Three Kingdoms Mythology World.

Chapter 2650 [Diao Chan]

After reading the imperial edict, Li Ru went to Liu Bian's side and removed the imperial crown. Then he ordered Liu Bian to be dragged away.

As if connected to her child, Empress Dowager He, who was waiting for news in Shenlong Valley, was also crying out with tears streaming down her face, "Bian'er, Bian'er..."

Liu Yao, Liu Yu, and others observed the entire ceremony of Dong Zhuo's deposition and installation of the emperor without interfering; in fact, they cooperated. After all, many of the rituals required the Imperial Clan Court to arrange and execute.

Dong Zhuo was greatly relieved that Liu Yao, Liu Yu, and other members of the Han imperial family cooperated in deposing and installing emperors. He didn't harm them, but of course, he wouldn't let them go any further...

Then the coronation ceremony of the new emperor began, and everything was completed both meticulously and quickly...

Apart from the initial minor incident, nothing unexpected happened afterward.

Upon ascending the throne, Emperor Liu Xie immediately granted a general amnesty and changed the era name to Yonghan!
The reign title was not chosen by Dong Zhuo, but by Liu Xie. This was to protest Dong Zhuo's tyranny.

Dong Zhuo did not feel offended by this; on the contrary, he directly approved of the reign title.

After the reign title was determined, the first round of bestowals and rewards began.

The first to receive a reward was, of course, Dong Zhuo, a minister who had followed the emperor.

He was officially appointed as the Chancellor and concurrently held the position of Grand Commandant!
Dong Zhuo held both administrative and military power, making him extremely powerful!
The other officials did not object, but simply watched silently as this unfolded. Perhaps, to destroy a person, one must first drive them mad.

Seeing how smoothly things were going, Dong Zhuo became extremely wary. He arranged for Lü Bu and others to lead a large army to wait in the Jiade Palace, ready to unleash a massacre if anything went wrong.

If Yang Biao and Lu Zhi were to cause trouble together with members of the Han imperial family, he was prepared to start a massacre right there in the Jiade Hall...

Unfortunately, things remained calm.

Afterwards, Liu Xie continued to bestow rewards. The second person to receive a reward was not Li Ru, Hua Xiong, or other members of the Xiliang faction, but Lü Bu, who surrendered to Dong Zhuo and recognized Dong Zhuo as his father!
Lü Bu was granted the title of Marquis of Duxiang and promoted to General of the Five Offices, a rank below the Nine Ministers...

The General of the Five Offices, with a salary equivalent to two thousand piculs of grain, was in charge of the palace guards, the carriages and horses used for entering and leaving the palace, and participating in some military operations in Luoyang, the capital. More importantly, the General of the Five Offices was also responsible for assisting the Minister of Ceremonies (one of the Nine Ministers) in selecting the officials of the Three Departments.

Liu Xie actually promoted Lü Bu to such a high position.

This scene caused Dong Zhuo, who was originally full of vigor, to change his expression slightly.

However, considering that Lü Bu was his adopted son, Dong Zhuo said nothing.

To outsiders (such as Lin Mu and Yang Biao), this move seemed perfectly in line with Dong Zhuo's character. Even though Lü Bu had only recently surrendered, he was still his adopted son, so why not promote him?

However, some people were unhappy. The members of the Xiliang faction had followed Dong Zhuo for many years and had made great contributions in battle; even if they hadn't achieved great merit, they had certainly worked hard. Although they harbored resentment, they did not show it. They knew that this was not the time for infighting, as it would make their lord lose face.

Hua Xiong and other straightforward and impulsive Xiliang generals were displeased. They felt that they had risked their lives for Dong Zhuo, yet they were no match for a newcomer who had just surrendered. However, under Dong Zhuo's pressure, they could only swallow their dissatisfaction.

After being granted the title, Lü Bu outwardly accepted the decree with utmost respect, but inwardly he was extremely pleased. He felt that he had made the right move, and recognizing Dong Zhuo as his father had indeed brought him great benefits.

Next, Liu Xie bestowed titles and rewards upon other officials. Yang Biao was appointed Minister of Works, in charge of engineering and construction; Huang Wan was summoned back to the capital and appointed Grand Censor, to supervise all officials; Wang Yun was appointed Minister of Education, in charge of education and moral guidance.

The official positions of the three men were arranged by Dong Zhuo beforehand. These three veteran officials were highly respected in the court, and Dong Zhuo had to appease them in order to stabilize the situation. Those officials who had been active in the deposition and installation of emperors also received promotions to varying degrees.

In short, there was only one unexpected aspect to this round of official promotions: Lü Bu. Liu Xie had elevated him to an extremely high position. Even Lin Mu, who was watching from the sidelines, found this somewhat surprising.

Lin Mu's name was not included in this list of rewards, as his achievements had already overshadowed the emperor's, and Dong Zhuo was unwilling to allow him to advance further. However, his father-in-law, Cai Yong, and Xun Shuang benefited, both being granted the title of Marquis. This could be seen as Dong Zhuo's way of showing respect and appeasing Lin Mu.

Dong Zhuo originally intended to recall Xun Shuang and Cai Yong to Luoyang, the capital, to serve as officials, but both of them declined, citing the pretext of suppressing bandits and pacifying the people.

After the bestowal of rewards, Dong Zhuo stepped forward and addressed the assembled officials, saying, "Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne and the world is at peace, you should all work together to assist the new emperor and jointly protect our great Han dynasty."

Everyone bowed their heads in agreement.

Dong Zhuo then looked at Liu Xie and said meaningfully, "Your Majesty has just ascended the throne and still needs to learn more about the art of governing the country. This old minister is willing to help Your Majesty solve your problems."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xie trembled. He understood the meaning behind Dong Zhuo's words: from now on, only Dong Zhuo could control the court, and he could only be a puppet emperor.

Even so, Liu Xie quickly composed himself, smiled and nodded, saying, "With the Prime Minister's assistance, I feel very at ease."

"Start the banquet!!" Dong Zhuo gave Liu Xie a warning look, then shouted loudly.

And so, the ceremony of deposing and installing emperors was successfully completed. On the surface, no one seemed sad—no, there was one exception: Liu Bian. At that moment, he was still weeping in the back hall…

However, beneath the surface of the court, undercurrents were stirring. The loyal ministers of the Han dynasty who were having their meal outwardly accepted the rewards, but inwardly they were extremely dissatisfied with Dong Zhuo's autocracy. They were secretly plotting to find an opportunity to overthrow Dong Zhuo's rule.

Meanwhile, the power struggle between the Xiliang and Bingzhou armies began. Previously, they had shown respect to their lord Dong Zhuo, and therefore hadn't made things difficult for Lü Bu, Zhang Liao, and others. Now that they were being treated like dirt, how could they not be angry?!
This awarding of titles and honors has indeed caused conflict between the two armies, and internal instability is quietly brewing.

Li Ru, who was stroking the goat's horn beard beside him, was constantly observing.

The discord between the Xiliang army and the Bingzhou army was something both he and his lord Dong Zhuo were happy to see. Even if Liu Xie didn't take action this time, they would secretly sow discord behind the scenes.

Discord is one thing, but it shouldn't escalate into fierce infighting. Moderation is key to achieving balance.

However, what Li Ru was pondering at this moment was the circumstances and the manner in which Liu Xie changed his rewards for Lü Bu… Was someone sowing discord? Was it the person who took Empress Dowager He who instructed Liu Xie to do so?!
He had a premonition that Liu Xie's seemingly insignificant change was extremely important to them, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why...

Afterwards, while everyone was enjoying the banquet and exchanging toasts, Li Ru went to the back hall, summoned his attendants, and inquired about some matters.

After he killed the two palace maids, Liu Bian and Liu Xie were accompanied by Guo Si and Li Jue the entire time, never leaving their sight. Even their breakfast was served to them by them.

No... Liu Bian and Liu Xie had contact with outsiders when they were bathing and changing clothes this morning!

That palace maid!!!

Thinking of this, Li Ru immediately ordered someone to summon the palace maid for questioning.

However, after waiting for a while, the news we received was that the palace maid had disappeared!

Li Ru frowned deeply after reviewing the information.

The missing palace maid's surname was Ren, but she had no given name, place of origin, or where she came from.

This situation is extremely rare, since every palace maid must be thoroughly known; otherwise, what if she is an assassin?
But this situation has occurred, which proves that someone is manipulating things behind the scenes...

This palace maid was in charge of making Diao Chan's ornaments, hence she was called "Diao Chan" by the other palace maids!
(End of this chapter)