To Luoyang (3)
Liu Bei looked toward Guan Yu with a wry smile.
"I'm sorry, Yun Chang."
"If my eldest brother's grand resolve demands it, this Guan Yun Chang will follow silently."
Kang Minju bowed his head deeply as well and cried out.
"This Zhang Yide will follow big brother's will even unto death!"
A faint smile finally spread across Liu Bei's stern lips.
"Thank you, my brothers."
After a moment lost in sentiment, Liu Bei swiftly reverted to the face of a cool-headed commander.
"That said, as Yun Chang worries, we won't charge headlong into the tiger's jaws. Captain Zou has connections in Luoyang, so let's consult with that gentleman, secure a safe passage, and then move cautiously when the opportunity arises."
The moment Liu Bei's declaration fell, a hot lump seemed to thud down in the center of Minju's gut, sending a shiver through him.
Perfect. At last, the most crucial first button of history has been fastened by my hand. The massive gears of fate have begun to spin wildly.
A few days later, Liu Bei's group set out on the long journey to Luoyang, their identities concealed thanks to Zou Jing's arrangements. Leaving their army behind, just the three brothers traveled with Zou Jing.
Unlike the cold, dry air of the north, the atmosphere grew thick with an inexplicable, unpleasant heat and an extreme tension that evoked the stench of rotting blood as they neared the imperial capital.
The talk from roadside villages, inns, and taverns was all the same: Dong Zhuo, Dong Zhuo, and Dong Zhuo.
Some shuddered, saying Dong Zhuo had entered court with the Emperor at his side, sword at his waist, and slaughtered loyal ministers on the spot just because he didn't like the look in their eyes.
Others whispered that Yuan Shao, who had fled to Ji Province, was already circulating letters to the lords of the eight provinces, sharpening their blades.
Someone else added a secretive tidbit about a man named Cao Cao raising an army back home by selling off his fortune.
Facts, lies, and wild exaggerations tangled chaotically, but one truth no one could deny: the vast cauldron of the realm was bubbling furiously, on the verge of explosion.
The day they finally arrived at Luoyang.
The sight of the imperial capital that Minju faced for the first time in his life gripped his throat not with splendor or awe, but with suffocating dread.
Towering walls that pierced the heavens. Majestic pavilions stretching endlessly. Crimson pillars and grand gates boasting overwhelming majesty.
On the surface, it shone dazzlingly as the true heart of the empire, but the air flowing between those massive structures was somehow twisted and foul.
This feels so different from what I imagined.
Minju wasn't a Romance of the Three Kingdoms fanatic, but he'd seen dramas, books, anime, and comics about it now and then. Luoyang was always depicted as a glittering golden tower built from layers of Chinese culture.
But the real Luoyang felt less like splendor and more like an iron fortress that choked the breath right out of you.
It wasn't just the exterior that impressed. Officials in ornate robes passing on the main avenues forced smiles, but their eyes were frozen in terror. Xiliang soldiers filling the streets scanned the commoners like prey with bloodthirsty glares. Even the capital's people hurried along with heads bowed like criminals, holding their breath.
Minju bit his lip and murmured inwardly.
This is... the gateway to living hell.
Liu Bei and Guan Yu also sensed the unnatural atmosphere under Dong Zhuo's tyranny and clicked their tongues briefly.
"This is nothing like the Luoyang I remember."
Liu Bei lamented, recalling his brief visit in the past. Zou Jing didn't contradict him.
"The mood must have changed a lot. I've arranged a place for you to stay, so rest there for the time being."
"Thank you, Captain."
"Think nothing of it."
Minju thought he knew why Zou Jing was so accommodating toward Liu Bei's group.
Comradeship... is that it?
Before joining forces with the official army, Liu Bei's group hadn't even known who Zou Jing was. But fighting side by side to wipe out the Yellow Turban remnants had forged a bond of camaraderie among them. That bond was proving immensely helpful to the three sworn brothers.
That evening, as soon as they unpacked at the lodging, Zou Jing quietly pulled Minju aside alone.
Minju greeted him with an expression brimming with anticipation.
"Did you call me because of what I asked for?"
"Yes."
Zou Jing nodded curtly.
"It's ready. He wants to see you."
At those words, Minju sprang to his feet like a coiled spring. Liu Bei and Guan Yu shot him puzzled looks at the suddenness.
Zou Jing hurriedly added by way of explanation.
"Tonight, Zhang Yide and I have important business to handle, so he'll be moving separately."
Liu Bei eyed Minju with concern.
"I won't pry into the details... but whatever it is, don't overdo it. Take care of yourself."
Minju flashed a grin to reassure him.
"No worries, big brother. Taking care of this body is Zhang Yide's specialty, isn't it?"
Guan Yu sat silently, staring intently at Minju for a moment before murmuring very softly and secretly.
"...Always act with composure."
Those few words tangled deep worry for his youngest brother with an instinctive wariness of whatever inscrutable scheme he was plotting.
Minju nodded deeply.
"No need to worry, Brother Guan Yu. Composure is my specialty."
Not the sort of thing you'd expect from Zhang Fei's mouth.
Without even a lantern, he followed silently behind Zou Jing into the pitch-black back alleys of Luoyang.
Wang Yun's residence seemed overly modest and quiet for the mansion of the Grand Commandant, one of the highest imperial posts. High walls blocking outside views, firmly shut neat gates, an exterior devoid of lavish decoration.
Yet that eerie restraint and silence silently proved how monstrously adept the master of this house was at concealing his true intentions.
Even Zou Jing, being led deep inside, kept his mouth shut tight, his tension plain.
Minju held his breath too, maintaining silence.
Soon, they reached a secluded study at the innermost part.
The spacious room, heavy with the scent of premium agarwood, held an elderly minister seated ramrod straight. His hair was thick with white, but his beard was trimmed sharp as a blade.
The old man's eyes were hawk-like, sharp. Even without a word, he exuded the crushing pressure of a colossal wielder of power.
The era's greatest loyalist and schemer, Minister Wang Yun.
The instant Minju faced that overwhelming presence, he swallowed hard, his instincts screaming.
This old man too... is a real monster who's survived decades in the bloodless political battlefield, far deadlier than any splatter of blood on the front lines.
Zou Jing wiped cold sweat and prostrated himself politely.
"This is Zhang Yide, the one I mentioned discreetly in my letter a few days ago."
Wang Yun's piercing gaze stabbed straight through Minju's entire body. A horrific light that seemed to dissect flesh down to the bone.
"...So you're that Zhang Fei whose martial fame is spreading."
Minju knelt as well, offering a rough but respectful bow.
"Zhang Yide of the Tak County forces from You Province."
"Liu Xuan De's sworn brother, I hear. Your reputation precedes you... but word is you're no mere beast swinging a spear to crack skulls."
Minju met Wang Yun's aura without flinching, responding calmly.
"A spear and sword alone can't fully excise the rot from this decaying realm, so this lowly one struggles to keep his eyes and ears open."
At that reply, Wang Yun's white eyebrows twitched ever so slightly. Zou Jing, prostrated beside him, didn't dare breathe, just swallowing dryly.
Suddenly, a faint smile touched Wang Yun's lips.
"I wondered what impudent fool requested to see me, but you've brought an interesting one."
Wang Yun flicked his long sleeve lightly with a gesture.
"Sit there."
Minju carefully took the indicated seat.
At that moment.
"Pardon the intrusion."
A woman brought tea for them. Dazzlingly beautiful. Minju's gaze locked onto her instinctively.
If you shaped the word 'beauty' into human form, this is what you'd get, he thought.
The moment he saw her, Minju somehow knew her name.
Diaochan.
The key figure in the Connected Rings Plan, the woman who would alter Three Kingdoms history alongside Wang Yun, now stood before Minju's eyes.