Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Zhang Fei's earth-shaking roar crashed against the Panlong Pillar, startling Liu Bian's eyelashes to a flutter. The emperor's dazed eyes slowly focused as he gazed at Liu Bei, his Xuande crown askew and his brocade robe stained with dust. A faint, breathless chuckle escaped his throat. He struggled to raise his hand, but his bloodstained fingertips drooped helplessly on the edge of the dragon bed. As Liu Bei held him steady, the cold sweat from his palm, mixed with blood, cast a dark mark on his uncle's sleeve.

"Uncle...Uncle..." Liu Bian's Adam's apple rolled with difficulty, and each word felt like swallowing shattered ice. "I...had intended to draw my three-foot sword...to tame the world..." His words were shattered by a violent cough, and blood foam trickled down from the corner of his mouth, dripping onto the back of Liu Bei's trembling hand. He suddenly grasped the other's wrist tightly, and a final clarity flashed in his cloudy eyes: "It was I...I was mistaken in trusting that poison pill..."

The ticking of the night watch could be heard outside the carved window, and the sobbing of the imperial physicians within the palace suddenly shone. Liu Bian's gaze passed over Liu Bei, landing on the crying baby in the wet nurse's arms. His dry lips moved, "My son... only this bloodline..." The emperor's withered finger pointed vaguely at the prince, his sleeve embroidered with gold cloud patterns slipping down, revealing a startling purple spot on his forearm. "Uncle... I hope you... will emulate Duke Zhou in assisting King Cheng..."

Liu Bei leaned over the dragon couch, his scalding tears falling on the back of Liu Bian's hand. "Your Majesty, rest assured! I will protect the young master even if it means my death!" Before he could finish his words, the strength in his wrist suddenly gave out. Liu Bian's wide-open eyes reflected the coiled dragon on the dome, forever frozen in the moment he entrusted his son to his care. Thunder roared outside the palace, and raindrops as big as beans pounded the glazed tiles, mingling with the prince's shrill cries, startling the crows in the courtyard.

A sudden, chaotic clatter of footsteps echoed outside the carved lattice door, flooding the white marble steps like a tide. Liu Xie stumbled into the hall, his wide, dark sleeves stained with mud, his ebony hairpin wedged askew in his bun, its pearl and jade tassels jingling with his stumbling steps. "Royal brother! Royal brother!" He knelt, his knees thumping against the golden bricks. Tears streaked his pale face, but as he laid eyes on the cooling body on the dragon couch, a fleeting chill flashed in his eyes.

Wang Yun slowly entered, stroking his goatee. The hem of his python-patterned robe swept across the bloodstained floor, its gold embroidery thread gleaming coldly in the candlelight. He gazed toward the dragon bed and nodded slightly, a sigh escaping his throat. His aged face betrayed no trace of sorrow. Lü Bu, helmet and armor in full armor, followed closely behind. The red tassel of his Fang Tian Hua Ji swept across the door frame, and the clang of armor clashing made the imperial physicians flinch.

"Protect the emperor! Protect the emperor!" With Lu Bu's roar, the black-armored army surged into the hall like a tide. Armed with long spears, they formed a square formation, their iron hooves trampling the devastated ground. Their cold gazes swept over Liu Bei and the others. The candlelight in the hall flickered in the draft, making this sudden "funeral" scene seem like a carefully choreographed spectacle.

Liu Bei's hands, clenching the jade pendant at his waist, veins bulged, his knuckles white with the strain. He looked at Liu Xie, his hat and belt disheveled, yet his eyes remained clear. Then he caught a glimpse of the still-dry bloodstains on Lü Bu's armor, and alarm bells rang. The baby in his arms suddenly cried, and he instinctively patted the swaddling clothes with a trembling palm. His gaze raked over Wang Yun like a sharp sword: "Your Majesty entrusted me with your orphan before his death. Heaven and earth shall bear witness to this!"

"Entrust the orphan to someone else?" Wang Yun sneered, his goatee trembling as he spoke. "Lord Xuande, do you know that before His Majesty's sudden death, he shouted 'Shi A traitor'?" He took a half step forward, the python pattern on his brocade robe almost touching Liu Bei's nose. "Now that the palace rules have suddenly changed, you are holding the prince and proclaiming the will. Are you trying to imitate Dong Zhuo's old tricks?"

Lü Bu struck his painted halberd on the bricks at just the right moment, sending tiny drops of blood splattering. "We are ordered to purge the emperor's court!" As the red tassels swung, the black-armored soldiers pointed their spears at Liu Bei. "If you don't want to be charged with regicide, hand over the prince immediately!"

Zhang Fei suddenly shouted, his Zhangba Snake Spear across his chest: "How dare you, old man, slander me! My elder brother is loyal to the core—" But Guan Yu held his shoulders, his eyes narrowed as he looked at Liu Xie: "The King of Luoyang is grieved by the sudden passing of His Majesty, and we feel your pain. However, the country cannot be without a ruler for a day, and the most urgent task is..."

"Uncle, you've misunderstood!" Liu Xie suddenly rushed to the front of the dragon bed, his fingertips trembling as he stroked Liu Bian's eyes. "It's just that this will... concerns the safety of the country, so we must be cautious..." He turned around with tears still wet, but a sinister look that was inconsistent with his age flashed in his eyes. "Why not ask the Imperial Hospital and the ministers to examine it together to set the record straight?"

Just as the tense atmosphere within the palace reached a fever pitch, the resounding sound of metal clashing suddenly emanated from outside the palace gates. Immediately afterwards, Wang Yue stumbled and smashed open the carved lattice door, his black iron sword slashing through the golden bricks, leaving a trail of dark red blood. The Tiger Guard Lieutenant General's silver armor was cracked in several places, a broken arrow lodged diagonally in his left shoulder, and his moon-white undergarment was soaked in blood, yet he still clutched tightly to a piece of blood-stained, bright yellow brocade with a dragon pattern.

"Lord Xuande! You must not trust me!" Wang Yue fell to his knees, coughing up blood foam. Behind him, the corpses of the guards were lying in a mess at the palace gate. The ends of his arrows were a strange blue-black color. "I was ordered to secretly guard the prince. At three o'clock in the morning, I saw His Highness being urgently summoned into the palace. Just now, when I inspected the prince's bedroom, I saw black-clad assassins breaking in through the window!" He raised the scrap of cloth in his hand, and the charred burn marks on the edge of the brocade were clearly visible. "Fortunately, His Highness was not in the room. I fought desperately to get back this half of the clothes!"

The baby in Liu Bei's arms suddenly burst into tears, and he instinctively clutched the swaddling clothes, his gaze sweeping over the crowd like a hawk. Fresh blood had yet to form on Lü Bu's armor, and the red tassel of his painted halberd was still dripping with dark red liquid. Liu Xie, though visibly distressed, shed no tears. Wang Yun's hand trembled slightly as he stroked his beard, and the corners of his mouth twitched more noticeably beneath his goatee.

"What a thief!" Zhang Fei roared so loudly that dust fell from the Panlong Pillar, and pointed his Zhangba Snake Spear directly at Liu Xie, "The prince just entered the palace and was assassinated right after? It's clearly a trap set by you traitors!" Guan Yu narrowed his phoenix eyes, and his Qinglong Yanyue Sword was already three inches out of its sheath, and the blade reflected Liu Xie's suddenly changed expression.

Wang Yun's skinny fingers clenched his goatee tightly, and his python-patterned robe rose and fell with his rapid breathing: "Uncle Liu! Ma Chao's Western Liang cavalry has besieged Chang'an. The prince is still in his infancy, how can he resist the enemy?" He suddenly pointed to the gradually cooling corpse on the dragon bed, and a sinister flashed in his turbid eyes, "Only the Prince of Luoyang can inherit the throne and unite the people!" Before he finished speaking, Lu Bu stood up with a clang, and slammed his Fang Tian Hua Ji to the ground. The black-armored guards behind him surrounded him in neat steps, and their iron boots crushed the Dongzhu on the ground, making a tiny popping sound.

The air in the hall suddenly froze. Wang Yue held his sword across his chest, his blood-stained silver armor gleaming coldly in the candlelight. Guan Yu's Azure Dragon Crescent Blade was half a foot unsheathed, the blade reflecting Lü Bu's ferocious features. Zhang Fei roared, his Zhangba Snake Spear radiating a chilling light that forced the approaching soldiers back three steps. Liu Bei clutched the sobbing prince in his arms, his back pressed against the Panlong Pillar, his brocade robe soaked with sweat. "The emperor's body is still warm, and you dare..."

"Lord Xuande, don't be stubborn!" Wang Yun sneered, flicking his sleeves. The golden embroidery thread drew a cold arc in the darkness. "Those who follow me will prosper—" Before he could finish his words, a deafening cry of killing suddenly rang out from outside the palace gate. Zhao Yun's silver spear sent two armored soldiers flying, his white robe stained like a plum blossom. Behind him, the Yijun Guards stepped on the corpses and rushed into the hall. "Lord Xuande, don't be alarmed! Zilong is here!"

Silver spears and painted halberds collided, sparks flying. Lü Bu roared, shoving Zhao Yun aside, only to see Guan Yu's broadsword slash down diagonally. The hall erupted in the cries of bloodshed, black armor and white robes tangled, blood flowing like a river through the cracks of the golden bricks. Liu Bei watched Liu Xie's sneer as he hid behind Wang Yun. The prince's cries in his arms grew more strident. Suddenly, he raised his arms and shouted, "Everyone! Protect the prince and break through!" Zhang Fei roared, slashing a bloody path. Wang Yue's broken sword cleared the way, and Zhao Yun's silver spear, like lightning, swept Liu Bei away, dragging him out of the hall. The candles within the hall went out, and only the wails of the dying and the clash of weapons echoed through the empty palace.

A bloody mist swirled beneath the setting sun. Zhao Yun's silver spear sent the last armored soldier careening away, his bloodstained white robe rustling in the wind. Guan Yu's crooked Azure Dragon Crescent Blade struck Lü Bu's Fang Tian Hua Ji with its back slamming against his Fang Tian Hua Ji. Sparks flew, and Zhang Fei seized the opportunity to thrust his spear into the belly of his Red Hare. The warhorse reared, and Lü Bu, taking advantage of the momentum, soared into the air, his painted halberd striking Liu Bei in the back.

"Don't harm my lord!" Wang Yue thrust his broken sword across, the black iron blade snapping with a clang. Lü Bu's halberd's tip brushed past the prince's swaddling clothes, startling the infant into a heartbreaking cry. Liu Bei reined in his horse and turned, his brocade robe sweeping across the strewn limbs. He saw the Bingzhou cavalry surge forward outside the palace walls like a tide—the black banners of Lü Bu's army obscuring half the sky.

"Lord Xuande! Our army has been suddenly surrounded by Lü Bu. The army is in chaos, and now only a thousand remnants remain!" Jian Yong was covered in blood, his crown having long since fallen off. "Lü Bu's elite cavalry..." His words were crushed by the deafening sound of horse hooves. Zhang Fei's eyes widened, and he pointed his Zhangba Snake Spear at the pursuers: "Brother! I, Old Zhang, will cover your retreat. You take the little prince and go first!"

Guan Yu wiped the blood off his face, his phoenix eyes reflecting the setting sun in the sky: "With Red Hare, it's hard for us to escape." He gripped the hilt of his sword and looked at Liu Bei, "The only way to break out is to seize the city gate!" Wang Yue leaned on the broken sword and panted, the arrow wound on his left shoulder continued to bleed: "Most of the soldiers guarding the East Gate are your Majesty's old subordinates, perhaps..." Before he finished speaking, Lu Bu's arrogant laughter came from afar: "Liu Bei! Today is the day you will die!"

The prince in Liu Bei's arms suddenly grabbed the jade hairpin holding his hair, his hand stained with blood. Gazing at the approaching Bingzhou cavalry, then glancing at the exhausted yet resolute eyes of the remaining soldiers, he suddenly ripped off his Xuande crown and threw it to the ground. "Order! Concentrate our forces and seize the east gate!" He pulled the reins hard, and the chestnut horse neighed as it charged into the alleyway. "All soldiers, follow me and charge out of the city!"

As dusk fell, the cries of battle rang out from the east gate of Chang'an. Zhang Fei brandished his serpent spear, knocking aside the drawbridge chains. Guan Yu's broadsword cleaved the iron gate locks. Zhao Yun's lightning-fast spear shielded Liu Bei's flanks. Lü Bu's roar mingled with the clatter of arrows. Just as the Bingzhou cavalry seemed about to close their encirclement, Liu Bei's remnants burst through the city gates like an arrow, galloping off into the night.

Red Hare's front hooves were raised high, and Lü Bu's Fang Tian Hua Ji pointed at the remnants of Liu Bei's fleeing army. A bloodthirsty grin curled his lips. "Liu Bei, little boy, let's see how far you can escape..." Before he could finish his words, the sound of galloping hooves came from behind, and the black flag held high by the messenger fluttered in the wind.

"General Fengxian! Si Tu has an urgent order!" The messenger dismounted and practically crawled and rolled to the front of the Red Hare. "The Xiliang army is attacking the south gate, and Cao Cao's reinforcements have not yet arrived. I order you to return to defend the city immediately!"

Lu Bu reined in his Red Hare, sneered at the billowing smoke, and lifted up half of his blood-stained cloak with his Fang Tian Hua Ji - the cloud patterns embroidered on it twisted into strange shapes in the firelight.