I revisited the place after half a year.

Luoyang remains prosperous.

However, behind this prosperity, the empire was fraught with danger as Liu Hong, the ruler of the empire, grew increasingly frail.

Rather than saying Liu Hong was ill, it would be more accurate to say that the Han Empire was terminally ill.

This year's Yellow Turban Rebellion almost brought the Han Empire to its knees.

However, it was this turmoil that made this vast empire even more precarious.

Today, the world is plagued by plague, famine, land annexation, fickle foreign tribes, and remnants of the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

In the imperial court, eunuchs and relatives of the empress held power.

Liu Hong was powerless to reverse the situation.

He is now barely clinging to life, just like the Han Empire, which is on the verge of collapse.

Liu Hua invited Liu Wei into the carriage, and they rode together.

Before long, they arrived at the gates of Luoyang and, after a short stop, entered the city.

The carriage wound its way through the streets and alleys, while outside, the noise and bustle of people filled the air.

The road paved with blue bricks was flat and wide, without any bumps.

Liu Wei, however, sat cross-legged in the carriage, not making eye contact with Liu Hua opposite him.

Beneath his royal robes was an inner armor.

His clothes were covered in sand and dust, the blue color was no longer bright, and they looked very worn.

"Have you read my letter?"

After a long silence, Liu Hua asked.

She desperately wanted to know what Liu Wei really meant.

However, her actions of sending Liu Wei to Guanzhong to pay respects to his ancestors seemed to reveal Liu Wei's ambitions.

He did this for the sake of prestige!

"As a prince born out of wedlock, my chances are very slim compared to those of the Prince of Hongnong and the Prince of Chenliu!"

“Even if the Prince of Hongnong doesn’t become the crown prince, it will be the Prince of Chenliu’s turn.”

"They all have people supporting them."

"As for me, I have no foundation in the court! My father would never think of making me his successor; he wants to make the Prince of Chenliu his successor."

Inside the carriage, there were only him and Liu Hua. Liu Wei didn't hide anything and directly expressed his opinion.

"Nephew, please forgive my bluntness, but I've looked into it. Of your women, there's a songstress, a woman from a grassland tribe, a widow, and the only one you can be proud of is a princess from Loulan!"

Liu Hua smiled slightly, "Your cousin comes from a prestigious family. The power she represents is incomparable to that of these four women."

"You said you have no connections in the court, I'll help you!"

Liu Wei said, "Fu Shou is my cousin, and she's way too young!"

Liu Hua immediately said, "Although Shou'er is only ten years old, she will grow up eventually. In three to five years, she will be able to bear your children, manage the harem, and become the empress."

It seems we underestimated this woman's determination; between her aunt and mother-in-law, she decisively chose the latter.

During the Han Dynasty, marriages between close relatives were common, with cousins ​​frequently marrying each other.

And there have been instances where uncles married their nieces.

In the fourth year of Emperor Hui of Han's reign, Empress Lü, Zhang Yan's maternal grandmother, made the eleven-year-old Zhang Yan Emperor Hui's empress in order to "strengthen the family ties."

Empress Lü hoped that Zhang Yan could have a son, but because Zhang Yan was too young, she was unable to conceive despite all her efforts.

Empress Lü then devised a plan to teach her to fake a pregnancy, and then forcibly take Liu Gong, the son of Emperor Hui of Han and a palace maid, falsely claiming that he was born to Zhang Yan. She then killed Liu Gong's birth mother and made Liu Gong the crown prince.

With precedents to follow, Liu Hua spoke of this matter without any particular feeling, taking it all for granted.

Liu Wei admits that he does not have a fetish for young children.

But he was very clear about the power that Liu Hua represented.

“Your Highness, you are oversimplifying this matter.”

"Even with your help, getting my father to make me his heir is as difficult as climbing to heaven."

"His ambition to establish Chenliu as the capital faces numerous obstacles, let alone mine!"

Liu Wei said meaningfully.

"A towering tree can be felled with a single swing of an axe."

"Constant dripping wears away a stone, and even an iron rod can be ground into a needle."

"As long as you have the will and agree to marry my daughter as your principal wife, I, Liu Hua, will exert every ounce of my strength to fight for your and Shou'er's wealth and status!"

"A true man is born between heaven and earth; how can he submit to others?"

"Now that your elder brother, the Emperor, is protecting you, you are allowed to command troops in the border regions."

“Once either of your two brothers ascends the throne, you will be their greatest threat.”

However, Liu Hua was like a lioness, full of fighting spirit.

“I have troops in the borderlands. Even if either of them succeeds to the throne, what can they do to me?” Liu Wei said deliberately.

"You underestimate the power of the emperor!"

"The Emperor has ordered the armies of the entire realm to attack you. How can you, in that tiny place called Hetao, possibly contend with the entire empire?"

"The Han Dynasty is indeed much weaker than any previous dynasty, but the fighting strength of the Han soldiers is not much worse."

Before Liu Wei could reply, Liu Hua continued, "Do you think you can roam the world freely just because you destroyed the Xiongnu and defeated the Xianbei?"

"Your troops haven't really fought a single serious battle against the Han army yet!"

One has to admire Liu Hua's insight, while Liu Wei remained noncommittal.

Without the system's massive troop deployment, Liu Wei might have been just a carefree prince with a small fiefdom in the borderlands.

Perhaps Liu Wei never even reached Shuofang, having already died on his way to his fiefdom.

"What the Imperial Aunt said cannot be explained at this time. We will discuss it when we meet His Majesty."

"If His Majesty's health improves and he lives a long and healthy life, how could we possibly have such thoughts? This would be a crime of treason!"

Liu Wei did not explicitly reject Liu Hua, leaving her with some suspense and hope.

He also saw ambition in the woman's eyes.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!