Liu Xuande would never be a succubus of the Eastern Han Dynasty!

He turned to the window, opened his eyes, and looked outside into the night wind.

In the distance, the figures of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were faintly visible, one as cold and arrogant as ice, the other as delicate and pretty as a flower, and they were walking towards the wine with their shoulders straightened.

"Thank you for your hard work, my two sisters."

Liu Bei muttered to himself, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing a rare gentle smile.

As the night deepened, the lights in Zhuo County were still flickering. No one knew that this small town had another bloody legend tonight.

The owner of the tavern would also keep the matter to himself out of "human relations".

Brief Introduction: New Year: Chapter 20: Conferring a Marquisate

After Chen Yuan and the Chen Mansion were dealt with, Liu Bei's men also began to finish the work.

First of all, under Liu Bei's arrangement, all the real estate, assets and taverns under the name of the Chen family were confiscated by the government.

Then the government opened the tavern and recruited common people to work for it, implementing a system of old employees mentoring new employees and providing food and accommodation.

In addition, all the merchants who once owed Liu Bei favors quietly chose to lower their prices after seeing the complete destruction of the Chen family.

Afterwards, Liu Bei burned all the letters between the Chen family and other people in front of everyone to show that he would no longer pursue the matter.

With Liu Bei's return, the entire Zhuo County once again became prosperous.

Although vendors do not earn much locally, they can get security that cannot be found elsewhere, as well as start-up capital and even manpower needs.

And in this era of hunger, the common people could drink good wine every now and then, and even eat meat soup.

Everyone is praising Liu Bei's virtue.

But if there are people cheering for him, there will definitely be people who want to kill him.

The local noble families in Zhuo County had already exaggerated everything that happened here and sent it to the imperial court, and even spent a lot of money to bribe a considerable number of people.

The "letters of accusation" against Liu Bei piled up in front of the emperor like a mountain.

In addition to Zhuo County, there are also people from Yangzhou.

There is no doubt that these people exaggerated in their letters, saying that Liu Bei had ulterior motives and intended to do something illegal. Some even reported that he had set his sights on planting mulberry trees as a child and that he killed people without restraint.

In short, the more unpleasant it sounds, the better.

Emperor Liu Hong of Han glanced around the hall and slowly asked, "My dear ministers, what do you think of this?"

Her eyes were bloodshot at this moment, filled with madness, but were forcibly suppressed by a bit of rationality.

As early as when Liu Bei was in Luoyang, he somehow obtained the Chixiao fragment in the emperor's body, which awakened the latter from his madness and pain.

But within a few months, the Emperor's body was once again filled with the fragments of Chixiao, and his eyes began to be filled with madness again.

"I dare to say that Liu Bei is extremely evil and should be beheaded immediately!"

"fart!"

"Xuan De had been in Yangzhou for only a few months when he quelled the rebellions of the barbarians, bandits, and Mohists. This was a remarkable military achievement. Moreover, whether he was in Shouchun County, Youquan County, or Zhuo County, he impressed the people and brought about great peace."

"Besides, he hasn't even reached adulthood yet! This shows that this person must be a man of extraordinary talent. If anyone can stabilize the four directions, annihilate the traitors, and save the country and the people in the future, it must be this person!"

"You're the one who's farting!"

The Yang family glared at the speaker and snorted coldly, "Since the founding of the Han Dynasty, generations have adhered to the ancestral system, which is why we have today's prosperity. This kid has repeatedly violated Han law and is truly a perverse person!"

"Hey, you old bastard..."

"Cough cough cough..."

The emperor raised his hand impatiently. The eunuch beside him saw this and immediately shouted, "My dear ministers, please be quiet!"

Upon hearing this, although the court officials still wanted to continue arguing, since this was in front of the emperor after all, they all remained silent out of respect.

They all held high positions and great power, and perhaps a few of them had ulterior motives, but they would never dare to act rashly in front of the emperor.

After all, it doesn’t matter what you do behind the scenes, but if you act in a disobedient manner in front of the emperor, he will order his men to chop you to death on the spot. Who will be held responsible then?

No matter how big the family behind you is, as long as the family is still named Liu, you still need to save face when doing things.

"I am aware of your patriotic feelings."

The Han Emperor nodded, then issued the final decision: "Although Liu Xuande possesses extraordinary abilities, he is still a citizen of the Han Dynasty and must abide by the laws of the Han Dynasty."

"Eunuch Cao, thank you for taking the trouble to go to Zhuo County and convey my instructions to Liu Xuande."

"Punish him by confining him to his room for three months, deducting half a month's salary, and making him copy Chinese laws. Let him put down the fire for a while."

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

Someone immediately bowed respectfully.

But soon, they stopped laughing.

The Han Emperor continued, "The punishment has been imposed. Considering that he is indeed a descendant of a branch of our Liu family and possesses extraordinary talent, I will allow him to return to his ancestral home and be incorporated into the Liu clan."

"???"

Upon hearing this, all the ministers were dumbfounded.

Everyone thought that the former was a light punishment, but the reward that followed was too exaggerated!

You let a 'relative' who has no connection with you at all regain the status of a relative of the Han Dynasty. Is there such a ridiculous thing in the world?

Maybe there is, but it comes from the people, and there is no reason for it to come from the royal family.

Now, whether they liked or hated Liu Bei, they all shook their heads at the same time: "Your Majesty, this is absolutely not possible. It has never been heard of before!"

"Oh?"

The Han Emperor seemed to enjoy the excitement and asked with great interest, "Is it really not possible?"

"No, really not!"

"OK then."

The Han Emperor shrugged somewhat disappointedly, but then said, "But this man is both civil and military, and has the potential to revive the family tradition. Let's restore his ancestral title and make him the King of Zhongshan!"

"???"

You bastard, it would be better to join the Liu clan and give it an empty title!

"Your Majesty, no."

"This is absolutely unacceptable, Your Majesty!"

"Oh?"

The Han Emperor raised his eyebrows, somewhat displeased. "I just said that he should be allowed to return to his clan, but you gentlemen disagreed. I said that he should inherit his ancestor's title, but you gentlemen also disagreed. What exactly does this mean?"

She was not alone in the court, and someone immediately suggested:

"When Emperor Taizu (Liu Bang) founded the country, he cut off a white horse and made a pact with his ministers: Anyone who is not a member of the Liu family and is appointed king by the emperor, or anyone who is not meritorious and is appointed marquis by the emperor, will be attacked and executed by the whole world."

"Now Liu Xuande has military merits and his ancestral family is the Liu family. Although he cannot be a king, he can certainly be a marquis!"

"???"

Where did you run from?

Just as the ministers were still somewhat bewildered, the Han Emperor, who was sitting above, clapped his hands and said, "Well said. Then let us follow your advice, my dear minister. I will grant Liu Xuande the title of Marquis of Guannei, and reward him with a fief of 300 households and 100 kilograms of gold."

"I am tired, let's adjourn the court."

The ministers finally realized that the emperor was playing a double game to trick them...

But actually it’s not so bad, at least it’s not a real marquis, but it’s still acceptable.

Anyway, no matter what, Liu Xuande is just one person. Even if he becomes really powerful in the future, they have plenty of ways to curb him.

-

Zhuo County.

After meeting the emperor's guards, Liu Bei was fully prepared to accept punishment, and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were even on the verge of a fight...

In this tense atmosphere, the guard read out: "In consideration of Xuande's bloodline and military achievements, I grant you the title of Marquis of Guannei, and reward you with a fief of 300 households and 100 kilograms of gold."

???

What the hell, can you be granted a title even if you kill an entire family?

Introduction: New Year: Chapter 21: Master Lu and the School of Mind

"The current emperor is truly not a simple person."

After the emperor's men left, Jia Xu smiled and shrugged: "The current situation in the Han Dynasty is dominated by three factors: the first is the powerful aristocratic families, the second is the hungry and cold refugees, and the third is the northern barbarians."

"The Yuan, Yang, Cao, and other families have already divided up the imperial court officials," Jia Xu continued. "The previous emperor, and even the current emperor, have tried to rely on eunuchs to check and balance the aristocratic families, but the situation is completely different now."

"The aristocratic families have too many cards to play."

"They only need to incite the refugees to revolt, and then they can further threaten the emperor, forcing him to make further concessions, and then slowly erode his power."

Jia Xu paused, then smiled and said, "The current emperor is extremely intelligent. She naturally knows the turbulent situation behind the scenes, so she has made many arrangements and backup plans. And Lord Xuande, no, it should be said that Lord Guannei Hou... you are the one she is trying to win over."

"…On the one hand, they're trying to win me over with false prestige," Liu Bei said, narrowing his eyes. "On the other hand, they're ordering me to go north. What exactly is their intention?"

"It's a compromise, of course."

Jia Xu explained: "The aristocratic families need to use the tactics of promotion in public and demotion in private to extinguish and polish your edges, while the current emperor intends to make you strive for more military merits, achieve success through achievements, and even in the future... become a sword in her hands."

The current emperor naturally doesn't care whether Li Shu lives a good life or not. What he really cares about is who can become the enemy of the aristocratic family.

Since eunuchs are naturally childless and their power comes from the imperial authority, they are usually difficult to be won over and bribed by aristocratic families, which is why they are so powerful.

However, eunuchs are loyal but capable ones are too scarce. They are effective in dealing with ordinary court officials, but it is still difficult for them to compete with the top families.

Therefore, the current emperor urgently needs the help of Liu clan members, and Liu Bei is a capable and knowledgeable person who comes from a humble family, is at odds with the aristocratic families in Yangzhou, and is a loyal follower of Lu Zigan.

When these buffs are added together, they naturally catch the emperor's eye.

"This matter has its ups and downs, but regardless, Lord Liu, please make sure to strengthen your strength. This is the hard truth."

"you're right."

-

Since Liu Bei was granted the title of Marquis of Guannei, many powerful families from Youzhou, famous people, merchants, craftsmen, etc. have come to visit him.

Liu Bei had to deal with and handle this group of people as soon as he woke up every day. Then Jia Xu beside him would make a backup list based on the enemy's expertise and personality.

There were also many people who admired his reputation and came to worship him as his disciples. These people were sent to Lao Qi to be trained and taught together.

Occasionally, when they encountered a few disobedient people, Liu Bei would take up weapons with Guan and Zhang and work together to destroy the enemy.

Such fulfilling and busy days lasted for a long time.

Winter passes and spring comes.

When the snow on the ground gradually melts, the crowing of roosters fills the streets, and the flowers bloom, early spring has arrived.

Since Liu Bei had not yet officially taken office, he did not have to go to the capital to pay New Year's greetings to the emperor in the court like some officials.

What? We still have to pay New Year’s greetings to the emperor?

Of course, as the saying goes, 'the ruler is the ruler, the minister is the minister, the father is the father, the son is the son', and 'the emperor is the parent official', of course it is necessary to pay New Year's greetings, give gifts, and report on the progress of the annual tasks.

Even so, many officials are willing to sell everything they have and even break their heads just to squeeze in.

When Liu Bei walked under the mulberry tree, a breeze blew past him, bringing with it a hint of floral fragrance.

“…You seem to have the leisure to admire the trees.”

Master Lu's voice came from behind, "I have been so busy lately."

"Hahaha, as the saying goes, those who are capable should do more work."

Liu Bei slowly turned around and looked at the Master whom he had not seen for several months. He lowered his head and smiled and said, "Master, you are becoming more and more fragrant."

“…Stop making trouble, this is your home.”

"Well, you smell even better in my house."

"???"

"I have no respect for my elders!"