Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

The banquet ended with Dong Zhuo feeling complacent. Although Dong Zhuo had made many presumptuous remarks at the banquet, such as proposing to confer titles on generals like Lü Bu and Ma Chao, and to give promotions to the military officers who had surrendered from Bingzhou, the important officials in the court did not dare to object to these outrageous remarks. Military officers from Bingzhou, such as Lü Bu, had just surrendered and had not yet made any achievements, so they were naturally delighted to be promoted and given titles. Meanwhile, the Xiliang military officers who had originally belonged to Dong Zhuo, such as Li Jue and Guo Si, had all shown arrogance and dominance. Ma Chao saw all this and was very anxious. He secretly decided to make a complaint to Dong Zhuo after the banquet.

Dong Zhuo pretended to be drunk and laughed unscrupulously. Then he waved Li Ru to come forward. Li Ru hurried forward and helped him walk slowly into the back hall. With the help of Li Ru, Dong Zhuo just stepped into the back hall and seemed to sober up in an instant. His drunken state changed and his eyes became sharp. He turned his head slightly to Li Ru and said, "Wenyou, take a closer look at the reactions of the generals and ministers below the stage." Li Ru thought for a moment and said, "My lord, now that we have such brave generals like Ma Chao and Lu Bu to maintain order, all the generals present dare not act rashly, and those civil officials are even more panicked and silent." Dong Zhuo frowned slightly, and then asked, "If we bring up the matter of establishing another emperor again, is now the right time?" Li Ru's eyes flashed with a gleam of light, and he said, "My lord, our troops are at their peak and morale is high. It is indeed a good time. If we bring it up now, I believe we can achieve the effect we want, and it will also allow us to further consolidate our forces and gain greater power." After listening, Dong Zhuo nodded slightly and fell into deep thought.

Just then, a maid arrived with the news that Ma Chao had requested an audience. Dong Zhuo and Li Ru paused their conversation, and Dong Zhuo had the maid bring Ma Chao in. Ma Chao quickly entered and respectfully greeted Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo burst into laughter, then stepped forward to help Ma Chao up, observing his satisfied expression. Dong Zhuo said, "Only with Meng Qi here can we subdue these arrogant and fierce generals. Haha, I wonder what Meng Qi is up to?"

Ma Chao took a deep breath, raised his head, and said solemnly, "Lord Dong, I have come here to ask for a favor. First, it's a personal matter. Now that Lü Bu has led the Bingzhou army to surrender, there should be no further fighting for a while. It's for this reason that I wish to meet with Lu Zhi's family. I once studied under Lu Zhi and have great respect for him. He taught me well, so I'd like to take this opportunity to meet his family."

Dong Zhuo was displeased with Lu Zhi because he had led the White Horse Volunteers to abduct Emperor Liu Bian. Upon hearing Ma Chao's words, his brows furrowed slightly, a flicker of displeasure crossing his face. He said, "Hmph, just for this? It's not difficult at all, it's only natural. Since you once took Lu Zhi as your teacher, of course you have to come and see him."

Seeing Dong Zhuo's attitude, Ma Chao's heart tightened, but he steeled himself and continued to persuade him. "Lord Dong, I have one more word of advice for you. Lord Dong, you must understand the principles of loyalty and righteousness. Although the Han Dynasty may be declining, it remains the legitimate heir. You must not act in a manner that would violate your loyalty. Now that your power is growing, you should be even more respectful to protect the stability of the Han Dynasty."

Dong Zhuo's expression instantly darkened, his eyes flashing dangerously. He gritted his teeth and said, "Mengqi, there are some things you don't quite understand! The current situation is chaotic, and everything I do is to stabilize the government and restore the Han Dynasty's glory."

Ma Chao still refused to give up, and continued earnestly, "Lord Dong, your actions have already caused widespread controversy and alarm. If you insist on going your own way, I'm afraid it will only lead to greater chaos. Mr. Lu Zhi has been loyal to his country his entire life, and there must be a deeper reason for him to take the emperor away. Lord Dong, do you have the heart to let the Han Dynasty fall into irretrievable ruin?"

Dong Zhuo narrowed his eyes slightly, and after a moment's silence, he said, "Mengqi, I have my own concerns. Some things are not as simple as you appear, and the complexity involved is beyond your comprehension. However, I also know that you are sincere, so let's put this matter aside for now."

The atmosphere was extremely tense, as if a conflict could erupt at any moment. Li Ru, upon seeing this, hurried out to smooth things over, saying quickly, "Since Meng Qi mentioned meeting Lu Zhi's family, this is only natural. Please arrange this as soon as possible, my lord."

Ma Chao's lips moved as if he wanted to say something more, but he finally held back and thanked him before leaving. As he turned to leave, beads of sweat had already formed on his forehead.

After Ma Chao left, Dong Zhuo looked angry and said to Li Ru: "Oh, look at this Ma Chao, he is good in other aspects, but he is too stubborn! He doesn't even think about why I do this. I only have Bai'er as my precious granddaughter. After they get married, everything I have will be his after a hundred years. Then all this great foundation will be his, right? This kid is still trying to persuade me. I really don't understand my good intentions!" Li Ru had seen through all this in his heart. With a smile on his face, he calmly persuaded: "My lord, don't be angry. Mengqi, this kid, look at how he treats the country. He is loyal and has no second thoughts. He also treats Lu Zhi with respect and filial piety. "A man of such loyalty and filial piety will surely remain devoted to Miss Dong Bai and never abandon her. Furthermore, it is precisely because of his sincerity and loyalty that you, my lord, can confidently and boldly entrust Miss Dong Bai to him. Think about it, without such character, how could he shoulder such a huge legacy and responsibility? Given Ma Chao's character, he will do his utmost to protect all of this, to continue the glory of the Dong family, and to treat Miss Dong Bai well, even after you, my lord, have passed a hundred years. Therefore, Meng Qi's performance is actually his strength, and it is also your blessing." After hearing Li Ru's words, Dong Zhuo, as Li Ru had expected, turned from anger to joy, and nodded slightly, saying, "Well, you do have some truth in what you said."

Carrying Dong Zhuo's edict, Ma Chao hurried to Lu Zhi's residence. Arriving, he found the compound tightly encircled by numerous soldiers, making it impossible to enter. After a thorough inspection, Ma Chao was finally allowed in and headed straight for the courtyard where Madam Lu, Lu Wan, and Lu Yu were staying. Ma Chao suppressed his inner excitement and gently knocked on the door. Unexpectedly, Dian Wei's muffled voice came from inside: "Hmph, don't you fear death? How dare you disturb my lady's peace and quiet? Leave immediately. If you dare to linger here again, don't blame me for not recognizing you with my iron halberd!" Hearing this, Ma Chao shouted anxiously: "Oh, Junming, Junming, it's me, I'm Ma Chao, Ma Chao is here!" Dian Wei was immediately cheered up when he heard this voice. He immediately recognized it as Ma Chao's voice and hurriedly opened the courtyard door. He excitedly patted Ma Chao's shoulders and kept saying: "Haha, good, good, you're here. We now have a backbone. My lady can shed fewer tears."

Ma Chao didn't even bother to greet Dian Wei, and asked anxiously, "Are Master's wife, senior brother, and Wan'er all right?" Dian Wei still said in a muffled voice, "They were just quite frightened, but everything else is fine." After that, Dian Wei hurriedly led Ma Chao into the house.

Inside the house, Madam Lu, Lu Wan, and Lu Yu huddled together, their faces still etched with fear, their hearts filled with anxiety. Ma Chao entered the house and fell to his knees with a plop, his eyes filled with guilt and reverence. He said sincerely, "Master's Wife, I'm sorry you've gotten up too late. I've caused you so much suffering." Seeing this, Madam Lu quickly stood up, her eyes filled with anxiety. She hurried forward to help Ma Chao up. Her movements were gentle and kind, her voice exceptionally gentle, filled with love and concern. "Get up, child," she said softly, "this isn't your fault. Don't blame yourself."

At that moment, Lu Wan looked up and saw Ma Chao. Her eyes suddenly welled up, and the long-suppressed emotions within her suddenly surged up. With such excitement, she almost threw herself at him recklessly. But after this sudden change and the long period of worry, she was no longer as cheerful and lively as before. Now she had a more composed demeanor, a bit like a lady from a noble family. She suppressed her impulses, twisting the corners of her clothes tightly with her hands, her eyes gleaming with tears, uncontrollable joy, and the deep affection that could not be concealed.

Mrs. Lu sighed softly upon seeing Lu Wan's expression, a hint of relief showing on her face. Meanwhile, Lu Yu, standing by, still had that dazed, adorable look on his face like a young scholar, blinking at everything before him. He seemed to have not yet fully recovered from his panic, but upon seeing Ma Chao, a hint of relief appeared on his face.

After Ma Chao stood up, he said worriedly, "Master's wife, Master..." Mrs. Lu shook her head slightly, her eyes full of worry, and said softly, "Alas, Master... I don't know how he is doing now. I'm so worried." The atmosphere in the room became solemn for a moment, and everyone was deeply worried about Lu Zhi.