Chapter 30: The Hidden Hand

"Is this the bodyguard General Gai has chosen for me?"

Liu Xie looked at the burly man standing before him, who was as solid as a wall, a flash of astonishment in his eyes. The man had to be at least two meters tall.

"Your subordinate is Zhang Yun, Your Majesty! You can just call me Er Niu!" the giant spoke, his voice like a low rumble of thunder that made Liu Xie’s eardrums ache. Liu Xie looked up to see a pair of thick eyebrows and large eyes, which were now fixed intently on him, revealing a simple, honest smile that made Liu Xie feel a bit uneasy.

Most striking of all was the terrifying scar on Zhang Yun’s face, which stretched from his chin to the corner of his eye. It appeared to be a fresh wound; the raw, red flesh had yet to heal, giving him a particularly fierce appearance.

The officer who had escorted Zhang Yun bowed and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, General Gai was truly worried about your safety, so he specifically ordered this subordinate to select a capable warrior from the army to serve as your bodyguard."

Liu Xie nodded. Fu Hu had been severely wounded in the recent assassination attempt and was currently unable to remain by his side.

"How did you get that scar on your face?"

Hearing Liu Xie's question, Zhang Yun scratched the back of his head with an awkward, simple grin. "When we were attacking Luoyang, I had just smashed the city gate open when I was caught off guard by a sneak attack from the rebels behind it."

The officer quickly added, "Er Niu has the strength to lift a cauldron. During the siege to retake Luoyang, he used nothing but raw power to break open the city gate, and single-handedly cut down over thirty rebels behind it. He deserves the top credit for the siege!"

Hearing the officer’s words, a look of satisfaction appeared on Liu Xie’s face. "It seems he is a capable man. From now on, you shall stay by my side."

Seeing Liu Xie nod in agreement, Er Niu, who had been terrified that the Emperor might find him unsuitable, finally let out a sigh of relief, his eyes filled with excitement. He never expected to actually become a personal bodyguard to the Emperor!

Liu Xie could not guess Zhang Yun’s inner thoughts. He had another important matter to attend to—he had not yet had the chance to visit Fu Hu. Before he could set off, however, a palace attendant rushed over to report.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! This is terrible! Jia Xu is trying to take his own life! Please, go and see him!"

Hearing the attendant’s report, Liu Xie remembered that he had kept this man imprisoned in the Prime Minister's residence, having had no time to deal with him, only ordering the servants there to provide him with food and drink. This was meant to break his spirit.

"The time has finally come," Liu Xie murmured.

"Take me to see him now."

"As you command, Your Majesty, please follow me."

***

Meanwhile, deep within a quiet estate outside the city of Luoyang, there was a secret chamber occupied by two people.

The space was small and sparsely furnished with two soft mats. One person sat kneeling on a mat, showing only a dark silhouette with his back turned, his features indistinguishable. On the walls, a few candle flames flickered, while the other person knelt trembling behind the shadow, not daring to even breathe loudly.

"The assassination failed. How do you have the face to come back to me?"

The voice from behind the silhouette was hoarse and gloomy. Its tone was flat, revealing no joy or anger, yet it made the person groveling on the ground break out in a cold sweat.

"Master, there was truly nothing we could do. The 'Da Sui He' has reappeared in Luoyang. My subordinates and I, including Lady Meng Po, were no match for them..."

Hearing the report, the shadow spoke again: "Did I not warn you that the Da Sui He would be there? Why did you not act quickly to finish off that dog of an Emperor?"

"What use are you to me?"

As he spoke, his tone grew visibly colder, and an aura of murderous intent seeped from him, filling the entire room.

The person on the ground kowtowed repeatedly, his skull striking the stone floor with a dull "thud" that echoed through the room.

"Spare me, Master! I only risked my life to escape and bring you the news! Please, spare me!"

The shadow remained motionless as the man kowtowed until his face was covered in blood and tears. Only then did he speak.

"What is the status of Lu Bu, who served under Dong Zhuo?"

Hearing the question, the man scrambled to report.

"Our informant wrote yesterday that Lu Bu has taken control of the rebel forces previously led by Hu Zhen. He is now fleeing eastward, and his destination appears to be Xuzhou!"

"Xuzhou?" The shadow sounded genuinely surprised.

"Interesting. Let us see how long he can survive. You may send someone to make contact and tell him that we can help him achieve great things, and see if he is willing to cooperate with us."

"Yes!"

"Furthermore, if you fail again, you need not return to see me," the shadow said coldly. "Have your people keep a close watch on that dog of an Emperor—you must eliminate him! Also, send Ma Mian to see me. Is that understood?"

"Understood, understood, this subordinate understands! Thank you, Master, for your mercy!"

"Get out!"

***

"Yes!"

Once the sound of the stone door closing reached him, the shadow finally moved. He extended his left hand, which, illuminated by the candlelight, appeared exceptionally slender and delicate. He was playing with a jade thumb ring.

He wore a black robe, with his face hidden in the shadows, his expression unreadable.

With a cold snort, he crushed the jade ring in his hand into dust.

"Chief of the Da Sui, you may protect him for a while, but do you think you can protect him for a lifetime?"

"I am truly curious what expression you will have when I kill him right in front of you! Heh heh..."

The final two laughs sounded as if they had drifted up from the deepest abyss, causing the temperature in the room to drop to freezing.

At that moment, back at the Prime Minister's residence, Liu Xie, who was being led to see Jia Xu, suddenly sneezed. He rubbed his nose and looked at the sky.

Although it was not a perfectly clear day, the weather seemed quite fine.

*Have I caught a cold? That shouldn't be possible, right?*

"Your Majesty, we have arrived..."

The group had just stopped in front of a small courtyard when, before the attendant could finish, a furious roar came from within.

"Let me go! Today, either I die, or you let me see Gai Xun!"

"Gai Xun! You old scoundrel! The Prime Minister treated you with such high regard, yet you held the Emperor hostage and betrayed him! How can there be such a shameless wretch as you in this world?"

"Don't stop me!"

Hearing the voice inside, Liu Xie couldn't help but be stunned. He hadn't expected Jia Xu to still have such a temperament; it was quite unexpected.

"Open the door. Let me take a good look at this man and see exactly what kind of person he is."