Dong Zhuo sternly questioned his subordinates, “What is happening?”

The commotion from the fire inside the North Palace could not possibly escape the notice of the Bingzhou troops outside the palace.

In the midst of the fierce assault from the enemy, the fire only provided them with an opportunity to exploit, and there was no benefit to Dong Zhuo.

This unexpected situation had also introduced a variable into his retreat plan.

Li Ru looked towards the area of the most intense fire and inwardly cursed.

It was not elsewhere but Liu Bian’s residence.

Dong Zhuo, while rallying his forces to counter the attacking Bingzhou troops, took a few steps back to listen to his subordinates’ reports on the situation.

What he had not anticipated was that the situation was even worse than he had imagined.

The first problem was—Yuan family escape.

Before Dong Zhuo could execute his plan to eliminate the Yuan family members trapped in the North Palace as hostages, they had already heard about the attack from the north of Luoyang.

The Yuan family was not foolish.

After being betrayed by Dong Zhuo despite their previous cooperation, any unrealistic ideas they had left were few and far between.

Consider this: if Luoyang was breached and Dong Zhuo met his end, what would become of these hostages?

Even if Dong Zhuo successfully escaped and took the emperor with him, what would happen to them?

It was better to take a gamble now!

During their imprisonment in the North Palace, Dong Zhuo had cut back on their food, causing them to appear quite emaciated.

This had inevitably led to a degree of laxity among their guards.

The urgency of defending against the attack outside had also led to the reassignment of several guards.

This presented them with an opportunity!

Almost simultaneously with Dong Zhuo issuing orders for their execution, Yuan Ji led the Yuan family members in an assault on the guards.

After securing a few weapons and at the cost of two lives, they managed to overcome the guards and escape their confinement.

But the problem arose—what next?

Even though Dong Zhuo and his troops were focused on the northern assault, if they could not escape from the North Palace, they would be facing almost certain death.

Fortunately, they encountered a helper.

To be precise, a helper who had come intentionally.

“You mean, you received help from my mother a few years ago and thus survived, so she asked you to use the opportunity of Qiao Hou’s attack to lead us out? But how can you be sure we would choose to resist and escape?” Yuan Yi asked suspiciously.

The palace maid who introduced herself as Ren, despite her simple attire and attempt to keep a low profile, still had a distinguished appearance.

Her refined manner and scholarly demeanor indicated she was not an ordinary maid, which made sense if she had connections with Ma Lun.

When the Yuan family members were imprisoned by Dong Zhuo as hostages, only Ma Lun, due to his position as the Grand Historian, had the opportunity to act.

But, as Yuan Yi said, some things still did not add up.

“This is not the time for such discussions,” the maid said. “The message is from Master Ciming, who instructed his staff to be ready in the northern palace. They are here now, though you might not need them since you’ve already taken action. Please follow me to change your clothes and find a place to hide. Once the city falls, you’ll be safe.”

Master Ciming?

That would be Xun Shuang!

Her words alleviated some of their concerns.

Xun Shuang, having been promoted by Dong Zhuo, was the only one whose position had not been revoked during the relocation discussions.

Many assumed he was only engaged in protecting and organizing books in the Lantai Library, due to his expertise in classical texts.

It was understandable that he would be concerned about potential damage to these valuable books during the relocation.

However, with the news of Dong Zhuo’s downfall and the approaching armies, Xun Shuang felt he could also contribute by ensuring some people were saved during the chaos in Luoyang.

The Xun family from Yingchuan and the Yuan family from Runan were both prominent families in Yuzhou, with familial connections.

Naturally, Xun Shuang wanted to rescue the Yuan family members.

At the same time, Ma Lun, who had been informed by Qiao Yan before the attack, sought his help.

Ma Lun had a son with Yuan Wei.

The eldest son, Yuan Man, was recognized as a prodigy, but he died young.

The remaining sons, Yuan Yi-da and Yuan Ren-da, were less remarkable and held minor official positions in Luoyang.

Caught in the struggle between the Yuan family and Dong Zhuo, these two sons were imprisoned in the northern palace, prompting Ma Lun to find a way to save them.

Qiao Yan’s attack provided an opportunity for Ma Lun to rescue them, and with the right timing and direction, it was now up to her to find a way.

Four years ago, when she reported important matters as the Grand Historian, she had to think ahead.

Once, Ren Hongchang, a minor palace maid who had violated the rules, was rescued by her.

Although she did not like using such acts of kindness to coerce others into doing troublesome tasks, she had no choice but to make this decision at that moment.

The staff arranged by Xun Shuang could not always move around the Northern Palace, so there had to be an insider.

After finalizing the rescue plan with Xun Shuang, the task of relaying messages fell to Xun Shuang, who had access to Lan Tai.

Fortunately, with Xun Shuang’s arrangements, if any turmoil occurred in the Luoyang Palace city, this minor palace maid could be taken out as well, which justified her efforts at this time.

However, neither Maren nor Xun Shuang likely anticipated that after the Yuan family’s members changed into palace clothes in a nearby servant room and had some dry rations, Yuan Kui suddenly asked, “Why don’t we take King Hongnong(Liu Bian)7 with us as well?”

Yuan Ji frowned and said, “Uncle, forgive me for speaking frankly, if we had Bencu and Gonglu to aid us now, we could consider doing this. But with our own safety at risk, we don’t have the extra energy to handle this matter.”

Their next actions should follow Xun Shuang’s plan, with his people protecting them, and they would temporarily hide in Empress He’s palace.

After Empress He became Empress Dowager and was killed by Dong Zhuo, and since Liu Xie was still young, there was no empress residing there, and Dong Zhuo likely found the place somewhat ominous.

But the most dangerous place is often the safest.

Dong Zhuo would never have expected them to choose this place as their refuge.

The Yuan family, with their few dozen people, were already extraordinarily fortunate to escape this disaster, so how could they have the extra energy to concern themselves with Liu Bian’s situation?

But Yuan Kui did not think so.

The name Empress He directly reminded him of Liu Bian.

He replied, “If Dong Zhuo cannot hold Luoyang, he will certainly flee with His Majesty and King Hongnong. The Emperor’s decree is the Emperor’s decree; if we escape today, we will still be under Dong Zhuo’s orders in the future.

If we give Dong Zhuo a chance to return, even if we escape today, it will be hard to ensure safety tomorrow.

His Majesty’s side must have heavy defenses.

As you said, with Bencu and Gonglu absent, we do not have the opportunity to rescue him. But King Hongnong is different.”

There should not be too many people protecting Liu Bian.

Yuan Kui naturally had his own calculations.

If they could successfully rescue Liu Bian, Dong Zhuo’s successful escape would only take Liu Xie with him.

Out of the desire to prevent Dong Zhuo from controlling the court and to consider the clarity of the world.

They plan was to ally with the court officials who had not been taken away, to declare Dong Zhuo a traitor, and to force Liu Xie to abdicate in favor of Liu Bian, thus supporting Liu Bei’s ascension to the throne.

If Dong Zhuo could not escape, given his nature, he might try to eliminate Liu Xie and Liu Bian to cover his tracks.

Rescuing Liu Bian would be advantageous for the Yuan family.

Yuan Wei’s plan convinced some of the people.

Those unwilling to risk it followed Ren Hongchang to hide in Empress He’s palace, including Yuan Yi-da and Yuan Ren-da.

Yuan Ji, unable to defy his uncle and those who supported the rescue, went with them to save the King of Hongnong.

Unfortunately, this group encountered Dong Zhuo’s men sent to eliminate witnesses.

A skirmish ensued.

Dong Zhuo’s few men were overpowered, but the commotion knocked over a candle, igniting the palace where the King of Hongnong was staying.

Inspired by the fire, Yuan Wei ordered more fires to create chaos.

The noise diverted Guo Si, who was originally headed to support the northern city wall.

Facing Guo Si, who was experienced in combat and had a history as a bandit, Yuan Wei and his men had little chance.

Yuan Wei was killed, along with other Yuan family members who were part of the action.

However—

“Yuan Ji, the eldest son of the Yuan family, managed to escape with the King of Hongnong using the Emperor’s carriage you had kept as a souvenir.”

Guo Si, frustrated, explained that despite the six arts of a gentleman including chariot driving, the carriage of the late Ling Emperor was not easily controlled.

Yuan Ji, having untied the horses, fled with the King of Hongnong, and the horses ran so fast it was difficult to pursue them.

With Dong Zhuo’s anger looming, Guo Si added, “Don’t worry, the carriage can’t outrun horses. I shot another arrow at them, so their chances of survival are slim…”

However, within half a tea session, they received the news.

The good news was that the carriage had been found.

The bad news was that Yuan Ji and Liu Bei were missing.

To make matters worse, the half-tea session was enough for the Bingzhou army, led by Qiao Yan, to advance further.

With the momentum from the recent victory at the northern city wall of Luoyang and their fierce fighting spirit, they gained the upper hand in the struggle for the Northern Palace walls.

This overwhelming and intimidating presence forced Dong Zhuo to make a swift decision.

He could no longer delay!

He had to leave with Liu Xie immediately.

Now!

Qiao Yan watched Dong Zhuo retreating with a thoughtful expression.

In Luoyang, there were already figures like Maren who had received her message, and other righteous individuals.

The Northern Palace catching fire during her assault was not unexpected, but Dong Zhuo’s excessive anxiety caught her attention.

He could have held out on the city walls for a while longer, at least depleting some of her forces, instead of choosing to abandon so quickly.

This likely indicated that something more than just Yuan’s escape was occurring.

As Dong Zhuo withdrew and completely abandoned the defense of the palace walls, Lu Bu was the first to climb the Northern Palace walls, seemingly vowing to kill Dong Zhuo for the Red Hare.

At that moment, however, the southeastern gate of the Northern Palace suddenly opened, and a group of cavalry rushed out.

It was Dong Zhuo and his subordinates, including Guo Si, Zhang Ji, Zhang Xiu, and others.

They had assembled their cavalry and evacuated from the Southern Palace ahead of time.

However, among the figures Qiao Yan saw being escorted by Dong Zhuo’s subordinates was only Liu Xie, with no sign of someone resembling King Hongnong.

No King Hongnong?

In the blink of an eye, she realized that a potentially advantageous situation for her might have arisen.

If King Hongnong was not in the group, one possibility was that he had already been silenced by Dong Zhuo, but if that were the case, Dong Zhuo would not be so anxious.

If he had not been silenced but instead managed to escape unexpectedly, then…

She would need to be cautious in her pursuit of Dong Zhuo!

She might as well test this theory.

Regardless of the situation, whether Liu Bian lived or died, as long as he was not in Dong Zhuo’s group, letting Dong Zhuo escape would not be a loss for her!

Having already spared Luoyang from the disaster of relocating the capital, what she should do now might not be to kill Dong Zhuo on the spot.

Achieving the result of his and the Emperor’s deaths, and then shift the blame to the allied forces who failed to arrive in time, thereby removing any superior to answer to!