Chapter 84

Chapter 718: The Radiant Lion's Tomb (1)

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718/753

Luoyang. The Imperial Palace. The Hall of Ten Thousand Ages.

While all the halls and palaces within the imperial palace belong to the Son of Heaven, the Hall of Ten Thousand Ages is an exception. It was once a place where Dong Zhuo lived like a home, and later became the place where Dong Zhuo, as the Chancellor, discussed state affairs with the Son of Heaven.

However, the Son of Heaven was neither old enough, capable enough, nor interested enough to rule the country alone. Therefore, this place was used as a gathering place for Dong Zhuo's faction.

"Lord, repeated good news has been reported from the east and west."

Dong Zhuo's military advisor, Li You, clasped his hands together and reported to Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo, deeply buried in his chair, nodded repeatedly with a pleased expression.

"Everything is going as planned. Isn't that right, sir?"

"Yes, Lord. Except for two things, everything is proceeding as you wish."

At Li You's words, Dong Zhuo's eyebrows twitched.

"What are those two things?"

When Dong Zhuo asked, Li You spread his thumb and index finger, then folded his index finger, leaving only his thumb raised.

"One of the two is the matter of organizing reinforcements to send to Hangu Pass."

"Hmm...! The civil and military officials of the court are arguing and dragging their feet again, aren't they?"

"To be precise, the problem is the Mingmen Assembly."

"That damn Mingmen Assembly... After being quiet for a while, they're dragging me down again. Why are they doing this?"

There were four major factions in the court: the Wangdao Faction, the Mingmen Assembly, the Xinzhen Assembly, and the Yegong Assembly.

The Xinzhen Assembly, while influenced by Dong Zhuo, had grown into a force capable of expressing independent opinions. The Wangdao Faction became friendly to Dong Zhuo's faction after he and Empress Dowager He formed an alliance.

The Yegong Assembly, which supported Lü Bu, was scattered among the four factions, but the real thorn in Dong Zhuo's side was the Mingmen Assembly.

The Mingmen Assembly had been quiet for a while, thanks to Cai Yong's significant contributions. However, since Cai Yong left the court, the Mingmen Assembly has been vying for power with Dong Zhuo and the court again.

"To put it simply, they are opposing for the sake of opposing."

"Opposing for the sake of opposing... Does that mean they just don't like me?"

"I apologize, but that is the truth. When Scholar Bai was in the court, the issues raised by the Mingmen Assembly had some reasonable basis."

"But not now, right?"

Li You nodded with a bitter expression.

"Yes. Now they are opposing everything you try to do."

"If we could understand the reason behind their actions, we might find a way to break through... "

"The lifeblood of a faction is its presence. They must make their voices heard in the court."

Dong Zhuo chuckled.

"Hmph! They seem to think that by opposing me on every matter, they can stand against me. Am I wrong?"

"No, you are correct."

Dong Zhuo shook his head.

"Stupid fools... If Hangu Pass is breached, there will be nothing to stop the advance to Luoyang. Don't they realize this?"

Dong Zhuo was concerned. If Huang Bocong broke through Hangu Pass and advanced to Luoyang, would Luoyang remain intact? Dong Zhuo did not think so.

"There might be officials in the court who sympathize with Huang Bocong."

"Even if there are, they won't be many. If those old foxes couldn't calculate this much, they wouldn't have maintained their positions until now."

"Perhaps we should use this opportunity to root out such people..."

* * *

Dong Zhuo stopped Li You by spreading his palm, knowing his intention.

"Not now. Raising a bloodbath by talking about treason when we are receiving repeated good news from Hangu Pass would do more harm than good."

"Even if the harm is significant, it's not bad to cut out the cancer early."

"Shedding blood is a last resort, to be used only when absolutely necessary. In fact, the current Mingmen Assembly is nothing compared to the one after our Liang army entered the capital."

The Mingmen Assembly's influence waned after the external forces and Yang Biao's faction were defeated. Politically, they were no longer a match for Dong Zhuo.

"You have already experienced how difficult it is to push through reforms, haven't you, Lord?"

"My intention to revive the Han Dynasty through reform has not changed. However, the methods must adapt to the time and place. The situation has changed, and I am satisfied with the current pace of reform."

Li You seemed to have a slightly different opinion.

"Lord, although we are receiving repeated good news from Hangu Pass, our opponent is Huang Bocong. He is not an easy adversary."

"Sir, you seem to have forgotten who is holding back Huang Bocong at Hangu Pass. Huang Bocong is formidable, but so is the Old General. Look, he is holding back a massive army with just a few tens of thousands."

"Lord, I know how great the Old General is. But a wooden stick can't block a sword forever. We must send reinforcements as soon as possible."

Dong Zhuo had to nod.

"Indeed, that is true."

"We have already received five memorials requesting Meng Huayou's dispatch."

Dong Zhuo clenched his fist.

"Those old men of the Mingmen Assembly probably have stockpiles of Meng Huayou in their own warehouses but are talking nonsense about conserving resources to defend Hangu Pass."

"Ultimately, the ministers can't reach a conclusion. You should raise this issue at the morning assembly today."

Li You's meaning was simple: he was advising Dong Zhuo to fully leverage his position as the regent and push through the decision in the name of the Son of Heaven.

However, Dong Zhuo tilted his head.

"Recently, the Son of Heaven has been expressing his own will more often."

If the Son of Heaven were to take an active interest in state affairs, it would be a welcome development for Dong Zhuo, as he desperately hoped the current Son of Heaven would become a wise ruler rather than a tyrant.

However, the reason for his concern was that the Son of Heaven was giving more weight to the opinions of the Mingmen Assembly.

Even though Empress Dowager He was handling the regency, she could not ignore the Son of Heaven's will. This was something neither the Wangdao Faction nor the Mingmen Assembly wanted.

Due to these complex factors, Dong Zhuo was unable to fully leverage his position as the regent.

Li You spread his thumb and index finger again.

"The second issue I wanted to raise is precisely this. Recently, the Son of Heaven has been behaving differently. He shows no interest in state affairs and, instead of following Empress Dowager's advice, he is siding with the Mingmen Assembly on every matter."

Li You was likely suggesting that another purge in the court was necessary for this reason.

Of course, Dong Zhuo also wanted to handle the Mingmen Assembly carefully to push through his reforms.

Though their methods differed, they shared the same goal. Therefore, Dong Zhuo and Li You did not argue over their differing thoughts.

"I will have to visit the Zhangle Palace after the assembly ends. Send someone to inform them, sir."

"I will follow your orders, Lord."

* * *

As Li You predicted, the assembly ended without reaching a conclusion. Although Dong Zhuo had expected this, his expression was not good.

When Dong Zhuo left the Wende Hall without saying much, the officials of the Mingmen Assembly smiled smugly, probably thinking they had won the debate for the day.

However, when has politics ever been conducted in broad daylight?

Ultimately, decisions are made by a powerful few. The assembly at the Wende Hall was merely a facade to legitimize those decisions.

After leaving the Wende Hall, Dong Zhuo headed to the Zhangle Palace, the residence of Empress Dowager He.

'The sudden meeting, and the fact that the Empress Dowager readily agreed, suggests she has sensed a change in the Son of Heaven.'

Dong Zhuo had a good feeling that today's discussion would go well.

"Chancellor, I greet you."

"Oh! Isn't that Xiao Huangmen?"

The person who greeted Dong Zhuo at the Zhangle Palace was the eunuch Zhao Duo. A young eunuch who had sided with Zhao Zhong over Zhao Deng, he had returned to the palace and risen rapidly, now holding the position of Xiao Huangmen.

Of course, his current position was not solely due to his abilities. Zhao Deng was no longer alive, and Zhao Zhong's influence still moved the palace.

Moreover, with the support of the factions that backed Lü Bu, he would have reached the position of Zhongshangshi if not for his age.

"Xiao Huangmen, what brings you to the Zhangle Palace?"

"Chancellor, I am here on the Son of Heaven's behalf..."

Zhao Duo naturally trailed off, indicating that he could not elaborate. Dong Zhuo caught on and changed the subject.

"Have you been waiting long?"

"I am a palace resident, so please, Chancellor, go see Empress Dowager first."

"I appreciate your kindness. I will remember it."

When a eunuch shows kindness, it usually means they expect something in return. Typically, after such an event, one would send a gift of valuables or silk to the eunuch.

Although the