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Meng Da and Fa Zheng exchanged a glance. It was Zhang Song who spoke next, his tone casual but laced with irony. "Ah, our glorious Emperor has been playing a little game of diplomacy behind our backs. He's sent two of his men, Wu Yi and Wang Fu, beyond the western frontier."
Meng Huo, the southern king, let out a low growl of surprise. "The west?" he rumbled, his voice filling the dim space. "For what reason?"
Fa Zheng's smile deepened, his eyes glinting in the dim light. "To seek foreign allies. Among the tribes and kingdoms beyond the mountains. He dreams of raising an army to counter both Cao Cao and Lie Fan, to reclaim the throne's authority by foreign steel."
For a moment, silence reigned again. Then Zhang Ren's eyes widened. "What?!" He stared at them, his surprise genuine. "So that's why I haven't seen Wu Yi or Wang Fu these past months… The Emperor sent them west? In secret?"
Beside him, Yan Yan's brows furrowed deeply, while Meng Huo leaned forward, frowning in confusion.
"Are you certain?" Zhang Ren pressed. "And how do you even know such a thing? That's not the sort of message one finds on the wind."
Fa Zheng chuckled, resting his elbows on the table and lacing his fingers together. "Oh, we're quite certain," he said smoothly. "Our esteemed Emperor," he said, the title dripping with irony, "chose the moment our backs were turned, while we were spilling our blood and sweat to hold Jianmen Pass and Zitong against Cao Cao's hordes. While we were ensuring his throne remained standing, he was secretly dispatching envoys beyond the Jade Gate, to grovel before foreign chieftains and barbarian kings, hoping to find a sword to hold against his own protectors."
He paused, letting the betrayal sink in. "As for how we knew… let's just say we have eyes and ears in the Emperor's inner circle. Every whisper, every letter, every step he takes is observed. Even when he bathes, there are those who watch from the shadows. There are no more secrets in this palace. Whatever he does, we will know right away."
The words hung heavy in the air, as the revelation landed like a physical blow. Yan Yan's face, initially surprised, hardened into a mask of grim solemnity. He was an old soldier, a man who valued loyalty above all, even though he have changed his loyalty which essentially should have broken that belief.
He looked from Fa Zheng to Zhang Song to Meng Da, his gaze piercing. "And what of us, Fa Zheng?" he asked, his voice low and gravelly. "Do you have watchers in our camps as well? In our own homes? If you do not trust us, then how can we be expected to trust this… this web of shadows you weave?"
The question hung heavy in the air.
For a moment, Fa Zheng didn't answer. The flickering torchlight cast sharp angles across his face, and in that stillness, the tension coiled like a drawn bow.
It was Zhang Song who stepped forward, his small frame belying his immense presence. He raised a placating hand. "General Yan, please. Set your heart at ease. The watchers that Fa Zheng speak of… they are not ours."
He let the implication settle for a beat. "The eyes and ears that see and hear all within these walls belong not to Fa Zheng, Meng Da, or myself. They belong to the one we all, in the quiet of our hearts, now serve. They belong to none other than Emperor Hongyi himself, Lie Fan himself."
That silenced them for a heartbeat.
Meng Huo's eyes widened. "Lie Fan?"
"The information we receive is curated," Fa Zheng explained calmly, seeing the dawning understanding and fear in their eyes. "We are given only what is vital for the stability of Shu and the advancement of the Hengyuan's interests. We do not control the Oriole Agents; we are… their beneficiaries. And now, so are you. This knowledge is a sign of trust, not distrust. You are being brought inside the circle."
This was a different order of revelation altogether. They had known, of course, that their faction under Fa Zheng's lead was powerful, after all they had pledged their allegiance and looked east to the Hengyuan with favor.
But to learn that Lie Fan's intelligence network was already so deeply embedded within the very heart of the Han court, that the Emperor of a rival state knew what the Han emperor's most secret plans before they did, was to understand the true nature of their situation.
They were not just players in a game of regional power, they were already pieces on the board of a continental empire.
"Then…" Zhang Ren began, his voice low, "this entire court is already under Lie Fan's watch. Even the Emperor's breath is measured by him."
Fa Zheng smiled faintly. "Exactly. Which is why our allegiance to the Hengyuan Dynasty ensures our survival and, more importantly, our purpose. The Han is dying, my friends. But under Emperor Hongyi, Lie Fan, we will shape what comes next."
Meng Huo rubbed his chin, still looking uneasy. "I see now why you moved so boldly tonight," he muttered. "You weren't just forcing the Emperor's hand… you were showing him the truth."
Fa Zheng's eyes gleamed. "Yes. That his every attempt to wriggle free is futile. The Han may still wear the crown, but it is Hengyuan that holds the scepter."
"Precisely," Meng Da said, his voice a low rumble. "The Emperor can deliberate all he wants. He can consult his astrologers and his ancestors. But in the end, the path is clear. Accept the alliance, bind the Han to the Hengyuan, and secure a peaceful, if subordinate, future. Or…" He left the alternative unspoken, but it echoed in the silent hall, or be removed.
They sat in silence for a while, the sound of the torches crackling against the cold air filling the emptiness of the hall.
Zhang Song finally sighed. "The Emperor will stew on this tonight," he said quietly. "He'll drink, he'll rage, but by morning he'll wear that same brittle smile and speak of deliberation. It's over for him. Whether he knows it or not, he has already agreed."
Fa Zheng nodded. "And when he sends word of his 'acceptance,' we'll make sure it is presented to Lie Fan with the proper honors."
The six men stood in the dim light, the weight of the future pressing down upon them. The last vestiges of the Han Dynasty were being neatly, inexorably, folded into the fabric of a new empire. And they, whether by choice or by circumstance, were the ones holding the needle.
Meanwhile, in the Emperor's private chamber, the atmosphere was thick with rage and despair.
The lanterns burned low, their light soft and golden against the silk curtains. Emperor Xian sat slumped before a half empty jug of wine, his robes slightly undone, his crown lying forgotten beside the table. The proud mask he had worn before the court was gone, what remained was a man stripped bare of power and hope.
He poured himself another cup, the wine sloshing over the rim.
"Cowards," he muttered, his voice hoarse. "Vultures… circling a corpse that still breathes."
Across from him, Empress Dong watched quietly, her delicate hands folded in her lap, watching him with growing unease.
She had seen him angry before, at his ministers, at fate, at himself, but this was different. This was bitterness, deep and festering.
When at last he slammed the cup down and reached again for the jug, she rose gently and laid a hand over his.
"Your Majesty," she said softly. "Enough. Please. What troubles you so deeply tonight? What happened in the banquet hall?"
For a long moment, the Emperor did not answer. Then he let out a bitter laugh, one that carried more sorrow than humor.
"What happened?" he said, his voice cracking slightly. "I was humiliated, that's what. My own court turned into a stage, and I, Emperor of the Han, reduced to an actor reading lines written by another man."
He slammed his palm against the table, making the wine ripple. "Fa Zheng… that serpent… he stood before the entire court, with his unctuous smiles and his honeyed words. He praised the soldiers, he praised me, and then he presented his 'suggestion.'"
The Emperor stopped, mimicking Fa Zheng's poised bow with a savage jerk of his body that almost caused him to bumped into the table. "He proposed that the only way to secure the Han, to protect us from Cao Cao, is to form an alliance with the Hengyuan."
Empress Dong's hand flew to her mouth. "The Hengyuan? But they are—"
"Enemies? Rivals? The very power that seeks to devour us?" he interrupted, his voice rising. "Yes! And do you know how he proposed we seal this 'alliance'? With a royal marriage! Our child, our blood, to be wed to a whelp of that usurper Lie Fan!"
Empress Dong's eyes widened to the full extend she can. "A royal marriage…?"
"Yes." He saw the understanding dawn in her eyes, the same horror he had felt. "Before everyone, he said it was for 'peace and stability,' that Heaven itself would smile upon such a union. And the court applauded! It was a public execution of my authority!" he continued, his voice dropping to a furious whisper.
"A masterstroke, I should say! If I refuse, I am the reckless fool who spurns the one chance for safety, who values my pride over the lives of my people. The court would turn against me in an instant. But if I accept…"
He trailed off, his shoulders slumping. "If I accept, then the Liu Clan would becomes a vassal line. The Han becomes a footnote, a ceremonial prefix to the Hengyuan Dynasty. We trade Cao Cao's cage for Lie Fan's, a larger, more comfortable one, but a cage nonetheless."
He leaned back, exhaling shakily. "And Liu Zhang said nothing. Not a word. He's as much their puppet as I am."
Empress Dong hesitated before speaking again. "Then what will you do, Your Majesty?"
"What can I do?" he muttered. "They've stripped me of everything, power, soldiers, authority. "They have checkmated me, Dong'er. Even my own envoys, Wu Yi and Wang Fu… I sent them west in secret, hoping to find some ally beyond this crumbling land, but even that seems pointless now. They probably already know."
He drained another cup of wine, the bitterness etching deeper lines into his face.
Empress Dong reached out, gently taking his hand. "Then perhaps, my Emperor, we must think carefully. Endure. If you cannot fight them now, perhaps—"
"Endure?" he interrupted sharply, then sighed. His anger faded into exhaustion. "Perhaps you're right. What else can I do but endure? The cage grows smaller every day, but a bird can still breathe before the final door closes on it and he can't fly away any more."
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Name: Lie Fan
Title: Founding Emperor Of Hengyuan Dynasty
Age: 35 (202 AD)
Level: 16
Next Level: 462,000
Renown: 2325
Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 9)
SP: 1,121,700
ATTRIBUTE POINTS
STR: 966 (+20)
VIT: 623 (+20)
AGI: 623 (+10)
INT: 667
CHR: 98
WIS: 549
WILL: 432
ATR Points: 0