The strongest devouring system in the Three Kingdoms

They valued the people of the world more, but even so, the existence of these great Confucian scholars was something both factions were happy about, since it greatly enhanced the prestige of the imperial family. After all, the fundamental conflict between the two factions lay in whether or not the capital should be returned, not in who the emperor was.

"Lord Lu, His Majesty demands an explanation. Did you secretly hide the great Confucian scholars like Cai Yong?" The cunning and treacherous Wang Yun knew perfectly well that Lu Zhi was not responsible for this, but that didn't stop him from using this opportunity to attack Lu Zhi. Coupled with the emperor's growing dissatisfaction with Lu Zhi, this scene unfolded: in the court, Wang Yun's Chang'an faction launched an attack on Lu Zhi, while the Luoyang faction, smaller in number and largely supported by Lu Zhi, was powerless against the onslaught from Wang Yun and his group.

Lu Zhi said to Liu Xie, "If Your Majesty believes that I was the one who did this, then I will confess. As the saying goes, if the ruler wants the subject to die, then the subject has no choice but to die." Lu Zhi could not find a way to fight back, so he could only resort to a desperate measure. Since you, Wang Yun, want to pin the crime on me, then fine, I will confess and accept whatever punishment I am given.

Upon hearing Lu Zhi's outrageous statement, Liu Xie was furious and wanted to punish Lu Zhi on the spot. However, Wang Yun shook his head at Liu Xie, saying that now was not the time. Lu Zhi's 30,000 troops were the backbone of the Chang'an court. Without these 30,000 troops, the Chang'an court would probably be breached again by the Xiliang army.

"Minister Wang, why did you stop me today?" After the court session, Liu Xie asked Wang Yun. Liu Xie was a wise man. Although he was young, he always wanted to become a ruler who could restore the dynasty. However, the court was now in the hands of Wang Yun. Although Liu Xie disliked Lu Zhi, Lu Zhi was, after all, an upright minister. Liu Xie seemed to be questioning Wang Yun about why he was obstructing him, but in reality, he was giving Wang Yun a warning.

Upon hearing this, Wang Yun immediately knelt on the ground and said to Liu Xie, "Your Majesty, the army under Lord Lu's command is the mainstay of Chang'an at this time. This matter is ultimately based on unfounded rumors. If Lord Lu is punished without evidence, I fear it will cause a mutiny in the army."

"Hmph!" Upon hearing Wang Yun's words, Liu Xie snorted coldly and walked towards his palace. How could he not see that Wang Yun was using him to attack Lu Zhi? However, Liu Xie had no real power and could only act according to Wang Yun's wishes. "But Wang Yun, you good days are coming to an end," Liu Xie said to himself as he left.

Watching Liu Xie leave, Wang Yun also had some bad thoughts. The emperor's sense of autonomy was growing. Today's morning court session was ostensibly Liu Xie was questioning Lu Zhi, but in reality, Liu Xie was suppressing Wang Yun. After all, Wang Yun had no evidence to attack Lu Zhi, which was against the rules, and now he was dragging Liu Xie into it. No emperor would be happy about such a thing.

However, Wang Yun was not Ding Yuan. No matter how arrogant he was, he couldn't do what Ding Yuan did—depose an emperor and reinstate Liu Bian. That was clearly impossible; Liu Bian had by then become the Prince of Hongnong and had been forgotten. Ding Yuan had originally intended to kill Liu Bian, but Chen Er's warning made him hesitant, and he ultimately abandoned the idea, only placing Liu Bian under house arrest. After Ding Yuan moved west, he never bothered with the matter again.

Wang Yun suddenly thought of Liu Bian. Did he want Liu Bian to ascend the throne again? Was that possible? Although Liu Bian was somewhat dull-witted, having experienced great ups and downs, he would absolutely not accept becoming a puppet again.

More importantly, what power does Wang Yun have to depose the emperor? Moreover, the successive ascensions of two princes have already caused the royal family to lose face. If it happens again, not only will the royal family become a laughing stock, but Wang Yun will also become the public enemy of all those loyal to the royal family. He is not Ding Yuan; he absolutely cannot do such a thing.

Wang Yun quickly banished the thought from his mind, daring not to think about it!

Wang Yun dared not think any further.

“However, Lu Zhi is someone I can deal with,” Wang Yun thought upon returning to his residence. But the most important thing in suppressing Lu Zhi was military power. Only by controlling the army could Wang Yun have the opportunity to suppress Lu Zhi and even drive him out of Chang'an.

As for how to seize military power, this matter requires careful consideration, Wang Yun thought to himself.

Meanwhile, back at his residence, Lu Zhi's face was also ashen. That damned Wang Yun had actually deceived the Emperor! And now he was even thinking of punishing me. Lu Zhi thought to himself that he had to expose Wang Yun's wolfish ambitions as soon as possible, otherwise Wang Yun would inevitably become the second Ding Yuan, a great scourge to the empire, and even the empire's last hope might be destroyed in Wang Yun's hands. This was something Lu Zhi could not tolerate.

In an instant, the already turbulent city of Chang'an was even more engulfed by the impending storm, with dark clouds gathering in the sky, as if a downpour was about to strike at any moment!

The situation in Chang'an is in complete chaos, especially with Wang Yun and Lu Zhi disliking each other.

Most importantly, Liu Xie might not necessarily side with Lu Zhi at this time. Although Liu Xie had shown some favoritism towards Lu Zhi during the morning court session, Lu Zhi knew very well that it was just Liu Xie using him. Lu Zhi knew Liu Xie's attitude towards him all too well. He also knew that this seemingly young emperor was actually quite intelligent, much better than Liu Bian, who had become the Prince of Hongnong and barely survived thanks to Chen Er's protection.

"Lord Lu, what's wrong?" Dong Cheng, who came to visit Lu Zhi's residence, saw Lu Zhi staring blankly and couldn't help but ask. Interrupted by Dong Cheng, Lu Zhi couldn't think straight anymore and simply asked Dong Cheng, "General Dong, what do you think of today's morning court?"

Dong Cheng never expected Lu Zhi to ask such a sensitive question as soon as he arrived. However, as the Grand Master of Ceremonies, Dong Cheng also had some responsibility for the safety of Chang'an. It wasn't too strange that Lu Zhi asked this question. Dong Cheng said to Lu Zhi, "Lord Lu, to be honest, I don't know what to do now. Although Chang'an is a large city, it's impossible for hundreds of people to suddenly disappear without a trace. I think there must be a mastermind behind this, and this matter has been prepared for a long time with a complete plan. Otherwise, everyone wouldn't have disappeared without a trace overnight."

Lu Zhi nodded in agreement with Dong Cheng's analysis. He also thought so. Who in the world had the power to disappear without a trace overnight? Moreover, these people must be hiding outside Chang'an City. Perhaps they have already left the Chang'an area. Otherwise, why would the search over the past few days have not yielded any trace?

Do you have anyone you suspect?