Chapter 32

Below him sat the various ministers of the Han court.

Naturally, this included Dong Zhuo’s trusted confidants, such as Secretariat Director Li Ru and Captain of the Fierce Vanguard Fan Chou.

The reason Li Ru and Fan Chou had not gone outside the city to welcome Dong Zhuo that day was that they were waiting for this very moment: Dong Zhuo’s entry into the imperial palace hall.

Sure enough.

The moment Dong Zhuo stepped half a foot into the imperial palace,

the expressions on the faces of the many Han ministers changed drastically!

According to ritual and protocol,

aside from the Imperial Guard,

everyone was required to leave their weapons outside before entering the imperial palace hall.

Dong Zhuo held the position of Chancellor, and had previously been granted special permission by Liu Xie to carry weapons into the palace.

But that did not mean the group of Xiliang civil and military officials behind him could also carry weapons!

At this moment, aside from Dong Zhuo,

Hua Xiong, Zhang Ji, Lu Bu, and the others all had swords hanging at their waists.

They had absolutely no regard for the ritual and protocol of the Han court!

Yet, even though everyone knew Dong Zhuo was deliberately showing off his might, there was no way to stop him.

Those who dared to stand up and oppose Dong Zhuo

were either locked away in the Luoyang dungeons,

or had already been forced to resign and return home.

Furthermore,

the Dong Zhuo of this moment was even harder to deal with than the one from not long ago!

Even a force as massive as the Guandong Coalition had been defeated.

Looking across the world, who else dared to be an enemy of Dong Zhuo?

A suffocating sense of oppression lingered in the chests of the Han ministers.

They watched helplessly as Dong Zhuo entered the hall.

"Your Majesty, this old subject has returned."

Dong Zhuo spoke.

His aged and dull voice made it impossible for Liu Xie and the Han ministers to tell whether he was happy or sad.

Fortunately, Liu Xie could be considered a clever person.

Having been a puppet emperor for half a year, he knew exactly what to do when faced with such a scene.

Then, Liu Xie responded in his slightly youthful voice:

"Chancellor, you have worked hard."

"Being able to defeat the Guandong rebels this time is entirely due to the Chancellor's brilliant leadership."

However, before Liu Xie could finish,

Dong Zhuo suddenly interrupted:

"Your Majesty is mistaken."

As soon as these words were spoken,

the faces of the Han ministers were filled with indignation!

Interrupting the Emperor without permission was a grave crime in itself.

And this fellow Dong Zhuo not only interrupted the Emperor, but even bluntly retorted that the Emperor was wrong!

But aside from anger, what could the Han ministers do? There was absolutely nothing they could do!

If they could have kept Dong Zhuo in check, would they have allowed the entire high command of the Dong Zhuo army to attend court while armed?

Seemingly not expecting to be interrupted by Dong Zhuo, Liu Xie was slightly stunned.

Before he could recover, Dong Zhuo’s aged and dull voice came again:

"The reason we were able to win this battle is entirely due to the tens of thousands of soldiers in our army!"

"Furthermore, it is due to the civil and military officials of our army!"

"The person with the least credit is this old man, who already has one foot in the grave."

As if in response to Dong Zhuo,

the moment his voice fell,

a wave of cheers erupted from outside the imperial palace!

One could even faintly hear

cries of "Long live!" and "May the Chancellor be blessed with eternal fortune!"

The ones making these sounds were the tens of thousands of soldiers under Dong Zhuo's command!

The thunderous roar

fell upon the ears of the Han ministers like a demonic dirge.

And Liu Xie, sitting on the dragon throne,

had already turned deathly pale, at a complete loss for what to do.

……. ===== CHAPTER 67 =====

"Chan... Chancellor, what is your intention?"

Ma Richen stood up and questioned Dong Zhuo.

But his tone did not sound very firm; instead, it was filled with fear.

For the Han ministers, Dong Zhuo had already instilled a fear that went deep into their marrow.

Old foxes like Wang Yun, who could disguise themselves to the extreme, were, after all, in the minority.

As for the rest, even veteran Han officials like Ma Richen, Yang Biao, and Shi Sunrui felt more fear than hatred toward Dong Zhuo on a daily basis.

"Grand Master of Ceremonies, the Chancellor is merely acknowledging the merits of the soldiers; what other ill intentions could he possibly have?"

Dong Zhuo did not speak; it was Li Ru who spoke in his stead.

Hearing this, Ma Richen’s face showed terror.

He wanted to say something, but it ultimately turned into a helpless sigh.

"Your Majesty, soldiers who have rendered service should be rewarded, should they not?"

Dong Zhuo stared directly at Liu Xie on the dragon throne.

The latter was already in a daze; no matter what Dong Zhuo said, his brain could not process it.

Under the suggestive glances of the Han ministers, Liu Xie finally came to his senses and hurriedly replied:

"The Chancellor is absolutely right."

"The soldiers have rendered service to the state and should be heavily rewarded."

Hearing this, the confidants standing behind Dong Zhuo all held their heads high and chests out.

When Dong Zhuo first entered the capital, he had not given his confidants rocket-like promotions.

As a result, within the Dong Zhuo army, only Li Ru, as Secretariat Director, could be considered a high-ranking official of the court.

The rest did not even hold a single position among the Three Excellencies, Nine Ministers, or major General titles.

But things were different now.

Dong Zhuo represented the legitimate Han court and had defeated the Guandong Coalition, which represented the rebel forces.

With such great merit, what was wrong with promoting the soldiers?

However, as the saying goes,

for some to rise, others must fall.

For the Han ministers,

the promotion of Dong Zhuo’s confidants

meant that they, the old Han officials, faced the possibility of being purged at any time.

In an instant,

everyone felt a sense of impending doom.

However. ===== CHAPTER 68 =====