Liu Bian at the start, so you're called Dong Zhuo, right?

Zhangde Hall.

Emperor Ling of Han barely slept these past few nights.

He listened to the increasingly chaotic sounds outside, and the more chaotic they became, the more annoyed he became—not annoyed by the Crown Prince, but annoyed by himself.

He is the emperor.

The rumors in the capital could not be suppressed.

To suppress is like admitting guilt; not to suppress is like losing control.

Zhang Rang stood to the side, having already been asked three times, "Where have you found it?"

Each time, all he could reply was, "Still investigating."

He knew that His Majesty was on the verge of exploding with anger.

Just then, the eunuch announced:

"His Highness the Crown Prince requests an audience."

Emperor Ling's eyes darkened.

Zhang Rang's heart skipped a beat.

—The Crown Prince has arrived.

It came at the wrong time, yet it was the perfect time to come.

"Announce."

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Bian quickly entered the hall.

He walked slowly, his clothes were neat and tidy, and after entering, he bowed first, his movements were meticulous, without the slightest bit of panic that someone entangled in rumors should have.

Emperor Ling of Han looked at him, his gaze not particularly gentle.

"What are you doing here?"

Liu Bian raised his head, his voice not loud, but clear:

"Your subject is not here to defend himself."

Emperor Ling of Han twitched his brow.

Liu Bian continued:

"Rumors are spreading in the capital, damaging Father Emperor's prestige. Father Emperor was granted the title of Prince, yet outsiders say he is being controlled—if this reaches the other prefectures and counties, what will the princes, governors, and prefects think?"

Emperor Ling's gaze deepened, but he did not interrupt.

Liu Bian presented the stack of papers:

"Your subject has already secured three chains."

"I beg Your Majesty to allow me to act in accordance with the law."

Emperor Ling of Han took it and turned a page.

When he turned to the words "former members of the Zhao family", his fingertip paused for a moment.

He looked up at Liu Bian:

"You found Zhao Zhong's old associates?"

Liu Bian nodded slightly:

"What I found was a chain. The chain's hand was reaching into the old ashes."

"If the old ashes are not cleaned, the fire cannot be extinguished."

Emperor Ling of Han remained silent for a moment, then suddenly asked:

"What are you going to do about this?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Rang knew that His Majesty had begun to listen.

Liu Bian answered quickly and steadily.

"End-of-phase rule".

"Those who copy others' work, spread rumors, or impersonate eunuchs will be apprehended as a warning to others."

"Accountability in the middle stage."

"The palace gate verification slips, once the sample is leaked, whoever handled them bears the responsibility; whoever allowed it to pass, whoever signed their name, it all goes up the chain of command."

"In the first part, don't use names, just use words."

"Detain the old members of the Zhao family first. Cut off their money, their paperwork, and their access. Make sure they can't continue to make a living by borrowing from the wind."

He paused slightly as he said this.

"Father only needs to issue one decree."

"Suppress the rumors in the capital and rectify the court."

"I will take care of the rest."

The hall fell completely silent.

Zhang Rang stood to the side, feeling a chill run down his spine.

He understood: the Crown Prince didn't want His Majesty to stand up for him, but rather wanted His Majesty to give him a "skin of imperial power"—to use it to deal with the capital.

Emperor Ling of Han stared at Liu Bian for a long time, then suddenly laughed.

That smile was neither warm nor angry; it was as if it were an admission of something:

—This child is starting to act as emperor for him.

"Granted," Emperor Ling of Han said.

Liu Bian immediately kowtowed: "Thank you, Father Emperor."

As he rose, Emperor Ling of Han added casually:

"Don't make too much noise."

These words sounded like they were putting pressure on him.

In reality, it was already a reminder after delegating authority.

Liu Bian lowered his head: "Your subject understands."

-

Chongde Hall.

The Empress Dowager Dong heard the news the next day: the bookstores were closed, the people who posted notices on the walls of the Imperial Academy were arrested, and the tallies used to pass through the palace gates were also investigated.

She held the teacup, her fingers slowly tightening.

She had originally thought it was very simple.

Whenever rumors surfaced, the Crown Prince would always have to come out and explain. The He family would also invariably show a hint of fear and panic.

As long as they panic, there will be an opening for them to slip through.

But to her surprise, Liu Bian didn't offer any explanation.

There was no explanation whatsoever.

He went straight to pinch his "mouth".

The old palace maid whispered, "Empress Dowager... could this matter lead back to us?"

Empress Dowager Dong remained silent for a long time before slowly putting down her teacup.

"unimportant."

She looked up, and the smile that had been hidden in her eyes was completely gone.

"The important thing is—the network I borrowed had some people who shouldn't have been there."

She pursed her lips slightly as she finished speaking.

"Zhao Zhong's old ashes..."

"Why did they suddenly appear at this time?"

This is what truly troubles her.

She wanted to take advantage of the wind.

But he didn't want to borrow a light.

I don't want to borrow a dirty fire that will burn me up too.

-

The day after the news was cut off, the palace was quiet for a while.

It was as quiet as if someone had smoothed out the surface of the water—but Liu Bian knew that the hand was still beneath the surface.

In the afternoon, the Ministry of Personnel delivered a draft of the "Ceremony for Moving the Residence": Now that the Chenliu Prince's Residence has been established, the date for moving from the palace to the residence shall be chosen according to custom, and the carriages, ceremonial guards, attendants, guards, and entry and exit permits shall be listed together.

The signature area bears the seals of the Grand Master of Ceremonies and the Imperial Clan Court.

This is to truly implement the "emperor's favor" and let the world see that granting titles of kings is not just a matter of paper.

This also shows everyone that anyone who dares to cause trouble at this time is slapping the emperor in the face.

After reading it, Liu Bian only said one sentence:

"Do as instructed."

Xun Yu raised his eyes: "Did Your Highness guess they would make a move?"

Liu Bian placed the draft on the table and tapped it lightly with his finger:

"If they don't move, the rumors will be in vain."

"Spreading rumors is just testing the waters; only then will the real sword fall."

After he finished speaking, he turned to Wang Ming and said:

"Prepare all the entry and exit permits for today, the list of those allowed to pass, and the ten-day reports from each gate."

Wang Ming's throat tightened: "Your Highness intends to—"

"We need it," Liu Bian interrupted. "If not today, when?"

Wang Ming bowed his head in response and turned to carry out the task.

-

On the day the government was moved, it was just dawn.

The road outside Duanmen was cleared early on, with the Imperial Guards lined up on both sides, the ceremonial guards in front, and the carriages behind. When the drums sounded, the ground seemed to tremble.

This was the day the Prince of Chenliu left the palace and entered his residence.

It was also a day when the emperor bestowed favors and demonstrated the patriarchal system.

Emperor Ling of Han originally did not want to show himself.

The rumors in the capital hadn't completely died down yet, and his appearance before everyone seemed to be telling the outside world: something was indeed happening in the palace.

But Empress Dowager Dong came to invite her personally.

"How can you hide from the Emperor's decree? The more you hide, the more people outside will say you're guilty."

Empress He also sent a message.

"If His Majesty does not step forward, it will seem even more like he is being 'controlled'."

Emperor Ling of Han was caught between these two sentences, and in the end, he still sat on the imperial carriage.

—Not for Liu Xie, but for his own reputation.

At the foot of the Duan Gate, Empress Dowager Dong sat on a small couch on the right, twirling a string of Buddhist prayer beads in her hand. Her movements were unhurried, and her face revealed little emotion. Empress He stood slightly behind on the left, her clothes neat and her eyes cold.

Zhang Rang stood beside the imperial carriage, his eyes lowered, like a quiet shadow.

Liu Bian stood below the platform.

The Crown Prince's official robes were worn impeccably, without a single detail out of place. He was followed only by Xun Yu and a few officials from the Eastern Palace, appearing neither ostentatious nor even particularly quiet.

But the quieter it is, the more conspicuous it becomes.

Because everyone knows that this crown prince has just managed to seize control of the situation in the capital in the last few days.

Not long after, Liu Xie was carried out.

He had clearly gotten up very early; his eyes were slightly red, and he looked a little dazed, but he didn't cry.

When she was carried out by the eunuch, her little hand instinctively reached out and grabbed forward.

The movement was very small.

But Liu Bian saw it at a glance.

He didn't interrupt or do anything else; he simply stepped forward and bent down to take Liu Xie from the eunuch's hands, all under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

I held him very firmly.

Liu Xie nestled into his arms and immediately quieted down, as if she had found someone to lean on.

Someone in the audience gasped softly.

—The Crown Prince personally embraced the young king.

This hug, without needing to say anything more, had already sealed half the fate of public opinion.

"Brother Xie is leaving and returning to his residence today, and the formalities are quite elaborate," Liu Bian said, his voice not loud but clear enough, "I will be looking after him on behalf of my father."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Ling of Han, sitting on his imperial carriage, slightly tightened his knuckles.

He still felt awkward towards Liu Bian.

But at this moment, there was only one more obvious feeling—

stable.

At least on the surface, the eldest son has managed to stabilize the situation.

The master of ceremonies announced the ceremony, and the carriages set off.

But just as the procession passed the first corner outside the Duanmen Gate, an unexpected incident occurred.

First came a muffled thud.

It wasn't a drum; it was the sound of wood breaking.

Immediately afterwards, an arrow flew out from under the eaves on the side and "thud" pierced the shoulder of the flag bearer in front. The flag bearer swayed, and blood immediately stained half of his robe sleeve.

As the ranks fell into disarray, a second arrow followed, heading straight for the "Imperial Edict Flag" in front of the imperial carriage—a flag embroidered with the emperor's seal, symbolizing "bestowing favors."

"Protect the Emperor—!"