"Your Majesty, what's wrong?"

Seeing that Liu Hong's expression was a little off, Song Yue couldn't help but step forward and ask.

"It's nothing, it's just that this woman looks a little different!"

As he spoke, Liu Hong handed the last portrait to Song Yue.

The woman in the painting is none other than He Huan.

Liu Hong's expression changed slightly after seeing the portrait's record of his background and the name He Jin.

He never expected that the famous Empress He would actually appear.

The difference is that Liu Hong did not have much emotion about this. He was not the Emperor Ling of Han in history. In his harem, there could only be one empress, and that was Song Yue. No one else could make a difference.

"I think this woman is quite good. I've even sent someone to inquire about her. She's thrifty, good at needlework, and a rare virtuous person. Moreover, her brother donated the money from selling the house to the government to build a school, so her upbringing shouldn't be too bad!"

Looking at the portrait of He Huan, Song Yue also praised him highly.

In her eyes, the eldest prince was born in the inner palace and, unlike her husband, had never experienced the hardships of ordinary people.

If you want your son to be as compassionate towards the people as his father, you need guidance from ordinary people.

"If the Empress finds it suitable, then let her stay!"

Liu Hong smiled but didn't say anything more about Song Yue's thoughts.

Liu Hong accepted He Huan for two reasons: first, he was absolutely confident that she wouldn't cause any trouble in the harem; second, Liu Hong was also a man and would naturally have his eye on this famous woman, otherwise he wouldn't have had any designs on Cai Yan.

He Huan was fine, but Liu Hong wanted to meet He Jin.

After all, in the original history, He Jin was one of the main figures who pushed the Han Dynasty into the abyss of chaos.

After returning to Deyang Palace, Liu Hong sat down and pondered for a moment, then turned to Zhang Rang and instructed, "Go and fetch Cheng Yu!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Zhang Rang respectfully agreed and then quickly withdrew.

Before long, Cheng Yu followed Zhang Rang into the Deyang Palace.

"Your subject, Cheng Yu, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

"My dear minister, you may dispense with the formalities!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After bowing, Cheng Yu straightened up and waited for Liu Hong's instructions.

Liu Hong said with a smile, "Minister Cheng, I summoned you here to have you investigate a person named He Jin, who is from Wan County, Nanyang!"

"Does Your Majesty intend for me...?"

Cheng Yu's expression hardened; this was the first time he had ever heard the emperor specifically ask him to investigate someone.

"Oh, it's just a routine investigation, to see what he's been up to lately, as well as his aspirations and character..."

Seeing Cheng Yu's solemn expression, Liu Hong quickly stated his request, fearing that Cheng Yu might misunderstand him and accidentally kill He Jin again.

"Your Majesty understands!!"

Upon hearing the emperor's request, Cheng Yu nodded in understanding.

Liu Hong waved his hand: "Alright, that's all for now. Minister Cheng, you can go back now and send the information over as soon as possible!"

"Your subject takes his leave!"

After bowing again, Cheng Yu turned and walked out of the hall.

Watching Cheng Yu's departing figure, Liu Hong frowned and pondered again.

Of course, he wasn't thinking about He Jin's affairs, but rather about the Kushan Empire and Rome.

Now, more than a year has passed since Jian Shuo and Chu Qian's royal fleet set sail, and it is unknown whether they have reached Rome yet.

...

On the vast ocean, a huge fleet of ships struggled against a sudden storm.

For the people in the fleet, this was their first ocean voyage and their first time encountering a storm of such magnitude so close to the coast.

On the large ship at the front of the fleet, Chu Qian, though unfamiliar with ship navigation, remained on the deck as the leader of the entire fleet, standing with the crew members responsible for controlling the ships, together resisting the storm's onslaught.

On this pitch-black night, the waves kept rolling high, and a torrential downpour was falling from the sky.

The streaks of lightning gave the people on the ship a taste of the terror of a stormy night at sea.

Behind the entire fleet, several small merchant ships from the countries along the route that had come to sail with the Han fleet had already been torn apart by the waves.

For these people, it seemed that the moment they left the port, the gods of their country could no longer care about them.

The large Han ships that remained sturdy ahead were most likely protected by the Han gods.

"May Taiyi protect us, may the Dragon King protect us!"

Merchants from these foreign lands also abandoned their own national beliefs and turned to the gods of the Han Dynasty, hoping that their ships could be protected by Taiyi and survive the storm.

Inside the cabin, Jian Shuo was pale and clung tightly to the pillar beside him.

He has never been able to swim since childhood. He has never even ridden a riverboat, let alone sailed at sea. The previous few small storms had already made him vomit so much that he was completely disoriented. This time, it almost cost him his life.

All night long, everyone on the fleet was fighting the storm with all their might.

In particular, the five thousand Imperial Navy soldiers who came with the fleet, led by generals such as Huang Gai and Cheng Pu, kept moving back and forth on the deck, maneuvering the ships and trying their best to sail out of the storm zone.

The synchronized shouts of the naval soldiers almost drowned out the thunder in the sky, giving the rest of the fleet members a strange sense of peace.

As the sky gradually brightened, the fleet finally managed to escape the storm area.

Inside the cabin, Jian Shuo, sensing that the storm had stopped, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and then looked at Zhang Bao, who was also looking dejected.

"Master Zhang, you'd better hurry up and tidy yourself up. You are one of the Celestial Masters under the Taiyi Sect, you can't go out like this in such a sorry state!"

While tidying his clothes, Jian Shuo also spoke to Zhang Bao.

“What Attendant Jian says is true!”

As Zhang Bao gasped for breath, he looked at the Taoist robe on his body, which was covered in filth and emitted a foul odor.

He was one of the Celestial Masters under Taiyi, and every word and action represented Taiyi's majesty. He absolutely could not let anyone see him in such a disheveled state.

Afterwards, Zhang Bao quickly took off his Taoist robe and changed into a clean set of clothes.

Fortunately, Zhang Bao had been practicing Taoist health cultivation exercises, so although he vomited a lot, he only turned a little pale and did not become listless like an ordinary person.

Stepping out of the cabin, Zhang Bao frowned at the pervasive stench.

It seems that last night's storm left everyone feeling nauseous.

Just as Zhang Bao was about to treat the injured crew member with the accompanying medical staff, a cheer suddenly came from behind.

"Thank you, Taiyi, for protecting me!!"