spending nearly all his time hanging around with Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu.
‘How on earth had he been keeping up with his studies?’
With that question in mind, Mengde asked him directly.
“You’ve been tagging along with Brother Benchu a lot these past few days, haven’t you? How have you been managing your schoolwork?”
“Well… about that…”
Liu Bei scratched his cheek in embarrassment when he heard the question.
But in the end, he confessed to Mengde that he had actually been skipping Lu Zhi’s classes.
Hearing this, the corners of Mengde’s lips twitched.
Good grief.
‘Skipping class?’
That was Lu Zhi—one of the most famous scholars in the land! So many people were desperate for a chance to study under him and never got it, and here Liu Bei was, skipping his lectures? He really had no idea how lucky he was.
Then Mengde suddenly remembered a line from the Biography of the First Lord:
[The First Lord was not particularly fond of reading, but enjoyed dogs, horses, music, and fine clothing.]
‘So Liu Bei really had become a full-fledged street rogue under the influence of Yuan Shao?’
Mengde stared at him with a speechless expression.
Liu Bei, seeing her reaction, grew even more embarrassed and hurried to explain further.
“Miss, I realize I was wrong now! Just a couple of days ago, I went back to my teacher and told him I wanted to return to my studies under him! He told me that while I shouldn’t neglect my lessons, he also supported me making connections with friends in Luoyang, saying it would be good for my future. So now, I spend the daytime socializing, but return at night to study! You don’t need to worry about me falling behind!”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, absolutely!”
After hearing that, Mengde looked at Liu Bei with a complicated expression.
“I don’t even know what to say to you…”
She hadn’t expected Liu Bei to have a teacher who genuinely trusted, supported, and guided him.
The girl suddenly thought of the Cao Cao from actual history.
She couldn’t help but wonder—’if that Cao Cao ever found out that his lifelong rival Liu Bei had once been surrounded by so much kindness and support in his youth, what kind of expression would he make?’
Only those who have received compassion from those above them can truly learn to show compassion to those below.
Liu Bei had a loving mother during his childhood, and as he grew older, he also received care and support from members of his clan, such as Liu Yuanqi.
***
After arriving in Luoyang, he first gained the trust and support of Lu Zhi, and later the admiration of the Yuan brothers as well as his own companions.
He was never short of affection from those in high places.
It was precisely because Liu Bei received so much care from those in positions of power that he later developed the ability to empathize with those beneath him and tried his best to show them the same kind of care.
If Lu Zhi hadn’t been a renowned Confucian scholar admired across the land, but instead an ordinary teacher who not only failed to support Liu Bei’s desire to go to Luoyang and make connections, but also constantly mocked and berated him, sarcastically accusing him of being overly ambitious and filling his head with manipulative tactics and success-at-all-costs ideology—how could Liu Bei have possibly grown into a man of generosity and integrity?
Because all the elders in his life gave him abundant care, even in the dark and chaotic times at the end of the Han dynasty, Liu Bei still held out hope for the Han court.
He sincerely believed that restoring the Han would bring happiness to the people, because he had personally experienced that kind of happiness.
Even after repeated failures during the late Han era, Liu Bei never gave up.
He remained tirelessly determined.
Liu Bei was the kind of person who healed his whole life with the light of his childhood.
The courage and resilience he showed as an adult were all drawn from those early years of warmth.
‘But what about the historical Cao Cao?’
‘He was a classic case of someone who spent a lifetime trying to heal his childhood. From what historical records suggest, Cao Cao’s early years were far from happy. First, he came from a eunuch-related background, so he undoubtedly endured bullying and exclusion from the children of the elite.’
‘Second, his father Cao Song was nothing like Lu Zhi—a renowned and principled scholar. Cao Song was most likely short-sighted and obsessed with fame and wealth. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have spent an astronomical sum of ten million coins just to buy himself a high-ranking title.’
‘Did Cao Song love Cao Cao? Of course he did. But that love was not like Lu Zhi’s love for Liu Bei, filled with hope and respect. Rather, it was full of beatings and cleaning up after his son’s messes.’
‘After all, young Cao Cao was notoriously mischievous.’
According to The Biography of Cao Man, it says:
“The Grand Ancestor in his youth was fond of falconry and hunting dogs, living a carefree and unruly life. His uncle repeatedly complained about him to Cao Song. Displeased, Cao Cao once ran into this uncle on the road and pretended to have facial paralysis and slurred speech. The uncle, concerned, asked what was wrong, and Cao Cao replied, ‘I was suddenly struck by a wind illness.’
The uncle then reported this to Cao Song, who was shocked and summoned Cao Cao.
***
When he arrived, Cao Cao appeared perfectly normal.
Cao Song asked, ‘Your uncle said you had a stroke. Are you better now?’
Cao Cao replied, ‘I was never sick. My uncle just doesn’t like me, so he made up that story.’
Cao Song began to doubt his brother.
From that point on, no matter what the uncle reported, Cao Song no longer believed it.
Cao Cao was thus free to act without restraint.
In this passage, the image of a rebellious and cunning troublemaker comes vividly to life.
Even in his youth, Cao Cao was already a source of endless headaches for Cao Song.
After being nominated for filial and incorrupt conduct, Cao Cao was appointed as the North District Commandant of Luoyang.
Upon taking office, he immediately declared his intent to strictly enforce the law. He hung more than a dozen multicolored clubs around the office and announced, “Anyone who breaks the rules will be beaten to death with these.”
When Jian Shuo’s uncle, a relative of a favored imperial eunuch, violated curfew, Cao Cao showed no mercy and executed him with the clubs.
As a result, Cao Cao was transferred to become the magistrate of Dunqiu.
Imagine how much trouble Cao Song must have gone through cleaning up after him.
Yes, Cao Song loved Cao Cao—but Cao Cao couldn’t feel it.
That love was too harsh, too repressed.
And with the scholarly class constantly mocking his background, Cao Cao grew up emotionally starved.
Those who do not receive love from above often become ruthless toward those below them, and they develop an intense hunger for recognition from those in power.
That’s why Cao Cao constantly flattered Liu Bei, tried to recruit Guan Yu, and showed such envy toward those loyal to Liu Bei—because he desperately wanted Liu Bei’s approval.
Liu Bei had received so much affection from others—so much that it made Cao Cao jealous.
Cao Cao wanted Liu Bei to stand by his side to prove that he, too, was right.
Not only that, he tried every possible way to fit into the scholarly elite, bent over backward to please Emperor Xian, did everything he could to force Sima Yi into service, and ruthlessly eliminated any scholar who refused to submit to him.
All of this stemmed from the same root—his insatiable need for validation.
But because he was so cruel to those beneath him, all his efforts only pushed people further away.
They feared him, despised him, and ridiculed him.
By the end of his life, he had become so paranoid that he wouldn’t even let people get close to him while he slept.