I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 3 is huge!

How is this possible?
I want Lu Xun to treat me as his lord, not as his father!

Liu Miao quickly refused: "I am not yet married, how can I possibly take a concubine first?"

"That's wrong!"

Some of the more curious guests smiled knowingly, their eyes revealing a strange undertone beneath the ambiguous look.

"Governor Liu is already of advanced age, how can he not have a family?"

"However, Your Excellency is, after all, a member of the Han imperial family. To marry a principal wife would require her to be registered in the Imperial Clan Register and to prepare for the six rites of marriage, which is by no means something that can be accomplished in a short time. In that case, it would be better to take a concubine first and then make plans for the future."

Under normal circumstances, a man must marry a wife first and then take a concubine.

If one takes a concubine first, he will most likely be criticized by the world.

But as the saying goes, special cases require special handling.

Liu Miao's three periods of mourning for his parents coincided perfectly, leaving him no time to marry, and he was also somewhat older than usual. Taking a concubine first wouldn't have been inappropriate.

Hearing the commotion from the guests, Liu Miao was about to continue declining, and even prepared to utter Huo Qubing's grand words, "How can I have a home when the Xiongnu have not been destroyed?" However, looking at the eyes of these famous scholars from Huainan, Liu Miao suddenly realized something was wrong!
Taking a concubine is a trivial matter.

Such things are easily mentioned casually at banquets, and everyone just lets them go as a joke. Why are these famous scholars so eager to discuss them?
Liu Miao then realized that he had made a foolish mistake.

Do you really think these famous scholars from Huainan are all benevolent matchmakers who want to bring everyone together?
What is Liu Miao's current status?
Prefect of Jiujiang, Yangzhou!

Even though this title was merely a castle in the air and he didn't hold any real power, he was still one of the top figures in Yangzhou and a true high-ranking official!

In that case, how could they not win over these Jiangdong scholars?
No, it's not just about winning people over!
Liu Miao suddenly recalled some interesting stories from the Three Kingdoms period.

Later generations often used the saying "Cao Wei loved other men's wives, Shu Han had many comrades" to tease Cao Cao and Liu Bei.

But everyone forgets that no matter how much Cao Cao loved other men's wives, he never treated them as his principal wives.

However, after Liu Bei entered Shu, he immediately married Wu, the younger sister of Wu Yi, the widow of Liu Mao, and the widowed sister-in-law of Liu Zhang, and made her empress, who became Empress Mu of Han.

This clearly does not mean that Liu Bei loved other men's wives more than Cao Cao's family.

Simply because Liu Bei, as an outsider, entered Yizhou and needed to form marriage alliances with local powerful clans in order to stabilize the people's hearts and bring peace to Shu!
Liu Miao immediately felt a sense of empathy for Liu Bei at that time!

Isn't this moment just like that moment back then?

As a leader parachuted in, Liu Miao was being tested by these prominent figures from Huainan and the officials behind him, who were trying to gauge whether he would cooperate with the local gentry.

If Liu Miao had directly refused, it might have seemed like he was only refusing to take a concubine, but in reality, he was refusing the entire Jiangdong gentry and his own future!

……

Liu Miao remembered a familiar line from a certain animated film from later generations—

"We must use magic to fight magic!"

The same reason.

In the Later Han Dynasty, only the aristocratic clans could stand against them!

If he refused the gentry, even if his fate was relatively good, he would probably end up like Liu Bei, wandering from place to place and becoming a mere figurehead among the various warlords; if his fate was bad, he would either be betrayed by his subordinates like Lü Bu, or be inexplicably assassinated like Sun Ce.

Upon realizing this, Liu Miao broke out in a cold sweat! Luckily, he had come to his senses in time! Otherwise, he might have suffered a great loss!
Liu Miao had a fairly clear understanding of himself.

In terms of personal bravery, can I compare to Lü Bu, the Marquis of Wen, who fought his way from the Han-Xiongnu border to the central government of the Han Dynasty?
In terms of military strategy, can I compare to Sun Ce, who conquered Jiangdong and established the Sun Wu dynasty in just three years?

In terms of personal charisma, can I compare to Liu Bei, who was admired and praised by the world wherever he went?
Even they who break the rules will fail miserably, let alone an ordinary transmigrator like myself?

Seeing that Liu Miao was slow to respond, Lu Kang and the other guests thought the matter was over, and their initial enthusiasm for Liu Miao gradually turned cold. Some scholars even stopped being obsequious and arrogant in their company, instead finding seats behind the couch to sit in twos and threes and chat about other things, no longer treating Liu Miao as an honored guest.

Seeing everyone's reaction, Liu Miao's heart skipped a beat!
My guess was right!

Lu Kang's sudden mention of taking a concubine just now clearly wasn't so simple in its purpose!

What should I do? Should I suddenly back out now?

"Mom, why are you here?"

Just as Liu Miao was pondering how to turn his life around, Lu Yi, who was the source of this concubine-taking turmoil but had been ignored all along, suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

“My brother just said that there are distinguished guests in the front hall and asked me to go out and pay my respects.”

A clear and gentle female voice came from inside.

Liu Miao looked in the direction of the sound and saw a beautiful woman, about twenty years old, dressed in a flowing robe, walking gracefully out.

The wide cuffs were trimmed with crimson brocade with cloud patterns, and the layers of the garment flowed and meandered like water. A black silk sash was tied at the waist, adorned with a white jade pendant. Her black hair was styled into a high, cloud-like bun, her earrings were bright moon-shaped, and a red gold dragon-patterned necklace adorned her neck. On her wrists were two bracelets made of lapis lazuli and agate, which accentuated her fair and delicate wrists, making them appear as white as snow!
The key is……

Big!
Great!

Very big!
Liu Miao's gaze lingered on Lu's chest, unable to look away.

What a big piece of gold!
Liu Miao couldn't imagine how many soldiers he could recruit if he sold the crimson gold dragon necklace around his neck!
This is hardly the widow of the Lu family! This is clearly the foundation upon which Liu Miao built his empire in this chaotic world!

Not to mention, not only did they give away a five-star general like Lu Xun as their son, but they also helped them win the friendship of the entire Jiangdong gentry!
This woman! I'm going to marry her!
Liu Miao, who had been refusing, suddenly stood up and tapped his cup, his face flushing slightly.

"Great!"

"The reeds are green and lush, the white dew is like frost; the one I long for is on the other side of the water!"

The Book of Songs, "Reeds and Rushes"!
Before Sima Xiangru wrote "The Phoenix Seeks Its Mate," it was the most famous courtship poem in the world!
Even so, reciting this poem in public is still a bit too unrestrained!
It was obvious from the eyes of all the guests—

Lord Liu, I thought you were a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty who cared about the country and its people, but I never expected you to be so wild after seeing a beautiful woman.
We agreed that we couldn't indulge in singing and dancing because the country was in crisis. Why are you singing now?
Could it be that this Magistrate Liu is actually a scoundrel?
Even the Lu family, who had just arrived, were shocked by Liu Miao's sudden courtship behavior, their beautiful eyes blinking repeatedly.

My feelings, which had been dormant and dry for years, suddenly became moist at this moment!

------

Note 1:

[Initially, Emperor Gaozu intended to marry Xun to the eldest daughter of Situ Feng Dan, but because she was young, he waited until she was older. He first betrothed the daughters of Liu Changwen of Pengcheng and Zheng Yi of Xingyang as his concubines – *Book of Wei*]. Here, "concubines" refers to secondary wives or concubines. While the ancient custom was to marry a wife first and then take a concubine, there were exceptions.

Note 2:

On the day of Xin Si in the fifth month, Empress Wu was established—the younger sister of Wu Yi, and the wife of Liu Zhang's elder brother, Mao. (From *Huayang Guozhi*, Volume Six)

　Hmm... Some words or paragraphs in the synopsis and earlier parts have been censored. I'll try to fix them. The update schedule for this book will remain the same; before it goes on sale, I'll still release one chapter at noon and one at 6 PM.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)