Three Kingdoms Mythology World.

Chapter 2641 Completing the Final Puzzle
If the Xiliang troops were acting so recklessly, what about the Bingzhou army...? Ha, under Lü Bu's leadership and Dong Zhuo's instructions, they also committed many atrocities. Although they weren't as cruel as raping, plundering, or massacring entire families, they still took advantage of the chaos to kill many people who mocked Lü Bu and plunder a lot of spoils of war... Many wealthy merchants and gentry were visited once, twice, or even three times...

Of course, the unrest did not last long, and they soon stopped on their own.

This turmoil, however, truly stabbed the wealthy and powerful families in the back, causing them great pain. And the largest part of the capital city of Luoyang consisted of these wealthy and powerful families.

Poor peasants rarely settled in Luoyang, the capital city, where land was incredibly valuable.

What if they get hurt? Grit their teeth and swallow it? No... They start appealing, crying to the imperial court. They have extensive connections, basically encompassing all the civil and military officials.

The most furious were the Yuan family. Many of their supporters had been stripped of their wings, ruthlessly and without mercy.

Lü Bu murdered his father, while Dong Zhuo murdered his lord!

The most pathetic were the veteran generals like Lu Zhi, Zhu Jun, and Huangfu Song, who could only slink away from the capital in disgrace...

The most awkward situation was that of the Yang family. Although Dong Zhuo and Lü Bu did not touch their power, they must have had plans against them.

What Dong Zhuo truly feared was nothing more than the List of Imperial Ministers...

However, the current Heaven and Earth Dragon Ministers List is still extremely damaged and incomplete, making it difficult to use it to restrain Dong Zhuo for the time being.

And so, amidst differing reactions from all sides, the latest court meeting began.

As soon as the court meeting began, civil and military officials presented their memorials to the emperor directly in the court.

It condemns Dong Zhuo's series of excessive actions: killing Ding Yuan, arresting and killing his relatives; wreaking havoc in the capital, plundering ordinary people; extorting wealthy and powerful families, being insatiably greedy; carrying out executions in the streets, acting with utter impunity...

In short, all of Dong Zhuo's crimes were reported to Emperor Liu Bian.

However, Empress Dowager He, who was in charge, remained unmoved. Although her face was extremely gloomy, she did not make any move.

Despite Dong Zhuo's forceful defense of himself, he actually sided with Dong Zhuo.

This greatly disappointed and angered many who had submitted memorials.

However, Empress Dowager He's reaction shocked Yang Biao and the others.

Dong Zhuo has already affected the imperial palace?!
Could it be... that the Heavenly Black Emperor Dragon, the guardian beast of the nation, is causing trouble?! That shouldn't be the case; if it intervenes, the Heavenly Dao rules will punish it...

They'd probably only tamper with things during some major accidents...

"There's something wrong with the Imperial Guards!" Yang Biao, Wang Yun, and the others felt a sudden chill in their hearts.

Thus, with Dong Zhuo's resounding victory, the court meeting came to an end.

After the court meeting ended, Yang Biao and his entourage hurriedly returned to their residence. Wang Yun and others followed them.

If Dong Zhuo heard Wang Yun's analysis, he would only scoff. He, Dong Zhuo, was already thinking he was being too slow… He had originally planned to appoint himself Chancellor during this court meeting, thus completely seizing control of the discourse.

However, Li Ru and others advised against it, suggesting that the situation be stabilized first and the proposal be made at a more suitable time.

What is the right time?

Persuade Yang Biao!

Indeed, Dong Zhuo was very concerned about Yang Biao's reaction.

Sure enough, after the court meeting ended, Dong Zhuo slowly made his way to the Yang family's residence.

Yang Biao, who had been sighing and lamenting with Wang Yun and the others for a while, knew that what was coming was about to happen when he heard that Dong Zhuo was coming to visit!
He instructed Wang Yun and others to leave the Yang residence through the back door, and then began to receive Dong Zhuo.

Dong Zhuo didn't beat around the bush. After taking his seat at the head of the table in the main hall, he said directly to Yang Biao, "Wenxian, hand over the list of the Great Han Dynasty's Dragon Ministers to Li Wenyou!"

Just as I expected! Yang Biao wasn't too surprised to hear that.

"Hehe... Does Li Wenyou have the skill and destiny to control the Heavenly and Earthly Dragon Ministers List? It's not impossible for me to hand over the Heavenly and Earthly Dragon Ministers List, but if the person in control is you, Lord Dong, then it's fine!" Yang Biao said meaningfully.

If Dong Zhuo were to take control of the list of the most important ministers of the Han Dynasty, the consequences would be far greater, and the price he would pay for any rebellion would be enormous.

Clearly, Yang Biao also knew some of the secrets of the dynasty.

Upon hearing this, Dong Zhuo snorted coldly: "I look down on a mere Director of the Imperial Observatory."

"From now on, our guild will be promoted to Prime Minister." Dong Zhuo directly revealed his ambition.

Yang Biao was shocked upon hearing this. So, in the end, it had to come to this!
Previously, they all thought that after eliminating the eunuchs, Luoyang, the capital, would calm down and slowly recover. At first, that was the case. Luoyang returned to prosperity, the court was stable, Empress Dowager He was not incompetent, the officials in charge of the Secretariat were able to consider the public good, and the important affairs of state were handled very well.

Although bandits and remnants of the Yellow Turban Rebellion still wreak havoc in various states, the states and counties are gradually accumulating strength and will eventually resolve the chaos in the land.

Meanwhile, the foreign armies in Luoyang, the capital, including Dong Zhuo's and Ding Yuan's forces, were being worn down according to their script... Everything seemed to be going in the direction they had envisioned.

But Ding Yuan's death completely overturned the chessboard, negating all their expectations!

The one who was supposed to be playing the game has become a pawn... How tragic and lamentable!

Currently, there are fewer and fewer things that can restrict Dong Zhuo...

"Wenxian, you don't have to hand over the Heavenly Dragon Minister Ranking. But you must promise not to use it on us!"

“If you agree, I can also make you some promises.” Dong Zhuo didn’t use any negotiation tactics; instead, he laid it all out directly.

"What promise?" Yang Biao asked quietly.

He no longer trusted Dong Zhuo much, and he might break any promises he made.

"What kind of promise do you want?" Dong Zhuo asked with a smile on his fat, dark face.

Should we hand over the initiative to him? Yang Biao sneered inwardly, then said, "The Xiliang Army and the Bingzhou Army can no longer arbitrarily plunder the people and disturb the order of the capital. Is that alright?"

Yang Biao's first request was still about thinking about the common people.

"Can!"

"The Xiliang army and the Bingzhou army must not attack the palace!" Yang Biao made another request.

A promise can include multiple requirements, right? "Okay!" However, to Yang Biao's surprise, Dong Zhuo actually agreed to the request.

Dong Zhuo's straightforwardness only intensified Yang Biao's fear.

A major problem has occurred at the palace!
Dong Zhuo didn't even need to use the Xiliang and Bingzhou armies to take over the palace... This is really terrible!

After gathering his thoughts, Yang Biao calmly continued, "The promotion and demotion of officials, as well as the bestowal of titles, must all be reasonable and in accordance with national laws and ancestral rules!"

This requirement was to restrict Dong Zhuo from arbitrarily dismissing and promoting officials.

"Alright!" Dong Zhuo nodded with a smile in agreement.

The more readily Dong Zhuo reacted, the worse the situation became!

But what could he do? Use the Heaven and Earth Dragon Ministers List to rebel? There was a chance, but not much. Doing so would only provoke Dong Zhuo into a desperate act, leading him to slaughter the Han Dynasty's imperial family, completely destroying the Han Dynasty's fate and severing the Heaven and Earth Dragon Ministers List's influence...

Now, all we can do is stall for time...

This was a clumsy method he and Wang Yun came up with after discussing it...

Once Lu Zhi, Huangfu Song, and Zhu Jun have gathered their army, once they have contacted General Lin Mu to march south, and once the Yuan family and others have exerted their strength, they will work together to deal with Dong Zhuo!
We can also wait for the warrior to appear and assassinate Dong Zhuo!

We can also wait until we come up with a better plan to sow discord between the Xiliang army and the Bingzhou army, causing them to fall into internal strife and exhaustion...

In short, there are still many options available, so it's not advisable to confront Dong Zhuo head-on!
For now, let's just go along with him...

"There are too many troops outside Luoyang, the capital. Move half of them outside the city!" Yang Biao made another request.

"Agreed!" Even though they had already threatened his military power, Dong Zhuo still agreed.

In other words, Dong Zhuo at present would agree to Yang Biao's requests as long as they weren't too excessive...

A superficial, temporary agreement!
"The Marquis of Linjin has made many demands, so it's my turn now!" Dong Zhuo straightened his body and said in a deep voice.

He wouldn't let Yang Biao make endless demands.

"I intend to propose that I be appointed as the Chancellor at the next court meeting, with the privilege of wearing a sword and shoes in the palace, not having to bow when entering the court, and not having to mention my name when being praised. You, Yang Biao, must support me in court!" Dong Zhuo stared intently at Yang Biao, his words utterly unquestionable.

Just as I expected!!!

This request could actually be agreed to, as it would temporarily appease Dong Zhuo and make him complacent.

Especially since the palace was unaware of what had happened.

Yang Biao's heart sank. The position of prime minister had many privileges, and the power of the Han Dynasty might slowly fall into his hands. Oh well, he'd better continue to stall for time.

Yang Biao remained calm and slowly said, "Lord Dong, the position of Prime Minister is extremely important. One must have sufficient merit and prestige to assume it. Now that the capital has just experienced turmoil and the people are not yet at peace, appointing a Prime Minister at this time may cause dissatisfaction from many parties."

Dong Zhuo sneered, "Wenxian, don't try to fob me off with these high-sounding words. I led the army into the capital, eliminated the eunuchs, annihilated the ambitious foreign troops, and stabilized the situation. Isn't that enough of an achievement? In the court today, who can compare to me?"

Good heavens, he makes the chaos in the capital sound so noble and grand; only someone as shameless as Dong Zhuo would say something like that.

Yang Biao knew that Dong Zhuo's mind was made up and it would be difficult to change it easily, but he still tried to persuade him again: "Even if Lord Dong has made great contributions to the country, the position of prime minister involves the foundation of the country and needs to be carefully considered. We should convene all civil and military officials to discuss it together and listen to everyone's opinions."

Dong Zhuo waved his hand impatiently: "Discuss? What is there to discuss! My mind is made up. You just need to state your position: support or oppose!"

Yang Biao pondered to himself. If he directly opposed Dong Zhuo now, Dong Zhuo would surely be enraged, and his Yang clan might face annihilation. But if he supported him, it would undoubtedly be aiding and abetting evil, and the Han dynasty would be in grave danger.

After pondering for a while, Yang Biao gritted his teeth and said, "I neither support nor oppose it, how about that?"

In the end, he compromised. He neither opposed nor supported it; well, actually, he just wanted to support it.

Upon hearing this, Dong Zhuo gave Yang Biao a meaningful look, and then said, "From this day forward, you are not allowed to use the Heavenly and Earthly Dragon Ministers List!"

Yang Biao cupped his hands and said, "Don't worry, Lord Dong. The Heaven and Earth Dragon Minister List is a national treasure and cannot be used arbitrarily. If a great calamity occurs, it must fulfill its historical mission!"

Yang Biao didn't make a definitive statement, but rather left himself an out.

Dong Zhuo laughed heartily, slapping his thigh and saying, "Of course. Since I have promised to stabilize the court, there will be no major chaos... As long as you cooperate obediently, I will not treat you and your Yang family unfairly."

Immediately, he took out a contract of heaven and earth from his pocket, which was filled with various conditions.

Yang Biao took it and his pupils constricted sharply. The requirements that both sides would abide by were basically the same as those he had discussed with Dong Zhuo!

Li Ru... is he really that terrifying?!

After signing the contract, Dong Zhuo stood up and strode away from the Yang family's residence.

Watching Dong Zhuo's departing figure, Yang Biao felt a mix of emotions. He knew that the days to come would be even more difficult, and a greater storm was quietly brewing.

Back in the inner hall, Yang Biao immediately summoned the key figures of the Yang clan and reconnected with Wang Yun and others, informing them of Dong Zhuo's demands and his countermeasures. Upon hearing this, everyone frowned, filled with worry.

Wang Yun said with a solemn expression, "Wenxian, Dong Zhuo's wolfish ambitions are obvious. If we support him, it would be like seeking a tiger's skin..."

Yang Biao sighed, "How could I not know? But the situation is critical, and we cannot act rashly. We can only stall for time and wait for an opportunity. At the same time, we must secretly contact various forces to jointly fight against Dong Zhuo."

"I wonder how things are going with the Yuan family?" Yang Biao asked in a deep voice.

"Hmph, those old guys from the Yuan family must be furious now. They raised such an ingrate..." Wang Yun sneered.

He also had his own grievances against the Yuan family.

The current changes in the capital are basically caused by the Yuan family.

"For now, let's stabilize the situation."

After some discussion, everyone dispersed...

Amidst this turbulent situation, Luoyang, the capital city, appears calm on the surface, but in reality, a contest that will determine the fate of the Han Dynasty is about to unfold.

(End of this chapter)