Although Hejian is located in Jizhou, which is considered a relatively prosperous area, there are still many refugees.

Liu Hong's father, Liu Chang, was a kind and benevolent man who often helped and comforted others, and thus had a good reputation.

Since Liu Chang's death three years ago, Liu Hong and his mother have continued the old system of the Marquis's mansion, often helping the government organize the construction of soup kitchens to relieve refugees.

Furthermore, Liu Hong used the "property" of the Marquis's mansion and the books left by his father as collateral to borrow money from a local powerful figure, which he then used to purchase farm tools and oxen, which he rented out to the people at low prices.

They also communicated with the government, hired many craftsmen, and built many huge waterwheels to help people irrigate their farmland while charging a certain water fee.

With the help of waterwheels, the Hejian area has not only greatly avoided drought over the past three years, but has also reclaimed a large amount of wasteland.

Therefore, the local officials in Hejian were extremely friendly to Liu Hong and his mother.

To outsiders, Liu Hong may seem to have defied the old Marquis's will, damaged his reputation, and resorted to any means to make money.

Many self-righteous local scholars criticized Liu Hong's actions, believing that what he did was morally wrong.

However, Liu Hong paid no attention to these words and continued to do as he pleased.

Several years ago, Xun Shuang, a famous scholar from Yingchuan, was implicated in the partisan purge and began to travel around. Last year, he passed through Hejian, where the local scholars looked down on Liu Hong, saying that he was an incompetent spendthrift.

However, the common people held Liu Hong in high esteem, praising him for his kindness and righteousness. The presence of these two extremes in one person piqued his curiosity, so he paid him a visit.

Xun Shuang's visit made Liu Hong realize a force that could not be ignored: these opposition party members.

After all, in order to control the court, in addition to eunuchs and relatives of the emperor, the power of aristocratic clans should not be underestimated. To deal with them, a three-way check is the right way.

When Xun Shuang saw that Liu Hong was so intelligent at such a young age and had a kind heart that cared about the suffering of the people, he also saw Liu Hong's extravagant behavior as a kind of philanthropic virtue.

Xun Shuang's goodwill towards Liu Hong increased greatly, so he stayed at the Marquis's residence for some time and provided guidance on Liu Hong's studies.

Therefore, through Xun Shuang, Liu Hong's reputation gradually became known to some students who were frustrated due to their involvement in the Party Prohibitions. Many students who were traveling for study also came to visit him. Liu Hong warmly welcomed all the students who came to visit and expressed his closeness to them.

Liu Hong never underestimated not only the students, but also some wandering knights who came.

Both the local people and the students praised him highly, and even the unruly wandering knights admired him, calling him intelligent, virtuous, filial, humble, and learned.

But Liu Hong's influence was limited to this. A marquis's mansion with only a mother and son might be high and mighty to ordinary people, but few of the powerful and aristocratic families cared about it.

Liu Hong also knew that if he wanted to gain a foothold in the palace in the future, he would have to cultivate a group of his own trusted confidants.

So, in order to avoid attracting attention, he staged a theft at the Marquis's mansion. Under this pretext, he recruited some fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boys from his tenant farmers' homes to train in the mansion and increase its guard strength. It was quite common for a Marquis's mansion to recruit some guards.

Liu Hong has been in this world for twelve years now, and he knows that this year is the time for him to ascend the throne. He also has a faint sense of anticipation in his heart.

Although he may appear to have accomplished nothing and is heavily in debt over the years, he is content because he has made life better for the people around him.

"Yes! The winds of change are blowing, the world has changed!"

Liu Hong looked up at the snowflakes swirling down from the sky, then turned and walked into the house.

As he walked, Liu Hong heard the shouts of the guards coming from the training ground in the backyard, and a smile appeared on his lips.

Although he had never served in the military, he had watched military-themed movies and TV dramas. He could imitate them and walk in formation and stand at attention quite well. Although he had never seen blood, he could still impress people if taken out.

Moreover, he has always emphasized training their discipline, obedience, and faith, making them understand who they are fighting for. As long as they have these three qualities, there will be no problem for them to become a strong army in the future.

"Uncle Fu, it's noon now. Go tell the kitchen that the guards' training is quite tough, so please add some meat to their meals today!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Fu hesitated, "Young Master, you just treated them well the other day. Adding more meat today might be..."

Liu Hong smiled and said, "They are guards of the Marquis's residence. Our safety depends entirely on their protection, so we should naturally treat them well!"

"What you say is true, young master, but the manor's funds and provisions are running low!"

"Hmm? How much money and grain is left in the manor?"

"Reporting to the young master, the treasury currently only has 300 shi of grain and 100,000 coins left. At their current rate of consumption, it can only last for another five months at most. After that, we will have to reduce our spending and wait for the autumn harvest."

Chen Fu's face was somewhat bitter. He had tried his best to reduce the expenses in the manor, but he still couldn't support the hundred or so teenagers eating like this. In addition, Liu Hong often associated with scholars and wandering knights and was extremely generous. It was really difficult for this old man.

"Hmm~, it shouldn't take that long, so there's no need to shorten it. Uncle Fu, just do as I say!"

After saying this, Liu Hong returned to his study, picked up a copy of "Xunzi" from his desk, and began to study it.

...

At this moment, Yangde Hall was extremely quiet. The eunuch faction, led by Wang Fu and Cao Jie, along with Dou Wu, Chen Fan, and others, had gathered here.

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