New Three Kingdoms Tales: Starting as the expressionless Liu Bei

(This chapter is a bit special, so I used a title starting with the character "八" (eight). The next chapter will be normal.)

Wang Yun strode forward and embraced Diao Chan tightly. His withered hands trembled slightly, as if he were holding not his adopted daughter, but a lost treasure that had been found again.

After a long while, he finally released Diao Chan. Just as he was about to say something, his gaze suddenly fell on the dazzling red cloak on her shoulder.

He paused, then leaned closer to examine it closely. A hint of confusion appeared in his eyes. Pointing to the cloak, he asked, "Isn't this the sheet General Lü Bu wore on his back today? How did it end up here?"

Diao Chan blushed slightly, lowered her head, and gently pinched the edge of her cloak with her fingers. Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz: "Father, this is not a bed sheet. This is the totem that General Lü admires most, the phoenix rising from the ashes."

Totem? Phoenix rebirth? What are those things? Wang Yun frowned and muttered to himself, but quickly put those thoughts out of his mind.

Diao Chan's safe return is more important than anything else. He reached out and patted Diao Chan's shoulder, a kind smile spreading across his face:

"Good boy, it's good to be back. You must have been hungry on the way. Come inside with your godfather and have something to eat. We can chat while we eat."

Meanwhile, on the other side of Luoyang, Sun Jian had already led tens of thousands of elite troops to rush into the city.

The once bustling capital city is now nothing but ruins, with wisps of black smoke rising from the charred wood and a pungent, burnt smell permeating the air.

Sun Jian dispatched most of his soldiers to fight the still-spreading fire in the city, while he himself, along with Cheng Pu and other personal guards, as well as Sun Ce and Sun Quan, headed straight for the depths of the palace.

Gazing upon the Chang Le Palace, utterly destroyed by fire, nine-year-old Sun Quan stood with his hands behind his back, sighed, and recited, swaying his head like a little adult:

"Changle Palace, Changle Palace. A great fire broke out in the Han Palace, Changle turned into a long disaster."

Sun Jian glanced at him and scolded in a low voice, "Quan'er, don't talk nonsense. Although the palace walls have been burned down, the imperial aura cannot be destroyed. Be careful that the spirit of the late emperor in heaven may secretly weaken your fortune."

Sun Ce looked around at the empty palace and sighed, "Father, although the enemy has all fled, what we have gained is ultimately just an empty city."

Sun Quan, however, had long forgotten his father's reprimand. He looked up at the towering palace beams, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Wow, this palace is huge! If I had been born ten years earlier, I could have come here to play."

Listening to the starkly contrasting words of his two sons, Sun Jian nodded slightly, turned to look at them, and a complex emotion welled up in his eyes:

"Ce'er, Quan'er. The traitor Dong Zhuo wreaked havoc in the capital, bringing disaster to the entire land. The four-hundred-year-old Han Dynasty was reduced to ashes overnight."

He sighed, his voice lowering slightly, "This is the fate of the Han Dynasty."

His sigh was not only for the capital city reduced to ashes, but also for his three thousand cavalrymen.

The Luoyang Imperial Palace is now a ruin; what use is it? If I had known this would happen, I would have been better off returning to camp to celebrate with a toast.

Just as he was filled with worry, Cheng Pu's gaze was fixed on a lingering ember beside the main seat, about twenty paces away.

The fire did not merge with the other embers; it burned alone, and something golden seemed to be faintly glowing within the flames.

Cheng Pu's pupils contracted, and he pointed to the ball of fire, saying urgently, "My lord, look there!"

Sun Jian and the others followed his hand and saw that the fire was flashing with an unusual light.

The group exchanged glances, drew their longswords, and cautiously made their way towards the main seat.

Sun Jian used the tip of his sword to pry open the fire, sending charred wood chips flying everywhere. Cheng Pu stepped forward, bent down, and retrieved the mysterious object from the ashes.

He turned the object over and carefully examined the engraved characters on it by the dim light of the dying embers.

Suddenly, he shuddered, raised his head, and exclaimed in a trembling voice, "My lord! This...this is the Imperial Seal of the Han Dynasty!"

Sun Jian and the others all turned to look. Sun Jian repeated in a low voice, "The Imperial Seal of the State?"

Cheng Pu knelt on one knee, holding the jade seal in front of him with both hands, his eyes filled with undisguised fervor and reverence: "When I was young, my father told me that this Imperial Seal of the State is engraved with eight characters: 'By the Mandate of Heaven, May Your Reign Be Long and Prosperous!'"

"These eight characters were personally engraved by Prime Minister Li Si. When the Qin Emperor obtained this jade, he designated it as the Imperial Seal of the State, intending it to be passed down for hundreds, thousands, and even tens of thousands of generations!"

This Imperial Seal seemed to possess some kind of inexplicable magic. From the moment Cheng Pu grasped it, his eyes were fixed on it, unable to look away even for a moment.

He repeatedly stroked the warm, smooth surface of the jade seal, his fingers greedily tracing each inscription, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

After a while, he seemed to finally realize that his way of holding the imperial seal was a bit inappropriate, so he smiled awkwardly and handed the seal to Sun Jian: "My lord, look, this is it."

Even so, he lingered on his fingers, unable to conceal the lingering desire in his eyes.

Sun Jian did not immediately accept the imperial seal. He stood there, his chest heaving violently, his heart pounding as if it would jump out of his throat.

This trip was worth it!

Even if all three thousand cavalrymen were to perish at Cao Cao's hands, as long as this jade seal is in hand, it would all be worth it!

Cheng Pu knelt on one knee, raised the imperial seal high above his head, and loudly praised, "My lord, finding the Imperial Seal of the State in the ruins of Luoyang today is truly the will of Heaven! It proves that you are truly the supreme ruler!"

Sun Jian sheathed his longsword and excitedly accepted the imperial seal with both hands.

The moment the jade seal touched his palm, an indescribable joy welled up from the bottom of his heart. He held the jade seal, threw his head back and laughed wildly. His laughter echoed repeatedly in the empty ruins for a long time.

After he had finished laughing, he handed the imperial seal to Sun Quan, hoping that his youngest son, who always pretended to be mature for his age, could also share in the emperor's good fortune. Just as Sun Quan was about to reach out to take it, Sun Ce snatched it away first.

Sun Ce had practiced martial arts since childhood and was extremely fast. He snatched the imperial seal from his younger brother's hands in one swift motion.

He was also curious about what kind of magic this small jade seal possessed that could make his father and Uncle Cheng Pu lose their composure like this.

But as soon as he got his hands on the jade seal, a strange power silently seeped into his body through his arm.

Sun Ce was slightly taken aback, his eyes instantly becoming dazed, and then, just like Sun Jian, he held the imperial seal and chuckled foolishly.

Seeing how happy the father and son were, everyone burst into laughter.

After laughing for a while, Sun Ce suddenly stopped smiling, held the imperial seal in his hands, knelt on one knee, and shouted loudly to Sun Jian, "Congratulations, Father, on becoming emperor!"