Chapter 21: The Show Begins

By the time Liu Xie and his retinue returned to the council hall to prepare for the morning court, Yuan Shao and his party had already arrived outside the Prime Minister’s residence.

Because the imperial palace had been burned down, Liu Xie did not ask Wang Yun to arrange for the construction of a new one, opting instead to requisition the Prime Minister’s residence. It must be said that the residence, built by Dong Zhuo using funds from the inner treasury, was in no way inferior to the imperial palace.

"Report!" Just as preparations for the court were underway, a guard rushed in to deliver news.

"Speak." Liu Xie pondered, figuring it was likely that Yuan Shao had arrived.

As he expected, the guard stated, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the Marquis of Xiang and the generals of the Guandong Coalition request an audience!"

"Let them enter," Liu Xie said, his brow slightly raised.

"Proclaim! The Marquis of Xiang, Yuan Shao, and his generals are to be admitted for an audience!"

Standing outside the main hall, Yuan Shao and his group heard the decree. Led by an attendant, they reached the entrance of the hall, where they were inspected by guards and required to remove their armor and weapons before being allowed inside.

Throughout the dynasties of China, military commanders had never been permitted to wear armor in the throne room, let alone bring weapons before the Emperor, unless expressly granted permission by the Emperor himself.

A party of more than a dozen people strode majestically into the hall. As soon as Yuan Shao entered, he caught sight of Liu Xie sitting in the seat of honor. Seeing that the Emperor appeared to be a youth in his teens, while Yuan Shao did not openly display contempt, he had already ceased to take this "puppet emperor" seriously in his heart.

Liu Xie watched the large group enter and immediately identified the composed, middle-aged man leading them. He possessed sharp eyebrows and starry eyes, with a neatly groomed, straight mustache. His gaze was steady and profound—the type of mature man who, in the modern world, would certainly make countless women swoon.

*A truly impressive figure indeed!* Liu Xie marveled to himself.

Yuan Shao and his party reached the center of the hall and bowed in unison. "We, your subjects, pay our respects to Your Majesty!"

Liu Xie caught the eyes of Huangfu Song and Gai Xun, who both understood his meaning. Only Ma Teng and Han Sui, standing to the side, looked on with confusion at their silent exchange.

Soon, Liu Xie wore a smile and said to Yuan Shao and the others, "Quickly, please rise! General Yuan led the great army to help me divert nearly all of Dong Zhuo’s forces; otherwise, I would never have been able to return to Luoyang!"

"This is only what we, as subjects, ought to do!" Yuan Shao declared righteously. "Dong Zhuo threw the court into chaos and held the Emperor hostage to command the officials; the world must rise together to suppress him and restore the glory of the state!"

These words were so beautifully spoken that even Liu Xie almost believed them.

Liu Xie did his best to make his smile look a bit more roguish. "Well said, Minister Yuan! I truly appreciate your sentiments!" He then shouted to the officials in the hall, "Everyone, learn from Minister Yuan!"

Seeing this, Yuan Shao’s brow twitched. He could not grasp the purpose behind Liu Xie’s actions and feared he was being set up, causing his guard—which had just begun to lower—to rise once again. After all, being an old fox, Yuan Shao was not so easily swayed.

"Your Majesty, I dare not accept such praise; I only spoke the common sentiment of the people of the world!" Yuan Shao replied with a bow.

*Is he acting with me?* The suspicion suddenly crossed Yuan Shao’s mind.

Liu Xie suddenly changed the subject. "General Huangfu, did we not leave the conferring of rewards for yesterday?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, that is correct, it remains to be done," Huangfu Song said, stepping forward.

"Very well. General Huangfu led one hundred thousand troops to help me slay Dong Zhuo and recover Luoyang! His contributions are immense! Promote him one rank and grant an additional two thousand households!" Liu Xie said, intentionally raising his voice.

Yuan Shao understood: the young Emperor was speaking to him. After a moment of thought, he understood the underlying reason—most of the armies in Sili and Xiliang were still controlled by Dong Zhuo, and those troops were now in the hands of Hu Zhen and Xu Rong.

"General Yuan, you led the Guandong Coalition to restrain Dong Zhuo’s main force. I ask you, what rewards do you seek?" Liu Xie turned to ask Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao’s expression turned solemn. "To restore the state is the duty of our generation; I seek no reward!"

"A fine sentiment, to seek no reward!" Liu Xie laughed. "In that case! Yuan Shao, hear your decree!"

"I am here!" Yuan Shao hurried to kneel.

"I hereby appoint Yuan Shao as Prime Minister and General Who Conquers the North. Lead your forces to suppress the remnants of Dong Zhuo!" Liu Xie announced loudly.

"Your subject, Yuan Shao, thanks Your Majesty!"

Such a massive, unexpected gift landed in Yuan Shao’s heart. Before he could even revel in it, he heard Liu Xie continue: "Sun Jian has performed meritorious service in defeating the rebels. I appoint him Marquis of Wu and General Who Breaks the Captives, and grant him command of his troops to garrison Jingzhou, preventing the remnants of Dong Zhuo from moving south!"

Hearing Liu Xie’s voice, one handsome man among the envious generals behind Yuan Shao looked at the Emperor with astonishment. Originally, he had felt some dissatisfaction that Yuan Shao had secured all the benefits without doing much. Now, his eyes were full of surprise, and he hurriedly stepped out to thank the Emperor.

"Your subject, Sun Jian, thanks Your Majesty!"

Yuan Shao’s expression grew increasingly sour. What was the meaning of this?

Yet Liu Xie was not finished. "Cao Cao has also performed meritorious service! I appoint him Marquis of Dongshan and Governor of Qingzhou! Lead your troops to garrison Qingzhou!"

Cao Cao, among the group, was not as jubilant as Sun Jian. He stepped out with a steady gaze and thanked the Emperor: "Your subject, Cao Cao, thanks Your Majesty!"

"As for the rest! Everyone is promoted three ranks!"

Liu Xie turned, looked at the generals kneeling below, and shifted his gaze to Wang Yun, who wore a complex expression. He smiled and said, "Wang Yun!"

"I am here!" hearing the call, Wang Yun replied quickly.

"I declare the era name changed to Zhenyuan! And I shall grant a general amnesty to the world!" Liu Xie waved his hand.

"I receive the decree!"

"Dismissed!" Liu Xie then left the council hall, surrounded by a crowd of attendants.

"We respectfully send Your Majesty off!"

Yuan Shao watched the departing Liu Xie, his gaze turning cold. He seemed to have guessed Liu Xie’s intent. Watching the officials flocking to flatter him, Yuan Shao felt somewhat listless, though he still feigned joy while returning their pleasantries.

Cao Cao and Sun Jian, however, exchanged a look and left the hall together. Wang Yun, meanwhile, wore a complex expression. He hesitated for a moment, then followed after Liu Xie.

...

"Your Majesty, Wang Yun requests an audience!" Liu Xie had just sat down when he heard the attendant’s report.

"Let him in." Liu Xie knew the old man would come to ask, and he happened to have something he needed him to do.

"Yes!" The attendant bowed and retreated.

Before long, Liu Xie saw Wang Yun enter, his face full of complexity. Before the man could speak, Liu Xie spoke first: "You’ve come to ask why I distributed those titles in the hall just now, haven’t you?"

Wang Yun hesitated, then said, "Your Majesty, in truth, with our current strength, we could have nipped them in the bud."

"Wang Yun, let me ask you: what was my intention in doing that?" Liu Xie smiled, his eyes fixed on Wang Yun, making the latter feel uneasy.

Wang Yun replied, "Your Majesty intends to divide them and set them against one another."

"Exactly. It is an open scheme. Even if they know it, they must accept it." A mysterious, profound meaning flickered in Liu Xie’s eyes.

"But Your Majesty, this will inevitably nurture a disaster. The world will suffer needless war, and the people will suffer. Once they have finished slaughtering each other, there will surely be..." Wang Yun began to analyze his worries.

"Do you remember what I told you yesterday?" Liu Xie interrupted Wang Yun.

"Ah? I remember." Wang Yun was caught off guard.

"If they do not fight, how will the great clans emerge from the shadows?" Liu Xie’s smile vanished, and he said in a deep voice, "They are only a temporary threat. It is those deeply rooted great clans that keep me awake at night."

"The idea that I am nurturing a disaster will not come to pass. Everything that is happening is under my control." Liu Xie’s words were filled with profound confidence: "It is now, and it shall remain so in the future!"

As he spoke, Liu Xie turned, clasped his hands behind his back, and looked out the window, leaving Wang Yun in deep thought.

After a long silence, Liu Xie spoke slowly: "This grand play has only just begun."