Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Late at night, candlelight flickered in the main hall of the Tianshi Mansion. The bronze lampstand cast their shadows on the blue brick floor, flickering with the evening breeze. Li Ru reclined on a brocade cushion, his fingertips casually tapping the gilded wine cup. The crisp sound was particularly piercing in the silence.

Zhang Lu sat upright, his expression changing from initial nervousness to a hint of excitement. Li Ru, noticing this, flashed a barely perceptible smile in his eyes and said, "Tianshi, your Five Pecks of Rice Sect has always emphasized following the will of heaven. But does this will of heaven really still favor the Han Dynasty?"

He paused, raised his hand, and poured the remaining wine from the cup onto the ground. The amber liquid formed a stream on the blue bricks. "Think back then, when Zhang Jiao started the Taiping Dao uprising, his slogan 'The Heaven is Dead' galvanized the world. From that moment on, the Han Dynasty's fate was doomed like a candle in the wind. Even though that old scoundrel Lu Zhi possessed immense talent and tried his best to support the Han Dynasty, he was just varnishing rotten wood. How long could he hold out?"

At this point, Li Ru sneered, and the jade pendant in his sleeve clattered against the table, making a crisp sound. "If Liu Bian had listened to Lu Zhi and made use of my master, with the might of the Liang King's cavalry, he might have been able to rebuild the Han Dynasty. What a pity..." He shook his head and sighed, but there was no regret in his eyes. "That foolish emperor was stubborn and suspicious. Not only did he fail Lu Zhi's efforts, he also personally extinguished the last hope of the Han Dynasty."

"Everyone calls me a troublemaker, but if Liu Bian hadn't destroyed the Great Wall, how could I have stirred up such a storm?" Li Ru suddenly leaned forward, the candlelight illuminating his face. "Now the new emperor is just a puppet in Cao Cao's hands, and the princes of the world are divided. This is clearly a sign of the change of destiny. If the Heavenly Master still persists in his delusion, I'm afraid..."

Before he finished speaking, a sudden drumbeat echoed outside the window, startling the bronze bells on the eaves. Zhang Lu shuddered, and the talisman in his hand wrinkled. Li Ru, seeing this, gave him a meaningful look, raised his wine cup and sipped gently: "I hope the Heavenly Master will reconsider."

Zhang Lu's Adam's apple moved, the candlelight illuminating the flickering excitement in his eyes, only to be overshadowed by a newfound worry. "Sir, what else can I think of? Ever since you beheaded the Yizhou envoy, I've been riding a tiger, unable to back down." He clenched the talisman in his sleeve, his knuckles white. "Now, I only hope that the King of Liang can achieve his great cause and protect the people of Hanzhong..."

"Hahaha!" Li Ru suddenly burst into laughter, banging his gilded wine cup against the table, shaking the bronze lamp with a halo of light. He glanced at Zhang Lu, his wolf-like eyes filled with contempt. "Master, don't deceive yourself. Hanzhong is so small, my Western Liang cavalry can crush it in just half a year." Before he finished speaking, he suddenly leaned forward, and the jade pendant in his sleeve flew past Zhang Lu's ear. "If this is just to seize land, why should I waste my time talking to you?"

Zhang Lu stumbled back half a step, his lower back colliding with the table. The wine jug toppled over, and the amber liquor dripped down the edge onto his dark Taoist robe. He looked at the sinister smile in Li Ru's eyes, and suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck. A hoarse voice rolled out of his throat: "Teacher...why are you teaching me?"

Li Ru slammed the gilded wine cup onto the table, causing the candlelight to flicker a few times, illuminating his eyes with a sharp gleam like a blade. "I want more than just this palm-sized place, Hanzhong." He leaned against the brocade cushion, his dark brocade robe rising and falling with his laughter. "How many generations has the Five Pecks of Rice Sect been passed down? Not to mention those far away, there are a hundred thousand followers in Hanzhong alone."

Zhang Lu's throat moved slightly, and he was about to speak when Li Ru interrupted him. "Just now I spoke of destiny—if my master had died at the hands of Liu Bian in the Chang'an mutiny, how could he have such a speech today? But he fought his way out of the encirclement, like a dragon entering the sea." He traced the talisman on the table with his fingertips and sneered, "From the moment he decided to overthrow the Han Dynasty, destiny has been passed to Xiliang."

The night breeze from outside the corridor carried the sound of bronze bells, mingled with the lingering smell of blood. Zhang Lu stared at the hilt of the sword looming in Li Ru's sleeve, his Adam's apple rolling, unable to speak.

"What I want," Li Ru suddenly leaned forward, the warm breath of alcohol spraying on Zhang Lu's face, "is not a surrender letter from a mere governor like you." He fiercely grasped Zhang Lu's wrist, pinching the knuckles beneath his dark Taoist robe until they turned white. "I want more than just your submission and submission. I want Zhang Tianshi, the Five Pecks of Rice Sect of Hanzhong, wholeheartedly devoted to my master, and to overthrowing the Han Dynasty!"

Zhang Lu shuddered, hastily withdrawing his hand. The hem of his robe swept over the incense burner beside the table. Amidst the rising smoke of incense ash, he bowed and said in a weak voice, "Sir, your praise is too great... Zhang is merely a man of status quo. I cannot maintain peace through civil administration, nor can I stabilize the country through military force. The troops in Hanzhong are small and exhausted, and I simply cannot shoulder such a heavy responsibility..."

Li Ru suddenly stood up, his hands behind his back, and walked to the window. He gazed at the night sky beneath the drooping eaves, his voice filled with a hint of contemplation. "Ever since Prime Minister Dong's defeat in Chang'an, I've pondered day and night—how to overthrow the old system, how to rebuild a new order?" His fingertips traced the bronze ornaments on the window lattice, the gilded light reflecting the moonlight. "The Western Liang cavalry roamed the world, but they were no match for the united resistance of the aristocratic families. Their constant compromise ultimately resulted in their own death and the annihilation of their clan."

Zhang Lu remained silent. Li Ru turned around, a cold glint in his eyes. "Now, with the feudal lords fighting for power and the world in chaos, it's the common people who suffer. But if we want to achieve our goals, we need more than just weapons." He sneered, "Power is controlled by the aristocratic families, and the people have long resented it. If we can rally the people's hearts, even a powerful regime like the tyrannical Qin will be doomed."

"When the three Zhang Jue brothers raised their banner, why did the whole world respond?" Li Ru turned sharply, the candlelight casting a dark shadow on his face. "It was because of the word 'religion'! It can drive millions to risk their lives, and it can even shake the very foundations of the imperial court."

Zhang Lu swallowed his saliva and stammered, "But in the end, brother Zhang Jiao also..."

"Times are different now!" Li Ru slammed his hand on the table, sending talismans flying across it. "Back then, the court still had renowned generals like Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song, and was able to rally a force to encircle and suppress the enemy. But now? The emperor is a mere puppet in Cao Cao's hands, and the princes each harbor their own agenda!" He approached Zhang Lu, his dark brocade robe stirring with a gust of wind. "If my lord leads his cavalry to attack the city, and the Heavenly Master uses his teachings to pacify the people—for every land conquered, the Prince of Liang will lead the military campaign, while you use the Five Pecks of Rice Sect to win over the people. With this two-pronged approach, why worry about failing to achieve your goal?"

Li Ru paced the hall with his hands behind his back, his dark brocade robe sweeping across the blue brick floor. His voice grew increasingly passionate. "If the Heavenly Master, in the name of the Five Pecks of Rice Sect, proclaims to the world, 'The Prince of Liang has received Heaven's Mandate and protects the people,' the Western Liang cavalry will quell the chaos of war, and the righteous warriors of the sect will comfort the refugees. The people will be spared from the ravages of war and able to live and work in peace." He paused abruptly, pointing a finger southeast. "Then, you and I, one a warrior and one a scholar, will lead the way with weapons, the other with teachings, and the people will naturally gravitate to us."

Zhang Lu's Adam's apple rolled, and his eyes unconsciously glanced at the talisman on the table. In the flickering candlelight, Li Ru's shadow swirled on the wall like a ghost. "Where the people's hearts are, there is an iron wall. Even if the princes come to attack, the people will take up arms to defend their homes—this is more difficult to break through than a mighty army."

"Iron cavalry protects the border, and the teachings bring peace to the nation..." Zhang Lu muttered, his knuckles rubbing against the talisman on his sleeve, the hesitation in his eyes gradually replaced by a fiery passion. Li Ru, observing this, curled his lips into a subtle smile. He slowly poured two glasses of wine, pushing one towards him. "If the Heavenly Master agrees to conspire with me, when the King of Liang achieves his hegemony, the Five Pecks of Rice Sect will become the state religion. This prophecy of 'the Holy Maiden's arrival'..." He paused meaningfully, "is not limited to Hanzhong."

Zhang Lu's hand trembled slightly as he lifted the wine cup, the wine sloshing around the rim. Hearing Li Ru's conversation turn to his daughter, he hurriedly set his cup down, the sleeve of his dark Taoist robe brushing against the paperweight on the table. "Your Majesty... My daughter is but a young child, plain in appearance, how could she bear..."

Before he finished speaking, Li Ru burst into laughter. The gilded wine cup reflected the fine lines in his eyes, which were filled with calculation. "Master, please don't misunderstand! My master is seeking to marry Zhen Mi, so why would he set his sights on your daughter?" He tapped the table with his finger, and the jade ring clashed with the bronze surface with a crisp sound. "However, if this prophecy of the 'Saintess's Fate' can be fulfilled by the Prince of Liang, it will be a great opportunity for both Master and the sect."

Zhang Lu's Adam's apple rolled, and sweat formed on his forehead. He knew, of course, that if he tied his daughter to Xiliang, Hanzhong would be doomed. But the vision Li Ru painted was too alluring—the Five Pecks of Rice Sect would be declared the state religion, his daughter would be the mother of the nation, and the people of Hanzhong would be spared from war... He clutched the talisman in his sleeve tightly, his nails practically digging into his palm, but he forced a smile and said, "Your Majesty, please allow me... allow me to think about this for a while."

Li Ru's fingertips stroked the bronze paperweight on the table, and suddenly changed the subject: "Master Tian has lived in Hanzhong for a long time. Did you know that there is a world outside this world?"

Zhang Lu was stunned. Just as he was about to speak, Li Ru stood up and paced over to the map, his jade pendant clanging against the wooden frame. "West of Longxi, the Western Qiang and the Di people border each other. Further west is the Xiangxiong Kingdom—its territory is vast, equivalent to one-third of the Han Dynasty." He traced a finger heavily over the blank area on the map. "It's a country where politics and religion are combined. The nobles of our religion hold the power of life and death, and the common people are slaves, just like the human sacrifice rule of the Xia and Shang dynasties."

Zhang Lu's Adam's apple moved slightly as he looked at Li Ru's silhouette, which rose and fell under the candlelight. He suddenly felt a chill on his back. The Five Pecks of Rice Sect, with its motto of "mutual assistance and mutual aid for all, regardless of social status," was a world apart from the slave-owning Xiangxiong Kingdom.

"If my lord pacifies the Central Plains, the Western Qiang King, being a sworn brother, would have already intimidated the Di tribe." Li Ru turned abruptly, a glint in his eyes. "Then, we'll march westward. The Heavenly Master will lead the way, using the Five Pecks of Rice Sect's doctrine of 'equality for all'. He'll teach the slaves of Xiangxiong that there's another way to live. Wouldn't that aristocratic rule collapse on its own?"

Zhang Lu's heart trembled, and the talisman slipped from his hand. He had never imagined that this remote Hanzhong sect could be connected to a kingdom thousands of miles away. If the Five Pecks of Rice Sect could truly reach Xiangxiong, it would not only free thousands of slaves but also elevate the sect's prestige to its peak.

"Sir, you mean..." His voice trembled, "If the King of Liang succeeds, the Five Pecks of Rice Sect can..."

"Not just in Zhangzhung." Li Ru took a half step closer, the warm breath of alcohol wafting across his face. "Once the whole nation is united, these teachings will spread far and wide. Doesn't the Heavenly Master want the prophecy of 'the prosperity of five pecks of rice' to be fulfilled in a wider world?"

Zhang Lu's Adam's apple rolled heavily, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the folds of his Taoist robe. The candlelight illuminated the hesitation in his eyes, then dimmed and then brightened. "What you just said, sir... I am not ignorant of the importance of things. Although my daughter is not a beauty that can captivate the whole country, she is somewhat literate and has a good grasp of the general situation." He paused, his voice lowered to a whisper, "If the King of Liang does not mind, I am willing to give my daughter to you..."