New Three Kingdoms Tales: Starting as the expressionless Liu Bei

The next morning, in Meiwu.

Before dawn, Dong Zhuo had already gotten out of bed.

He stood before the bronze mirror, which was taller than a person, with his arms outstretched, letting the maids bustle around him, carefully wrapping him in layer after layer of dragon robes.

Today is the day he ascends the throne. Last night he was so excited that he tossed and turned and couldn't sleep. If Diaochan hadn't been by his side, he probably would have stayed up until dawn.

He gazed at his reflection in the bronze mirror, dressed in a dragon robe and wearing a crown, unable to suppress the smugness on his lips and even the corners of his eyes radiating an unconcealable pride.

He was tilting his head as a maid tied the ribbons of his crown when he caught a glimpse of a tall figure standing in the doorway.

Lu Bu stood there blankly outside the threshold, staring vacantly at a certain spot under the corridor, not even blinking, as if his soul had been ripped out.

Dong Zhuo frowned and called out to him twice, "Fengxian? Fengxian! What are you thinking about? You're completely out of your mind."

Lu Bu snapped out of his daze, and the moment his eyes met Dong Zhuo's, he quickly lowered his head as if he had been burned. His guilty look even caught the attention of the maid beside him.

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, his voice slightly strained: "Father, I've been thinking about how I should help you quell the rebellions in various regions after you become emperor, so that the world can be peacefully returned to you."

Dong Zhuo was slightly taken aback, then nodded, straightened his sleeves, and his tone became more serious:

"Yes! You really need to think this over carefully. After we ascend the throne, there will definitely be many lords who will be dissatisfied and start uprisings. That will be a good opportunity for you to make a name for yourself, so don't let us down."

Lu Bu nodded repeatedly in agreement, secretly relieved, thinking that he had gotten away with this hurdle.

But Dong Zhuo stared at him with a half-smile, his gaze like that of someone looking at a child caught red-handed lying. He shook his head and drawled, "..."

"Fengxian, what you were thinking about just now was probably not this, was it? Your godfather saw through it long ago."

Lu Bu felt a cold sweat instantly break out on his back. Could it be that this old scoundrel already knew about his conspiracy with Wang Yun?

He clenched his fists, his muscles tensed, and he even held his breath.

Dong Zhuo laughed heartily, stepped forward, and slapped Lü Bu's shoulder twice with his thick palm.

"Fengxian, you're eyeing your Red Hare and halberd, aren't you? Do you think I don't know your little schemes?"

Lu Bu was taken aback for a moment, then quickly climbed down the steps, forced a sheepish smile, and nodded in agreement.

Dong Zhuo smiled and waved his hand, then casually pointed towards the backyard and said loudly:

"Your halberd, we keep it on the weapon rack in the backyard, polishing it to a gleaming shine every day. And we feed your Red Hare well too; its coat is even more lustrous than yours!"

"You can go and fetch it back yourself later. Today is the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven, and you are to protect the emperor on both sides and not stray far from him. Do you understand?"

Lu Bu clasped his hands in a fist and replied in a deep voice, "Your subject understands."

Dong Zhuo nodded in satisfaction, turned around, and had a maid drape the last outer robe over him.

He took a deep breath, looked up at the gradually brightening sky outside the hall, and felt his whole body filled with power.

The eunuch beside him, quick to read the situation, immediately raised his voice and shouted, "His Majesty is departing!"

Dong Zhuo strode outside, where a vast, dark mass of Xiliang barbarian warriors, their hair disheveled and wielding sharp blades, stood.

Lü Bu strode towards the backyard. He passed through the corridor and just turned a corner through a moon gate when he saw the figure leaning against the railing in the distance.

Diao Chan was standing there waiting for him. Their eyes met, and in that instant, Lü Bu could no longer take a step.

He had completely forgotten the task Chen Gong had assigned him not long ago, and his mind was now completely focused on the person in front of him.

Meanwhile, under the heavy guard of the Xiliang army, Dong Zhuo's imperial carriage traveled in a grand procession from Meiwu to Wanle Palace.

The people along the way were ordered to stay in their houses and not to go out or spy.

But who wouldn't want to see? Countless eyes were peering through the cracks in the doors and windows, trying to secretly observe the new emperor who was about to ascend the throne.

However, once discovered, the gate would be smashed by Xiliang soldiers, and the cowering people would be brutally driven back to the corner, too afraid to move.

Sitting in the carriage, Dong Zhuo felt a strange sense of foreboding rising in his heart.

He always felt that something was wrong, like a stone was hanging in his heart, and he couldn't put his mind at ease.

He reached out and pulled back the curtains, looking out. His gaze fell on the unfamiliar Xiliang soldiers who were guarding the innermost part of the carriage. They were sallow-faced, thin, and had blank expressions.

He seemed to have never seen these people before.

Dong Zhuo suddenly turned his head and asked Wang Yun, who was following closely beside the carriage, in a stern voice:

"Minister Wang, I've never seen any of these soldiers before! Look at how skinny they are, they don't look like soldiers at all!"

Wang Yun quickly leaned closer to the carriage curtain, lowered his voice, and said in a tone full of bitterness and helplessness:

"Your Majesty is unaware of the great drought that has plagued the land since the beginning of spring. Right now, people in the capital are starving and horses are without fodder. To be honest, Your Majesty, even I, a high-ranking official and Minister of Works, have to beg on the streets to make a living."

Even so, we sometimes go hungry and sometimes have a full meal; we're never truly satisfied.

Dong Zhuo stared blankly at Wang Yun's wrinkled, weathered face, and then, recalling the delicacies he had eaten every day in Mei Wu, a rare hint of guilt appeared on his face.

He softened his tone and said sincerely:

"Wang Yun, we've stockpiled enough grain in Mei Wu to last twenty years. From now on, you'll eat with us! No, not just you, all the officials and ministers will eat with us!"

"We can't let you founding fathers go hungry!"

Wang Yun waved his hands repeatedly, his voice full of fear and reluctance:

"No, no, no, this old minister is not hungry. Your Majesty, please eat more. This old minister is truly not hungry. Your Majesty, please eat more. Only when you are full will you have the strength to govern, and only when you are full can you be a good emperor. Your Majesty being full is better than anything else."

Dong Zhuo frowned, a strange and inexplicable sense of irritation rising in his heart.

Wang Yun's words were clearly meant to help him, but they made him feel uneasy, as if an invisible thorn was stuck in his heart that he couldn't get rid of no matter how hard he tried.

"Wang Yun, why do you have to do this? It's not like we're starving, why make yourself suffer?"

Wang Yun remained stubborn and refused to budge.

Seeing that he was stubborn and restless, Dong Zhuo could not say anything more. He could only sullenly draw the curtains and sit alone in the carriage, his ominous premonition growing stronger.

What he didn't know was that Wang Yun would never dare agree. In Wang Yun's eyes, Dong Zhuo was already a dead man. To expect him to eat at the same table with a dead man every day was simply a joke.

The carriage soon arrived at Zhengyang Palace within Changle Palace. Due to the steep palace steps, the carriage could not proceed, so Dong Zhuo dismounted and walked.

The officials surrounded him as he slowly walked toward the high altar for worshipping Heaven.

Along the way, the officials and ministers kept bowing and praising him, saying "Your Majesty is wise" and "Long live Your Majesty" repeatedly.

Dong Zhuo was so pleased with the compliments that he happily returned the favors one by one, unable to stop smiling on his fat face. He was completely unaware that he was stepping into a trap that had been dug for him.

As they walked, Dong Zhuo suddenly felt something was amiss. Wang Yun, who had been following him closely since Mei Wu, had vanished without a trace.

He frowned, subconsciously mobilizing the strange power within his body, and scanned his surroundings, only to detect Wang Yun's aura at the entrance of Zhengyang Palace.

Just as he was wondering what the old man was doing in the palace, the heavy doors of Zhengyang Palace suddenly burst open.

Wang Yun walked out of the hall with his head held high, holding a scroll of bright yellow imperial edict in both hands.

He stood firm on the steps, looked directly at Dong Zhuo, and shouted loudly:

"Obey my command!"

"Traitor to the nation, Dong Zhuo! He has brought chaos to the world!"

"Imperial edict: Loyal and brave men! Slay the traitor Dong Zhuo!"

Dong Zhuo froze on the spot.

He stared wide-eyed in disbelief at the old minister who had just been showing him such concern on the steps, feeling a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

He understood, he understood everything!

Diao Chan's seduction plot, Li Ru's abdication proposal, Wang Yun's abdication edict—all of this was a series of deadly traps that old man had set for him!

Wang Yun snorted coldly, then hurled the scroll of imperial edict at Dong Zhuo, his sharp voice booming across the square: "Kill!"

From the palace gate behind him, a large number of Western Liang barbarian warriors, who had been lying in ambush for a long time, swarmed out.

Wielding swords and spears, and emitting deafening monkey cries, they charged towards Dong Zhuo like a floodgate bursting open.

Dong Zhuo stood there, trembling with rage. He suddenly raised his head, and his turbid pupils turned blood red in an instant.

A powerful and eerie force exploded from his body, and Dong Zhuo activated his Eerie Transformation.

The obese body began to swell rapidly, its robes were torn, and the muscles and fat bulging under the skin were growing wildly at a visible rate.

In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a monster as large as a small mountain.

Countless armored soldiers rushed in front of him, brandishing their swords and slashing fiercely at his body.

However, Dong Zhuo's defense had increased to an unbelievable level. The swords and blades that cut into his skin did not even leave a white mark. To him, it was as insignificant as an ant bite.

He slowly raised his giant hand, and a shadow that blotted out the sky pressed down on Wang Yun.

Wang Yun, however, had already run down the steps and was now sprinting towards the dense crowd beside Zhengyang Palace.

He plunged headlong into the crowd of onlookers and the chaotic soldiers, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Dong Zhuo's massive hand hovered in mid-air, abruptly stopping. He stared blankly at the throng of heads below, unable to distinguish between his enemies and his subjects.

Wang Yun peeked half his face out from the crowd, a smug grin spreading across his old face, his voice filled with crazed provocation:

"You traitor Dong Zhuo! Look closely! These are all your subjects! If you were to strike me, Wang Yun, with one blow, you would not only kill me, but also these innocent civilians!"

"You want to be the emperor? Come on! If you're so capable, kill me with one blow!"