Seeing his dozen or so guards too intimidated to step forward by Chu Qian's words, Ti Jin collapsed to the ground, utterly dejected.

Upon seeing this, Chu Qian sneered and then presented the imperial edict to the Prime Minister Junru.

"King Junru, receive the decree!"

Junru, who had been kneeling to the side, only came to his senses at this moment. Looking at the imperial edict in Chu Qian's hand, a look of joy appeared on Junru's face.

"Your subject, Junru, expresses his deepest gratitude to the Emperor of the Han Dynasty for his great kindness!"

Junru immediately kowtowed to express his gratitude, then stretched out his trembling hands and excitedly accepted the imperial edict of investiture from Chu Qian's hands.

Chu Qian then glanced at the group of Cheshi nobles: "From this day forward, Junru is your new king, understand?"

"I understand...I understand."

The nobles and officials hurriedly nodded in agreement, then turned to face Junru, who was holding the imperial edict, bowed, and formally recognized Junru as the new king.

After accepting everyone's congratulations, Junru approached Chu Qian with a fawning expression.

"Minister of State Ceremonies, what do you think should be done with that criminal who offended the majesty of the Han Dynasty?"

As he spoke, Junru pointed to Tijin, who was still slumped to the side.

Chu Qian glanced at Ti Jin expressionlessly: "This matter is your country's private affair, and it is inconvenient for our Great Han to interfere. King Junru, you may handle it yourself."

Seeing that Chu Qian had no intention of getting involved, Jun Ru immediately turned around and sat on the throne.

"Someone come here!"

"exist!"

The dozen or so guards hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward respectfully.

Junru then looked at Tijin and said coldly, "The criminal Tijin has offended the majesty of the Han Dynasty and his crime is unforgivable. He shall be taken out of the palace and beheaded. His son shall also be executed. The former queen and the concubines in the palace shall all be demoted to slaves."

"yes!"

Two guards immediately stepped forward, one on each side, and lifted Ti Jin up, then dragged him away.

"Haha~, it's over, everything is over, Junru, you villain, willing to be the lackey of the Han, one day, Cheshi will perish in your hands."

Ti Jin, who was being held up, burst into loud laughter and kept cursing Jun Ru.

"Hmph~, the Great Han is a celestial empire, which of the surrounding countries dares to disobey us? It is our honor to be the dog of the Great Han."

Junru didn't care about Ti Jin's sarcasm at all, and he had no psychological burden about being Da Han's dog. Since he was going to suck up to someone, he naturally wanted to suck up to the biggest one.

Chu Qian, standing to the side, nodded in satisfaction as he watched Jun Ru's demeanor.

Subsequently, Junru personally wrote a letter of state, expressing his submission to the Han Dynasty and his firm commitment to abide by the Treaty of Shanshan signed between Tijin and the Han Dynasty.

Immediately afterwards, Junru sent men to bring his troops into the palace and incorporate Tijin's former troops.

Tijin, along with his six sons, were all beheaded by Junru, and their heads were hung at the palace gate as a warning to the soldiers and civilians of Cheshi.

Tijin's queen and more than twenty concubines were all demoted to slaves and sent to the army as camp prostitutes. As for Tijin's three daughters, they were sent to Chu Qian's residence by the army.

Looking at the three beautiful princesses of the charioteer, Chu Qian shook his head indifferently and then ordered his men to send them back.

Although the emperor allowed the subjects and soldiers of the Han Dynasty to accept women from foreign lands, Chu Qian, as an envoy, represented the emperor's dignity in every word and deed.

After staying in Cheshi for a day, Chu Qian led the delegation away from Cheshi and headed towards Qiemo.

......

September 6th.

As the emperor's wedding approached, the entire city of Luoyang was filled with a festive atmosphere.

The people walking on the street had all changed into red clothes and were carefully sweeping the ground.

All the shops of the Royal Trading Company were decorated with red lanterns and covered with red cloth inside and out.

Red "double happiness" characters were pasted up everywhere in the streets and alleys, just like during the Chinese New Year.

Officials, students, merchants, and common people from all over the country came to celebrate the emperor's arrival, crowding all the restaurants and inns in the city. Even the houses in the city were in short supply, and many people had to stay outside the city.

Faced with the people's enthusiasm, Liu Hong, after discussing with his officials, decided to share the joy with them.

Soon, the imperial court issued a proclamation stating that on the day of the wedding, the emperor, accompanied by the empress and a host of concubines, would parade out of the palace to celebrate with the people.

At the same time, all the cooks and people who knew how to cook in the city were summoned to prepare a continuous banquet in Nangong Square and the four main streets of Luoyang, providing free meals for the people.

As for the start time of the banquet, there is no time limit. On the day of the emperor's wedding, the banquet can be held from morning to night, and people can sit and eat as they please. However, there is one rule: no food should be wasted.

The news was met with cheers, and all the chefs from restaurants and taverns in Luoyang were gathered together. Officials and prominent families also sent their wives and chefs to register.

Royal Trading Company also urgently organized personnel to purchase ingredients from the surrounding areas.

Fortunately, in the past two years, the imperial court and surrounding government offices have been encouraging rural residents to develop animal husbandry, which has ensured that ingredients such as chickens, ducks, sheep, and pigs can meet the needs of banquets. As a result, those farmers have made a fortune.

As the manager of the Imperial Household Department, Lü Qiang watched the money within the department flow out like water, experiencing both pain and pleasure.

While the court officials and common people were busy preparing for the emperor's wedding, Lü Bu, Dong Zhuo, and Huang Zhong, after more than ten days of continuous travel, finally arrived in Luoyang.

As soon as they entered the city, the three of them were shocked by the sight of the entire city decorated with red.

"Good heavens, as expected of His Majesty, the scale of this entourage is truly astounding!"

Looking at Luoyang, which seemed to be surrounded by a sea of ​​red, Dong Zhuo's mouth gaped open.

"Your Majesty is a wise and benevolent ruler throughout the ages, so it is only natural that this situation exists."

It was Lü Bu who spoke; his face appeared calm, but in reality, he was extremely shocked.

After Lü Bu and his two companions entered the city, Liu Hong, upon learning the news, immediately summoned them to the Deyang Palace.

After exchanging greetings, Liu Hong turned his gaze to Huang Zhong: "Hansheng, what happened to those Imperial Guards who went to deliver the imperial edict?"

Huang Zhong respectfully reported, "Your Majesty, all the soldiers are safe and sound. Furthermore, the kingdoms of Kucha and Khotan have also followed Your Majesty's decree, selecting princesses and noblewomen from their respective kingdoms to march towards Luoyang together with the soldiers in the rear."

Liu Hong couldn't help but sneer: "Heh~, these guys really are a bunch of opportunists."

Dong Zhuo said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty is right. The Western Regions have always been fickle. Keeping them around will only bring trouble sooner or later. If the Xianbei and Xiongnu in the north collude with them, it is hard to guarantee that they will not rebel again."

Liu Hong nodded: "This is also why I do not intend to re-establish the Protectorate. At present, the Han Dynasty is focusing all its energy on Liaozhou. We need to put the Western Regions on hold for a while."

Afterwards, Liu Hong inquired about the combat strength of the troops from the various Western Regions states.

Through the accounts of the others, Liu Hong gained a deeper understanding of the situation in the Western Regions.

The warriors of the Western Regions possessed individual qualities, but their iron-smelting technology was inadequate, and iron resources were extremely scarce. In terms of equipment alone, there was an insurmountable gap between the Han Dynasty and the Western Regions.