When are we doing XX?
When are we doing XX?
On the way back after finishing the public security inspection.
Normally around this time I'd be thinking about getting off work, but today we still had one more thing scheduled.
Meeting the ministers at the Imperial Palace, who had been summoned by Yuan Shao and the others.
Given how late it was, there would be no time to discuss state affairs in detail, but with a mountain of work to do, if I didn't sort things out quickly, it risked causing needless misunderstandings and unrest. I had to somehow finish this business of winning over the high-ranking elders.
And so, stifling the urge to just flop down then and there, I slowly rode toward the Imperial Palace, now beginning to come into view.
"Aren't you tired? You rushed to Luoyang at dawn and haven't rested at all since."
Dong Zhuo's question was full of concern. I looked at her with a light smile and replied.
"This much is fine. If anything, please don't push yourself too hard, Zhongying."
"Heh, thanks for the concern, but even though I may look like this, on the battlefield... no."
Dong Zhuo paused briefly, as if something had come to mind.
Then she gave a faint smile and said to me,
"I really am... quite tired. So, how about we rest over there for about a meal's time before we go? Give the soldiers a chance to catch their breath as well."
Dong Zhuo pointed to a wide square with a large zelkova tree in its center.
Since we still had a little time to spare, I gladly accepted.
"Ughhhhh..."
"Phew..."
The soldiers sank down with groans as if they'd been marching.
I rested for a while, leaning my back against the zelkova tree,
and Dong Zhuo sat down beside me.
The sun slowly setting over Luoyang.
Gazing at it, Dong Zhuo asked in a calm voice.
"... How do you feel?"
"Good... to say that, honestly, I'm left with some regret. We've taken Luoyang, but there are still so many unresolved problems."
"Heh..."
Dong Zhuo let out a small laugh at my unfiltered honesty.
Then, with a familiar gesture, she pulled me against her.
Right after that, I felt a tranquil sensation.
As I rested in that ever-reassuring embrace, her soft voice flowed into my ears.
"I understand that feeling well enough... but don't be too impatient. Haven't you done your best and done well so far? Surely it will be so in the future as well."
"... Thank you. For saying that."
I couldn't deny that there were things I regretted.
But, as Dong Zhuo said, it was equally undeniable that I had done my best so far.
The end of this chaotic age was still nowhere in sight, but if I kept putting out the flames one by one, surely I would see its end one day.
Holding onto that hope, for now I surrendered myself to the tranquility I could feel close by, taking a moment's comfort for my heart.
Just then.
"By the way... Gonglu. There's something I'm curious about."
"What is it?"
Her tone was calm but weighty. I opened my half-closed eyes a sliver as she asked,
"Our wedding... when do you plan to hold it?"
"!... ah..."
A fact that dawned on me belatedly.
With that, the drowsiness creeping up on me seemed to vanish in an instant.
"Didn't we say before? That after this campaign is over, we'd discuss it in earnest. Remember?"
"Th... that's right. We definitely... did. But as you know, the situation right now is a bit..."
Marriage to Dong Zhuo?
Honestly, if I could, I'd do it as soon as possible.
I'm no eunuch—how long could I be satisfied with just using those S-rank breasts as natural cushions?
Of course I want to lick and suck and everything else, but I'm holding back because of that damn Confucian propriety.
And even putting that aside, I couldn't deny that I did want to be formally bound to someone I'd grown this close to.
They say marriage is the grave of life or whatever, but the fact that people choose it anyway means there's a happiness in it you can't get any other way—I couldn't deny that either.
However, separate from those thoughts, the truth was that there was far too much work right now to even consider it.
We'd retaken Luoyang, but the tasks needing immediate attention were mountain-high.
If a wedding was added on top of that, could I really handle the workload...? To be honest, I wasn't confident.
If we could just put a bowl of cold water on the table and call it done, maybe,
but in this ancient China, as the legitimate heir and de facto head of the prestigious Yuan clan, I had no option to hold a shoddy wedding.
Especially given Dong Zhuo's modest origins, if I clumsily handled it, it would be the perfect setup for gossip later.
And listening to me explain all this,
Dong Zhuo smiled calmly and said,
"Of course, I'm not saying we do it right now. Once the Luoyang situation is settled, let's discuss it in earnest. However..."
As she said that, Dong Zhuo slowly caressed her lower belly.
Then she leaned close to my ear and said in a soft, deliberate voice,
"Don't make me wait too long. I want to put an emperor in this little palace of mine as soon as possible."
"... Gulp."
A remark that sent a strange chill down my spine and at the same time gave me a deep thrill.
Yet another reason had arisen to clean up this mess as soon as possible.
*
"Welcome, General Lu Zhi."
"It has been a long time, General Yuan. I cannot express how delighted I am to see you again."
"I feel the same. You may have heard, but in this war, your disciple Magistrate Liu performed great deeds. Truly worthy of a disciple of General Lu Zhi, her spirit and valor were remarkable."
"Thank you for saying that. I couldn't even hold my head up because of that fellow Gongsun, but since another disciple has salvaged his teacher's honor like this, I feel somewhat less ashamed."
The various ministers gathered inside the Imperial Palace.
With the core of the Turbid Stream faction having fled,
those who remained were mostly a small number of loyal ministers from the Pure Stream faction who had held on tenaciously, or people who'd been straddling an ambiguous middle position.
It was a sight where smiles, long absent, had appeared on faces that usually wore deathly expressions at court.
Amid this generally warm atmosphere, I briefly explained the situation up to now to the ministers and then spoke with courtesy.
"As you can see, we have retaken Luoyang, but the political situation remains extremely unstable. Zhang Rang's faction, which fled to Bing Province, will be watching for opportunities, and the various lords who didn't join this war—there's no telling how they'll act. In these trying times, I ask that all of you here please work to renew the atmosphere at court and give special attention to internal governance."
"Understood. Though I am inadequate, I will do my utmost."
"For the sake of the country, I will do anything that needs to be done."
The ministers readily expressed their willingness to join my call.
Still, I knew I couldn't fully trust them yet.
Of course, I had no worries about recognized loyalists like General Lu Zhi or General Huangfu Song, but Luoyang was still teeming with remnants of Zhang Rang's ilk and the corrupt officials who had been gnawing away at the country.
To get this country running properly, those bastards needed to be cleaned out first.
The simplest method would be to launch an investigation right away and lop off their heads, but...
I knew that right now, the climate wasn't right and it wouldn't be easy in practice.
The current state of the court was like a patient carrying a huge terminal cancer.
The cancer cells had to be cut out, but the mass was so large that if handled poorly, the patient could die during the operation.
Even a purge would require a certain level of careful orchestration.
And this was something hard to do with my strength alone.
'For this, I'll keep thinking about it after Chen Gong arrives...'
Thus thinking of using a capable helper in this area,
while I was exchanging greetings with the ministers before me and sizing things up, that moment came.
"General Yuan."
"! Ah... isn't it Minister Wang? It truly has been a long time."
An elder with whom I had only exchanged formal greetings back when I was in Luoyang,
and someone who had a bit more direct connection to the Yuan clan than to me personally.
And, from knowledge only I possessed, a loyal minister of Han who appeared in the original timeline.
Minister of the Masses Wang Yun.
He might not know me, but I knew him quite well. For now, I treated him as an elder connected to my family.
"Seeing you like this fills me with emotion. I worried a great deal after the Yuan clan left Luoyang, and yet the legitimate heir has stepped forward to save the country like this."
"You flatter me. All I did was act together with the various lords in accordance with Her Majesty's will."
"And as a result, haven't you driven out the rebels and retaken Luoyang? You, more than anyone, can be called a hero of this age. Truly, thank you, General Yuan."
Wang Yun smiled and did not withhold his praise.
If it were ordinary praise, I'd just accept it naturally, but... of all people, it had to be Wang Yun, so I felt a bit uneasy, you know?
He wouldn't go and pull some assassination plot + Chain Stratagem on me later, would he?
Of course, I wasn't seriously worried—just a silly thought based on the original timeline.
So I simply took the situation as an elder's well-wishing.
"In that vein, I wanted to express my personal gratitude to General Yuan."
However...
"What do you say? If you have time, could you come to my home in the near future?"
"... Pardon?"
"I may be unworthy, but I hold the post of Minister of the Masses at court. As a senior minister, I'd like to treat the benefactor who has rendered such great service to the country to a simple meal."
'No, wait... surely he's not really planning that, is he?'
Of course, there was no chance of that right now when I hadn't done anything wrong, but a vague discomfort crept over me.
But in this situation, I couldn't refuse an invitation from an elder connected to the family... much less one from a senior holding the post of Minister of the Masses, one of the Three Excellencies.
"Very... well. I'll set a day soon then."
"Thank you. I'll send word shortly."
Feeling rather uneasy,
and at the same time thinking, come on, what could possibly happen? I accepted Wang Yun's proposal for now.
And then.
"Th... this young lady is...?"
"My adopted daughter. Her name is..."
Yeah, I know. Diaochan.