Cao Cao is a powerful man who is holding the emperor's son hostage, but Liu Bei is a weak man who has to plant vegetables in the back garden of his house to prevent Cao Cao from plotting against him. Guan Yunzhang and Zhang Fei are in the dark, saying that Liu Bei does not pay attention to the world's major events, but learns from the villain.

刘备因功劳而被封左将军。班师回朝，汉献帝得知刘备身世，拜刘备为皇叔。曹操心下甚为不快，暗中派人访查刘备举止。刘备只好深藏雄心，巧施韬略，整日埋在菜园浇水种菜。关、张二弟不解大哥深意，暗自焦急。国舅董携献帝衣带诏到刘备府，刘备心情复杂，一时踌躇，终于横下一条心，在义状上书上签名。此后，刘备更是整日埋头种菜，惟恐董承办事轻率，事情败露。一日曹操请刘备在丞相府后花园青梅煮酒，纵论天下英雄，刘备列举了当世各路豪杰，曹操均视之为枯骨呆犬，却惟独指着刘备说：“今天下英雄，唯使君与操耳！”刘备闻言大惊，手中漆箸失手落地，以为自己的内心已被曹操窥破。恰巧此时天空惊雷炸响，刘备乘机以闻雷失箸之说掩饰过去。

曹操挾天子以令諸候，勢力大；劉備雖為皇叔，卻勢單力薄，為防曹操謀害，不得不在住處後園種菜，親自澆灌，以為韜晦之計。關雲長和張飛蒙在鼓中，說劉備不留心天下大事，卻學小人之事。