Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

Their voices trembled, and they didn't dare to lift their heads, for fear of angering Liu Ce.

Seeing their expressions, Liu Ce slowly withdrew the oppressive aura in his eyes.

He waved his hand and said in a calm tone:

"Now that you understand, go back home. Stay home and live peacefully. You'll still receive your salaries. Stop causing trouble and worrying about these trivial matters. My ability to bring peace to the world and ensure that the people have enough to eat is far more important than any ancestral rules or the face of the court."

"Yes, yes, Your Highness is right! We take our leave now!"

Everyone felt as if they had been granted a pardon, quickly bowed to Liu Ce, and scrambled out of the council hall.

They were fleeing for their lives, almost throwing their canes away, afraid that if they were a step too slow, Liu Ce would leave them behind to settle scores.

A group of old men ran out of the gate of the Prince of Yan's mansion, and only when the wind blew did they realize that the backs of their court robes were completely soaked with cold sweat.

They were all leaning against the wall, panting heavily, their legs still trembling, their faces as white as paper.

Wang Yun patted his chest, his voice trembling, and said, "My God... His Highness, the Prince of Yan, this... this is going to..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yang Biao covered his mouth.

Yang Biao looked around, lowered his voice, and his face turned green with fright:

"Senior Brother Zi! Are you out of your mind?! How dare you say such things?!"

He released his grip, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and said with lingering fear:

"We're lucky we all made it out unscathed today! From now on, don't utter a single word about court assemblies or His Majesty's affairs! Stay home and save your lives!"

"That's right, that's right!"

Ma Ridi nodded repeatedly, his legs still trembling, and said, "The Prince of Yan seems easygoing, but when he gets angry, he's more terrifying than Dong Zhuo! We're nothing but a nobody in his eyes! We'll never come looking for trouble again!"

Huang Wan wiped her sweat and sighed weakly, "That's right! I've lived this long and this is the first time I've ever seen anything like this. The Prince of Yan's eyes were like knives; my legs are still weak. From now on, whatever the Prince of Yan says, we'll do as he says. Let's stay put and not say a word..."

Zhang Wen, leaning on his cane and panting heavily, said, "I told you not to come, but you insisted! Now look what happened! You almost lost your lives!"

"When did you say that?" Han Rong glared at him. "You were the loudest one shouting just now!"

"I was just... I was just trying to bolster our morale!" Zhang Wen blushed. "Who knew the Prince of Yan would be so assertive!"

Huang Wan sighed, shook her head, and said, "Forget it, this world is no longer something we can interfere with. The Prince of Yan is right; he governs the world very well, and the people live in peace and prosperity, which is better than any ancestral rules. Besides, he is surnamed Liu. We old folks should just retire peacefully."

The group of old men looked at each other, their initial bravado gone, and they all lowered their heads and slunk away to their own homes.

After that, these old ministers never mentioned resuming court assemblies or paying homage to His Majesty again.

They all stayed home obediently, rarely even going out.

When they occasionally get together, they only dare to talk about everyday matters, flowers, birds, fish, and insects, never mentioning politics.

Meanwhile, in the study of the Prince of Yan's residence, Liu Ce watched the old men run off into the distance and said to Guo Jia with a smile:

"Those old fogies are finally gone. They have nothing better to do than fuss over these fancy rules. If I don't give them a clear answer, they'll keep bothering me every day."

Guo Jia, waving his feather fan, smiled and said, "My lord's words have directly uprooted them, so naturally they won't dare to cause any more trouble. However, my lord, when do you plan to announce Liu Xie's abdication to the world?"

Liu Ce picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said with a smile, "Once Yizhou and Jiaozhou submit, and Yangzhou is conquered, the world will be unified, and this matter will naturally fall into place. Let's give these old men a heads-up now, so they won't jump out and make a fuss later."

Guo Jia nodded and said, "My lord is wise."

Liu Ce waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, stop flattering me. Come on, let's continue playing chess. I haven't finished capturing your pieces yet."

Guo Jia said with a wry smile, "My lord, can't you spare my life?"

"What are you putting down? Playing chess is like fighting a war; you can't be soft-hearted!"

The two set up the chessboard again and began to fight.

The world is now mostly in Liu Ce's hands.

The day when we unify the country is just around the corner.

...

A few days later, it was Wang Yun's residence again.

Huang Wan, Zhao Qian, Ma Ridi, Yang Biao, Wang Yun, Zhang Wen, Han Rong and others gathered together again.

It's the same group of old men, the same hall, and the same pot of tea.

The atmosphere was much quieter than last time.

However, this time the discussion wasn't about how to get an explanation from Liu Ce, but rather whether or not to resign from their official positions.

Wang Yun sat in the main seat and remained silent for a long time before finally speaking: "Gentlemen, I have thought about this over and over again these past few days. Let's resign from our official positions."

Everyone was taken aback and turned to look at him.

Wang Yun sighed, his face full of exhaustion, and said, "We're getting on in years, still occupying the positions of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, yet we can't do anything of substance. What's the point of just sitting around at home all day?"

"Your Highness Prince Yan is right. The court assembly is just a shell; the core is getting things done. Now that government affairs are being handled, the people have food to eat, and the world is at peace, wouldn't it be troublesome for us to linger here?"

He paused, then lowered his voice: "Besides, we old folks have been in the court for decades, and our students and friends are all over the country. Although the Prince of Yan doesn't say it, he must have his concerns."

"We resigned voluntarily, which puts his mind at ease, and it puts our minds at ease too. Isn't it better to retire at home, enjoying our grandchildren, than to live in constant fear?"

Yang Biao nodded and said, "Brother Zi is right. We're so old, what are we still arguing about? Back then, when Dong Zhuo was in power, we were powerless to stop him; when the warlords were fighting against Dong Zhuo, we couldn't help them either. Now that the Prince of Yan has governed the country so well, let's not add to the chaos."

"We old ministers, though holding high-ranking positions, can't actually do anything. Rather than occupying these positions without doing anything, we should voluntarily step down and make room for younger people. Resigning and retiring peacefully is the best way to do what we can for ourselves and the court."

Ma Ridi nodded and said, "Yes, those young men under the Prince of Yan, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Xun Yu... they are all more capable than us."

"If we stay here, people will laugh at us. To be honest, I've wanted to quit for a long time. I feel uneasy just sitting at home all day, drawing a salary without doing anything. It's better to quit than to be talked about behind my back."

Huang Wan smiled and said, "Then let's resign together. We can get together to drink tea, play chess, and grow flowers whenever we want. How wonderful!"

Everyone nodded in agreement, agreeing that this made sense.

Finally, Wang Yun made the decision:

"Alright! It's settled then! Tomorrow we'll go to the Prince of Yan's residence together to resign from our posts!"

...