Reborn In The Three Kingdoms

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”A white ox, unblemished,” the old sage murmured. ”Grain from last year’s harvest. Water from the source of a great river. Silk woven from local looms. Each offering symbolizes a virtue of rule which was purity, providence, clarity, and unity.”

Sima Yi added, ”We should also include sacrifices to the local deities of Xu Province, as it was the foundation of my lord’s domain. The people must see that even the regional gods acknowledge his rule. Not just the Jade Emperor.”

”We must also conduct the three prostrations and nine kowtows at the ancestral shrine,” said Pang Degong. ”My lord must be seen honoring the Heaven, Earth, and his ancestors.”

”I agree with Master Pang Degong,” said Xu Shu. ”But which temple will host the ceremony?”

Zhuge Xuan suggested, ”The Temple of the Azure Dragon here in Xiapi is the most revered. It has stood for centuries and is said to be blessed by the dragon’s spirit.”

Lie Fan approved. ”Then it shall be there.”

Chen Gong meanwhile chimed in after Lie Fan finished his words, ”Beyond the date, offerings, and the ceremonial prostrations and kowtows, we must not forget to draft a proclamation of ascension. It must be reviewed by both scholar and strategist, as it must inspire the masses and silence your enemies.”

”The language must be precise,” Lu Su added, ”not too bold to incite fear of tyranny, but not so modest that it undermines my lord’s legitimacy.”

Lie Fan nodded his head and showed his agreement, where then the discussion then turned to the physical symbols of Lie Fan’s new authority, his robes, his crown, and his seal alongside the details of his ceremony.

Pang Tong leaned forward, grinning. ”And don’t forget the ceremonial attire, my lord. You must be dressed in black and red robes, embroidered with dragons and qilins. The gold thread should weave the twelve symbols of imperial authority, the sun, the moon, the constellation, the mountain, the dragon, the pheasant, and others.”

Lie Fan blinked. ”Twelve? So many?”

”Yes my lord,” said Chen Qun, laughing quietly. ”It is... elaborate. But every detail matters. Even the jade tablet you hold when receiving the Mandate of Heaven. Since the Imperial seal was already in my lord’s hand, it increase your legitimacy as you hold the heirloom seal of the land.”

Huang Chengyan, as master of craftsmanship, suggested designs for the imperial crown at this time. ”That’s true, my lord. I suggest the crown should bear pearls as it illustrates wisdom, symbolizing that your rule was an enlightened one.”

Zhuge Xuan then speaks next, his voice like an autumn wind. ”The people must see you as Heaven’s chosen, my lord. That illusion, that belief, must be built upon layers of reverence, fear, and tradition.”

”We must choreograph each step,” added Lu Su. ”From the moment you ascend the dais, to how the court kneels, how the drums beat, when the incense is lit—”

”Enough to make a man wish to remain a warlord,” Lie Fan muttered, drawing laughter around the room.

But amid the levity, Liu Ye scribbled furiously. ”My Lord, may I suggest that we form subcommittees? Let each task be divided among those best suited.”

”Excellent, I agree, Master Liu Ye.” Xu Shu agreed. ”We must not burden you with minutiae, my lord. You should focus your mind on the speech you must give, and the political message it will carry.”

Lie Fan nodded. ”Very well. Then you shall handle the ceremonial planning. I will listen, and offer input, but I trust your judgment.”

After hours of deliberation, the council reached a consensus. The ascension would take place on the fifteenth day of the next month, beneath the full moon, at the Temple of the Azure Dragon. The sacrifices would be made, the prostrations completed, and the imperial edict proclaimed before all.

As the meeting concluded, Lie Fan rose, his gaze sweeping over the assembled men.

”This is not merely my ascension,” he said quietly. ”It is the birth of a new age. Your counsel has brought us here. Now, let us ensure that history remembers this day as the dawn of the Hengyuan Dynasty.”

The advisors bowed deeply, their voices united.

”As Your Majesty commands.”

The days following the grand council meeting were a whirlwind of meticulous preparation. Xiapi, already a city abuzz with ambition, now thrummed with the weight of impending history.

The streets were swept clean, banners bearing the Qilin and Azure Dragon were hung from every archway, and the scent of incense drifted through the air as priests purified the city in anticipation of the celestial mandate soon to be claimed.

Meanwhile, couriers, artisans, and officials moved with a singular purpose, to prepare for the dawn of a new dynasty.

Under Lie Fan’s command, the massive task of arranging his ascension was delegated to four subcommittees, each composed of trusted minds who had walked alongside him through war, reform, and transformation.

Sima Hui, the venerable sage, took the helm of the Sacrificial Committee, his demeanor calm and otherworldly. At his side, Xu Shu brought sharp ritual clarity, while Lu Su ensured that every symbolic element carried diplomatic weight.

This trio worked in harmony, selecting the purest offerings just like in the council discussion. Selection gth most white ox, where its coat unblemished, then the most golden grains from the last harvest stored in imperial granaries, jugs of water fetched from the very source of the Huai River, and bolts of silk woven in Xiapi itself.

Sima Hui would often be seen with his hands behind his back, watching incense trails rise and whispering to his companions, ”These are not just gifts to Heaven, they are truths about who we are.”

The Ceremonial Prostrations and Kowtows Committee was a more scholarly affair, led by the famed calligrapher and historian Cai Yong. His eyes, though aged, shone with purpose. He insisted on accuracy in the choreography of reverence, each bow, each kneel, each silence, to ensure the prefect Three Prostrations and Nine Kowtows.

Chen Qun, meticulous and devoted to formality, ensured the steps honored both Confucian orthodoxy and dynastic innovation. Meanwhile, Chen Gong, ever the tactician even in ritual, measured not just the movements but their timing, when the incense should burn, when drums should strike, and how the heavens above would align with the ceremony below.

Across the city, Huang Chengyan worked feverishly on the Attire and Crown Subcommittee. He wandered the looms of the silk district personally, his trained eye judging the gold thread’s finesse, the weight of jade, and the shimmer of the robes meant for a sovereign.

Liu Ye, though usually buried in state documents, immersed himself in measurements and symbolism, drafting schematics for the imperial crown bearing pearls to symbolize wisdom.

Besides them, Lu Zhi brought classical knowledge, quoting Zhou dynasty precedents and Han traditions as he debated the twelve symbols of imperial authority of sun, moon, constellation, mountain, dragon, pheasant, fire, rice, axe, goblet, aquatic grass, and grain.

Then came the most ideologically charged of the subcommittees, the Ceremonial Rites and Edict Committee. It was led by Pang Degong, whose stoic expression rarely shifted but whose words resonated with timeless gravitas.

Zhuge Xuan, with his scholar’s poise, drafted the core of the edict, a blend of humble acceptance and iron resolve. Pang Tong, on the other hand, ensured the wording inspired awe and rallied the hearts of both peasants and patricians. The edict would declare Lie Fan’s ascension not merely as a seizure of power but as a moral necessity, a call to restore order to the fractured land.

But above all, the Overseeing Committee watched. This committee was Lie Fan’s eyes and ears, ensuring not just progress but perfection. Jia Xu, foxlike and shrewd, led it with uncanny foresight, predicting hiccups before they occurred.

Xun You brought an almost terrifying precision, ensuring everything moved like clockwork. Sima Yi, quiet but relentless, probed every vulnerability, be it in the venue’s security or the timing of the rites. And Zhuge Liang, like a breeze stirring a calm lake, harmonized the ambitions of the others, ensuring that the preparations did not compete but complemented.

Lie Fan, meanwhile, for the first time in years, took a step back.

No longer did he drown in paperwork or military briefings. Instead, he spent his days walking with his wife through the palace gardens, listening to his children argue over birds and kites.

He played the qin in his study at dusk, while reports were brought to him not hourly, but only when essential. In his stead, the ten inner councilors and Chen Gui was delegated by him to manage the state affairs. He trusted them with the weight of governance.

And perhaps more surprising than all, Lie Fan felt no dread, no nervous anticipation. Only calm.

This moment had been long in the making, since he first born as a boy in Huai’An, since his first kill in this world and the fall of his enemies one by one. If anything, it felt inevitable. A return, not a leap. The throne, he thought, had always waited for someone like him.

When the day before his proclamation finally arrived, the city held its breath.

The sky was overcast in the morning, but by noon, the clouds had dispersed, revealing a sharp blue sky as if Heaven itself watched. Xiapi was dressed in crimson and gold, its streets swept clean, its people lining the boulevards in silence and reverence. From the palace to the Temple of the Azure Dragon, flower petals scattered, and bells rang softly in the distance.

Lie Fan emerged in a formal robe, deep black with crimson accents, embroidered dragons curled across his chest, their eyes watching. He walked with measured steps, flanked by his ten most trusted advisors. Behind them followed the six masters of the Xiapi Academy, dressed in ceremonial scholar robes, holding scrolls of virtue and law.

The people bowed low as he passed. Some wept silently. Others whispered prayers. Nobles, scholars, and merchant clans had gathered from every corner of Xu Province, some kneeling with incense, others raising banners with the words of Hengyuan and some with the emblem of the Hengyuan Dynasty a coiled dragon around a mountain, the sun rising behind it.

The Temple of the Azure Dragon stood like a sentinel of time, its blue tiled roof glinting beneath the sun. The incense that rose from its courtyard carried a sweetness that drifted through the air like a blessing.

At the temple’s grand altar, the sacrificial offerings had been arranged with exacting precision. The white ox already purified and honored, the grain and silk laid upon bronze platters, the water glimmering in jade bowls.

Nearby, the ancestral shrine had been adorned with ancestral tablets, the names of the past etched in gold. Jia Xu stood at the head of the altar. Dressed in official robes of deep indigo and silver, he raised his staff and signaled the start of the ritual. The murmurs died into silence.

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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