Empress He's stunningly beautiful face was contorted with emotion, and she almost squeezed some of her rouge and powder off.

She was naturally very happy inside, but on the surface she had to pretend to be in great pain, which made her very uncomfortable.

Two weeks ago, inspired by her personal eunuch Wang Zhen, she secretly obtained a slow-acting poison, bribed the eunuchs in the kitchen, and put it into Liu Hong's daily meals.

This medicine is colorless and odorless, making it difficult to detect. Even the eunuchs who tried it couldn't taste it for a while!

The person who has been poisoned will show no outward signs of having ingested a small amount of paraquat.

As time goes by, toxins accumulate, the condition gradually worsens, eventually leading to organ failure, necrosis of internal organs, and finally, death.

Empress He spent fifteen days making Liu Hong appear to die as if he had died of a normal illness.

The eunuch who tasted the food, being healthy, did not die.

However, Empress He and Wang Zhen had arranged for the eunuchs who had tasted the food and the eunuchs in the kitchen to be eliminated and the evidence destroyed as soon as Liu Bian ascended the throne.

"Your Majesty... Heaven is jealous of such a talented person!"

Empress He couldn't help but laugh, so she covered her face and pretended to wail.

Perhaps her performance was so convincing that it moved the ministers to empathize, feel immense grief, and erupt in another round of desperate cries.

He Jin knew, of course, that his sister had sabotaged Liu Hong's plans; it was a conspiracy they had secretly discussed more than ten days ago.

After all, He Jin had also seen Liu Wei's rise in Youzhou, and if he continued to let him develop like this, the threat would only grow.

Once Liu Wei controls more territory and commands a large army, he will have complete control over who becomes emperor.

What worried He Jin and Empress He even more was that they learned a shocking secret from the eunuchs serving Liu Hong:

On the very night that Liu Wei left the capital and was assassinated by He Miao and his assassins, Liu Hong left Liu Wei a will.

The specific details are unknown!

However, this will must be detrimental to the He family, otherwise Liu Hong would not have secretly left it to Liu Wei alone!

What if Liu Wei comes to the capital one day with the imperial edict and demands the throne?

For various reasons, these princelings feared that things might change and they wouldn't live to see Liu Hong's natural death!

Only if Liu Hong dies prematurely can Liu Bian successfully ascend the throne.

In just over ten days, He Jin secretly rotated his trusted men from the five northern battalions of the capital, and also made secret arrangements for the Imperial Guards and the Imperial Feathered Guards.

Now that Liu Hong has passed away as scheduled, it is now Crown Prince Liu Bian's turn to ascend to the supreme position in this empire. Their plan has succeeded!

He Jin could no longer contain his joy and gestured to the ministers in the crowd.

Sure enough, a trusted minister understood the implication and immediately jumped out, pleading earnestly and with great emotion:

"A country cannot be without a ruler for a single day. We request that the General and the Empress Dowager invite the Crown Prince to the Deyang Palace to preside over the enthronement ceremony, and then proceed with the funeral of the late Emperor!"

One person raised the issue, and soon other ministers offered their suggestions.

Yuan Feng and Yuan Wei immediately bowed to Crown Prince Liu Bian and invited him to go to Deyang Palace to ascend the throne.

Crown Prince Liu Bian seemed to still be in grief, looking at He Jin and Empress He with a sense of helplessness.

"Bian'er, your mother and uncle will protect you as you ascend the throne!"

"From this day forward, you are the emperor of this great Han Empire!"

Empress He calmed her agitated emotions, took a deep breath, and spoke softly and calmly to Liu Bian.

"I will follow the arrangements of my mother and uncle!" Liu Bian said timidly.

"No, from now on, not only Mother and Uncle, but everyone in the world will have to listen to you!"

After Empress He finished speaking earnestly, she took Liu Bian's hand and, surrounded by a group of ministers, hurried toward Deyang Palace.

"Empress Dowager, Prince of Chenliu, what are you still standing here for? Hurry up and follow us to attend the ceremony and pay your respects to the new emperor!"

Before leaving, He Jin said something disdainfully to Empress Dowager Dong and the Prince of Chenliu, then turned and left without looking back.

Empress Dowager Dong ignored He Jin and instead looked grave.

With Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong, and others supporting her, she staggered toward the entrance of Liu Hong's palace, her eyes fixed on Wang Chengen and Jian Shuo:

"Did His Majesty leave any last words before he died?"

Before Liu Hong died, he did not see Empress Dowager Dong, Empress He, Liu Xie, or Liu Bian. He ordered them to stay outside his palace with the imperial family and ministers, leaving only Wang Chengen and Jian Shuo by his side.

Wang Chengen and Jian Shuo exchanged a glance and shook their heads.

"His Majesty couldn't possibly leave nothing behind; he said he would leave a will authorizing the Prince of Chenliu to ascend the throne!"

"Where is the imperial edict?!"

Empress Dowager Dong suddenly let out a shrill scream, her voice filled with despair and resentment.

She has raised the son left behind by Consort Wang with great difficulty for so long.

Moreover, Liu Hong's father died young, and she and Liu Hong depended on each other for many years.

Liu Hong was welcomed into Luoyang to become emperor, and just as Empress Dowager Dong had promised, she would grant his every request.

Empress Dowager Dong understood Liu Hong's difficulties and saw his affection for Liu Xie. She made only one request: that Liu Xie become emperor.

Liu Hong readily agreed, but delayed in appointing a crown prince.

At the grand court assembly at the beginning of this year, Liu Hong was pressured by the ministers to appoint Liu Bian as crown prince.

However, because Liu Wei and the royal family stood up to support the Prince of Chenliu, Empress Dowager Dong felt there was still hope, and that Liu Hong would keep something in reserve regarding the issue of succession.

However, Liu Hong left no words before his death, which made Empress Dowager Dong feel that all her efforts had been in vain.

Empress Dowager Dong grabbed Wang Chengen's clothes and shook him violently.

Wang Chengen kept his head down and remained silent.

Just an hour earlier, on his deathbed, Liu Hong ordered everyone to leave, leaving only Wang Chengen and Jian Shuo to give his last words:

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