Only after the rebellion succeeded did they realize that this place was...

Liu Hong smiled and looked up.

The eunuch felt his heart skip a beat, and the smile he had just shown froze instantly. He quickly slapped himself and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I misspoke. I deserve to be punished, I really deserve to be punished."

"continue!"

Liu Hong's indifferent voice rang out.

The chief eunuch then smiled again, his burning emotions returning to normal.

"Firstly, it would allow His Majesty to have more close associates."

"The lady-in-chief who was originally in charge of all matters in the palace can no longer continue to perform her duties."

"Secondly, although I have only accompanied His Majesty into this capital city for a short time, I have heard some news from the Imperial City Guard about the inner quarters of the Sheng family. It is said that the eldest daughter of the Sheng family, Miss Hualan, is having an affair with a man outside the family. Even their old letters have been dug up."

"I'm afraid that Hua Lan's life in the Sheng family won't be easy from now on."

"It is not yet time to establish a concubine or empress."

Liu Hong refocused his attention on the memorials on the jade table in front of him.

Although he had not yet arrived in Tokyo, his army had already entered the city, and apart from the imperial city, all sorts of affairs in Tokyo had already piled up like mountains.

Generals can handle ordinary matters, but some are extremely important, such as the placement of the royal family, the concubines in the palace, and the handling of all royal relatives and clansmen.

There were even prisoners, the commanders of the palace guards, and the tens of thousands of troops protecting the city of Tokyo.

Each of these matters required the approval of Emperor Liu Hong; otherwise, even Geng Jie, the Grand Commander who nominally held military power, would not dare to do such a thing.

"Regarding the palace servants, we can temporarily establish the Inner Court Affairs Department, appoint three assistant ladies, and invite them to enter this palace to handle affairs between superiors and subordinates. This can also temporarily appease the people of various places in the old capital city."

"Our new Han dynasty has only been established for a short time, and the people are inevitably suffering. Those who are loyal to our new Han dynasty should be used appropriately so as to stabilize the country and the people's livelihood."

"As for this young lady from the Sheng family..."

Liu Hongyan said no more after that.

The eunuch's eyes brightened slightly, and a smile appeared on his lips.

He then knew.

His Majesty still cares about that pen pal.

"With the establishment of a concubine and empress, the Sheng family's future prospects are bright!"

With these matters on his mind, the head eunuch still respectfully replied, "This servant obeys the decree."

After the other party left, Liu Hong paused slightly as he flipped through the memorials on his desk, a faint glint of light appearing in his deep eyes.

"Where can the Prince of Yan and the Prince of Yong escape to?"

"A grasshopper in autumn can't hop around for long."

……

Outside Tokyo.

The two groups of men, led by the Prince of Yan and the Prince of Yong, resembled stray dogs, yet they seemed to have made a pre-arranged agreement to all come together in one place.

It was just past noon, and the sun was high in the sky.

These two former mortal enemies abandoned their families and led their elite troops to seize the opportunity presented by Liu Hong and other officials of the new Han dynasty to break through the encirclement with great difficulty.

Even so, looking back, the two sides combined numbered no more than a thousand men, not to mention the meager possessions they carried.

If they don't find a way out, and with pursuers closing in, they'll probably have to sit and wait to die, squandering their wealth until they're gone.

"My father has surrendered and has been granted the title of 'Marquis of Obedience,' which is meant to emulate the title given by Emperor Taizu of Song to the deposed emperor of the Later Tang Dynasty. However, this traitor has completely copied it, which is utterly hateful."

The Prince of Yan was clad in light armor, his small face and eyes radiating a hint of hatred. Holding the reins, he was no different from an ordinary military general, yet he still possessed a touch of the majesty of a superior.

"Prince Yong, where do you intend to go now?"

The Prince of Yan asked another question, while his suspicious gaze also fell upon his royal brother.

Compared to the Prince of Yan, the Prince of Yong was once favored by civil officials in the capital city of Dongjing. He was usually respectful of etiquette and had a slightly better reputation among his clan than the Prince of Yan.

When asked this question, I was somewhat prepared, but mostly I felt a bitter smile and helplessness.

The only chance for them to survive is to unite as one.

If they continue to be enemies at this time, they will surely be annihilated by the Xin Han army, leaving no survivors and not even bones.

"Lingzhou Land".

Prince Yong spoke slowly.

The Prince of Yan nodded, and rarely stroked his two beards, a fierce fighting spirit flashing in his eyes: "Then I will go to Chuzhou, and the two of us can protect each other."

"After all, back when the Xin Han army was about to reach Dongjing City, I left behind a lot of contingency plans in Chuzhou. Now I can make a comeback here, and I'm afraid you are doing the same."

The Prince of Yong remained silent, but the Prince of Yan had almost guessed the truth.

After a long while, the Prince of Yan felt the exhaustion in his body and the emptiness in his heart slowly came over him. He thought of his family and relatives in the capital city of Tokyo.

"Now that we two have escaped alive, the families in this mansion will likely be harmed by that false emperor Liu Hong and his traitorous subordinates."

"Womanly compassion."

The Prince of Yan scoffed at this, his face radiating ruthlessness and a determination to reclaim his Song Dynasty's foundation. "How could my mighty Song Dynasty be so easily taken away by this brat from the new Han Dynasty? It's only because the military preparedness of the capital city of Kaifeng has been neglected for many years, and because my father surrendered so easily, that the outcome would still be uncertain."

"Although the new Han dynasty has captured Tokyo and seems to have established a foothold, don't forget that there are still many troops here, as well as the support of other countries, and even the Duke of England who has not yet made a statement."

"This is enough to give us a chance to make a comeback."

"Well... that's all we can do."

Prince Yong turned back and looked longingly at the now completely vanished capital city of Tokyo. Then, he made a ruthless decision and decisively led his troops to split up.

He went to the Lingzhou he had previously designated.

In the blink of an eye, the two groups of people had disappeared from the official road.

……

At that time, although the civil and military officials had just finished their court session, they had only recently left the palace.

The crowd gathered in small groups, but dared not make a sound. Eight or nine out of ten people sat in carriages and palanquins, and by lifting the curtains and looking out, they could vaguely see the new Han army that had taken over the capital city and the capital city of Tokyo.

His soldiers moved through the streets and alleys, creating a large flow of people. The locals, however, were used to it and seemed to feel no fear whatsoever.

Upon seeing this, Sheng Hong, who had just been appointed as the Vice Minister of War, hesitated to speak.

Whenever there is a transition between the old and the new, the people are usually killed or wounded. But the new Han dynasty was strange; it did not commit any offenses against the people in any place it visited.

It was precisely because of this that the people of various cities gradually came to their aid, so when the city of Tokyo was attacked again, the people of the city helped a great deal of the people. As a result, the city of Tokyo was easily captured by the Xin Han army in just three days.

Even though Sheng Hong has now accepted the fact of the change of dynasty from the bottom of his heart, and he is now an official of the new dynasty, he still looks at the completely new scene outside, which seems to be the same as before, but has also changed.

Yet, my heart was still filled with mixed feelings.

"My lord! Look! Isn't that the direction leading to the Prince of Yong's residence? Why is it all covered in white?"

Suddenly, Sheng Hong stopped the carriage.

Even though he was cautious by nature, he now felt a sense of belonging to the new Han dynasty. In addition, having achieved great success, he was not so indifferent and motionless as to shrink into the carriage.

In the blink of an eye, he and his superior, who was the prefect of Yangzhou back then and now held the important position of Minister of Revenue, arrived at the gate of the Prince of Yong's mansion.

Upon closer inspection, the former royal palace has now been completely ransacked.

The mansion gates were wide open, and the servants and maids inside were all being watched over by groups of soldiers, while officials went to count them one by one.

Among them, the most miserable were the servants.

After all, he was originally a private slave in the household, and he had signed a contract of servitude. Now he has simply changed from the master of the Prince Yong's mansion to another master.

If one encounters a kind-hearted person, life might not be worse than living in the Prince Yong's mansion.

Even maids were divided into different ranks.

On the contrary, it was the once high and mighty Princess Yong of the Yong Prince's Mansion, and her daughter.

Princess Jiacheng, who was considered a noblewoman from a high-ranking family in Tokyo, was in a precarious situation.

"My lords, what is the matter?"

Officials from the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau) came forward to pay their respects.

"She was, after all, a noble lady from the family in the past..."

Sheng Hong asked.

"You jest, sir."

The official replied, "His Majesty has already issued an edict that the Prince of Yong and the Prince of Yan have escaped, causing countless casualties to our Xin Han army. Even the Grand Commander has been punished outside the Chui Gong Hall."

"How dare we, as lowly officials, disobey His Majesty's will? We will certainly send this noble lady to the Guangyuntai of the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau)."

"My lords, I have other matters to attend to, so I will not linger any longer."

The people from the Jiaofangsi spoke up again.

This time, Sheng Hong and Minister Xu of the Ministry of Rites, who was standing next to him, could no longer stop them and had to make way for them.

As Sheng Hong was lamenting, the once magnificent Prince Yong's mansion had suddenly fallen into such a dilapidated state.

Even the Prince of Yong's residence is like this.

His small Sheng family is only just beginning to gain power. If they offend the current emperor, what will happen to them...?

Sheng Hong dared not think about it further.

Suddenly, Sheng Hong felt his sleeve being tugged.

"Ming Gong."

Sheng Hong said in a low voice.

"Hurry up and leave, don't get involved with the people from the Prince of Yong's mansion. If people say something and you get into trouble, it'll be hard to stop the gossip in public."

"Now is the time for us former officials of Yangzhou to make a difference in this new dynasty. We must not let this treason ruin our reputation and future."

"Besides... could it be that Brother Hong, you have some past connection with the Prince of Yong's residence?"

Xu Lang, the Minister of Rites, looked at Sheng Hong.

Sheng Hong shook his head repeatedly, his head shaking rapidly, and replied with a look of fear, "You jest, sir. How could I dare?"

"Although I have been transferred to the capital, I was previously just a lowly sixth-rank official, hardly qualified for high office in the capital. How could I possibly have any connection with this Prince's residence?"

Xu Lang nodded softly.

The two then boarded a carriage and quickly drove away from the area.

……

Before long, Sheng Hong first escorted Xu Lang home, and then the Sheng family's carriage finally headed back.

Upon arriving at the inner quarters, Sheng Hong's eyes were glazed over, yet he continued to mutter, "A perfectly good Yongwang Mansion, a perfectly good prince..."

Sheng Hong's return immediately attracted the attention of everyone in the family.

"My lord is back. His arms are fine, his legs are fine, his body is fine, he's fine in every way."

Wang Ruofu rushed out of Weirui Pavilion and kept checking Sheng Hong's body. Seeing that everything was safe and sound, her heart, which had been hanging in suspense at home, finally settled down.

"Honglang, Honglang."

Sheng Hong just came to his senses.

A moment later, another soft voice filled with worry rang out.

Lin Qinshuang, dressed in plain clothes, her rouge-covered face showing a hint of worry, arrived quickly with her son and daughter behind her: "I'm relieved that Honglang is alright."

"My lord, you have no idea that ever since you left the Sheng family to welcome the new emperor at the imperial city gates, my heart has never been at ease..."

Lin Qinshuang continued talking, looking very worried, but Sheng Hong had no time for such things.

Coming to his senses, he recalled the scenes in the palace and the Yongwang Mansion on the street, and his heart was filled with anxiety.

He flicked his sleeve and said directly, "Let's go to Shou'an Hall first and see Mother."

……

Inside Shou'an Hall.

The matriarch of the Sheng family came from the Yongyi Marquis's mansion.

However, because of the Marquis's mansion of the past, which wanted to arrange for their daughter to marry Sheng Hong, who had made it through the imperial examinations, the old lady was unwilling and instead chose Wang Ruofu, the legitimate daughter of the Wang family.

Soon after, she developed a rift with her family.

Now, many years have passed since they last contacted each other.

However, within the Sheng family, the old lady's position is particularly secure, especially within the inner quarters. Even the decision to manage the household is mostly made by her alone.

Even Lian Shenghong, because filial piety was the most important virtue in ancient times, treated this old lady with great respect.

Even the current prosperity of the Sheng family owes a great deal to the efforts of Old Madam Sheng.

Upon arriving at this place, Sheng Hong no longer made excuses or concealed anything, and told the whole story of what he had seen and heard outside the Sheng family that day.

"My lord has become the Vice Minister of War, a third-rank official. This is a good thing, a great joy that brings glory to my Sheng family."

Upon learning that Sheng Hong had once again risen to prominence, Lin Qinshuang was overjoyed, her face glowing with happiness, but she completely overlooked Sheng Hong's thoughts at that moment.

"You ignorant fool. The old lady hasn't even spoken yet, so shut up."

Sheng Hong was secretly annoyed and immediately rebuked him.

Lin Qinshuang's previous cheerful expression quickly disappeared as she lowered her head.

Wang Ruofu was delighted when he saw this.

That bitch.

It's impossible for things to always go your way and let you get away with it.

"Madam, the current emperor was born in Guangling, Yangzhou, and rose to power in Yangzhou, which is why he has been very supportive of the former officials from Yangzhou."

"It's not just my son. The former prefect is now the Minister of Revenue; and that Scholar Zhuang, though he's in this capital city, has long been an official in Jinling; and Old Master Fan of Lotus Manor, though he's quite old, has also obtained a leisurely official position, which adds to his air of nobility."

"It is because the new dynasty has not yet completely pacified the four directions, so no titles will be conferred for the time being. Otherwise, I might have been able to obtain one myself."

"What does Mother think?"

Sheng Hong was raised by this old lady of the Sheng family since he was a child. Although she was not his biological mother, there was still a bond between them, so it was perfectly reasonable for her to call him "mother".