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(A/N: Don't forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
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Lie Fan nodded in satisfaction. He then turned to face the rest of the ministers, raising his voice so it carried across the courtyard.
The capital of the Hengyuan Empire was a testament to Lie Fan's vision, a sprawling, perfectly ordered metropolis of wide avenues, towering pagodas, and massive, bustling markets. And today, it was a city draped entirely in the colors of victory.
The news of the Emperor's return, bringing with him the defeated Cao clan and the absolute unification of the central plains, had preceded the army by days. The people of Xiapi had prepared a reception that would echo through history.
As the vanguard of the army approached the massive western gates, the roar of the crowd was deafening. Hundreds of thousands of citizens lined the streets, packed onto balconies, and stood atop the city walls. They waved black and gold banners, threw handfuls of crushed flower petals into the air, and beat drums in a chaotic, euphoric symphony of celebration.
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Black Dragon! Ten thousand years to Hengyuan!"
The chanting shook the very foundations of the city.
Lie Fan rode at the absolute head of the column. He sat tall and magnificent upon Pangu, his armor polished to a blinding shine, his heavenly halberd held high.
He did not smile broadly, maintaining the stoic, majestic aura of a divine sovereign, but his chest swelled with an undeniable, profound pride. He had done it. He had returned to his capital not just as a warlord, but as the undisputed master of the realm.
Beside him, Crown Prince Muchen waved to the adoring crowds, his young face glowing with the awe of witnessing his father's absolute triumph. Zhang Liao and Taishi Ci rode proudly on the flanks, receiving the roaring adulation of the populace who recognized the heroes who had broken the walls of Chang'An.
But behind this glorious, sunlit parade of conquerors came the dark, somber reality of the vanquished.
The heavily guarded, windowless carriages carrying the Cao clan rolled slowly through the massive city gates. The cheering of the crowds shifted slightly as the prison wains passed, the joyous roars taking on a harsher, more mocking edge.
The people of Xiapi knew exactly who was locked inside those wooden boxes. They were looking at the monsters who had terrorized their borders for years, now reduced to pathetic trophies of their Emperor's might.
Inside his heavily suspended medical carriage, Cao Cao lay in the dim light, listening to the deafening, thunderous cheers of Lie Fan's people. The sound was a physical weight pressing down on him, drowning out the rattling in his own lungs.
He closed his eyes, a single, final tear slipping down his cheek. He had survived the grueling march. He had reached the capital of his enemy. He was healthy enough to face his trial.
But as the carriage rolled deeper into the jubilant, impenetrable heart of the Hengyuan Empire, Cao Cao knew that he, and his entire illustrious bloodline, were merely entering the grandest, most inescapable tomb ever constructed.
The magnificent procession forged its way deeper into the beating heart of Xiapi, the capital city that stood as the ultimate physical manifestation of Emperor Lie Fan's boundless ambition.
If Chang'An was the ancient, scarred cradle of history, bleeding and exhausted from a century of relentless warfare, Xiapi was the vibrant, thrumming engine of a golden future.
The wide, meticulously paved avenues were choked with a sea of jubilant humanity. The air was thick with the scent of roasted meats, sweet incense, and the fragrant perfume of millions of crushed flower petals raining down from the high balconies.
The thunderous cheers of the populace blended with the rhythmic, earth shaking thumping of massive war drums, creating a chaotic, euphoric symphony of celebration that vibrated right through the soles of the soldiers' boots.
Everywhere Lie Fan looked, he saw the undeniable proof of his life's work. The towering pagodas, the bustling, wealthy markets, the clean streets, and the sheer, unadulterated joy on the faces of his people, it was a stark, beautiful contrast to the ash and terror they had left behind in the west.
He rode Pangu with the effortless, majestic grace of a divine sovereign, the polished black and gold scales of his armor catching the midday sun, turning him into a blinding beacon of victory.
Beside him, Crown Prince Muchen absorbed the overwhelming adoration with wide, awe struck eyes, learning in real time the profound weight and intoxicating glory of absolute imperial power.
The grand column finally reached the end of the central thoroughfare, transitioning from the crowded civilian districts to the sprawling, heavily fortified, and breathtakingly opulent grounds of the Imperial Palace. The massive outer gates, banded in iron and adorned with golden dragons, had been thrown wide open.
As Lie Fan and the vanguard entered the immense, pristine expanse of the main palace courtyard, the deafening roar of the city streets was suddenly muffled by the high palace walls, replaced by an atmosphere of profound, dignified reverence.
There, waiting at the foot of the sweeping, monumental white jade staircase that led up to the Great Hall of State, stood the very foundation of the Hengyuan Dynasty.
These were the men who had remained behind, the brilliant minds and tireless administrators who had kept the empire functioning, funded, and perfectly stable while their Emperor swung his halberd on the frontiers.
Lie Fan pulled back gently on Pangu's reins, bringing the massive warhorse to a halt. A wide, genuine smile broke through his stoic facade, and a booming, joyous laugh erupted from his chest, echoing loudly across the silent courtyard.
Arrayed in immaculate, formal court robes, representing the absolute zenith of political, administrative, and strategic intellect in the realm, was his inner circle. Standing at the forefront was Jia Xu, Xun You, Chen Qun, Mi Zhu, Liu Ye, Chen Gong, Lu Su, Zhuge Liang, and Lu Xun.
But the welcoming committee was not limited to the political ministers. Standing just to their right, radiating an aura of profound scholarly dignity, were the five revered State Teachers of the Hengyuan Empire.
Sima Hui, the famed 'Water Mirror', stood tall, his eyes crinkling with warmth. Beside him were the legendary recluses and literary giants Pang Degong, Huang Chengyan, Cai Yong, and Zhuge Xuan.
They had gathered not just to welcome their sovereign, but to receive their esteemed colleague, the State Teacher Lu Zhi, who had accompanied the Crown Prince on the grueling western campaign.
"Ah! My brilliant pillars!" Lie Fan roared affectionately, his laughter ringing out again.
With a swift, fluid motion that belied his heavy armor, Lie Fan swung his leg over the saddle and dropped to the polished stone courtyard. Muchen immediately mirrored his father, dismounting with practiced ease.
Behind them, Zhang Liao, Taishi Ci, Ma Chao, and Ji Ling, swung down from their warhorses, their armor clattering loudly in the quiet courtyard.
They were immediately followed by the terrifying, silent shadows of the Emperor's personal guard, Zhang Mancheng, Chao Bo, Chao Bai, and the towering Huang Chao, who formed an imposing, protective semicircle behind Lie Fan.
Simultaneously, the heavily guarded carriages at the center of the procession came to a gentle halt. The doors swung open, and the brilliant minds who had orchestrated the fall of Chang'An alongside their Emperor stepped out into the Xiapi sunlight. Sima Yi, Pang Tong, Xu Shu, Lu Zhi, and Zhuge Jin emerged, smoothing their travel worn robes.
Seeing Lu Zhi step from the carriage, unharmed and radiating the quiet pride of a teacher whose student had just witnessed the making of history, Sima Hui, Cai Yong, and the other State Teachers smiled warmly, offering deep, respectful bows of collegial greeting.
As Lie Fan and Muchen stepped toward the jade staircase, the entire assembly of waiting ministers and scholars dropped to their knees, bowing so deeply their foreheads brushed the polished flagstones.
"We welcome Your Imperial Majesty! We welcome His Highness, the Crown Prince!" The unified chorus of the greatest minds in China echoed through the courtyard.
Jia Xu, acting as the foremost representative of the civilian government, raised his head, his dark eyes shining with a rare, unshielded emotion. "We congratulate Your Majesty on this monumental, heaven shaking victory! You have defeated Cao Cao, shattered the Wei Dynasty, and brought the central plains back under the singular, righteous mandate of the Black Dragon! Your safe and victorious return is the greatest blessing the Heavens could bestow upon this empire!"
Lie Fan stepped forward, reaching out to personally grasp Jia Xu by the forearms and haul the seasoned spymaster to his feet, gesturing for the rest of the assembly to rise.
"Stand up, all of you! Today is not a day for bruised knees!" Lie Fan let out another loud, incredibly warm laugh, his eyes sweeping over the faces of Zhuge Liang, Xun You, and Cai Yong. "You congratulate me on the victory, Jia Xu, but do not think for a second that I claim this glory alone."
Lie Fan turned, sweeping his arm back to encompass Sima Yi, Pang Tong, and his generals, before pointing back to the men on the stairs. "A spear cannot strike true if the shaft is rotten. It is because of your tireless preparations, your flawless logistical planning, your management of the treasuries, and the absolute stability you maintained here in Xiapi that we were able to march west with such overwhelming force. We broke the walls of Chang'An, yes, but it was the foundation you built here that provided the hammer! This victory belongs to the entire court!"
The ministers beamed with pride, their chests swelling at the Emperor's magnanimous acknowledgment of their domestic efforts. Zhuge Liang offered a serene smile, giving a slight bow of his head, while Mi Zhu discreetly wiped a tear of joy from his eye.
The joyous, celebratory atmosphere lingered for a few moments more, but Lie Fan was an Emperor who never allowed the momentum of the state to stagnate. The smile remained on his face, but his eyes sharpened with the sudden, cold clarity of an administrator transitioning back to the realities of rule.
He stepped closer to Jia Xu, his voice dropping slightly in volume, adopting a tone of strict imperial business.
"Wenhe," Lie Fan said, addressing Jia Xu by his courtesy name. "The celebrations will continue in the streets, but we have a dark burden trailing in the rear of our column. The entirety of the Cao clan, including Cao Cao himself, is currently locked within those carriages."
Jia Xu's expression instantly sobered, his mind shifting from celebration to security protocols. "I understand, Your Majesty. What are your immediate orders regarding the prisoners?"
"I need you to prepare a massive, highly secure estate immediately," Lie Fan commanded, his tone leaving no room for error. "I do not care if it is a requisitioned noble compound in the inner city, a walled manor in the outer city, or an isolated fortress just outside the city walls. Find a place large enough to comfortably house dozens of people, but secure enough to act as a permanent, impenetrable cage. Put Cao Cao and the entire Cao clan into absolute house arrest there."
Lie Fan narrowed his eyes. "Ensure the perimeter is guarded by our most fanatically loyal, unbribable veterans. No one goes in, no one comes out, and not a single scrap of parchment crosses those walls without my explicit, written seal. They will remain there in total isolation until we hold a formal court to finally discuss and decree the ultimate end of Cao Cao and the Cao bloodline."
Jia Xu did not hesitate. He understood the profound, dangerous gravity of hosting a rival royal family within their own capital.
Jia Xu bowed his head deeply, accepting the heavy mandate. "It shall be done before the sun sets, Your Majesty. I will personally oversee the selection of the estate and the deployment of the guards. They will be ghosts, sealed away from the world."
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Name: Lie Fan
Title: Founding Emperor Of Hengyuan Dynasty
Age: 36 (203 AD)
Level: 16
Next Level: 462,000
Renown: 2325
Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 11)
SP: 1,121,700
ATTRIBUTE POINTS
STR: 1,010 (+20)
VIT: 659 (+20)
AGI: 653 (+10)
INT: 691
CHR: 98
WIS: 569
WILL: 436
ATR Points: 0