Chapter 35
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Omen of Turmoil
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Jinyang, the office of the Bing Province Governor.
Ding Yuan stared blankly at the burning incense, impatiently drumming his fingers on the desk.
Tap tap.
How much gold had he poured into the capital's officials, and yet no word had come. What Ding Yuan craved was a post in the central court.
He longed endlessly for an imperial envoy who could free him from this godforsaken frontier.
"........."
In the stifling silence, urgent footsteps suddenly echoed from outside.
"My lord Governor! An imperial envoy has arrived from the capital!"
"...At last!"
Ding Yuan swallowed dryly without realizing it. The moment he had awaited had finally come.
Ding Yuan donned his official robes neatly and proceeded to the grand hall.
The officials of Bing Province stood in neat rows inside, holding their breath as they fixed their eyes on the envoy bearing the emperor's will.
As soon as Ding Yuan appeared, the envoy gave a slight bow, then solemnly unfurled the edict stamped with the imperial seal.
The envoy's clear voice soon rang out across the hall.
"Bing Province Governor Ding Yuan, receive the decree of His Majesty the Emperor!"
"Your subject, Bing Province Governor Ding Yuan, receives the decree of His Majesty the Emperor."
"The troops of Bing Province have performed great feats in valiantly suppressing the Yellow Turbans. In recognition of these merits, Ding Yuan is hereby appointed Governor of Bing Province."
"Ooooh!"
"The Governor has become Provincial Governor!?"
A subdued cheer erupted among the officials at the proclamation. But the envoy's words were not yet finished.
"Furthermore, the new Governor of Bing Province is commanded thus: It has come to Our ears that the Black Mountain Bandits and White Wave Bandits are rampant in the Taihang Mountains of Bing Province, tormenting the people. This news troubles Our heart, so the Governor shall immediately raise troops to suppress them and stabilize the frontiers!"
"......."
At those words, it felt as if lightning struck Ding Yuan's mind.
Grip.
His blood ran cold, rage boiling up from his gut, but Ding Yuan suppressed all emotion and prostrated himself deeply on the floor.
His voice trembled faintly, as if overwhelmed with gratitude.
"Your Majesty has praised the valor and merits of Bing Province's soldiers and appointed this unworthy subject as Governor... Truly, Your grace is as vast as the sea! We are immensely grateful, Your Majesty!"
The surrounding officials, taken in by his performance, erupted in cheers without a shred of doubt.
"Congratulations on your appointment as Governor, my lord!"
"What glorious news!"
"Please continue to govern Bing Province well as its Governor!"
"Haha, thank you all. As Governor, I shall govern Bing Province diligently to fulfill His Majesty's will."
Ding Yuan smiled benevolently amid the flood of flattery and congratulations. But behind that smile, cold sweat trickled down his back.
He repeated inwardly.
'...The plan has gone awry.'
All his schemes to advance to the capital had come to naught.
'What in the world is happening in the capital?'
While smiling at the envoy and officials, Ding Yuan's mind was already coldly calculating his next move.
He needed to grasp the situation in the capital quickly.
A week passed.
Ding Yuan could do nothing but hole up in his office and seethe with anger.
The grand title of Governor of Bing Province and the troublesome duty of bandit suppression. It all meant his investments had failed utterly.
"........."
Ding Yuan swallowed his boiling rage in silence. Just then, the spy he had urgently dispatched burst into the room, drenched in sweat.
"My lord! News from the capital!"
"Hand it over!"
Ding Yuan snatched the report as if grabbing the spy by the collar. Its contents were enough to shatter even his last thread of reason.
The report detailed how Lu Bu had stabbed Zhang Yang in the back, effectively turning against the entire Ten Attendants.
"This... this fucking bastard!!!"
Ding Yuan tore the report to shreds.
"How much did I invest, and he uses it all to save some other bastard?! After all the effort I put into those Ten Attendants eunuchs! Arrrgh!!"
In the end, all that remained for Ding Yuan was the hollow title of Governor.
His connections to the Ten Attendants were shattered, and the sharp sword named Lu Bu had sliced its own master's hand. As Ding Yuan moved to kick his desk in fury,
"My lord Governor! Urgent news! Yang Province Governor Gyeong Bi... has been brutally slaughtered by the rebels in Yang Province!"
At the official's report, Ding Yuan froze. He slowly turned, taking the letter the official proffered.
After reading it for a long while, Ding Yuan slapped his knee and burst into mad laughter.
"Hahaha! Though the timing is off, this twist opens a path to survival for me!"
Ding Yuan's face shifted back to that of a merchant, as if his rage had never been.
He approached the untouched desk, sat down, and began grinding his ink himself.
Scrape, scrape.
Ding Yuan took up his brush and inscribed words without hesitation on the unfurled bamboo slips.
Your subject, Governor of Bing Province Ding Yuan, has labored day and night without slacking for even a moment to fulfill Your Majesty's command in suppressing the Black Mountain and White Wave Bandits. However, upon hearing news of great turmoil in western Yang Province, this subject trembles in fear as one sworn to Your service.
Ding Yuan paused his brush momentarily, then wrote the crucial part.
Your subject has a son, Zheng Po, who has made somewhat of a name in suppressing the Yellow Turbans. Though in his youthful vigor he squandered merits and could not escape punishment for his folly, this subject knows well that his spirit and talents are extraordinary. Prostrating myself, I beseech Your Majesty to pity his past foolishness, forgive him generously for the moment, and open the path for him to wash away his crimes and establish new merits.
Should Your Majesty entrust my troops to my son Zheng Po to bear a share of the Yang Province suppression, he will pacify the bandits and greatly alleviate Your Majesty's worries.
Completing the petition, Ding Yuan set down his brush.
"It's not over... There's still a chance!"
Luoyang's imperial palace brimmed with chaos.
It was right after the results of the merit awards for suppressing the Yellow Turbans had spread.
In the midst of the disorder, a man in neat official robes walked silently down the corridor. His post was Imperial Censor.
Monitoring the officials' conduct was his duty, and he could obtain the latest news faster than anyone.
"Hahaha! Lord Zhang the Attendant is generous indeed. I only moved a few sacks of grain, and this is the reward!"
"What? We risked our lives fighting and get a mere ten bolts of silk? What is this!?"
"How is this a reward!?"
"Tsk tsk, eyeing offices without even offering sincerity. Have you ever seen such thieves?"
Voices of joy and sorrow clashed from all sides.
Those who bribed the Ten Attendants squealed like pigs at slaughter, while the upright warriors who bled in battle ground their teeth and swallowed their rage.
Then, a whisper from the corner pierced his ears.
"Have you heard about Colonel of the Guards Lu Bu? They say he got nothing despite beheading two rebel leaders."
"No way! He used all his merits to save Ye Jiang, but I never thought His Majesty would be so heartless. What a shame."
The man halted his steps quietly upon hearing it.
Returning to his office, the man picked up his brush. But instead of writing, he gripped it as if to snap it.
'It's rotten. Completely decayed from the roots. What difference would pledging my youth to such a place make? Better to break my brush and return to my hometown.'
Resigning himself, he unrolled blank bamboo slips to draft his resignation. Beyond the palace's ornate roof, the sky looked unusually ashen today.
Just as his hand neared the ink, the corridor conversation flashed through his mind.
'...Lu Bu. A name I've heard often lately. The one who used his own merits to save a loyalist... I thought him a dog of the Ten Attendants...'
Unknowingly, he murmured the name Lu Bu softly to himself.
'While all chase filthy scraps, he cast aside everything he earned with his own hands...'
His hand stopped on the resignation.
A faint light returned to his eyes for the first time. The sole outlier in this corrupt court.
A powerful urge welled up to meet Lu Bu before returning home.
'Yes, if I'm quitting anyway, shouldn't I make use of this position to the very end?'
The man quietly put away the blank slips. His post still had value.
He called out softly toward the outside.
"You there."
"Yes, Censor."
"Colonel of the Guards Lu Bu. Find out exactly where he resides and what he's doing now, and report back."
"Yes, sir."
Resignation was gone from his voice.
In place of the broken brush, a lingering attachment filled his hand.
After rumors of the merit awards spread far and wide, I visited Master Chae's residence once more.
But today, Cai Yan sitting before me only poured tea in silence, unable to lift her head.
Her cup was already brimming, yet she seemed oblivious.
'What a funeral face, just because I earned some merits.'
The long silence was finally broken by Cai Yan.
"Colonel... because of me, you lost all those precious merits... I have no face left to show you."
Her voice quivered at the end.
So that's what this was about. I set down my teacup with a clink.
"Lift your head, miss."
At my words, Cai Yan flinched and looked up. Her large eyes brimmed with apology.
"Merits like those can be earned again on the battlefield. If anything, I should thank you."
".......Pardon? Thank me...?"
"Without Elder Ye Jiang awakening me... how could I be sitting here drinking tea with you like this?"
Cai Yan tilted her head in confusion at my consolation.
"What do you mean by―"
It was right then, as she started to ask.
Slide!
The door opened, and Cai Yan's younger sister, Cai Zhonghui, popped in carrying a tray of refreshments.
"Hmm~ Seeing you two so close makes your little sister a bit jealous~"
Cai Yan's face flushed red in an instant at the cheeky remark. Her brow furrowed, eyes twitching.
"Cai Zhonghui! What do you mean by that!"
As Cai Yan's scolding was about to erupt,
Knock, knock.
A clear knock sounded at the gate, as if to interrupt the sisters' spat.
"Oh, looks like we have a guest~"
Cai Zhonghui winked mischievously and scurried out. Moments later, she returned leading a stranger into the room.
The man wore official robes, but his overall impression exuded resoluteness.
'...Hmm, who is he? Never seen him before.'
Upon entering, the man stared piercingly only at me, ignoring everything else.
"Are you Colonel of the Guards Lu Bu?"
"That's me. And who might you be, asking so boldly?"
"I am―"