Diao Chan had no such thoughts of dynastic change. Moreover, in her eyes, Ye Feng had been a loyal minister his entire life, and it was impossible for him to damage his reputation because of her.
"If you want His Majesty to agree, you should have prepared earlier. Otherwise, when His Majesty makes a move, we will all die without a burial place!" Diao Chan stood up, tidied her clothes, and spoke slowly.
"If Emperor Ling is uncooperative or someone betrays us, Lu Bu, you can take action. I, this lady, will take responsibility for all of this!" Diao Chan raised her delicate eyebrows and said coldly. "If Emperor Ling can be an emperor, why can't I, Diao Chan! If we are pushed too far, at worst, we can perish together. Without the Great King, I have long since come to terms with it!"
"Madam!" Lu Bu said with worry, "Madam, please do not do anything foolish. We still need Madam to look after things here!"
"General, rest assured. I, Diao Chan, am as capable as any man. What the Great King could not accomplish, I will do, and what he accomplished, I will consolidate!" Diao Chan lightly tapped the table with her fingers. "Lu Bu, I know you are loyal to the Great King, but this time, are you willing to help me?"
"Madam's orders, Lu Bu will obey without fail. Even if Madam asks Lu Bu to kill Emperor Ling, I, Lu Bu, will not frown!" Lu Bu said fervently, as if afraid Diao Chan would not agree and would demand an oath to the heavens.
"This Madam knows the General's loyalty very clearly. However, the Great King is gone now, and this Madam cannot help but consider further!" Diao Chan explained softly, leaning against the table and speaking coldly. "As for the news, it will be released today. If anyone is unwilling to stay in the Chu King's mansion, this Madam will not force them. Give them silver and let them leave. Also, the Great King's funeral arrangements must be handled properly!"
"Yes!" Lu Bu agreed without hesitation. In his heart, Diao Chan and Ye Feng were no different. Moreover, Ye Feng's whereabouts were unknown. Seeing Diao Chan able to uphold the Chu King's mansion brought him a sliver of comfort!
"My Lord, if you have a spirit in heaven, tell Lu Bu what to do," Lu Bu sighed heavily. "A time of many troubles, a time of many troubles!"
Before long, Qin Shu had conveyed the message to everyone's ears. Without exception, they all stared at Qin Shu with wide eyes.
"Uncle Qin, is what you said true?"
"Mmm," Uncle Qin nodded heavily. "Now that Madam is in charge, and General Lu Bu is overseeing, if you are willing to leave the Chu King's mansion, you can collect your silver and leave now. Those who remain can stay, and all benefits will remain as before."
"I, I am willing to stay!" someone said tremblingly, which made Lu Bu look at him twice.
"Everyone is eager to leave as soon as possible, yet you still want to stay. This is truly strange!"
"This boy has been in the Chu King's mansion for so long, and I have long considered the mansion my home. If the General now asks me to leave, I truly do not know where to go!"
What he said was sincere. Furthermore, these people had been in the mansion all along, and they would have a hard time finding a livelihood outside. After a moment's thought, everyone wanted to stay!
"Good. Since everyone is willing to stay, be vigilant. Do not engage in any low-class activities, or if this General catches you, you will not have an easy time. The most important thing is that no one is allowed to reveal any information!" Lu Bu ordered righteously. "If anyone violates this, they will first have to answer whether my Fangtian Hua Ji agrees!"
As soon as he finished speaking, cries came from outside the door. Lu Bu was furious. This clearly told the entire Liang Province that the Chu King was gone.
"Good boy, who is it!" Lu Bu's sword was drawn, and he rushed out with his Fangtian Hua Ji, his face ashen. "How dare you come to the Chu King's mansion to mourn! Have you gone blind!"
"General Lu Bu, after a few days, do you not recognize me?" Li Ru sobbed. "We both served the Chu King!"
"Ahem, you still remember that? Have you ever thought about where you have been these past few days? The Chu King trusted you so much, yet you have done such a thing!" Lu Bu said sarcastically without mercy.
"If I were you, I wouldn't have the face to return to this mansion!" Lu Bu's insincere remark completely ignited Li Ru's anger, but he couldn't find any fault with it for the moment, so he could only point his finger and reprimand.
"General, what exactly do you mean? Are you suspecting me, Li Ru, of betraying my lord for personal gain?" Li Ru's voice rose. "If the General has evidence, please present it. Then you can do as you please, whether to kill or flog me!"
"Then where have you been these past few days!" The cold glint of the Fangtian Hua Ji startled Li Ru, but he still tried to straighten his back and said righteously, "If the General wants to kill me, then kill me. Why make up so many excuses!"
Before Lu Bu could speak, Li Ru excitedly added, "Madam can spare those criminals, so can the General act against me? Are you not afraid of Madam's punishment? Moreover, the General knows the significance of the Great King recruiting me!"
The Fangtian Hua Ji then smashed heavily onto the ground, cracking the bluestone slabs into several pieces. Lu Bu stared at Li Ru with resentment.
He knew Ye Feng's reason for recruiting Li Ru was to buy horses with a thousand taels of gold. Only by keeping Li Ru would more people be attracted; otherwise, it might lead to a loss of public support.
"I'll let you off today, now get out!" Lu Bu said angrily. He looked down on this scholar who only knew how to talk.
"General, are you not in need of my assistance tomorrow when you go to the court to facilitate this great undertaking?" Li Ru asked with a smile. "Otherwise, you may face many trials on your journey and possibly lose your life!"
Losing his life was not something to fear, but Lu Bu also had the lives of many people under him. He widened his eyes and said coldly, "Shut your crow's mouth. I will handle my own affairs properly. As for your life, I will not kill you here!" Lu Bu leaned close to Li Ru's ear. "I cannot guarantee that I will not act elsewhere. I have heard that there are many refugees in Liangzhou City!"
"You, you dare to threaten me!" Li Ru was speechless for a moment and quickly cupped his hands. "In that case, we shall see tomorrow. General, do not beg me, Li Ru."
"You can rest assured. This General will die in the Chu King's mansion even if I die, and I will never be associated with you, you smelly scholar!" Lu Bu sneered and then let out a wild laugh.
Li Ru's face contorted with anger, but he was helpless. He could only leave the Chu King's mansion and walk onto an unknown path. Lu Bu saw it clearly and sneered, "I knew he had ulterior motives. I didn't expect him to lose patience so quickly. Let this General deal with him!"
"General, shall this servant..." the guard made a gesture of cutting off all ties. Lu Bu immediately stopped him, raising his hand. "The overall situation is not yet stable. We must not create more trouble."
"General, I see this man has a rebellious bone in him and might be a threat to the Chu King's mansion. This servant is just..."
Lu Bu gave him a fierce glare, and the personal guard immediately shut up, standing aside to listen to Lu Bu's reprimand.
"We cannot kill him yet. Do you doubt my words?" Lu Bu gently patted the personal guard's shoulder. "Sometimes, where you shouldn't speak, do not speak, or you might lose your life!"
"Yes!" The personal guard bowed his head. Lu Bu then gently helped him up. "My treatment of you is no different from how the Lord treated me. My words were harsh today because it is a time of many troubles. Adjust your emotions and follow my instructions."
"Yes, General!" The personal guard quickly agreed. Lu Bu had assigned him a crucial post that would directly determine the success of this operation!
"Do not tell anyone else, or it will surely cause trouble!" After Ye Feng's death, Lu Bu became even more meticulous in his planning.
The personal guard hurried away, and the next moment he was dragged into a small alley, his mouth and nose covered. After an unknown number of turns, he heard a question.
"You are the general who will be in charge of troop deployment tomorrow. Lu Bu truly trusts you!"
"Kill me if you want to. Why so much nonsense?" the personal guard said coldly. "I know nothing, no matter what you ask, and there's no need to waste your breath."
"Very good! Indeed, a personal guard trained by Lu Bu! If our positions were not different, I would truly want to recruit you under my banner!"
"Hmph, since you know my grandfather's identity, kill me or flog me, just give me a definitive answer. If my grandfather frowns, I will take your surname."
"Good, good, good!" The leader praised several times. "But with such backbone, what about your family?"
"Your crying infant sister, your blind mother, and your deaf father. If you die, they will have a hard time surviving!" the leader said slowly, counting on his fingers. "Do you want them to be buried with you?"
"You, you beast! I will not spare you!" The personal guard struggled to get up but was pressed to the ground by the men on either side, unable to move.
"I will not kill you. When you return home, you will see that all your loved ones have turned into a pile of graves." The leader sniffed. "Or perhaps their bodies will be completely devoured by wild dogs. It's truly amusing!"
"You, what exactly do you want?" The personal guard cursed in tears. "Let them go, let them go."
"Whether they live or not is not in my hands, but in your hands. If you agree to cooperate with us, then everyone will be happy!" the leader tempted. "Of course, their lives are all in your hands!"
"I, I..." The personal guard's eyes were filled with tears, and he said tremblingly, "I agree to cooperate with you, but my family..."
"Don't worry. As long as you complete our agreement, they will return home safely, and they might even receive a not insignificant sum of money!" The leader's voice was joyful. In his opinion, this personal guard was already in his pocket!
"Eat this, and you can leave!" The personal guard swallowed a pill the size of a longan without hesitation. As the door opened, he looked back and saw familiar faces like the white-haired man and the masked man.
"It's you!" the personal guard thought to himself. He left the gathering place silently. Time passed in a flash. The next morning, Diao Chan put on Ye Feng's armor and slowly boarded the carriage.
After only a few steps, she heard a loud crash!