Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 125 Dong Zhuo Discusses Deposing the Emperor, Liu Bei's Blood Splatters in the Western Garden (Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets)

Inside the West Garden.

Liu Bei introduced Cao Cao to Dong Zhuo: "Dong Bingzhou, this is the hero I mentioned to you before, Cao Mengde, the Colonel of the Western Garden Army, from Qiao County."

Dong Zhuo exclaimed in surprise, "Is this Cao Cao, whom Xu Shao called a 'capable minister in times of peace'?"

Cao Cao humbly replied, "What is being said in the streets is not true."

Dong Zhuo laughed loudly: "Colonel Cao is too modest. It is my good fortune to be able to discuss important matters with you today!"

He then invited Liu Bei and Cao Cao to sit nearby.

Not long after.

Liu Biao also arrived.

Liu Bei introduced him again, saying, "This is Liu Biao, Liu Jingsheng, the Marquis of the Northern Army. Hearing that Dong Zhuo of Bingzhou intends to carry out a great undertaking, he has come to offer his assistance."

Dong Zhuo hurriedly rose and bowed: "I have long heard of the name of Marquis Liu and have always wished to befriend him, but I have never had the opportunity. With the help of Marquis Liu, great things can be expected!"

But in his heart, Dong Zhuo was increasingly alarmed.

At first, Dong Zhuo thought Liu Bei was leading 6,000 troops to enter Luoyang to seize credit, but when he heard that Liu Bei only had 2,000 troops, Dong Zhuo breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing that Liu Bei had close ties with Cao Cao and Liu Biao, Dong Zhuo became worried again.

Especially Liu Biao, who was originally contacted by Gai Xun for assistance, but instead of arriving with Gai Xun, he arrived before Gai Xun and was introduced by Liu Bei.

The implied meaning is self-evident.

Liu Bei was telling Dong Zhuo: If you want to do something big, do it properly. If you don't do it, there are plenty of others who will.

As news of the meeting at the West Garden spread, the officials of Luoyang arrived at the West Garden one after another.

Chunyu Qiong eventually came to Xiyuan.

However, Chunyu Qiong did not come alone; he came with Empress Dowager He.

Although Niu Fu could find reasons to stop Chunyu Qiong, he could not stop Empress Dowager He, who was with Chunyu Qiong.

Yuan Shao was the furthest away, and he had brought all 6,000 troops from the West Garden with him, which caused him to be delayed on the way and arrive the latest.

"Why are you so late, Commandant Yuan?" Liu Bei greeted him warmly.

Although Yuan Shao is now appointed by He Jin as the Commandant of the Capital Region and holds the imperial seal to carry out military affairs, he was not directly appointed as the Commandant of the Capital Region by the Secretariat. Liu Bei only recognizes Yuan Shao's position as the Commandant of the Central Army, so he calls him "Commander Yuan".

Yuan Shao felt extremely irritated upon hearing this.

Big-eared thief, don't think I'm afraid of you!
Once I've taken control of the situation, you'll be the first person I deal with!

I will become a great general, and I will be the great general!

With a cold snort, Yuan Shao retorted, "Liu Yongzhou did arrive quite quickly. Unfortunately, arriving quickly doesn't necessarily mean you can control the situation."

Liu Bei laughed and said, "Commander Yuan is right. Dong Bingzhou arrived the latest, yet he was able to preside over today's meeting at the West Garden."

Big-eared thief!

Yuan Shao was already annoyed by Dong Zhuo's affairs, and now Liu Bei was bringing up the very thing that was most bothering him, making Yuan Shao even more furious.

“Benchu, sit here.”

Seeing Yuan Shao's discomfiture, Yuan Wei called out to him.

Yuan Shao hesitated for a moment, then sat down to Yuan Wei's right, while Yuan Ji sat to his left.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Dong Zhuo didn't waste any words and directly took out the secret edict and had Li Ru read it aloud.

As the secret edict was read aloud, Yuan Shao's expression grew increasingly grim.

When Li Ru read out "to support the successor to the throne," Yuan Shao could no longer contain himself and stood up, shouting, "This is utterly absurd! Dong Zhuo, how dare you forge an imperial edict?"

Did Yuan Shao know that the imperial edict was genuine?

I definitely know.

However, Yuan Shao could not admit that the imperial edict was genuine, or perhaps he dared not admit that it was genuine.

If we admit it, wouldn't that mean we'd have to support Liu Xie as emperor today?

With Liu Xie becoming emperor, what use is Luoyang to Yuan Shao?
Regardless of whether he resorted to treachery or military force, Yuan Shao could not acknowledge the legitimacy of Liu Xie's ascension to the throne.

"What makes you say such a thing, Commandant Yuan? This edict was personally delivered to Liu Yongzhou by the late emperor. How can it be a forged edict?" Dong Zhuo sneered, having anticipated Yuan Shao's reaction.

Do you want to stop me from installing a new emperor?

Do you have that ability?
My entire future depends on supporting a new ruler; how can I let you ruin it?
Even if you are Yuan Shao, or even if you add Yuan Wei and Yuan Ji to the mix, it won't work. Anyone who stands in my way is my mortal enemy!
Dong Zhuo's eyes gradually revealed murderous intent as he looked at Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao, however, remained unfazed and shouted angrily, "The late emperor has been gone for several months, so why hasn't Liu Bei produced the secret edict? Now that the Grand General has just died, you're producing the secret edict? Your intentions are despicable! Are you taking advantage of the fact that the Empress Dowager and His Majesty are orphans and widows with no one to help them?"

"Hmph! I am entrusted by the General and hold the imperial seal, which grants me the authority to make decisions on my own. I can decide all matters without seeking permission."

"If you admit to forging the imperial edict and then returning to Bingzhou to take up your post, I can petition His Majesty to overlook your offense of disrespect today. If you insist on doing so, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

When Yuan Shao turned the tables on him, Dong Zhuo's temper flared up, and he shouted, "The affairs of the world are in my hands? I will do it now, who dares to disobey?"

Yuan Shao laughed loudly and cupped his hands to the crowd present: "The affairs of the world are in the hands of the emperor and you loyal ministers. You are nothing but a forger of an imperial edict, so what can you do about it?"

Enraged by Yuan Shao's repeated accusations of forging an imperial edict, Dong Zhuo drew his sword and pointed it at Yuan Shao, shouting, "You brat! Do you want to test the sharpness of my sword?"

Yuan Shao, also losing his temper, drew his sword and pointed it at Dong Zhuo: "Your sword is sharp, but mine is no less so!"

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Cao Cao looked at Liu Bei, only to find that Liu Bei was happily dividing the fruit on the table into two camps, seemingly oblivious to the dispute.

"Hahaha--"

Just as Dong Zhuo and Yuan Shao were exchanging sword blows, Yuan Kui burst out laughing, snatched the sword from Yuan Shao's hand, and said with a smile, "Benchu, let's stick to the facts, why get so agitated?"

He then swept his gaze across the crowd: "This kind of strife won't yield any results. How about this: those who support Dong Bingzhou, please stand up. If more than half of the people support him, then we can discuss the pros and cons of deposing and installing him in detail."

The ministers who were caught in Yuan Wei's gaze all lowered their heads.

After Liu Hong's death, Yuan Wei and He Jin jointly took charge of the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel.

He Jin was a military man who was also focused on plotting against the eunuchs, so in reality, Yuan Wei was the only one in charge of the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel.

Although it had only been four months, the Yuan family already held considerable prestige, and with the added advantage of being appointed Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, few dared to confront Yuan Kui directly, let alone support Dong Zhuo. Gai Xun was about to get up, but Liu Ai stopped him, then gestured with his eyes to Liu Bei, who was sitting next to Dong Zhuo.

Liu Ai's meaning was clear: Yuan Wei obviously wanted to make an example of someone, and since Liu Bei had not yet spoken, they could not speak easily either.

After thinking for a moment, Gai Xun, like the other ministers, lowered his head and remained silent.

Yuan Wei secretly despised him.

If you directly say that you don't support Dong Zhuo standing up, the same effect will be achieved.

Among the ministers present, very few truly held firm to their positions. Whether they supported Liu Bian or Liu Xie, they would not easily express their opinions and become victims of the struggle between Dong Zhuo and Yuan Shao.

Even if half the people agree, the pros and cons of abolishing or establishing a new regime must be discussed first.

Yuan Wei was playing dirty tricks to toy with Dong Zhuo, this military man.

Just as Yuan Wei thought he had succeeded, a voice that made him frown rang out: "I really can't stand it anymore. Something that can be explained in a few words has to be done with such tricks."

Liu Bei stood up and surveyed the room, saying, "The secret edict was given to me by the late emperor. Those who believe it to be a forgery, please stand up! If half of you believe it to be a forgery, I will say no more today. You will remain in Luoyang, and I will take the Prince of Chenliu to Yongzhou."

The ministers were in an uproar.

Just now, when Li Ru was reading the secret edict, the officials heard, "If I am not mistaken, you shall secretly escort the Crown Prince Xie to flee to Chang'an, prepare armor and weapons, and gather righteous troops."

Now Liu Bei said that half of the people believed it was a forged imperial edict, so he took Liu Xie to Yongzhou.

This means that since the officials in Luoyang refuse to listen to my reasoning, I have no choice but to take the Prince of Chenliu to Yongzhou and then prepare my troops to fight my way back to Luoyang.

Moreover, Liu Bei also used the same tricks as Yuan Wei.

Whoever stands up will be made an example of!
Yuan Wei's smile vanished abruptly.

The fist I threw flew back and hit my face; I had no one to complain to about the pain.

Yuan Wei glanced at the group of ministers with their heads bowed, gave Yuan Ji a look, and Yuan Ji then nudged Zhang Kai, the vice minister next to him.

Helpless, Zhang Kai could only stand up and shout, "Now that Jian Shuo is dead, if you forge an imperial edict, who can tell if it's true or false? I believe you are forging an edict!"

"What courage!" Liu Bei laughed. "What a pity. The Yuan family doesn't dare to step forward themselves, but instead uses you, their disciple, as a scapegoat."

Changing the subject abruptly, Liu Bei shouted sternly, "Where is my disciple Long?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Yun strode in, his imposing aura shaking the surroundings. Even without saying a word, he inspired fear.

"Brother!" Zhao Yun bowed respectfully.

Liu Bei pointed at Zhang Kai and shouted again, "Vice Minister Zhang Kai, your questioning of the late emperor's secret edict is an insult to me and to the late emperor.

"Anyone who insults my elder brother shall die!" Zhao Yun turned and stared at Zhang Kai, dragging him off the mat. He then stomped on the ground, drew his sword with his right hand, and stabbed Zhang Kai to death!

The change came too quickly; neither Yuan Wei and Yuan Shao, nor Dong Zhuo and Cao Cao, were able to react in time.

Yuan Ji, who had pushed Zhang Kai forward, was stunned, and the assembled ministers were so frightened that they all stood up and retreated.

Before anyone could speak, Liu Bei drew his sword and roared, "Very good! Excellent! Since more than half of you believe I am forging an imperial edict, then we may as well leave Luoyang!"

"My brother, heed my command! Follow me out of Luoyang and immediately escort the Prince of Chenliu to Yongzhou. The humiliation we have suffered today, I will personally lead 40,000 troops from Yongzhou to repay tenfold in the future!"

Zhao Yun also flicked his gleaming silver spear, shielding Liu Bei with both spear and sword in hand: "Brother, go first, I'll cover the rear!"

There was another uproar.

The ministers, who had been shocked and stood up in disbelief by Zhang Kai's murder, sat down one after another, crowding and trampling each other in the chaos.

In the end, only Yuan Wei, Yuan Shao, and Yuan Ji remained standing!
Yuan Shao's hand gripping the sword hilt trembled even more as he stared at Liu Bei in disbelief: This big-eared scoundrel actually dared to kill someone in the palace? And he even wants to attack Luoyang? Who does he think he is?
Dong Zhuo, seated at the head of the table, Cao Cao and Liu Biao, seated to the sides, and Gai Xun, Zhong Ji, Liu Ai, Zhou Bi, Wu Qiong, Liu Dai, and Xu Jing, seated below, were all visibly astonished.

This Liu Bei, he exudes such a strong murderous aura!
“Xuande, the crowd was only surprised for a moment. It’s not that more than half of them thought you were forging an imperial edict. It’s a misunderstanding.” Lu Zhi’s voice rang out from behind Liu Bei.

Upon hearing Lu Zhi's voice, Liu Bei immediately sheathed his sword, bowed to Lu Zhi, and said with tears in his eyes, "Master, I am wronged. When I was forced by He Jin under the secret edict of the late emperor, apart from my master and a few upright ministers, the rest either sided with He Jin or the eunuchs. I could only compromise and leave Luoyang."

"Now that He Jin and the eunuchs have been executed, I thought the ministers would support the new emperor, but instead they suspect me of forging an edict. The late emperor was right: in the palace, beasts feast on their salaries; in the imperial court, rotten wood holds office. How can a group of incompetent officials assist the emperor and bring peace to the people?"

He killed Vice Minister Zhang Kai, exposed the ugly faces of all the officials, and now he publicly used Liu Hong's words to curse them as "beasts," "rotten wood," and "incompetent officials who hold positions without doing their jobs."

Yuan Wei, Yuan Shao, and others were so angry that they trembled all over.

However, Liu Bei's ruthless killing prowess deterred people from making any rash moves.

Lu Zhi didn't know what to say, so he sighed softly, "For my sake, let Dong Bingzhou handle it."

"As my teacher commands, I will obey." Liu Bei gestured for Zhao Yun to step down from the hall, then returned to his seat and continued to arrange the fruit on the table, as if nothing had happened.

Dong Zhuo looked at Liu Bei with deep apprehension.

In fact, Dong Zhuo originally wanted to kill someone to establish his authority, and Dong Yue had already selected Li Jue, Guo Si and other fierce generals from the army to wait in the hall.

Before he could even begin to establish his authority, Liu Bei killed someone to demonstrate it!

It's one thing to kill to establish authority, but to humiliate most of the people is an even greater form of authority than killing.

Thinking that Liu Bei had seized the 30,000 troops under Huangfu Song's command, Dong Zhuo became even more wary: Liu Bei would surely become too powerful to control in the future, and he would have to find a way to subdue him.

Take a deep breath.

Dong Zhuo steadied himself and looked at the crowd: "Since more than half of the people believe that Liu Yongzhou did not forge the edict, then the secret edict must be real. Now we can discuss the pros and cons of deposing and installing emperors."

Yuan Wei looked at Dong Zhuo with some surprise: This scoundrel, why doesn't he take advantage of the situation and directly establish the Prince of Chenliu as emperor? Why does he still need to discuss the pros and cons of deposing and establishing an emperor?
Cao Cao turned to look at Liu Bei, his feelings incredibly complex.

At first, Cao Cao didn't understand why Liu Bei had suddenly stood up in the palace, but when he heard Dong Zhuo's tone become "amiable," Cao Cao understood Liu Bei's intention:
Although the secret edict was given to Dong Zhuo by Liu Bei, it did not mean that Liu Bei would allow Dong Zhuo to act recklessly.

Today's actions are not only meant to intimidate Yuan Shao, but also Dong Zhuo, and even more so to all the gentlemen present.

When Liu Bei responded to Lu Zhi with tears in his eyes, he placed himself on the side of the wronged party, which was exactly what the secret edict said: "However, treacherous officials have instigated trouble, taking advantage of my serious illness, and have colluded with their own factions and bewitched the palace, coercing the crown prince and trying to shake the foundation of the country."

Liu Hong was coerced by treacherous officials, and Liu Bei, having received a secret edict, was also coerced by treacherous officials. Liu Bei's actions were a helpless counterattack, not an intentional killing.

After today's events are publicized, people like Yuan and his former followers will hate Liu Bei so much that they wish they could get rid of him, but there will also be many talented men and women who admire Liu Bei's reputation for not fearing the powerful and influential vying to attach themselves to him.

Whipping the inspector, beating the general in the capital, receiving the imperial edict at the Western Garden, storming Yongzhou in anger, dismissing corrupt officials, punishing and killing powerful bandits, attacking and killing rebels, and angrily killing traitors.
These acts of defying authority will, when linked together, spread throughout the land, earning Liu Bei the reputation of being unafraid of powerful figures.

Subconsciously.

Cao Cao recalled the time when he served as the Northern Commandant of Luoyang and used five-colored rods to punish powerful and influential people. He couldn't help but sigh to himself: In terms of not being afraid of powerful and influential people, I am far inferior to Xuande!

(End of this chapter)