Chapter 9 has no internal accomplices

Liu Bian, for a moment, could not think of how to respond to Tang Ji's question. He turned his head and smiled at the bewildered Tang Ji, casually remarking, "When one is in a hurry, all sorts of solutions come to mind"

In equally harsh conditions, surviving in the mountains and forests, he was once alone; however, now beside him is a beautiful young lady, who is also his princess

At this point, Lü Bu turned around and cupped his fists to Dong Zhuo, saying: "Father, I heard that there was a fire in the palace, so I brought people to extinguish it. On the way, I encountered two young eunuchs. At that time, I felt something was amiss, but I couldn't pinpoint what it was. Looking back now, the eunuch who was standing behind was drenched in cold sweat, walking in small, hurried steps, appearing very strange. The eunuch who spoke with me, although he seemed tense, did not even break a single bead of sweat. Now that I think about it, his tension was merely an act for my benefit. I did have my suspicions at the time, but the fire in the palace was fierce, and I had no time to inquire further, so I dispatched two guards to monitor them. Unexpectedly, both guards also fell victim to a treacherous attack. Moreover, both had their throats pierced by sharp weapons, suggesting that they did not even have time to utter a single cry before they died."

The middle-aged man is dressed in an apricot-yellow embroidered dragon robe, wearing a gilded crown. His skin has a slight dark hue, and his cheeks are adorned with some pockmarks.

"Husband, when did you learn all of this?" Following behind Liu Bian and observing his figure, Tang Ji was filled with confusion, unable to comprehend why Liu Bian seemed to have suddenly transformed into a different person, and she blurted out a question to him.

The officials kneeling in two rows within the council chamber were all his trusted confidants in Luoyang. Those who were not particularly close to him in daily life were not invited to his residence at all.

"It's nothing!" Liu Bian turned to look at Tang Ji, a smile on his lips as he said to her, "I was just thinking how pleasant it would be if every man had a loli by his side when entering the mountains."

Liu Bian ascended Mang Mountain with Tang Ji, while within the city of Luoyang, a tense atmosphere prevailed at that moment

He cut down the nearby thorns and cleared a patch of land, then Liu Bian pulled Tang Ji to sit on the hillside he had just cleared

He raised one hand, gently pressing his thumb against his chin, bowing his head to gaze at the low table in front of him, as if deep in thought about something

Alright, we can head up the mountain!" With a stick in hand, Liu Bian stood up, holding the long stick in his left hand and a machete in his right. He used the stick to probe the path ahead while swinging the machete to clear the thorns blocking the way, leading Tang Ji as they climbed up the slope towards the mountain peak

Dong Zhuo reached out to take the wine cup, glanced at it, and stood there in a daze. After a long while, he finally spoke: "Could it be that Wen You..."

Oh? Upon hearing the young general's words, Dong Zhuo furrowed his brow, sat up straight, and said to him with surprise: "Fengxian, my son, why do you say this? Speak quickly and explain."

Dong Zhuo lowered his body slightly, one hand loosely clenched into a fist pressed against his mouth, the muscles in his face twitching violently a few times. After a long while, he finally sighed and said: "When I first encountered Liu Bian, I saw that he was timid as a mouse and lacked the qualities of an emperor. I was determined to depose him, but I did not expect him to possess such courage, even deceiving Fengxian. Moreover, killing is as easy for him as pulling up seedlings. It seems I have misjudged him and underestimated the situation!"

General Li's words are indeed true! As soon as the military official finished speaking, a civil official also stood up and said to Dong Zhuo: "I too believe that there must be an insider involved in this matter"

Father! The officials were speculating in a flurry about how Liu Bian managed to escape the palace with the help of an insider. The young general stepped forward, stood before Dong Zhuo, clasped his fists, and slightly bowed as he said to Dong Zhuo: "I believe that the King of Hongnong escaped the palace without any insider assistance"

Kneeling before the young general was none other than Dong Zhuo, who led the Xiliang army to occupy Luoyang, deposed Liu Bian as the King of Hongnong, and supported Liu Xie in ascending to the throne

Inside the city of Luoyang, the Prime Minister's residence

Wen and please elaborate. Dong Zhuo knelt down again and urged the middle-aged military officer to continue speaking.

Since there are corpses outside the fire scene, it can only be said that there is indeed an insider. After killing the patrolling eunuch, they took out the Prince of Hongnong. Why then did General Lü say that the Prince of Hongnong escaped the palace without any assistance?" After listening to Lü Bu's remarks, an official stood up, clasped his hands in a salute towards Lü Bu, and expressed his doubts.

"Do any of you have anything to say?" Dong Zhuo glanced around at the officials seated in the hall, slightly furrowing his brow as he posed the question to everyone.

The young general who interrogated Liu Bian and Tang Ji was none other than Lü Bu, the adopted son of Dong Zhuo. If Liu Bian had known Lü Bu's identity at that time, he would likely have been drenched in cold sweat.

As soon as the two spoke, the officials sitting in the hall echoed their sentiments, and in that moment, they unanimously concluded that Liu Bian's escape from the palace must have had an insider's assistance

A stout middle-aged man knelt in the main seat of the conference hall, one hand propping up his chin, his brows furrowed tightly, and his eyes occasionally glancing at the officials seated on either side.

"My lord, I am feeling a bit weary." After walking a short distance up the hillside, Tang Ji, who was following behind, timidly said to Liu Bian, "May I take a moment to rest?"

"The omens are ominous!" Lü Bu slightly bowed his body, then turned around to face the officials seated in the hall and said: "In addition to these twenty-seven charred corpses, five more bodies have been discovered within the palace. Among them, the bodies of two eunuchs were found in the bushes near the fire scene; both were killed with a single blow, and the killer's method was extremely clean and efficient. I have investigated; the victims' necks were broken, but not forcibly snapped. Instead, they were cleverly twisted to fracture and subsequently suffocated to death, indicating that the assailant did not exert great strength, yet possessed extensive experience in killing. If it were not for a seasoned killer, it would be impossible to execute such a clean job!"

Lü Bu reached into his bosom and took out a white jade wine cup, holding it with both hands and presenting it to Dong Zhuo

Ladies and gentlemen, where do you think Wang Hongnong will go after leaving Luoyang?" After expressing his sentiments, Dong Zhuo furrowed his brows and glanced around at the officials seated in the hall, each wearing expressions of astonishment and disbelief, prompting them to speculate on Liu Bian's possible whereabouts

Preoccupied with entering the mountains, Liu Bian overlooked the fact that Tang Ji was, after all, a girl. Hearing her say she was tired, he turned around, smiled apologetically, and said to her: "Then let us rest here for a while."

The one conversing with the child is none other than Liu Bian! Lu Bu slightly bent his body, his eyes lifting slightly as he said to Dong Zhuo: "If my guess is correct, the one standing behind him at that time should be Tang Ji. However, there is one thing I have always found puzzling: Liu Bian was born in the depths of the palace, when did he learn such a method of killing? Not only was there no hesitation whatsoever, but he also rendered the victim unable to utter a single sound."

Sitting side by side with Tang Ji, gazing in the direction of Luoyang City, and listening to the rustling sounds of the treetops swaying in the breeze, Liu Bian's mind conjured up scenes from his past life, executing missions in the jungle

The child carefully examined the bodies within the palace. Lu Bu stood upright and said to Dong Zhuo: "In the fire scene at the residence of the King of Hongnong, a total of twenty-seven bodies were discovered, all charred by the flames. Among them, three had already died before the fire broke out, and this item was found next to one of those bodies."

At this thought, Liu Bian's lips curled into a faint smile

"Your Excellency!" After a considerable time had passed, the middle-aged military official, who had remained silent until then, stood up and walked to the center of the hall. He clasped his fists and said to Dong Zhuo: "I believe that after leaving Luoyang, King Hongnong will certainly head to Hulao Pass to seek out Yuan Shao and others, hoping to leverage their power to retake Luoyang."

It is you! Stretching out his hand to embrace Tang Ji's fragrant shoulder, allowing her to lean against him, Liu Bian sighed lightly, reining in his smile, and gazed towards the direction of Luoyang, saying: "The two of us have escaped from Luoyang and killed Li Ru; at this moment, Dong Zhuo is also unaware of how he has arranged things."

"Such a thing actually exists!" After listening to Lü Bu's account, Dong Zhuo's eyes widened, and he straightened his body, astonished as he asked Lü Bu: "What does Fengxian mean by this...?"

"My lord, we have truly left Luoyang." Sitting on the hillside, Tang Ji gazed in the direction of Luoyang and said to Liu Bian, "I originally thought that I would surely fall victim to the treacherous hands of that old thief Dong Zhuo in the future. I never expected that my lord would bring me out from the heavily guarded city of Luoyang."

The young general, who had previously interrogated Liu Bian and Tang Ji, stood with one hand on his waist and the other resting on the sword at his side, his body erect and straight, resembling a statue as he stood behind the middle-aged man

The officials looked at each other; after the erroneous speculation just now, no one dared to speak lightly.

Upon reaching the mountain pass, before ascending the mountain, Liu Bian sought out a small tree. He drew the hatchet that was tucked into his waistband and forcefully chopped the small tree down at its roots. He then trimmed away the numerous branches, leaving only a long stick that was slightly thinner than his wrist.

The officials were engaged in a lively discussion, while a middle-aged military officer, approximately forty years old, slightly thin and with a hint of cleverness in his brows and eyes, remained silent throughout the meeting

The officials exchanged glances, and a few of them murmured quietly, discussing something among themselves. After a moment, a military officer stood up and cupped his fists in front of Dong Zhuo, saying: "I believe that if the Prince of Hongnong has truly escaped, there must be an insider in the palace. We should capture all the eunuchs and guards who served the Prince of Hongnong and subject them to severe interrogation; we will surely be able to ascertain his whereabouts."

The phrase "loli?" spoken by Liu Bian contains too many modern elements, leaving Tang Ji momentarily confused about the meaning behind his words. She tilted her head slightly, looking at him with a face full of bewilderment

Cai Zhonglang! The civil official standing in front of Lü Bu slightly nodded, then addressed the officials: "There are three more corpses, two of which belong to the guards under my command, and the other is a servant responsible for lighting incense in the palace."

"Why are you laughing, my lord?" Seeing Liu Bian laughing inexplicably, Tang Ji looked at him in confusion, blinking her bright, watery eyes and asking him a question.