Chương 315: Dong Zhuo's Attempt to Depose the Emperor

After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, Dong Zhuo put down his wine cup, and the smile on his face slowly faded.

"Gentlemen," he said, glancing around, his voice not loud but loud enough for everyone to hear, "His Majesty is weak and lacks authority, unlike his younger brother, the Prince of Chenliu, who is intelligent, studious, shrewd, and capable. In my opinion..."

He paused, then slowly uttered the second half of the sentence:

"This emperor needs to be replaced."

"Buzz..."

The room erupted in uproar!

The clinking of glasses, gasps of surprise, and buzzing discussions erupted instantly!

But soon, it quieted down again.

A deathly silence.

No one dared to be the first to speak up.

Dong Zhuo's words were too harsh. Deposing and installing an emperor was a taboo subject that no one had dared to touch for more than a hundred years since Huo Guang!

However, no one dared to contradict Dong Zhuo.

Behind him stood Xiliang armored soldiers, their swords, which had been used to kill, at their waists.

In the midst of this suffocating silence, a crisp "snap" was heard from the table!

A man slammed his fist on the table, overturning the table in front of him and smashing the cups and plates to pieces!

"That old scoundrel Dong Zhuo!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Ding Yuan!

Ding Yuan, his eyes wide with fury, pointed at Dong Zhuo and shouted, "The Emperor is the late Emperor's legitimate son and has committed no wrongdoing. How dare you presume to depose him? Your actions are tantamount to usurpation!"

Dong Zhuo's face darkened, and he said in a sinister tone, "Who are you to dare utter such arrogant words?"

"I am Ding Yuan, the Commander of the Imperial Guards!"

Dong Zhuo snorted coldly, abandoning his pretense, and declared bluntly, "Today's gathering is a battle of wits: those who submit to me will prosper, those who oppose me will perish! Anyone who dares to stop me, don't blame me for being ruthless with my sword!"

The atmosphere plummeted to freezing point!

The two sides were on the verge of exchanging blows, and it seemed that blood was about to spill on the spot!

Seeing this, Li Ru quickly leaned close to Dong Zhuo's ear and whispered, "Father-in-law, today is a banquet. To kill someone in public would be detrimental to our reputation..."

He immediately straightened up, chuckled dryly twice, and tried to smooth things over, saying, "General Ding, please calm down. General Dong was just joking after drinking; it's not serious! Come, come, let's drink!"

The other ministers also realized what was happening and hurriedly pulled Ding Yuan back, pleading, "General Ding, please calm down, please calm down..."

Ding Yuan was being held by the crowd and could not break free.

He glared fiercely at Dong Zhuo and said, "You old scoundrel Dong Zhuo, you won't succeed!"

With a flick of his sleeve, he strode away without looking back.

Dong Zhuo stared at Ding Yuan's departing figure, his face ashen, but he did not immediately lash out.

He remembered this person.

After Ding Yuan left, Dong Zhuo adjusted his expression and decided to be blunt:

"Gentlemen!" he raised his voice, "The current emperor is weak and incompetent, unworthy to rule the country and offer sacrifices at the ancestral temple! I, an old man, am willing to follow the example of Yi Yin and Huo Guang, to depose him and install Liu Xie, the Prince of Chenliu, in his place! Who agrees? Who disagrees?"

The officials and ministers all shrank their necks, wishing they could hide their heads in their collars, and not one dared to utter a sound.

Seeing that no one spoke up, Dong Zhuo became even more arrogant and directly drew his sword to threaten them:

"Back then, Huo Guang devised the plan, and Tian Yannian stood guard with his sword drawn! Today, anyone who dares to obstruct him will be dealt with according to military law, beheading without exception!"

The gleaming blades reflected the deathly pale faces of the people on the swords.

No one dared to speak.

In the midst of this almost suffocating silence, someone at the table suddenly spoke up:

"The Han Dynasty has ruled for over four hundred years, its benevolence profound, and the people's hearts are with the Liu family! In the past, Tai Jia was tyrannical, and the King of Changyi had a mountain of crimes, which is why they were able to depose and install emperors! Today, the Emperor is young and his actions are without fault; how can he be compared to those two! If you wish to depose the legitimate heir and install an illegitimate one, the people of the world will never agree to it!"

Every word was powerful and resonant!

Everyone looked up in astonishment...

It was Lu Zhi, the Minister of Personnel.

At this moment, he stepped forward and met Dong Zhuo's gaze without fear.

Dong Zhuo flew into a rage, enraged, and brandished his sword to strike Lu Zhi: "You old scoundrel! You're courting death!"

"Father-in-law, you mustn't!" Li Ru lunged forward again, clinging tightly to Dong Zhuo's arm.

"Lu Zhi is a renowned scholar, the hope of the nation! Killing him will cause an uproar throughout the land! It will be detrimental to our cause!"

Wang Yun, seeing the opportunity, quickly stood up and smoothed things over, saying:

"Gentlemen, gentlemen! The matter of deposing and installing emperors, as mentioned by Lord Dong, is of paramount importance to the nation and its people. How can it be discussed under the influence of alcohol? In my opinion, let's stop here for today and discuss it another day!"

As he spoke, he gave winks to both sides, his skill in mediating disputes was unparalleled.

The ministers echoed, "Yes, yes, let's discuss it another day..."

Dong Zhuo then angrily sheathed his sword, glared at Lu Zhi, and stormed off.

The matter of deposing and installing a new emperor was left unresolved.

But everyone knows that this is only a temporary suspension, not a cancellation.

Not long after, Lu Zhi was dismissed from his post and left Luoyang in dejection.

As he left, he looked at the familiar capital city, sighed deeply, and said nothing.

He knew that the city was finished.

...

A few days later, Dong Zhuo made his move.

He secretly sent men to have Ding Yuan killed.

After Ding Yuan died, all his soldiers became Dong Zhuo's soldiers.

Their strength has increased dramatically.

Dong Zhuo is now the undisputed local emperor of Luoyang.

He made up a random excuse, saying that the continuous rain was a warning from heaven, and dismissed Liu Hong, the Minister of Works, and took his place.

The moment Sikong tucked his seal into his robes, Dong Zhuo smiled.

He has already secured one of the three highest positions: Grand Commandant, Minister of Works, and Minister of Agriculture.

From the moment he entered Beijing to the moment he took power, it took less than ten days.

Luoyang was already his.

...

September 1st.

The Chongde Hall of the Luoyang Imperial Palace.

When civil and military officials were "invited" here, the atmosphere inside the hall was even more somber than when visiting a grave.

Dong Zhuo sat high above, head held high, looking down on everyone.

He was dressed in full court attire today, with the newly acquired seal of the Minister of Works at his waist, and spoke with great confidence:

"The emperor of the world must be a wise man! Just thinking about that tyrannical ruler Liu Hong makes me angry!"

Everyone gasped.

The late emperor has only been dead for four months, and you dare to curse like this?

Dong Zhuo continued, "Chenliu King Liu Xie seems alright. I'm thinking of deposing Emperor Liu Bian and installing him as emperor. What do you all think?"

He paused, then added a startling statement:

"People say you can be clever in some ways but foolish in others, so let's give it a try! To be honest, there's no need to keep the Liu family's offspring any longer."

These words were too heavy, as heavy as a sledgehammer, striking everyone's heart.

What does "no need to keep them any longer" mean? Is this an attempt to exterminate the entire Liu clan?

The courtiers discussed amongst themselves, their voices rising and falling, but no one dared to step forward.

It's not that there are no loyal and righteous people.

Not long ago, Ding Yuan and Lu Zhi had already confronted Dong Zhuo directly.

What became of Ding Yuan? He was beheaded.

What became of Lu Zhi? He was dismissed from his post and forced to leave.

The bloody examples are right before our eyes.

No matter how loyal and righteous you are, you must first consider how strong your own neck is.

At this moment, the entire hall was filled with sighs, grief, and indignation, and no one could utter a word.