After Liu Wei suggested that the matter of establishing a crown prince should not be rushed, a barrage of criticism followed.

When he proposed making the Prince of Chenliu the crown prince, the entire room fell silent.

The people present had different expressions.

Liu Yu, Liu Biao, and Liu Zhang already knew that Liu Wei would say this, so they were somewhat prepared and remained calm.

After all, this was a strategy they had agreed upon more than ten days ago.

The royal family needs to speak up too!

Only when the two factions are balanced can these members of the royal family gain more power and benefits.

In the imperial court, those who supported Liu Bian overwhelmingly appeared, while those who supported Liu Xie were few and far between.

Liu Wei's straightforward offer of support was a shot in the arm for those who supported Liu Xie.

First was Zhang Rang, the head of the Ten Attendants. After Zhao Zhong disappeared, he became the de facto leader of the eunuchs.

Although Jian Shuo, the captain of the Western Garden Army, was strong and skilled in martial arts, he was very afraid of He Jin.

Therefore, the task of representing the interests of the eunuch group and running errands for Empress Dowager Dong fell to Zhang Rang.

He only spoke twice at the court meeting today before being forced to remain silent by He Jin and Yuan Shao.

Currently, it is believed that Liu Wei has a conflict with Empress Dowager Dong and will choose to remain neutral or wait for a better offer.

Unexpectedly, Liu Wei, a prince born out of wedlock, actually stood up to support the Prince of Chenliu.

This was something Zhang Rang hadn't expected.

While they outwardly spoke of fairness, they secretly supported Qiao Xuan and Wang Lang, two powerful figures in the Secretariat who were loyal to the Prince of Chenliu.

They thought they were outnumbered and outmatched, but unexpectedly Liu Wei is now speaking out for the Prince of Chenliu.

Seeing Liu Wei with Liu Yu, the head of the imperial clan, and others, coupled with the previous rumors of a gathering of imperial clan members at Feifeng Tower in Luoyang, they knew that Liu Wei's words represented the voice of the imperial clan.

Immediately, the two men, along with the ministers in the hall who were preparing to support Liu Xie, were invigorated.

The imperial family members have five governorships, and Liu Wei himself commands tens of thousands of troops in the Hexi Corridor and the Hetao region, under the jurisdiction of the Northern Desert Protectorate and the Western Regions Protectorate.

If these members of the royal family were outside, and Empress Dowager Dong and the eunuchs were inside, their combined strength to counter He Jin's faction would immediately become much more balanced.

He Jin and Yuan Shao, along with the Yuan brothers and the three generals who quelled the Yellow Turban Rebellion, supported Liu Bian's faction, and their hearts were filled with turbulent emotions.

He Jin and Yuan Shao's expressions changed several times.

They expected Liu Wei to remain neutral and also to step forward and compete for the crown prince position, but they never expected that he and the royal family behind him would support Liu Xie, the Prince of Chenliu.

He Jin had considered killing the person several times.

He had made up his mind that no matter what the outcome, he would not let Liu Wei off the hook after the Grand Assembly!

Liu Hong, sitting on the dragon throne, remained rooted to the spot with a complex expression.

He never expected that Liu Wei would rise to the challenge and propose making Liu Bian the crown prince in front of so many ministers and people.

Even Liu Hong himself didn't dare to bring it up in front of so many people, but Liu Wei did!

It should be noted that when Liu Hong was on his deathbed, he only secretly left a will, instructing Jian Shuo to assist Liu Xie.

Jian Shuo knew that to succeed, he had to kill He Jin first. Just as he was planning, he was betrayed by Sima Pan.

He Jin was first killed by the Ten Attendants, and then Yuan Shao led his men to kill the Ten Attendants.

Just then, Dong Zhuo, who had been invited to help, arrived. Relying on his 200,000-strong army, Dong Zhuo reaped the fruits of victory.

When Dong Zhuo became Minister of Works, he immediately deposed Liu Bian and installed Liu Xie, the Prince of Chenliu, as emperor!

The plan by Jian Shuo and others to assist Liu Xie in ascending the throne failed, and Dong Zhuo did just that!

Now, regardless of Liu Wei's motives, Liu Hong's heart was in turmoil.

He never expected that his son, though born out of wedlock, would be so filial.

All my longing for Consort Jing and the maternal love I showed her a year ago have been in vain.

The fact that Liu Wei traveled thousands of miles to the capital to attend to his ailing father upon receiving the imperial decree shows that Liu Wei was absolutely loyal to him.

Although the messenger was left waiting in Hetao for a month, many people in the court complained.

It wasn't until later that I learned Liu Wei had gone to open up the Western Regions and reopen the Protectorate of the Western Regions.

These talented people all shut their mouths!

Liu Wei received an imperial edict ordering him to go to the capital, and he eventually came!

If it were anyone else, they certainly wouldn't dare to come, or they would bring enough soldiers and guards.

Because it was obvious that someone wanted to kill him, and the journey was fraught with danger.

But Liu Wei came to Luoyang without stopping.

I heard that he also completely wiped out the Southern Xiongnu when he passed through Shangjun, and then went to the imperial mausoleum in Guanzhong to pray for Liu Hong.

Later, Liu Wei arrived in Luoyang and, without even removing his armor, went straight to the palace to visit Liu Hong, who was bedridden.

After a long talk between father and son, Liu Hong offered to test Liu Wei by saying, "If your two sons are not up to par, you can take their place." However, Liu Wei indicated that he had no interest in that.

Next, Liu Wei bought the Zhenbei General from Liu Hong, giving him a considerable amount of extra money to solve Liu Hong's urgent problem.

At today's grand court assembly, facing the aggressive demands of He Jin and the Three Dukes and other ministers, Liu Wei stepped forward at a crucial moment to draw the fire away from Liu Hong.

Now, Liu Wei has come out again and proposed to establish the Prince of Chenliu.

All of these actions had given Liu Hong the feeling that his son understood him.

As for what Liu Bian and Liu Xie were thinking, that remains unknown.

At this moment, Liu Wei stood in the middle of the hall, the focus of everyone's attention.

He remained calm and composed, head held high and chest out, standing tall and unyielding like Mount Tai.

"King of the Clouds! Is this your personal opinion, or is it on behalf of the royal family?"

After a moment of internal turmoil, He Jin immediately stepped forward, grasping the crux of the problem.

Liu Wei's personal opinion and the royal family's opinion are completely different.

"It is both my will and the will of the royal family!"

"Back then, my father also chose a member of the imperial family to succeed to the throne. Now, the country is beset by internal and external troubles and needs a more powerful successor to continue the glory of the Han Empire!"

"I am not biased towards either of them, but it is clear to everyone that the Prince of Chenliu is ten times better than the Prince of Hongnong!"

Liu Wei's words were firm and resolute; he showed no mercy to Liu Bian.

Liu Wei's words struck a chord with Liu Hong, causing him to tremble involuntarily.

The country is now riddled with problems and needs a more capable and wise ruler to repair it.

If the father is no good, then we can place our hopes on the son!

Liu Bian was utterly hopeless; Liu Hong knew all too well the incompetence of his son.

It was truly worthwhile to allow these members of the royal family to govern their respective regions, and it was also worthwhile to restore Liu Wei's throne and let him lead troops in the borderlands.

At this critical moment, Liu Wei and these members of the royal family firmly chose to stand by Liu Hong's side when it came to choosing the successor to the empire.

"The words of the King of Clouds are worth considering and pondering!"

"The patriarchal system of the eldest son must be followed, of course, but the country is in turmoil now, and Bian'er is not up to the task!"

"For the sake of the fate of the Han Dynasty, I have hesitated for so many years and found it difficult to make a decision!"

"I had no choice!"

Liu Hong's heartbroken expression didn't seem like acting; it was a genuine outpouring of emotion!