"By imperial decree, Liu Wei, the Prince of Yunzhong of the Great Han Dynasty, is appointed General Who Guards the North, overseeing all military affairs in the northern regions. He is to establish his own headquarters and appoint officials below the rank of colonel. All requests to the court have been approved!"

"The imperial decree appointed Yao Guangxiao as Military Advisor General, Xue Rengui as General Who Destroys the Enemy, Di Qing as General Who Flows the Black Water, and Zhang Liao as General Who Flows Across the Fields, all under the command of General Who Guards the North."

"Several positions are hereby conferred, including Sima, Zhubu, Gongcao, Duwei, and Qiduwei!"

Once the money arrived, exceeding expectations, Liu Hong, adhering to the principle of honest business practices, immediately wrote a series of official documents and pardons.

Immediately, Wang Chengen brought over the Imperial Seal of the State, and Liu Hong dipped it in cinnabar before stamping the seal on the official document.

He also wrote a bunch of names for colonels and cavalry captains, leaving the names blank for Liu Wei to fill in himself.

Liu Wei also had the opportunity to see the Imperial Seal of the State up close, and he was inexplicably excited.

"By the mandate of Heaven, may your life be long and prosperous!"

It should be noted that Yuan Shu only held and played with this thing for a short while before the historical record included the "Annals of Emperor Zhongshi".

If one of your ancestors obtained a piece of paper stamped with the Imperial Seal of the State, he would be listed on the first page of the family genealogy.

"Your son thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness!"

Liu Wei only glanced at it a few times before quickly regaining his senses and thanking Liu Hong.

This thing will eventually end up in my hands!

Liu Hong then instructed the eunuchs to quickly deposit the tens of thousands of taels of silver into the inner treasury.

Then, astonished that Liu Wei had suddenly received so much silver, he inquired about it:

"My son, your business is doing quite well. What are you selling?"

“Father, what I’m selling is heating material, similar to charcoal, called coal. However, it’s all mined from underground, inexhaustible, and much cheaper than charcoal.”

Liu Wei replied, "If you are interested, the distribution rights in the palace will be given to you, Father Emperor!"

"What is a distribution right?" Liu Hong immediately became interested.

Liu Wei explained, "This is similar to you authorizing me, the General Who Guards the North, to govern a designated area. Only I have the authority to do so, and no one else is allowed to interfere."

"To prevent you from selling the palace, we also need to collect a certain amount of deposit from you."

"So, does my son mean that from now on, only Father Emperor can sell you coal within the palace?"

Liu Hong's eyes darted around. "Wait a minute! I'm helping you sell these products within the palace! Why should I pay you?"

"Then I can let Empress Dowager Dong sell it, or I can let Empress He sell it. When all three of you sell, in order to sell more, you will compete with each other and drive down the price, and in the end, no one will benefit!"

Liu Wei smiled and said, "By paying this deposit, you are guaranteeing that you will be the sole seller."

"I see!" Liu Hong suddenly realized. "I didn't expect my son to know these tricks of the trade."

"During this time, you must not only tell me about the foreign tribes beyond the Great Wall, but also about the methods of selling goods and doing business!"

"If your father weren't this emperor, you must make sure to expand and strengthen your business!"

"Yes, if Father hadn't become emperor, he would have been a business genius long ago, even surpassing Fan Li and Guan Zhong." Liu Wei echoed Liu Hong, praising him lavishly.

In any case, the country was already teetering on the brink of collapse, and even if Liu Hong wanted to make some changes and reforms, he could not change the decadent and corrupt Eastern Han court.

Social stratification has become severe, and the gap between the rich and the poor is widening.

One or two hundred years of accumulation and inheritance have made aristocratic families deeply rooted.

If a mild approach is adopted, it will be even more difficult to eradicate the deep-seated problem.

Only by destroying the old rules and establishing the new can the Han Dynasty be revitalized.

This disruption requires a struggle between the imperial relatives and the Ten Attendants, resulting in mutual destruction; it also requires the emergence of troublemakers like Dong Zhuo, Li Jue, and Guo Si to break down class barriers with swords and blood.

Therefore, as mentioned before, Liu Wei wanted to become emperor. On the one hand, he needed legitimacy to succeed to the throne. On the other hand, given the current state of the Eastern Han Dynasty, he could only establish a new regime by first breaking down the old one.

Liu Wei didn't take over a terminally ill patient from Liu Hong and then slowly treat him with medication; he wanted to use strong medicine to eliminate the cancer.

The Yellow Turban Rebellion was not a strong enough remedy. Faced with the suppression by landlords and powerful clans, the Yellow Turban army hastily rose up and was quickly extinguished.

Therefore, Liu Wei raised Dong Zhuo as a poison, using him as a more potent medicine to deliver another heavy blow to the ailing Han Empire.

As for himself, he would remain uninvolved, first eliminating the surrounding barbarians, and then, by encircling the Central Plains from all sides, he would naturally take over the throne.

It doesn't take much time; just wait until Emperor Xian of Han ascends the throne!

Upon hearing Liu Wei praise him as a business prodigy, Liu Hong smiled with satisfaction.

The old ministers all said that he was indulging in frivolous pursuits and neglecting his duties.

But did they ever truly allow Liu Hong to be the master of this empire?

The power in his hands was divided among the emperor's relatives, eunuchs, and powerful families like the Yuan family. When Liu Hong wanted to do something he wanted to do, he was criticized and gossiped about.

Even if Liu Hong sold official positions, the profits were not all used for his own pleasure; most of them were used to maintain the precarious court.

Ask these whining, whining people to give money to disaster victims and manage floods, yet they all complain of being poor.

"My son, you are the first person to say this to me. I am very happy today."

"It's almost lunchtime, how about we, father and son, eat together?"

"Today, you are not the emperor's son, and I am not the emperor's father. We are just an ordinary father and son, enjoying a moment of family bliss like ordinary people."

Liu Hong said emotionally.

Liu Wei had an idea and nodded in agreement.

After all, Liu Hong was the original owner's biological father.

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