I, Liu Bian, Sanxing Han Dynasty

Chapter 566: Fame and Rewards
With Tan Shihuai's son Budugen submitting his allegiance, it meant that the northern grassland forces that had been resurrected since Emperor Huan were dormant again. Although Liu Bian had no target for the time being, after the chaos caused by the land measurement, it was a good choice to take this opportunity to stabilize for a year or two.

In the eighth year of Guangxi, which was also the eighth year of Liu Bian's accession to the throne, he cleared away all the monsters and demons that stood in his way. Even if there were any dissatisfied people left, they dared only lurk in the dark.

Wherever Liu Bian looked, there was peace and harmony among the people. Even in places that had just experienced war, most of them were in a state of joy and reconstruction.

Not long after he participated in government affairs, he learned from Lu Zhi about the hidden dangers of the Han Dynasty. In his memory, land annexation was inevitable in the late feudal dynasty... Although these problems have not been solved from the root - in fact, as long as human selfishness exists and the system and policies are still implemented by people, problems will always arise.

But at least, all contradictions have been effectively eased. As the cornerstone of a country and a nation, the people do not have the only option of selling themselves into slavery and working like beasts of burden even if they have lost the land on which they depend for survival.

All this indicates that the huge rock called the destruction of the country that once weighed on Liu Bian's heart can at least be put down to the ground smoothly.

Liu Bian thought that his wisdom was limited. He could not find a way to completely solve the contradiction between man and land, and he never hoped to create a dynasty that would last for a hundred years. He just hoped to do his best and make his own contribution.

"Father!"

"Father!"

When Liu Bian heard the call, he couldn't help but smile. His two children were already four years old. In later times, they could have gone to kindergarten. Even in modern times, it would be enough for the children to be exposed to literature at this age.

However, Liu Bian did not force his sons to grow faster. Of course, this was also because his two sons did not show any tendency to be child prodigies. Even if Liu Bian wanted to force their growth, he could not do it.

At this stage, Liu Bian’s biggest wish is that the two of them can grow up healthily, especially his second son Liu Ze, who has been weak since birth.

After opening his arms and holding both sons in his arms, Liu Bian also weighed the two sons. Although Liu Cheng and Liu Ze were only seven days apart, Liu Cheng was taller and heavier than Liu Ze.

Soon, Liu Bian let the two go out to play, and then there was another laughing little girl in his arms. That was his daughter Liu Le, born to Zhaoyi Dong Heng.

And Dong Heng also followed Liu Le.

"When I saw the fine horse you gave me, my heart was filled with joy," Dong Heng said happily.

Although they were an old couple, Dong Heng was only 13 or 14 years old when she entered the palace, and now she was only in her 20s. Although the harem was a tiring place, Liu Bian's harem was small, and there were no concubines who liked to make trouble, so Dong Heng was so happy when she saw the horse she loved that she did not hide her joy, and her tone when she spoke to Liu Bian was like a spoiled child.

"It's an honor for the horse to be liked by you." Liu Bian smiled and teased Liu Le in his arms, "Le'er, don't you think so?"

However, Liu Le, who was over one year old, naturally didn't understand what Liu Bian was saying, but she smiled to give Liu Bian face.

Completely relaxed, Liu Bian felt that the life before him was extremely warm, and he hoped it could continue forever.

Liu Bian and Dong Heng chatted casually, during which Dong Heng suddenly mentioned Liu Xie's marriage.

"Father wrote to me a few days ago saying that he wanted to marry my sister to the Prince of Chenliu. I think it's inappropriate, but I don't know if father will listen to him..."

Liu Bian thought that, indeed, after Liu Shou got married, it would naturally be Liu Xie's turn, and Liu Xie had indeed reached the age for marriage. As a prince, he did not need to deliberately delay marrying.

But he was too lazy to care about these things. Liu Xie was almost safe now, and Liu Xie was also a smart man and knew what to do.

"The Queen Mother will decide who will be the Princess of Chenliu. You and I don't need to interfere."

Dong Heng nodded in agreement.

Having said that, Cai Yong was the most important empress in Liu Bian's harem and the father of two Zhaoyi, needless to say. Tang Mao was slightly lacking in ability. In the past, after Chen Deng took office as the prefect of Minzhong, he reported to the emperor that Tang Mao, the then prefect of Kuaiji, had many corrupt officials under his rule and was unable to control them. After investigation, it was found to be true. After Tang Mao returned to Beijing, he was given a nominal position as a captain in the Northern Army, which was considered a high position for him.

As for Dong Cheng, he had always followed General Huoqi Dong Zhong, and his character was relatively the worst.

If Liu Bian lacks available talents, he can indeed use him. As for now, let Dong Cheng be promoted step by step.

Of course, the situation of Yuan Xin’s father Yuan Shu, who had been promoted to Jieyushi, was different.

Dong Heng did not take up too much of Liu Bian's time, especially since she had already told him her father's plan and received a response.

Not long after, when Liu Le felt a little sleepy in Liu Bian's arms, Dong Heng took him back to sleep.

Afterwards, Liu Bian went to visit Zhuolong Garden again when he was free, and unexpectedly met Mi Zhen here again.

Liu Bian was the first to ask, "Have you heard about your brother's situation in the Western Regions?"

Mi Zhen smiled and bowed, "I understand. Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern and for sending someone to inform me."

Liu Bian looked at Mi Zhen's appearance. She had lost some weight because Mi Fang had not returned on time. Recently, she was happy because she heard the news about Mi Fang from the Western Regions. This loss and gain actually made Mi Zhen more charming.

Liu Bian's appetite suddenly increased.

As the saying goes, "A few times on the pillow, two jades are inscribed, and every moment in the palace is worth ten thousand gold."

After a while, although it was still daytime, Liu Bian, who was already lying on the couch, asked Mi Zhen: "What does Zhen'er usually do?"

"I can do some knitting and sewing, and I often chat with the younger sister of the Zhen family..."

As they were talking, Liu Bian suddenly heard some noise outside the Ye Ting Palace where Mi Zhen lived.

"What's going on outside?" Liu Bian asked.

Soon a female official came to answer, "Originally, Concubine Zhen wanted to talk to Concubine Mi, but she didn't know Your Majesty was here, so she has left now."

Liu Bian laughed and said, "Since you are here, don't leave. Don't interrupt your sisterly chat because of me."

Mi Zhen opened her mouth slightly. She thought that Zhen Mi would be here soon, so she was about to get up and put on her clothes. When Liu Bian saw this, he did not stop her, but just watched quietly.

When Mi Zhen was dressed and ready to serve him, Liu Bian said, "I'm tired today. Let's rest here for a while."

Soon, Zhen Mi also came.

……

Liu Bian had a chance to relax for half a day, while Cao Cao, as a general trusted by the emperor, was welcomed even more warmly after returning to Xihe County. "I never thought you would be so fast. I arrived yesterday, and you are back today." Cao Cao said with a smile.

Zhang Ji also smiled and replied: "I have a plan to host a banquet for the general in my mind, how dare I delay?"

In order to win over Cao Cao, Zhang Ji did not invite anyone else. When Cao Cao arrived, after paying his respects, he turned slightly and introduced Cao Cao, saying, "This is my wife, Zou."

Cao Cao didn't pay much attention to it at first. He just heard that Zhang Ji had married a second wife two years ago, but he had never seen her.

After Zhang Ji introduced them, Zou bowed to Cao Cao softly, "I pay my respects to you, General!"

Hearing these gentle words, Cao Cao looked over and felt that Zou's eyebrows were as beautiful as a painting, and her waistline was exposed when she bowed to him...

"Husband, why do you have to stay at the door for so long? Come in quickly!"

Mrs. Ding's voice interrupted Cao Cao's reverie. Cao Cao reacted immediately. Seeing that no one noticed his gaffe, he immediately said, "There are no outsiders here today, so don't worry about these empty formalities."

Zhang Ji followed Cao Cao's words and invited him in. He continued, "That's right. My nephew Zhang Xiu had a close relationship with you in Luoyang in the past, and now they are helping you with the immigration to Youzhou."

"Come to think of it... My father also knows my situation. We are not destined to have children, so Xiu is like my son..."

Cao Cao smiled and replied, "It is good for the children to have a deep friendship." He glanced at Zou subconsciously, "However, as parents, we should also communicate more!"

"What you said is absolutely right!" Zhang Ji said happily. If Zhang Xiu could be valued and promoted by Cao Cao, he would have avoided many years of detours.

As Cao Cao was about to leave Bingzhou, he was happy to maintain friendly relations with the generals who would remain in Bingzhou.

Finally, after the banquet was over, Zhang Ji and his wife Zou saw off the drunk Cao Cao and his wife Ding. After saying goodbye, Cao Cao and his wife boarded the carriage for the return journey.

After walking for a while, Mrs. Ding first told the driver to find a secluded place to stop the carriage, and ordered the entourage to step back and not approach the carriage without being called. Then, she pushed Cao Cao, who was leaning against her and was drunk, aside without hesitation and asked, "My husband must have been reluctant to leave just now, right?"

When faced with this sudden change, Cao Cao sobered up immediately.

"Madam, why is this happening?" Cao Cao asked in surprise.

"Husband, don't you know it yourself?" asked Mrs. Ding.

Seeing that Cao Cao was still pretending to be confused due to his drunkenness, Mrs. Ding simply asked, "What was your husband thinking when he looked at Madam Zou today?"

Hearing Madam's words, Cao Cao had some charming thoughts in his mind uncontrollably, but they were immediately thrown out of his mind under Madam Ding's gaze - "Madam, you misunderstood me. How could I have such evil thoughts?"

As soon as Cao Cao finished speaking, he realized that he had said the wrong thing.

When he looked up, he saw Mrs. Ding looking at him with a sneer: "You really have evil thoughts!"

After hearing this, Cao Cao hated himself for drinking too much and having a bad head. He begged for mercy in the car: "Madam, I was dizzy just now and said the wrong thing. I hope you won't mind..."

"Did you say something wrong?" Mrs. Ding continued to question Cao Cao, "Then you kept visiting Madam Zou while drinking at the banquet. Was it because you felt dizzy and wanted to see Madam Zou to refresh yourself?"

Seeing that his wife was really angry, Cao Cao did not dare to argue for a moment.

He always respected the Ding family. When he went on a campaign, he sent his family to Luoyang, but the Ding family stayed behind to help him maintain personal connections with Xihe County and even Bingzhou.

But due to face, he was too embarrassed to admit that he had any improper thoughts about Zhang Ji's wife.

Seeing Cao Cao speechless, Mrs. Ding knew that she had stopped and did not continue to dig deeper. Instead, she changed her tone and said, "In the past, when my husband took concubines, I never complained. But this time, my husband really did something wrong."

"Perhaps you haven't noticed it yourself... Ever since you returned from serving as the General of the Western Expedition and suppressing the rebellion, you have already lost your sense of prudence in the face of the flattery from all levels of Xihe County."

"In the past, when my husband was thinking about making great achievements, no matter how beautiful Zou was, he would not have lingered on her. But what about now? Let's not talk about the fact that Zou is Zhang Ji's wife. Just talking about Zixiu, if something unspeakable happened, how would you let Zixiu face his fellow soldiers?"

Mrs. Ding said solemnly: "I have said all I can. I hope you will consider it carefully."

After saying this, Ding opened the carriage curtain, called the coachman and his entourage, and continued on her way back home.

Cao Cao was so drunk after being scolded by Ding, how could he still be drunk? After thinking for a long time, he recalled his arrogant behavior when he returned victoriously, and finally bowed to Ding in the carriage and said, "Thank you, Madam, for waking me up from my dream. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I would have made the same mistake again!"

Seeing Cao Cao's serious words, Ding knew that Cao Cao had realized his mistake, so she replied, "My husband and I are husband and wife, and we should work together."

Cao Cao heard this and knew that Ding had revealed the matter and would not mention it again. He said gratefully, "With a virtuous wife at home, what worries does a husband have?"

Soon the couple reconciled as before, as if the scene just now had never happened.

Mrs. Ding asked again, "There will be many banquets to be held next. How will my husband deal with them?"

Cao Cao held his aching head, thought for a while and then said, "I was ordered to lead the army back. Now the army has returned to the local area. The rewards for the battle will be distributed somewhere. Now my wife and I should travel light and go to the capital to pay homage to the emperor."

"Listen to your husband... Don't worry, it's okay to leave now. My family's friendship with everyone remains the same. As for Zhang Ji, you just need to announce to the public that your husband is attending the banquet because of the promise he made." Seeing that Cao Cao got rid of his previous arrogance in a short period of time, Mrs. Ding made the suggestion she had thought of long ago.

"Just listen to what my lady says!" Cao Cao agreed readily.

In fact, even if there was no incident with Zou, she would have found a suitable opportunity to persuade Cao Cao.

Both Cao Cao and Ding were very proactive. Their other family members had already been in Luoyang. The next day, they left gifts for the families they had dealings with and left without waiting for anyone to see them off.

Headed straight to Luoyang.

The only people who knew the time of Cao Cao's departure were Qiangqu's family, because Cao Cao took Qiangqu's eldest grandson Luandibao away as promised.

On the way, one day, Cao Cao suddenly had a dream. He dreamed that his eldest son Cao Ang turned against him because of his affair with Zou.

After waking up, he felt that his wife's reminder was timely and he respected Ding even more.

(End of this chapter)