"Well, you'll still be the steward, and you'll still be in charge here. If anyone in the manor is no longer relevant, give them a small toll and let them leave. As long as you do a good job, I won't make things difficult for you; in fact, I'll reward you." Lu Ming patted his shoulder kindly. "Go and escort Wang Lang's wife and daughter to their rooms and keep them safe. Clean up the manor as needed. Go."
"Yes, sir," Steward Wang Huan replied tremblingly. He was loyal to Wang Lang, but now that Wang Lang was imprisoned and his home had been confiscated, what loyalty was left?
He needed to find a new employer quickly; a wise bird chooses its tree.
It must be said, Wang Lang's wife was quite voluptuous and attractive. If the timing hadn't been wrong, Wang Lang's granddaughter, Wang Yuanji, would probably be here too. What a pity, she was one of the beauties of later generations. But it didn't matter; getting Wang Lang's wife and daughter was good enough.
Leaving two personal guards to watch over them, plus the guards originally assigned to him, was enough.
Lu Ming followed Hua Xiong to Dong Zhuo's residence in the south of the city.
As his uncle who had brought him up, Lu Ming was still grateful. While using him was one thing, how many great men in this era were unhappy because they lacked the opportunity to be used?
Only those who could shine could be remembered in history; those who didn't would simply fade into obscurity.
They arrived at Dong Zhuo's residence.
Dong Zhuo personally came out to greet them, and upon seeing Lu Ming, he warmly pulled him towards the main hall. "Anmin, you've finally arrived! You're quite the celebrity now; it wasn't easy to get you here!"
While it was said to be a compliment, it was actually somewhat sarcastic.
The hall was already filled with people, all brought by Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo was going to Bingzhou to serve as governor, which was already a promotion.
Serving as an official in a different region was common knowledge.
However, Bingzhou was in chaos, and Ding Yuan was also hindering them; this trip wouldn't be easy.
At least some troops should be brought along; otherwise, going alone would only leave one powerless.
Lu Ming sat down, picked up a wine cup, and gestured to Dong Zhuo with a toast. "Not at all," he said, "I've been extremely busy with official duties, as Hua Xiong can attest. To be honest, without your help, Uncle, I would never have reached this point, let alone come to Luoyang. I will always remember your great kindness. I toast you, Uncle, wishing you a resounding victory in Bingzhou. In six months, I will lead troops to your aid; you have nothing to worry about."
Seeing Lu Ming maintain his humble attitude, Dong Zhuo was satisfied, and thus… Stroking his beard, he said, "Very good. My promotion of you wasn't in vain. Anmin, now that you've offended the Yuan family, be careful in everything you do. The Yuan family has held high office for four generations, and their protégés and former officials are all over the land. Even in Bingzhou, they have many followers. There are even more in Luoyang. Your uncle can't help you much, but just remember, His Majesty will protect you, and the Yuan family won't dare to touch you."
"Thank you for your advice, Uncle. The waters of Luoyang are too deep. Without you, I don't know how to handle it," Lu Ming said, shaking his head helplessly.
Actually, he was overjoyed. Although his meeting with Emperor Ling still terrified him, he had followed his intuition, and he had gambled correctly!
Now, with Emperor Ling's trust, he wasn't too worried. As long as he trained the Western Garden Army before going to Bingzhou to rebel, Emperor Ling wouldn't let him die.
Moreover, once he demonstrated the effectiveness of his medical skills after a while, Emperor Ling would be even less likely to let him die.
Emperor Ling didn't wield much power, but since the emperor needed to protect someone, the Yuan clan dared not act rashly.
This was different from Emperor Xian of Han, who was truly a figurehead. Cao Cao could kill his own concubines without hesitation, showing absolutely no mercy.
At least Emperor Ling still had someone to rely on, someone to use, and the world still recognized the Liu family as emperor.
The Yuan clan, however, was deeply entrenched, with disciples and former officials throughout the land.
Imperial power was undoubtedly supreme, but for it to reach the entire realm, it depended on them.
In this process of reaching the realm, imperial power also had to be interpreted as reflecting their intentions.
These various forces were locked in a power struggle; there was no absolute dominance, only slight advantages.
"Don't worry, the Yuan family isn't easy to mess with, but are we, the men of Xiliang, easy to mess with? At worst, we'll just go back to Xiliang. If Han Sui and Ma Teng can be local tyrants, why can't we?" Dong Zhuo's actions were utterly disrespectful and rebellious.
This was the sentiment of most border regions. The remnants of the Han dynasty's power remained, but they were dwindling.
Xiliang, Bingzhou, Liaodong, Youzhou, the Southern Barbarians, Jiangdong, Jingzhou, and so on—all shared this idea.
"I'm just ignoring you, what can you do about it?"
"Haha, Uncle's words are enough. Uncle, come, let me toast you. In the future, when you're promoted and appointed prime minister, remember to mentor us. Drink heartily, eat heartily!" Lu Ming laughed heartily, continuing his flattery.
After all, kind words cost nothing, and saying them wouldn't hurt.
Amidst the clinking of cups, the military generals were very direct, drinking and chatting, without any of the usual literary formalities.
Dong Zhuo's men were all roughnecks, but they were ruthless in battle, each one a fierce warrior.
Even if they were at odds with each other, none of them would hold the other back.
However, when facing Niu Fu, Lu Ming couldn't help but glance at his hair, where a bright green hat awaited him.
Even if it were on Niu Fu's head, the thought of his cousin Dong Yuan's seductive moans and gasps beneath him made him incredibly aroused.
Women were that simple; as long as they were satisfied, they would follow him.
Playing with women didn't require much effort; a few sweet words were enough.
Niu Fu was unaware that his wife had already been slept with, and by her cousin no less—it was utterly shameful!
However, in the Han Dynasty, cousins could marry; it wasn't a big deal, only siblings couldn't.
As long as it was a matrilineal relationship, marriage was permissible.
Emperor Wu of Han consolidated his throne by marrying his cousin, Chen Ajiao. Without Chen Ajiao's mother's influence with the Empress Dowager, he might not have been able to ascend the throne.
However, while cousins could marry, that didn't mean they could commit adultery!
That would be punishable by being drowned in a pig cage, and a concubine's infidelity could result in being beaten to death.
A wife's infidelity could be legally divorced, and even Dong Zhuo couldn't say anything, since it was his daughter who was in the wrong.
Lu Ming and Dong Yuan maintained a very good and private relationship, so they weren't worried about being discovered. Their maids were all dowry servants, so their loyalty was not a concern.