Chapter 91: Audience with Dong Zhuo

Zhao Yun said solemnly: "Everyone knows, Laughing Tian, that you did this for the safety of all. You have no need to worry about anything. If there are any problems, it's better to be ruthless than to passively wait for death."
"Wu Di! I will take you there immediately!" Liu Bei said.
Zhang Xiaotian felt a headache and procrastinated, saying, "I have other things to do tonight! Let's discuss this matter in a few days."
After some discussion, several people returned to their rooms to rest.
The next day, Zhang Xiaotian was still sleeping when Liu Mang came to visit. Reluctantly, Zhang Xiaotian used his strong willpower trained in the special forces to force himself out of bed and meet Liu Mang in the living room.
"Come on! Let's have a good chat." Liu Mang said warmly.
After dismissing the attendants, Zhang Xiaotian sat down beside him and said, "Did Lord Hou sleep well last night?"
"I couldn't sleep all night, too many things happened at the beginning of the banquet, and I told myself not to think about it, but my mind just wouldn't listen." He sighed at this moment:
"Lord Hou, please calm down, I am confident that I can find that assassin." Zhang Xiaotian said.
Liú Máng looked at him, touched, and said, "Dad really has good taste, he didn't choose the wrong person, who exactly are you? Why have I never heard anyone mention you before?"
My real name is Zhu Jiong, a hunter of the Dongyi tribe. His Majesty once came to the place near me for hunting and encountered a pack of wolves, which I saved him from.
Since then, His Majesty has deliberately cultivated a close relationship with me and let my family enjoy wealth and honor. His Majesty has shown me great kindness and wants me to assist you in becoming the King of Han as part of his plan.
So he never brought me back to the mansion, this visit to Chang'an is in coordination with Lord Hou, we are acting according to the situation. Isn't this world now under the control of your Yuan family?
All of my servants are from the Dongyi tribe, absolutely reliable. Lord Hou, you can rest assured." Zhang Xiaotian had already prepared a draft of lies and calmly said.
At this moment, Liu Mang was ecstatic. He thought to himself, "Father understands how to make use of talented individuals. Zhu Jiong's intelligence is remarkable, he is also brave, and his swordsmanship is excellent."
With someone like him on my side, coupled with Li Jue's cooperation, isn't the position of the Han ruler within my grasp? The biggest obstacle is just this guy Dong Zhuo, right?
"I thought all night last night and finally came up with a feasible plan, but the timing is not ripe yet. I will discuss it with you later. Because Dong Zhuo has high expectations of you, it is urgent for you to show some performance as soon as possible," Liu Mang said at this time.
Zhang Xiaotian chuckled silently in his heart, the most important thing was your last sentence.
Immediately, he stood up and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Lord Hou. I will now lead my subordinates to the new site in the outskirts of the city to study how to develop and arrange it."
Liu Mang was originally here to please Prince Zhang Xiaotian, a prominent figure in the Bai Di tribe, in order to avoid his dissatisfaction. Helplessly, upon hearing his words, Liu Mang stood up and said:
"You go on with your business, remember to come back before dusk for Li Si's banquet."
Zhang Xiaotian agreed and sent him out of the mansion, then he and He Bao and others set off for the outskirts of the city.
He Bao, Liu Bei and most of the people stayed in the new base at Canglianggu, setting up tents, cutting down trees, building bridges and repairing roads, pretending to prepare everything.
In fact, it was just to establish a base, so as not to be caught off guard if a rebellion broke out, and also to prevent Liu Bei from unable to resist the urge to go find Mi Xunlan privately.
Before dusk, Zhang Xiaotian, Zhao Yun, Dian Wei, Lu Bu, and over fifty elite soldiers from the 'Flying Leopard' squad hurriedly returned to Chang'an.
Just as they reached the city gate, the gatekeeper told them, "Lord Dong has ordered for Mr. Zhang to immediately come and see him."
Zhang Xiaotian exchanged a glance with Zhao Yun and others at this moment, all feeling uneasy. Dong Zhuo would never summon him without a reason.
After a brief discussion, Zhang Xiaotian, escorted by Dong Zhuo's guards, went to meet Dong Zhuo.
Chen Cheng personally brought him to the place where Dong Zhuo conducted his daily affairs, and the one accompanying him was not Liu Mang, but Li Su.
Zhang Xiaotian saw that Dong Zhuo's expression was calm, and immediately felt relieved. After paying his respects, he sat at the lower left corner and faced Li Su.
Chen Cheng stood behind Dong Zhuo.
Li Su gave him a signal, indicating that he was taking care of him.
After asking a few questions about construction, Dong Zhuo sighed and said, "Mr. Zhang, it would be best for you to slow down on the construction plans and try not to let any wind out of the bag."
"If Lord Dong gives an order, I naturally have to follow it, but I don't understand why," Zhang Xiaotian said in astonishment.
At this moment, Dong Zhuo responded with a bitter smile, "Expanding business is an urgent matter, but there have been some unexpected obstacles recently. Let Dr. Li explain it to you!"
At this moment, Li Su coughed and sarcastically said in his peculiar voice, "This morning, Yuan Shu dispatched his special envoy Yang Hong to Chang'an. I wonder where he found out that Mr. Zhang is returning to his homeland this time."
When I went to pay my respects to Duke Baijie Dong, I said, "Although you, sir, are originally from Chang'an, you ultimately belong to Jizhou. If we allow you to stay in Chang'an, it will have a negative impact on the communication between the two regions."
Zhang Xiaotian almost exploded with anger when he heard these words. It was evident without asking that Yang Hong must have said other derogatory comments. Fortunately, Dong Zhuo currently needs him too much, otherwise he might have been immediately tied up and sent back to Jizhou.
At this moment, Dong Zhuo emphasized, "Naturally, I won't take his words to heart, but the current situation is delicate. This man's sister is Yuan Shu's favorite concubine.
When the wind changes, if he speaks a few words in front of Yuan Shu and advises him not to send troops against Yanzhou, our plan will be ruined. Therefore, we still have to appease him for now."
At this moment, Li Su laughed and said, "Dong Zhuo plans to send several foreign beauties to charm Yuan Shu. After his favorite concubine falls out of favor, Yang Hong's words will not have much effect in front of Yuan Shu."
Zhang Xiaotian laughed with the two of them.
He naturally understood that Li Su was referring to Yuan Shu as someone who was naturally addicted to the pleasures of alcohol and women, and would definitely be no match for the exotic beauties of foreign races. It was only a matter of time before this Yang Hong's sister fell out of favor despite being young and beautiful.
"Should I keep my distance for a while?" Zhang Xiaotian asked with a sudden thought.
Dong Zhuo said, "Absolutely not. This would imply that I have to consider Yang Hong's opinion. At the time, I told Mr. Zhang that he hadn't made a decision to leave yet.
It's just an excuse to keep dragging things on. So now, I'm asking you not to make a big deal out of it for the time being. Let's wait until Yang Hong leaves, and then make arrangements."
"In that case, I will have to send someone out to intercept the essential supplies that are currently en route. However, I'm afraid the first batch that set off should have already entered the country." Zhang Xiaotian said with pretended helplessness.
"If they have already arrived, then bring them on! We do need a lot of essential items, so we'll follow the sir's instructions for the rest," Dong Zhuo replied.
Zhang Xiaotian was currently worried about not having an excuse to send someone back to Yanzhou for news, so he quickly agreed.
"Last night after the banquet, the Marquis of Chenliu kept Sir and said something. What did he say?" Dong Zhuo asked in a deep voice.
Zhang Xiaotian felt a sudden excitement in his heart at this moment, secretly calling it fascinating. Unexpectedly, Dong Zhuo harbored suspicions towards Liu Mang. Of course, Li Su, who was as treacherous as a ghost, played a part in fueling the flames. Immediately, he pretended to be shocked and said, "Does the Marquis have any questions?"
"Has the gentleman not yet answered Lord Dong's question?" Li Su reminded Zhang Xiaotian.
Zhang Xiaotian, pretending to be flustered, apologized and said, "Marquis of Chenliu had sincerely promised to take care of me, so that I can fully demonstrate my skills. He also said..."
"Even if there are bad things said about me, Mr. Zhang, please speak frankly." Dong Zhuo frowned and said.
Zhang Xiaotian said, "It's not really anything bad. The lord just said that if he is willing to speak a few good words for me in front of the king, he will ensure that I have wealth and luxury."
Alas! I am but a rough man, wishing only to peacefully carry on with my business and contribute in my own humble way to the beloved land I hold dear! Do not speak of fortune and prosperity, for even life and death are deemed trivial."
Dong Zhuo snorted when he heard about Liu Mang's attempt to win him over, but when Zhang Xiaotian "revealed his true thoughts," he showed a touched expression and nodded repeatedly, indicating his appreciation.
“侯爷还想把鄙人留在侯府，为我找个歌姬陪宿，不过鄙人想到正事要紧，坚决拒绝了。”张笑天继续说道。
“董公非常欣赏先生的这种事无巨细的精神，不过这几天先生最好只是四处玩玩，我们长安有几所著名的风月场所，
"Let me take Mr. Zhang to join in the fun tomorrow!" said Li Su.
Then they chatted for a while, and Dong Zhuo warned Li Su not to reveal the conversation to Liu Mang. After that, Li Su accompanied Zhang Xiaotian and left.
On the way back, Zhang Xiaotian remembered the ethereal fragrance of Lady Fang, who had already passed away. Zhang Xiaotian couldn't help but feel teary-eyed, even though he could only hear vaguely Li Su's words in his ears.
Li Su saw that he looked absent-minded, thinking that he was upset about the matter with Yang Hong. He immediately comforted him, saying, "Mr. Zhang, you don't have to worry about someone like Yang Hong. By the way! Aren't you going to attend Li Si's dinner tonight?"
Zhang Xiaotian was startled by the words and woke up. He reproached himself in his heart, "How can I have a mood swing at this moment?" Then he asked in surprise, "Doctor, aren't you going together with us?"
"I have already turned down Li Si's banquet. Since the arrival of the princes of various ethnic groups from the borderlands in Chang'an, I have been so busy that I can barely catch my breath. I have been working on drafting the proposal for Lord Dong, and I haven't had a good rest for several days," Li Su explained with a smile.
Just as Zhang Xiaotian was about to speak, a team of men on horseback, escorting a carriage, slowly approached from the left of the Royal Road and coincidentally crossed paths with them.
At this moment, a lascivious look appeared on Li Su's face as he whispered, "Lady Fen has arrived!"
Zhang Xiaotian recognized Liu Long and others early and immediately stopped to let the convoy go first.
Liu Long and others saluted Li Su one after another.
Just as the carriage turned towards the square, the curtain was lifted, revealing Liu Fen's beautiful face, slightly pale and tired due to lack of sleep. When she saw Zhang Xiaotian,
There was no surprise on her face as if she had already known he was coming, just exclaiming, "Stop!"
The carriage and attendants stopped immediately.
Liu Fen's beautiful eyes fell on Li Su's face first, with a smile she said, "Hello, Mr. Li!"