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Li Ru arrived at the Jingfu Hall of Yong'an Palace and motioned for the guards to open the palace gates.
Since Cao Cao's failed attempt to abduct the emperor, although the deposed Emperor Liu Bian had still been placed under house arrest here, the number of guards had been significantly increased. In particular, all the guards had been replaced with elite Liangzhou soldiers, who surrounded the Jingfu Hall so tightly that no one could approach without Dong Zhuo's direct orders.
The sealed palace doors were pushed open with a loud creak, and sunlight pierced through the entrance like a sharp sword, cutting into the dimly lit hall.
Dust stirred by the opening of the doors danced in the sunlight, resembling a thin veil that enveloped the hall like sacred mist, as if trying to separate the interior from the outside world and create a holy, safe space. Unfortunately, this barrier was fragile and powerless. Six armored soldiers strode boldly through the thin veil, their clattering armor shattering the silence within the hall, tearing away the mysterious shroud.
Li Ru slowly stepped over the palace threshold, standing with his back to the sunlight, his face hidden in shadow. His voice was soft and eerie as he spoke: "Might I ask where the Prince of Hongnong is?"
Inside the hall, Liu Bian, the Prince of Hongnong, who had not seen daylight for many days, had pale skin and a dull expression. He raised his emaciated arms, veins protruding, in a feeble attempt to block the blinding sunlight...
Seeing that the Prince of Hongnong did not respond, the armored soldiers on either side glared and shouted, "Where is the Prince of Hongnong? Come forth at once to receive the decree!"
Li Ru sighed and instructed his subordinates, "...Fetch a table and place it here." He pointed to the spot near the entrance where the sunlight fell.
Moments later, the table and mat were set up. Li Ru walked slowly to the table and extended an invitation: "Prince of Hongnong, would you care to join me for a conversation?"
Liu Bian, still hiding in the shadows, replied in a hoarse and sluggish voice, "You... What do you want?"
"The sun is warm today. Why not step forward, Prince of Hongnong?" Li Ru's tone was calm, but his words carried an undeniable authority.
Liu Bian hesitated but eventually stood up, swaying unsteadily as he made his way to the table. He slumped down, closing his eyes as he felt the sunlight on his skin...
Li Ru sat formally across from Liu Bian, observing the deposed prince before him. A complex, indescribable feeling rose in his heart.
This was once the Son of Heaven of the Great Han...
This was once the divinely appointed ruler...
This was once the master of all under heaven...
And now, he was like a rotting, withered tree...
"Are... you here to kill me?" Liu Bian kept his eyes closed, letting the sunlight sting his face as he spoke weakly. He had always harbored a foreboding sense of doom—ever since that night of rebellion in the palace, when he fled with his younger brother Liu Xie to Mount Mang, he had felt an ominous premonition...
"..." Li Ru remained silent.
Receiving no response, Liu Bian lowered his head and squinted, trying to make out Li Ru's expression. But Li Ru's face remained shrouded in darkness, his back to the light, and no matter how hard Liu Bian strained, he could not discern his features.
After a moment of silence, Liu Bian suddenly let out a nervous, almost manic laugh. "Heh... hehe..."
But the laughter was short-lived. Abruptly, he grabbed the edge of the table, his veins bulging as he leaned forward and rasped, "I am willing to be stripped of my title and live as a commoner. Will you spare my life? Huh?"
"..." Li Ru still did not answer.
The hall fell into complete silence, broken only by Liu Bian's ragged breathing.
Liu Bian's throat made a gurgling sound before his hands slowly released the table and fell limply to his sides.
Li Ru gestured behind him, and a subordinate stepped forward, placing a jug of wine on the table. Li Ru looked at Liu Bian and said slowly, "...Drink this medicine. It will ward off evil..."
Liu Bian recoiled, waving his hands frantically, his face twisted in fear.
Death was too cruel for someone barely fifteen years old. Liu Bian had been pampered since birth—his entire life had been one of luxury, and the hardships he had endured in these past few months were more than he had ever known. Despite everything, he still clung to the hope of survival, unwilling to die in such humiliation...
This was not the way a member of the imperial family should die!
Seeing Liu Bian's terror, Li Ru sighed and said, "Long ago, the Liu clan rose from humble origins, seizing the realm by force after eight years of war, pacifying the land and ascending to the imperial throne... At the Feast at Hong Gate, though he knew it was a death trap, the founder of Han still walked in without fear—for none but a man of extraordinary courage and wisdom could have done so... Drinking this wine today is merely a matter of ill fortune, not a failing on your part, Prince of Hongnong..."
By invoking the achievements of Emperor Gaozu of Han, Li Ru was reminding Liu Bian that the Liu family's empire had also been taken from others. The victors became kings, the losers, bandits—had fate been slightly different at the Feast at Hong Gate, Emperor Gaozu might have met the same end as Liu Bian now faced.
Beyond that, Li Ru's words carried another meaning—an attempt to inspire Liu Bian.
You are not at fault. The greatest reason for this outcome is simply that you lack the fortune of Emperor Gaozu. So, as one who carries the blood of the Liu clan, face death with the same courage as your ancestor...
Liu Bian listened blankly before two silent tears rolled down his cheeks. In a hoarse whisper, he said, "...After I die... please cover my face with a shroud..."
Li Ru nodded, stood, and bowed deeply. "...This subject... bids farewell to Your Majesty." Having paid his respects, he took one last long look at Liu Bian, then signaled the soldiers and prepared to leave.
Just as Li Ru was about to step out of the hall, Liu Bian suddenly called out, "Where... where is Lady Tang?"
"...She was lost in the chaos. There were rumors she fled to Yingchuan..." Li Ru paused, but when Liu Bian asked no further questions, he exited the hall and closed the doors himself.
This was perhaps the greatest respect Li Ru could offer Liu Bian in his final moments...
With a heavy thud, the palace doors shut, and the sunlight vanished instantly, leaving only endless darkness to swallow the frail figure slumped behind the table.
Liu Bian lifted his head, his gaze seeming to pierce through the roof and into the boundless heavens. His lips trembled slightly, murmuring words too soft to hear...
Standing with his back to the closed doors, Li Ru heard Liu Bian let out a sound—whether a laugh or a sob, it was impossible to tell—before the deposed prince began to sing in a rasping voice:
"Heaven's way changes—why must I suffer so?
Cast down from the throne, to a vassal's fate I go.
Rebel ministers force me—my life will not last,
I depart this world now—to the underworld passed!"
That day, the Prince of Hongnong drank poisoned wine and died in Yong'an Palace at the age of fifteen.