Chapter 27: Zhang Liao
The North Palace of the Imperial City.

This palace was first built by Emperor Gaozu and later expanded by Emperor Wu of Han, becoming a place exclusively for the emperor’s entertainment.

The Book of Han compiled by Ban Gu once recorded that Emperor Wu of Han often played in Beigong, chased horses in Pingle, watched chicken and ball games, and watched dogs and horses competing, and he was very happy.

Today, Liu Xie did not continue to stay in the Weiyang Palace, but came here with Dong Zhuo, Jia Xu and others.

“Wenhe, are all government affairs going smoothly?”

“Reporting to Your Majesty, the various departments of the Secretariat are cooperating in an orderly manner, and the preliminary preparations are almost completed.”

Jia Xu’s gift of “Zhou Li” to Shisun Rui was indeed a ruthless move.

Almost overnight, Shisun Rui was deserted by his friends and relatives, and at the same time, he consolidated his position in the Secretariat.

Now, the officials in the Secretariat are trembling with fear when they see Jia Xu. How could they have the slightest thought of rebellion?

Under such high pressure, the hearts of the people in the Shangshutai have all gathered together. How could there be anything that cannot be handled well?
Today, Liu Xie wore a two-beam Jinxian crown and a jade pendant on his waist. He was wearing just ordinary black cloth clothes without too many luxurious decorations.

After all, we’re here to have fun! Why should we be so reserved?

Liu Xie chuckled: “As long as the government affairs go smoothly, it’s good. I heard that Shi Sun Rui fainted at home yesterday. Is this true?”

Without waiting for Jia Xu to reply, Dong Zhuo, who was sitting opposite Liu Xie, couldn’t help but applaud!
“Hahahaha! I heard that the night before yesterday, all the officials under Shi Sunrui went to throw manure in front of his door!”

“Also, his wives and concubines took away all the property in his house, which made him so angry that he vomited blood and fainted. I wonder where this rat is hiding today!”

Dong Zhuo laughed so happily that he would have fainted from laughing if Liu Xie had not asked Lu Bu behind him to support him.

In the past, he only felt that killing people made him feel relieved, but for some reason, he felt so happy after hearing about Shisun Rui’s situation!
“Wenhe, ah Wenhe, this is a brilliant plan!”

Faced with the praise, Jia Xu did not dare to take credit for it, and could only humbly retreat: “This is all due to the prestige of the Grand Tutor, and has nothing to do with strategy.”

“Besides, the Grand Master worked hard for the Han Dynasty, but a villain like Shisun Rui appeared. His fate is also a retribution from heaven.”

When Dong Zhuo heard Jia Xu’s words, he appreciated him even more.

“God’s punishment? That’s right!”

“Evil deeds will be punished, but good deeds should also be rewarded.”

Dong Zhuo waved his hand and said, “Wenhe, if you want anything, just tell me! Don’t be shy.”

Jia Xu looked naive, and his simple face showed no trace of greed: “Grand Master, I now rely on the grace of the emperor and the gift of Grand Master, and I actually have nothing I lack.”

“Besides, I have not yet repaid the emperor and the Grand Tutor for their kindness, so how can I dare to ask for more rewards? No merit, no reward. Grand Tutor, please do not show too much favor to Jia Xu.”

This is beautifully said.

But there was absolutely no reason for Dong Zhuo to take back what he had said.

“Rewards are given for merit, this is the way of heaven!”

Dong Zhuo raised his hand and nodded for a long time, then suddenly thought of something: “I remember that Wenhe’s mansion is still outside Chang’an?”

“It just so happens that old Shisun Rui has already left, so why not let Wenhe move into his house and live there.”

Anyway, the house was originally given to Shisun Rui by Dong Zhuo, so it is understandable that he wants it back now.

But Jia Xu still refused, saying that he dared not.

Liu Xie also spoke up at this moment: “Could it be that Wenhe is disdainful of staying in a place where someone like Shisun Rui has lived?”

Although Jia Xu looked simple and honest, he was always noble in heart. The phoenix would not land unless it was on the Chinese parasol tree, so it was natural that Jia Xu would feel uncomfortable when asked to pick up something that was stained with manure.

Dong Zhuo suddenly realized.

“I see! That’s right. If you see the old things of old villains like Shisun Rui in the mansion, you will inevitably feel disgusted!”

“But it doesn’t matter! I will find a craftsman to completely flatten the courtyard, and then build a new mansion to get rid of the bad luck!”

Liu Xie nodded after hearing Dong Zhuo’s arrangement: “Wenhe, even if you don’t care about yourself, you should think about your mother.”

“Living in the city is not only safer, but also allows for better care.”

“The world is not peaceful right now, and you have government affairs to attend to, so you can’t always take care of your mother. It would be better to bring her in, which would alleviate some of your worries.”

When Jia Xu heard that Liu Xie had carried his mother out, and he also felt the inconvenience of living outside the city in recent days, he agreed to this matter.

“good!”

Seeing that Jia Xu agreed to the reward, Dong Zhuo finally got back to his “business”.

“Your Majesty, the magic cube minister has been solved. I wonder what new things he has today?”

Liu Xie took out the toys he had prepared earlier and placed them in front of Dong Zhuo.

“This thing is called chess.”

Chess was first invented in the Warring States Period. In the “Chu Ci: Zhao Hun”, it was recorded that “the chess pieces are covered with a cloth, with six pieces; they move forward in pairs, and their paths are close to each other; they become owls and look for five pieces.”

However, at this time, each person only has six chess pieces, which is almost equivalent to five “pawns” and one “king”, and is not very interesting.

The chess pieces that Liu Xie took out today were improved ones from later generations.

Not only are there chariots and horses, but there are also cannons, which greatly increases the number of ways to play!
Dong Zhuo looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar chessboard and immediately became interested.

“Your Majesty, please explain the rules in detail.”

The rules of chess are much simpler than those of Go, not to mention games like Liubo that the Han people like to play nowadays, so Dong Zhuo mastered them all very quickly.

However, unlike the Rubik’s Cube, Dong Zhuo shook his head after playing two games and said, “Although there is some pleasure in arranging troops, it is not as exciting as fighting on the battlefield.”

Although Dong Zhuo is now fat and trembling, he was a passionate man who could ride a big horse and bend a big bow. Not to mention that he actually commanded thousands of troops to break through the enemy on the battlefield. So the swordplay contained in the chess game really didn’t make Dong Zhuo feel excited.

“I didn’t think it through.”

Liu Xie then remembered that Dong Zhuo was a serious general. In fact, he was one of the top generals in the world.

The chessboard of such a person should naturally not be able to move flexibly in such a small space, which makes him appear extremely petty.

Liu Xie dropped the chess piece, looking at it with envy and longing: “It’s a pity that I don’t have the opportunity to experience the experience of mobilizing troops like the Grand Master, so I can only find some fun in playing chess.”

It was a somewhat lonely remark, but Dong Zhuo burst into laughter: “How difficult is that?”

“Who in the world can command thousands of troops in his first battle? Don’t we all learn from being a sergeant or a squad leader?”

Dong Zhuo turned around and said, “Fengxian! You select a hundred men and hand them over to His Majesty! Today, I will let His Majesty experience some military affairs in this North Palace!”

After receiving the order, Lu Bu went out and took a look at the officers under his command.

“Wenyuan! Bring a hundred soldiers with you and follow me into the North Palace!”

(End of this chapter)