The Three Kingdoms: Home Travel

After Yuan Shao learned that his uncle Yuan Kui and his entire family had been killed, he led the allied forces to launch a strong attack on Hulao Pass. Immediately, the pass was littered with corpses and rivers of blood.

Xu Rong, the garrison commander of Hulao Pass, held out tenaciously while simultaneously seeking reinforcements from Luoyang.

Upon learning of this, Dong Zhuo dispatched Li Cui and Guo Si with 100,000 troops to assist him.

Within a few days, the war went against him, and Dong Zhuo began to consider resigning.

That day, Li Ru rushed to see Dong Zhuo and said, "Father-in-law, where do you know about Wang Yun's niece...?"

"Hmm?" Dong Zhuo said in confusion, "This was something Li Gongzheng casually mentioned when he was explaining things to me on behalf of Fengxian..."

"What did he say?" Li Ru asked, frowning.

"He said he knew Fengxian's character, and that he went to Wang Yun's residence a few days ago because he was Wang Yun's niece..." Dong Zhuo looked at Li Ru strangely and said, "Zhang Xian, Gongzheng is an old friend of Fengxian, so it is not inappropriate for him to defend him."

"..." Li Ru asked, puzzled. "Didn't they say anything else?"

"No, not at all... Could it be that this woman truly captivates Fengxian so much?" Dong Zhuo said with a smile. "Zhang Xian, you said I ordered Fengxian to present this woman to you, what do you say..."

"Father-in-law, you mustn't!" Li Ru said, frowning. "This will not only alienate Fengxian, but also offend Wang Yun. Wang Yun has been stripped of his official position by us, but he still cares about the royal family and resides in the capital. Most of the court officials are looking to him. If he leaves the city in disgrace, we fear we will find it difficult to defend the court!"

"That Prince Shi! He doesn't know what's good for him!" Dong Zhuo slammed his fist on the table in anger.

"What do we have to fear from an old, weak scholar? Let him remain idle in the capital. After some time, once the court is stable, he'll surely submit obediently!"

"That's true!" Dong Zhuo hesitated for a moment, then said, "Zhang Xian, do you think Wang Yun's niece is really like...?"

"Father-in-law!" Li Ru said solemnly, "This matter must not be done! Although you have often acted recklessly in the palace, I have never spoken ill of you. But if we were to do this, it would be a disaster that would bring chaos! Li Gongzheng is a man of great ambition, and I am sure he has ulterior motives!"

"According to Zhang Xian's words, Gong Zheng is not a bad person. Zhang Xian, don't be too demanding of others..."

Li Ru frowned, nodded, and said, "I'll observe him for a while longer!"

Unexpectedly, Li Su happened to have something to report to Dong Zhuo and overheard this, which made him even more resentful towards Li Ru.

One day, Dong Zhuo had a dream in which he saw a giant black dragon, and then he himself grew horns and floated in mid-air. When he woke up, he marveled at the dream and secretly wondered, "Could it be that a deity appeared to me in this dream, instructing me to replace the Han dynasty?"

They then urgently summoned Li Ru.

Unexpectedly, Li Ru was skilled in stratagems but completely ignorant of dream interpretation.

Upon hearing Dong Zhuo's idea, Li Ru was also taken aback. "Father-in-law, you want to usurp the Han throne?" He frowned and said, "This is somewhat inappropriate. Our plan to depose and install emperors is based on the late emperor's edict. If we do this, wouldn't it be treason..." He then advised, "Father-in-law, it's just for a position. Why go to such lengths!"

"When I was young, I came to Luoyang. I was ignorant of everything and was ridiculed by others. I saw the imperial palace in the distance, so rich and magnificent, so grand and imposing. I was filled with emotion. Now, a divine being appeared to me in a dream, showing me all sorts of auspicious signs..."

"Father-in-law!" Li Ru pleaded earnestly, "If you continue like this, the whole world will condemn you!"

Just as Dong Zhuo was about to speak, a message suddenly came that the Emperor had issued an edict.

"The Emperor?" Dong Zhuo asked, puzzled. "Summon him!"

Li Su entered, and Dong Zhuo asked, "What edict does the Emperor have?"

Li Su cupped his hands and said, "The Emperor has just recovered from his illness and wishes to meet with the civil and military officials at Weiyang Palace to discuss abdicating in favor of the Grand Tutor. Hence this edict. I happened to be on duty, and the Emperor then ordered me to deliver the edict."

Dong Zhuo was overjoyed and thought to himself, "Could it really be a divine being appearing in my dream?"

Li Ru frowned and said, "There's something amiss here..." He then looked directly at Li Su.

Li Su remained calm and said, "Such a momentous matter, how dare I speak presumptuously? An imperial edict will be issued soon!"

"Absolutely! Absolutely!" Dong Zhuo was overjoyed, no longer caring about anything else, and laughed, "If I become emperor, you will be the Commander of the Imperial Guards!"

Li Su was overjoyed and bowed in gratitude.

Not long after, an imperial edict arrived. Li Ru examined it carefully and found no flaws, but a vague feeling of unease lingered in his heart. He then said, "Father-in-law, we must be cautious..."

"Zhang Xian is absolutely right!" Li Su said with a smile. "At such a critical time, we must guard against those with ulterior motives. Why don't you, Lord Dong, personally lead several thousand troops and have Fengxian protect you? No one will dare to act rashly then!"

"Good! Good!" Dong Zhuo laughed, then ordered three thousand Flying Bear soldiers to be mustered. He then said to Li Su, "I will not forget your contributions. As I accompany you on your journey, you will surely receive your due reward!"

"Thank you, Lord Dong! Oh no, thank you, Your Majesty..."

"Hahaha!" Dong Zhuo burst into wild laughter.

Li Ru thought to himself, "Such a disgrace to the Han imperial family must be no joke. Could it really be a matter of succession? Well then, my father-in-law has three thousand Flying Bear soldiers by his side, and they will not obey without his orders! There should be no problem!"

Overjoyed, Dong Zhuo ordered Lü Bu, Li Su, and Fan Chou to serve as guards, and led three thousand Flying Bears towards the inner palace.

At the same time, at Wang Yun's residence.

Jiang Zhe suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, startling Xiu'er, who hurriedly said, "Husband! You..."

"It's alright!" Jiang Zhe said to himself, his eyes sharp. Thank goodness, although Dong Zhuo died several years later, it was still in accordance with the will of Heaven. Otherwise, it would have been much more than just a mouthful of blood!

Carefully putting away the "Qimen Dunjia" manual, Jiang Zhe muttered to himself, "Luck is such a terrifying thing. It's best not to mess with it unless absolutely necessary..." Then he chuckled, "That old man, so loyal to the royal family, actually agreed to use the throne to lure and kill Dong Zhuo..."

Several hours later, Dong Zhuo led his army to the inner palace. Seeing Emperor Xian standing personally at the palace gate, he was overjoyed and deliberately said, "Your subject Dong Zhuo greets Your Majesty!"

Emperor Xian sneered inwardly, "You're not usually this polite!"

"Minister Dong, there's no need for such formalities. Alas... After today, I... well, I only wish for peace throughout the land, and for the people to live in harmony and prosperity! Minister Dong, please come with me..."

Dong Zhuo was overjoyed and bowed in gratitude, saying, "As you command!"

Just as they were about to lead their troops in, they heard Li Su coldly say, "We are the armored soldiers protecting Lord Dong! Why won't you let us through?"

The general then declared, "It is an ancient rule that troops are not allowed to enter the inner palace!"

Seeing the sorrow on Emperor Xian's face, and knowing that Li Su was about to speak, Dong Zhuo whispered sharply, "Gongzheng! I understand your intentions. Today, it is the Emperor's good intention; we must not act rashly and lest the world laugh at us!"

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear!" Li Su chuckled inwardly, then wondered, "How could Prince Shi be so certain of Dong Zhuo's thoughts?"

Dong Zhuo then summoned Fan Chou and said, "I'll be right back. You stay here and guard this place well! If I gain power, you'll be well rewarded!"

Fan Chou was unwilling to go in with Dong Zhuo, but he was overjoyed when he heard this.

Dong Zhuo straightened his clothes and slowly walked in with Lü Bu and Li Su.

Emperor Xian walked ahead, a smile on his face. In a daze, he seemed to see the scholar in blue robes again, teaching him how to speak to Dong Zhuo, instructing him on words, expressions, and actions one by one.

I had some doubts at first about why Dong Zhuo would abandon his army and enter alone, but now I see it's true! If we can kill Dong Zhuo, then Shouyi, you've saved me a second time...

Li Ru reflected on the matter a hundred times, but still felt something was amiss. Suddenly, he remembered something and summoned someone to ask, "Is there anything wrong with my order for you to supervise Wang Yun?"

The man said, "Wang Yun usually teaches his nephew-in-law to read and doesn't go out often. When he does go out, it's to Emperor Xian's place. Whenever the two talk about the world, they hug each other and weep bitterly. There's nothing wrong with that, except..."

"Just what?"

"Wang Yun held a birthday banquet last month, inviting a group of old acquaintances from the court to celebrate, but these were said to be contemporary Confucian scholars without any military power..."

The more Li Ru listened, the more uneasy he felt. He hurriedly left the mansion and suddenly saw several children playing by the street, chanting, "A thousand miles of grass, how green! Ten days of divination, and it will not grow!"

Li Ru opened his eyes and spat out a mouthful of blood. "Oh no!" When he looked towards the inner palace, he saw a commotion of people and the sound of clashing blades echoing throughout Luoyang. He felt a pang of sadness, sighed several times, and walked back to his residence.

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