Transmigrating to the Three Kingdoms as Lu Bu: I Have a Pseudo-Apocalypse System

Inside the Taiji Hall, all the civil and military officials had arrived.

Jia Xu, Guo Jia, Chen Gong, Zhang Liao, Shi Sunrui, Ju Shou, Xun You, Zhong Yao, Zhang Song, Cheng Lian, Zuo Feng, Zhang Yi, Xuan Bo, Liu Ai, Zhong Ji, Fu Wan, Fu De, Dong Cheng, and others lined up on both sides, each with a solemn expression.

However, the Prince of Jin was not present to avoid an overly awkward situation.

Liu Xie ascended the throne and slowly sat down.

He looked at the assembled officials in the hall, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Seven years ago, he ascended the throne at the age of nine. At that time, he was still a child and knew nothing. All he knew was wearing heavy dragon robes, sitting on a cold dragon throne, and listening to his ministers shout "Long live the Emperor!"

For seven years, he was a puppet of Dong Zhuo, Wang Yun, Li Jue, Guo Si, and Lü Bu. He never truly held power, and never truly served as emperor for a single day.

Now, he can't even be a puppet emperor anymore.

Liu Xie took a deep breath and said to the eunuch beside him, "Proclaim the imperial decree."

The eunuch shouted in a shrill voice, "Announce the Emperor's edict!"

The courtiers in the hall knelt on the ground.

The eunuch unfolded the imperial edict and read it aloud:

"During my seven-year reign, my virtue was shallow, and I was unable to bring peace to the land, which led to the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the disaster of Dong Zhuo, the separatist rule of warlords, and widespread chaos. The people were displaced, and their bones were left exposed in the wilderness. All of this is my fault."

"King Lü Bu of Jin was a descendant of Lü Ze, the Marquis of Lü of Zhou in the early Han Dynasty. He came from a prestigious family and was both loyal and brave. Since killing Dong Zhuo, he swept away the warlords, unified the world, strengthened the court internally, and defended against powerful enemies externally. His achievements were unparalleled and his virtue was known throughout the world."

"After much deliberation, I know that I am not talented enough to inherit the throne. Therefore, I follow the example of Yao and Shun and abdicate the throne to the Prince of Jin. I hope that the Prince of Jin will inherit the throne, bring peace to the world, care for the people, promote education, and restore order, so that the world may be at peace and all people may live in good health."

"So be it!"

After the eunuch finished reading, the hall fell silent.

Liu Xie stood up, removed his crown and robes, placed them on the throne, and then turned to his ministers, saying, "Xie, I abdicate."

His voice was soft, but in the silent hall, every word was clearly audible.

The courtiers knelt and kowtowed, pleading, "Your Majesty!"

Liu Xie waved his hand: "There's no need to call me Your Majesty. From this day forward, I am Liu Xie, a commoner. My beloved ministers, you must assist the Prince of Jin well from now on, so that the people of the world can live a good life."

After saying that, he stood up and walked out of the Taiji Hall without looking back.

Outside the palace, the sun shone brightly. Liu Xie stood on the steps, gazing at the sky, and let out a long breath.

He murmured, "My ancestors, I have failed you and am ashamed before them. But the King of Jin has promised to continue using Han as the name of our dynasty and to continue to offer sacrifices to Emperor Gaozu. I hope the King of Jin will keep his word, so that I may preserve the last bit of dignity for the Han dynasty."

After saying this, he walked down the steps, got into the carriage that had been prepared, and slowly drove out of the palace.

……

With Liu Xie's formal abdication, the final version of the "Great Han Xunbao" was published.

In Luoyang City, the "Great Han Xunbao" urgently issued a special edition on Emperor Liu Xie's abdication, which was distributed free of charge to various parts of the city.

Newspaper boys went from street to street, loudly hawking their wares: "Special edition! The Great Han Dynasty Ten-Day Gazette's New Year's Eve special edition! The Emperor abdicates! The throne is passed to the Prince of Jin! The Great Han Dynasty Ten-Day Gazette's New Year's Eve special edition, free to distribute!"

The people of the city flocked around, eager to take a copy.

A literate middle-aged man took the newspaper, unfolded it, and read it carefully. The headline was Liu Xie's edict of self-reproach and abdication, which he read aloud to those around him in a trembling voice.

"I have reigned for seven years, but my virtue is shallow, and I am unable to bring peace to the world... King Lü Bu of Jin has achieved great feats and his virtue has spread far and wide... I emulate the sage kings Yao and Shun and abdicate the throne to King Lü Bu of Jin..."

After he finished reading, there was complete silence around him.

After a long while, an old man sighed, "The Emperor has abdicated. The Han Dynasty, four hundred years old, is gone just like that?"

A young man nearby said, "Who said it's over? The newspapers say that after the Prince of Jin ascended the throne, he didn't change the country's name; it's still the Han Dynasty! The Imperial Ancestral Temple still enshrines Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang as the founding emperor! This country is still called the Han Empire, and we are still Han people!"

The old man's eyes lit up: "Really?"

The young man said, "Of course it's true! It's written in black and white in the newspaper!"

The old man said excitedly, "That's good, that's good. We are still Han people, we are still Han people."

……

In a tavern in the city, several men who looked like scholars sat around a table, drinking and discussing.

One person said, "The Emperor Xie has truly abdicated."

Another person said, "Let him abdicate then. It's only a matter of time before the Prince of Jin ascends the throne."

The third person sighed, "But I still feel uneasy. The Han Dynasty, which lasted for four hundred years, is gone just like that."

The fourth person said, "Who said it's gone? The newspapers say that after the Prince of Jin ascended the throne, he didn't change the country's name; it was still the Han Dynasty. The Imperial Ancestral Temple still enshrines Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang. How can you say the Han Dynasty is gone?"

The first person said, "But the emperor's surname is Lü, not Liu."

The fourth person said, "So what? The world belongs to all people, not to one family or one clan. In recent years, the Liu family's descendants have been incompetent, causing chaos and displacement among the people. The Prince of Jin, with his own strength, swept away the warlords, unified the world, and brought peace to the people. Isn't such an emperor better than the Liu family's descendants? The founding of the Han Dynasty itself owes a debt to the Lü family, led by Lü Wengong and Lü Hou. Now that the Liu family's descendants are incompetent, they have assisted the emperor in issuing an edict of self-reproach and abdicating. The Prince of Jin, as a descendant of the Lü family, should restore order and take over the Han Dynasty. What's wrong with that?"

The third person remained silent for a long time before finally sighing, "You're right, I was mistaken. I accept the Prince of Jin's ascension to the throne."

……

After New Year's Eve, it was the first day of the first month of the Han calendar year 398, at dawn.

He ascended the throne on a high platform south of Luoyang City.

Before dawn, the area around the high platform was already packed with people. Civil and military officials, governors of various states, army commanders, envoys from various countries, as well as scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, were all densely packed together, stretching as far as the eye could see.

In the center of the high platform, an incense table and offerings were set up. On the incense table were the grand sacrificial offerings (one each of a cow, a sheep, and a pig), as well as jade discs, silk scrolls, and other offerings.

Behind the incense table was a huge banner with a large character "Han" written on it. This was specially arranged by Lü Bu to show his succession to the Han dynasty.

On the left side of the stage were the seats for civil and military officials.

Jia Xu, Chen Gong, Zhang Liao, Guo Jia, Shi Sunrui, Ju Shou, Xun You, Zhong Yao, Zhang Song, Cheng Lian, Zuo Feng, and others stood solemnly, each wearing brand-new official robes and with a dignified expression.

On the right side of the stage were the positions of the governors of various states and the commanders of army groups. Ma Teng, Wang Yi, Huang Zhong, Zhang Yang, Cheng Yu, Zhang Ji, Xun Yu, Liu Zhang, Sun Ce, Shi Xie, as well as Zhang Yan, Wei Xu, Song Xian, Zhang Xiu, Zhao Yun, Gao Shun, Cao Xing, and others stood solemnly.

Next to them were the seats for envoys from various countries. Yufuluo, the Chanyu of the Southern Xiongnu, Baihe, the envoy from Kucha, and envoys from various Western Regions countries, Xianbei, Wuhuan and other tribes, were all dressed in their respective ethnic costumes, looking around curiously.

At 8 a.m., drums and music resounded, and bells rang out.

Lu Bu, dressed in a royal robe and wearing a crown, emerged from the Taiji Hall. The robe was embroidered with the sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, and dragons, while the crown had twelve strings of jade beads on the front and back, which swayed gently with his steps.

Behind him, the former emperor Liu Xie, dressed in ordinary clothes, held the Imperial Seal of the State in both hands, following closely behind. Further behind were attendants carrying the edict of abdication, the jade book, the golden seal, and other items.