Although the Eastern Han era was extremely lenient on freedom of speech, thanks to the Hundred Schools of Thought advocating that scholars could criticize the emperor as long as they had reasonable grounds and no one would interfere, it still depended on the occasion, and Liu Bei's boldness at the moment was somewhat excessive.
"What's wrong with me scolding him?" Liu Bei spoke impulsively, clearly overwhelmed with anger, though Chen Xi's reminder brought him back to his senses. But the words were already out, and it was hard to retract them, so he added, "I'll bring Duke Bo'an along later, not only to scold him but also to beat him up!"
"Cough, cough, cough." Chen Xi repeatedly coughed; he felt no reverence for the emperor, but speaking of which, Liu Yu was the Minister of Ceremonies, and provoking him held significant importance given his status as an Imperial Uncle, so beating the emperor was understandable and acceptable.
