New Three Kingdoms Tales: Starting as the expressionless Liu Bei

"Long live! Long live!"

"Your Majesty, we pay our respects! Long live the Emperor!"

In Wanle Palace, Wang Yun led a group of trusted ministers to kneel down beneath the dragon throne.

At this point, some people might ask, where did these ministers in the hall come from? Weren't they all shot to death by Lü Bu at the sacrificial altar?

No. Long before he took action, Wang Yun had already secretly arranged for his most trusted confidants to hide in Mei'wu.

Those who came to participate in the sacrificial ceremony this morning were either Wang Yun's political enemies or newly appointed officials who had not yet had time to get to know all their colleagues. They were riddled with arrows by Lü Bu as soon as they put on their official hats. It was truly an injustice.

Young Liu Xie huddled on the large dragon throne, his tender face filled with bewilderment.

His knuckles turned slightly white as he gripped the armrest of the dragon throne. His lips moved slightly before he managed to squeeze out two words from his throat: "Rise."

The officials in the hall remained motionless. They continued to kneel, their foreheads pressed against the cold floor tiles, not daring to breathe even slightly. They knelt before the emperor and behind Wang Yun.

Wang Yun slowly stood up, brushed off non-existent dust from his knees, and said in a nonchalant tone, "Since the Emperor has ordered you to rise, then all of you may rise."

Only then did the officials dare to straighten their backs tremblingly and reply in unison, "Thank you, Your Majesty." They then retreated to the sides, clearing the imperial path in the center of the hall, which was covered with a scarlet carpet.

Only Wang Yun stood motionless, cupped his hands in greeting to Liu Xie on the dragon throne, and said loudly:

"Your subject, Wang Yun, respectfully reports: The traitor Dong Zhuo has been executed outside the gates of Zhengyang Palace. Now, the land of our Great Han is at peace, and all the people of the world rejoice!"

Liu Xie shrank back and moved his body a fraction deeper into the dragon throne. He vaguely felt that the shadow looming over his head hadn't disappeared; it had only changed its face.

The eunuch beside him lowered his head and glanced at him heavily out of the corner of his eye, signaling him to say what Wang Yun had instructed him to say.

Liu Xie reluctantly spoke, "I shall obey your decree."

The eunuch hurriedly pulled out a pre-prepared imperial edict from his robes and read it aloud in a high-pitched voice:

"By imperial decree, Wang Yun is hereby appointed Grand Tutor, concurrently serving as Chancellor, with the title of 'Shangfu' (a high-ranking official), to oversee the administration of the state and control the court!"

"Lu Bu is hereby conferred the title of Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness, and appointed General of Valiant Might! Li Ru is hereby conferred the title of Minister of Works, in charge of all matters concerning civil administration, education, land, and household registration! Chen Gong is hereby conferred the title of Grand Commandant, and all arrest warrants against him are hereby immediately revoked!"

Wang Yun, Lü Bu, Li Ru, and Chen Gong all knelt down to receive the imperial edict. After the edict was read aloud, Wang Yun naturally stood beside Liu Xie.

Someone in the audience glanced up and saw that the seven tassels on Prime Minister Wang Yun's crown and the twelve tassels on the Emperor's crown had miraculously overlapped under the dim candlelight, making it impossible to distinguish which tassel belonged to the ruler and which to the subject.

Afterwards, the officials discussed the state of the world for a while, and Lü Bu announced to the public that he would marry Diao Chan the next day. The officials offered their congratulations and then the court session ended early.

After the court session ended, Wang Yun found Chen Gong in the square outside Wanle Palace, and the two began their loud conspiracy in front of everyone, oblivious to the presence of others.

Wang Yun stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the clear blue sky, his tone as calm as if he were discussing the weather: "Gongtai, Dong Zhuo is dead, and it's time to settle accounts with his former subordinates."

Chen Gong frowned slightly and tentatively asked, "Does the Prime Minister refer to Li Jue and Guo Si?"

Wang Yun shook his head, a cold, fierce glint in his eyes. His voice was low, yet each word was like a knife: "No! Not just them. Li Ru must die too!"

Chen Gong's expression changed slightly. He took half a step forward and raised his voice to advise:

"Prime Minister, Li Ru has made great contributions to us. If it weren't for his support, this elaborate scheme might not have gone so smoothly."

"Now that Dong Zhuo has just been eliminated, if we rush to get rid of him as well, wouldn't the world laugh at us for discarding him after he's served his purpose? Who would dare to come and serve the Prime Minister in the future?"

Wang Yun slowly shook his head, turned to look at Chen Gong, and a cold smile appeared on his lips:

"Gongtai, you don't know the truth. Why did Li Ru join us in the first place? It was because he couldn't control Dong Zhuo and was afraid that Dong Zhuo would kill him one day, so he abandoned the darkness and turned to the light."

"Yesterday he betrayed Dong Zhuo to save his own life, and tomorrow he might defect to Yuan Shao to save his own life, only to betray us again. Keeping such a person around is like having a knife in our back at any moment. We can't keep him!"

Chen Gong remained silent for a long time, looking into Wang Yun's eyes, which could no longer tolerate any dissenting opinions, and sighed inwardly.

He knew that Wang Yun was now filled with arrogance and was no longer the Wang Situ who readily accepted good advice.

He stopped arguing, simply cupped his hands in greeting, and said loudly:

"In that case, Prime Minister, please act discreetly. Cut the Gordian knot quickly and decisively, without letting Li Ru notice anything, and certainly without letting anyone else see it."

"Afterwards, we publicly declared that Li Situ was killed by assassins sent by Yuan Shao, and that it had nothing to do with us."

Wang Yun nodded in satisfaction, patted Chen Gong on the shoulder, and said with a smile, "Of course. We can make our move after Li Ru has fallen asleep at midnight tonight."

Chen Gong nodded, lowered his eyes, and a strange, almost imperceptible light flashed in them.

In the afternoon, two uninvited guests arrived in Chang'an; they were envoys sent by Li Jue and Guo Si.

Inside Wanle Palace, Chen Gong held up a letter of surrender and reported to Wang Yunbing:

"Prime Minister, Dong Zhuo's generals Li Jue and Guo Si are like frightened birds, having retreated to the borderlands. They fear the Grand Tutor's power and the Marquis of Wen's bravery, and dare not oppose the court any longer. Therefore, they submit this memorial to surrender."

Wang Yun took the bamboo letter from Chen Gong, glanced at it casually, and then tossed it at his feet like trash.

He slowly raised his eyes, gazing at the two trembling envoys kneeling in the center of the hall, and let out a chilling laugh: "Hahaha! No pardon!"

"I, Wang Yun, can pardon anyone, but I will not pardon those two treacherous dogs, Li Jue and Guo Si! They are Dong Zhuo's most capable henchmen. Without them, how could Dong Zhuo have killed my beloved Empress Dowager He?"

He suddenly turned his head, glancing at Chen Gong beside him, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

"Furthermore, Gongtai, how many of our officials have these two killed? Most of the atrocities committed by that old scoundrel Dong Zhuo were done by these two themselves! No mercy, absolutely no mercy!"

Li Ru stepped out from the banquet, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and earnestly advised:

"I urge the Prime Minister to consider the bigger picture and refrain from acting rashly! Li Jue and Guo Si still command 100,000 Xiliang cavalry and 20,000 elite infantry. We have only 50,000 soldiers in Chang'an. If the two sides truly clash, the outcome is uncertain!"

Chen Gong also stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Li Ru, and bowed in agreement:

"Prime Minister, as the saying goes, a cornered dog will jump over the wall, and a desperate enemy should not be pursued. I hope the Grand Tutor will grant them permission to surrender. After all, this is 100,000 iron cavalry. If we can subdue this cavalry, the strength of our court will greatly increase, and it will be much easier to recover lost territory in the future."

"If the Prime Minister presses too hard, I'm afraid it will only drive them to a dead end, forcing them into a desperate battle."

Wang Yun threw his head back and laughed heartily. The laughter echoed repeatedly in the empty hall, causing dust to fall from the beams.

"Hmph! I will not only drive them to a dead end, I will drive them to their deaths!"

He abruptly stopped laughing, turned his head to stare at Li Ru and Chen Gong, his eyes surging with an almost manic light, and said in a low voice.

"Wenyou, Gongtai, think this over carefully. If we kill all 100,000 iron cavalry and offer them as sacrifices to the First Emperor and the Overlord, the offerings will be more than what I offered at the Altar of Heaven before."

"At that time, you will all be able to enjoy eternal life like me, or at the very least, regain your youth! Why not?"

Chen Gong and Li Ru exchanged a glance. He sighed and made a final effort: "But, Prime Minister, Li Jue and Guo Si are both top generals of Xiliang, seasoned veterans of many battles. They must not be underestimated!"

Wang Yun laughed loudly, waved his hand dismissively, and said in a tone full of disapproval:

"No problem! I have Lu Bu, a man of 100,000 men, at my disposal, and 50,000 elite troops stationed in the city. That makes a total of 150,000 troops! In the blink of an eye, I can wipe out those two stray dogs, Li Jue and Guo Si."

He slowly turned around, looking down at the two kneeling envoys, and shouted sternly:

"Guards! Drag the man on the left away and throw him into the boiling oil! I want to eat his flesh to avenge Dong Zhuo for killing my beloved!"

"The one on the right, give him twenty strokes of the cane and let him go. Make him tell Li Jue and Guo Si everything he saw here today. Tell them to wash their necks clean and wait for me, the Prime Minister!"