Court Session

In the early hours of August 27th, under the escort of generals such as Gao Shun and Wang Yue, Lu Bu, protected by the Red Guards, hurriedly entered Luoyang.

The court session, already delayed for two days, had many important matters pending.

On this day, the court session could no longer be postponed and took place as scheduled in the Chongde Hall.

Taking advantage of the declining imperial power and the capital being under the control of the aristocratic families, Yuan Shao and others wanted to enter the palace. However, they were disarmed by Huang Zhong and the Feather Forest Army. Huang Zhong warned them, "Sheathe your swords at the palace gate. If you attempt to enter with drawn weapons, it will be considered rebellion, and you will be executed on the spot."

Seeing the well-disciplined Feather Forest soldiers, Yuan Shao and others did not dare to risk their lives in the hands of these warriors. Moreover, they refrained from repeating the bold move they made days ago, storming into the palace gates. Instead, they reluctantly unsheathed their swords.

Yuan Shu, with sharp eyes, noticed that Lu Bu carried the Seven-Star Sword, and Wang Yue had the Blue Abyss Sword on his back. Their subordinates were also armed with swords and followed behind them as they leisurely entered the palace gate.

Yuan Shu, furious, shouted at Huang Zhong, "Peasant, didn't you see that Lu Bu and his men are armed with swords? Why don't you stop those warriors, but instead obstruct us, the ministers of the noble families?"

Huang Zhong sneered, "Lord Lu has been bestowed the title of Guanglu Xun and is responsible for guarding the palace. It is only right for him to carry weapons while on duty. Moreover, Lord Lu has made significant contributions in saving the Empress Dowager, the young emperor, and Prince Chenliu. The Empress Dowager has granted him the privilege to enter the court without disarming. As for the rest of us, how dare we compare ourselves to Lord Lu?"

Yuan Shao had recruited Yan Liang and Wen Chou earlier, but they were not present at the moment. Yuan Shu's recruits, Zhang Xun and Ji Ling, were also left in their residences. Considering their weak martial skills, they dared not challenge Huang Zhong and had to swallow their pride.

In their hearts, however, they secretly thought that once they seized control of the court, they would deal with Lu Bu and Huang Zhong, the so-called peasants.

Inside the imperial palace, the bloodstains and marks from the fire had not been completely cleaned. Faint signs were visible in every corner, and the air still carried the lingering scent of blood and ashes. However, many ministers from noble families, with an air of complacency, looked around. After the fall of He Jin and the Ten Eunuchs, they were no longer suppressed by the eunuchs, and it seemed that the world was now theirs, the literati.

This was Lu Bu's first attendance at a court session. He didn't recognize many people but coldly observed these courtiers who aimed to divide the court. In his mind, he sentenced each of them to death one by one.

On the left side of the court was Grand Commandant Yuan Wei, followed by Minister of Works Liu Hong, Minister of War Yang Biao, Glorious Grand Excellency Ma Midi, and Prefect of Henan Wang Yun. On the right side were Chief Commandant Yuan Shao, Tiger Guard General Yuan Shu, Colonel Director of Military Affairs Cao Cao, and others, with Lu Bu humbly accompanying them at the end. The Grand Commandant Liu Yu concurrently served as the Governor of You Province and was currently stationed in You Province.

In the final years of Emperor Ling's reign, Grand General He Jin and Grand Tutor Yuan Wei both handled imperial affairs, but now, with Grand General He Jin being assassinated by Yuan Shao, Yuan Wei solely controlled the court, showing off his airs with great satisfaction. Simultaneously, Yuan Shao, Yuan Wei's eldest nephew, serving as the Colonel-Director of the Retainers, was in charge of the region of the Retainers. He was also responsible for supervising officials in the capital and local areas, wielding considerable power. The uncle and nephew from the Yuan family stood tall in the court, looking domineering. To many, it appeared that the court belonged more to the Yuan family than the Liu family.

The arrogance of the Yuan family had long been observed by ministers such as Minister of Works Liu Hong, Glorious Grand Excellency Ma Midi, Minister of the Household Chen Lin, who used to be the Chief Clerk of the Grand General, and others. They couldn't help but recall a recent saying circulating in Luoyang, "With the Tian family replacing Qi and the Yuan family replacing Han," revealing the ambitious nature of the Yuan family. Considering their recent actions and the behavior of the Yuan family during the chaos caused by the Ten Eunuchs, it became even more evident that the Yuan family harbored treacherous intentions.

The Yang family had longstanding marital ties with the Yuan family, and being a family of four generations of high-ranking officials, they were somewhat aligned with the Yuan family. Yang Biao, naturally, did not take the rumors seriously. Wang Yun, temporarily aligned with Yuan Wei, also refrained from using the rumor.

Han royal relative Liu Hong, renowned Eastern Han scholar Ma Rong's nephew Ma Midi, and Shangshu (imperial secretary) Zheng Tai, summoned by He Jin, initially considered the rumor absurd. However, after witnessing Yuan Shao's forgery of a letter, pretending to be He Jin and addressed to the former Inspector of Bing Province, Ding Yuan, and with the persuasion of Shangshu Ling Lu Zhi, Grand Commandant's Registrar Chen Lin, and others, these initially neutral figures began to harbor dissatisfaction with the Yuan family. Once discontented, they started seeking evidence of the Yuan family's wrongdoing. The more they searched, the more evidence surfaced, further proving that the Yuan family harbored sinister intentions.

Yuan Wei, Yuan Shao, and others believed that everything was under their control, unaware that a considerable portion of loyal ministers to the Han court had begun preparing to oppose their monopolization of political power.

The fourteen-year-old Emperor Liu Bian, who succeeded his predecessor after the deaths of several of Emperor Ling's sons, was raised by a Taoist in the hope that the Taoist arts would protect him. Growing up in the Daoist household, Liu Bian had little exposure to the outside world and was powerless against the overbearing aura of the aristocratic ministers. Sitting on the dragon throne, he seemed as motionless as wood. Beside him, Empress Dowager He kept signaling with her eyes. Seeing his lack of response, she coughed gently and spoke, "Since the late emperor's passing, both the Grand General and the General of Chariots and Cavalry have followed the late emperor. It is thanks to you, esteemed ministers, who worked together to eliminate the corrupt officials, that the state has been stabilized. The great contributions of all of you are deeply appreciated by this Empress Dowager. Later, rewards will be granted one by one."

Lu Bu couldn't help but laugh. Politics was truly entertaining. Empress Dowager He obviously detested those conspirators who caused the deaths of her two brothers and the removal of her arm, the Ten Eunuchs, yet she put on a grateful appearance.

Those high-ranking ministers, wearing their towering hats and long robes, seemed like they had rehearsed this scene. They all knelt down simultaneously, saying in unison, "This is our duty. We humbly accept."

Although they claimed to feel unworthy, their faces revealed a look that said, "If you don't give me a title and an elevation in rank, we won't be done with you." Lu Bu found it quite repulsive.

Empress Dowager He continued, "Currently, the young emperor cannot rule directly. Therefore, this Empress Dowager will serve as regent."

The ministers once again knelt down, saying, "It is entirely up to the wise decision of the Empress Dowager."

Empress Dowager He then took out a stack of appointment decrees. Since the eunuchs responsible for reading decrees had all been executed, Empress Dowager He chose Shangshu Ling (Minister of Personnel) Lu Zhi, with a voice like a bell, to read the decrees.

Decrees needed to be proclaimed through the Ministry of Personnel, and since Yuan Wei held the position of Minister of Personnel, controlling the Ministry of Personnel, the Yuan family's influence in this area was considerable. They were unwilling to sign decrees for the promotions of figures such as Lu Bu, Huang Zhong, and Gao Shun.

Fortunately, Lu Bu had hinted to Empress Dowager He early on. As a result, Empress Dowager He appointed the moderate Lu Zhi as the Minister of Personnel, who controlled the Ministry of Personnel and signed various transfer documents on behalf of Lu Bu, Huang Zhong, and Gao Shun.

Using his unparalleled prestige, Lu Zhi, under the banner of "loyalty to the royal family, not following the commands of the powerful," carried out Empress Dowager He's will, coordinating with the Empress Dowager to contact various officials in the Ministry of Personnel, particularly the Shangshu Yamen (the Ministry of Personnel's secretariat). Together with the Shangshu Liang Zheng and others, they resisted the Yuan family's control of the Ministry of Personnel, gradually rendering Yuan Wei's role as Minister of Personnel nominal.