Free Web NovelChapter 60: Wenming Garden
Therefore, Dong Zhuo’s troops didn’t dare to act too aggressively.
In addition, with Long Chen only leading five thousand soldiers, they were no more than ants in front of the two hundred thousand soldiers from the Xiliang cavalry.
The commanding general of the garrison, at ease, let Long Chen pass.
Simultaneously, he hurriedly dispatched a messenger to report to the lord, to avoid Dong Zhuo blaming him!
If the lord was dissatisfied with his actions, he could directly dispatch tens of thousands of Xiliang cavalry to crush that person’s army.
For them, the people of the Xiliang, it was that simple and straightforward!
After entering Luoyang City, Long Chen didn’t hesitate for a moment and directly headed to the mansion of the Grand Tutor, Wang Yun.
He didn’t dare linger on the streets for too long, lest Dong Zhuo find an opportunity to make trouble, stab him, and then he and his group would be done for!
His Dragon family army was like a lonely boat on the boundless sea in front of Dong Zhuo.
The urgent task was to quickly find the lord and seek the emperor’s decree for protection.
Only then could he find a foothold in Luoyang City!
Grand Tutor Wang’s Mansion.
At this moment, Long Chen was already drinking heartily with Wang Yun.
"My good son-in-law! You, not fearing Dong Zhuo’s power, coming to the crisis-ridden Luoyang City, I truly appreciate it!" Wang Yun said with emotion.
Meeting Wang Yun again, Long Chen felt that he had aged a lot, truly worrying about the revival of the Han Dynasty, this old man was really heartbroken.
With righteous determination, Long Chen clasped his hands and said, "Sir, these are unfounded words. In the face of danger for Sir, I wouldn’t stand idly by, especially when the current emperor is coerced by traitors!"
"In this time of crisis, I should do even more for my country!"
Seeing Long Chen’s righteous and heroic spirit, Wang Yun was deeply moved, just pulling Long Chen’s fair hand and smiling.
"Good, good! Back then, being able to meet you was truly my blessing, a blessing for the Han Dynasty!"
"Tomorrow, during the court session, you and I will meet the emperor together, and the emperor will surely give you generous rewards!"
Long Chen’s heart stirred. He came here precisely to gain favor from Emperor Liu Bian of the Han Dynasty!
Tomorrow would be a good time to gain favor. With the help of his father-in-law, Wang Yun, taking down the Han Emperor was only a matter of time.
He bowed and said, "I’m grateful for your help, Sir."
"Hey, why are we still being so formal? Come, come, let’s drink!"
Wang Yun’s face was excited, his spirits lifted as he raised the wine cup to his lips.
...
The next morning, as the sky was getting brighter, Long Chen, under the care of his lawful wife Diaochan, donned a purple python robe. This was a garment worn only by officials of the second rank in the "Great Lord."
Long Chen had just been appointed as the General Who Guards the South, a second-rank military position.
And his father-in-law, Wang Yun, was the Grand Tutor, one of the Three Excellencies, holding the first-rank official position, incomparably noble!
The two went together to the imperial palace hall.
Along the way, Wang Yun kept explaining the etiquette and the words to be said.
Long Chen nodded along the way.
Inside the imperial palace hall.
The civil and military officials all lowered their heads, showing great respect. The atmosphere was solemn and tense in the hall.
Emperor Liu Bian, now just a teenager, not yet in his twenties, and somewhat shy and timid in character, mainly followed the suggestions of the eunuch beside him in handling affairs.
However, Liu Bian was clear that this eunuch was sent by Dong Zhuo, ostensibly to serve and attend to him, but actually to supervise and control him.
The civil and military officials below were all clear in their hearts, but with Dong Zhuo’s overwhelming power, no one dared to confront him.
Except for Ding Yuan, the Inspector of Bingzhou.
The army from Bingzhou stationed themselves in the southern part of Luoyang City, while the Xiliang forces occupied the northern part, facing each other.
Unfortunately, despite the Bingzhou army numbering a hundred thousand men, they were still half the size of Dong Zhuo’s forces.
Nevertheless, the Bingzhou troops were known for their ferocity and individual fighting prowess. They were a thorn in Dong Zhuo’s side and a constant irritation to him!
After Wang Yun’s request was acknowledged, Long Chen’s arrival was announced.
Emperor Liu Bian’s eyes brightened at the head of the dragon throne. He thought a loyal minister had finally come to rescue him, increasing his chance of escaping Dong Zhuo’s clutches.
"Please rise, esteemed one!"
"Are you the brave warrior who killed Zhang Jiao?"
Long Chen bowed, saying, "Indeed, I am!"
Confirmed, Liu Bian was immensely pleased. He was just a teenager, his mind was naive. He sincerely believed that Long Chen had even defeated the influential and revered Zhang Jiao.
Then Dong Zhuo should be easy to deal with!
Because Dong Zhuo had lost in battles against the Yellow Turban rebel forces.
This impression in Liu Bian’s mind suggested that Dong Zhuo wasn’t as good as Zhang Jiao, Zhang Jiao wasn’t as good as Long Chen, so surely Dong Zhuo was inferior to Long Chen!
Luckily, Long Chen didn’t know what Liu Bian was thinking, otherwise, he might have sighed:
"Look at this child, how naive!"
Could the situation back then and now be the same?!
Back then, there were the three famous generals of the Han dynasty leading hundreds of thousands of soldiers in a joint offensive.
Now, he could only say, "Heh..."
With just his five thousand elite troops, he wanted to swallow up Dong Zhuo’s two hundred thousand Xiliang cavalry.
It was like a snake trying to swallow an elephant!
But regardless of what Liu Bian thought, the crucial point was that Liu Bian’s favorability toward Long Chen was skyrocketing!
That was good news!
"Notification! Han’s Young Emperor Liu Bian’s favorability towards you is at 61."
As the Han Emperor, Liu Bian naturally had the aura of a dragon, and he exuded an aura of authority without anger. Gaining his favor was incredibly difficult.
Even if an average extraordinary person had all the conditions Long Chen currently possessed, they might only garner a favorability rating of 20 to 30 (slight favor).
It showed the deep impact of the charm brought by the "Dragon and Phoenix among Men."
"Today, seeing the general, I feel a deep connection!"
"The general has traveled from Yangzhou to Luoyang, risking his life, how can I not show some appreciation!"
Then, Liu Bian waved his dragon robe and said, "Award General Long Chen a hundred taels of gold as the General Who Guards the South. I also know you are a warrior. There happens to be an item, the ’Outer Sky Moonfall Iron,’ left by the previous emperor in the Royal Treasures. Today, I grant it to you!"
Long Chen couldn’t contain his joy upon hearing this and immediately knelt to express his gratitude!
In his heart, he thought, "Now, the Golden Sacred Spear, Zhiji Jiao, only lacks the ’Qilin Blood Essence’!"
At the same time, he marveled that the young emperor wasn’t entirely mediocre. At least, he knew how to win over others with treasures and wealth.
In the great hall, the officials under Dong Zhuo’s command had gloomy faces. Despite being here for so long, they hadn’t received any personal rewards from the Han Emperor!
Yet, this young child, with a somewhat innocent face, had just arrived and received such honors.
It was a precious material used to forge Golden Sacred Artifacts, something they had only heard of but never seen, let alone received!
Their hearts instantly felt a sense of unfairness and their resentment toward the Han Emperor Liu Bian deepened!
After the morning court at the Jia De Hall. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
Wang Yun walked alongside Long Chen.
The old father-in-law was full of joy, patting Long Chen’s shoulder and saying with a smile:
"Today, seeing the Emperor’s attitude towards you, I feel relieved!"
Long Chen was his son-in-law. To be favored by the Emperor naturally made him proud!
After returning to the mansion, dozens of royal eunuchs had already arrived there, sent by the Emperor.
Among the group of attendants, two of them were carrying a small box that glittered with a golden sheen, likely containing the promised hundred taels of gold.
With a hundred taels of gold, Long Chen could purchase five hundred war horses, and his heart was already blooming with joy.
Another silver-black box, although much smaller than the one containing gold, seemed to weigh thousands of pounds. The attendants were struggling to carry it, despite having relatively high combat power according to the system, all in the sixties. Although they had considerable strength, it still seemed challenging for them.
This made Long Chen extremely curious about the rare materials inside the silver-black armored box.
After giving some silver to the attendants, Long Chen called Xu Chu and Zhou Tai to help. It took their combined efforts to lift the "Outer Sky Moonfall Iron" and store it in the refrigerated warehouse.
Not long after, a servant hurriedly ran in.
"Master! Master! Prefect Dong sent an invitation!"
"He invites you and the young master to have a banquet at Wenming Garden!"
Wang Yun came out and took the invitation from the servant, carefully examining it. His brows gradually furrowed into a character "川."
He sneered, "This Dong Zhuo, inviting us over definitely means no good!"
Long Chen also walked out, hearing Wang Yun’s words, and his brows wrinkled.
Wenming Garden???
If historical facts were accurate, there would undoubtedly be hidden dangers within this banquet!
Well, not going was impossible. Refusing such a powerful warlord without reason would only lead to trouble.
"Jue Ming, unexpectedly, Dong Zhuo also invited you. Ah, I’m afraid I’ve burdened you!" Wang Yun sighed with some self-blame.
"It’s alright, Lord Wang. Chen was just thinking about going to meet this Dong bandit!" Long Chen said calmly, remaining composed.
"Good! Let’s go together tonight. I want to see what schemes this Dong Zhuo has in mind!" Wang Yun decided.
In Long Chen’s residence.
Diao Chan, wearing a light white dress, looked like Chang’e under the moonlight—pure, cold, and beautiful.
At this moment, as Long Chen’s wife, she was gently and virtuously helping Long Chen dress in armor.
Her eyebrows slightly furrowed, a worried look on her face, she said, "Husband, this concubine has heard that this Dong Zhuo is an utterly wicked person. When you go this time, you must be extra careful."
Feeling the desolate and sad mood from Diao Chan, Long Chen was moved. He pulled her into his arms, bringing his vermilion lips to her ear and exhaling warm breath, saying, "Chan’er, rest assured! Your husband is mighty and can handle that Dong Zhuo easily. Stay at home and wait for me. Don’t go out!"
Due to Dong Zhuo’s unrestrained actions with his Xiliang army, countless innocent civilians suffered under the cruelty of the Xiliang army in Luoyang City, causing chaos.
Long Chen didn’t want any harm to come to Diao Chan; otherwise, his heart would shatter.
At this moment, he regretted bringing Diao Chan to Luoyang City...
...
Wenming Garden.
Nightfall enveloped everything, and the pitch-black sky pressed against the chests of every official heading to Wenming Garden, making it hard to breathe.
"Ah! Who knows what Dong Zhuo will come up with this time!"
"As long as Dong Zhuo stays in Luoyang City, the city remains in constant danger!"
Although these officials deeply hated Dong Zhuo’s actions, they dared not stand against him due to the atrocities committed by Dong Zhuo.
The officials who had opposed Dong Zhuo before had all met unfortunate ends...
