Even if he had this thought, Liu Wei had to keep it hidden in front of Liu Hong and not reveal it!

It is said that Liu Hong indulged Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and others in selling official positions and titles. He first heavily relied on He Jin, but later, seeing that He Jin was out of control, he turned to sending members of the imperial clan to serve as governors to check and balance the power of the four directions.

On his deathbed, he left a will instructing Jian Shuo to support Liu Xie's succession to the throne.

Even after his death, he tricked the Han dynasty, causing the imperial relatives and eunuchs to break off relations and start fighting each other.

Ultimately, this led to the Han Dynasty, which was already on the verge of collapse, becoming a mere shell of its former self, with warlords vying for power, ushering in the chaotic Three Kingdoms period.

However, Liu Hong reigned for nearly twenty years, and he must have developed a certain level of expertise in the art of imperial power.

If Liu Wei hadn't transmigrated and was standing in God's shoes, he probably would have agreed to what I just said in a moment of impulsiveness.

Liu Hong's statement is tantamount to acknowledging the legitimacy of his succession!

Whether someone is virtuous or not is too subjective; there is no standard.

Once Liu Wei has amassed enough strength, he can lead his troops into the capital and overthrow Liu Bian or Liu Xie from power.

The reason and the pretext are all based on Liu Hong's words!

However, Liu Wei's mind is not racing right now.

But he's not stupid!

When Emperor Zhaolie of Han, Liu Bei, entrusted his son to Zhuge Liang at Baidi City, his words "You can take his place" brought tears to Zhuge Liang's eyes and made him sweat profusely.

Finally, to fulfill the late emperor's last wish, he led six expeditions to Qishan, devoting himself to the cause until his death!

At this moment, Liu Wei certainly understood the meaning behind Liu Hong's words.

Liu Hong hoped that regardless of whether Liu Bian or Liu Xie became emperor, Liu Wei would only be a prince born out of wedlock, and would do his duty to protect his two younger brothers.

You are allowed to command troops in the border regions, but you are not permitted to interfere in the Central Plains.

If you even have the slightest thought of leaving Luoyang, you can forget about going back to the Hetao region!

"Father, I only wish to expand our territory. You have no idea how vast the land is west of the Western Regions, east of Liaodong, north of the Gobi Desert, and south of the Baiyue."

"In my lifetime, I will go even further on the territory that my ancestor Emperor Xuan pioneered!"

"Wherever the sun and moon shine, it is all Han territory!"

Liu Wei spoke with a strong and clear voice.

During the reign of Emperor Xuan of Han, the territory of the Han Dynasty reached its greatest extent, extending as far west as Lake Balkhash, west of the Pamir Mountains.

"So this is what my son's ambition is!" Liu Hong was surprised by Liu Wei's answer and immediately became excited. "He truly is my good son."

You'll also be attending the grand assembly at the end of this month!

I remember Princess Liu Hua saying on her way here that Liu Hong would determine the successor of the empire at the court meeting!

At this moment, Liu Wei vaguely guessed Liu Hong's intention, and kept his hands down without saying a word.

"Take your leave. Before leaving the palace, please pay your respects to your grandmother at Yongle Palace."

As Liu Hong recounted this, a barely perceptible twitch appeared on his gaunt face.

Liu Wei noticed this change and kept it to himself.

His purpose in coming to Luoyang this time was not only to settle accounts with Empress He, but also to seek justice from Empress Dowager Dong.

Empress Dowager Dong arranged for Diao Chan to be by his side and sent assassins, pretending to be Empress He's men, to assassinate Liu Wei.

Furthermore, under severe torture by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, two eunuchs confessed that Zhao Zhong, one of the Ten Attendants, was closely related to the deaths of Liu Wei's adoptive parents in Zhuojun.

Liu Wei was just looking for them!

Now that Liu Hong has asked him to pay his respects to Empress Dowager Dong, it's a good opportunity to test the waters a little.

I'll wait until tonight when I return to the villa in Beiman Mountain and gather the intelligence from the Imperial Guards investigating Zhuojun before making any further plans!

Even if they couldn't do anything to Empress Dowager Dong, they would kill Zhao Zhong and his dogs without hesitation!

"I will obey Your Majesty's command. I also miss my Empress Dowager very much!"

Go!

Liu Hong waved his hand weakly and then fell silent.

Liu Wei bowed deeply to him and then slowly withdrew from Ganquan Palace.

Standing outside the palace gate, Liu Wei let out a long sigh of relief.

Judging from the current situation, Liu Hong has no ambition towards Liu Wei and is beginning to believe in his willingness to serve as a bulwark for the country.

In Liu Hong's view, there wasn't much difference between Liu Wei and Liu Yu, who were members of the imperial clan.

Since Liu Yu and Liu Biao were appointed to govern a province, why couldn't Liu Wei also guard the frontier?

Liu Wei's border region was in a much worse state than the areas managed by Liu Yu and others, and those alien tribes were not so easy to deal with!

If Liu Wei had rebellious intentions, he wouldn't have sent a hundred cavalrymen to the capital upon receiving the imperial edict.

This imperial edict was a so-called open conspiracy by Empress He's faction, and also a test by Liu Hong himself.

He took a risky gamble and succeeded! This can be considered as passing Liu Hong's test.

If Liu Hong hadn't died, Empress He and Empress Dowager Dong would have only been fighting over the issue of choosing an heir.

The struggle between the imperial relatives and the eunuchs, and between Yong'an Palace and Yongle Palace, will become even more intense, while he will remain uninvolved and reap the benefits.

Yao Guangxiao urged him to rebel every day, even offering him a yellow robe, but Liu Hong's death meant the time wasn't right!

If you rebel against your father, wouldn't you be going against the world?

However, in the next two years that Liu Hong was still alive, he was able to boldly do his own thing!

Looking at the sky outside, the sun, which had been obscured by dark clouds, was now fully revealed, and the warm sunlight shone on Liu Wei, making him feel warm and comfortable all over.

"Where did the eldest princess go?"

Seeing that Liu Hua was not there, Liu Wei asked Wang Chengen outside the door.

"Your Highness, the Princess has been invited to Yong'an Palace," Wang Chengen said honestly.

"Oh? Father wants me to pay my respects to Grandmother."

Liu Wei was taken aback, but didn't think much of it for the time being.

"Since it is His Majesty's order, then this servant will lead the way for Your Highness. This way, please!"

Wang Chengen led Liu Wei through countless corridors and pavilions.

Along the way, many palace maids came and went, their graceful figures like willow branches.

When they saw the tall, imposing, and handsome Liu Wei, they couldn't help but stop and stare, their eyes filled with a wolfish desire.

Liu Wei felt like he was being stared at by their murderous eyes, as if he had thorns in his back!

Before long, we arrived at Yongle Palace.

The place was quiet, as if filled with the smell of old people, and Liu Wei couldn't help but frown.

"Your Highness, this is the only way I can escort you! I'll let you know."

Wang Chengen asked for instructions from the side.

Liu Wei nodded, and just as Wang Chengen was about to announce it loudly, two eunuchs suddenly rushed over.

Their faces were bruised and red, their hats had fallen off, their hair was disheveled, and they looked extremely disheveled.

What happened?

Wang Chengen dared not reprimand them, and the two could only stand still at the door. After the two eunuchs ran past, a little boy appeared behind them.

He brandished a wooden sword, his face flushed, and shouted loudly, "Demon, where do you think you're going!"

The eunuchs ran towards Liu Wei.

Seeing Liu Wei standing still on the road, the little boy took out his sword and stabbed at Liu Wei!

Liu Wei stretched out his hand, flicked his finger, and deflected the wooden sword.

But the little boy was running too fast, and the wooden sword veered off course. He lost control and fell to the ground, the force of the fall causing him to bleed from his nose.

The two eunuchs panicked and rushed forward to help the child up, angrily shouting at Liu Wei:

"Which palace eunuch are you, daring to cause trouble in Yongle Palace and injure the young prince? Do you have a death wish?!"