You are the traitors!
You are the traitors!
"Now then~ drink up, all of you! Tonight, I, Hua Xiong, am buying for my Dong Zhuo-friendly juniors!"
"Hwawa... drinking with new comrades is the best, yes~..."
"One drink. Glug."
Dong Zhuo's direct subordinates, freshly arrived from Xiliang: Hua Xiong, Li Jue, and Guo Si.
Gathered at the drinking party they had arranged were those now considered comrades-in-arms, having thrown in their lot with their lord, Dong Zhuo.
General Ding Yuan's direct subordinates—Lü Bu and Zhang Liao—were there, along with the only man present, a boy of similar age to Lü Bu named Gao Shun.
"Excuse me... is this really all right? I heard we were told to remain on standby because something important might happen today..."
"It's fine! Our lord, General Dong, himself gave us his permission! All the bigshots are drinking, so we can drink too!"
"Hweeeeng... and you, Zhang Liao, have to have one too, yes~."
"Haha! Thanks, Sis. Truth be told, with the Mightiest Little One Under Heaven here and that bookworm over there, neither of them can hold their liquor, so I've been deprived for a while."
"Drinking capacity. Evolving. Unlimited growth potential. Without attempt, no evolution. Therefore. One drink, glug."
"Uhm..."
"Y... yes..."
Through Zhang Liao's half-hearted grumbling and the unrelenting pressure from the three women far senior to her, Lü Bu and Gao Shun eventually raised their cups.
As a result, both, who were minors by modern law and minors in reality, collapsed after only a few drinks.
Before long, only Zhang Liao remained, but with her brakes finally released after so long, she was already dead drunk, having practically poured it down her throat.
After watching the three pass out in less than the time an incense stick takes to burn, Hua Xiong, Li Jue, and Guo Si shared a meaningful smile...
And then they simply kept reaching for the wine bottles.
"Pour it, yes! Drink it, yes!"
"Hwawa we did it, yes~ now we'll just keep going, yes~!"
"Drink and death. Plan proceeding."
And so, the three carried on their drinking spree with gusto, flaunting their capacity before their fallen comrades.
A short while later,
the soldiers who rushed into the room found nothing but six commanders sprawled on the floor in a tangled heap, completely unconscious from their intoxication.
*
General-in-Chief Ding Yuan rose from his seat and stepped forward.
As the de facto host of today's banquet made his move, the eyes of the assembly naturally converged on him.
"To the high ministers of this country gathered here, I, General-in-Chief Ding Yuan, have something to say for the future of the great Han Dynasty."
The man who, along with Zhang Rang, held the reins of power said he wished to speak for the nation.
In the minds of those listening, the thought automatically surfaced: 'What kind of crazy nonsense are those bastards about to pull this time?'
And, true to these base expectations,
Ding Yuan did not disappoint.
No, he detonated a bomb that exceeded even their expectations.
"This nation has been battered inside and out by the rampant Yellow Turban Rebellion of recent years and the upheaval that occurred within the Imperial Palace. To overcome such a chaotic state of affairs, a wise, virtuous, and nobly-blooded ruler is naturally required."
Ding Yuan was spouting words of supreme ill omen.
At this point, what he was about to say next began to dawn on the sharper minds present,
yet most could only feel a sense of 'surely not.'
And understandably so, because the very words they were anticipating were...
"Therefore, I believe it is right to depose that foolish and incompetent Son of Heaven, who carries the blood of a lowly commoner, and to enthrone Her Highness the Prince of Bohai... no, the Prince of Chenliu, as the new Emperor. Her Highness, born of a noble bloodline, has already demonstrated virtue and aptitude."
"Wh... what did you say?"
"You can't mean... are you actually proposing treason, here and now?"
"Treason, you say? Why choose such harsh words?"
Amidst those expressing their consternation, a calm and distinct voice rang out.
The one who spoke was the figure who had held sway over the nation's domestic affairs from the reign of the late emperor up to the present day.
It was Zhang Rang, leader of the Three Regular Attendants.
"What we do here is solely to set the nation right. Did that renowned sage Mencius not say this? One who harms benevolence is a criminal; one who harms righteousness is a brute; a brute and a criminal is a mere fellow. I have heard of the execution of a mere fellow called Zhou, but I have never heard of the murder of a king."
He who harms benevolence and righteousness is a brute and a criminal, and such a brute and a criminal is nothing more than a mere fellow. King Wen executed a mere fellow, the tyrant King Zhou; I have heard of that, but I have not heard of him killing a king.
That is to say, Mencius's words declare that a tyrant who damages benevolence and righteousness is neither king nor anything else, just an unqualified human being, and removing him is not treason.
Mencius's intent in saying this was closer to a warning that even a king can fall if he errs, yet later generations, drawing on Mencius's authority, often cited the phrase to justify acts of treason.
Of course, judging the aptitude of an emperor who is a seven-year-old girl and the Prince of Chenliu, who is still a toddler, is a ridiculous notion in itself.
But power, by its very nature, is corrupt and ugly, driving people to seize on such ridiculous points and wring them for all they are worth.
"Placing a person of no talent upon the Jade Throne in such turbulent times as these may well doom the nation in the future. This was a sentiment the late Emperor Ling confided to me in secret, and it is a matter acknowledged by Her Majesty, Empress Dowager Dong. I hope no one here will raise any further quibbles about this."
"Uhm..."
"Tch..."
Setting aside Empress Dowager Dong, there was no way to confirm whether the late Emperor Ling had actually said such a thing.
Even if that man had lost his mind, would he really have gone on about the presence or absence of talent in a child who could not even walk?
The truth was known only to Zhang Rang, standing right there.
Despite this brazen declaration of traitorous intent by Ding Yuan and Zhang Rang, the ministers simply kept their mouths shut, cowed by the duo's power and authority.
A deep smile crept onto the two powerholders' faces as they watched this spectacle.
Just then.
—Crash!!!
In the next instant, a sharp sound tore through the air. With a violent crash, a table was overturned, and the oppressive silence shattered.
All eyes in the room instantly fixed on a single point.
There, with a frosty expression on her face, stood
a woman.
She possessed shimmering silver hair and a conspicuous, striking beauty.
One of the leading figures of the Pure Stream Faction and the eldest daughter of the Han Dynasty's most prestigious house, the Yuan Clan.
Yuan Shao.
With a voice like chilled ice, she addressed the scowling Ding Yuan and Zhang Rang.
"I've heard... quite enough. To dare breathe talk of dethronement with your own mouths. Can you dogs still call yourselves vassals drawing a stipend from the Han Dynasty?"
"Why, how dare that woman..."
"Colonel Yuan! Such insolence before the General-in-Chief and the Central Regular Attendant!"
"Since when was it the place of a general or a eunuch to interfere with the throne as they please? The insolence here is being committed by you. To spout the insolent nonsense of dragging down Her Majesty the Emperor, who justly ascended as the legitimate heir—you are the traitors to this nation."
Yuan Shao spoke without a shred of hesitation, her voice steady yet razor-sharp.
To any true loyalist of the Han,
or even to any who merely frowned at the power wielded by those wretched eunuchs and a general from the frontier, her words brought a deep, refreshing sense of vindication.
At that moment.
"What are you all doing! Seize that insolent wench at once!"
"Shut that mouth! No, we'll take her head right here and...?!"
—Thud!
In an instant, Ding Yuan and Zhang Rang's mouths snapped shut.
Their eyes caught the figures of two women stepping silently into view from behind Yuan Shao.
They looked almost like sisters,
with short silver hair and refined, neat features.
The two had entered, one in a white and the other in a black maid's uniform, blood smeared on their faces.
Each dragging a soldier by one hand, they tossed the half-pulverized, unconscious men into the center of the banquet hall as if discarding sacks of cargo.
"As commanded."
"Cleaning is complete, Young Lady."
The two reported the situation in quiet, dignified voices.
It was not difficult for Ding Yuan, Zhang Rang, and everyone else present to grasp what their words meant.
The hundred or so soldiers stationed in front of the banquet hall.
Given the nature of the event, they were elite troops from Bing Province, deployed there as a contingency against any unforeseen trouble.
But judging by the women's words and actions, and the state of the wretches on the floor, it was easy to predict what had befallen them just now.
"Remember this well: Lord Ding Yuan is not the only one with power under heaven."
"Tch..."
Yuan Shao uttered her warning in a voice like midwinter ice.
The two women then carefully draped an outer robe over Yuan Shao's shoulders.
"The air is foul, Young Lady."
"Let us go home."
"Understood. Yan Liang, Wen Chou."
With a calm reply, she took something from within her robes and threw it into the center of the hall.
—Thud!
"Ugh!"
"Uhm..."
A heavy token of metal had landed in the center of the banquet hall.
It was the insignia of office signifying Yuan Shao's rank.
It was, in effect, throwing a letter of resignation straight in their faces. With this act, tantamount to a declaration of war against Ding Yuan and Zhang Rang present there, Yuan Shao leisurely departed the banquet hall, flanked by her two escorts.
Even though the hall was secured by commanders like Zang Ba and Wei Xu, along with the Imperial Guards,
the atmosphere—sending a momentary chill down their spines—forced Ding Yuan and Zhang Rang to maintain their silence for a time.
*
To the ministers, led by Ding Yuan and Zhang Rang...
No, to everyone under heaven, really, Yuan Shao had left a blazing, unforgettable mark with her name.
Having once again made her name resound throughout the realm, she departed the banquet hall and, according to a prearranged plan, immediately slipped away from Luoyang.
A large number of followers, centered around Yan Liang and Wen Chou, trailed behind Yuan Shao.
With them, Yuan Shao headed straight for Nanyang in northern Jing Province, the Yuan Clan's domain, located south of Luoyang.
She had originally considered heading to Ji Province, which was Yuan Shu's base of power, but since she had already gathered her own force, Yuan Shu had asked her to exert her strength elsewhere.
Given the plan that was to follow, even Yuan Shao could see that heading to northern Jing Province, which offered greater tangible gains, was the correct answer over Ji Province, which would only be emotionally satisfying.
"So, it's to be Nanyang in Jing Province, Young Lady."
"Yes. We will gather and train our troops there for now. Until the next phase of the plan unfolds."
"Understood, Young Lady. However."
"Why is Lord Yuan not accompanying us? Given the situation back there, could she not have just slipped away with us?"
At Yan Liang and Wen Chou's question, Yuan Shao barely suppressed the urge to say, 'That's exactly what I've been thinking,'
and answered in as flat a tone as she could muster.
"Gonglu... said he had some separate business to attend to. He'll make his own way out once it's finished."
"I see."
She didn't know the precise details, but it must have been a matter of considerable importance.
Even without knowing the specifics, Yuan Shao sincerely prayed that her younger brother's task would be resolved safely and well.
'Still... to have to be separated from Gonglu again like this.'
She had gone to great lengths to summon her brother to Luoyang, but that wretch Ding Yuan, or whatever his name was, had thrown everything into disarray.
Chewing over her fury at that fact, while simultaneously pondering how best to exploit the deepening currents of this coming era of chaos made possible precisely because of it.
Yuan Shao tightened her grip on the reins and urged her horse swiftly southward.
'There's no need to be impatient. This was always a matter I anticipated would take a long time. Still... in the end, I shall have it, without fail.'