The Three Kingdoms: Home Travel
Chapter 78, One Night!
After having a simple meal at Cai Yong's residence, Jiang Zhe practically fled home. The way Cai Yong and Xun You looked at him made him feel very uncomfortable, and he couldn't stay there for even a moment longer.
Cai Yan, on the other hand, seemed very well-behaved. She didn't speak or look at Jiang Zhe, but just silently ate her meal with her head down.
Anyway, Jiang Zhe had a very awkward meal, and he hurried home as soon as the meal ended.
Upon returning to Wang Yun's residence and entering the study, Jiang Zhe saw Xiu'er sitting at the desk reading a book. He quietly walked over.
A smile suddenly appeared on Xiu'er's face, and she said softly, "Husband, don't frighten me..."
"How did you know all this?" Jiang Zhe asked, somewhat deflated.
"As someone who practices martial arts, I naturally recognize footsteps..."
"Then how can you be so sure it's me?"
"...Because I am my husband's wife..." Xiu'er said with a slight blush.
"Hehe!" Jiang Zhe hugged Xiu'er and said, "Isn't Xiu'er waiting for me to eat again?"
"With my husband away, I feel quite bored all alone..."
"Great, I didn't taste anything at all that meal either, what a show!"
"Um……"
Xiuer went to the kitchen herself to prepare some dishes, served Jiang Zhe a bowl of rice, and said, "Husband, may I ask what business you had at the Cai residence?"
"..." Jiang Zhe hesitated for a moment, then said, "Wow! Xiu'er's cooking today is really good..."
"...Oh, really?" Xiu'er paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Then my husband should eat more. By the way, my husband, that book of yours is so strange..."
"What's so strange?" Jiang Zhe asked casually while eating.
"When I was tidying your desk, I accidentally smashed that book on the desk..." Xiu'er said, puzzled, as she recounted the whole story.
"What?" Jiang Zhe frowned, asking suspiciously, "Xiuer, are you sure?"
"Hmm!" Xiu'er nodded, extending her right hand to Jiang Zhe, revealing a slight redness and swelling at the tip of her delicate index finger...
"I've tried several times, and it's always the same... My husband, what kind of extraordinary book is it?"
"Is that so? Wait a minute!" Jiang Zhe put down his rice bowl, immediately ran to the study to retrieve the book "Qimen Dunjia," and said to Xiu'er in surprise, "Look! Why is nothing wrong with me holding it?"
Xiuer frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "Husband, please put it down, let Xiuer try..."
Jiang Zhe then put it down.
"Husband, take a look!" Xiu'er carefully touched the book, and sure enough, just like before, a few wisps of blue light emanated from the pages. At the same time, Xiu'er's fingers suddenly retracted, and she frowned slightly as she looked at Jiang Zhe.
Jiang Zhe quickly checked Xiu'er's fingers, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she was alright. He then picked up the "Qimen Dunjia" book and said strangely, "Could this book really be something mysterious? Then why was I fine when I touched it?"
Xiuer giggled, covered her mouth and said, "Strange things must have a spirit, so only my husband can see this..." Then she looked at the book with a mixture of curiosity and regret.
"Is there some kind of 'recognizing a master' thing?" Jiang Zhe found it quite amusing and said in bewilderment. But as soon as a thought crossed his mind, his expression slowly changed.
"Could that phrase, 'things don't go as planned,' refer to me...?"
That night, Ding Yuan, the governor of Bingzhou, finally arrived in Luoyang. Just as he was about to order the gatekeepers to open the city gates and inform the emperor, he was stopped by a group of elite imperial guards who were waiting there. One of the generals bowed and said, "Lord Ding! The Empress Dowager is very pleased to hear that you have come to the emperor's aid, but fearing that the people in the city will panic, she has specially ordered you to station yourself a hundred miles outside Luoyang. Tomorrow, she will announce this to the entire city and then summon Lord Ding!"
Ding Yuan cracked his whip and shouted, "Who are you! I am concerned for the Han Dynasty and have traveled thousands of miles through the night to come here. Why has the Empress Dowager refused to let me in?"
"I am Wu Jian! Greetings, Lord Ding!" the man said, clasping his hands in greeting. "I was merely conveying the Empress Dowager's decree and did not speak recklessly. Please, Lord Ding, do not make things difficult for us!"
Ding Yuan glared angrily, then suppressed his rage and said, "What if I, General, had my soldiers stationed outside and entered with only guards?"
"By order of the Empress Dowager, Lord Ding has traveled a long way and must be tired. Please rest for the night. The Empress Dowager has instructed me to prepare fine wine to reward the general and his soldiers!"
Tomorrow? Ding Yuan pondered for a moment. Ever since he received Wang Situ's letter and learned that Dong Zhuo was coming to Luoyang, he had been traveling day and night, hoping to enter Luoyang before him to guard against this man. He never expected things to turn out like this.
"I demand to see Minister Wang!" Ding Yuan shouted anxiously, "You all, step aside!"
Wu Jian's expression changed, and he said coldly, "Lord Ding! This is right under the noses of the Emperor of the Han Dynasty! As the commander of the Imperial Guards, I am here by imperial decree. How can I simply cede this place?"
As he spoke, the hundreds of guards behind him drew their swords, and the situation suddenly became tense.
"I must enter Luoyang!" Ding Yuan said in a tense voice, "If the Empress Dowager wishes to punish me, I will explain myself later! You all, get out of my way!"
"Ding Yuan! How dare you be so presumptuous?!" Wu Jian shouted, "Prepare for battle!"
In truth, Ding Yuan was also somewhat hesitant. Wang Situ had written to him, urging him to arrive in Luoyang as soon as possible, but he hadn't specified how to handle the situation if he encountered such a predicament. If he were to lead his army to forcefully enter Luoyang, it would be a heinous crime, and even Wang Situ wouldn't be able to protect him...
Just as Ding Yuan hesitated, a general behind him sneered, "Hmph! If you want to go in, then go in! Why waste so much time talking! With a single command from our godfather, this gate will be taken down in no time!"
"Alas!" Ding Yuan shook his head, sighed deeply, and said, "This is not appropriate! We should still act according to the imperial decree! Alas..."
"Hmph!" The general snorted coldly and said nothing more.
Suppressing his anger, Ding Yuan said to Wu Jian, "I will come again early tomorrow morning!"
Wu Jian also breathed a sigh of relief. He was afraid that Ding Yuan would disregard everything and lead his army straight in. With only a few hundred imperial guards, how could he possibly stop the 30,000 Bingzhou cavalry?
"Lord Ding is indeed loyal and patriotic! Tomorrow morning, Empress Dowager Si will surely draft an edict summoning you to the palace..."
"That's for the best!" Ding Yuan sighed inwardly, not wanting to waste any more words with Wu Jian, and led his troops to retreat.
Wu Jian shifted his body, feeling a cold sweat break out on his back. Who was the general behind Ding Yuan just now? Why did he put so much pressure on him?
Wu Jian seemed to be deep in thought.
As for Wang Yun, ever since he wrote a letter to Ding Yuan, he has been waiting every day for Ding Yuan to lead his army to the city, and he has also sent many servants to various city gates to inquire about the news.
Suddenly tonight, a servant reported: Ding Yuan of Bingzhou led his army to Luoyang, but was stopped outside the city gates.
Wang Yun was startled, his pen slipping from his hand. He exclaimed in shock, "Such a thing? Who dares to block the Jianyang army?"
The servant hesitated for a moment, then said, "I was too far away to hear clearly, but it seemed to be an order from the Empress Dowager that the soldiers from Bingzhou have come a long way and are tired, so they should rest outside the city for the night..."
"Absurd! How could the Empress Dowager do such a thing..." Wang Yun shouted, then immediately realized what was happening.
Wang Yun waved for the man to leave, muttering to himself, "Could it be that someone is provoking us? A few days ago, the Empress Dowager was perfectly fine when she saw me, and even promoted Shouyi to Chief Secretary. But these past few days, she seems distant towards me..."
"No!" Wang Yun frowned, walked out of the study, and shouted, "Someone! Prepare the horses!"
Wang Yun rode his horse to the palace, only to find the gates closed. He called out, "I am Wang Yun, the Minister of Works, requesting an audience with the Empress Dowager. I have important matters to discuss!"
From the inner city walls, a man peeked out and glanced at Wang Yun, saying, "It's late, the Empress Dowager is asleep. Minister Situ, please return tomorrow!"
Wang Yun hesitated, a vague sense of unease creeping into his heart. He said, "Please, General, inform the Empress Dowager! I truly have important matters to discuss!"
"Lord Situ, please don't make things difficult for us..." the man said kindly. "It is indeed late tonight. If you have important matters to attend to, Lord Situ, it can be discussed at court tomorrow..."
"..." Wang Yun became increasingly uneasy and said, "Please, General, allow me to report to the Empress Dowager. I will await your message here. This matter is of utmost importance, and I must see the Empress Dowager today!"
A moment later, the inner city gate opened, and a man dressed as a general walked out. Wang Yun's face lit up with joy, and he was about to step forward when the inner city gate closed again. "This general, Qiao Yu, greets Minister Wang!"
"Could you please go and inform her immediately?" Wang Yun said hastily. "This matter is of utmost importance; I absolutely must see the Empress Dowager!"
Qiao Yu hesitated for a moment, glanced around, and whispered to Wang Yun, "To be honest, Lord Situ, it was the Empress Dowager who gave the order for me to guard this place and not let anyone in! Including Lord Situ..."
"This..." Wang Yun's expression changed, his face filled with shock. He murmured, "Why is this? Why is the Empress Dowager treating me like this?"
Qiao Yu hesitated before saying, "I have a younger brother who guards the Empress Dowager's palace after all the eunuchs were executed. One day, he overheard a sentence that I thought I should tell the Minister of Works."
Wang Yun glanced at Qiao Yu, frowned, and said, "Tell me!"
"The Empress Dowager's words were essentially, 'How dare Prince Shi have illicit relations with a foreign official?'"
"..." Wang Yun was shocked and immediately understood what was going on.
"Lord Situ, you should go back. Even if I were to risk my life to let you in, the Empress Dowager would not see you. My brother told me that these days, the Empress Dowager has often been inexplicably angry in the palace, and she is referring to you..."
Wang Yun slowly closed his eyes, letting out a long sigh, "I understand now... Thank you for your explanation, General!"
"I wouldn't dare!" Qiao Yu said, cupping his hands in greeting. "The Han Dynasty is currently in a perilous situation. I hope Lord Situ will take care of himself. I have duties to perform, so I'll take my leave!"
Wang Yun nodded, watching Qiao Yu enter the inner palace. He glanced in the direction of the Empress Dowager's bedroom, shook his head, gave a bitter smile, and returned to his residence dejectedly with faltering steps.
P.S.: Wu Jian and Qiao Yu in the text were kindly provided by a fellow reader in the group (Xian Yuan Xu Wu)! Thank you again!
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