Diao Chan!

The palace maid, thinking Lu Bu was trying to molest her, quickly revealed the item she was holding in her arms. Before Lu Bu could react, a gleaming precious dagger was pressed against her neck.

It was only now that Lu Bu saw the precious dagger she held, measuring a foot and two inches, adorned with seven colorful gemstones that sparkled brilliantly. The blade was extremely sharp, cutting through one of Lu Bu's hairs, turning it into two instantly. It was indeed the legendary precious dagger capable of cutting hair, slicing gold and jade, and cutting iron like mud.

Unfazed, Lu Bu, with an infinitely gentle gaze, asked, "Young lady, don't be afraid. I am Lu Bu, appointed by the Empress Dowager as the new Chief Minister of the Imperial Guard. This purge of corrupt officials has caused excessive chaos, and I am at fault for startling you. Allow me to apologize."

The palace maid's initially stern eyes suddenly softened. Her gaze became alluring and captivating. However, when she spoke, Lu Bu burst into laughter, "General Lu, weren't you serving as a registrar under Magistrate Ding just half a month ago? How come you are now the Chief Minister of the Imperial Guard in the capital?"

With a distinct Shanxi (covering most of Shanxi Province) accent, the maid's speech felt very familiar to Lu Bu, who, despite being born in Jiu Yuan County, Wuyuan Commandery (Inner Mongolia, Baotou), moved to Jin Yang in Bingzhou (modern-day Shanxi) with his father, Lu Liang, when he was a teenager. Thus, he was accustomed to speaking in Shanxi dialect. However, in Luoyang, he naturally spoke in official language, which followed the pronunciation of Zhongzhou, referring to Luoyang's reading tone for official business, not Luoyang's spoken language or the future Luoyang accent.

Lu Bu smiled, "Yes, half a month ago, Magistrate Ding was summoned by General He to the court to eliminate corrupt officials. Due to my merits in eliminating corrupt officials and saving the Empress Dowager, she appointed me temporarily as Chief Minister of the Imperial Guard. How did you know about me?"

The palace maid, with her eyes flickering, said, "This maiden's surname is Ren, nicknamed Hong. I was born in Jiu Yuan County, Wuyuan Commandery, the same village as General Lu. Later, my parents moved to Taiyuan Commandery. Because of some cleverness, I was recruited into the palace at the age of fifteen to manage the headdresses and crowns of the female officials, known as the Lady Diao Chan (Note 1). Before entering the palace, I often heard people talk about General Lu's heroic deeds in suppressing the Yellow Turbans and the barbarians."

Lu Bu was stunned. It turned out she was indeed Diao Chan. This love that lingered through thousands of years across time and space left him at a loss for words.

Seeing Diao Chan also staring blankly at him, with a hint of admiration in her clear eyes, Lu Bu couldn't help but laugh, "Little Diao Chan, is your knife still at my throat?"

Diao Chan quickly sheathed the precious dagger, and under embarrassment, she giggled like silver bells, "General Lu, this maiden was indeed reckless. This Seven-Star Dagger is incredibly sharp. I hope it didn't harm you."

Lu Bu was moved by her pure smile, "Little Diao Chan, don't worry. Even if it did harm me, I would willingly accept it."

From childhood to adulthood, Diao Chan had never encountered such a straightforward man. Her face turned bright red all of a sudden.

Wang Yun, standing on the side, didn't want to play a passive role and chimed in, "Miss, I am Wang Yun of the Wang family in Qixian, Bingzhou, the current Prefect of Henan. Since we are all fellow villagers, why not stay at my house for a few days?"

Lu Bu, hearing this, was furious. He raised his halberd and thrust it toward Wang Yun. Wang Yun couldn't dodge in time, and the sharp tip of the halberd once again pressed against his throat. Lu Bu shouted angrily, "Old man, if you dare to abduct innocent women, Lu Bu will kill you without mercy!"

Wang Yun, feeling ashamed and frustrated, didn't want to sacrifice his life for a woman. He quickly fled like a rabbit, leaving to discuss with Yuan Shao and others on how to get rid of Ding Yuan and Lu Bu, these upstart nobles from humble origins.

Diao Chan pouted, coquettishly saying, "General Lu, why were you so fierce to Lord Wang just now? He seems like a good person. In the midst of chaos, some soldiers even attempted to assault my sisters. The sister in charge of the imperial seal was forced to embrace it and jump into a well. I quickly thought of a plan, smeared mud on my face and body, and managed to escape those beasts. If Lord Wang could settle me in his residence, allowing me to avoid the ravages of war, wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Perhaps reminded of her sisters who met a tragic end, Diao Chan suddenly burst into tears.

Lu Bu was struck by her words, especially the part about her sister being forced to jump into a well holding the imperial seal. Comparing it to the historical records and the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, both mentioned the disappearance of the imperial jade seal after the extermination of eunuchs, and Sun Jian discovering it in a well when entering Luoyang. It could be that he had encountered the legendary imperial jade seal.

Lu Bu's emotions were stirred. While he wasn't foolish enough to follow the paths of Sun Jian or Yuan Shu by claiming it for himself to become emperor, he thought of using it as a political token, much like Sun Ce did. Regardless, having the imperial jade seal in hand would allow him to disrupt the Three Kingdoms timeline and gain an advantage amidst the chaos.

However, his immediate concern was to comfort Diao Chan. Lu Bu spoke softly, "How about you stay in my residence for now? Once the situation in Luoyang settles, I will send you back to your hometown in Bingzhou."

Upon hearing this, Diao Chan cried even harder, saying, "My parents were killed by the Xiongnu when I was fifteen. Now I am alone and homeless."

Lu Bu felt a mix of joy and sadness. He was glad that Diao Chan had nowhere else to go, making it easier for her to accompany him back to Bingzhou. However, he couldn't help but feel sorrow as memories of his own parents, who perished at the hands of the Xianbei, resurfaced. Grinding his teeth, Lu Bu vowed, "Little Diaochan, don't worry. I will exterminate the Xiongnu and the barbarians, avenging our parents."

At that moment, Lu Bu was unaware that the "kill, burn, loot" policy was politically flawed, and the best way to deal with the Xiongnu was to integrate them, letting them exhaust themselves against the more formidable Xianbei.

Diao Chan raised her tear-streaked face, smiling through her tears, "General Lu, do you really mean it? Can you truly avenge my parents?"

Moved by her radiant smile, Lu Bu did something out of the ordinary for the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty – he directly held Diao Chan's small hand, pinky fingers entwined, and said, "Little Diaochan, a promise that lasts a hundred years."

In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, such a childish promise might have been unheard of, but Diao Chan, being clever, understood the intimate promise. Blushing, she told Lu Bu, "Why do you always call me Little Diaochan? I'm already sixteen, not that young. Besides, I am responsible for Diao Chan, not called Diao Chan."