New Three Kingdoms Tales: Starting as the expressionless Liu Bei

Chang'an, Wanle Palace.

Li Ru, clutching a letter, ran in from outside the palace gates, his face beaming with a smile that almost overflowed from his eyes, repeatedly calling out, "Prime Minister! Prime Minister! Huge joy! Huge joy!"

Dong Zhuo was dozing off on the couch when he was suddenly awakened by the shouts.

He waved his hand impatiently, signaling the maid fanning him to leave, then turned his sleepy eyes to Li Ru, yawned, and asked, "Li Ru, what's making you so happy?"

Li Ru chuckled, held the letter high in his hand, and bowed, saying, "Sun Jian, the Prime Minister's formidable rival, was ambushed by the Jingzhou army at Sanjindu on his way home and was killed by Liu Biao!"

Dong Zhuo sprang up from his chair, his cloudy eyes wide and fixed on Li Ru: "Sun Jian is dead?"

Li Ru nodded vigorously: "Dead!"

Dong Zhuoyue stepped over the table, took half a step forward, and asked with a look of disbelief, "Really?"

Li Ru nodded his head vigorously, like a chicken pecking at rice: "It's true! Prime Minister! Absolutely true!"

Dong Zhuo laughed wildly, his laughter echoing through the empty hall, causing dust to fall from the beams.

"Hahahaha! Heaven has eyes! Heaven has eyes! It has rid our family of a major threat!"

He laughed until tears welled in his eyes, panting heavily. It took him a long time to calm down before he said with deep emotion:

"Among all the warlords, I fear none but Sun Wentai. Among all the warlords, I respect none but Sun Wentai!"

"Now that Sun Jian is dead, those remaining are nothing but pigs, dogs, chickens, and ducks, insignificant as to be worth mentioning. I can wipe them out in the blink of an eye!"

He put his hands on his hips, looked around the empty hall, and snorted triumphantly, "I'll see who dares to oppose me now! This time, I can finally get a peaceful night's sleep."

Upon hearing this, Li Ru's smile suddenly froze. He sighed softly, feigning a hesitation, and a rare seriousness appeared between his brows.

Dong Zhuo glanced at him suspiciously and asked, "Li Ru, what's with that expression?"

Li Ru suddenly stepped forward, knelt down in front of Dong Zhuo with a thud, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and his voice trembled slightly with excitement:

"I have something to say, something I've suppressed for a long time, something that's stuck in my throat, and today I must say it! I humbly request that the Prime Minister ascend the throne! To become the supreme ruler! To take the throne of the Son of Heaven!"

His sudden action startled Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo instinctively took a half-step back, quickly pushing forward with his palm, staring blankly at Li Ru kneeling at his feet:

"Wait, wait? Wait! You mean, let me be the emperor?" He pointed to his nose, then to Li Ru, his lips twitching slightly. "Can that even work?"

Li Ru raised his head, his eyes gleaming with fanaticism, his voice growing increasingly impassioned:

"Since the Prime Minister arrived in the capital, all the officials in the court have been nodding in celebration, and all the people under heaven have been praising him!"

"As the saying goes, this magnificent achievement will last for a thousand years! Your brilliant wisdom will be remembered for generations to come! The people of the Central Plains long for the Prime Minister to become emperor, just as a parched land longs for rain!"

"The Han dynasty has lasted for four hundred years, but its fate has run its course; it's long overdue for a change of dynasty. Looking across the land today, who is more suitable to sit on that dragon throne than you, Prime Minister?"

Dong Zhuo stroked his beard, slowly walked to Li Ru, nodded slightly, and his tone unusually tinged with emotion:

"Li Ru, I am deeply moved by your kindness. However, if the various warlords hear that I have become emperor, they will surely rise up in rebellion again! If I do this, will the people suffer and the land be destroyed? This is not advisable, it is truly not advisable."

Li Ru waved his hand, a smile returning to his lean face: "Prime Minister, you are mistaken. Since ancient times, it has always been the strong who defeat the weak, turning the disrespectful into the respectful, and the unconvinced into the obedient."

He paused, his eyes darted around, and leaned closer, lowering his voice as he spoke.

"If the Prime Minister wishes to be more cautious, he may proceed in two steps."

"As a first step, the Prime Minister can first honor himself as the Grand Tutor, and use the emperor's ceremonial regalia when entering and leaving the palace."

"The second step is to issue all future pardons by imperial decree. This way, we can first gauge the attitudes of the various vassal states and officials towards the Chancellor, and then take the next step to achieve imperial dominance!"

Dong Zhuo frowned and asked seriously, "What does this 'Grandfather' mean?"

Li Ru was taken aback, his eyes darting around twice, then he cupped his hands and smiled, "Just like the father of the current emperor!"

Dong Zhuo's face suddenly darkened. He snorted coldly and stared at Li Ru: "Li Ru, don't think that just because my family is uncultured!"

The smile on Li Ru's face froze instantly, and he stood frozen in place, not daring to breathe.

Dong Zhuo walked around Li Ru for half a circle with his hands behind his back, his tone full of annoyance at being looked down upon.

"After being publicly questioned by that Grand Master Zhe last time, I studied day and night, reading extensively! Just now, I was deliberately testing you to see if you were lying to me. I didn't expect that you were indeed lying to me!"

Li Ru was so frightened that his body went limp. He immediately kowtowed to the ground, his voice trembling and on the verge of tears: "This is absolutely not true, Prime Minister! I beg you to investigate thoroughly! I would never dare to deceive you!"

Dong Zhuo's gaze was fierce as he looked down at Li Ru, who was prostrate at his feet, and said in a cold voice:

"The 'Shang' in 'Shangfu' refers to Jiang Shang, Jiang Ziya. 'Fu' is a respectful term for a man in ancient times. What does this have to do with the emperor's father? You're just lying to us!"

After hearing this, Li Ru raised his hand and slapped himself repeatedly across the face, begging for mercy.

Dong Zhuo waved his hand, his tone suddenly softening: "Alright, alright. It's not impossible for me to be the retired emperor for now. But Li Ru..."

He bent down, leaned close to Li Ru's ear, and spoke in a low voice, yet with a chilling edge, "From now on, don't treat our family like fools again. Otherwise, we'll be the first to skin you alive and eat your flesh."

Li Ru was so terrified he trembled all over, kowtowing repeatedly. Dong Zhuo then straightened up, smiled with satisfaction, waved his hand, and said loudly:

"Li Ru, please convey a decree from the Grand Tutor. It says that tomorrow at noon, I will host a banquet for all officials in Mei Wu, bestowing upon them promotions and titles. All officials are invited to attend!"

Li Ru knelt on the ground, his voice trembling as he bowed and replied, "Your subject Li Ru obeys the decree!"

Dong Zhuo turned around, about to walk towards the bed, but suddenly stopped, turned back, and a meaningful smile appeared on his face: "Li Ru, listen to my decree!"

Li Ru quickly bowed low, saying, "Your subject is here!"

"I hereby appoint you as Grand Minister of Works, placing you among the Three Dukes!"

Li Ru trembled violently, his forehead slamming heavily onto the ground, his voice trembling with barely suppressed elation: "Your subject thanks you!"