Wolves Raise Their Heads (4)
Wang Yun, hailing from Taiyuan Commandery in Bing Province, had been appointed as a local military official and eventually rose to the prestigious position of Attendant Officer兼Governor of Henan. A veteran minister possessed of unyielding integrity and incorruptible purity, Wang Yun was principled enough to submit memorials sharply criticizing the corruption and incompetence of the Ten Attendants. Recognizing the gravity of this, Grand General He Jin had appointed Wang Yun—who had been exiled to the provinces amid eunuch impeachments—to his current post, positioning him as a spearhead against the eunuch faction.
"Thank you for safely escorting my inflexible daughter back to the estate. I told her to leave when the palace gates opened tomorrow, as curfew was approaching…."
Though he reproved his adopted daughter for violating the state-mandated curfew, Wang Yun couldn't help a faint smile, touched by her filial devotion.
"And to think the renowned figure of the palace court would personally escort my daughter home. What an intriguing turn of events."
Wang Yun let out a hearty laugh, casting a meaningful glance at Lee Seong-hwi, who had accompanied his adopted daughter back to the estate. Lee Seong-hwi's fame echoed not only through the imperial household and palace but even among the court ministers. He had played a pivotal role in quelling Jian Shi's rebellion and single-handedly slaughtered the thirty assassins who had stormed the Hall of Wickedness to protect Bohai Wang. There was scarcely a court official or palace servant unaware of the name Lee Seong-hwi; his renown had spread far and wide.
To think the noble lady I chanced upon on her way to the palace was the famous Diaochan, Lee Seong-hwi thought, subtly shifting his gaze from Wang Yun to the girl standing beside him. Her hair evoked the soft pink of peony blossoms, her eyes gleamed like polished amber—both possessed an otherworldly hue that drew his eyes inexorably. Having constantly stood by beauties like Cao Cao, Xiahou Dun, and Cao Hong, he had assumed he was inured to feminine allure, yet he found himself widening his eyes in genuine astonishment at Diaochan's visage.
She embodied the countenance that could immerse fish and fell geese, a beauty that shut the moon and shamed flowers—a peerless beauty of the realm stood right before him.
"If you stare like that… it's embarrassing…."
Like a kitten coquettishly averting her gaze, Diaochan flushed her snow-white cheeks rhododendron-red under Lee Seong-hwi's scrutiny, bashfully turning her head as if unaccustomed to a man's attention—a fresh, innocent maiden's response.
"Thank you for bringing my daughter home safely."
"I merely did what was right upon seeing her in distress while en route to the palace."
Wang Yun asked, "You were headed to the palace?"
"Yes, I intended to inspect the night guards' posts. The palace atmosphere has been somewhat chaotic since the new emperor ascended the throne, hasn't it?"
Wang Yun stroked his beard and nodded at Lee Seong-hwi's evident concern for the palace's security—a valid worry, given his firsthand experience repelling the assassins' raid. Moreover, with He Jin's power reaching its zenith after enthroning his nephew the former crown prince, it was no surprise. Wang Yun himself harbored deep anxieties over the storms gathering around the Han imperial house.
"I had hoped to share a cup of tea with you despite the late hour, but if palace duties press, there's no helping it."
"I appreciate your consideration."
Lee Seong-hwi bowed politely to Wang Yun's words and turned to depart for the palace. Wang Yun watched him go with eyes full of expectation, while Diaochan, careful not to alert her adoptive father, rose slightly on tiptoe to gaze wistfully at the departing hero's back. She yearned to repay the benefactor who had saved her from peril someday.
Donning court robes for the first time to enter the audience proved clumsy. As he fumbled with the garments, a black-haired woman who had personally visited the estate chuckled softly and instructed him on how to wear them properly. Like a devoted wife meticulously adjusting her husband's attire before he left for work, Cao Cao graciously tied the knots of her favored aide's robes herself—a humbling sight.
"Thank you, Lady Mengde. I hope I'm not imposing on you…."
"Consider this another debt. From the last incident to this one, the obligations you owe me keep mounting."
Cao Cao laughed with evident delight, relishing Lee Seong-hwi's flustered expression. It was the mischievous charm of a nine-tailed fox, clearly toying with him to provoke that very reaction.
"Now you'll enter court as a Cavalier Attendant. How does it feel? It must stir new sentiments. From guarding the court, you've become one who serves it directly."
"I'm not sure."
"Best to dive in headfirst. But temper your expectations. As you know well, the spectacle of old dogs playing politics isn't exactly entertaining."
With that, Cao Cao looked up and fixed Lee Seong-hwi with a steady gaze, as if awaiting something—hoping for it. But soon, her faintly flushed cheeks turned away as she stepped outside, revealing the shy side she showed only to one person in this world: the cool-headed, merciless Cao Cao, brimming with bashfulness.
"The new throne hall is the Geobi Hall."
"Yes, I've heard."
Originally, the Han dynasty's main hall was the Chongde Hall, but after the late emperor passed in its inner chambers, the Geobi Hall—which had served from Emperor Guangwu onward—had been designated the new throne hall. In time, Chongde would reclaim its place, but court sessions would convene in Geobi for the foreseeable future.
Cao Cao and Lee Seong-hwi entered the throne hall as Filial Valor Colonel and Cavalier Attendant. Arriving early, they exchanged quiet words while glancing at the elderly high officials filing in one by one.
"I didn't expect to see you here again. On reflection, you're the Cavalier Attendant, aren't you?"
A elderly man approached, coronet atop his head and snowy beard cascading to his nape. Wang Yun, Attendant Officer兼Governor of Henan—the chief provincial administrator overseeing Luoyang and environs, advisor to the Three Dukes and Grand General's staff, wielding civil authority, military command, and capital administration—approached with a hearty chuckle. Cao Cao and Lee Seong-hwi bowed in greeting.
"I heard you were appointed Cavalier Attendant for your feats in quelling the rebellion. That makes you a full-fledged court member now. We'll have ample chances to aid one another going forward."
"I am deeply grateful for your words."
Cao Cao shot Lee Seong-hwi a sidelong glance, noting his apparent familiarity with Wang Yun. There was no obvious connection between them—why would a top court heavyweight like Wang Yun go out of his way to greet him personally? I'll ask my aide later, she thought, rolling her red eyes in a silent demand for explanation.
"Ahem!"
A booming cough echoed, followed by metallic clanks with each resolute step. Grand General He Jin appeared in heavy armor, sword at his waist—a deliberate display of his courtly prestige and influence—flanked by his generals in court robes.
"Welcome, Grand General!"
"We await you in the throne hall ahead of time, Grand General!"
The ministers, who idolized wealth and power, bowed obsequiously as if greeting the Son of Heaven himself. He Jin smirked in satisfaction, while Han loyalists among the high officials swallowed grimaces of concern. They feared the He clan's power might one day eclipse the throne itself. Precedent existed: before Emperor Ling ascended, the imperial in-law Yang Qi had wielded unchecked dominance, so it was natural to dread He Jin as a second coming.
"All hail His Majesty, long live ten thousand years!"
"May His Majesty enjoy eternal prosperity!"
At last, Emperor Liu Bian entered amid a throng of maids and eunuchs, with Empress Dowager He—entrusted with full regency by her son—at his side. Adorned in opulent robes and jewels, she slyly lowered her eyelids, surveying the bowing civil and military officials.
"Ah."
Seated upon the gold-embellished jade throne at the highest dais, Liu Bian spotted Lee Seong-hwi in the distance and brightened with joy. Having agonized over how to handle the veteran ministers who had served his father, the new emperor found the reassuring presence of his protector at court immensely comforting.
"Your Majesty ascends the throne to graciously oversee us—your subject He Jin is overwhelmed with emotion!"
He Jin bowed his head. Liu Bian nodded appreciatively at his uncle's stalwart loyalty.
"Yet depraved northern rabble threaten Your Majesty's reign, succeeding the late emperor—what impiety is this!"
"The northern… depraved rabble, you say…."
"The Black Mountain Bandits!!"
He Jin bellowed the answer to Liu Bian's query, eyes bulging. The Black Mountain Bandits had exploited the central government's turmoil from the Yellow Turban Rebellion to rampage across the northern Yellow River highlands. Rumored to number a million strong, with infamous bandit lords joining their ranks, they now commanded forces capable of eyeing Bing Province.
"His Late Majesty pitied those who rose in desperation from poverty and hunger, appointing their leader as Pacification Colonel and granting offices to his lieutenants in conciliation—yet these ungrateful Black Mountain hordes persist in their frontier depredations!"
He Jin seethed as if ready to march out that instant. Lacking personal martial prowess, he relied on valiant generals, brilliant advisors, and elite legions. His confidence in crushing the bandits was thus assured, especially with morale soaring since vanquishing the Yellow Turbans.
"Thus, your subject proposes summoning the Martial Ferocity Colonel Zheng Yuan of Taiyuan Commandery in Bing Province and the legions under Dong Zhuo, Governor of Bing Province from Liang Province's Longxi Commandery, to eradicate these thieves in one stroke. Grant your permission, I beseech you!"
Liu Bian's face clouded with bewilderment at his uncle's fervent plea, on the verge of kneeling to demand troops. Suppressing rebel bandits was obvious, as was calling provincial armies to Luoyang for the campaign. Yet for the timid new emperor, "war" evoked terror—a dread he dared not decide lightly. Helpless, he glanced at the silent ministers, then fixed his trembling eyes on Lee Seong-hwi beside the black-haired woman.