The fire at Luoyang Imperial Palace burned until midnight, leaving officials anxious, sleepless, and terrified throughout the night.
When the dawn of the second day illuminated the Imperial Court, the officials entered with complex emotions.
However, the sight that greeted them left them greatly shocked: the Dragon Throne was empty, and the Emperor was nowhere to be seen.
To the side, Empress Dowager sat gracefully, her expression somewhat solemn, while Prince Liu Xie stood quietly beside her.
Seeing this, the courtiers immediately began whispering and discussing, and an uneasy atmosphere permeated the Imperial Court.
Below the Imperial Court, Dong Zhuo stood imposingly, his hand on his sword, his cold gaze sweeping around as if proclaiming some authority.
The entire Imperial Court was shrouded in tension and doubt, everyone’s heart filled with worry and speculation, unsure of what changes would occur next.
Dong Zhong bowed below the Imperial Court and asked, “May I ask Empress Dowager, why is His Majesty not present?”
Empress Dowager’s face showed sorrow as she slowly said, “The nation is unfortunate; the Ten Attendants caused chaos.
During the extermination of the Ten Attendants, General He Jin was also murdered, and now the Emperor has been abducted by Lu Zhi and is missing.
Who could have known that Lu Zhi, a man renowned throughout the land, would also harbor such wolfish ambitions!”
Dong Zhong continued, “Empress Dowager, given the current situation, the Emperor’s whereabouts are unknown, but a nation cannot be without a ruler for a single day!
Please make a decision, Empress Dowager.”
Empress Dowager sighed, “I, too, am at a loss for a moment; the Son of Heaven cannot be found, and a nation cannot be without a ruler for a day; what are your thoughts, esteemed officials?”
At once, discussions arose below the Imperial Court.
An official under Dong Zhong bowed and said, “Reporting to Empress Dowager.”
The official under Dong Zhong quickly stepped forward and said, “The late Emperor Ling had two sons; although the current Emperor’s whereabouts are unknown, Prince Liu Xie is still here.
For the sake of the Han Dynasty, which has lasted over four hundred years, I implore Empress Dowager to enthrone Liu Xie as Emperor!”
As he spoke, his words were sincere and full of expectation.
Empress Dowager, upon hearing this, slightly furrowed her brow and fell into deep thought, while the atmosphere in the Imperial Court grew even more tense.
Immediately, whispers and discussions erupted throughout the Imperial Court.
Some ministers exchanged glances, their faces showing worry; they all clearly understood that Grand Empress Dowager Dong and Dong Zhong were playing a double act, trying to use this opportunity to support Liu Xie’s ascension to the throne to achieve their goal of controlling the Imperial Court.
“This is clearly their premeditated plan, to enthrone Liu Xie so they can act as they please!” a minister whispered.
“Yes, but given the current situation, what can we do?” another minister shook his head helplessly.
“Alas, this Dong Zhong has always been arrogant, and now he is even more reckless; we can only watch them manipulate things,” another minister said resentfully.
“But, the Han Dynasty…” a minister exclaimed with deep anguish.
Everyone spoke one after another; although they all knew the truth in their hearts, under the imposing might of Dong Zhuo, who stood fully armored with his hand on his sword, they could only worry in secret and dared not easily reveal their thoughts.
Wu Fu, who was devoted to the nation and its people, could no longer suppress his inner indignation; he took a firm step forward, straightened his back, his eyes wide with anger, and declared in a booming voice, “Empress Dowager!
You must see clearly!
The current Emperor is still alive and has committed no fault whatsoever; how can a new ruler be so hastily enthroned?!
How is this any different from the usurper Wang Mang?
We, as ministers of the Han Dynasty, must take loyalty and righteousness as our foundation, and protecting the nation as our duty!
How can we allow such acts of rebellion to run rampant in the Imperial Court?!
To think that our Han Dynasty, having endured through generations of emperors and survived through trials and tribulations to this day, should not have this splendid Han Dynasty ruined by the selfish desires and wolfish ambitions of certain individuals!
We absolutely cannot allow the foundation of this Han Dynasty to be destroyed in one fell swoop!”
Wu Fu’s words resonated powerfully throughout the Imperial Court, lingering for a long time; his eyes were filled with determination and fearlessness, meeting Dong Zhuo’s fierce gaze without any trepidation.
Other ministers, upon hearing Wu Fu’s words, also nodded in agreement; although their hearts were filled with fear of Dong Zhuo, Wu Fu’s speech undoubtedly expressed their innermost feelings, making them secretly give Wu Fu a thumbs-up in their hearts, and at the same time, they admired his courage and steadfastness.
However, facing the formidable power of the Dong clan, they could only secretly worry for Wu Fu, fearing that he would suffer Dong Zhuo’s retaliation.
A sinister glint flashed in Dong Zhong’s eyes as he quickly exchanged glances with Dong Zhuo.
Seeing this, Dong Zhuo stepped forward, his hand on his sword, and declared loudly, “Now that Empress Dowager is in the Imperial Court, and the Emperor is missing, we are all considering the welfare of the nation and its people.
Wu Fu, what is the meaning of your words?
Are you questioning our sincerity?
Everything we do is for the Han Dynasty and the people of the world!”
Upon hearing Dong Zhuo’s words, Wu Fu became even more furious; he straightened his body, widened his eyes, and cursed in a stern voice, “Dong Zhuo, you treacherous villain!
You claim to be for the nation and its people, but in reality, you and your fellow rebellious traitors are attempting to usurp the throne and bring chaos to the world!
Your Dong clan is full of insatiably greedy and wolf-hearted scoundrels!
Dong Zhuo, you accomplice to tyranny!
And Dong Zhong, you despicable and shameless wretch!
You conspire together, colluding to put the Han Dynasty in danger!
Even if I, Wu Fu, die today, I will expose your ugly faces to the world!
I fear nothing; I embrace death as if returning home!”
Infuriated by Wu Fu’s scathing rebuke, Dong Zhuo roared with a distorted face, “Do you not fear death?!”
Upon hearing this, Wu Fu suddenly charged towards the palace guard, attempting to snatch the sword from his waist to confront Dong Zhuo.
Seeing this, Dong Zhuo became even more enraged and roared, “Seize this madman! Behead him!”
The guards pounced on Wu Fu like wolves, and in a short while, Wu Fu’s head was brought into the Imperial Court.
Immediately, a deathly silence fell over the Imperial Court; the ministers were all struck dumb with fear, everyone intimidated by Dong Zhuo’s ruthlessness, their hearts filled with terror and despair.
Empress Dowager, seeing that the officials in the Imperial Court had no immediate reaction, slowly said, “For the sake of the Han Dynasty and the foundation of our ancestors, a nation cannot be without a ruler for a single day.
Given the current circumstances, for the continuation of the Han Dynasty, we can only allow Prince Liu Xie to ascend the throne.”
Upon hearing this, everyone remained silent, neither opposing nor agreeing.
After a moment, Empress Dowager, seeing no reaction from the crowd, waved her hand and said, “Enough, all of you go and make preparations.”
Grand Tutor Yuan Wei, Sikong Xun Shuang, Situ Wang Yun, and several other important ministers stepped forward together.
Grand Tutor Yuan Wei bowed and said, “Empress Dowager, this matter is of no small importance; it requires careful consideration.
How can the position of the Son of Heaven be changed so casually?!”
Sikong Xun Shuang then added, “Empress Dowager, we believe this matter requires serious consideration and should not be decided hastily.”
Situ Wang Yun also stepped forward, bowed, and said, “Empress Dowager, the Han Dynasty’s emperors have always followed a legitimate succession; changing the Son of Heaven so easily now will truly be difficult to gain public acceptance.”
Empress Dowager looked at these important officials; they represented not only themselves but also the opinions of the powerful aristocratic families.
Though Empress Dowager was unwilling in her heart, faced with their open opposition, she could not directly refute them and had to temporarily give up, though she could not hide the hint of reluctance on her face.
Empress Dowager frowned and said, “Then what do you propose? Are we just going to drag this on indefinitely, and ignore the affairs of the Imperial Court?”
Grand Tutor Yuan Wei and the others exchanged glances and replied, “Empress Dowager, we can send people to search for the Emperor’s whereabouts.
Now that the Emperor is missing and his fate is unknown, how can we so hastily replace him?
We should quickly find the Emperor’s whereabouts, and it will not be too late to deliberate further once we have a result.”
Empress Dowager, upon hearing the suggestions of Grand Tutor Yuan Wei and the others, showed an extremely unwilling expression, but faced with the insistence of the ministers, she also felt utterly helpless.
She suddenly stood up and angrily flicked her sleeves, her robes sweeping a sharp arc through the air, as if releasing all the fury in her heart.
After Empress Dowager departed, the Imperial Court immediately erupted into a hubbub; ministers whispered and discussed amongst themselves.
Some ministers showed worried expressions, concerned about the nation’s future; others secretly shook their heads, feeling utterly confused by the current situation.
As for Dong Zhong and Dong Zhuo, on the surface, they appeared to be diligently dispatching troops to inquire about the Emperor’s whereabouts, but in reality, they each had their own calculations, and their every move carried a hint of hypocrisy and pretense.
Amidst this atmosphere of worry and helplessness, the ministers slowly dispersed from the Imperial Court.
Everyone’s heart felt heavy, as if burdened by a huge stone; they did not know how to cope with the complex situation ahead, nor did they know where the nation’s destiny would lead.