Chapter 104: Treacherous Currents and Shifting Clouds (Double-Length Chapter)

South of the city, at the traveler’s lodge.

"Han Long! Are you out of your mind?" Cao Xing gripped his longbow, his voice filled with resentment. "You just left the Young Master behind and ran back here alone?"

"It was the Young Master who—"

"As you said, the Young Master was acting in a desperate rush. What if he did something reckless on impulse? He has no martial arts skills; who is going to protect him?" Zhang Junbao asked urgently.

"Enough, Junbao, Zishan. Han Long was merely following the Young Master's orders," Xiahou Lan said, silencing those who were still complaining. "Our top priority now is to find the Young Master. Whatever matters need to be discussed, we will do so when we all return together."

With that, Xiahou Lan turned to the other side of the room, where an exotic beauty stood gracefully, her presence seemingly illuminating the dim chamber.

"Lady Jingshu, please wait here for a while. We shall return shortly."

"Jingshu will obey."

…

"Father—"

"Truly... this is truly causing chaos!" Wang Yun’s short white beard trembled. "Xiuer, did you know of Yulang’s intentions beforehand?"

"Xiuer did not know..."

"The chain stratagem is near completion, yet he has gone and provoked this incident... alas." Wang Yun heaved a long sigh, his eyes shifting in their sockets, at times cloudy and at times clear.

"Father, Yulang, he... he is gravely wounded!"

"Even if he were not wounded, the rebel Dong would still have him killed."

Diao Xiuer rose abruptly upon hearing this. "Xiuer will go and beg him to spare Yulang’s life—"

"Nonsense!" Wang Yun slammed his hand onto the table, startling the distraught Diao Xiuer back to her senses. Her beautiful face was already drenched in tears.

"The rebel Dong is currently in a fit of rage. If you go rashly, not only will you fail to save Zhang Yu, but you will only further inflame Dong's fury."

Having reasoned with her, Wang Yun adopted a softer, fatherly tone. "Rest assured, the grand plan is what matters. I shall head to the palace now to report this to His Majesty. I will risk my old life if I must to ensure he is protected."

"Xiuer thanks you, Father..."

Donning his robes and stepping out, Wang Feng was already waiting.

"My Lord, it is late. You are still entering the palace?"

"I have my own ways." Wang Yun stepped onto his carriage. "By the way, send more men to search for Zhang Yu. If Dong Zhuo’s men reach him first, protect him if you can. If you cannot... then kill him yourselves first."

"My Lord—"

"If he is captured, not only will our Wang family of a hundred souls have no hope of survival, but even His Majesty will be implicated. Do as I say!"

"…Yes!"

…

A night of pitch darkness and howling wind, a night for murder and arson.

The killing was done, and the fire was brewing into a raging force. The black-clad swordsman carried the unconscious Zhang Yu in one hand, traversing the winding alleys of Chang'an, leaping over roofs and scaling walls, his footsteps silent upon landing.

After sneaking for a while, his left ear twitched, and he leaped toward the left.

"Hmm?" Lu Bu frowned. He dismounted his Red Hare, hung his Halberd of the Heavenly Heavens on the horse’s back, and drew a long sword to wear at his side.

"Go back first."

"Pff." Red Hare snorted heavily, clearly dissatisfied with being abandoned by its master, but seeing Lu Bu’s solemnity, it held no temper and galloped away into the dust.

…

"Faster!"

"Shh! Keep quiet, don't run into the Xiliang army."

Xiahou Lan stopped the men behind him. When he looked back, he saw a figure in black standing against the wind on the low wall facing them.

Or rather... two figures.

"Young Master!"

"Who are you!"

"Release our Young Master at once!"

Han Long, having been lectured by the group the entire way, drew his sword directly, only to be quickly restrained by Xiahou Lan.

"Might I ask who you are, and why our Young Master is in your hands?" Xiahou Lan asked, taking two steps forward.

"Take all your men and follow me."

With that, the man in black carried Zhang Yu and turned into another street.

"Ziru, what do we do?"

Xiahou Lan pondered for a moment. "Zishan, you go quickly to the lodge and bring Lady Jingshu and Wuji’s group. Han Long, you wait here; at every location we pass, I will leave one of our brothers to guide you. The rest, follow me."

Weiyang Palace, Zhaoyang Hall.

The young Emperor Liu Xie sat on his couch, casually flipping through a book.

"I wonder how the plans of my Imperial Brother and the Situ are progressing. Alas."

Sighing habitually, Liu Xie was about to retire when he heard a young eunuch call out softly from outside: "Has Your Majesty retired?"

"What is it?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, Lord Situ says he has an urgent matter to report."

An urgent matter? Could it be that the rebel Dong has been executed?!

"Invite him in!" Liu Xie sprang up, joyous. "Quickly, bring him in."

A moment later, a travel-worn Wang Yun bowed and hurried into the room. Seeing the expression on his face, the young Emperor’s heart tightened instantly.

"Situ, coming to see me in the dead of night—is there an urgent matter?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, I do indeed have an urgent matter that requires us to devise a solution together."

"What is it?"

"Zhang Yu attempted to assassinate Dong Zhuo earlier. He is severely wounded and was subsequently rescued by someone."

"Ah? My Imperial Brother, he... assassinated Dong Zhuo?!"

"Indeed."

"Is this... the plan you all devised?"

"Of course not—"

"Is my Imperial Brother alright? Was he captured?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, I do not know... but the rebel Dong has issued an order to seize Yulang—he wants the man alive or his corpse if dead. I fear it will not be long before Yulang is in grave danger."

"Scoundrel! Dog of a rebel!" Liu Xie threw the bamboo scroll in his hand to the floor and hurried down from the couch to help Wang Yun up.

"Situ, you must have a way, right? I must protect him. He is my Imperial Brother, and I am the Emperor. I can protect him, right?"

…

The Grand Tutor’s Mansion.

"A bunch of animals!" Dong Zhuo kicked a long table, sending it flying and shattering.

"When they needed me, I traveled thousands of miles from Xiliang to save the Liu family from collapse. Have I not done enough?"

"Enough, enough, certainly enough..." Dong Zhuo’s younger brother, Dong Min, chimed in from the side.

"Uncle’s merits are comparable to the Duke of Zhou. If not for Uncle stepping forward, the Han Dynasty would have perished long ago!" This was Dong Zhuo’s nephew, Dong Huang.

Dong Zhuo remained unappeased, like a keg of gunpowder ignited, and began slashing at the lamps and incense burners in the hall.

"It is outrageous! Ever since I entered the capital, I have labored day and night for state affairs. And those ministers? They couldn't even protect the Emperor; they are all freeloaders. What use are they! And the noble clans, the factions—I have killed too few of them, which is why they still harbor rebellious hearts, always wanting to stir up some grand trouble!"

"Brother, calm your anger. If you haven't killed enough, just kill more."

"Kill them all? And who would do the work? Do you know who is loyal to me and who harbors evil intentions? Tell me, how should the matter of Zhang Yu be resolved?"

"In my opinion, just kill him."

"Fool! Go, find Wenyou for me!"

"Yes."

"Third Uncle, wait." Dong Huang stopped Dong Min and bowed to Dong Zhuo. "Uncle, why trouble Wenyou with such a small matter? I already have a solution."

"Oh? Let’s hear it."

"Zhang Yu is the Emperor's brother, high-born, and has recently produced many fine works, earning a great literary reputation. He is on good terms with Wang Yun, Cai Yong, and others. Now that he has attempted to assassinate you, his reputation among the rats in the east and the common people must be immense—far surpassing that of Cao Mengde."

"Hmph, a bunch of lowly commoners. So, Huang’er, you also think he should be killed?" Dong Zhuo asked.

"He must be killed, but not simply killed."

"Go on."

"I believe that instead of killing him because he assassinated you, it would be better to set a trap."

"Speak clearly." Dong Zhuo looked thoughtful.

"You previously suggested to His Majesty that Zhang Yu be enfeoffed as a Marquis. The next court session should have a result."

"After the Emperor knows about this, would he dare to bring it up again?"

"Even if His Majesty does not bring it up, you must. Because it is what you said previously. As the Grand Tutor, you should be clear in rewards and punishments."

Dong Zhuo pondered Dong Huang’s words, rarely not exploding in anger.

"The Emperor, upon hearing your words, will likely agree. If he is hesitant and dares not agree, you must force him to. In short, the title of Marquis is given to Zhang Yu. At that point, you explain the situation to His Majesty: the crime is not the assassination of the Grand Tutor, but the killing of innocent Xiliang soldiers! By demanding his death on those grounds, the criticism against you will be much less."

"Zhang Yu being the Emperor's brother, His Majesty will naturally plead for his life. If you take a step back and the Emperor does not protect him, then Zhang Yu dies, and you gain a reputation for valuing your soldiers and being impartial—your authority will be even greater. If the Emperor does protect him, then you reluctantly agree and back down, showing weakness to His Majesty."

"Ah? Doesn't this mean everyone will come to assassinate me..."

"Fool!" Dong Zhuo glared at Dong Min and looked back at Dong Huang. "Huang’er, what you say has merit."

"Third Uncle, this way, those who are restless will surely think you have softened and are no longer tough, and their rebellious hearts will become active again. Currently, they are cowed by your prestige and dare not act, making it hard to distinguish the loyal from the treacherous. Once Zhang Yu can be protected even after assassinating you, they will surely jump out and seek their own deaths! At that moment, we can sweep them all up in one net. As for Zhang Yu, he is the Emperor's brother; let him die just like the former Emperor Shao."

"Hahahaha, good!" Dong Zhuo was delighted. "We shall follow Huang’er’s plan. Brother, with him here, you can depart in peace."

Having obtained the plan, Dong Zhuo’s fury dissipated, and Dong Huang and Dong Min took their leave.

"Huang’er, Third Uncle really didn't see it—you have such cunning!"

"Third Uncle is too kind." Dong Huang smiled and returned to his own residence.

"Father, oh Father, if you were still here, this position of Grand Tutor would not have fallen to my Second Uncle. Heh, after all, I am not his biological son. The granddaughter gets to be the Lady of Weiyang, while I have to fight for a Marquisate myself. How annoying."

…

The stars were like ink, and the night wind was cool. The quiet, deep night hid surging currents.

Fortunately, the eighteen riders of Yan had martial arts to rely on; by being cautious and moving silently, they did not expose their tracks. They followed the path for what felt like endless streets and turns before realizing they had circled back to a residence not far from Wang Yun's mansion.

The man in black finally stopped and pushed open the courtyard gate. Inside, a tall young man in blue was waiting. He did not speak much, but quickly stepped forward to lift Zhang Yu and carry him into the guest room.

"This..." Xiahou Lan and the others looked at the man in black, too many questions flooding their minds.

"I am Wang Yue."

As he spoke, the man in black removed his mask. His graying beard spoke of his age, while his piercing, spirited eyes displayed his capability.

"This man is definitely a master!" Xiahou Lan and the others realized this immediately.

It was a pity they were men from Hebei and did not understand the significance of the name "Wang Yue." Had anyone from Luoyang or Chang'an been present, they would have bowed respectfully and called him "Master of the Emperor."

Seeing their guarded gazes, Wang Yue smiled faintly. "No need for defenses; they are useless. If I wanted to strike, would you still be alive?"

"You—"

"Your Young Master assassinated the rebel Dong alone and was rescued by me when his life hung by a thread. The rebel Dong will certainly not spare him. You had best stay here until the storm passes."

"The Young Master... assassinated Dong!?" The group was shocked.

"Yes. I did not expect Young Master Yu to be a master of swordsmanship. His technique is flawless; it is only his body that is too frail. Otherwise, I would truly like to cross blades with him."

"My Young Master, a master of swordsmanship?" Xiahou Lan and Han Meng exchanged glances, then bowed to Wang Yue in unison. "Thank you, Master Wang, for saving our Young Master!"

"You are too kind. Young Master Yu is the brother of our current Emperor. I am loyal to the Han, so saving him was my duty. On the contrary, Young Master Yu’s righteousness—risking his life to assassinate Dong—is truly something that commands the respect and admiration of all under Heaven!"

"I speak for the Young Master in thanking you, Master Wang. I only wonder about his wounds..."

"They are severe. I will find a way to summon a physician."

"Is there anything we can help with—"

"No need. You are still young; just stay put. Otherwise, you will only add to the trouble."

"Thank you, Master Wang!"

The palace towers were majestic; the long-lasting joy was not yet finished.

"…As long as Yulang does not fall into the rebel's hands, the assassination attempt is merely Zhang Xiu’s one-sided claim. Who is to say Zhang Yu wasn't specifically targeting Zhang Xiu? Many people know they have a feud."

"But does the rebel Dong need a reason to kill?"

"But Zhang Yu is different. He is the Imperial Brother you just acknowledged. If Dong Zhuo dares to kill him outright, it is a public contempt for the Emperor's dignity, which Your Majesty must stop!"

"He has already dared to depose and poison my brother! How can you be sure, Situ, that the rebel Dong will not repeat the same trick!" the young Emperor raged.

"He will not dare!" Wang Yun said firmly. "He deposed the former Emperor Shao first because you, Your Majesty, are incredibly intelligent, and second, to establish his authority. If there was a reason for the first deposition, there is no reason for a second. The Xiliang rebel army is strong, but far from enough to conquer the world. As long as the world is not settled, he dares not usurp the throne. As long as he does not want to be Emperor, this Emperor must be you, Your Majesty!"

Liu Xie remained silent.

"Therefore, if Dong Zhuo brings this up tomorrow, express surprise and have him recount the entire event. Then, insist that Yulang was only trying to kill Zhang Xiu; that way, Zhang Yu has a reason to live. If the rebel Dong insists on killing him, you must resist with all your might. I will contact Bojie and the others to join in persuading him. If all else fails, we can only secretly find Yulang and send him away from Chang'an."

"Very well... Situ, you have worked hard."

The treacherous, shifting night had reached its end.