Liu Tan was practically shocked. If he didn't know for sure that Lu Xuan wasn't a time traveler, he would have really wanted to exchange secret signals with him.

In this land of the Western Regions these days, there is definitely only one person like him who can recognize the power of words.

He also understood Lu Xuan's meaning. He used these to exchange for the future of Wusun.

Otherwise, no matter how powerful he was, what good would it do? Could he guarantee that his successor would be as powerful as he was? If not, how could Wusun continue to survive?

In Lu Xuan's eyes, compared to the Xiongnu, the Han Dynasty was the indestructible country. He would not suffer any loss if he was tied to such a country.

As for Han officials, the Han Dynasty would not send anyone to cause trouble. Even if he is loyal to the Han Dynasty, it doesn't matter, as long as he is willing to build Wusun.

If the visitor didn't know the current situation, Lu Xuan would naturally not grant him any real power. As for being controlled by Han officials... what a joke, that was his territory.

Moreover, he held the military power. Lu Xuan felt that Liu Tan was already showing him some leniency by not directly saying that he would take back the military power.

After Lu Xuan finished speaking, he saw Liu Tan staring at him intently. He felt a little uneasy, wondering if this reason wasn't enough. Wouldn't his Ah Tan think he had ulterior motives for temporarily agreeing?

God can tell you that he is sincere.

Lu Xuan calmly wiped the sweat from his palms and asked, "No more questions, right? So... am I qualified?"

This is absolutely perfect.

Liu Tan even felt that if he missed Lu Xuan, he might never meet someone who was willing to lower his standards for him in his entire life.

Even if Lu Xuan made the choice for Wusun, if it weren't for Liu Tan, the Han Dynasty might not have put forward such harsh conditions.

You should know that Liu Tan directly applied the later system of縻州 andunci (chieftain) and he also knew that the final result would be the transformation of the chieftains into officials.

Although he could console himself by saying that if that time really came, both he and Lu Xuan would have passed away long ago, he couldn't help but worry about what would happen if future generations accused Lu Xuan of being a traitor.

Especially since his relationship with Lu Xuan is still unclear.

As for how future generations knew about it, that's nonsense. Why would he have to hide his love affair? Who wouldn't want the whole world to know about their lover?

Seeing a pair of watery eyes staring at him without saying a word, Lu Xuan couldn't help but support himself with one hand on the desk and leaned closer to Liu Tan. When they were within earshot, he stopped and said, "If you don't say anything, I'll take it as your consent."

Liu Tan looked at the face that really struck his aesthetic point getting closer and closer, and he really had no intention of resisting.

But just before the two people were about to come into contact, Liu Tan suddenly heard a light cough.

He was very familiar with that voice, it could only be Huo Guang!

Liu Tan subconsciously pressed against Lu Xuan's chest. Just as he was about to say something, he was almost frightened by the burning and possessiveness in Lu Xuan's eyes.

Lu Xuan closed his eyes, slowly sat back down, and said nothing.

Liu Tan raised his voice and said, "Is this the Prime Minister? Come in."

Then he turned to Lu Xuan and whispered, "Come sit next to me."

Lu Xuan's eyes lit up and he immediately changed his location.

Huo Guang, who had been standing at the door and couldn't bear to watch any more, paused and took a deep breath before suppressing the urge to throw Lu Xuan out.

Well, he had to stay calm. Besides having to give face to his prince, the most important thing was that he probably couldn't beat Lu Xuan.

Tsk, what's so good about this barbarian!

Huo Guang placed the document heavily on Liu Tan's desk and said, "Your Highness, please review it!"

Liu Tan said to Miao Rui very naturally, "Go and get my seal."

Huo Guang asked him to review it, which means that these documents must have been carefully reviewed by Huo Guang. He could read them if he wanted to, and could just stamp them if he didn't want to.

As for tricking him...if Huo Guang wanted to trick him, he wouldn't have to do this.

While Liu Tan was stamping the seal, Huo Guang had been staring at Lu Xuan. Unexpectedly, Lu Xuan didn't even glance at him. He just tilted his head and looked at Liu Tan as if he was looking at some rare treasure.

After Liu Tan finished, Huo Guang took back the document and said, "Kunmi, you haven't rested for the past few days. Aren't you tired?"

Before Lu Xuan could say anything, Liu Tan asked in surprise, "You haven't rested since you came back?"

Lu Xuan nodded: "Yes, I want to see you."

Liu Tan blushed and stole a glance at Huo Guang. He noticed that Huo Guang was staring at Lu Xuan with an unfriendly look, so he quickly said to him, "Go and get some rest."

Lu Xuan was still a little reluctant. He had just started talking to Liu Tan and hadn't waited for those words to come out.

Although Liu Tan's attitude was very clear, Lu Xuan also wanted to be willful for once. He would feel uneasy if he didn't get a promise, right?

Huo Guang stared at Lu Xuan and said coldly, "Kunmi, please keep your distance from His Highness."

Liu Tan's ears twitched after hearing this, and just as he was about to say something, Lu Xuan held his hand. Lu Xuan looked up at Huo Guang, smiled, and said, "Okay."

And then he actually left!

Liu Tan looked at Lu Xuan's back in disbelief, his mind full of thoughts: There's nothing to cherish now that I've got it.

Wait, you haven't got this yet?

Huo Guang turned around and saw Liu Tan's eyes glued to Lu Xuan. He almost gasped for breath. He gritted his teeth and said, "Your Highness, the reason for the fall of Changqian has been found."

Liu Tan was shocked, and his soul returned instantly: "What?"

Huo Guang felt somewhat relieved, thankfully his prince still knew what to do, so he said, "It was Zhao Anguo, the son of Zhao Po Nu. He was afraid the city guards would not let him and his son through the pass, so he concealed the fact that they were being pursued by the Xiongnu."

He had originally thought Liu Tan would be furious after hearing this, but Liu Tan calmly replied, "Are you sure? If you're sure, then submit a petition. If it's our fault for poor defense, I'm willing to take the blame. Now... let them and their son die."

Huo Guang said, "Your Highness should wait a few more days until the truth is revealed."

Why are you so active in asking for forgiveness?

Liu Tan suddenly laughed and said, "You don't understand this. It's just right now."

He remembered that in history, Zhao Po Nu was not executed after he escaped, but died because his family was involved in a witchcraft scandal, so this time might be the same as in history.

After all, strictly speaking, it was the early exposure of the Left Grand Commandant that led to Zhao Po Nu's failure, and the failure cannot be attributed entirely to him.

Liu Tan didn't necessarily want to kill Zhao Po Nu. He just wanted this man to stop leading troops, so it all depended on Liu Che's imagination.

Liu Tan's letter arrived slower than the news of the Xiongnu invasion.

After all, he had people raise smoke signals, and then the news was passed from city to city, so Liu Che received the news almost at noon the next day.

He was having dinner with the prince at the time. When they learned that it was Shuofang City that lit the signal smoke, both father and son were shocked. The wine cup in Liu Ju's hand fell instantly, splashing wine all over him. He turned to look at Liu Che with a pale face, and found that Liu Che's hand holding the wine cup also trembled for a moment.

Liu Che placed the wine cup on the table, waved his hand, dismissed the dancer, and said in a deep voice, "Send someone to investigate immediately."

Just seeing the wolf smoke meant that the Huns were invading, but no one knew the details. They could only prepare for battle while waiting for news from the front line.

Soon after the great victory was announced in Beijing, everyone in Chang'an felt relieved, except for the three most honorable ones who were still worried.

When Liu Ju saw Liu Tan's letter, his expression was serious. He didn't laugh no matter how interesting Liu Tan's letter was.

After reading it, he pondered for a while, then looked up at Liu Che, only to find that his father's expression was frighteningly gloomy.