Chapter 104: A Treacherous Presence Beside His Majesty
Faint candlelight illuminated the imperial study brightly.
The door opened once again.
Liu Xie, thinking Wang Yue had left and returned, looked up expectantly. “Master Wang, you...” His gaze darkened as he saw a man standing there carrying a box. He exclaimed in surprise, “Who are you?”
Chen Cong stroked his chin, saying nothing.
Or perhaps...
Carrying the Son of Heaven away?
He quickly dismissed the tempting idea.
It wouldn’t be difficult to toss the little emperor into a box and take him out, but the real challenge was how to pack up all the court officials and nobles.
Without the eloquence of those cultured men, who would recognize Liu Xie, installed by Dong Zhuo, as the legitimate ruler of the court?
By then, someone could easily pluck a fallen noble from the royal clan to continue as emperor. If by chance Liu ended up supporting that fallen aristocrat, it would be a catastrophic double blow.
Moreover,
One Son of Heaven and eighteen feudal lords clearly weren’t enough to divide the realm.
If war broke out again,
With Cao Cao’s mere five thousand troops, it would hardly be enough; they might not even reach the little emperor’s leg if they jumped.
So the question arose:
Where was the imperial jade seal?
Chen Cong glanced around the study while gathering his thoughts.
“Your Majesty, do not fear. I am Chen Cong. You must have heard of me—a man renowned as Invincible, the very one who drove Dong Zhuo to flee in disgrace.”
“It’s you!” Liu Xie brightened up, lifting the embroidered quilt and sitting by the dragon throne. “My loyal minister has been sent to quell the traitor. Has the mission succeeded?”
Chen Cong’s eyes rolled as he recalled all the heartbreaks of his past two lives, finally forcing out a look of sorrow.
“I must ask, Your Majesty, to whom exactly did you give the imperial edict? Lately, the traitor Dong’s gaze towards me has grown increasingly strange.”
Liu Xie nearly fell from the throne in fright.
The edict?
The edict was entrusted to Ji Ping by Wang Yun to summon Chen Cong. If it hadn’t reached Chen Cong’s hands, could it have fallen into Dong Zhuo’s?
Then who had handed the edict to Dong Zhuo?
Wang Yun? Or Ji Ping?
Chen Cong had no qualms about deceiving a nine-year-old child.
Seizing the moment, he pressed on, “Your Majesty, Dong Zhuo guards against me like a wolf, giving me no chance to approach. In this perilous time, I fear I must trouble Your Majesty to issue another edict to mobilize the loyal forces within Luoyang to storm the Grand Tutor’s residence. Only then can we seize a slim chance of survival.”
“This... this... what shall we do? If... the Grand Tutor... My loyal minister, perhaps it’s best to give up. If the Grand Tutor turns ruthless...”
Chen Cong sneered, “Your Majesty, have you forgotten how the young emperor died? Regret now would be too late. Dong Zhuo is busy relocating the capital and has no time to bother with the Son of Heaven. If he knew Your Majesty acted this way upon reaching Chang’an, wouldn’t that only bring you harm?”
Liu Xie shook his head vigorously. “I am the only living heir of the late emperor. How could the Grand Tutor dare harm me? Perhaps this matter should be dropped...”
Chen Cong was taken aback.
He couldn’t tell whether Liu Xie was naturally cold and ungrateful or shrewd enough to sense something amiss.
If Liu Xie believed Chen’s words, they would be on a knife’s edge—either fight to the death or surrender.
Yet Chen lightly revealed that while Dong Zhuo probably wouldn’t kill him, what of the loyal Han officials working with him? Would they be sold to the tyrant’s slaughter?
The key was that this was said openly in front of Chen Cong, the “loyal Han official”—was this not a blatant betrayal?
Changing tactics, Chen threatened, “Your Majesty’s words ring true, but I wonder what relation the Emperor Ling has to the Emperor Huan? And what connection was there between Emperor Huan and the previous Emperor Zhi?”
Liu Xie was struck as if by lightning, staggering and almost falling from the dragon throne.
Without exception, Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling both inherited the throne as members of the royal clan, having no blood relation to any so-called former emperor.
Chen Cong didn’t help him up but pressed further, “I, Chen Invincible, am brave and skilled in battle. Even if the mission fails, I can fight my way out of Luoyang alone. But when that time comes, how Dong Zhuo treats Your Majesty will be none of my concern.”
Despite his cunning, Liu Xie was still a mere nine-year-old child.
After Chen Cong’s threats and deceptions, his face paled. Shaking, he reached out trembling on the ground and cried, “My loyal minister, please don’t go!”
“Does Your Majesty have any orders?”
“Loyal minister, may I ask you a question?”
Chen Cong tapped his chest and said reassuringly, “Rest assured, Your Majesty. First, my father-in-law Cao Cao risked his life to assassinate Dong. Now I, Chen Cong, face danger to slay the traitor. Father and son-in-law alike are loyal ministers of Han!”
Liu Xie was silent for a moment. “No, my loyal minister, I want to ask: since the mission failed, how did you manage to enter the gates of the Palace of Eternal Joy?”
“Oh, Your Majesty must know of my feat of single-handedly defeating Lü Bu. I spared his life then; now he returns the favor by letting me in.”
“I see... may I summon—”
“Your Majesty!” Chen Cong suddenly shouted, making Liu Xie shrink back. He then lowered his voice and continued, “Because Your Majesty leaked information earlier, I have already faced great peril. If this plan is not carefully executed, both Your Majesty and I shall perish at the hands of the chaos!”
Could Chen Cong be trusted?
Originally, Wang Yun had entrusted Ji Ping, claiming him loyal and trustworthy, before issuing the edict.
The Dong tyrant’s court spoke of this son-in-law with gritted teeth, clearly showing deep discord.
Liu Xie pondered long and hard before finally conceding.
“My loyal minister, can you find Princess Wannian in the corridor of the Palace of Eternal Joy? I fear the imperial jade seal is lost, so I have entrusted it to my eldest sister for safekeeping.”
“Your Majesty, rest assured, I shall not fail this trust.”
Liu Xie, distraught, said, “My loyal minister, please be extremely careful.”
Chen Cong nodded and deeply cupped his fists. “Before parting, I have one heartfelt word to speak, unsure if I should.”
“Speak freely.”
“If this mission fails, I shall take full blame and spare Your Majesty from Dong’s wrath. Should I no longer serve by Your Majesty’s side, remember this: not all so-called loyal Han ministers can be trusted. Beware of evildoers and treacherous men—like Wang Yun, for example...”
“General...” Inside the box, Diao Chan had been frightened to tears, covering her mouth to plead softly.
Unfortunately, Liu Xie was too far away to hear the woman’s whispered words.
Awkwardly, he asked, “What about Chancellor Wang?”
Chen Cong lightly tapped the box and smiled, “Ah! Nothing much, just that he secretly harmed the second son of the Hedong Wei family for his own gain—there’s a blood letter to prove it.”
With that, Chen Cong thoughtfully approached Liu Xie to show the blood letter from Wang Yun.
Diao Chan longed to expose this shameless villain’s true nature face to face.
But...
The more she learned, the deeper she sank into helplessness.
This man held no reverence for imperial authority; deceiving the Son of Heaven was as casual as fooling a neighborhood beggar.
His martial prowess was unmatched—single-handedly he could kill thirty-six men armed with swords in a single cup of tea.
His backing was a mountain of power. His father-in-law was the righteous assassin Cao Cao; the tyrant Dong Zhuo was his grandfather-in-law. The flying bear obediently followed his orders, and the famed fierce warrior Lü Bu treated him with courtesy.
She was truly afraid that if she revealed this great villain’s evil in person, the Son of Heaven would suffer.
She even feared that Chen Cong, like at the Chancellor’s mansion, might casually kick a table and shatter the emperor’s skull...
She, a frail woman, what could she do?
—End of page three—