Reborn In The Three Kingdoms

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Before he could continue, the sound of footsteps announced the arrival of more men. The ministers entered in an ordered procession, Zhuge Liang first, his feather fan in hand, then Mi Zhu, Liu Ye, Chen Gong, Lu Su, and Sima Yi, They bowed deeply, their voices rising in a respectful greeting.

”Your Majesty.”

Lie Fan lifted his hand, palm outward, a small gesture that carried the weight of command. ”Be at ease. Sit.”

They obeyed, taking their places on the cushions arranged before his desk. The air thickened, not with ceremony, but with the raw gravity of strategy. These were not men to waste words, they knew why they come here and what they will discuss.

Lie Fan leaned back, his fingers steepled. ”We dispense with formality here. You have all performed your roles flawlessly. The seed has been planted. Now, we must ensure it is not choked by weeds before it can sprout. You have all seen the uproar. You have all heard the cries.”

He looked at each of them in turn, his gaze settling on the group. ”The public committee is a necessary fiction. But we, in this room, know the truth. The finalized proposal is already written. The framework is set. My question is this, what are our next moves, beyond the public spectacle of deliberation? I do not wish this vital reform to languish in some bureaucratic purgatory. I want it implemented. Swiftly. If I could, I do it tomorrow.”

He leaned forward, his elbows on the desk, his expression intent. ”How do we navigate the week until the next court? How do we ensure that when the proposal is presented again, it carries such undeniable force that opposition crumbles?”

The ministers exchanged glances, their eyes flitting from one to another. At last, Chen Qun, the Grand Secretary, stepped forward slightly, his voice calm and deliberate. ”Your Majesty, if I may speak.”

”Go on,” Lie Fan said.

Chen Qun, as the author of the ranking system, stepped forward. His voice was measured, each word considered. ”Your Majesty, the key is perception. You have masterfully positioned yourself not as the instigator, but as the arbiter. This must continue. You have already declared that this petition shall be reviewed by a committee of ministers and the Three Excellencies, and that it shall return before the court in the next session, one week from now. That alone gives us the cover we need. In truth, the proposal is already finalized. Nothing more needs to be drafted.”

”But appearances are everything. If we rush to enact it before that week has passed, it will appear as though Your Majesty was eager, hungry, to push it through. We should, in fact, hold one or two actual meetings, highly visible ones. Let us be seen debating points, reviewing scrolls, and taking notes in the Hall of Heavenly Ministers. Let the court see us toiling. This performance of due diligence will make the eventual ’recommendation’ to Your Majesty appear to be the product of exhaustive deliberation, not a foregone conclusion.”

He bowed slightly deeper. ”The purpose of this play, as we all know, is to shield Your Majesty. Let the ministers take the burden of reform, let the Excellencies take the arguments, and let Minister Zhuge Liang bear the public name of it. When the reform is enacted, those who resist can be purged under the guise of obstructing the will of the court. And when they are gone... only then may the truth, that this was Your Majesty’s vision, be revealed, slowly and carefully.”

He then paused, adjusting his sleeves before contnuing. ”Furthermore, during this week, we must quietly rally support. Minister Zhuge and I will speak with the younger, more reform minded officials who voiced support today. We will reassure them, solidify their backing. Minister Mi Zhu can begin discreetly modeling the financial implications, having those numbers ready to counter any claims of excessive cost. Minister Chen Gong can draft the initial legal edicts required for enforcement, so they are ready for Your Majesty’s seal the moment the proposal is approved.”

A silence fell after his words. Everyone present understood the game being played, yet to hear it spoken so plainly gave the plan its full weight.

Lie Fan nodded slowly, his eyes gleaming. ”Wise as always, Changwen. I do not enjoy waiting, but you are correct. Let the ministers quarrel, let the dissenters show their hands. In one week, when this reform returns to court, it will already be inevitable.”

Zhuge Liang stirred then, his fan brushing lightly against his sleeve. ”Your Majesty, if I may add,” he said, his voice calm but carrying an undercurrent of steel. ”This week will not be idle. We must use it. The dissenters will not sit quietly, they will conspire, they will whisper. Let them. I will have Shiyuan’s censors to officialy watch them with the Oriole agets from the shadows. Every plot they hatch will become a noose around their own necks. When the time comes, we will not only have a reform, but also a list of those too blind to follow it.”

Jia Xu’s lips curled into a wolfish smile. ”Heh. Zhuge Kongming speaks my language. Let the fools gather. Let them believe they have allies. When the axe falls, it will fall on all of them at once.”

Sima Yi, who had been silent, now spoke, his young voice measured. ”Your Majesty, allow me to suggest one more measure. When the reform passes, and new officials are chosen through examination, we should ensure that loyal men, men whose hearts are bound to Your Majesty, are among the first wave. They will set the tone. If the new system begins with weaklings or opportunists, it will falter. But if it begins with capable men of loyalty, it will take root.”

Lie Fan’s eyes sharpened, studying the young strategist. ”A good point, Zhongda. Very good. The first fruits of this new tree must be the sweetest. We will ensure it.”

The room buzzed with quiet agreement. Mi Zhu adjusted his sleeves and added in his measured voice, ”Your Majesty, the most powerful weapon will be inevitability. By the end of this week, the court must feel that this reform is not a possibility, but an impending reality.”

”The committee’s visible work, the rallied support of the rising officials, the subdued opposition... it must create a tide that seems impossible to stem. When you finally give your approval at the next court, it should feel less like a decision and more like the natural, logical culmination of a process that the entire court has witnessed. They must feel they have already been heard, and that the matter is now settled.”

Lie Fan listened, a slow smile of approval spreading across his face. His advisors were not just administrators, they were masters of political theater and social engineering. They were building a wave and would soon place him at its crest.

”Excellent,” he said, his voice firm with satisfaction. ”Proceed exactly as you have outlined. Chen Qun, Zhuge Liang, you will manage the public committee and rally the supporters. Mi Zhu, prepare the financials. Chen Gong, draft the edicts.”

He stood up, signaling the meeting was nearing its end. ”Remember, the goal is not just to pass a reform. It is to fundamentally reshape the ethos of this dynasty. We are replacing the currency of bloodlines with the currency of merit. It will be disruptive. It will be messy. But it is the only way to build something that will last a thousand years. We cannot afford hesitation. We cannot afford weakness.”

The ministers bowed deeply, their voices rising as one. ”Yes, Your Majesty.”

They understood the magnitude of the task. They were not just changing policy, they were engineering a social revolution from the top down.

As they filed out, each man already mentally executing his part of the plan, Lie Fan turned to look out the window of his office. The sun was high over Xiapi, gleaming on the tiles of the roofs and the bustling streets below. His city. His dynasty.

The performance in the grand hall had been the overture. The real work began now, in the quiet rooms and whispered conversations of the next week. He had set the pieces in motion. His ministers, his excellencies, were now the players on the board, moving with precision to make the fictional committee into a vehicle of undeniable change.

The Hengyuan Dynasty was about to shed its old skin. And he, the emperor who had mastered the art of ruling from the shadows, would be there to guide it into its new, stronger form. The week of deliberation would be a masterclass in political manipulation, all leading to the moment he would officially enact the change he had always envisioned. The path was set.

After that, Lie Fan returned back to his quarter at the inner level of the Palace. The halls were quiet now, the lanterns lit in their steady rhythm, casting long streaks of gold along the polished floors.

The carved doors closed behind him with a muted thud. The air inside was still, perfumed faintly with sandalwood from the bronze censers burning along the walls. An Imperial Maid and line of maidservants hurried forward, ready to tend to his needs, but Lie Fan lifted his hand and dismissed them with a quiet, ”Leave me. I wish to be alone.”

They bowed deeply, retreating in silence until only the echo of their footsteps remained. Now it was just him, the chamber, and the weight of empire.

Lie Fan stood by the window of his chamber, the vast city of Xiapi spread out beneath the twilight sky. The murmur of life drifted faintly from below, the market stalls closing, watchmen calling their rounds, horses clattering over cobblestone roads.

He inhaled deeply, the scent of sandalwood from the incense burners filling the air, mingled with the sharper chill of night that swept in from the open window.

And then, as if on cue, a black shadow swooped from the heavens, a raven descended from the sky, its dark wings slicing through the dusk. With an uncanny precision, it landed directly upon Lie Fan’s right arm. ”Ah... right on time.”

The Emperor did not flinch. Instead, his lips curved in faint amusement, and he reached into a small pouch tied at his waist. From it, he took a treat, a morsel of dried meat, which he offered to the bird.

The raven croaked softly, pecked at the offering, and then settled comfortably, as though it had done this ritual countless times before. Lie Fan brushed his hand gently along the raven’s head, smoothing the sleek feathers, before his fingers worked deftly at the small scroll tied to the bird’s leg.

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Name: Lie Fan

Title: Founding Emperor Of Hengyuan Dynasty

Age: 35 (202 AD)

Level: 16

Next Level: 462,000

Renown: 2325

Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 9)

SP: 1,121,700

ATTRIBUTE POINTS

STR: 966 (+20)

VIT: 623 (+20)

AGI: 623 (+10)

INT: 667

CHR: 98

WIS: 549

WILL: 432

ATR Points: 0