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Cui Hou tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.
No one could guarantee anyone's future, and Cui Hou was well aware of this. He had to admit that Fei Qian's proposal was incredibly tempting. After hearing it, even he felt his heart stir. If everything went smoothly, the Cui family could indeed make a name for themselves across the land through this endeavor. Not only among merchants but even among the scholar-official class—people might clasp their hands in respect upon meeting a member of the Cui family, greeting them with admiration…
But there were undeniable risks. Not only would they have to mobilize the Cui family's influence in Luoyang, but they might even need to draw resources from their branches outside the capital. Essentially, they would be staking the entire strength of the Cui family.
And that was only fair.
For such a monumental undertaking, there could be no half-heartedness or divided loyalties. If they weren't united from the start, how could they possibly achieve greatness?
Still, the stakes seemed too high. Though Fei Qian estimated their chances of success at around sixty percent, sixty was still a little too low. If only they could be more certain…
At this thought, Cui Hou shook his head, dismissing his own hesitation. Greater rewards naturally came with greater risks. If there were a hundred percent certainty, why would anyone need him?
Dawn was already breaking—it was time for the morning ritual of paying respects to his father. Though the elder Cui's speech was now unclear, his mind remained sharp. Perhaps it would be best to seek his advice on this matter…
×××××××××
Leaving the conflicted Cui Hou aside for now, the flames of Dong Zhuo's fury in Luoyang were like oil poured onto a raging fire!
With a bang, Dong Zhuo slammed the intelligence report onto the table, his bloodshot eyes radiating sheer brutality. The servants and maids in the hall trembled, wishing they could vanish into the ground…
After all, in recent days, twenty or thirty people had already been executed for displeasing Dong Zhuo, many of them beaten to death on the spot. Now, the servants who attended to him breathed a sigh of relief each night when they finally retired—another day survived…
Li Ru noticed Dong Zhuo's bloodthirsty glare. Though he already had a plan in mind, his heart still skipped a beat. Dong Zhuo's authority was now supreme, his grip on life and death absolute. His prestige had grown daily, and coupled with his increasingly massive frame—a result of endless feasting in Luoyang—he exuded an overwhelming, terrifying pressure…
"My lord, please calm yourself. Though this matter is sudden, it is not entirely unexpected!"
Dong Zhuo growled, "I do not blame you! What enrages me is the audacity of these reckless fools! How dare they murder envoys of the imperial court! Where is the law of the land?!"
The court had dispatched a delegation of five high-ranking officials—Grand Herald Han Rong, Privy Treasurer Yin Xiu, Commandant of Capital Security Humu Ban, Imperial Architect Wu Xiu, and Colonel of Rapid Cavalry Wang Gui—bearing an imperial edict to the eastern warlords. Since neither of the Yuan family's sons were at Suanzao, the envoys split into two groups: one consisting of Grand Herald Han Rong, Humu Ban, and Wang Gui headed north to Ye County in Ji Province to seek out Yuan Shao, while the other—Yin Xiu and Wu Xiu—went south to Nanyang to find Yuan Shu.
Grand Herald Han Rong was from the Yingchuan Han clan, a relative of Han Fu, the Governor of Ji Province. Humu Ban was a famed scholar, listed among the "Eight Virtuous Officials" during the Partisan Prohibitions, and also the brother-in-law of Wang Kuang, the Administrator of Henei. Wang Gui hailed from Dong Commandery in Yan Province, so it was natural for these three to head north.
Yin Xiu was from Nanyang in Jing Province and had once served as the Administrator of Yingchuan, where he was known for promoting worthy talents. He had recommended Zhang Zhongfang as an official, appointed Zhong Yao, Xun Yu, Zhang Li, Du You, Xun You, and Guo Tu to various posts, bringing glory to the court. Wu Xiu was also from Yingchuan, so it made sense for these two to travel south.
Though the arrangements were logical, the outcome was equally tragic.
The northern group—Han Rong, Humu Ban, and Wang Gui—were intercepted by Wang Kuang in Henei before they could even reach Ye County. They were thrown into prison, and though Grand Herald Han Rong was spared due to his advanced age and immense prestige, Humu Ban and Wang Gui were executed by Wang Kuang.
It was said that on the day Wang Kuang executed his own brother-in-law Humu Ban, he visited his sister's home and wept bitterly while holding Humu Ban's two sons—but after the tears, the execution proceeded as planned.
In Nanyang, Yuan Shu was no less ruthless. He claimed the two envoys—Yin Xiu and Wu Xiu—had been killed by bandits during their travels…
The Yuan brothers—Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu—had made their choices after weighing the consequences. If they were to disband their armies at the mere sight of an imperial edict, how would the eastern warlords who had rallied under the Yuan banner react?
Like King You of Zhou summoning the feudal lords with beacon fires, the Yuan family had ignited their own signal. If they failed to secure tangible gains, how could they satisfy the eastern warlords who had answered their call?
Yet the Yuan brothers were unwilling to bear the crime of defying imperial authority, so they both delegated the dirty work to their subordinates. Sun Jian was more cunning, using the pretext of bandits, while Wang Kuang was unlucky enough to have Grand Herald Han Rong in his custody. Killing Han Rong outright would have strained relations with Han Fu, Governor of Ji Province, so he compromised—imprisoning Han Rong to show goodwill to Han Fu while executing Humu Ban to prove his loyalty to Yuan Shao.
But for Dong Zhuo, this was nothing short of a direct provocation!
If there had been even a sliver of hope for reconciliation before, the Yuan brothers' slaughter of the envoys meant that the eastern scholar-officials, led by the Yuan family, would no longer coexist with the western warlords under Dong Zhuo.
By spilling the blood of others, the Yuan brothers had essentially written Dong Zhuo a declaration of war—one that made it clear they would no longer obey any orders from the Luoyang court under Dong Zhuo's control.
The shadow of war had finally descended upon Luoyang…
Dong Zhuo let out a cold laugh, his face twisting into a ferocious expression as he said to Li Ru, "Since the eastern rebels have sent us such a grand gift, how can we not reciprocate? Wenyou, go and send Prince Hongnong on his way!"
"My lord, this—" Li Ru was stunned. Hadn't he already discussed with Dong Zhuo that keeping Liu Bian alive for now would be more useful? Why had Dong Zhuo suddenly changed his mind? Li Ru hesitated—killing Liu Bian now would render many of their future plans unusable!
"The eastern rats dare to kill my envoys, yet I cannot kill in return?" Dong Zhuo's bloodshot eyes bulged as he slowly rose to his full height, tilting his head back and grinding his teeth, the muscles in his face twitching violently. "If those vermin dare to slaughter ministers, then I shall slaughter an emperor! Wenyou, I ask you—will you go, or shall I?"