Reborn In The Three Kingdoms

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King Sansang’s knuckles whitened on the armrests of his throne as he heard what Li Wei said, trying to hold back his anger. ”Who else could have orchestrated such an attack? Who else benefits from the decimation of my loyal generals other than you and your bureau?”

Li Wei spread his hands. ”Bandits, perhaps, Your Majesty? Or rival factions within Goguryeo itself? Or even Goguryeo’s enemies? The world is full of dangers, Your Majesty. To blame me and the Lie Clan Sueorvison Bureau without evidence is... very much unwise.”

The threat hung in the air, unspoken but clear for everyone in the room to notice, including King Sansang himself.

But King Sansang ignored it and leaned forward from his throne. ”Then let us speak plainly, Master Li Wei. We all know you and your lord seek to control Goguryeo from the shadows. You seek to reduce me to a puppet. But know this, Master Li Wei, I am still the king of Goguryeo. And I will not be so easily cast aside by the likes of you who like to play in the shadows.”

The grand hall held its breath when they heard how frontal his words are. The remaining loyalists immediately prepare themselves if something were to happen.

Meanwhile, as the court slowly went to dissolve into chaos, Queen Woo slipped out of the palace, her carriage rolling toward her family’s estate on the outskirts of Gungnae.

She should have felt triumphant. She had played her part perfectly, the worried wife, the loyal queen. Li Wei and to extend his lord, Lie Fan, would be pleased.

And yet...

Her hands trembled in her lap.

King Sansang’s face, haggard with grief and maybe love as well, for her, flashed in her mind. The way he had held her, as if she were his last tether to sanity in this world, even though he had betrayed her.

”Damn you,” she whispered to herself. ”Damn you for still making me care. Still making me feel things even though you had two timed me and forgotten our promise.”

The carriage jolted over a rut in the road, jostling her from her thoughts. Outside, the morning sun light spilled over the mountains, painting the world in gold and fire.

Just like Ansi. Queen Woo closed her eyes. The game was not over yet, with King Sangsang having a dead resolve. And due to that, she was no longer certain which side she wanted to win.

Back on Goguryeo’s court, the grand hall still bated their breath as they saw King Sansang and Li Wei were locked in each other, full of serious energy as if their aura was fighting against each other.

Silence gripped the chamber like a tightening noose, tension thick enough to suffocate. The air buzzed with unsaid words, unspoken threats, and unspent fury.

Then, with deliberate leisure, a slow clap broke the silence.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Li Wei.

Every head turned to him, stunned. The sharp sound of his palms colliding echoed through the domed hall like the final stroke of a war drum. His face was unreadable, too calm, too smooth, as if he had planned this exact moment.

The sound of Li Wei’s slow, mocking applause echoed through the grand hall like the tolling of a funeral bell.

King Sansang’s face darkened with fury as the clapping continued, his eyes widened with fury, the veins in his neck throbbed, and his knuckles whitened against the armrests of his throne. ”What is the meaning of this mockery, Master Li Wei?!” he roared, his voice cutting through the hall. ”Do you dare degrade the King of Goguryeo in his own court?!”

But Li Wei did not stop and did not answer him. He kept clapping, slow and steady. He turned from the king and faced the gathered court. Then, with a small tilt of his chin, he gave the signal.

One by one, the members of the Lie Clan Supervision Bureau rose and began to clap in unison. Then came the officials, those who had quietly pledged loyalty to Lie Fan.

Then, a few scattered generals, men once trusted by the throne. Their hands joined in the applause, the sound building like a tide, crashing over the remnants of royal dignity. All of them clapped along with Li Wei, their faces carefully blank.

Mo Du’s breath caught in his throat. Dal Gae’s hand twitched toward his sword, which was hidden inside his clothes.

More than half the court was clapping.

King Sansang stood frozen. The realization cut deeper than any blade, he had been surrounded, infiltrated, and betrayed. The faces before him once bowed in reverence, now clapped in unison for his enemy.

His voice roared over the din. ”STOP! I COMMAND YOU TO STOP THIS INSTANT!”

The command should have shaken the walls. It should have sent servants scrambling and soldiers to attention. But his order was met with continued clapping. Not until Li Wei lifted his hand did it end instantly, as if a puppeteer had cut his strings.

The message was clear to King Sansang, which was that they obey me, not you. Silence returned but this time, it was heavier, more damning. Not a silence of respect, but of defeat.

Li Wei turned back to Sansang, his smile never wavering as he took a step forward, the soft scuff of his boot against stone ringing louder than any trumpet.

”Your Majesty,” he said with that same maddening calmness, ”I believe you understood, truly understood, the moment you caved to our demands and allowed the Lie Clan Supervision Bureau to be created and established, that this was inevitable. This day. This moment. It was only a matter of time.”

He paused, his eyes scanning the hall, lingering on those who had joined the applause, then those who had not, loyalists now outnumbered and outmaneuvered.

”And I think I can be frank,” he continued, ”and say that everyone here understood it as well.”

Murmurs rustled through the hall like dry leaves in the wind.

Li Wei turned back to the king, a faint smirk flickering across his face. ”But to accuse me, without evidence, of orchestrating such a terrible tragedy at Ansi? That is not only foolish, it is dangerous.” He then tutted softly. ”You’re testing my patience, Your Majesty. And worse, you’re testing ours.”

He leaned in slightly, his voice soft, almost conspiratorial, but every word laced with iron.

”Tell me, Your Majesty... do you truly wish to be replaced by one of your cousins? Or perhaps a nephew?”

Gasps rippled through the court.

The implication was clear. Regicide. Usurpation. And behind it all, the long, cold shadow of Lie Fan. The threat was not veiled. It was a blade pressed against King Sansang’s throat.

King Sansang’s fists clenched at his sides, his nails digging into his palms until they drew blood. His breath came in short, ragged bursts. His eyes darted across the faces of the court, men he had known for years, men he had trusted, men who now looked at him with pity, indifference, or worse, amusement.

Mo Du stepped forward, his aged voice trembling with fury. ”You overstep, Master Li Wei! This is treason, what you are saying!”

Li Wei didn’t even glance at him. ”Is it, Master Mo Du? The king himself admitted to holding a secret meeting at Ansi Fortress. A meeting where, tragically, his most loyal generals perished. One might wonder... was it really an ambush? Or was it a convenient way for King Sansang to remove dissenters from his court?”

Gasps filled the hall. King Sansang’s stomach twisted.

He knew Li Wei was turning it around to him.

Dal Gae snarled. ”Lies! You spin poison from thin air, Master Li Wei!”

Li Wei shrugged. ”Where is your proof, Master Dal Gae? Where are your witnesses? All I see is a king who gambled and lost and now seeks to blame me and my bureau for his failures.”

The court erupted into chaos. Voices overlapped, some shouting in outrage, others whispering in agreement. And through it all, Li Wei stood calm, his hands folded once more into his sleeves, his victory assured.

King Sansang felt the world narrowing, the edges of his vision darkening. He had walked into this hall prepared for a fight, but not like this. Not against his own people.

His voice, when it came, was raw. ”Enough.”

The hall quieted for a moment after hearing such a tone they had never heard from King Sansang.

”You want proof, Master Li Wei?” King Sansang’s laugh was hollow. ”You want witnesses? Very well.”

He straightened, his spine rigid with defiance. ”Let the records show that on this day, the King of Goguryeo named Li Wei, envoy of Lie Fan and Head of the Lie Clan Supervision Bureau, a traitor to the crown. Let it show that the Lie Clan Supervision Bureau has overstepped its bounds, conspired against the throne, and orchestrated the murder of loyal generals.”

Li Wei’s smile faltered, just for a heartbeat.

”And let it show,” Sansang continued, his voice rising, ”that I, Sansang, true and legitimate King of Goguryeo, hereby dissolve the Lie Clan Supervision Bureau. Its members are to be arrested. Its assets seized. And its leader—” His finger stabbed toward Li Wei. ”—executed for treason against the King.”

Silence.

Then loud laughter could be heard.

Li Wei laughed, shaking his head as if King Sansang had told a particularly amusing joke. ”Oh, Your Majesty. You can’t possibly be serious. Your joke has truly developed over these past couple of years.”

He gestured to the guards lining the walls. ”These men answer to me. Most of your ministers here answer to me. Most of the generals that are still breathing answer to me.”

His smile turned pitying. ”Who, exactly, do you think will carry out your order, Your Majesty?”

King Sansang’s jaw clenched. He looked to the guards and saw no recognition in their eyes. Only cold obedience to Li Wei.

Mo Du stepped closer to the throne, his voice a whisper. ”Your Majesty... we must retreat. Now.”

Dal Gae’s hand was already on his sword, his body tense as a drawn bowstring.

Li Wei sighed. ”Take them.”

The guards moved.

What followed was a blur of steel and shouting.

Dal Gae cut down the first guard to approach, his blade flashing in the torchlight. ”GO, YOUR MAJESTY! MASTER MO DU!” he roared at King Sansang and Mo Du.

The king hesitated, only for Mo Du to grab his arm and yank him toward a side passage. ”We must live to fight another day, Your Majesty!”

Behind them, Dal Gae fought like a mad man, trying to buy them precious seconds. But the odds were impossible. A spear and a sword took him in the side and his back. ”RUN, YOUR MAJESTY!” he bellowed, even as blood frothed at his lips. King Sansang’s last sight of his loyal advisor was of the old man standing firm, sword raised, as a dozen blades descended upon him.

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Name: Lie Fan

Title: Overlord Of The Central Plains

Age: 34 (201 AD)

Level: 16

Next Level: 462,000

Renown: 1325

Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 9)

SP: 1,121,700

ATTRIBUTE POINTS

STR: 951 (+20)

VIT: 613 (+20)

AGI: 598 (+10)

INT: 617

CHR: 96

WIS: 519

WILL: 407

ATR Points: 0