Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 143: Empress He's Urging for Marriage!

It seemed that things should have ended there, and Empress He and Zhu Miao should have been preparing to leave. However, Empress He remained unmoved, slightly raising her head, her eyes revealing a thoughtful expression.

Her fair, jade-like fingers tapped gently on the armrest of the chair, making a rhythmic sound. This gesture even made Zhu Miao hesitate about whether to leave first.

Feeling the just-right pressure on her shoulders, Empress He narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly, a lazy look appearing on her face, as if she were exuding a comfortable aura. Her voice was soft and sweet as she parted her lips and said, "Speaking of which, just now Bian'er asked Mother to keep an eye out for daughters of the imperial clan for Xu Zhongkang. What about Bian'er herself?"

As she spoke, Empress He's lips curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile, and her gaze, filled with inquiry, looked directly at Liu Bian.

Upon hearing this, alarm bells rang in Liu Bian's mind, his hands froze, and a look of astonishment flashed across his face.

In my past life, I was pressured to get married, and in this life, at only fourteen years old (by Chinese reckoning), I'm already being pressured to get married.
Liu Bian's lips parted slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but he ultimately chose to remain silent, though his brows furrowed involuntarily.

Seeing the Crown Prince's humiliation, Zhu Miao, whose face was tense, almost couldn't help but burst out laughing.

On such a private topic, Zhu Miao was still able to speak as the uncle. He leaned forward slightly, a sly smile on his face, and teased, "Has the Crown Prince not yet tasted the flesh? I have several beautiful maids in my household who have been raised since childhood and are still virgins. If the Crown Prince is interested, hehe... I will send someone to Yong'an Palace later."

After speaking, Zhu Miao winked at the Crown Prince, his smile becoming increasingly meaningful.

"Pooh!"

Empress He turned her head sharply to look at the unruly Zhu Miao, who dared to say such nonsense in front of her and the Crown Prince. Her face flushed slightly, and a hint of anger flashed in her eyes. She spat at him and said, "I was advising Bian'er that even if he doesn't take a Crown Princess, he should at least take a few Crown Prince's children or family members into the palace to continue the royal lineage. What nonsense are you spouting?"

Zhu Miao chuckled awkwardly, but exchanged a glance with the Crown Prince. Their eyes met in mid-air, and then Liu Bian coughed lightly and looked away. The man's thoughts were unspoken.

It seems he still has to send these beautiful maids, whom he raised from childhood, to the Crown Prince's residence.

Empress He naturally noticed the subtle exchange of glances between her son and her second brother. She slapped Liu Bian's hand in annoyance and said, "Your father took me into the palace when you were your age. I'm only in the third batch to enter the palace. If it weren't for the treacherous nature of the palace, would you have become the eldest son of the legitimate wife?"

"As for when I conceived you, your father was only one year older than you are now." Seeing that Liu Bian did not respond, Empress He turned to Liu Bian and glared at him, placing his heel in front of her face and saying, "I am not joking with you. The matter of continuing the imperial line is of utmost urgency!"

Liu Bian rubbed his temples, feeling that the rhetoric used to urge marriage was pretty much the same in every era.

But he also understood that what Empress He said made sense.

The continuation of the imperial lineage is indeed an urgent matter for the imperial family. It can further consolidate the loyalty of the Crown Prince's faction and the officials in the Crown Prince's palace, and is of great benefit to the stability of the court.

Besides, he was no longer a barefoot man. Although these things were still too far off, he did not want to hand over the throne to a collateral branch in the future.

Who knows, that collateral emperor might have lavishly posthumously honored his father and grandfather, only to have his descendants remove him from the Imperial Ancestral Temple a generation or two later.

Liu Bian hesitated for a moment, then slowly raised his head, meeting Empress He's gaze, and said, "Currently, there are rebels plotting rebellion in Liangzhou, Bingzhou, and Taishan County. Taking a Crown Princess is certainly inappropriate; it would be too costly and also untimely." The Crown Prince's harem is divided into four ranks. The first rank is naturally the Crown Princess, who is responsible for managing the Crown Prince's harem. The second rank is the Crown Prince's Consort, who assists the Crown Princess in managing the harem and is often granted a title based on her virtue or family background.

The third class consisted of daughters of ordinary officials or noble families, who, despite their low status, still had a clear title. The fourth class consisted of concubines called "family members," who were not officially titled servants in the Crown Prince's harem.

"It is not appropriate to take a concubine of the Crown Prince. It would be better to take a son of the Crown Prince or a few sons of the household servants first." After a moment of contemplation, Liu Bian gave Empress He a clear response.

When Empress He saw that Liu Bian had finally compromised, her beautiful eyes brightened slightly, and her slightly furrowed brows relaxed instantly, revealing a relieved smile.

Even if it's just taking in the crown prince's son or a member of the family first, it's still a good start.

Once her son has tasted the pleasures of love between men and women, he will surely crave it and there will be no further obstacles. However, Empress He still refused to give in, and waved three fingers in the air, saying, "Three young princes."

"Mother is so insistent on the number three, could it be that you already have a suitable candidate?" Suddenly, Liu Bian seemed to remember something, pursed his lips, and said, "The women from the Ma family of Fufeng, the Deng family of Nanyang, the Yin family of Nanyang, the Yan family of Henan, the Liang family of Anding, and the Dou family of Fufeng are absolutely untouchable."

Empress He was taken aback. The families Liu Bian mentioned were all prominent clans of the Han Dynasty. For example, the Yin family of Nanyang was the clan of Empress Yin, whom Emperor Guangwu once said should be "a high-ranking official like the Commander of the Imperial Guards, and a wife like Yin Lihua." She had originally intended to find a woman from the Yin family of Nanyang for her son to enter the palace.

As an empress, she had also read many records of the imperial harem. She felt that the names of these families were somewhat familiar. At first, she thought it was just because they were famous families and did not think much of it. But at this moment, she suddenly realized that these families seemed to have produced empresses during the Later Han Dynasty.

However, the reputations of these empresses... apart from Empress Guanglie Yin of Emperor Guangwu and Empress Shunlie Liang of Emperor Xiaoshun, the others could not be described as infamous, but rather as notorious, and their infamy was stained with blood.

Empress He frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Bian'er, so many generations have passed, there should be no problem, right?"

However, although Empress He was refuting Liu Bian's intentions, she bit her lip slightly when she said this, and there was a hint of uncertainty in her eyes. Moreover, even Zhu Miao could clearly hear the lack of confidence in her words.

Liu Bian smiled wryly, sighed slightly, and cited a prime example of what not to do, saying, "Empress Dowager, think of Empress Zhangde Dou, the wife of Emperor Xiaozhang. She executed four consorts, including the two Song consorts and the two Liang consorts, and even dragged down their patrons, Empress Dowager Mingde and Princess Wuyin..."

Upon hearing this, Empress He's delicate body trembled, her languid demeanor vanished, and she unconsciously gripped the armrests of the armchair, a sense of fear rising in her heart.

She had no intention of following in the footsteps of Empress Dowager Ma of the Mingde era. Moreover, Empress Dou of the Zhangde era not only carried out massacres in the palace, but also openly had an affair with the Chamberlain Guo Ju. When Emperor Xiaozhang discovered this, she not only showed no fear, but instead drew her sword to threaten Emperor Xiaozhang. Not long after, Emperor Xiaozhang suddenly passed away.

Thinking of this, a look of lingering fear appeared on Empress He's face.

Seeing that Empress He seemed to understand his fear, Liu Bian quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

For example, when a certain big-eared man was in Jingzhou, he had a maidservant with a knife who was loyal to Sun Shangxiang in his inner courtyard. Even Zhuge Liang couldn't help but sigh at the dangerous situation that big-eared man was in, and said, "When our lord was in Gong'an, he feared the strength of Cao Cao in the north, was afraid of the pressure from Sun Quan in the east, and was also afraid that Lady Sun would cause trouble under his nose."

He was genuinely afraid. Even though these daughters no longer had the powerful maternal clans to rely on as they did during the reigns of past emperors, he was still worried that his harem would become a "battleground" in the truest sense.

The five schools of the Northern Army and the Tiger Guards could guard against the treasonous plots of treacherous officials and rebels, but they could not guard against the troubles right under their noses!
(End of this chapter)