Chapter 3: Pillars and Beams

  Lu Zhi led Red Hare by the reins, closely following Liu Bei. When he saw countless Western Liang soldiers and horses parting before them, bowing their heads to salute Liu Bei on horseback, his nose turned sour, almost bringing tears to his eyes.

  This is the royal weather, this is the style of the Son of Heaven. I never thought that at the age of fifty, in such a state of decline, I would see such a scene, and now I have no regrets in this life.

  Liu Bian sat on horseback, looking at the crowd bowing their heads, and a sense of pleasure arose.

  Life should be like this. With a heroic spirit, I will make a way through the Three Mountains and Five Peaks. This is the kind of life a great man should live.

  Watching Liu Bei ride away slowly on the Red Hare, watching the tall and majestic figure of Lu Zhuang standing beside the Red Hare, watching the subordinates bowing their heads in salute on both sides, Dong Zhuo suddenly slapped his forehead, filled with regret. The horse was a gift from himself, how could all the glory be monopolized by Lu Zhuang alone? At this time, standing beside the Son of Heaven and enjoying the respect of the generals should have been me, Dong Zhuo!

  Dong Zhuo didn't hesitate, and hastily followed. His massive body, once running, was even more terrifying than the Red Hare horse, like a madly galloping giant bear, making people doubt their eyes. Just as Min Gong and others were about to catch up, they hurriedly made way, lest they be knocked down by him. This man wasn't some gentle gentleman; provoking him could cost them their lives.

  Dong Zhuo ran to the front of Chi Tu Ma with one breath, holding his head high and chest out, taking big strides forward, like a triumphant general. Those Western Liang generals originally revered the Son of Heaven on Chi Tu Ma's back, seeing Dong Zhuo voluntarily clear the way for the Son of Heaven, they didn't dare to offend him in any way, not even daring to take a deep breath, each secretly gloating in their hearts. Lu Zhi led the horse, Dong Zhuo cleared the path, this is truly the majesty of the Son of Heaven! Who would have thought that as a rustic person from the border regions, he had the good fortune to lay eyes on the Son of Heaven? When he returns home, he must show off to the villagers, and when he's old, he'll have capital to boast to his children and grandchildren: "Old man saw the true dragon back in the day."

  He took two steps, and Liu Bian touched Lu Zhi's shoulder with his hand. Lu Zhi understood, took a step closer, and in a voice that was neither loud nor soft, just clear enough for Liu Bian to hear, yet dignified and righteous: "Your Majesty, the sky is already late, let's go to Xianyang Garden for a temporary stay, tomorrow The ministers will come to welcome us, and it won't be too late to return to the palace.

  Lu Zhi said, his eyes scanning and looking at Dong Baozi who was opening the way in front.

  Liu Bian nodded secretly, this great Confucian scholar is indeed a great Confucian scholar, his words are really good. The fire in Luoyang City has not been extinguished yet, and it's definitely not safe to return to the palace at this time, so it's more suitable to find another place to rest. This suggestion is very timely, and his words are also extremely respectful, without losing the identity of a minister. What's even more timely is that he reminded him to pay attention to Dong Zhuo's eyes, which is really wonderful.

  It's absolutely impossible for Dong Zhuo to be controlled; otherwise, it would be even more dangerous.

  Liu Bian thought for a moment, coughed and said: "General Dong, the sky is already late, it's not convenient to return to the city. You have come from afar to save us, you must be tired too. Let's go to Ping Le Temple to rest for a while and enter the city tomorrow."

  Dong Zhuo didn't react for a moment, and subconsciously nodded. Wherever the Emperor goes, he'll go. But then he thought about it, no, that's not right, Luoyang City can't be gone, there are other places to go, why must you go to Pingyue Temple? Pingyue Temple is in the southwest direction of Luoyang City, and from here to Pingyue Temple, you have to walk around half a circle around Luoyang City.

  As soon as Dong Zhuo appeared, Lu Zhi knew he had an idea. Before Dong Zhuo could speak, he added: "Your Majesty, General Dong is a noble man and should not be made to lead the vanguard; Prince Chenliu is young and should not be made to march long distances on foot either - why not grant them horses?"

  Dong Zhuo heard this and immediately swallowed the question that had risen to his lips. Never mind, the Emperor was only telling himself, not asking for advice. What if he said something wrong, it would be laughed at. The main problem now is that things can't go on like this, he knew his own weight, and after a long time, he couldn't bear it anymore. He quickly took advantage of this opportunity to mount the horse.

  Liu Bian thought it was reasonable, he couldn't let Dong Paozi walk all the time, that would be too impolite. He even more couldn't let his younger brother Liu Xie walk, who was not yet ten years old and had been tired for half a night, and couldn't walk such a long way.

  "Lou Qing's words make sense, General Dong, the road is quite far, you'd better ride ahead on horseback."

  Dong Zhuo felt relieved, hastily mounted his horse and ordered several horses to be led over for Yin Gong and others to ride. Yin Gong held Liu Xie in his arms and carefully followed behind.

  Liu Bian looked at Lu Zhi and said calmly: "Lu, you can ride a horse too."

  Lu Zhi shook his head and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, saying: "Thank you, Your Majesty. I am not bothered; as your subject, it is only proper for me to hold the reins of your horse."

  Liu Bian heard the implicit tone, Lu Zhi was intentionally letting those Xiliang soldiers see that even a great Confucian scholar like him did not dare to be slightly presumptuous, let alone those Xiliang soldiers. This is the power of a model. Just now, Dong Zhuo took the initiative to clear the way for him, possibly also being influenced by Lu Zhi's behavior, doing so unconsciously. Otherwise, with Dong Zhuo's temperament, how could he be so well-behaved?

  However, to say it again, today's events are indeed somewhat strange. It's not just Dong Zhuo; this Red Hare horse is also unusually well-behaved. Looking at Dong Zhuo's initial evil gaze, the Red Hare shouldn't be so obedient, right?

  Liu Bian was at a loss for what to do, but didn't know who to ask and it wasn't convenient to ask anyone. He could only hold the stone ball tightly in his hand and proceed silently.

  After walking for about an hour, they finally arrived at Ping Le Temple. Ping Le Temple is located in the west of the city, where the emperor reviews troops, with a spacious area that can accommodate Dong Zhuo's subordinates, and more importantly, there is a special place for the emperor to stay, so Dong Zhuo and his subordinates are separated, and it's not easy to do something.

  Having seen the calm and composed situation, Liu Bian admired Lu Zhi's quick wit even more. In such a short period of time, he was able to make such arrangements, worthy of being the teacher of heroes like Gongsun Zan and Liu Bei. A pillar of the state indeed, one must get close to him carefully.

  ……

  Lu Zhi was busy back and forth, directing with ease, arranging all sorts of people in an orderly manner. After everyone had gone to sleep, Lu Zhi finally came before Liu Bian's face. Having been busy for half the night, he looked tired, his voice hoarse, yet still meticulous.

  "Your Majesty, thanks to the blessings of our ancestors and your own divine authority, even in the face of great difficulties, you will ultimately be able to turn danger into safety." Lu Zhi straightened his back: "I sincerely hope that Your Majesty will curb your impatience and use tolerance, handle things with care, and do not let a moment's mistake occur."

  Liu Bian knew that Lu Zhi was right, don't look at Dong Zhuo being so honest now, the crisis is far from over, as long as there is a little accident, it may lead to unpredictable disasters. What he wants to clarify most now is what this stone ball is all about. He vaguely feels that this might be a crucial factor, and maybe it can help him complete his mission of finding the dragon.

  "Lu Qing, do you know what this is?" Liu Bian pushed the stone ball in front of Lu Zhi, but couldn't help frowning and secretly rubbing his fingers. He clearly remembered that his fingers had been cut by the stone ball with two not-so-small gashes, bleeding quite a bit, so why was there no bloodstain on the stone ball?