Dong Zhuo looked at Emperor Shao of Han, Liu Bian, who was riding a few horse lengths ahead of him, with disdain. He turned to Li Ru, who was half a horse length behind him, and whispered, "How can a son of the Liu family be so timid?"
In Dong Zhuo's view, Emperor Ling of Han had already fallen short of the Liu family's standards, being overly concerned with trivial matters like money. Now, Emperor Shao of Han seemed even less impressive, lacking the boldness and courage that the Liu family was known for. As someone who had grown up in the midst of blood and fire, Dong Zhuo found it hard to respect such a weakling.
However, it was not uncommon for dynasties in their twilight years to produce weak and ineffectual emperors. If they had any courage, they would have fought to the death to save their dynasty, wouldn't they? The Han Dynasty held a lofty place in history largely because most of its emperors were bold and decisive. Traditionally, every prince had to undergo rigorous evaluation by the reigning emperor before ascending the throne, and those deemed weak or incompetent were excluded from succession. Unfortunately, Emperor Ling of Han, despite his many concubines, left few heirs, leaving little room for choice.
At the time of Emperor Shao's ascension, the legacy of great Liu family emperors like Liu Bang, Liu Che, and Liu Xiu was still deeply ingrained in the minds of the people. Most believed that the Liu family should continue to produce exceptional leaders. The stark contrast between this expectation and the reality of a timid and weak emperor was a bitter pill to swallow.
Dong Zhuo was deeply disappointed. He had initially felt some sense of loyalty, as his official position and status had been granted by Emperor Ling of Han. But upon seeing Emperor Shao, whatever little loyalty he had evaporated completely. This was the fundamental reason for Dong Zhuo's shift from respect to contempt upon meeting the young emperor.
In contrast, Dong Zhuo found the Prince of Chenliu, Liu Xie, more to his liking. At least the boy had some courage and could speak coherently, embodying a bit of the Liu family's spirit.
Li Ru, observing Dong Zhuo's expression, casually remarked, "This child was raised by Empress Dowager Dong." Since Dong Zhuo disliked Emperor Shao, it wouldn't hurt to emphasize that the Prince of Chenliu had been nurtured by someone from the Dong family, making him seem more familiar and relatable than Emperor Shao, who had been raised by Empress He, the sister of He Jin.
Is this your choice?
Li Ru glanced at the group of officials, including Wang Yun, who had been pushed to the back of the procession. He could guess their thoughts. Throughout history, when the emperor was strong, the ministers were weak, and vice versa. Only a weak emperor allowed ministers to wield power. If the emperor was too strong, the ministers would live in constant fear. But Li Ru preferred a dynamic where both the emperor and the ministers were strong, pushing each other to greater heights. Although this path was fraught with challenges, it was the true way of a courageous man. Li Ru had little respect for the timid scholars from Shandong.
Li Ru summoned a messenger and ordered, "Convey the general's command: the vanguard is to accelerate their entry into the city. Send soldiers to announce along the way that Dong Zhuo, the Governor of Liang Province, has rescued the emperor and is returning to the capital! The central and rear forces are to camp outside the city walls."
The messenger glanced at Dong Zhuo, who nodded and waved his hand in approval, and then rushed off to deliver the orders.
This is the bearing of a true leader.
Knowing how to use people, delegate authority, and focus on the big picture without getting bogged down in minor details—these were qualities Li Ru saw in Dong Zhuo. As for Dong Zhuo's lust and temper, Li Ru considered them trivial matters. After all, which emperor didn't have a harem full of beauties or a temper that led to executions?
************
"The barbarian from Liang Province is too much!"
Wang Yun returned home in a rage. He had been so close to claiming the credit for rescuing the emperor, but at the last moment, the opportunity slipped away. Instead, Dong Zhuo had taken all the glory, leaving everyone else on the sidelines. Even Wang Yun, a high-ranking official, was ignored after entering the city. When he tried to follow the emperor into the palace, he was stopped by Liang Province soldiers, who claimed that no one could enter without Dong Zhuo's permission.
Am I, a high-ranking official, just a nobody?
This is infuriating!
"Send my name card to Grand Tutor Yuan Wei's residence. Tell him I have some fine tea and invite him to come and taste it."
This is the territory of the Shandong scholars!
You barbarian from Liang Province, if we don't teach you a lesson, you won't know how high the sky is or how thick the earth is!
************
Cao Cao, the Commandant of the Capital Guards, was also at home, pounding his table in frustration.
He had just received news from the palace that Emperor Shao and the Prince of Chenliu had returned, escorted not by Wang Yun and his group, as Cao Cao had expected, but by Dong Zhuo from Liang Province.
There was another piece of news that was even more troubling. Most of the Cao family's connections in the palace had been wiped out in the recent chaos.
If Cao Cao hadn't split from Yuan Shao immediately after breaking through the palace gates and gone to protect a few of his family members in the palace, the Cao family's influence in the palace would have been completely eradicated.
These aristocratic families are ruthless!
Now, the Cao family's network in the palace has been almost completely severed, undoing the work of two or three generations. All the time and resources invested have been wasted.
What upset Cao Cao even more was the realization that no matter how hard he tried to align himself with these aristocratic families, he could never truly become one of them. Despite the Cao family's significant sacrifices and their frontline role in opposing the eunuchs, when it came to gathering forces to welcome the emperor, Cao Cao was left out.
Even Chunyu Qiong, a known drunkard, and Zhao Meng, an incompetent fool, were notified, but Cao Cao, a legitimate Commandant of the Capital Guards, was deliberately overlooked. How could he not be included?
What saddened Cao Cao even more was the coldness of the Yuan family. Yuan Shu had long been at odds with him, and whether or not the Yuan family had a hand in it, Yuan Shu had clearly set him up yesterday. This debt would have to be repaid later. But Yuan Shao, who had fought alongside him and shared the same hardships, had now turned his back on their camaraderie and returned to the Yuan family to curry favor. Couldn't he show a little backbone and principle?
Don't you understand that the Yuan family is just trying to silence you with a sweet date since they couldn't crush you?
If even you, Yuan Shao, a member of the Yuan family, don't care, how can I have any grounds to settle accounts with Yuan Shu?
Yuan Shao, oh Yuan Shao, is a small share of the credit for welcoming the emperor so important? The Yuan Shao of today is no longer the bold and righteous man you once were.
Cao Cao closed his eyes and remained silent for a long time.
Finally, he sighed, stood up, and went into his room. He took out a small rattan box, caressed it for a while, but ultimately did not open it. Instead, he ordered a small fire to be lit in the courtyard and threw the box into the flames before walking away.
The fire quickly consumed the box, causing it to warp and burst open, revealing a few bamboo horses and wooden swords inside...
Since the path of the aristocratic families is closed to me, Cao Cao, I will forge my own path!
From now on, I will only speak of success or failure, not of friendship!
************
Having done what he needed to do, Fei Qian did not linger at the Cui family's residence. After breakfast, he bid farewell.
Cui Hou was eager for Fei Qian to stay longer, hoping he could provide further guidance to the family's craftsmen. However, Cui Yi, who had been angered by Min Gong earlier in the morning, was feeling unwell, so the matter of the glass had to be set aside for the time being. Family matters took precedence, and Cui Hou reluctantly escorted Fei Qian to the outskirts of Luoyang before turning back.
By now, the city's defenses had been taken over by Liang Province troops, and the large banner bearing the character "Dong" fluttered prominently on the city walls.
The streets bore fresh signs of fire and destruction, with local officials shouting orders to organize cleanup efforts. As Fei Qian walked, he noticed traces of blood, barely covered by yellow sand, and the faint smell of blood lingered in the air.
It was time to leave. Although Fei Qian had no intention of fleeing, Luoyang was now in grave danger. Without power or influence, and being only a provisional official, he had no means to protect himself.
Although he had made a brief appearance before Emperor Shao and the Prince of Chenliu, it was merely planting a seed. It would take time for it to grow, and he couldn't rely solely on this hope.
Groups of Liang Province soldiers roamed the streets, causing chaos.
Fei Qian, dressed in fine robes and wearing a high hat, was clearly a man of status, so the soldiers dared not trouble him. However, commoners in short jackets were not so lucky, many being beaten or robbed.
Fei Qian frowned, stopping a few incidents, but the soldiers merely gave a casual salute before dispersing. There was little he could do.
Without official authority, what could he do?
Fei Qian was deeply frustrated. How could the high-ranking officials, who usually held themselves in such high regard, remain silent while the Liang Province soldiers ran amok? Why was no one stepping forward to stop this?
Did the Liang Province soldiers truly not understand hierarchy and propriety? Not exactly. Even someone like Fei Qian, who was not an official, could command enough respect to make the soldiers back off. This suggested that if higher-ranking officials intervened, the situation could be brought under control.
But it seemed that these officials were deliberately turning a blind eye, allowing the Liang Province soldiers to wreak havoc. Their goal was clear: to tarnish Dong Zhuo's reputation.
However, Fei Qian couldn't understand why Dong Zhuo, the leader of these troops, would allow his men to behave so recklessly. Did he not realize that this would ruin his reputation?
With these thoughts in mind, Fei Qian returned home, where Fu Shu handed him a name card.
"Chief Clerk Li of the Former General's Office?" Fei Qian was momentarily confused. Did he know this person? Who was this? An invitation to tea?
Fei Qian felt a sense of unease. In his past life, being invited to "tea" by authorities was something to be feared. Whether it was a government agency or a workplace superior, such invitations often turned into interrogation sessions.
"Fu Shu, where did this name card come from?"
"It was delivered just now, while you were out, by a member of the Imperial Guards," Fu Shu replied, clearly concerned. Receiving an invitation from a high-ranking official out of the blue was enough to make anyone nervous.
Who could this be?