My son, how could you be Lü Bu?!

Chapter 3 Appointment of the Prefect

Just as Lü Ping was sharpening his knife, ready to pounce.

The south gate of Jiuyuan City was bustling with noise.

A rather simple horse-drawn carriage slowly drove into the city gate of Jiuyuan City, amidst a group of women carrying bamboo baskets and men leading oxen and horses.

The carriage was in the center.

A middle-aged official, around forty years old, with narrow eyes, a short beard, and a silver seal and blue ribbon at his waist, sat solemnly, gazing silently at the crowd outside the carriage.

"Lord Fang".

"That Wang Zhi is really going too far!"

"When you first arrived at your post, he, as the governor of Wuyuan County, disregarded all dignity and didn't even send anyone to welcome you?"

Sitting in the carriage was Wang Yun, the newly appointed governor of Bingzhou.

Upon seeing that the governor had taken office, and that not a single official had come to greet him outside Jiuyuan City, a young man dressed as a scholar with a sword at his waist suddenly appeared beside Wang Yun, his eyes wide with anger.

"Isn't this just trying to intimidate you?!"

Wang Yun showed no reaction; he merely glanced at the young man before slowly shaking his head.

"Or what?"

"Zheng Nan, tell me, this Wang Wuyuan is a mere eunuch, and the younger brother of Wang Fu, the most powerful of the Ten Attendants in the court. If he really comes to greet me, do you really expect me to see him?"

"How can we possibly see such eunuchs who bring disaster to the country and its people!" The young scholar, called Zheng Nan, shook his head decisively.

"Even if he meets him, Fang Bo will definitely point his finger at Wang Wuyuan in front of all the state officials and give him a good scolding! It would be best if he could make him vomit blood!"

"Indeed!" Wang Yun turned his gaze away from the outside world and looked at the scholar with admiration.

This pairing with Zheng Nan's temperament truly suited his taste.

If he hadn't come from a prominent family in Wei Commandery, he would have long since followed Chen Qiu, one of the Three Dukes of the court, and been at his beck and call. He truly wanted to bring Shen Zhengnan under his own command.

Wang Yun continued.

"Your lord Chen Qiu and I are both upright scholars, and we are determined to oppose the eunuchs. We would never associate with the eunuch faction and tarnish our reputations."

"Wang Zhi understands this principle, which is why he didn't bring anyone to see me, so as not to cause any unpleasantness."

Say so.

Wang Yun turned his gaze back to the crowd flowing outside the carriage. Among them was a young man with a very broad build and a narrow waist, who was not old but had a strong back. He immediately caught his eye.

However, the carriage was extremely fast, and the young man who was walking quickly towards the city gate disappeared from his sight in an instant. Wang Yun withdrew his gaze and shook his head slightly.

"Yunyuan thought that even if Wang Zhi did not come to see me, some officials who were unwilling to submit to the eunuch would come to greet me in person."

"How come... we're almost at the government office and haven't seen a single person?"

"Could it be that Wang Zhi's methods have reached such a level?"

Shen Pei also frowned, looking out of the car with a worried expression on his face.

"Doesn't that mean the governor is currently without capable men?"

"It's a pity that I was ordered to come here this time. After some time, I will most likely have to return to Luoyang and will not be able to work for the governor."

After a moment's thought, Shen Pei spoke again.

"However... when Pei was studying in Luoyang, he had several old friends from Bingzhou, who were both capable and virtuous."

"If you do not mind, Lord Fang, during the time you stay in Bingzhou, I would like to visit some old friends for you, and also search for famous scholars and brave men in the countryside to add some strength to your cause."

Wang Yun sighed and slowly nodded.

"Zheng Nan is very thoughtful. In that case, I will trouble Zheng Nan."

Just as the two were chatting.

We've arrived at the government office.

......

Outside the city, dilapidated villages.

As dusk fell.

After a busy afternoon, with the help of Cheng Lian, a laborer who came to his door free of charge, Lü Ping successfully repaired the somewhat drafty thatched hut.

Fearing he would miss the curfew, Lü Ping didn't invite Cheng Lian to stay for a meal. With a wave of his hand, he sent Cheng Lian, who had waited all day but hadn't seen Lü Bu and had only worked for nothing, back home.

at this time.

Only Lü Ping remained in the thatched hut. He sat casually on the straw mat, his expression indifferent, stroking his long sword in his hand. Behind him were the remaining two baskets of salted fish, waiting for any possible bandits to arrive.

As night fell, darkness enveloped the world.

The candlelight flickered.

Lu Ping's figure was projected onto the earthen wall of the thatched hut.

Heavy footsteps sounded.

A burly figure blocked the candlelight.

"You're back?"

Lu Ping, who had been keeping his eyes slightly closed, looked up.

Lu Bu, who had been away for a day, finally returned.

As soon as Lü Bu entered the room, he greeted his father first, and then his gaze immediately fell on the table in front of Lü Ping.

On the small table.

There were four or five bottles and jars on the table, except for a large bowl of boiled water, the rest of the food had been reheated several times but was still cold.

There was a soup for breakfast, millet for lunch, and a large piece of cooked fatty meat, along with a stewed vegetable soup with salted fish.

Clearly, this was food that his father had specially saved for him.

Seeing this scene.

Lu Bu's eyes flickered for a moment, but he concealed it, picked up the large bowl of cool boiled water placed to the side, and poured it into his mouth, which was as dry and cracked as a parched field after a busy day.

He left in a hurry and forgot to bring any money or food, so he barely ate anything today.

"Sit down, have something to eat first."

Lu Ping reached out and patted the spot next to him, gesturing for Lu Bu to sit down.

Where did you go today?

He was a little curious this morning.

Yesterday, when I was trying to talk him out of his mind, my eldest son listened very attentively and clearly took it to heart. So why did he disappear so early this morning?

Lu Bu put down the wooden bowl and wiped his mouth.

"Didn't Father say yesterday that a new governor from Bingzhou, who is from out of town, will be coming to our area soon?"

"I remembered last night that when I was hanging out with Cheng Lian and Wei Yue, I met a minor official who worked in the government office. So today I'm going into the city to find him."

"Although the clerk didn't know the specific background of the new governor of Bingzhou, or even when he arrived, I still learned his name."

"Name?" Lü Ping nodded slightly.

"What is the name of the new governor?"

Lu Bu picked up the wooden bowl that was holding the food and shoveled a big mouthful into his mouth.

"His surname was Wang, and his given name was Yun."

"Wang Yun?" Lü Ping asked thoughtfully.

"This name sounds somewhat familiar..."

After pondering for a moment, Lü Ping looked at his eldest son, who was shoveling rice into his mouth, and suddenly paused, becoming somewhat unsettled.

"Wait! You said... what's the name of the new governor of Bingzhou again?!"

"His name was Wang Yun. He was said to be from a prominent family in Taiyuan with an official salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain). That was all the minor official knew."

Lu Bu swallowed a large mouthful of fatty meat and stammered.

"The Wang family of Taiyuan?"

"It really is him?! What a twisted fate!"

Looking at his eldest son, Lü Ping felt a little unsettled.

"However... it's good that it's a historical figure I know; at least I know his character."

"What was Wang Yun's character like again? Was he fiercely opposed to evil? Resolute and unwavering? Upright? Patient and forgiving for the country... If we could address these issues and use this opportunity to draw Wang Yun's attention to my father and me, it wouldn't be a bad path."

Lu Ping was deep in thought, while Lu Bu kept eating.

Silence fell over the thatched hut for a moment.

until...

A snap.

Suddenly, the sound of a dry branch snapping rang out from outside!