Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

At the banquet, Gongsun Zan watched Ma Chao and Lü Bu depart, yet the raging fury within him remained unresolved, seething like a volcano about to erupt. He abruptly stood up, his face flushed crimson. His eyes, wide with rage, stared at the emperor, his words filled with indignation, "Your Majesty, what is your purpose in this action? How can you allow Ma Chao to act so recklessly and arrogantly? Humph, at most, it's just a battle. We in Youzhou command a full 10 cavalrymen, elite warriors at your disposal. How can you tolerate Ma Chao's brazen defiance of the court and his disregard for us?"

Seeing this, Liu Bei hurriedly stood up and walked quickly to Gongsun Zan's side. He reached out and gently tugged at his sleeve, and said anxiously, "Brother, brother, please calm down. Calm down. The situation is extremely complicated right now, and we must not start a war rashly. Think about it, if a war breaks out, it will surely cause great suffering and chaos throughout the country. How can we easily quell the flames of war then? I hope you will think twice before you act."

The emperor was also filled with helplessness at this moment. He watched helplessly as everyone left one after another. Looking at the furious Gongsun Zan in front of him, he could only slowly speak in a negotiating tone: "Marquis Ji, Marquis Ji, look at Ma Chao's attitude today. This... what should we do?"

Upon hearing this, Gongsun Zan was so angry that he trembled all over. He shouted angrily, "Your Majesty, just because Ma Chao only threatened us slightly, should we be so timid and allow him to do whatever he wants in the court? This is unbelievable!"

Liu Bei hastened to offer further counsel, "Brother, please do not speak in such a manner. If we were to hastily start a war now, it would be extremely detrimental to the current situation. It would be wiser for us to first hear the final decision of His Majesty."

Gongsun Zan was still panting, his chest heaving violently. After a while, he managed to squeeze out a few words from between his teeth: "Hmph! Fine, then I'll wait and see what Your Majesty has to say. If not, I will immediately return to the barracks, muster the troops, and mercilessly crush that horse's prestige. Let him know that this world is not a place where he can act so arrogantly!"

The emperor frowned slightly, carefully considering his words, and slowly spoke: "Marquis Ji, I hope you can calm your thundering anger for the time being. I would like to discuss something with you. What do you think? I am thinking of conferring the title of empress on Consort Lu. In this way..."

But before the emperor could finish his words, there was a loud "bang!" Gongsun Zan, already furious, slammed the banquet in front of him. In an instant, the exquisite wine utensils and neatly arranged bowls and chopsticks on the banquet table were shaken and clattered, as if they were trembling under the impact of this anger.

Gongsun Zan's face flushed crimson as he roared angrily, "Your Majesty, what on earth do you mean by that? Did I, through all the hardship and effort, lead a vast army on this long journey to the capital just to congratulate Concubine Lu on her enthronement as empress? Humph!"

At this moment, Princess Gongsun's eyes were red, and she came to Gongsun Zan crying all the way. She knelt down with a plop, tightly grasped the corner of Gongsun Zan's clothes, and pleaded in a sobbing voice: "Father, please do something for me!" Anyone who saw her miserable appearance could not help but feel pity.

Gongsun Zan looked at his weeping daughter and thought of the emperor's words. His chest heaved with rage, and he gasped for breath, as if his rage was about to burst forth. The emperor, on the other hand, stood there in embarrassment, not knowing what to do.

Seeing Gongsun Zan so furious, Liu Bei was filled with anxiety. He quickly stepped forward, grabbed Gongsun Zan's arm, and urgently advised, "Brother, brother, please calm down and don't be so impulsive. Please listen to the emperor's full thoughts, and then make a decision. You are so angry that the emperor can't even continue speaking. How can this matter be properly resolved if it continues like this?"

Gongsun Zan was already so angry at this time that he shook off Liu Bei's hand, his eyes wide open and bloodshot, and roared at Liu Bei: "Listen? Listen to what the emperor says? Humph! I think you are just trying to smooth things over, trying to make me swallow my anger! The situation is so obvious, it is obvious that you are bullying my Gongsun family, do you think I, Gongsun Zan, am easy to fool?" After that, Gongsun Zan was so angry that his chest heaved violently, he gasped for breath, and glared at everyone in the court with wide eyes.

Liu Bei was caught off guard by Gongsun Zan's powerful shove. He stumbled and stumbled backward, nearly falling. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who had been loyally guarding him, instantly changed their expressions, their faces filled with displeasure. Without a word, they swiftly approached him like two gusts of wind, their posture as if they would not hesitate to defend their master if Gongsun Zan made any further moves.

Behind Gongsun Zan, his general, Yan Gang, witnessed the tense atmosphere and felt a pang of fear. He dared not slack off for a moment and rushed forward, his hands instinctively gripping the sword at his waist. His muscles tensed, his eyes warily scanning Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and the others, his entire body filled with alertness, as if a fierce melee might erupt in the next moment.

At this point, the emperor saw the situation was getting out of control and quickly shouted, "Stop! Stop acting impulsively. Listen to me analyze the current situation and what I intend to do. Don't let your impulsiveness lead you to lose your composure before anything actually happens."

When everyone heard the emperor's words, the tense atmosphere suddenly became tense. Everyone stopped their stances, looked at the emperor, and calmed down to listen to his explanation of how to proceed next.

The emperor frowned slightly and said solemnly, "Marquis Ji, I hope you can put away your thunderous anger for the time being. The reason I am considering this is not a decision I made lightly. Nowadays, the power of Xiliang is growing stronger and stronger, which is a fact that everyone can see. Although the number of troops led by Ma Chao in Chang'an at the moment is not large, you must not forget that he has a full 30 cavalry in Xiliang, and these troops are now watching us covetously. Just a few days ago, there was a military intelligence report saying that Xiliang troops have appeared in Hanzhong area, and there has also been a troop mobilization in Tianshui County some time ago. It can be said that Xiliang is not completely silent, and it is clearly plotting something in secret.

"Although you, Marquis Ji, have led 10 cavalrymen to the capital, Youzhou is undoubtedly now depleted of its military strength. However, Ma Chao of Xiliang has 30 troops on alert, ready for action at any moment. As far as we are concerned, if a conflict arises with Ma Chao, even if he only has to troops in Chang'an, it would be enough to pose a serious threat to the court. Furthermore, he can continuously mobilize more troops from Xiliang. Faced with such a dire situation, how should we respond?"

"What's more, we still have Lü Bu of Bingzhou at court. He's incredibly treacherous. Everyone should still remember how he betrayed Ding Yuan and joined Dong Zhuo. And then, when Dong Zhuo was weak, he decisively gathered his forces to defend himself, abandoning him without hesitation. Given this situation, if you go to war with Ma Chao of Xiliang, how will you control his Bingzhou army? Without a way to control it, the situation will likely become volatile and unsettled. These are all factors that must be carefully considered, so we absolutely must not rashly start a war now."

Gongsun Zan angrily shouted, "Your Majesty, you only emphasize Ma Chao's might. But am I going to all this trouble to dispatch troops, even temporarily abandoning the safety of Youzhou, only to accomplish this useless feat? Then what was the point of my going through all this trouble to come here?"

The emperor remained calm and said slowly: "Marquis Ji, this is wrong. Your coming here is of great significance. Your coming here will let Ma Chao know clearly that I don't rely on only him in this world. There are still many loyal people willing to serve me. In this way, I think he will not dare to act rashly. And because of your coming, I have gained some confidence. Although this time he was stubborn and "You insist on making Concubine Lu empress, forcing me to make some compromises. However, we have the righteousness of the court as our support, and the troops you brought to aid us. Even if she is indeed enthroned as empress, Ma Chao will have already lost the upper hand in terms of righteousness. Then, we can seize the opportunity to get him involved, let Ma Chao lead his Xiliang troops to the Central Plains to suppress the rebellion. This way, it will be legitimate, and he will be unable to refuse."

Gongsun Zan, however, continued angrily, "After all, don't we still have to obey Ma'er's wishes and enthrone Concubine Lu as empress? Humph!"

The emperor quickly explained, "Marquis Ji, please calm down your anger for a moment. Don't let it get out of hand. Listen to me in detail. Ever since I married Concubine Lu, although we were husband and wife in name only, we were never truly husband and wife. This is something everyone in the palace knows perfectly well. If you don't believe me, ask Concubine Gongsun; she knows all about it."

Upon hearing this, Gongsun Zan looked at his daughter, Consort Gongsun, who nodded slightly. But she continued to insist, "Hmph, don't you still want to go to her, only to be rejected time and time again?"