New Three Kingdoms Tales: Starting as the expressionless Liu Bei

Five days later, Diao Chan's eyes were red and swollen from crying, and she looked as if her soul had been taken away.

She sat in the room, clutching the silver hairpin in her hand, looking at it over and over.

Footsteps sounded behind her. The servant who had advised Wang Yun to go on a hunger strike quickly entered, bowed slightly, and said cautiously:

"Miss, the master still hasn't eaten or drunk anything; today is the fifth day. This servant dares to beg you to go and persuade the master."

Diao Chan didn't speak, but simply gripped the silver hairpin tighter. Seeing this, the servant dared not urge her any further, but only sighed deeply and slowly retreated with a hunched back.

Two more days passed in the blink of an eye. Diao Chan sat by a well, still holding the silver hairpin that Lü Bu had given her. Gazing at the hairpin, Lü Bu's words echoed in her ears once more.

"Ever since I met you, Miss, I have been thinking about you constantly. Even in my dreams, I see your image."

Lu Bu's handsome face kept appearing in her mind, and she couldn't shake it off no matter what she did.

"If I cannot stay by your side in this life, I would rather be dead."

The servant who had advised Wang Yun to go on a hunger strike reappeared before her, bowing deeply, his voice even more somber than before:

"Miss, the master has not eaten or drunk anything for seven days. This servant thinks that the master may not make it through tonight."

Diao Chan remained silent after listening. She was caught in a difficult decision.

Is the adoptive father's grand plan to eliminate Dong Zhuo more important, or is his affection for General Lü more important?

She didn't know. She felt like she was standing in a vast ocean, with no shore in sight and no one to lend her a hand. She had nothing but loneliness.

Time slowly passed until late at night. The next morning, Lü Bu would send someone to deliver gifts and a marriage certificate, officially arranging his engagement with Diao Chan.

This was her final deadline. After struggling internally for a long time, she finally stood up and went into Wang Yun's bedroom.

A few flickering candles burned dimly inside the room. Wang Yun, dressed in his burial clothes with a white silk ribbon tied around his head, lay quietly on the couch.

There were even people squatting on the ground nearby, burning paper money for him one after another; the scene was extremely bizarre.

Wang Yun was sound asleep after eating his fill when he heard Diao Chan's footsteps. He immediately put on a weak and feeble appearance, as if he were about to die, without opening his eyes, only breathing intermittently.

Diao Chan looked at him like this, remained silent for a long time, and finally lowered her head and said softly, "Father, let's eat."

Wang Yun was overjoyed, but he remained stoic, opening his eyes tremblingly, his voice so weak it was almost inaudible: "Daughter, you, you've agreed to my request?"

Diao Chan didn't speak. She simply knelt down silently and kowtowed deeply to Wang Yun.

The next morning, in Chang'an, at Wanle Palace.

As a high-pitched eunuch announced, "The political discussion is over, court is adjourned," all the officials rose, bowed to Dong Zhuo, and said in unison, "Respectfully seeing off the Prime Minister."

Dong Zhuo grinned and was about to stand up and swagger away when, as he passed by Wang Yun, Wang Yun suddenly bowed and respectfully said, "This old minister greets the Prime Minister."

Dong Zhuo paused, turned around incredulously, and looked the old minister, who usually avoided him like the plague, up and down before bursting into laughter:

"Wang Yun, it's rare for you to pay your respects to us! What is it you wish to do?"

Wang Yun glanced at the officials who had not yet dispersed behind him, his face showing hesitation.

Dong Zhuo immediately understood, raised his hand and waved it, saying loudly, "All of you, withdraw." The officials responded in unison, "Yes, sir," and filed out.

Once the main hall was empty, Dong Zhuo looked down at Wang Yun and said, "Wang Yun, speak."

Wang Yun stepped forward, a smile spreading across his face, and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture:

"In my humble abode, there are several century-old plum trees that have recently come into full bloom. I would like to humbly invite Your Excellency the Prime Minister to grace my humble abode with your presence today, to enjoy a few drinks and admire the plum blossoms."

Upon hearing this, Dong Zhuo's eyes widened, and he directly extracted the two words from the sentence: "What? Drinking? You want to treat me to drinks?"

Wang Yun nodded slightly and smiled, "Indeed. Prime Minister, you are extremely busy with state affairs and work tirelessly for the country. We all admire you greatly. This old minister would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to you."

Dong Zhuo chuckled and patted Wang Yun hard on the shoulder several times, making Wang Yun shrink by half a head.

"Very well! To be honest, I've always wanted to have more in-depth exchanges with you high-ranking officials, but you just won't invite me for a drink. I even thought you looked down on me!"

Wang Yun quickly waved his hand, smiling humbly, "How dare I, how dare I? This old minister is only afraid that the Prime Minister will not be so kind as to grant me this honor."

Dong Zhuo waved his hand, his mouth practically smirking from ear to ear: "Not at all! This is definitely ours to receive; even the Emperor himself couldn't change that!"

He was smiling when suddenly his brow furrowed, and he turned to stare at Wang Yun. His smile remained, but his eyes turned cold: "Hmm, something's not right, Minister Wang. Something seems off."

Wang Yun's heart tightened, but he dared not show it on his face and quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

Dong Zhuo tilted his head and counted them one by one on his fingers:

"Look, it's summer now, and plum blossoms don't bloom in summer. Besides, this isn't Luoyang. Where would you get a hundred-year-old plum tree from? You didn't take any trees with you when the capital was moved."

Wang Yun's pupils contracted sharply, and cold sweat instantly seeped out from his back.

He had certainly considered these loopholes. He originally thought that although Dong Zhuo was cruel, he wasn't very bright and could easily fool people with a lie.

But he never expected that the old thief would suddenly become wise today.

Without thinking twice, he hurriedly cupped his hands and explained:

"Your Excellency may not know this, but after the capital was moved, someone discovered these few century-old plum trees by chance and specially transplanted them to give to this old minister. This old minister has carefully nurtured them for many days, and the plum blossoms have only recently bloomed."

Seeing Wang Yun's flustered state, Dong Zhuo smiled slightly, gently patted him on the shoulder twice, and said softly:

"Minister Wang, there's no need to be so flustered. But, according to your explanation, why did this person only see you off and not me? Does he not even see me, the Prime Minister, in his eyes?"

Wang Yun's heart skipped a beat. He was about to speak in his defense when Dong Zhuo raised his hand to interrupt him.

He withdrew his hand, placing it behind his back, his smile calm and confident.

"Alright, alright, Minister Wang, there's no need for further explanation. Who are we? We're skilled in both literature and martial arts! There's nothing in this world we're afraid of. Since you've come up with this excuse to invite us over, then we'll go."

"With absolute power, what are you afraid of with your schemes and tricks? Hahaha, you'd better go back and prepare some wine for me. We're looking forward to having a good chat with you."

He smiled sinisterly, his murky eyes staring straight at Wang Yun.

Wang Yun felt a chill run down his spine, but he could only force himself to nod, cup his hands in greeting, and say "Yes, sir." He then turned and hurried out of the palace without looking back, completely disregarding his surroundings.

Not long after, Dong Zhuo, riding in the emperor's carriage and accompanied by a large number of Xiliang soldiers with disheveled hair and looking like savages, came to a stop in front of Wang Yun's residence.

Wang Yun had been waiting there for a long time. After drinking several bowls of strong liquor at home to bolster his courage, his heart, which had been quite frightened, finally calmed down a bit.

Seeing Dong Zhuo alight from his carriage, he hurriedly stepped forward, cupped his hands in a salute, and said loudly, "This old minister respectfully welcomes the Prime Minister!"

Dong Zhuo alighted from the carriage, looked around with his hands behind his back, and clicked his tongue in amazement:

"Wang Yun, isn't your residence far too simple? Today, open your heart to me, and if you swear your undying loyalty, I'll provide you with a much grander mansion!"

The two chatted and laughed as they walked side by side into the courtyard. Just then, Diao Chan, as arranged by Wang Yun beforehand, slowly emerged from the other side of the corridor.

She changed into a brand new outfit, so green it was dazzling, but it only made her face look even more pale. Her usual smile had vanished completely, leaving only a kind of resigned calm.

Dong Zhuo's gaze fell on her, and he froze on the spot, his mouth slightly open, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

Diao Chan walked up to him, gave a graceful bow, and said in a calm and composed voice, "This servant greets the Prime Minister."

Dong Zhuo pointed at her, his fingers trembling slightly, and after a long while, he turned to Wang Yun and asked, "This, this is?"

Wang Yun bowed slightly and introduced with a smile, "This is my daughter, Diao Chan."

Dong Zhuo suddenly slapped Wang Yun on the shoulder and chuckled, his face contorted with laughter.

"Hey Wang Yun, you really know how to hide things! You've really got a mistress hidden away!"