When the news emerged from the palace, all of Luoyang seemed to have been swept by a gale. The city, already seething with undercurrents, grew even more oppressive.
The story had to go back three days.
As usual, after washing and dressing in her bedchamber, Empress Dowager He brought Liu He, the King of Yingchuan, to Luo Kong Hall. Luo Kong was telling Liu Bian and Tang Ji stories from the Jokes Collection, along with amusing historical tales ordinary people had never heard.
Empress Dowager He sat opposite Luo Kong with Liu He and listened as she always did. This counted among the few pleasures left in the imperial palace.
Who could have known that, halfway through, Dong Zhuo and Li Ru would suddenly march in menacingly? They looked at the group without speaking, merely staring at them.
They all trembled in fear. Only Luo Kong met Dong Zhuo's eyes calmly and asked, "Duke Dong, have you come here to report something to His Majesty?"
Dong Zhuo gave Luo Kong a long look, then glanced at Empress Dowager He. "I came to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager and His Majesty. Affairs of state keep me busy, so I shall take my leave."
With that, he left with Li Ru. His arrival had been sudden, and so was his departure, leaving Empress Dowager He and the others thoroughly bewildered.
Luo Kong, however, knew Dong Zhuo would not loose an arrow without a target. Something must have happened outside the palace to prompt such unusual behavior.
He currently had no way to contact anyone outside the palace, so he could only set these tangled thoughts aside for now and continue lying low.
After Dong Zhuo left, Liu Bian, Tang Ji, and Empress Dowager He still had traces of fear on