New Three Kingdoms Tales: Starting as the expressionless Liu Bei

Outside Chang Le Palace in Luoyang.

Officials filed into the court, with Minister Wang Yun, who was at the forefront, bowing his head and walking side by side with Grand Commandant Yang Biao.

His aged voice was very low, but it couldn't suppress the excitement in his tone.

"Last night I received a secret report that Yuan Shao's army has breached Hulao Pass and won a great victory! The Xiliang army has been routed and is fleeing. As for Dong Zhuo..."

His fingers, gripping the ceremonial tablet, trembled slightly with force, and his voice trembled as he said, "He was stabbed off his horse by the three brothers Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, and his fate is unknown!"

Yang Biao's eyes suddenly lit up, and the wrinkles on his face smoothed out with joy.

He grabbed Wang Yun's arm and blurted out, "Good! If his life or death is unknown, then he is dead! Heaven has eyes, the people are fortunate, the sun and moon shine again, the sun and moon shine again!"

He choked up, and a few cloudy tears welled up in his eyes.

Wang Yun stroked his gray beard, looked up at the sky, and a broad, joyful smile spread across his wrinkled face.

"At this very moment, the defeated soldiers of Xiliang are fleeing in panic! Our royal army has already reached the city gates, and the fall of the city is imminent. Our great Han Dynasty will soon be restored! You and I must quickly report this momentous news to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Biao's joy froze, and he quickly reached out to press down on Wang Yun's arm, shaking his head repeatedly:

"Lord Situ, you mustn't! You've forgotten that the Empress Dowager has just been resurrected through a body-snatching technique and is still recuperating in that crystal ice coffin. Disturbing her now could ruin everything."

Wang Yun was slightly taken aback, then raised his hand and lightly patted his forehead twice, chuckling to himself, "Haha, Yang Biao, you living people are still the most quick-witted. I've lived like a fool all these years, and I've become a bit old-fashioned."

The empress dowager they just mentioned is not Consort Wang, the birth mother of the current emperor Liu Xie, but Empress Dowager He, who was poisoned by Dong Zhuo.

In the fourth year of the Guanghe era, Empress Dowager He poisoned Consort Wang. Later, Dong Zhuo deposed Emperor Shao of Han, Liu Bian, and also used a cup of poison to send Empress Dowager He on her way.

This back and forth resulted in two lives lost and two blood debts.

Wang Yun somehow obtained a sorcery to possess the body of Empress He, and secretly resurrected her, hiding her in a secret chamber, waiting for the right moment to act.

He himself should have died of old age five years ago, but it was thanks to this evil magic that he was able to extend his lifespan by ten years and live to this day.

Wang Yun and Yang Biao led the officials to the outside of Chang Le Palace. A young eunuch was already waiting at the foot of the steps. Upon seeing Wang Yun's figure in the distance, he quickly ran over, approached the two men, and whispered:

"Lord Situ, Prime Minister Dong is in the palace."

Wang Yun paused, the color draining from his face instantly.

He stared intently at the young eunuch, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Impossible, absolutely impossible.

Dong Zhuo led over 100,000 remnant troops back to the capital, with checkpoints and sentries layered along the way. How could he not have received even the slightest hint of it?

Seeing his appearance, the young eunuch quickly lowered his voice even further: "Before dawn, the Prime Minister led his armored soldiers into the palace."

Wang Yun stood there, stunned, as if his soul had been ripped from his body. The whispers of the surrounding officials turned into a buzzing noise in his ears.

It wasn't until Yang Biao gently patted his shoulder that he trembled, as if waking from a dream, and dazedly led the officials into the palace gates.

Before they even entered the hall, Dong Zhuo's fierce and loud voice rang out from inside, making the windows tremble.

"Yuan Shao's army of 500,000 was utterly routed by us, with most killed or wounded! But some remnants are still roaming outside, and they may well invade the capital and plunder the Emperor. We must take precautions!"

He paused, then suddenly changed his tone, swaying his head as he recited:

"A nursery rhyme has been circulating lately: 'A Han man in the east, a Han man in the west, only by moving the capital to Chang'an can this trouble be avoided.' Well said, truly well said! It makes me feel so good!"

Dong Zhuo was chuckling to himself when one of the officials couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing.

The man immediately pretended to sneeze, making a few muffled sounds, but it was too late.

The smile on Dong Zhuo's face slowly vanished, replaced by a cold, sinister look. His gaze swept over the crowd and fixed directly on that man.

"Zhe Taichang, what are you laughing at?"

The Grand Master of Ceremonies surnamed Zhe trembled, stood up unsteadily, and said cautiously:

"Prime Minister Dong, you...you're mistaken. The Western Han Dynasty came first, then the Eastern Han Dynasty, so it should be one Han Dynasty in the west and one Han Dynasty in the east."

Dong Zhuo's face darkened instantly. He abruptly stood up from his seat, glaring fiercely at Zhe Taichang, his roar causing the candlelight in the hall to flicker.

"Are you mocking our family for being uncultured?! Our family is full of culture! We were just deliberately wrong to test if there were any spies from that scoundrel Yuan Shao in the palace!"

A flash of cold light. Dong Zhuo drew his sword from his waist, the blade flashing a blinding white light as it pierced Zhe Taichang's chest.

Blood splattered on his face, but he didn't even wipe it away. He slowly turned around, his fierce eyes sweeping over the assembled officials. The latter all buried their heads in their chests, none daring to meet his gaze.

"Do you see clearly? This is the consequence of opposing me, Dong Zhuo!" His tone suddenly changed, and an extremely eerie smile bloomed on his blood-splattered face.

"Some people say that we lost the battle against Yuan Shao? Let me tell you, we didn't lose! We will never lose!"

He took out the Imperial Seal from his bosom, and with a slight thought, a strange, dark, and viscous power was drawn from the seal and coiled around the sword in his hand.

He swung his sword down, chopping Zhe Taichang's corpse into a pile of indistinct minced meat, then ordered people to scoop it up in bowls and distribute it to the officials present.

He chuckled eerily, the sound echoing in the deathly silent hall, sending chills down one's spine.

"Some people say that Zhe Taichang's meat is sour."

He picked up a bowl of bloody minced meat, tilted his head back and poured it into his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing as he let out a satisfied sigh.

"But I told you, I'm not afraid of sourness! Not afraid!"

The officials in the hall were so frightened that they trembled all over, buried their heads, and dared not make a sound.

Judging from their reactions, this was not the first time Dong Zhuo had gone mad like this.

After finishing the minced meat, Dong Zhuo casually threw the bowl on the ground, looked up at the ceiling, and revealed that chilling smile again.

"I observed the celestial phenomena last night and saw that the imperial aura was strong in Chang'an. Therefore, I have decided to escort the emperor westward and move the capital to Chang'an."

He slowly swept his gaze across the assembled officials and nobles. "My lords and nobles, I believe... none of you have any objections, do you?"

The hall remained deathly silent. Dong Zhuo nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand.

"Alright then, you all should get ready to go quickly."

Just then, Wang Yun said in a trembling voice.