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Then, Zhen Ji spoke again, her tone changing slightly, hesitant and fragile. "Your Majesty," she said softly. "I heard something today… from the handmaidens in the harem. They were whispering that… my father has been arrested by the Censors. They said he was accused of corruption and bribery. Is it true?"
Lie Fan's expression didn't change at first. He had expected this moment. Information in the palace always found a way to flow, even when one tried to contain it.
He took a slow breath, then nodded.
"It is true," he said gently. "Your father, Zhen Yi, has been found guilty of bribery and corruption, of monopolizing trade routes, manipulating grain markets, and attempting to bribe officials in the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Rites."
Zhen Ji's eyes lowered, her grip tightening slightly around her son. There was sadness there, not quite shock, but the heaviness of a truth long suspected.
"I see," she murmured. "Then… it has come to this after all."
Lie Fan stepped around to face her, his gaze soft but steady. "You remember what I told you, Ji'er," he said quietly. "That I would not harm your clan for the sins of one man, but neither will I turn a blind eye to corruption. That I would not spare him if he brought you harm, or if he tried to use you as a pawn. He saw you as leverage, not as a daughter. I cannot overlook that, not as Emperor, and not as your husband. His punishment is his own doing, I just take a small piece of his crimes to punish him officially."
Zhen Ji looked up at him, tears glimmering faintly but not falling. "You promised me you would punish him, due to the actios he have done, I thought you have forgotten husband," she whispered. "And it looks like I'm the fool, as I knew you always kept your word."
She tried to smile, but it trembled, a mix of gratitude and sorrow. "I should feel relief," she continued, voice softer. "He has caused me nothing but pain, forced me into marriage for his ambition, used me as a pawn for the Zhen Clan's name… Yet now that he is gone, I feel only emptiness. I suppose that's what family leaves behind, even when love has long vanished."
Lie Fan reached out and placed a gentle hand on her cheek. "You are not heartless for feeling sorrow," he said. "Even those betrayed by blood cannot forget where they came from. But you must not let that pain become chains. You are free now and so is our son. No one will ever use either of you again."
Zhen Ji's eyes softened. She nodded slowly, taking in his words. "Then… my second brother," she asked quietly, "Zhen Yan, will he be the one to succeed as head of the clan?"
Lie Fan smiled faintly. "Yes. Zhen Yan is a man of integrity, and unlike your father, he values responsibility over greed. I have already approved his appointment. He will lead your family well, and when the time comes, you may return to visit your clan freely. The air will be lighter there without your father's shadow."
Zhen Ji lowered her gaze again, her lips curving into a small, bittersweet smile. "Thank you, Your Majesty," she said softly. "For giving my family a chance to begin anew… and for keeping your promise to me."
Lie Fan brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. "I promised to protect you, Ji'er, not just from the enemies outside our borders, but from those who would harm you within them."
Zhen Ji's expression warmed, her sadness easing as she leaned lightly against his chest. The baby stirred again between them, and both parents looked down at the small bundle of life.
"Mumu will grow up in a better world," Lie Fan said quietly, his eyes glinting with determination. "A world built on order, not corruption. On peace, not betrayal. He will not inherit a fractured empire, but a united land."
Zhen Ji looked up at him, smiling softly. "And when that day comes, I hope he has your strength, and your kindness."
Lie Fan chuckled. "Kindness may be rare in emperors like me," he said, half teasing, "but he will find a way to be both, after all he wouldn't become an Emperor."
They stood there in silence for a moment longer, the sounds of the palace faint beyond the thick walls, the distant toll of a bell, the faint rush of footsteps, the whisper of wind through the courtyard trees. The empire, vast and living, moved on outside, but within this room, time seemed still.
Finally, Lie Fan turned his gaze once more toward the letter on his desk. "Luoyang is ours," he said, more to himself than to anyone else. "But Hangu Pass and Hongnong still await. The next battle will decide everything."
Zhen Ji, still holding their son, watched him with quiet admiration. "You never stop thinking of the future, do you?"
He smiled faintly. "A ruler who stops thinking of tomorrow condemns his people to yesterday."
She reached up and gently touched his hand. "Then promise me one thing," she said. "That when the fighting is done, and the world is at peace, you will rest. Even if only for a little while."
Lie Fan looked into her eyes, eyes that had endured sorrow and now glimmered with hope. He nodded slowly.
"I promise," he said softly.
Zhen Ji nodded gently. "You have much work ahead," she said softly. "I will not keep you from it."
Lie Fan smiled faintly. "You never keep me from anything worth cherishing." He kissed her forehead once more, then nodded to the maids to escort her back to her chambers.
When the doors closed behind her, he stood for a moment in silence, staring at the map once more. The fires of conquest were far from extinguished, but in that fleeting hour, the conqueror had remembered the man beneath the crown.
He returned to his desk and unrolled a fresh scroll. With a deliberate hand, he began drafting his next orders. One letter was addressed to Sima Yi, authorization to proceed to Hangu Pass, with full strategic discretion granted.
The other letter was sent to Fa Zheng, Zhang Song, and Meng Da a brief but deliberate message sealed with the imperial emblem of Hengyuan. Lie Fan's words were measured, his tone neither harsh nor indulgent, but unmistakably clear in intent.
He wrote that he have received word of Fa Zheng's proposal concerning a marriage alliance between the Han and Hengyuan dynasties. While he do not yet understand Fa Zheng's reasoning for bringing this matter before Emperor Xian so suddenly and so publicly, he will allow it to proceed for now.
However, he remind the three of them that the name and honor of the imperial family are not to be trifled with. Even a false engagement carries weight, and the reputation of hus daughters is not something he will allow to be tainted for political maneuvering.
Should this situation escalate beyond control, he will be informed through the Oriole Network, and je will intervene immediately. Consider this both approval and warning.
The writing brush moved smoothly, each character deliberate. His tone wasn't that of fury but of imperial restraint, the voice of a man who could crush kingdoms but chose instead to command with tempered will. When the ink dried, he summoned one of the Oriole Agents, silent, masked, their presence more shadow than man.
"Your Majesty," the Oriole agent said, bowing low.
"These letters," Lie Fan said, handing both scrolls over, "one for Sima Yi, the other for Fa Zheng and his cohorts. Deliver them through our channels. No courier, no banners. Let them move unseen."
The Agent bowed without a sound, slipping the letters into his cloak before vanishing into the corridor's darkness, another ghost in service of an emperor who trusted few but relied on the unseen many.
With that duty done, Lie Fan let out a slow breath. The candles in his royal study burned low, flickering against maps and scrolls that told stories of empire, of ambition, victory, and the ghosts of men who had thought themselves eternal. He gathered his robes, turned, and stepped out into the cool night air. The corridors of the Hengyuan Palace were quiet, moonlight spilling through the carved latticework.
As he walked, attendants bowed low, guards saluted, but none dared speak. The Emperor's steps echoed, steady, deliberate, until he disappeared into the labyrinth of his palace, leaving behind the scent of ink and determination.
Far to the southwest, the imperial city of Chengdu was alive under the warmth of lantern light. The scent of rain lingered in the air, the sound of distant music still echoing faintly from the previous night's celebration. The banquet of Zitong had ended only days before, but the aftershocks of that night still rippled through the Han court.
Inside the royal palace, Emperor Xian of Han sat alone in his study, shoulders heavy with fatigue. Scrolls were strewn across his desk, edicts, petitions, astrological charts, and the endless memorials of his ministers. The candle beside him had burned nearly to its base.
He stared blankly at a page detailing "auspicious alignments", predictions from court astrologers claiming that the proposed marriage alliance with Hengyuan would bring "harmony between heaven and earth."
His jaw tightened.
He had read the same message in different words at least twenty times in the past three days.
Every monk, astrologer, and scholar he had consulted, officially or in secret, had given the same answer, the marriage would be beneficial, auspicious, and blessed by fate.
And yet, to Emperor Xian, it reeked of manipulation.
"If managed right," they all said.
But who was managing it? Not him.
No, it was Fa Zheng, Zhang Song, and Meng Da, the triumvirate of power that held the Han court in their grasp. The Emperor could scarcely issue an edict without their approval. Even his personal guards answered more to the their office than to the Dragon Throne itself.
He ran a hand through his hair, exhaustion deep in his eyes. The more he thought about Fa Zheng's sudden announcement at the banquet, the proposal of a royal marriage between the Han and Hengyuan, the clearer it became, it wasn't diplomacy. It was a reminder.
A subtle threat, wrapped in ceremony and applause.
By proposing such an alliance publicly, in front of the entire court, Fa Zheng had put him in a corner.
If the Emperor accepted, it meant submission to Hengyuan's rising power. If he refused, he would appear as a tyrant blinded by pride, endangering the realm for personal ego.
Either way, he lost.
He could feel his control slipping further with every passing day.
And yet, somewhere beneath his fear, a faint ember of defiance still burned. He could not, would not, let his dynasty become a pawn in another empire's story. That night, after hours of restless pacing and whispered consultations with his queen, Emperor Xian made a decision. He would confront them, Fa Zheng, Zhang Song, and Meng Da, directly.
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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