In Changle Palace in Chang'an.
This former center of All Under Heaven, despite constant repairs, still looked utterly dilapidated, without the slightest air of an imperial city.
This was especially true for members of the imperial family who had grown up in Luoyang.
Inside the palace, Liu Bian had already taken the seat of honor. With Dong Zhuo's support, he had become emperor of the Great Han dynasty, while Liu Xie had been invested as King of Chenliu-a hollow title, nothing more.
From top to bottom, everyone in this Chang'an Court belonged to Dong Zhuo. This was no exaggeration, but fact.
This Chang'an Court was simply the Western Liang Army reorganized under a new face.
As the minister who had supported Liu Bian's accession, Dong Zhuo had been invested as a County Marquis.
County marquises had not been particularly rare during the Former Han. Liu Bang had been very generous to his old brothers, and the marquises invested by later Han emperors had also all been county marquises; the only distinction lay in whether their counties were large or small.
The sole exception was the Marquis of Unshuang, a state marquis-an exception out on the distant frontier.
That single glance from Li Ru frightened Liu Bian into trembling. Like Jia Xu, Li Ru had a rather kindly appearance, but the cold darkness constantly showing in his eyes and the sinister air enveloping him made him seem like a ghost.
Luo Kong's reassurance had some effect. Liu Bian clutched his sleeve. "My lord, are we going back to Luoyang?"
A former Liangzhou Inspector and General Who Protects the Qiang, yet Empress Dowager He did not know who he was. No one in the hall found this strange, however.
Although the journey from Chang'an to Luoyang stretched a thousand li, it would