A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

"Guards, summon Prime Minister Dong to the palace immediately."

Liu Xie spoke to the guards beside him, and anyone could see from his excited gestures that he trusted Dong Zhuo.

Dong Zhuo has not yet fallen into depravity; with Wei Ya's help, he dares not neglect any of the proper etiquette.

When meeting the emperor, they would bathe and change clothes in advance to conduct themselves with proper etiquette.

Therefore, Liu Xie trusted Dong Zhuo immensely.

He was put on the throne by Dong Zhuo, and everyone in the court was likely to betray him, but Dong Zhuo would not.

They were in the same boat, and when it came to the Luoyang court, they were the most steadfast allies.

As for those so-called aristocratic families, a hint of disdain flashed in Liu Xie's eyes.

You can tell what kind of things those are just by looking at the Yuan family.

And then there's Wang Yun, who actually wanted to get rid of Dong Zhuo.

His ability to contend with Liu Bian now mainly relies on Dong Zhuo's power. Once Dong Zhuo is eliminated, who can take up the mantle?!

Wang Yun?

Who knows if Wang Yun will sell him off?

Moreover, Wang Yun was a civil official; did he know anything about leading troops into battle?

The army is mostly composed of Dong Zhuo's cronies. If we are to use troops, should we replace them as well?

If they are replaced, will the army still be effective in combat?

If we don't replace them, they are all Dong Zhuo's confidants. We've already killed Dong Zhuo, so why should we expect them to be loyal?

They also said that Dong Zhuo was deceiving the emperor and committing treason.

Doesn't the emperor know whether Dong Xiangguo has deceived the emperor and committed treason?

Those rumors circulating about spending the night in the palace are utter nonsense.

Dong Xiangguo was extremely loyal to him.

This is a grave offense against loyal and virtuous people!

Wang Yun is either stupid or wicked!

They even wanted to drag him into dealing with Prime Minister Dong. There are still bad people in the court!

We must have the Prime Minister thoroughly clean up the court as soon as possible. How can we govern a country well with these scoundrels around?!

Only by working with a loyal and capable minister like Dong Xiangguo can we govern the country well!

……

After Dong Zhuo changed his clothes, he quickly had someone take him to the palace gate in a sedan chair, and then walked to Weiyang Palace.

After entering the palace, Dong Zhuo prostrated himself on the ground and said, "Holy peace."

"I am well."

"Prime Minister, please rise quickly."

Liu Xie jogged to Dong Zhuo's side and helped him up.

"Your Majesty, this is unacceptable! How can this be allowed?"

Dong Zhuo looked terrified. Liu Xie had trusted him a lot before, but they had never been this close.

"Your Excellency has been working hard lately; you've got wrinkles on your face."

Liu Xie pulled Dong Zhuo to the banquet and began to chat about everyday matters.

After chatting for a while, Liu Xie finally asked about the battle at Hangu Pass.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, the troops of our Great Han are of unparalleled elite strength, and with Fengxian personally leading them, the mere rats of Guandong are nothing to worry about."

"Some time ago, a battle report came from the front that those damned rats in the east, the so-called 18-route coalition, actually started fighting amongst themselves."

"Yuan Shao, who came from the Yuan family, which had produced four generations of high-ranking officials, took the position of leader of the alliance and secretly sent his general to seize Han Fu's city."

"He also used his status as the leader of the alliance to win over the generals and soldiers of the surrounding lords. After the war, his troops not only did not decrease, but he also gained a lot of elite troops and territory."

"The other feudal lords followed suit, secretly stealing the resources of the allied forces to strengthen themselves."

"The remaining few idiots have suffered heavy losses and still don't know how to run."

"After the plot was exposed, Yuan Shao led a few warlords to flee. The remaining warlords were fighting amongst themselves, but were defeated by Fengxian's troops in a single charge. They were left with only their personal guards, and Fengxian led them out to fight their way out."

"A resounding victory!"

Dong Zhuo gave a brief account of the Battle of Hangu Pass, which delighted Liu Xie.

"The victory in this battle was entirely due to the Prime Minister's discerning eye in recognizing talent, and he deserves the greatest credit."

Although Liu Xie was young, he was extremely intelligent and knew the principles of using people. Even though it was the merit of the soldiers on the front line, he first praised Dong Zhuo.

Dong Zhuo was extremely pleased and repeatedly expressed his humility, saying that it was the credit of the soldiers on the front lines.

"The soldiers on the front lines have worked hard. This war was won with their lives. Their rewards and compensation must be in place."

"Prime Minister, you will personally oversee this matter. Anyone who dares to touch this money, no matter who they are, will be killed!"

Under Dong Zhuo's tutelage, Liu Xie deeply understood the importance of the army. Now that the world was in chaos, the army was power.

He would never allow anyone to undermine the army's fighting strength.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured."

A cruel smile crept across Dong Zhuo's lips. "This old minister is not good at anything else, but he is good at killing!"

Liu Xie nodded in satisfaction. Dong Zhuo was an expert in killing, and he trusted the Prime Minister.

"For those meritorious generals and soldiers, after the Prime Minister has compiled a list, he shall draft the rewards and honors. You shall submit a report, and I shall approve the document."

"Yes, Your Majesty. This old minister will convey the gratitude of those soldiers."

After a moment, Liu Xie's expression turned cold.

"I have invited the Prime Minister here today for another important matter."

"Your Majesty, please give your orders."

Dong Zhuo also spoke solemnly.

"Has the Prime Minister recently met a Diao Chan official named Ren Hongchang through the introduction of Minister Wang?"

Liu Xie's words left Dong Zhuo somewhat at a loss.

That Diao Chan official was indeed exceptionally beautiful, so much so that he was captivated at first sight.

If it weren't for the fact that he and Wang Yun were not ordinary people and had to follow various etiquette rules, he would have married her long ago.

However, since Liu Xie has already spoken, she's just a woman.

Dong Zhuo sighed inwardly, "Your Majesty is indeed at the age where it is necessary to establish an empress. This matter concerns the foundation of the country. After I return, I will discuss the matter of Ren Hongchang entering the palace with Minister Wang."

"Your Excellency has misunderstood."

Liu Xie is only a few years old now, he hasn't even grown all his hair yet, he's not old enough to think about women.

"Not long ago, Minister Wang approached me, claiming that he had come up with a brilliant plan to get rid of the Chancellor, subdue Fengxian, and allow me to reclaim my power."

"impossible!"

Dong Zhuo's body trembled slightly. "Your Majesty, is there some misunderstanding?"

"My teacher and I are very close friends, how could he kill me?!"

"Power is a powerful force, Your Excellency!"

Liu Xie reassured Dong Zhuo, "This was said by Wang Yun himself, it is absolutely true."

"This matter involves not only Situ Wang Yun, but also Sili Xiaowei Huang Wan and Pu She Shi Sun Rui, all of whom are important officials of the court and famous scholars in the country."

These three names were like three sharp swords, piercing Dong Zhuo's heart.

Before he entered the court, Huang Wan had some reputation and status, while Wang Yun and Shi Sunrui were both at the bottom of the court and were not considered important figures.

In particular, Wang Yun was just a minor official in the past, but he was later favored by him and successively served as the Governor of Henan, the Grand Master of the Nine Ministers, and then rose to the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. Finally, at the risk of offending the Yang family of Hongnong, Wang Yun was made one of the Three Dukes, the Minister of Works.

In a short period of time, Wang Yun's position was promoted several times, which is rare since the Han Dynasty.

It can be said that Dong Zhuo's kindness to Wang Yun was greater than the heavens.

But Wang Yun's idea to get rid of him reminded him of Li Ru and Wei Ya's words: aristocratic families are indeed untrustworthy.

At this moment, Dong Zhuo abandoned all illusions about the aristocratic families. If he didn't eliminate them all, there would be no one to use, and the aristocratic families of the world would turn to the Luoyang court. He wanted to kill all the aristocratic families in Chang'an.