Chapter 42: The Son of Heaven Is Very Busy

Zhang Fei and Qian Zhao galloped over on horseback, charging straight toward the Yueqi cavalrymen stationed outside the stables.

Although the Yueqi battalion was a cavalry unit, none of them were mounted at the moment because they had dismounted to attack Liu Bei inside the stables.

Zhang Fei rode Liu Bei's mount, charging forward at an incredible speed while wielding a nearly two-zhang-long… tree trunk.

Still adorned with leaves and twigs, the object clearly looked like it had been picked up off the roadside on a whim.

"Big Brother, Zhang Fei is here!"

The two-zhang tree trunk swept through the air with a roaring gust of wind, carrying a terrifying momentum. With a single strike, it batted the two soldiers outside the stables airborne.

The startled horses neighed wildly and reared onto their hind legs.

Twigs and leaves scattered in all directions, and the tree trunk slipped from Zhang Fei's grip.

Seeing that Zhang Fei was disarmed, two soldiers thrust their spears forward to engage him. However, Zhang Fei leaned down, scooped up one of the spears with brute force directly from a soldier's grasp, and swept it back around, knocking the other soldier flat onto the ground.

When the remaining soldiers saw this, they rushed forward to intercept Zhang Fei, instantly relieving the pressure on Liu Bei.

With a spear now in hand, Zhang Fei spurred his horse and charged back into the fray. Wielding the weapon with sweeping, powerful strokes, he scattered a dozen soldiers within the span of two passes.

Some people were born warriors, gifted not only with divine strength but also with untamed courage. Even in his youth, he radiated the majestic and overwhelming aura of a fierce tiger.

Qian Zhao was not as ferocious as Zhang Fei, but his horsemanship was superior, and his movements were far more agile. Wielding his sword, he hacked down two soldiers who were closing in on Liu Bei and escorted Liu Bei out of the stables.

By this time, the squad leader had grabbed Zuo Yuan by the neck, dragging her out through the gates of the post station. Seeing that his men had been routed, he pointed his broken spear at Liu Bei and shouted, "None of you move! Care for this woman's life if you want her to live!"

Liu Bei turned back, teamed up with Qian Zhao to knock down the surrounding soldiers, and pointed his sword at the squad leader. "Do you care for the lives of your comrades?!"

The squad leader dragged Zuo Yuan backward a few steps. Seeing Qian Zhao positioning himself for a flank attack, he retreated a few more paces.

The peripheral soldiers had been utterly crushed by Zhang Fei, and there were barely any combat-ready Yueqi troops left.

Clutching the bloody half-spear while holding Zuo Yuan in a chokehold, the squad leader looked from Zhang Fei to Liu Bei. "Are you death-sworn retainers of the Yuan clan?"

At that moment, Zuo Yuan suddenly spoke up. "My lord, pay no heed to me! This man has already discovered our affairs; execute him immediately!"

As she spoke, she even winked at Liu Bei.

"Shut your mouth! Do these death-sworn retainers of the Yuan clan really hold women who care nothing for life or death?"

The squad leader tightened his grip on Zuo Yuan, glancing between Liu Bei and Zhang Fei in the distance. "Such ferocious warriors… It seems the Luoyang prison was indeed burned down by you people…"

By now, Zhang Fei had mostly dealt with the dozen peripheral soldiers and was galloping his horse back toward them.

Liu Bei looked at Zuo Yuan, caught her wink, and said to the squad leader, "Since you already know what we have done, you should know that we must kill you no matter what… Die!"

With that, he lunged forward with his sword, hacking at the squad leader as if completely unconcerned about Zuo Yuan's life.

The squad leader shoved Zuo Yuan directly toward Liu Bei to use her as a shield, hurled his broken spear at Qian Zhao, and turned tail to run.

Liu Bei caught Zuo Yuan in his arms while Qian Zhao deflected the flying spear, giving the squad leader the opportunity to leap onto a horse and flee at a gallop.

Seeing this, the remaining mobile soldiers quickly scattered and fled in all directions.

"Don't run!"

Roaring with fury, Zhang Fei gave chase, riding down and spearing two of them.

Yet two others managed to seize nearby horses and escape in the direction of Luoyang, leaving them as the only remaining survivors at the scene.

"Scoundrels, do not flee!"

With a thunderous shout, Zhang Fei wheeled his horse around, preparing to continue the pursuit, but Liu Bei called out to stop him.

"Stop chasing! Let us leave at once! We must hurry and inform Brother Benchu so he can return home to avoid calamity!"

Liu Bei spoke in a booming voice, fully aware of what Zuo Yuan intended.

"Ah?"

Uncomprehending, Zhang Fei turned his head to look at Liu Bei, utterly bewildered. "Big Brother…"

Liu Bei subtly squeezed his eyes shut and whispered, "Do not use my name; I have just committed a crime."

"Oh, oh… Then let's get out of here right now!"

Stunned for a moment, Zhang Fei prepared to dismount and return the warhorse to Liu Bei.

"Keep it and ride it yourself; this horse suits you better than it does me."

Refusing to let Zhang Fei dismount the black steed, Liu Bei found another Yueqi horse for himself, called out to the others, and galloped away.

……

Luoyang.

"…I heard that one of the intruders called himself Zhang Fei, while the names of the others remain unknown. There were both men and women, all fearless martial artists of great prowess. They must be death-sworn retainers under Yuan Benchu."

The squad leader knelt before Cao Jie, reporting the events. "Inspector Cao was killed by them. This subordinate is incompetent and no match for the bandits, so I could only escape back to report and beg Lord Cao for forgiveness."

The two other surviving Yueqi soldiers knelt nearby as well.

Cao Jie's eyes were filled with shock and rage. "Yuan Shao's men? Where are they headed?"

"They said they were going to let Yuan Benchu return home to avoid disaster."

The squad leader pressed his forehead to the ground. "The inspector took the lead in the pursuit, but unfortunately… This subordinate failed to protect him, and deserves only death."

"Poshi… Damned fool!"

Cao Jie stood up, glared down at the squad leader, and strode into the Xiyuan palace with gnashing teeth.

Shortly afterward, a massive force of soldiers poured out of Luoyang once again, heading southeast along the road toward Runan.

At the same time, the Emperor issued an imperial edict alongside widespread official gazettes, proclaiming that former Grand Commandant Duan Jiong had been diligent, devoted his heart and soul, and rendered extraordinary meritorious service to the state. Recently, due to abnormal celestial phenomena, he had petitioned to enter prison to observe the heavens, but unfortunately perished in a fire. This was a profound grief for the Great Han, a matter of deep regret and sorrow.

To honor him, the Emperor personally summoned Duan Jiong's younger brother, Duan Wei, appointing him as a Colonel of the Central Army to serve as an official in Luoyang, and exempted him from the customary fees for purchasing office.

However, the gazette made not a single mention of restoring Duan Jiong's title of Grand Commandant, bestowing a posthumous peerage, or arranging state-funded burial rites and ceremonies. Perhaps the Emperor simply forgot…

After all, His Majesty was a very busy man.

Simultaneously with the announcement of Duan Jiong's death, the imperial court declared that Yuan Shao had completed his period of mourning, and officially summoned him to serve as the Colonel of the Yueqi Cavalry.

Yet Yuan Shao refused the summons, claiming that he had previously mourned his mother and now needed to return home to continue mourning his father. According to the law, he could not hold public office, and he promptly left Luoyang to return to his ancestral home in Runan.

The only problem was that Yuan Shao's biological father, Yuan Cheng, had died the very year Yuan Shao was born…

Yuan Shao's explanation was that, reflecting upon the fact that he had been an orphan since birth, he was overwhelmed with sorrow that his father had never experienced the joy of bouncing him on his knee, and thus he was duty-bound to observe mourning rites for his father Yuan Cheng once more.

Palace Attendant Zhao Zhong made a special trip to warn Yuan Shao, stating, "You, Yuan Benchu, refuse the court's summons and instead harbor desperate outlaws. This time you are once again deliberately seeking fame and cultivating a personal following, which proves you harbor sinister intentions."

Yet nobody could actually do anything to Yuan Shao. After all, he was renowned as a paragon of filial piety…

However, the moment Yuan Shao left Luoyang, the Minister of Works Yuan Feng was promptly stripped of his office by the Emperor, on the grounds of chronic illness rendering him unfit to discharge his duties.

In truth, Yuan Feng was in high spirits; the very night before his dismissal, he was still engaged in reproductive activities with several concubines.

Simultaneously with Yuan Feng's dismissal, the head of the Yuan clan, Yuan Wei, was transferred from the post of Minister of the Household to Minister of Works.

Of course, promotion required a financial contribution. The price for the post of Minister of Works was the same as that of the Grand Commandant: a cool hundred million cash.

The Yuan family paid the sum readily.

Shortly after, the Emperor summoned Yuan Shu to immediately enter the capital and assume the post of Colonel Who Breaks the Vanguard, priced at twenty million cash.

Although Yuan Shu dragged his feet, he eventually entered Luoyang, only to find himself trapped there indefinitely. Rumor had it that he became so absorbed in local entertainment districts, walking fighting cocks, and racing dogs that he was utterly useless for official duties.

Enraged, the Emperor rebuked the Yuan family, declaring, "Your entire clan is either sickly or decadent, a pack of mediocre good-for-nothings! By what virtue do you claim generations of marquises and ministers?"

Consequently, Yuan Wei, head of the Yuan clan, immediately submitted a memorial impeaching himself. Just three days after his promotion, he was stripped of the Minister of Works position and demoted back to Minister of the Household.

The post of Minister of the Household was priced at fifty million cash, but since it was a demotion, they received a discount and only had to pay thirty million. The Yuan family paid it readily once again.

To fund his palace renovations, the Emperor certainly went to great lengths…