Chapter 65: Diao Chan's Revenge

  In the following months, Li's days were spent in comfort. Civil affairs were handled by Cheng Yu and Chen Lin, while military training was overseen by Taishi Ci. He himself had nothing to do, spending his days practicing martial arts and reading books to improve his cultural level, lest he couldn't even understand official documents.

  In the blink of an eye, it was early in the second year of Yuanping, during the spring plowing season. Li wore a disguise and made a show of himself in the fields, pretending to be diligent and people-loving, emphasizing the importance of agriculture, before quickly returning to the government office to flirt with Cai Yan.

  Just as Li Chong was living a comfortable life, a shocking event occurred in Chang'an.

  Since Dong Zhuo moved the capital to Chang'an, he had himself appointed as Taishi, built Meiwu, hoarded countless wealth and grains, and indulged in extravagance and debauchery without restraint. Wang Yun presented the beautiful Diao Chan to Dong Zhuo, who favored her exceptionally, spending every day drinking and reveling, and not returning to Chang'an to attend to government affairs. The soldiers under Dong Zhuo's command lost all discipline, throwing Chang'an into chaos, with no peace for even chickens and dogs, and complaints filling the streets.

  That night, Dong Zhuo and Diao Chan made merry till deep into the night, and only then did he sleep with his arms around Diao Chan. Little did he expect that he would have a strange dream.

  Dong Zhuo dreamed of having several large pythons wrapped around his body, each python as thick as a water bucket. Dong Zhuo was greatly shocked and suddenly sat up on the couch, panting heavily.

  Diao Chan was also startled awake by Dong Zhuo, using a brocade quilt to cover her half-naked body. She got up and asked: "Why did the Grand Tutor startle me?"

  Dong Zhuo was also a seasoned veteran, how could he be scared by a dream? He was only because his body was too fat, got up too quickly, and suddenly couldn't catch his breath.

  Dong Zhuo came to, chuckled and inserted his hand into the quilt, finding Diao Chan's nipples and gently rubbing them with his fingers. He laughed: "Beauty, I suddenly had a nightmare. Guess what I dreamed of? If you guess correctly, there will be a reward!"

  Diao Chan twisted her body and scolded: "The Grand Tutor would bully me, how could I have guessed the Grand Tutor's dream?"

  Dong Zhuo's heart suddenly stirred, as if he had thought of something. The strength in his hand increased unconsciously, causing Diao Chan to almost cry out in pain. However, she still endured the pain and coquettishly said: "Master, please tell me quickly... otherwise I won't care about you anymore."

  Dong Zhuo withdrew his hand that was about to commit evil, and walked a few laps barefoot in the bedroom before saying: "I had a dream..."

  Diao Chan listened carefully, thought for a moment, and suddenly smiled, knelt down on the couch, and the brocade quilt covering her body slid to the floor with a rustling sound, revealing her smooth skin like silk. A pair of proud breasts trembled slightly in front of her chest.

  Although Dong Zhuo had played with this pair of human wonders many times, he still stared at them with wide eyes and asked: "Beautiful girl... why... why did you do such a great favor?"

  Diao Chan smiled and said: "Congratulations, Master Tao, congratulations! Master Tao's dream is a great omen, this is a heaven-sent auspicious sign!"

  "What's the meaning of this!" Dong Zhuo laughed and said.

  Diao Chan replied, "The python that the Grand Tutor is wrapped in is actually a dragon. If the Grand Tutor is wrapped in a python, isn't he being wrapped in a dragon? Isn't that to say...the Grand Tutor wants to be an Emperor!"

  "Hahaha......" Dong Zhuo burst out laughing. In fact, he had thought so too, but someone else saying it made him even more excited.

  Dong Zhuo burst out laughing and said: "When I become Emperor, I'll make you, beauty, an imperial concubine. How's that?"

  Diao Chan hastily knelt down and said: "Thank you, Taishi, for your kindness."

  "Haha......" Dong Zhuo laughed twice, looking at Diao Chan's buttocks that appeared even more plump due to her leaning forward, and said with a sly smile: "What kindness, let me give you a little reward first... Haha..."

  As he spoke, Dong Zhuo suddenly threw Diao Chan onto the bed...

  After a while, "Hmmm...hmmm..." Dong Zhuo's loud snoring echoed in the bedroom. Diao Chan slowly opened her eyes, pushed aside Dong Zhuo's fat arm, and got out of bed. She cast a cold glance at Dong Zhuo, who was sleeping like a pig, put on her clothes, and walked out the door.

  "Dong Zhuo! You will not have a good ending..." Diao Chan gazed at the bright moon in the sky, muttering to herself. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew by, and dark clouds floated across the moon, causing the light in the courtyard to flicker and dim. Diao Chan's figure also became somewhat eerie.

  "Next is... you..." A cold smile suddenly appeared on Diao Chan's face.

  Three days later, the eunuch suddenly came to deliver an imperial edict. Dong Zhuo received the eunuch in the main hall, leaning back on his couch with a swaggering air, without even getting up, and asked slowly: "That... you don't need to read the edict, just tell me directly what the Emperor wants from me!"

  The eunuch hastily smiled and said: "Not deceiving the Grand Master, this time the Emperor wants to abdicate the throne to the Grand Master."

  "What?" Dong Zhuo suddenly sat up, his eyes flashing with a fierce light, coldly staring at the eunuch. The eunuch couldn't bear Dong Zhuo's gaze and soon began to tremble all over, dripping with sweat.

  After a while, Dong Zhuo slowly said: "I would like to trouble the heavenly envoy to inform the Holy One that I, Dong, am loyal and righteous, with one heart serving the emperor. I have never had any intention of usurping power. The rumors outside that I, Dong Zhuo, intend to usurp the throne are all the machinations of petty people in the court who want to alienate me from the emperor and destroy our lord-vassal relationship."

  "Yes! Yes! The Grand Preceptor's loyalty is as bright as the sun and moon!" The eunuch hastily nodded in agreement, muttering a few flattering words.

  Dong Zhuo didn't waste any words on him and waved his hand to dismiss the eunuch, then turned to ask Li Ru: "Wenyu, what do you think?

  At this time, no one would pour cold water on it. Li Ru hastily smiled and said: "Taishi Ze has been favored by the world, Liu Xie's child should have yielded to Taishi long ago. It is already a heinous crime to bring up the matter of abdication today."

  Flattery is something anyone can say, as soon as Li Ru's voice fell, Li Jue and the others immediately followed with a string of flattering words.

  These people are not flattering for the sake of flattery, but they are truly willing to help Dong Zhuo usurp the throne. Once Dong Zhuo becomes the emperor, their status will naturally rise with him, and becoming a marquis or prime minister is no longer an extravagant hope.

  Dong Zhuo said with a smile: "Haha... thank you all for your promptness, but let's wait and see, and see how sincere Liu Xie is. If Liu Xie really abdicates sincerely, I won't mistreat him, and I'll make him the Duke of Anle."

  In the hall, there was another wave of flattery, and Dong Zhuo couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and satisfaction. He had already begun to fantasize about himself ascending to the throne, with all his ministers kneeling down in worship.

  In less than three days, the eunuch who had transmitted the edict returned again, still inviting Dong Zhuo to go to Chang'an and ascend the throne.

  Dong Zhuo did not suspect, ancient people were very superstitious, with the guidance of dreams, Dong Zhuo believed he was destined to be the Son of Heaven. And as for Emperor Xian, Dong Zhuo didn't put him in his eyes either, he had poisoned an emperor and toyed with a princess, and had long lost his reverence for the Liu imperial family.

  This time, Dong Zhuo did not shirk again and arranged Li Jue and Guo Si to garrison Meiwan. He himself led five hundred tiger-like imperial guards back to Chang'an. Along the way, Dong Zhuo was extremely excited and felt that everything he saw was pleasing to his eyes. Unexpectedly, he didn't make any moves to harass the people, causing the soldiers and civilians along the way to exclaim: Heaven has opened its eyes!

  Arriving outside the palace gate, Dong Zhuo ordered five hundred tiger warriors to stay outside and took his treasured sword with him to meet Emperor Xian of Han Liu Xie.

  Before they had gone dozens of meters, Dong Zhuo suddenly felt that something was amiss. Along the way, he couldn't see any palace maids or eunuchs, only a small eunuch leading the way with his head down, hurrying along with a distracted look on his face.

  "Halt!" Dong Zhuo suddenly stopped in his tracks, grasping the hilt of his sword and shouting.

  Dong Zhuo's shout was even more frightening, and the little eunuch was so scared that he shook all over, almost falling to the ground. He stretched out his hand to steady himself on the floor, and then fled desperately towards a distant place.

  At this time, Dong Zhuo knew what was going on even if he was stupid. He drew his treasured sword and ran out of the palace gate, shouting "Fengxian... come quickly to save me."

  Dong Zhuo was no fool either. He wouldn't enter the palace without any precautions, and each time he did, he would have Lü Bu accompany him, bringing dozens of guards to patrol inside the palace. This time was no exception.

  Dong Zhuo believed that as long as he could stall for a little while, the 500 elite Tiger Warriors outside the palace would burst in and slaughter everyone inside, thus avenging his own deep-seated hatred...and also his fear.

  As soon as the words fell, a figure emerged from behind the trees beside him. This was Lü Bu, Lü Fengxian, the unparalleled master of martial arts under heaven. Lü Bu held up his halberd, his face stern and cold, shouting: "By imperial decree, I shall capture the rebels."

  Having said that, he raised his halberd and rushed straight at Dong Zhuo's chest to stab him.

  Dong Zhuo was once a fierce general, and no one could match him in the western regions. However, after being in high positions for many years, his martial arts skills have declined. In urgent situations, he can still withstand a few moves.

  At the same time, Dong Zhuo kept shouting loudly for help, cursing Lü Bu for being ungrateful and disloyal. Meanwhile, the sound of killing was heard from the palace gate, it seemed that the Hu Bao outside the door had heard Dong Zhuo's cry for help and wanted to rush into the palace to rescue him, and a fierce battle with the guards at the palace gate began.

  Dong Zhuo retreated while fighting, but did not notice that several soldiers had quietly approached from behind.

  "Hiss......" A long spear-like snake stabbed in and stuck into Dong Zhuo's back.

  The soldiers who launched the surprise attack were overjoyed in their hearts, having killed Dong Zhuo - what a great achievement this was! The imperial court would at least have to ennoble him as a general, and the soldiers already showed joy on their faces, but they didn't notice that there wasn't any fresh blood flowing from the tip of the spear.

  The complacent soldier had apparently forgotten that Dong Zhuo was too fat, weighing over 400 pounds, with at least a foot of thick fat on his back, and wearing soft armor under his shirt. So the soldier's spear did not pierce through Dong Zhuo's flesh. Even so, Dong Zhuo roared in pain and swung his sword to behead the soldier.

  But Dong Zhuo's dominance ended there, before he could even turn around, he heard a "whooshing" sound, and suddenly felt his body lighten, as if he had flown up to the clouds, looking down from above. Dong Zhuo was already able to see the scene outside the palace gates, where two groups of soldiers were fighting to the death. Dong Zhuo wanted to take another look, but suddenly everything went black, and he knew nothing more.

  Lü Bu sneered, wiping the blade of his halberd on Dong Zhuo's headless corpse. After verifying that the blood had been wiped clean, he kicked Dong Zhuo's body to the ground.

  Lü Bu arrived in front of Dong Zhuo's head, used the tip of his halberd to lift it up and hang it on the small branch of his painted halberd, then walked towards the palace gate with big strides.