New Three Kingdoms Tales: Starting as the expressionless Liu Bei

Dong Zhuo held Diao Chan in his arms and comforted her for a while until she stopped crying, then gently released her.

He urged Diaochan to wash up first, as he still had some things to take care of and wanted to stay a little longer.

Diao Chan didn't think much of it, responded, and turned to leave.

As Dong Zhuo watched her figure disappear into the end of the corridor, the kind smile on his face quickly vanished.

He beckoned to a trusted aide and whispered a few instructions. The aide bowed and accepted the order, then turned and hurried towards the gate of the mansion.

At this moment, Lü Bu was holed up in a tavern, with several empty wine jars piled up haphazardly on the table.

He propped his forehead with one hand and gripped a wine glass in the other, slumping against the table, too lazy to even lift his eyelids.

The trusted confidant sent by Dong Zhuo had just reached him and hadn't even finished speaking when he was grabbed by the collar and shoved out the door.

Back in his seat, he picked up his wine glass and took another swig, intending to stay drunk and never wake up. But when he looked up, he happened to catch a glimpse of his own face reflected in the bronze mirror opposite him.

His eyes were sunken, his stubble was messy, and his face was full of dejection and humiliation.

He stared at the disheveled figure in the mirror, and a nameless anger suddenly surged in his heart.

How did he, the mighty Lü Bu, end up looking like this?

No, I need to change myself!

He slammed his wine glass down on the table, stood up, went to the backyard, grabbed a ladle of cold water, splashed it on his face, and rubbed it vigorously, finally sobering him up a bit.

As he passed the counter, he tossed out a sentence without turning his head: "Put the bill on Prime Minister Dong's head." Then he mounted Red Hare, spurred the horse with his legs, caught up with the Dong Zhuo confidant he had kicked out the door, and galloped with him toward Meiwu.

On the way, Lü Bu couldn't help but ask his trusted confidant why his adoptive father had summoned him.

The confidant also looked bewildered, only saying that the Prime Minister had given the order and that the general would know when he arrived.

Lu Bu had no choice but to suppress his doubts, and with a flick of the reins, he rode off towards Meiwu.

Upon arriving at Meiwu, he saw Dong Zhuo standing at the entrance, laughing and joking with Diao Chan.

Those rough, chubby hands would occasionally pinch Diao Chan's cheeks, making her dodge left and right, her giggles audible from afar.

Lu Bu reined in his horse, feeling a tightness in his chest, but he could only grit his teeth and swallow the bitterness back.

When Dong Zhuo saw him arrive, he patted Diao Chan on the shoulder, telling her to go back to her room first, while he walked towards Lü Bu with a smile.

With his back to Diao Chan, he naturally couldn't see that the instant he turned around, Diao Chan quickly gave Lü Bu a flirtatious wink.

That one look was as soft as spring water, making Lü Bu's heart itch unbearably, and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

Dong Zhuo noticed the fleeting strangeness on Lü Bu's face, but didn't think much of it, assuming it was normal for the boy to have a reaction when he saw such a beautiful woman.

"Fengxian, it's been a long time since we, father and son, have had a heart-to-heart talk. Dismount and accompany your godfather for a walk." Dong Zhuo beckoned to him, smiling kindly.

Lu Bu suddenly came to his senses and realized that he was still sitting upright on the horse. He quickly dismounted and bowed respectfully to Dong Zhuo: "Yes, sir! Your son will obey your godfather."

A trusted aide stepped forward and led Red Hare aside, and the father and son walked slowly side by side along the palace wall of Meiwu.

Dong Zhuo raised his head, looked up at the azure sky above, and suddenly let out a long sigh.

"Fengxian, lately I don't know why, but I keep dreaming about things from the past. Some people say that when a person is about to die, Heaven lets them see the path they've walked in this life in advance."

As he spoke, he drew the sword that had been with him for many years from his waist. His rough fingers slowly traced the mottled patterns on the blade, a look of reminiscence appearing in his eyes, and his voice becoming much lower than usual.

"Fengxian! I can't bear to die, I can't bear to die!"

"In the past, I wielded this sword:"

"They allied with the Qiang chieftains, followed Zhang Huan, defeated the Xianling, and attacked the Yellow Turbans."

"Fight in Liangzhou, destroy the kingdom, station in Hanoi, and resist the imperial order."

"They entered Luoyang, annexed the He tribe, killed Ding Yuan, and deposed the young emperor."

"He poisoned the Empress Dowager, burned Luoyang, moved the capital to Chang'an, and built the Mei Fortress."

"Never did we expect that someone as insignificant as us could have come this far."

He turned his head and looked at Lü Bu, his cloudy eyes filled with emotion, yet also concealing a hint of shrewdness.

"But if God wants me to die, am I just supposed to obediently die? Absolutely not!"

"Fengxian, now you should understand our predicament, right?"

Lu Bu immediately understood. He wasn't talking about some divine will at all; he was clearly referring to Diao Chan. Dong Zhuo wanted to use Diao Chan to prolong his life.

A strange feeling welled up inside him, a mixture of emotion and guilt. He nodded heavily and said softly:

"Father, I understand. It was my own fault for being short-sighted. Please forgive me."

Dong Zhuo nodded in satisfaction, patted Lü Bu's shoulder twice with his thick hand, and said loudly, "If the Mandate of Heaven is in my favor, Fengxian shall be my marshal."

The two slaps made Lü Bu's blood surge, and he clasped his hands in a fist, his voice strong and clear:

"My adoptive father has treated me with profound kindness and generosity, as if he were my second father. I have no way to repay his kindness; I am willing to go through fire and water for him!"

Dong Zhuo laughed heartily, took Lü Bu's hand from his fist, clenched it tightly in his own palm, and leaned closer, lowering his voice to say:

"Fengxian, listen carefully. Sooner or later, my family will change the dynasty, ascend the throne, and become the emperor. When that time comes, my family will definitely share this vast empire with you."

"Furthermore, we have no sons of our own, so you are my own son. The first thing I will do after I ascend the throne is to make you the crown prince. After I pass away, the world will be yours, and the throne will be yours."

Upon hearing this, Lü Bu felt a surge of warmth in his heart, and his nose even tingled with emotion. He quickly cupped his hands and said in a trembling voice, "Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your great favor!"

Dong Zhuo smiled and pressed his hand down, waving it away. He said earnestly, "Between father and son, why are you thanking me? But before I ascend the throne, I have to give you a little something in return."

"For example, the position of Grand General in the imperial court has been vacant for a long time."

"I've wanted to give it to you for a long time, but I was worried that the old brothers in the Xiliang army wouldn't accept it, especially those two brutes, Li Jue and Guo Si. They're saying everywhere that you're young and impetuous and too inexperienced, and they're determined to compete with you for the position of general."

He paused, glancing at Lü Bu's expression out of the corner of his eye, before slowly adding, "You see, this matter has put us in a very difficult position."

Lu Bu hesitated for a moment, then clasped his hands in a fist and said:

"General Li and General Guo are right. I am indeed inexperienced and may not be able to convince the masses."

"Moreover, the warlords beyond the pass are eyeing us covetously. This humble general dares not contend with the old generals, for fear of harming the harmony in the army and ruining the Prime Minister's grand plan."

Dong Zhuo nodded, and the two walked a few more steps side by side before falling into a brief silence.

Suddenly, Dong Zhuo stopped, turned around, stared directly into Lü Bu's eyes, and said loudly, "I have made my decision. I hereby appoint you as Grand General of the Court, in command of all the troops in the realm!"

Lu Bu hurriedly bowed to express his gratitude, but his thoughts had already drifted to that figure deep in Mei Wu.

He clenched his fist, then relaxed it, then clenched it again, finally summoning the greatest courage of his life. He raised his head to look at Dong Zhuo, his lips moving slightly: "Father! I want to..."

Dong Zhuo raised an eyebrow, stopped, looked at him, and asked, "Fengxian, is there anything else?"

Looking at Dong Zhuo's face, which was full of benevolent smiles, Lü Bu felt the courage he had just mustered deflate like a ball with a hole punched in it.

He lowered his eyes and murmured softly, "I'm alright, I'm alright."

Dong Zhuo nodded, patted him on the back, and said, "It's good that you're alright. Let's go to Wanle Palace; those officials and nobles are still waiting for us."

He turned around, put his hands behind his back, and strode forward.

Lu Bu stood there, watching Dong Zhuoyue's retreating figure, so angry he almost bit his own tongue off.

He hated his own incompetence and his own cowardice, unable to even utter a single word about wanting Diao Chan!

He clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms, but finally let go, letting out a long sigh. Filled with guilt and resentment, he silently followed.

(May this chapter reach its 100th mark! I invite all readers to join the author in this celebration!)

(This book could go up to a thousand chapters; it's only one-tenth of the way there! As long as it's not destroyed by fate, the author will keep writing.)

(Ahem, I don't think anyone thinks the author is padding the story, right? Okay, even the author thinks it's a bit padded. The Chain Scheme has been written for so many chapters, and Lao Bei hasn't appeared for a long time.)

(Give me ten more chapters, and Volume One: The Warlords Against Dong Zhuo, The Grand Tutor's Rebellion in Han will be finished. Then I'll start Volume Two: The Warlords' Struggle for Supremacy, The Great War in the Central Plains!)

(Why the Central Plains War? Because Xuzhou truly deserves its reputation as the foremost pass in the Central Plains!)