Chapter 89

The sound of the evening drum and morning bell, after the sun had risen high, the scorching sun shone upon the center of power of the Great Han, the Luoyang Palace.

In the center of the Luoyang Palace, the Deyang Hall, with its three-tiered base, was densely guarded by soldiers and fluttering with flags, presenting a grand and majestic appearance. The entire building stood thirty zhang tall, even higher than the city walls of Luoyang.

Inside the ten-thousand-square-meter Deyang Hall, on a three-zhang-high dragon platform, sat a young man with a slender build. He had short whiskers, a pale complexion, sunken eyes, and severe dark circles. This person, who could sit on the dragon throne, must be the current emperor Liu Hong, also known as Emperor Ling of Han.

Emperor Ling of Han was no ordinary ruler; he was the most notorious tyrant in the five-thousand-year history of China.

Tyrants are judged by certain criteria, and Emperor Ling of Han met two of them, excelling in both. The first was his love for money and the thrill of making it. However, as the emperor, he could not engage in business. What did he do? Emperor Ling of Han had a solution: he built a bustling commercial district within the palace, where palace maids and concubines acted as CEOs, "doing business" with Emperor Ling of Han every day. Of course, when Emperor Ling of Han made money, it was just a transfer from one hand to the other. If he lost money, the palace maids and concubines would "embezzle" it.

Later, Emperor Ling of Han found that doing business this way was too unprofitable, so he decided to sell official positions, which proved to be a surefire way to make money.

The second criterion was his love for women, and he had a wish: "ten thousand women to pay homage." To fulfill this wish, he built over a thousand bathhouses and swimming pools in the "Western Garden," where no one was allowed to wear clothes, and they played day and night. Changing rooms every minute, one could not finish in a day. Compared to the wine pools and meat forests of King Zhou, this was like a giant facing a dwarf.

Moreover, it is worth noting that to make things easier for himself, Emperor Ling of Han decreed that all women in the harem must wear open-crotch pants, and he could take any woman he fancied at any time.

Money, power, and women—Emperor Ling of Han achieved all the dreams of a "real man."

"Long live the Emperor, may he reign for ten thousand years, ten thousand, ten thousand years..."

Yuan Wei, the Grand Commandant and Grand Tutor, was the chief among the civil officials, and He Jin, the Grand General, was the foremost among the military officials. Under their leadership, all the officials knelt. Among the officials were many notable figures from later generations, such as Ma Rijian, Zhang Wen, and Dong Cheng, though their current positions were not prominent. There were also older celebrities, like Cao Song, the father of Cao Cao, who was now the Grand Administrator.

There was not much to say about the military officials, as the famous ones were all fighting outside.

Emperor Ling of Han disliked attending court the most. He yawned, covering his purple lips with his right hand, and said, "Aha..." before waving his hand. Zhang Rang, the chief eunuch, immediately flicked his拂尘 (duster) and said, "If there are matters to report, do so now; if not, the court is dismissed."

A second later, Emperor Liu Hong immediately said, "Since there are no matters, let's dismiss the court." He was about to get up.

Yuan Wei stepped forward, raising his court board to cover his face, and called out, "Your subject has a matter to report..."

Emperor Ling of Han immediately frowned, "What is it?"

Actually, there was nothing much to report, just news about the war outside the pass. The "outside the pass" referred to the Central Plains region beyond the Hulao Pass.

Qin Feng led his troops to a great victory at Changshe against Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang, leading the entire nation's military to sound the call for a full-scale counterattack.

With the war going smoothly, Emperor Ling of Han became pleased. After a routine encouragement, he said to the Three Excellencies, "My lords, you have worked hard. I will leave the matter to you."

At this moment, Zhang Rang, the chief eunuch of the Eastern Han, spoke up. His high-pitched voice echoed throughout the hall, "The troops from various regions have repeatedly defeated the Yellow Turbans, but the Northern Commandant Lu Zhi has shown no activity, which is truly incomprehensible."

When he said "incomprehensible," everyone, including Emperor Ling of Han, had their own thoughts.

After some thought, Emperor Ling of Han was very displeased and said, "While other regions are reporting victories, the Northern Commandant shows no activity. Isn't this a delay in military affairs?"

With the emperor's judgment, the matter was easier to handle. Zhang Rang continued, "Your Majesty, the Inspector of Bingzhou, Dong Zhuo, has already suppressed the Yellow Turbans in Bingzhou three days ago. Dong Zhuo has a strong army and capable generals, and he himself is very strategic, even surpassing General Lu Zhi."

Zhang Rang took the opportunity to whisper in the emperor's ear. Emperor Ling of Han, who always listened to his "father," issued an edict: "Dong Zhuo is hereby appointed as Commandant and ordered to lead his troops to Guangzong to take over the command from Lu Zhi. Lu Zhi, for his negligence in military affairs, is to be brought back to the capital for questioning."

This way, the army would be strengthened, and an attack on the Yellow Turbans could be launched, achieving two goals at once. Emperor Ling of Han was very satisfied.

Yuan Wei and others were very dissatisfied with the decision to punish Lu Zhi and spoke out, but Emperor Ling of Han did not listen.

Zhang Rang sneered at the officials, who gritted their teeth and glared at him.

Emperor Liu Hong, thinking of the new young women in the harem, said to Zhang Rang to call the court to a close. At that moment, a small eunuch appeared at the door, knelt at the threshold, and called out, "Your Majesty, the Chief Justice Cui Lie has returned to the capital to report and requests an audience."

"Today, there are so many matters!" Emperor Ling of Han showed signs of impatience and waved his hand, saying, "Tell him to come up quickly."

Now that the morning court had begun, the palace gates were closed. Cui Lie was waiting outside the palace gates. The Luoyang Palace covered fifty hectares, and it would take him at least twenty minutes to walk from the palace gate to the Deyang Hall in the center.

Emperor Ling of Han waited on the dragon platform, but Cui Lie did not come. He closed his eyes and soon dozed off.

Below the dragon platform, the officials on both sides whispered to each other, all with smiles on their faces, discussing the smooth progress of the war.

After an unknown amount of time, a loud scream came from outside the door, startling everyone in the hall. The officials immediately fell silent, and Emperor Ling of Han, who had dozed off, suddenly woke up, almost straining his neck.

"What's going on?"

Led by Emperor Ling of Han, everyone looked toward the door and saw a figure appear, with disheveled hair, barely clothed, and emaciated. "Oh! How did a beggar get into the hall! Who let him in!" Emperor Ling of Han exclaimed in shock.

The old beggar sprang up, ran into the hall, and fell to his knees, sliding several meters before his head hit the marble floor. "Oh, your humble servant Cui Lie, pays homage to the Emperor, may he reign for ten thousand years, ten thousand, ten thousand years!"

"Oh..." Many of the officials, who were also elderly, clutched their chests in shock, exclaiming, "It's actually the Chief Justice!"

"What's the Chief Justice doing in such a state today?"

The officials were puzzled, and Emperor Ling of Han was also puzzled, so he asked, "My lord, what has happened to you?"

Cui Lie burst into tears, large tears streaming down his long beard, splashing everywhere. "Wah... a living bandit, the Northern Army Cavalry Commander Qin Zijin is a living bandit. He did this and that, and then this and that. He led his troops to raid my home. In over four hundred years of the Han Dynasty, there has never been such a bandit general. The dignity of us ministers is lost. Please, Your Majesty, do justice for your humble servant. I cannot live on, wah... wah... wah... puh puh..." Cui Lie spat out a mouthful of snot, smearing it on himself.

The officials were shocked, "Qin Zijin?"

"That's the Qin Feng who achieved great feats in Zhuo, Guangzong, and Changshe!"

"These commoners don't know manners, how dare they raid the Chief Justice's home!" The officials murmured.

"Silence!" Emperor Ling of Han was furious and slammed the dragon desk.

The officials were terrified and quickly fell silent. When the hall was so quiet that a pin could be heard dropping, they all looked up at Liu Hong on the dragon platform. Liu Hong frowned, his anger mixed with endless confusion, and said to Zhang Rang, "My lord, who is Qin Zijin?"

Oh... The officials, who thought the emperor would be furious and punish someone, fell to the ground. Mobile users, please visit http://m.piaotia.net

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