49. The One Who Punishes the Traitor (4)
49. The One Who Punishes the Traitor (4)
The Emperor arrived in Luoyang.
Not only the Dong Zhuo army officers defending Luoyang, but the bureaucrats as well, all came out to welcome the Emperor.
However, the Emperor did not emerge from the carriage.
At the words of the palace attendants that he was suffering from a serious illness and could barely move, the Dong Zhuo army generals unanimously agreed that the young Emperor would surely not live long and would die young.
Everyone thought so.
However, only Governor of Henan Yang Yi shone eyes of suspicion, wondering if the Emperor might be involved in a rebellion.
"I heard that the Emperor is on his deathbed, but to think he's suffering from such a severe illness at that age that he can't even move..."
"The Chancellor of State must become the master of the world. Isn't that right, General of Chariots and Cavalry?"
Li Meng and Wang Fang said.
At their words, Dong Min laughed heartily and replied that it should naturally be so.
If his brother Dong Zhuo became Emperor, he would at least be able to ascend to the position of a King. Perhaps not even satisfied with the position of a feudal lord, Dong Min wanted more than that.
'How much have I done for my brother all this time? Our Dong family will become the imperial family of a new dynasty and establish a hundred-year plan. An Emperor ascending from Xiliang, what a celebratory day this is! Hehehe, it's not a dream to finally have those women I've never been able to taste.'
Like Lu Bu or Zhang Liao.
Women he had been drooling over but couldn't bring himself to eat. Since his status would change once he became a King, he waited for the day he could force himself upon them.
"Move aside!"
A Royal Physician passed by.
He was carrying a bucket full of blood-soaked rags.
Someone must have vomited blood.
The Royal Physician was clearly on his way out of the Emperor's quarters, and the generals who saw this said that the Emperor must be in such critical condition that he was vomiting blood.
But they did not know.
That it was the traces of blood shed by the palace maids serving Emperor Liu Xie, who had been stabbing and tearing at their own arms and feet.
Everything was to punish Dong Zhuo.
Because they had suffered countless insults and contempt from the Dong Zhuo army, they burned with hatred, determined to take revenge on Dong Zhuo.
"Vomiting blood...!"
"To vomit such a large amount of blood..."
It is certain that the Emperor is truly suffering from a serious illness.
Not only the generals who saw the traces of the blood vomiting, but also Governor of Henan Yang Yi, who received the report from them, came to believe that the Emperor was truly suffering from a serious illness and hovering between life and death.
They had perfectly deceived everyone.
Dong Min hurriedly sent a letter to Chang'an. He informed his brother Dong Zhuo that it was certain the Emperor was suffering from a serious illness, and even told him the fact that he was vomiting blood profusely.
News also reached Lee Seong-hwi.
Hearing the news that the Emperor was vomiting blood, he guessed that it was fake.
Liu Xie still had a long life ahead of him.
Unless someone poisoned or assassinated him, his destined lifespan would continue without major changes. In other words, it was absurd for the Emperor to be dying of a serious illness right now.
"Commandant, I have to leave for a transfer for a while."
"I am the same. I am just leaving for Henan Prefecture for a while, so I will be back within a few days."
Some of the Dong Zhuo army officers who were monitoring Lee Seong-hwi were transferred to Luoyang.
The Emperor would die within a few days.
The Dong Zhuo army generals, who expected this, were excited, saying that a new Emperor would ascend to the throne. They were even so impatient that they called the officers to Luoyang to prepare for the coronation ceremony.
The Dong Zhuo army generals love to flatter.
So they wanted to prepare the coronation ceremony before anyone else to catch the eye of Dong Zhuo, who would become the Emperor of the new dynasty. Lee Seong-hwi sneered at their making a big fuss.
"This must be delivered secretly. Can you do it?"
"More than capable. Right now, the Dong Zhuo army is in a festive mood, saying a new Emperor will ascend. The surveillance net has also become much thinner."
"If this task is completed, you too will be able to add your name to the ranks of meritorious retainers."
"Leave it to me!"
Lee Seong-hwi called for agile hunters.
They were tiger hunters who had hunted while crossing valleys and ravines, so they were swift and agile.
He handed the note to the hunters.
He sent a secret letter announcing the start of the great undertaking to Henei Commandery, Hongnong Commandery, Hangu Pass, and Yangren and Yangcheng, where the Lu Bu army generals were located.
【When the Pingtianguan (Imperial Crown) changes.】
The secret letter could easily be discovered.
So Lee Seong-hwi put a roundabout sentence in the secret letter.
But soon, he thought that Lu Bu and the generals might see it and not understand. He felt a belated "oops," but the hunters had already headed to each region.
"They'll understand, right? No, they must understand. If I write it too openly, there's a risk that the great undertaking will be exposed immediately after the secret letter is discovered."
He paced in place, lost in deep thought.
The die had already been cast.
Since he had gone this far, the next step was just to carry it out. Even if he wavered now, the great undertaking was already in progress.
'It is highly likely that the Emperor will soon summon Dong Zhuo from Chang'an for the purpose of abdication. Abdication is mostly done through a will. If he says he will give the imperial position, Dong Zhuo will rush to Luoyang.'
I must prepare too.
Lee Seong-hwi summoned the officers in charge of the counties.
He set up a regular meeting for training as a pretext.
Originally, in Xingyang, meetings of officers were held about once a month, so the Dong Zhuo army spies did not have much suspicion about Lee Seong-hwi's actions.
Why now of all times?
One might think that, but because Lee Seong-hwi had not shown any suspicious behavior for a long time, the spies had all become lazy.
"What on earth is written here?"
Lu Bu received the secret letter from Lee Seong-hwi.
Inside the secret letter, only one very concise sentence was written. Seeing it, Lu Bu tilted her head, saying she couldn't understand the meaning at all.
What on earth is a Pingtianguan?
A country girl from Bingzhou had no way of knowing difficult words. It was good that the secret letter was delivered safely, but the recipient couldn't interpret its meaning.
"I, I don't know either."
Zhang Liao was the same.
Zhang Liao was also from Bingzhou, so she didn't know difficult words well.
She couldn't tell anyone.
Because she had to prevent the leakage of classified information by showing this secret letter, which seemed to be related to the great undertaking, to someone else.
"What is it?"
"What could it be?"
"Mun-won, you should know."
"It's natural for there to be things I don't know."
The secret letters must have been delivered to the other generals as well.
Would they know what a Pingtianguan is?
She thought it was highly likely they wouldn't know, as all the generals were running on a level of ignorance where they were just comparing the heights of acorns.
"This stupid bastard! He's writing down something only he knows! Is he trying to show off because he thinks this is the time, or what? Of course, I know he's smart because he's from Luoyang, but is he mocking people like this?!"
She crumpled the secret letter.
Then she threw it on the ground.
At the sight of Lu Bu huffing and puffing with anger, Zhang Liao gave an awkward smile.
"Still, wouldn't the Deputy Commander have written it like this expecting Bong-seon-nim to understand? Thinking that if it were Bong-seon-nim, it would be possible."
"Well... i-is that so?"
She really has a simple personality.
At Zhang Liao's words, Lu Bu quickly showed a relaxed appearance.
After clearing her throat with a "Khem."
Lu Bu unfolded the crumpled paper again and tried to interpret the meaning.
There was no way a woman who didn't even know Chinese characters could know.
Staring intently at 'Tian', the only Chinese character she knew, Lu Bu soon recalled that Dong Zhuo was trying to become Emperor in Luoyang.
"Changing the crown must mean the owner of the crown is changing."
Zhang Liao said to Lu Bu as if giving a clue.
Zhang Liao was the first to notice the meaning.
She helped Lu Bu understand by giving clues little by little. Without hurting Lu Bu's pride, she kept giving clues so that she could figure out the meaning herself.
"I see, the coronation ceremony!"
Lu Bu's eyes shone.
At those words, Zhang Liao nodded.
"As expected, you are amazing, Bong-seon-nim."
Clap, clap. Zhang Liao clapped her hands.
At that, Lu Bu nodded as if it were natural and showed a look filled with pride.
Liu Xie sent a letter to Dong Zhuo.
He felt he would not live long now.
So, just as Emperor Yao abdicated to Emperor Shun, and just as Emperor Shun abdicated to Emperor Yu, he conveyed his intention to pass the imperial throne to the Chancellor of State as well.
"It's done! Hahahaha, that petty little Emperor! Finally, he's giving me the answer I like!"
Dong Zhuo jumped for joy.
On the other hand, Li Ru, who saw the Emperor's letter, reacted with great suspicion.
The Emperor hated Dong Zhuo intensely.
He had raped and ravished his palace maids, embezzled imperial property, and even dug up the tombs of past Emperors.
Even for a simple-minded person, this was strange.
Yet, it was natural to be suspicious of Liu Xie's words, who readily said he would pass the imperial throne to Dong Zhuo.
"Chancellor of State, this is something to be wary of. The Emperor is young but intelligent. He is surely plotting a scheme, so you must be wary of it."
"Listen, Li Ru. The Emperor is only ten years old. He's just a snot-nosed kid. Do I look like a fool who would be deceived by such a brat? I cherish you greatly, but I'm secretly disappointed that you're ignoring me like this."
"N-no...! How could I dare to have thoughts of disparaging my father-in-law?"
"Then just follow me quietly. This means that Heaven desires this Dong Zhongying."
Dong Zhuo began to brag in a way that was favorable to himself.
He interpreted seeing clouds with Imperial Aura while walking in the imperial palace, or a deer entering the backyard and running wild, as signs meaning his succession to the imperial throne. Taking uncertain things as signs, he asserted that he would become Emperor.
"That is correct! This humble officer has long thought that the Chancellor of State should become the new Heaven. Please suppress the chaotic turbulent times and become the Overlord of the vast Central Plains!"
Colonel of Cavalry Li Su said.
Dong Zhuo felt good at Li Su's words.
"Overlord! Hahaha, that's a cringeworthy word."
"No, Chancellor of State. Isn't 'Overlord' the most fitting nickname for a hero who will conquer the turbulent times, and for the Emperor who will rule the world? Please become a hero comparable to the Overlord of Western Chu, Chancellor of State!"
"Overlord of Western Chu? Hahahaha! Although I've become this fat now, in my youth, I showed martial prowess not inferior to Xiang Yu! You know your stuff. It's a cringeworthy word, but it's very pleasant to hear."
Dong Zhuo began to listen to Li Su's words, which were full of flattery, rather than Li Ru's words.
He was intoxicated by the sweet taste that was pleasant to hear.
Since Dong Zhuo had been hearing flattery from many people since moving the capital to Chang'an, he especially enjoyed hearing words mixed with flattery.
"Then please take the troops. You must mobilize the Imperial Guard led by General Hua Xiong and General Xu Rong."
Li Ru suggested.
At those words, Li Su opened his mouth again.
"If there are many troops, the coronation ceremony will be delayed by that much. And it is an ominous thing to mobilize many weapons on an auspicious day. I heard that the General of Chariots and Cavalry is already preparing for the coronation ceremony. Besides, with General Li Meng and General Wang Fang there, what problem could there be with your personal safety?"
Li Su explained eloquently.
At those words, Dong Zhuo nodded with an intoxicated expression, as if drinking delicious sweet wine.
He ended up falling for the flowery speech.
Seeing Dong Zhuo accepting Li Su's words at face value, Li Ru began to think that something was definitely going wrong.
The Emperor was clearly hovering between life and death.
It could be that he was trying to pass the imperial throne to the powerful official Dong Zhuo right before he died. Didn't King Kuai of Yan also pass his throne to his chancellor?
'But the chancellor who inherited the throne was murdered by the Qi state not long after. And he met a terrible end, being pickled as salted fish.'
This is too ominous.
Signals warning of danger were continuously being transmitted. Li Ru began to harbor concerns at the sight of Dong Zhuo seemingly stepping into a trap himself.