Chapter 13: Lü Rui Becomes Wealthy, The Change in Luoyang!

  When Lü Rui and his entourage heard the news of Emperor Ling of Han's death, Guo Yuan hastily picked up Lü Rui and ordered everyone to return to Fan County. Before Lü Rui could understand what was happening, he was sandwiched by Guo Yuan and carried onto a horse-drawn carriage, which sped away rapidly.

  On the carriage, Lü Rui looked at Guo Yuan with a displeased face, waving his small fist and saying: "Little Nini, why are you in such a hurry? You've even hurt Ben Houye. What's the point of returning to Fan County?"

  Guo Yuan cupped his hands and said: "Lord Hou, you may not know that the Emperor's passing should have been several months ago. Now that the imperial guards have arrived at our Fan County, the eunuchs sent from the palace should also have arrived in Fan County. If we don't return, we might become a laughing stock." After finishing speaking, he looked at Lü Rui with a worried face.

  Lu Rui suddenly realized, it turned out to be like this, another place in the late Eastern Han Dynasty! Originally, after the previous emperor's death, the succeeding emperor would notify the whole country and especially send officials to inspect the various vassals. This was done for two reasons: first, to strengthen imperial power, and second, to investigate the movements of the vassals in order to prevent unexpected events. However, by the late Eastern Han Dynasty, it had become a means for eunuchs to extort money. Whenever there was a major event, eunuchs would follow the postal station soldiers and arrive at the scene, extorting money from local officials. If they refused, losing their official position was minor, but losing their lives was a big deal!

  Soon, Lü Rui returned to the mansion. At this time, there were already two people waiting for Lü Rui in the mansion. One was a soldier from the post station and the other was a sly-looking eunuch. Lü Rui met them in the main hall of the Hou Mansion. After the soldier from the post station reported the news of Emperor Ling of Han's death, he retreated, leaving only the small eunuch behind.

  The little eunuch glanced at Lü Rui, then waved his hand and said: "Your Lordship, when the previous emperor passed away, you did not guard his spirit, but instead gathered people to hunt. It can be known that you are guilty."

  Lü Rui's face turned red with rage, and he shouted: "How dare a little eunuch like you show off in front of me?" Lü Rui said coldly: "I don't know what you mean, young eunuch. I, the marquis, just learned about the emperor's passing."

  The little eunuch smiled and nodded his hands, saying: "Your Lordship, it's not that I'm making things difficult for you. Your Lordship has a good relationship with Eunuch Zhang, and I won't make things difficult for Your Lordship. However, rumors can be frightening, and if I don't take care of this matter, the servants might not listen, and if it gets out, it will harm Your Lordship's reputation. Your Lordship should think carefully about this."

  Lü Rui's eyes widened, "You little eunuch, you actually dare to ask me for hush money? Don't think that just because you're one of Zhang Rang's people I won't dare touch you. With Emperor Ling of Han around, I still had to be careful with Zhang Rang. But now that the emperor is dead, you...you dare to show off in front of me? Go die!"

  Lü Rui glanced at Shi Ah, and Shi Ah immediately understood. He drew his long sword and killed the little eunuch with one stroke, then walked out.

  Guo Yuan was shocked and said: "Hou Ye? You?"

  Lü Rui looked at Guo Yuan in surprise and said: "Xiao Nini, you want to calm down, calm down, why are you so tense?"

  Guo Yuan was taken aback, "Egg fixed? What's egg fixed?" Guo Yuan cupped his hands and said: "Your Lordship, what is 'egg fixed'? I've never heard of such a term."

  Lü Rui glanced at Guo Yuan and smiled, saying: "It's just that the kidney sac needs to be calm, idiot, can't even understand this. Just killed a eunuch, why so tense."

  Guo Yuan looked down at himself and then cupped his hands, saying: "Your Lordship, this is not the time for amusement. Killing an official of the imperial court will bring punishment."

  Lü Rui shook his head and said, "Xiao Nini, you're really stupid. Shouldn't eunuchs be killed? Don't forget why you left your hometown and fled to Liao Dong. If it weren't for being favored by Cao Taiye, you would still be the Grand Minister of my fief."

  Guo Yuan clenched his fists upon hearing this. Eunuchs were indeed detestable, but the ones being killed now were people of the imperial court. Guo Yuan cupped his hands and said, "Your Excellency, since Zhang Rang's men are being killed by us, Zhang Rang will not let this slide."

  Lü Rui listened and said, "Nainai, you're really a wooden brain. Lü Rui waved her small hand and said: "Xiao Nini, you're so stupid! Do you know that the sky is high and the emperor is far away? Who knows the real situation here? Xiao Nini, write a memorial for me, saying that the officials of the imperial court died at the hands of the Yellow Turbans, and I, the marquis, deeply regret it."

  After finishing speaking, Lü Rui jumped down from the main seat and went out to collect the spoils of victory. Nǎinǎi's, that little eunuch must have collected a lot of good things for himself. He clapped his hands and ran out, leaving only Guō Yuàn alone.

  Guo Yuan watched as Lü Rui ran out, then thought for a moment, "What a clever plan! The young master is indeed wise to have come up with this idea. 'The mountain is high and the emperor is far away' - I've never heard of this saying before!" At this time, Guo Yuan remembered what Cao Shuang had said to him in the past: "Zi Ni, if you are not suitable for being a minister of Qi, you can return to my Cao Manor. However, I don't think there's much hope for that. Rui'er may be young, but he is no ordinary child!" Guo Yuan glanced at the small eunuch's corpse and then left, beginning to order people to handle the situation while he returned to his quarters to write a memorial.

  Lü Rui arrived outside the mansion, Shi Ah had already killed all the attendants and close followers of the eunuch, and the 500 soldiers who followed him surrendered. Lü Rui was stunned for a moment, then surrendered. Does Shi Ah still have this skill? Lü Rui looked at Shi Ah with a bad expression and said: "Shi Ah, I didn't expect you to have the skill of surrendering?"

  "Your Excellency, it wasn't me who surrendered them, but my junior brother. My junior brother was captured by the eunuchs and was about to be presented to the imperial court as a merit. However, after I killed the eunuch's confidant, most of the remaining soldiers were actually disciples of our master who practiced martial arts. They didn't know my junior brother, but they knew me. After my junior brother gave a stirring speech, they all surrendered." Having said that, Shi Ah smiled, feeling fortunate that things had turned out so well. Originally, he was going to have Dian Wei lead the troops to surround and capture them, but now it wasn't necessary.

  Lü Rui glanced at Shi A and said, "Not bad, Shi A, you've made a contribution. I'll reward you with a few gold bricks. Take me to see what the little eunuch has brought for us."

  Shi Ah nodded and then took Lü Rui to the front of the mansion to check on things.

  Lü Rui had just left the official residence when Ma Jun came up to greet him, laughing and saying: "Your Excellency, you've struck it rich! This time we've collected a lot of things. Apart from a large amount of money and grain, there are also 500 war horses, which are the war horses of Pingzhou!"

  Lü Rui was overjoyed, having made a huge profit - 500 war horses! Nai nai, this little eunuch really has skills, actually able to get his hands on 500 war horses. In the Liberation era, an army unit had just 500 war horses, enough to form a cavalry regiment. Now, in the early days of cold weapons, during the Three Kingdoms period! Five hundred war horses are like five hundred tanks!

  Lü Ru licked his lips and said: "Little Horse, it's up to you here!"

  Then Lü Rui turned around and said to Shi Ah: "Let's go, let's meet our fellow disciples!"

  Shi Ah nodded and took Lü Rui to another side hall. At this time, several people were already waiting for Lü Rui.

  Lü Rui sat in the main seat and looked at the few people below, among whom one was dressed as a scholar, different from others, with a jade sword and a long sword. Lü Rui's eyes lit up, this person has potential! This should be a wandering knight, heh heh, Lü Rui didn't have any demands for the other people, just had demands for the wandering knight, himself being a marquis, a wealthy and noble marquis, not wanting to be a powerful minister but wanting to be a carefree marquis.

  Lü Rui looked at everyone and asked: "Shi Ah, are these all people who have learned martial arts from Wang Yue Shifu?"

  Then, everyone reported their names and titles, as well as their positions. They were all some Jinyiwei officers or literary officials in disguise. When it was Lu Rui's turn to introduce himself, he couldn't help but burst out laughing.

  Xu Shu bowed and said: "I am Xu Shu from Yingchuan, at your service, Marquis of Qi!"

  Shi Ah added, "Master Hou, this is the master's closed-door disciple, just like us, he belongs to the Tianzong sect, not an ordinary martial arts student."

  Lü Rui's eyes lit up as soon as he heard, and he exclaimed, "Ah, I forgot about Xu Shu, the wandering knight and high-ranking strategist of the Three Kingdoms period!" He chuckled and said, "It's really true that one can find something without looking for it." Lü Rui nodded and then jumped down from his seat, clasped his fists together in respect, and said, "Brother Xu!"

  Xu Shou was taken aback, not expecting Lü Rui to still have such a strong Jianghu aura. Generally speaking, the sons of aristocratic families learn martial arts just as a hobby, and few really want to integrate into the Jianghu world. But looking at Lü Rui's demeanor, his Jianghu aura is very heavy! However, this was exactly what Xu Shou liked, so he also cupped his fists in respect and said: "Good, little junior brother!"

  Lü Rui looked at Xu Shu and said: "Xu brother, how did you get caught?"

  Xu Shu later told his own experience, it turned out that Xu Shu had killed someone in the countryside because of his chivalrous habit and was forced to leave. As soon as he left the border of Yingchuan, he found a group of eunuchs bullying the villagers, and his sense of justice rose again. He immediately went out and became a captive of the eunuchs, who took him all the way to Fan County under Lü Bu's control!

  Lü Rui nodded and said, "Eldest brother, why don't you stay here with me? I'll make you a Longshi!" After that, he swung the wooden sword in his hand, stabbing and thrusting repeatedly.

  Xu Shou was taken aback, staying with Lü Rui? This... Xu Shou originally wanted to leave his hometown to avoid the debt of murder and war, but in Lü Rui's place, he could indeed achieve his goal. Moreover, it was possible to rely on Lü Rui's ability to clear his own name! For a noble family's son, doing such things was easy, but for a humble family like Xu Shou's, it would require great effort or fleeing to a distant land. Xu Shou still had an elderly mother over fifty years old at home!

  Shi Ah heard, Lü Rui thought of recruiting Xu Shu? Shi Ah said on the side: "Younger martial brother, our younger martial brother is a heroic young master in the Jianghu world, who attaches great importance to righteousness. Seeing that Dian Wei was not by his side, he killed someone out of righteousness in the countryside. Later, he was recruited by our young master and the matter of killing someone was settled." With Shi Ah's understanding of Xu Shu, Xu Shu must have wanted to absolve himself of the crime of murder!

  Xu Shou listened and then cupped his hands saying: "Younger brother, older brother, I still need to consider this matter, let me think for a few days before giving an answer."

  Lü Rui smiled slyly, thinking that the lord was about to make a big move. Lü Rui glanced at Shi A and winked, and Shi A immediately understood that Lü Rui wanted to invite them to stay for dinner. Shi A said: "Xu Shidi, fellow disciples, please sit down for a moment. Our lord will prepare dinner for everyone, and after dinner, you can all rest."

  Everyone nodded their hands in gratitude to Lü Rui after he sat down. At this time, Ma Jun had already dealt with the eunuch's things and came in to report: "Your Lordship, the things have been checked and let Guan Yuan see them, please rest assured."

  Lü Rui nodded and said: "Okay, got it. Little Ma, after the Spring Festival, remind me to return to my hometown to pay respects to my parents."

  Ma Jun was stunned, how did Young Master Hou think of this? Before Ma Jun could react, Lü Rui burst into tears and occasionally wiped away her tears with a yellow handkerchief. This left everyone stunned, what was going on here?

  Ma Jun was also stunned for a while before asking cautiously: "Master Hou? Why are you sad?"

  Lü Rui wiped away his tears and said: "My parents and relatives at home all passed away early. Recently, I saw many people who had been separated from their families gathering in the county town, which made me think of my parents. If it weren't for the war, how could people suffer such hardships? And if a son is traveling outside, will his elderly mother back home be thinking of him? I also thought of my uncle and grandfather, so I shed tears." After finishing speaking, he wiped away his own tears again.

  Everyone who heard this felt that Lü Bu was filial and righteous. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, where the selection of officials by merit and integrity was prevalent, this added to Lü Bu's reputation. Especially Xu Shu, after hearing Lü Bu's words, thought of his own elderly mother, who had no one to care for her at home, and he himself was far away from home, what should he do? Ah, wasn't Lü Bu going to recruit him into his mansion? If he entered Lü Bu's mansion, wouldn't that be a chance to clear his name while also bringing his mother over to fulfill his filial duties? Thinking of this, Xu Shu made up his mind.

  Xu Shou immediately dismounted and cupped his hands, saying: "Your Lordship, I have made up my mind. I am willing to serve you, but I hope you can help me clear my name and allow me to bring my elderly mother here!"

  Lü Rui nodded and wiped away her tears, saying: "Alright, brother. I'll do it!"

  Xu Shu thanked Lü Rui and retreated. Lü Rui covered his face with a yellow handkerchief, revealing a sly smile at the corner of his mouth, Hehe, Xu Shu, you fell into my trap!

  Three days later, Lü Bu set out for Puyang with Cao's family as an excuse, bringing with him Tian Wei and Xu Shu, Hua Tuo and three hundred guards. This time, Lü Bu returned to Puyang under the guise of Cao's adopted son, but in reality, he intended to go to Chenliu to rescue Cao Cao, and also wanted to search for talent everywhere. With too few talented people in his hands, it was impossible to be a carefree marquis and leader of the Jianghu.

  Just as Lü Bu was setting out, a storm was brewing in Luoyang. After the death of Emperor Ling of Han, He Jin first eliminated the leaders of the Eight Western Garden Regiments, Dong Zhuo and others, stabilizing the imperial court's situation. However, the eunuch group led by Zhang Rang still held great power in the palace, and with the young emperor under their control, the government was even more corrupt than during Emperor Ling's time!

  On this day, Cao's blood surged again, and he made a bold decision to assassinate Zhang Rang, making the political situation clear. Cao came to Zhang Rang's mansion, using visiting Zhang Rang as an excuse, and entered Zhang Rang's mansion. The butler asked Cao to wait for a moment, and Zhang Rang was still taking a nap. After inviting Cao to sit down, the butler left the main hall.

  After the housekeeper left the hall, Cao also left and sneaked into Zhang Rang's backyard. He felt his way to Zhang Rang's bedroom, where he saw that the bed was covered with a quilt. Cao pulled out his dagger and stabbed, but it was empty? Zhang Rang wasn't in bed? Thinking this, Cao quickly put away his dagger and hastily left the bedroom.

  Cao had just walked into the garden when he was called out to. "Meng De?" Cao's heart skipped a beat, then he turned his head and bowed slightly, saying: "Lord Zhang!"

  Zhang Letian looked at Cao and thought to himself, "What is Cao's intention this time?" Zhang asked: "Mengde, aren't you in the main hall? Why are you so anxious?"

  Cao's expression didn't change, he nodded his head and said: "Zhang Gonggong, Meng De has come to surrender to you, I hope you can take into consideration the face of my ancestor Cao Teng and accept Meng De!"

  Zhang Yan listened, looking at Cao Cao with a complex expression. Cao Cao was in an awkward position in the imperial court, after being a eunuch but also a hereditary official, making it hard to define his status. In anyone's eyes, he was a middleman, a wall grass, because Cao Cao had connections and power whichever side he leaned towards.

  Cao took a look and hastily brought out several elixir pills, saying: "Zhang Gonggong, this is the divine elixir presented by Rui'er to His Majesty, today I present it to you as a gift for our meeting, to express my sincerity!"

  Zhang Letian's eyes gleamed with greed as he looked at Cao Mengde. Could it be that he was truly willing to submit? Regardless of whether he was sincere or not, this elixir would be taken first! Zhang Letian smiled and said: "Mengde is too polite, if you have any business in the future, you can come find me." After finishing speaking, with a swift movement, he put the elixir into his bosom.

  Cao bowed and said, "Thank you, Lord Zhang. Mengde must return to the General's mansion, lest He Jin become suspicious." Having spoken, he left Zhang Rang's residence.

  As soon as he stepped out of the gate, a cool breeze blew, and Cao suddenly realized that his back was wet and he almost lost his life! Then he touched his chest, fortunately, Rui'er's medicine saved him!

  After leaving Zhang Liao's mansion, Cao Cao ran back to his own mansion and hid. After hiding for a period of time, a series of changes occurred in the capital, catching Cao Cao off guard.

  First, He Jin and Yuan Shao conspired to eliminate the eunuch group led by Zhang Rang, but were discovered by Zhang Rang, who captured and executed He Jin. Next, Yuan Shao killed all the eunuchs under the pretext of avenging He Jin's death. Finally, the warlord Dong Zhuo from Liang Province led his troops into Luoyang and eventually took control of the city with lightning speed.

  At this time, Dong Zhuo's edict summoning Cao arrived. After reading it, Cao hastily changed his clothes and left the city overnight. Dong Zhuo was not He Jin; he was a hungry wolf! At that moment, Lü Bu was leading his men in a leisurely manner towards Chenliu.