Chapter 36: So I'm just a jinx, am I!

"Is it not just a push? Sometimes the Chancellor has a foul temper, but it matters not. Hahaha, the Chancellor still possesses his grand ambitions; he is still eyeing the throne and retains his daring spirit! To cast away the vast wealth of Luoyang and leave it for the warlords of the East to tear each other apart like dogs—he has finally awakened!" Li Ru was overcome with ecstasy. All his dejection and dissatisfaction vanished into thin air. As long as Dong Zhuo’s ambition remained, his own ideals still had a path forward.

Li Ru had completely misinterpreted Dong Zhuo’s intentions. The idea of "living a better life" was not at all what Li Ru imagined—it was not about being above everyone else today and taking the final step to eliminate the Emperor in a few days.

Well, it was a beautiful misunderstanding. A revitalized Li Ru was terrifying, especially now that Dong Zhuo had made the bold decision to abandon all of Luoyang. The shackles that had bound Li Ru were completely broken.

"Since the Chancellor is willing to abandon Luoyang, why not also abandon the Imperial Seal? Throw both the great city of Luoyang, which represents the Han regime, and the Seal, which claims to represent the supreme throne, to the rats of the East!" Li Ru first spoke with excitement, then grew worried that this was merely a heat-of-the-moment impulse for Dong Zhuo, so he decided to test him.

Clearly, Dong Zhuo hesitated. Luoyang could be discarded; he had already emptied it, so there was no heartache there. But the Imperial Seal—it was said to represent the supreme throne, and it was simply incomparable to an empty city.

"If the Chancellor wishes to live a better life, casting this object aside is the right path. Once the Han loses the Imperial Seal, whether or not they remain the legitimate line will be nothing more than a matter of words. Furthermore, the Eastern warlords can never be of one mind. A single Seal is enough to split them into several small factions, letting them tear each other apart until they are too weak to march west," Li Ru continued to persuade him.

In truth, Li Ru did not hold much hope that Dong Zhuo would cast aside the Seal; this was merely a probe. The fact that Dong Zhuo hesitated showed that he had truly considered the matter. It was a classic case of a brave man cutting off his own arm—a display of immense courage!

Seeing Dong Zhuo hesitate, Li Ru was overjoyed. He had finally awakened; after waiting so long, he had finally awakened.

Dong Zhuo hesitated for a long time, looking at the earnest Li Ru. He felt quite strange internally, [What is wrong with this fellow? Forget it, I should just ask what I want to know.]

"Wenyou, tell me, if I do not want the Seal, how long can we live in peace in Yong and Liang?" Dong Zhuo asked the question he cared about. He wanted a peaceful life now. The events of yesterday had truly frightened him. The wine and women of Luoyang had hollowed out his body, and he no longer had his original ambition; he only wanted to muddle through and enjoy his good days.

"Chancellor..." Li Ru’s voice trembled slightly. The fact that he had asked this meant that, if necessary, he would truly abandon the Seal. This was no longer just a matter of ambition or courage; it was the quintessential spirit of an emperor. With such spirit, what could they not achieve?

Li Ru thought carefully, then looked at Dong Zhuo with bright eyes and said, "Chancellor, if the matter of the Seal is handled properly, it will not only shatter the warlord alliance, but for the next five to eight years, as long as we blockade Hangu Pass, the storms of the East will not reach Yong and Liang. That is enough time for us to grow strong enough to defeat all the warlords under heaven. That Seal is merely a worthless trinket in the hands of the Duke of Xian."

Dong Zhuo had little interest in the Seal. As a warrior from Xiliang who had never received an orthodox education, he did not understand what the Seal represented in Li Ru’s heart.

In Dong Zhuo’s view, as long as he had the Emperor and the military power, he could just carve a seal out of a brick and it would serve the same purpose. The First Emperor of Qin had used the He Clan Jade to carve the Seal, but it was just a vessel. If it were gone, it was gone; he could simply carve another one later. Five or eight years of peace—that was wonderful! Especially since Li Ru said they could defeat the warlords of the world; that was the important news!

Dong Zhuo was no different from a small hoodlum now. He had been beaten, he couldn't beat them back, and he was terrified and wanted to hide at home. Now, a clever man was telling him that if he just threw away the candy he didn't want, those bastards would fight over it like crazy and bleed each other dry, and in a few years, he could return and crush whoever he wanted!

Of course, if anyone else had said this, Dong Zhuo would certainly not have believed it, but because Li Ru said it, Dong Zhuo believed it. Whatever this guy said was always accurate; he had never seen him suffer a loss.

"Fine, the Seal is yours. Do whatever you wish with it. I am tired. Don't ask me about anything recently; handle it yourself!" Dong Zhuo said to Li Ru with a faint, grim smile on his face.

Li Ru looked at that faint smile on Dong Zhuo’s face and naturally thought that Dong Zhuo was comforting him, trying to ensure he felt no pressure. Hearing that Dong Zhuo was tired and wanted no further questions, he felt a deep, sorrowful bitterness. When had he ever needed Dong Zhuo to make such a great sacrifice?

"I shall surely offer my life and soul to repay the Chancellor’s kindness!" Li Ru kowtowed to Dong Zhuo’s bleak retreating figure, a fire igniting in his heart—not directed at Dong Zhuo, but at the warlords of the East.

Dong Zhuo walked out, utterly perplexed. Why was Li Ru being so inexplicably grateful, even to the point of kowtowing? What shocking thing had he done?

Three days later, Jia Xu, who was hiding in Chang'an and fishing meat out of a bronze tripod, received a letter from Li Ru. He was terrified to his very core. [Dammit! Dong Zhuo actually let that madman Li Ru succeed? Using Luoyang and the Imperial Seal as bait—this is too bold! Do you want to scare me to death? Weren't his ambitions almost completely hollowed out by wine, women, and wealth? How did this guy revive the moment I left? Does it have to be this terrifying?]

Jia Xu’s old servant saw his master rolling on the floor of the hall clutching his head and hurried to get medicine and help him up.

"Jia Fu, tell me, can a bastard whose ambition has been eroded by wine and women suddenly become incredibly bold within a few days? Daring enough to rival the First Emperor of Qin?" Jia Xu asked with a depressed expression.

Jia Fu kept his head lowered and said nothing. He did not get involved in anything; serving Jia Xu was all he had to do.

[How could something so bizarre happen? Could it be that I am a jinx?] Jia Xu thought helplessly. He had originally managed to get close to Dong Zhuo because he was optimistic about him. As soon as he arrived, Dong Zhuo began to degenerate. Then, he fled back to Chang'an because he no longer had faith in the current Dong Zhuo and intended to quit, but the moment he ran away, Dong Zhuo regained his ambition and displayed such immense courage!

Jia Xu did not suspect that Li Ru was joking. For one, aside from being ruthless, Li Ru was a person of firm character. For another, such a thing could not be a joke; whether it was abandoning Luoyang or the Seal, it would shock the world! Especially the Seal—if Li Ru truly set it loose, no matter how secretly the person who obtained it tried to handle it, it would eventually spread like wildfire until everyone knew.

Thinking of this, Jia Xu felt deeply depressed.