Chapter 35 Morning Assembly (Part 1) Slap in the Face

  In ancient China, there was one court session every five days.

  It was very early in the morning, before dawn, and Liu Bian got up early, even though he was the closest one and could have been the last to appear. Looking at the dark sky outside, Liu Bian sighed secretly, being a diligent emperor is really not easy, no wonder so many people eventually became tyrannical rulers, from then on they stopped attending morning court sessions.

  In his past life, Liu Bian had attended meetings, but he was always just a bystander sitting on the sidelines. In this life, Liu Bian had attended court meetings, but he was always dazed and confused, willingly playing the role of a puppet. Most of the time, he would fall asleep on the throne, not caring what the officials were discussing.

  Of course, the courtiers didn't care about him either. Big or small matters, with a great general outside and an empress dowager inside, the emperor was simply a figurehead who didn't speak up, which saved a lot of trouble and avoided many arguments.

  Now the situation is different, the great general is dead, the empress dowager has been deposed, and this emperor who came from thousands of years ago is not willing to mix and eat anymore, so he must take out some spirit to fight against the Yuan family.

  Liu Bian was well aware that, compared to his previous life, he had become slightly stronger. However, when compared to the cunning and experienced official Yuan Wei, he didn't stand a chance. He was an operative executing secret missions, not one of those strategists from the planning department, nor was he an advisor from the think tank; playing politics wasn't his strong suit. More importantly, the connections and network that the four generations of the Yuan family had built up were beyond his imagination. Apart from being an emperor, he had nothing else.

  It can be seen that today's court is likely to become a one-man show.

  Liu Bian was a bit nervous, wearing three layers of inner and outer court attire sitting by the window, his shoulders felt heavy, and he couldn't breathe very well.

  "Your Majesty, relax." The Princess of the Millennium stood behind him, adjusting his crown and gently stroking his shoulders: "You are the Son of Heaven, as long as you don't say anything wrong, no one dares to do anything to you."

  Liu Bian let out a bitter laugh, not saying anything, but instead turned his hand over to hold the hand of Princess Wan, patting it gently. The palace was severely short-handed, and Princess Wan was one of the few people he trusted; now she was the only one by his side, making him feel slightly safer.

  Princess Wan's face turned red, and she slowly withdrew her hand. Even though Liu Bian was her own brother, they couldn't be so intimate. She turned her head to look around: "Why hasn't the imperial concubine arrived yet? She said yesterday that she would come to accompany Your Majesty."

  Liu Bian also felt a bit strange, Tang Ying should have arrived early, but she was late and didn't know what to do. Although Tang Ying is one year younger than him and not familiar with the court etiquette, she has her own ideas and having her by his side makes him feel like he's not fighting alone. At such an important time, her tardiness is really out of character for her.

  "Send someone to take a look."

  "I'll go," said Princess Wan. "Your Majesty is about to attend court and shouldn't exert yourself unnecessarily."

  "All right." Liu Bian agreed. He indeed had to prepare for the upcoming court meeting and couldn't be distracted.

  ……

  "Is this what you wanted to tell me?" Tang Ying looked at the young man with a cloud of worry between his eyebrows and snorted: "Why didn't you go tell His Majesty yourself?"

  The young man shook his head: "It's not time yet, and it's useless to say anything."

  "Since the time is not ripe, it's pointless to talk about it, why bother?" Tang Ying smiled lightly, with a hint of teasing and disdain: "Afraid of tarnishing your reputation as a scholar, or should we wait for His Majesty to invite you instead?"

  The young man let out a sigh, bowed his head and said: "I have spoken my mind, I hope Your Majesty will prioritize the bigger picture, look far ahead and not act on impulse." After finishing speaking, he bowed his head and retreated, disappearing into the darkness.

  Tang Ying's smile disappeared, and her eyebrows slowly rose. She turned around and walked towards the De Yang Temple, not far away, she ran into Gong Gongzhu who came to welcome her, and couldn't help but feel a little curious. "Gongzhu, why aren't you by the emperor's side? Is everything ready for the emperor?"

  "It's all right, but since the imperial concubine is not here, Your Majesty is uneasy."

  "What nonsense." Tang Ying laughed: "Is he the emperor, or am I the emperor?"

  "Although Your Majesty is the Emperor, you have made the Empress your confidante, and no one can replace her position. Not even I, this princess."

  Tang Ying glanced at Princess Wan and smiled, "Princess, you're overpraising me, I don't deserve it." Just as she was about to continue speaking, a sudden commotion broke out from the front, accompanied by a thunderous roar like that of a bear or tiger.

  "Who dares to stop me? Get out of my way!"

  Tang Ying was very familiar with this voice, and after a moment of distraction, she heard it. "It's Dong Zhuo!"

  The princess was shocked, how did Dong Zhuo run to the back of the main hall? The emperor has not yet ascended to the throne. They didn't have time to think much, and hurriedly quickened their pace, rushing towards the main hall.

  Dong Zhuo's face turned red with rage, his ears burning like a furious giant bear. He pushed aside the two halberd-wielding attendants who stepped forward to intercept him and bellowed loudly: "Get out of my way! I want to see His Majesty! I want to see His Majesty!"

  "Please enter, Lord Dong." Liu Bian's voice came from inside, but Lang Zhong still refused to give way. A middle-aged eunuch shouted loudly: "Your Majesty, the grand court is about to begin, and Dong Zhuo has intruded into the palace, he should be questioned for his great disrespect. Your Majesty must not disrupt the rituals and ruin the Han dynasty's system."

  The hall fell silent for a moment, then the lights came on, and Liu Bian appeared at the gate of the hall. He stared at Huangmen without saying a word.

  Huang Men was taken aback, shivered with cold, and retreated to one side in a fluster.

  Liu Bian's expression eased and he spoke in a gentle tone to Dong Zhuo, "The grand court is about to convene, why did you, sir, not wait quietly in the main hall, but instead burst into the rear palace?"

  "Your Majesty, I...I was bullied by them." Dong Zhuo fell to the ground with a thud, extremely wronged: "I just walked a little faster, and the imperial historian in the palace said that I disrupted the court etiquette and wanted to drive me out. Your Majesty, I come from a remote area, since my youth, I have been fighting for the country, where did I have time to learn etiquette? These past few days, I have practiced with all my might, but unfortunately, I made a mistake in the midst of busyness, they..."

  From Dong Zhuo's narrative, Liu Bian understood the general process. His face turned cold, and his fists in his sleeves were clenched tightly.

  The court session had not yet begun, but the battle had already started. Without Yuan Shao showing his face, those who relied on him began to use their official powers to drive Dong Zhuo out of the imperial court. The etiquette in the imperial court was complex and strict, with the saying that any movement would lead to blame. Dong Zhuo was a rough man and did not have the opportunity to experience such a grand court session, so it was inevitable that he made mistakes. The attendant officials used this as an excuse to drive Dong Zhuo out, which was both legitimate and in line with their duties, and no one could say they were wrong.

  But their intention is very obvious, Dong Zhuo can't even enter the imperial court, how can he be a Taishi? This is a naked slap in the face, not only slapping Dong Zhuo's face but also Liu Bian's face.