Free Web NovelChapter 676: 676 The Minister’s Coup
Lu Ming also received the news...
Because he controlled access to one of the palace gates. freeweɓnovel.cøm
Moreover, it was he who had sent Xu Shu to persuade them to change their minds.
Whether the Ten Attendants lived or died was of little concern to him; Zhang Rang’s daughter-in-law, He Wan, even though she was pregnant with his child, had been sent to Chang’an.
What he cared about was whether he could get a share of the wealth the Ten Attendants had accumulated over the years.
The Grand General was dead, and the Ten Attendants were dead too.
Now, only the noble families and powerful clans remained. The noble families were barely alive, and only the Yuan and Yang families remained among the powerful clans. Dong Zhuo could now seize power and indulge in his dreams of becoming a powerful minister.
"My lord, Ding Yuan is also dead. In the palace, Dong Zhuo and the Crown Prince hosted a banquet for Ding Yuan. After He Jin’s death, Niu Fu and his men stormed the palace and, in the chaos, killed Ding Yuan. Now, Ding Yuan’s troops, persuaded by Lü Bu, have defected to Dong Zhuo."
Xu Shu’s expression was grim. With 30,000 more skilled soldiers suddenly appearing, Dong Zhuo’s ambitions were bound to swell to their limit.
"It’s alright. Tomorrow is Liu Xie’s ascension to the throne. I’ve already ordered men to bring He Jin’s family here. The books have also been transported to Hangu Pass. After tomorrow, we will leave Luoyang. The days of chaos in the world won’t be long, hehe. Yuanzhi, if they unite to attack Hangu Pass, that will be the perfect opportunity to invade Yizhou. We must prepare early!"
Lu Ming was unconcerned. He didn’t care at all whether Luoyang was in chaos or would eventually be burned down.
He only cared about one thing: his own interests.
The more chaotic Luoyang is, the better. Dong Zhuo’s troops have plundered, causing countless families to be destroyed and lives lost.
He, on the other hand, has arranged for people to take advantage of the chaos and evacuate people to Guanzhong to replenish the Guanzhong population.
Even if Luoyang is abandoned in the future, it won’t affect him...
And a desolate Luoyang, with its dwindling population, will make it even more difficult for the warlords of Guandong to easily attack Hangu Pass. Xu Shu sighed slightly, unsure whether it was good or bad; in any case, the people suffer in times of prosperity and in times of ruin.
"My lord, we must be prepared to prevent Dong Zhuo from attacking us. Recently, due to the escorting, there have been many clashes with Dong Zhuo’s soldiers."
"Didn’t I say? If there’s a conflict, kill them. I’m not afraid of escalating it."
Lu Ming wouldn’t tolerate this, nor would he swallow his anger.
The useful wealth in Luoyang has been collected almost completely. Before leaving, he’ll take one last blow out of the Yuan family; that would be perfect.
Of all the manpower he has, he hasn’t dealt with the Yang family. This wasn’t just because the Yang family had married their eldest daughter to him as a concubine; it was also to secure a passage.
A passage for cooperation with him—this would let everyone know that a marriage alliance with him was the best outcome.
At this time, Hangu Pass was personally overseen by Huang Zhong, who had been transferred from Hanzhong.
Twenty thousand troops were stockpiled here, and a cement road leading to Chang’an had been constructed behind it.
Transporting both provisions and soldiers was extremely convenient.
With guaranteed logistics, Lu Ming felt more confident.
Huang Zhong stood on the pass, looking at the brand-new ballistae.
These enormous crossbows, requiring two strong men to operate a winch, could pierce armor within a thousand paces.
If wearing only thin clothing, they could even reach two thousand paces—they were truly a weapon of mass destruction! Furthermore, catapults were deployed on the mountains on both sides, launching massive stones downwards.
And this allowed for coordinated attacks, eliminating the fear of being surrounded.
It could be said that this place had become an impregnable fortress!
Below, a steady stream of convoys continued to enter, each undergoing inspection.
Carriages carrying female relatives were inspected by his daughter, Huang Wudie, accompanied by female soldiers, to prevent men from making unwanted advances.
Huang Zhong vaguely sensed the impending storm, and thus intensified his daily drills with his soldiers. Perhaps a momentous battle was about to erupt!
On this day, the palace resounded with the tolling of bells, the playing of musicians, and the fluttering of banners.
Liu Xie slowly ascended the steps of Weiyang Palace, where his grandmother, Empress Dowager Dong, would personally crown him, officially placing him on the throne!
Liu Xie noticed that his grandmother seemed somewhat bloated.
He suspected his grandmother might be having an affair with Lu Ming, but he never imagined that his grandmother, whose temples already showed signs of gray, would become pregnant through adultery, carrying Lu Ming’s child!
If they knew, they would be horrified and would fight to the death to get rid of this bastard who had tarnished the dignity of the royal family!
Lu Ming stood beside Empress Dowager Dong, clad in silver armor, a long sword at his waist, his eyes fixed ahead. He could see many red dots in front of him; those were his enemies.
Of the ministers kneeling below, over 80% were hostile towards him. Especially those ministers whose women and families he had taken from them; they wished they could kill him with their eyes.
Unfortunately, Lu Ming had brought a full ten thousand men today—five thousand at the palace gates and another five thousand inside the palace.
He would leave after today’s ceremony, so naturally, he had to be careful.
His arrangement of soldiers was against the rules, but might makes right, and if the rules were broken, they would be abolished.
As for the concubines in the harem, few were attractive.
Lu Ming didn’t even bother looking; Empress Song, Empress He, and Consort Wang were all already his, and he had even gotten them pregnant. This was already a satisfactory conclusion, and there was no desire to pursue anything further.
It was optional, or rather, there was no desire or ambition.
Liu Xie finally ascended the steps of Weiyang Palace. Empress Dowager Dong, heavily pregnant, approached and placed the gilded crown, symbolizing the emperor, on his head.
Thus, Liu Xie went from crown prince to emperor.
"Your Majesty, this old minister dares to remonstrate! The Governor of Liangzhou, Lu Ming, is cruel and tyrannical, harming his colleagues, extorting and plundering, causing many loyal officials to lose their families. I, Fu Wan, have also been harmed by this villain, losing my family and my Princess Yang’an. I beg Your Majesty to avenge this old minister! I beg Your Majesty to execute this villain!"
Fu Wan suddenly knelt and wept bitterly, as if he had encountered some immense sorrow! For a moment, the scene became somewhat chaotic.
The other ministers followed suit, weeping and refusing to rise, as if vowing to die for their cause and to remonstrate with the emperor.
Empress Dowager Dong was somewhat surprised and turned to look at Lu Ming.
She saw that her young lover remained unmoved, a disdainful smile playing on his lips, as if he utterly disregarded the coup attempts of these clowns.
Her heart, which had been pounding with anxiety, slowly calmed down. Since the man was so confident, she had nothing to worry about!
This scene was witnessed by Liu Xie, and a surge of murderous intent flashed through his mind. He wished he could kill Lu Ming on the spot!
"This beast, this audacious traitor, how dare he have an affair with the Empress Dowager!"
