New Three Kingdoms Tales: Starting as the expressionless Liu Bei

Night had fallen. Wang Yun, with disheveled hair, dressed in coarse, tattered clothes, and carrying a chipped bowl, staggered back from outside.

Given his disheveled appearance, no one would guess that he was a servant of the Three Families of the Imperial Court; they would only mistake him for an old beggar returning from some alley.

He crept silently to the back window of Diao Chan's bedroom, and upon hearing the soft whispers and laughter coming from inside, a meaningful smile appeared on his wrinkled old face.

He leaned closer to the window, lowered his voice, and coughed softly: "General, it's past midnight."

Inside the room, Diao Chan was nestled in Lü Bu's arms. Hearing Wang Yun's voice outside the window, she reached out and pushed Lü Bu's chest, saying softly, "General, you should go back to your residence."

Lu Bu refused to let go, resting his chin on her hair and sighing sullenly, "I really can't bear to part with you, Miss."

Diao Chan smiled gently, deftly removing the silver hairpin from his crown with her fingertips. She held it up in front of him and waved it, speaking softly as if coaxing a child: "With this silver hairpin by my side, it's as if the general is always with me."

Lu Bu grabbed her hand and held it in his palm, his voice low yet tender: "Lu Bu has lived half his life in vain. Only today is the first time I have truly tasted the flavor of being alive."

He could no longer restrain himself. He pulled Diao Chan into his arms, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and inhaled the fragrance of her hair. "I wish I could be intoxicated by your fragrance for all eternity."

The two lingered in the room for a while longer before Lü Bu reluctantly emerged.

He immediately spotted Wang Yun waiting in the shadows in the distance. Seeing that his future father-in-law was dressed as a beggar, disheveled and smiling at him, he frowned and quickly stepped forward, saying:

"Father, are you... going out begging again?"

Wang Yun nodded, not feeling embarrassed in front of his son-in-law.

Lu Bu sighed, reached out and took his arm, and said in a low voice, "Father, you are one of the Three Dukes of the court. You must never go begging on the streets again. It will damage your reputation if word gets out."

"If you encounter any difficulties in the future, just tell me. I will send someone to deliver rice, noodles, and wine to your home regularly, so you can relax and enjoy your retirement."

Wang Yun was momentarily moved by his words, a rare hint of emotion flashing in his eyes. But then he thought, after killing Dong Zhuo, he would be the next Dong Zhuo, able to have anything he wanted, why would he need to rely on Lü Bu for support?

That fleeting feeling of being moved was silently extinguished by him. He patted Lü Bu's hand and steered the conversation toward the main topic:

"Although you and my daughter are already engaged, it is not appropriate for you to stay overnight. I believe it would be better for you to have a proper marriage ceremony and become husband and wife. This would be worthy of your illustrious reputation, General."

Lü Bu nodded and said, "Father is right. Seven days later, I will send someone with gifts and a marriage certificate to formally be engaged to Miss. After that, we will choose an auspicious day to hold the wedding and marry Miss."

Wang Yun smiled broadly and cupped his hands in greeting: "Excellent, excellent! I congratulate you in advance, General. With a son-in-law like you, I can say I have someone to rely on for the rest of my life."

Before he could finish speaking, the smile on his face suddenly froze. He changed the subject and lowered his voice, nervously instructing, "However, it's best not to let the Prime Minister know about this for now."

Lu Bu was taken aback, looking at him with confusion. Wang Yun quickly explained:

"The Prime Minister is the General's adoptive father. What if the Prime Minister doesn't approve of this marriage? Wouldn't that be troublesome?"

Lu Bu smiled slightly and waved his hand dismissively.

"I am the adopted son of the current Prime Minister, and Miss Diaochan is the adopted daughter of Minister Situ. Such a joyous occasion cannot be kept secret. Moreover, this political marriage would be a good thing for Prime Minister Dong as well, and I think he will certainly approve it."

Wang Yun's heart tightened, but he dared not stop talking. He quickly moved closer and said anxiously, "General Lü, you don't know this!"

He quickly scanned his surroundings to make sure no one else could hear their conversation before lowering his voice to a minimum.

"You know best about the Prime Minister's lustful nature. If Prime Minister Dong were to see a woman as beautiful as Diao Chan, he would probably snatch her back to Mei Wu on the spot!"

The smile on Lü Bu's face gradually faded. He fell silent, his mind flashing back to Dong Zhuo's lustful eyes and his fleshy face.

He clenched his fists, and after a long silence, he managed to squeeze out a few words: "Well... it's not impossible!"

Seeing that the time was right, Wang Yun immediately followed up, "That's why I was thinking of waiting until the die was cast before reporting to the Prime Minister. By then, even if the Prime Minister was unwilling, he would have no choice but to agree."

While Lü Bu was still hesitating, Wang Yun smiled and used the tactic of retreating to advance.

"Of course, the final decision is entirely up to the General. If I have overthought things, I hope the General will not take it too seriously. After all, this is a matter of life and death for the General and my daughter, and I just want to consider it carefully. The General should think it over before acting."

Upon hearing this, Lü Bu stopped worrying and nodded with a smile, saying, "Father is right, let's do it that way then."

Wang Yun nodded with a smile and personally saw Lü Bu out of the mansion.

But as Lü Bu turned to leave, he didn't see the cunning glint that slowly crept onto Wang Yun's face, which was plastered with a kind smile.

After seeing Lü Bu off, Wang Yun summoned a servant and ordered him to bring Diao Chan to his bedroom. He then knelt alone before the late emperor's memorial tablet, burning incense and waiting.

Diao Chan received the summons and, though somewhat puzzled, hurried over. Before she even reached the study door, she heard a heart-wrenching wail coming from inside.

"Beast! I'm not human! You beast! I will never forgive a beast! You beast, you deserve to die a horrible death!"

Diao Chan's heart clenched, and she hurriedly pushed open the door and rushed inside. She saw Wang Yun smashing things wildly in the room. She immediately pounced on him, grabbing his hands tightly and shouting urgently:

"Godfather! What are you doing? Let's talk this out. Calm down, calm down!"

Wang Yun deflated the force, and his whole body went limp and collapsed to the ground as if his bones had been removed.

Diao Chan quickly brought him a cup of tea and carefully fed it to him before asking in a trembling voice, "Father, were you just cursing that old scoundrel Dong Zhuo?"

Wang Yun leaned back in his chair, his lips trembling for a long time before he finally managed to squeeze out a hoarse sigh from his chest: "He's not only a beast, he's driven all the officials in the court, including this old man, into becoming beasts too!"

He raised his head, his cloudy eyes fixed on Diao Chan, his voice suddenly choked with emotion, "Diao Chan, I, Wang Yun, come from a scholarly family, three generations of whom have served as ministers. I have been loyal and righteous all my life, and lived a life of integrity! But today, today my mouth is filled with the taste of blood."

"As a subject, I suffer the humiliation of beasts and cannot resist; I watch the emperor suffer, yet I cling to life. I, Wang Yun, am even less than a beast!"

He stared blankly ahead, muttering to himself, "My life is worse than death, worse than death!"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly drew the sword from the table, held it to his neck, and was about to commit suicide. Diao Chan was terrified and rushed forward to grab his hand tightly.

Wang Yun was only acting and never intended to die. When Diao Chan stopped him, he loosened his grip, and the sword was snatched away by Diao Chan with a clang.

Diao Chan threw the sword far away, knelt before him, and said urgently, "Father! You bear the great responsibility of revitalizing the country; you must not have any thoughts of taking your own life!"

"Look at the Emperor! He has suffered so much at such a young age, yet he remains unmoved by honor or disgrace. If you abandon him and leave, how will you face the late Emperor in the afterlife?"

After hearing these words, Wang Yun felt as if he had been doused with cold water, and nodded blankly.

He struggled to his feet, knelt before the late emperor's memorial tablet, and kowtowed heavily to the ground, his voice hoarse yet devout: "Late emperor! This old minister has failed you!"

Diao Chan asked softly, "Father, why did you summon me here in such a hurry?"

Wang Yun's cloudy eyes suddenly brightened. He turned around, faced Diao Chan, and kowtowed deeply, his aged voice carrying an undeniable weight:

"I, an old man, plead for the sake of all the people under heaven, begging my daughter to save the Han Dynasty!"