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(A/N: Don't forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
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He leaned forward as far as the chains would allow, his eyes blazing. "Cao Mengde didn't buy me. He understood me. He trusted me to guard his back when the entire world wanted him dead. He is my lord. He will always be my lord. You can shower my hometown in gold until the streets are paved with it, but you will never, ever have my sword. I know where my loyalty lies, and it stays with my Emperor until I am dust. I will never agree to serve the man who caged him."
Lie Fan tried again. He offered him positions of absolute martial glory, promising him the vanguard against the fierce Wuhuan cavalry in the north. He offered him wealth, status, and the chance to cement his legacy in a golden age.
But it was like talking to a stone wall. Xu Chu vehemently, stubbornly refused every single offer, his answers growing shorter and more hostile with every attempt. The simple, unbreakable devotion that defined his character was entirely impervious to Lie Fan's silver tongue.
Finally, Lie Fan stopped talking. He looked at the massive warrior, bound in iron and absolute loyalty, and let out a quiet sigh of genuine regret. He had pushed as far as he could. The foundation was unshakeable.
"So be it, Zhongkang," Lie Fan said softly. "You have made your choice. You are a true warrior, and I respect your devotion."
He turned away from the cell, his face hardening back into the cold mask of the conqueror. He gestured for his generals to follow.
They walked back up the dark corridors in silence, leaving the third subterranean level and its defiant ghosts behind. As they reached the relative light of the upper prison courtyard, Lie Fan stopped and turned to Grand General Huangfu Song.
"My efforts here have concluded," Lie Fan announced, his voice devoid of any emotion. "None of them on the lower levels budged. If I return to argue with them further, there is nothing more I could say that would not simply aggravate them into madness. Their loyalty to the Cao name is absolute."
He looked at Huangfu Song and Zhang Liao, delivering the final, fatal order.
"They are to be executed," Lie Fan commanded softly, but with unyielding iron. "Cao Ren, Cao Hong, Xiahou Yuan, Xiahou Dun, and Xu Chu. They will be executed on the exact same day that Cao Cao and his sons drink the poisoned wine. I will not leave the fangs of the wolf alive when the head has been severed. Ensure the preparations are made with dignity, but ensure they are final."
"We receive Your Majesty's order," Huangfu Song bowed deeply, his aged face somber, accepting the grim necessity of the command.
With his dark work in the military prisons finished, Lie Fan mounted Pangu and rode out of the fortified compound. The elite escort of Yellow Ghost Bodyguards fell in around him as they made the short journey back to the towering walls of the Imperial Palace.
The sun was climbing higher into the sky, washing the capital in a bright, optimistic light that starkly contrasted the damp gloom of the dungeons. As Lie Fan dismounted in the central courtyards and handed the reins to a groom, he felt a profound weariness settling into his bones. The psychological warfare had been exhausting.
He walked toward the administrative wing, intending to briefly review the day's petitions before returning to the Harem Palace to clear his mind.
However, as he approached the heavy rosewood doors of his private office, he found a figure waiting for him in the corridor.
It was Chancellor Jia Xu.
The spymaster was dressed in his usual dark, unadorned robes, his hands tucked neatly into his wide sleeves. He looked perfectly composed, his dark eyes betraying no urgency, but his presence outside the office was a clear indication that a critical matter required immediate attention.
"Wenhe," Lie Fan greeted him, suppressing a sigh as he walked up to the doors. "I did not expect you to be lingering in the corridors. Why are you waiting for me here?"
Jia Xu offered a slow, incredibly deep bow, his voice a dry, rasping whisper that seemed to absorb the ambient noise of the hallway.
"Your Imperial Majesty," Jia Xu murmured. "Didn't Your Majesty not explicitly instruct me yesterday, following the conclusion of the Grand Court, to report to you directly when the logistical preparations for the execution were finalized? When the poisoned wines were ready to be served to Cao Cao and the condemned male members of the Cao clan?"
Lie Fan blinked, the exhaustion momentarily clouding his usually razor sharp memory. He paused, looking at Jia Xu, and then rubbed the back of his neck with a tired chuckle.
"Ah... yes. Yes, of course I did," Lie Fan admitted, shaking his head. "Forgive me, Wenhe. I have just spent the morning trying to talk sense into men who would rather starve in the dark. The dungeons have a way of scrambling the mind. You are here to tell me the preparations are done?"
Jia Xu nodded his head, his face a mask of absolute, chilling efficiency.
"They are perfectly prepared, Your Majesty," Jia Xu confirmed softly. "The apothecaries have brewed a swift, painless toxin. The cups have been secured. The execution timeline has been scheduled for the day after tomorrow, precisely at noon. The location, the central courtyard of the Wang estate where they are currently held, has been secured and cleared of all unauthorized personnel. The perimeter is absolute."
Jia Xu looked up, meeting the Emperor's gaze. "Everything is in place, Your Majesty. So that you may go and have the final, private conversation with Cao Mengde that you desired, before the era truly ends."
Lie Fan stood in the sunlit corridor, the reality of the impending execution crashing down upon him. The theoretical judgment of the court was becoming a physical, fatal reality. In two days, his greatest rival, the man who had defined the chaos of the central plains, would be dead by his command.
He let out a long, heavy breath, nodding his head slowly.
"Excellent work as always, Wenhe," Lie Fan murmured. "The day after tomorrow. I will be there for the execution. I will visit Cao Cao tomorrow."
Jia Xu listened to his Emperor's command, his dark, calculating eyes absorbing the profound gravity of the request. He offered a slow, respectful nod of his head, his hands remaining neatly folded within the wide, dark sleeves of his chancellor's robes.
"I will have it prepared for you tomorrow, Your Majesty," Jia Xu promised, his voice a dry, reassuring rasp in the quiet corridor. "I will personally oversee the arrangements. I will make absolutely certain that the location is secure, and that you enter the estate with a flawless, impenetrable ring of protection. We have won the war, yes, but a cornered beast is at its most dangerous just before the end. We must remain meticulously cautious until the very last breath leaves his body."
Lie Fan nodded his head, completely agreeing with his spymaster's inherent paranoia. It was exactly that paranoia that had kept the Hengyuan Dynasty safe from countless unseen daggers.
"I agree, Wenhe. Leave nothing to chance," Lie Fan instructed, his tone shifting from that of a cautious commander to a ruler honoring a fallen equal. "I will go to meet with Cao Cao at noon. When you arrange the pavilion, do not set it like a prison interrogation. Prepare some delicious, high quality foods and the finest vintage wines our cellars possess. I want the table filled."
Lie Fan looked past Jia Xu, his gaze momentarily distant as he envisioned his greatest adversary. "Think of it as a last, lavish banquet for him. He and I have bathed this continent in blood fighting for the same sky. His death will permanently mark the end of an era. He deserves to leave this world with the taste of fine wine on his tongue, not the stale water of a dungeon."
Jia Xu bowed his head deeply, understanding the profound, unspoken respect that existed between the two apex warlords of their generation.
"I understand perfectly, Your Majesty. I will personally instruct the Imperial Kitchen to prepare a feast entirely up to par with our grandest Imperial Banquets," Jia Xu assured him. "The food, the wine, and the security will be flawless."
With his final duties for the day concluded, Jia Xu took his leave, his dark robes sweeping silently down the sunlit corridor as he moved to execute the Emperor's will.
Lie Fan watched him go for a moment before finally turning away from his administrative office. He navigated the sprawling, beautiful corridors of the Imperial Palace, leaving the heavy, suffocating atmosphere of governance behind as he made his way back to his personal quarters within the serene, heavily guarded walls of the Harem Palace.
When the intricately carved doors of his private sanctuary were opened by the attending eunuchs, Lie Fan felt an immediate, physical wave of relief wash over him. The room was bathed in the warm, comforting glow of late afternoon sunlight filtering through the silken window screens. The air carried the delicate, soothing fragrance of blooming orchids and rich, earthy tea.
And there, waiting for him with the effortless, breathtaking grace that had anchored his soul for decades, was his Empress, Ying Yue.
She wore an elegant, comfortable gown of deep, soothing azure, her dark hair pinned up simply, devoid of the heavy, ostentatious golden hairpins required for formal court appearances. As Lie Fan stepped into the room, her face lit up with a warm, welcoming smile that instantly melted the lingering frost of the dungeons from his heart.
"Welcome home, husband," Ying Yue said softly, stepping forward to gently help him remove the outer layer of his martial tunic.
She guided him toward a plush, oversized set of silk cushions arranged around a low, polished sandalwood table. Resting on the table was a beautifully crafted porcelain tea set, alongside several small, exquisite plates holding delicate, sweet pastries and savory snacks, perfectly timed to stave off the hunger of a man who had skipped his midday meal to argue with starving prisoners.
"You look exhausted," Ying Yue noted with profound affection, taking her seat beside him. She gracefully lifted the teapot, pouring a stream of hot, perfectly steeped, relaxing herbal tea into his cup. "Drink this. I had the kitchens prepare your favorite lotus seed cakes as well."
Lie Fan let out a long, contented sigh as he took his seat. He picked up the warm porcelain cup, inhaling the soothing steam before taking a slow, appreciative sip. He thanked her with a tired but deeply genuine smile, reaching out to take one of the delicate pastries.
As they sat together in the comfortable, intimate silence that only two people who had shared an entire lifetime could achieve, Ying Yue watched him eat, her eyes softening with a deep, knowing light.
"I heard from Sister Diao Chan about the conversation the two of you shared last night," Ying Yue finally spoke, her voice a gentle, melodic murmur in the quiet room. She reached out, her cool fingers gently brushing a stray lock of hair from his forehead. "About the frontiers, and about the future of this family."
Lie Fan paused, the teacup resting halfway to his lips. He lowered it, looking at his Empress with a fond, knowing glint in his eye.
Ying Yue offered a soft, radiant smile. "I told her to rest easy. I told all of them to rest easy. When Diao Chan recounted what you said to her, your promise to protect the sanctity of our home and refuse any new additions, I simply smiled. I told her it is exactly what I thought you would say."
Lie Fan let out a soft, rich laugh, setting his teacup down on the sandalwood table. He reached over, enveloping her delicate hand in his large, calloused one.
"You did, did you?" Lie Fan chuckled, his thumb gently tracing the smooth skin of her knuckles. "And how were you so incredibly certain of my grand geopolitical strategies, my Empress?"
"Because I have been with you the longest," Ying Yue replied simply, her eyes shimmering with the beautiful, unspoken history they shared. "Since we were just children, I have following you through the estate at Huai'An, long before you ever lifted a halberd or wore a crown. I know the man beneath the armor, husband."
"I know that for all your terrifying ambition and your brilliant mind, you are fiercely, stubbornly protective of the people you hold in your heart. You would never allow the toxic politics of the court to infect the one place you come to find peace."
Lie Fan smiled, a profound, overwhelming wave of love for the woman beside him swelling in his chest. She was his absolute equal, the mirror to his soul. "You know me entirely too well, Yue'er. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother keeping state secrets when you can simply read my mind."
He took another sip of his relaxing tea, feeling the tension bleed further from his muscles. "So, tell me. How did the others react when Diao Chan delivered my absolute vow?"
Ying Yue's smile widened into an expression of profound, sisterly relief. "They were overwhelmingly relieved. It was as if a massive, suffocating thundercloud had been lifted from the roof of the Harem Palace. Sister Lingqi, Wenji, and Zhen Ji were so incredibly happy to hear your words."
She shifted slightly closer to him, her tone turning a bit more serious as she explained the depths of their previous anxieties.
"You must understand, my love, their fears were not born of petty vanity," Ying Yue explained softly. "They were terrified for the future. They were terrified of the inevitable Harem struggles that have destroyed so many dynasties before ours. They looked at the map of your ambitions, and they saw the political realities."
Ying Yue gracefully poured him another cup of tea as she continued. "Especially when your outward expansions begin in earnest. They know that as you march against the northern steppes, the western deserts, or the southern jungles, the inevitable result will be offers of political marriages. It is the currency of the era."
She began to list the terrifying, historically accurate scenarios that had kept the brilliant women of his household awake at night. "They envisioned foreign kings offering their most beautiful daughters as desperate terms of surrender. They saw tributary states sending royal princesses as absolute pledges of allegiance from their kingdoms."
"They imagined influential, ancient clans from the newly conquered territories offering their noblewomen to secure their own power, or even chieftains offering their daughters simply as the spoils of war."
Ying Yue looked at him, her dark eyes reflecting the brutal, pragmatic pressure of the imperial court. "And they knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that the civil officials in your own court, the traditionalists who believe a dynasty is secured through blood pacts, would relentlessly beg and pressure you to take these women into the Harem Palace."
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Name: Lie Fan
Title: Founding Emperor Of Hengyuan Dynasty
Age: 36 (203 AD)
Level: 16
Next Level: 462,000
Renown: 2325
Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 11)
SP: 1,121,700
ATTRIBUTE POINTS
STR: 1,010 (+20)
VIT: 659 (+20)
AGI: 653 (+10)
INT: 691
CHR: 98
WIS: 569
WILL: 436
ATR Points: 0