Palace Incident!

Meanwhile, He Jin followed Yuan Shao's advice and secretly dispatched envoys with secret edicts to various towns overnight, including Dong Zhuo.

Dong Zhuo had failed to defeat the Yellow Turbans and had been spared by bribing the Ten Attendants. He was overjoyed when he received this imperial edict, and he mustered 30,000 troops, leading Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, Fan Chou and others to march towards Luoyang.

However, upon seeing Luoyang, he secretly plotted. On one hand, he submitted a memorial to He Jin, feigning illness, and on the other hand, he ordered the army to temporarily halt its advance. He intended to reap the benefits without lifting a finger.

He Jin presented his message to the people, and they all said that Dong Zhuo was a wolf with ambitions, but He Jin did not listen. As a result, all the important officials in the court resigned and left.

However, the plan was not kept secret and was discovered by Zhang Rang. Rang hurriedly summoned the Ten Attendants and said, "This is He Jin's scheme; if we do not strike first, our entire clans will be wiped out." So he devised a plan and plotted against He Jin.

Zhang Rang then went to Empress Dowager He to plead his case. Empress Dowager He, seeing his plight, could not bear it and summoned his brother to the palace, intending to reconcile the feud between Zhang Rang and his brother. Seeing that his plan had succeeded, Zhang Rang secretly ambushed two hundred imperial guards behind the palace gate.

He Jin indeed fell into the trap and was killed by Zhang Rang. Yuan Shao, one of He Jin's subordinates, roared angrily, "The eunuch murdered a minister! Those who punish the wicked shall come to our aid!"

So he led his troops into the palace and killed all the eunuchs, regardless of rank.

Seeing that things were going badly, Zhang Rang and Duan Gui hurriedly grabbed the young emperor and the Prince of Chenliu and broke through the encirclement, fleeing to Mount Beiman.

Before they could even get close to the mountain, a furious shout rang out, "Traitor, where do you think you're going!"

Zhang Rang looked flustered, stared intently, and exclaimed, "Prince...Master?"

Wang Yun glared at Zhang Rang and shouted, "Why haven't you two been brought here yet? When are you going to do it?"

Zhang Rang and his companion grabbed the young emperor and the Prince of Chenliu, and said sternly, "Prince Shi, don't force us..." Before they could finish speaking, a shout rang out, and Zhang Rang was struck in the face by an arrow, collapsing to the ground with a thud.

"Hmph!" Tao Ying chuckled, sheathed his bow, and said, "This traitor still has so much to say!"

Jiang Zhe's eyes widened, and he thought to himself, "If you're going to kill them, then kill them all. What's the point of keeping any of them alive?"

Wang Yun hissed, "Duan Gui, do you perhaps wish to suffer the same fate as Zhang Rang, leaving behind a tarnished reputation?"

Duan Gui's face was deathly pale. He stared intently at the dead Zhang Rang, closed his eyes, let out a long sigh, and then wept to the young emperor, "I hope Your Highness will remember my years of hard work and not let my name be tarnished for posterity..." After saying this, he took his sword and committed suicide.

Both men were dead, and the rest of the crowd dispersed. Wang Yun hurried forward and said, "Wang Yun, Minister of the Han Dynasty, has arrived late to save the emperor. I hope the two princes will forgive me."

Upon hearing this drastic change, the young emperor was filled with fear and wept silently.

Chenliu Wang Xie stepped forward and helped Wang Yun up, saying, "Minister, you are too kind. Our lives were all saved by you, so how can you speak of atonement..." He glanced at the young emperor and said softly, "Your Majesty was frightened. Please forgive any rudeness you may have caused..."

"I wouldn't dare!"

Liu Xie glanced at the group of people and, judging from their attire, they were clearly guards of the mansion. He sighed inwardly and secretly made a mental note of Wang Yun. Now that the royal family was in trouble, this man, though old, was loyal and he would have to rely on him in the future.

Suddenly, Liu Xie noticed a man staring at him strangely, a stark contrast to the awe shown by the others. Curious, he asked, "Who are you?"

Jiang Zhe looked at the child, who was still young but spoke like an adult, and immediately smiled and said, "I am Jiang Zhe, courtesy name Shouyi..."

"This is my nephew-in-law..." Wang Yun, fearing Jiang Zhe might say something disrespectful, quickly took over the conversation, "Please, Your Highnesses, mount your horses..."

"...Okay!" Liu Xie gave Jiang Zhe a deep look and immediately felt that this smiling "big brother" figure was quite unusual.

This is the legendary Emperor Xian... Jiang Zhe marveled inwardly.

Before they had gone more than a few miles, a group of people arrived, covered in dust. It turned out to be two generals accompanying important officials of the court, who had come to find the two emperors. When the emperor and his ministers met, they wept bitterly.

Seeing that Wang Yun's eyes were also red, Jiang Zhe quickly stepped back a few paces, speechless.

"Shouyi?" came a soft exclamation, sounding quite surprised.

Jiang Zhe turned around and was immediately startled. These two powerful figures greeted him. "Zhe greets Brother Mengde and Brother Benchu..."

Yuan Shao gave a light snort, while Cao Cao chuckled and patted Jiang Zhe on the shoulder, saying, "Shouyi, are you being too formal again? From now on, just call me Mengde! By the way, what are you doing here...?"

Before Jiang Zhe could speak, Wang Yun led the assembled officials and said, "This is my nephew-in-law. If it weren't for his plan to instigate that fellow's attempt to kidnap the two emperors, I wouldn't have received this credit! This man, at the very moment the palace gate incident ended, earnestly begged me to lie in wait here..."

The ministers suddenly realized, and Grand Commandant Yang Biao exclaimed, "This boy is a great talent! Zishi has a worthy successor!" Everyone agreed, and even the two emperors looked at Jiang Zhe with curiosity.

Wang Yun was overjoyed, stroking his beard and laughing heartily. Suddenly, he remembered something, pulled Yang Biao aside, and asked in a low voice, "Is He Jin dead?"

Grand Commandant Yang Biao remained silent, merely nodding slightly, before resuming his conversation with the others.

Wang Yun was startled, staring intently at Jiang Zhe, and muttered, "Could it be divine assistance? How strange! How strange!"

Upon hearing Wang Yun's words, Yuan Shao hesitated as he looked at Jiang Zhe, then glanced at Cao Cao, thinking to himself, "Is Mengde's judgment truly so accurate? In my opinion, Jiang Zhe... is merely of average talent... Alas! What a blunder!"

Cao Cao patted Jiang Zhe on the shoulder with some surprise and laughed, "Shouyi is indeed a man of great talent and hidden abilities. I, Mengde, will surely have to come and bother him another day..."

"..." Jiang Zhe's face twitched, and he could only say, "If Mengde is willing to come, Zhe will certainly welcome him with open arms!"

Seeing that Cao Cao had quickly become close to Jiang Zhe in just a few words, and recalling his past interactions with him, Yuan Shao realized that Cao Cao was the one who had the most influence. Coupled with his own resentment, Yuan Shao was displeased.

Upon returning to the palace, the emperor and his ministers wept bitterly upon seeing Empress Dowager He. A search of the palace revealed that the Imperial Seal was missing.

Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were rewarded for their meritorious service in eliminating bandits. Bao Hong, Feng Fang, and others were appointed as eight colonels, with Yuan Shao serving as the Colonel of the Central Army and Cao Cao as the Colonel of the Army.

The rest of the people were all rewarded.

It is worth mentioning that Empress He summoned Jiang Zhe, and out of gratitude, appointed him as Chief Secretary under the Grand Minister Wang Yun, which can be considered a favor.

Wang Yun was overjoyed and led Jiang Zhe to express their gratitude.

"Hahaha!" Wang Yun laughed heartily at his residence.

Jiang Zhe shook his head, somewhat confused as to what the old man was laughing at. "Uncle, what's so funny? According to you, this Chief Clerk position is just a sinecure; you have to do something when there's work to do, and wait around when there's nothing to do..."

"Foolish boy!" Wang Yun glanced at Jiang Zhe and said with considerable frustration, "You are quite clever in other places, why are you so stupid here? It is true that you are a chief clerk, but the chief clerk is a sinecure. However, do not forget that I am the Minister of Works! You are my chief clerk. How obvious is this?!"

"Alright, alright, may you live to be a hundred, and may you continue to hold the position of Minister!" Jiang Zhe scoffed. "You won't be laughing like that anymore, old man. But if I told you now… you'd probably kill me in a fit of rage…"

"You scoundrel!" Wang Yun's beard trembled with rage. A thought flashed through his mind, and he said, "Shouyi once predicted He Jin's certain death, without any basis... I didn't believe him then, but today it's proven true. Shouyi, are you hiding something from me?"

Jiang Zhe was startled. Had Wang Yun seen through something? He chuckled awkwardly, "Zhe is always at his uncle's residence. What could I possibly be hiding from you..."

Wang Yun, thinking Jiang Zhe harbored resentment, hesitated and said, "It's not that I won't let you leave the manor, but in matters of learning, perseverance is key. So be it! In the future, after you finish your homework, go out for a walk! Lest Xiu'er think I'm heartless!"

"Has the old man finally given in?" Jiang Zhe laughed inwardly three times.

"Now that you are my Chief Secretary, you may accompany me on my business in the future..."

"Is this inappropriate?"

"What's wrong with that?" Wang Yun now understood that although his nephew-in-law was without desires, his heart was very firm. Wang Yun did not want to fall out with him, especially after what happened last time. So he was slowly passing on his knowledge to Jiang Zhe in a gentle, slow-burning way.

"Could it be that he's infatuated with Xiu'er's beauty?" Wang Yun sneered.

Jiang Zhe was immediately embarrassed and gave a few awkward laughs.

"Hmph!" Wang Yun snorted lightly. "After your morning reading, come to my place in the palace. I have my own arrangements!"

Morning reading? You think I'd still do morning reading after you leave? Jiang Zhe chuckled inwardly and said, "In that case, Zhe agrees!"

Wang Yun smiled slightly, seeing through Jiang Zhe's thoughts. This boy was arrogant and lazy, so it would be inappropriate to use force. Only by giving him some "benefits" would he obediently comply.

"By the way, Shouyi, your Uncle Cai mentioned you in court today..."

"..."

"After careful consideration, I realize I have another appointment with you..."

"This...this can be brought up later..." Jiang Zhe was torn. On one hand, there was the talented woman of the Three Kingdoms, whose fate he lamented; on the other hand, there was his wife, the legendary Diao Chan...this...

"I won't say much about this matter. You can think it over yourself. If you make up your mind, you might as well tell me... Your Uncle Cai has invited you to his residence for a gathering in three days. As a junior, I have no choice but to go... Go now..."

"…Zhe takes his leave!" Jiang Zhe scratched his head and walked away.

Wang Yun smiled slightly as he looked at Jiang Zhe in the distance, "Chief Secretary... if what we're worried about now is Dong Zhuo leading his army, I wonder if Jianyang can catch up?"

"May the late Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty protect the Great Han and restore its former glory, and prevent any further trouble... Your subject, Wang Yun, respectfully submits..."

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