Outside Luoyang, a troop of Imperial Guards escorted a carriage slowly along the road. Behind them, in addition to three large carts full of valuables, followed dozens of emaciated slaves.
Looking at the towering city walls of Luoyang ahead, the captain of the Imperial Guards said to the carriage, "Attendant Zhang, we've arrived in Luoyang!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Rang, who had been pretending to be asleep with his eyes closed inside the carriage, hurriedly lifted the curtain and looked out.
"I'm finally back!"
Zhang Rang's eyes reddened slightly. After careful calculation, he realized that he had been away from the emperor for nearly a month, and he had been thinking of him day and night! Now, looking at the tall and familiar city walls of Luoyang, he couldn't help but burst into tears.
"Uh... Zhang Changshi, what's going on here??"
The captain of the Imperial Guard looked at Zhang Rang with some confusion. What was wrong with this guy?
"Hmph~ Let's hurry into the city!"
Zhang Rang snorted, lowered the carriage curtain, and ignored the Imperial Guard captain.
"Let's go into town!"
The captain of the Imperial Guard twitched his lips, but didn't take it seriously. He shouted and headed towards Luoyang City.
Jian Shuo jogged into Deyang Palace.
"Your Majesty, Attendant Zhang has returned!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Hong put down the impeachment memorial he was holding.
"Okay! Let him in!"
"promise!"
Seeing Zhang Rang standing guard outside the hall, Jian Shuo laughed and said, "Attendant Zhang, His Majesty summons you!"
"I would like to trouble you, Attendant Jian!"
Zhang Rang glanced at Jian Shuo with great displeasure, then followed Jian Shuo into the hall.
Upon entering the hall, Zhang Rang, his eyes red-rimmed, knelt down with a thud.
"This servant greets Your Majesty!!"
Seeing Zhang Rang's behavior, Liu Hong shook his head helplessly and said with a laugh, "Alright, get up!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
After getting up, Zhang Rang, with a fawning expression, went to Liu Hong's side and pushed Jian Shuo aside.
"Your Majesty, these are the gifts that people have presented to you. Please take a look!"
As he spoke, Zhang Rang took out a bill from his pocket, which detailed all the valuables and the names of all the people who had given him by the powerful families.
"Hmm, not bad, you did a great job on this assignment!"
The total value of the assets listed on the bill was a staggering 6 billion coins, which shocked even Liu Hong. He knew that this money was directly deposited into the Imperial Treasury, and no matter how much money the national treasury had, it wasn't something he could use as he pleased.
With this money, some things could be put on the agenda, so Liu Hong's gaze towards Zhang Rang became much more amiable.
"Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. It is my duty to share Your Majesty's burdens. As long as Your Majesty is happy, I am willing to go through fire and water!"
Sensing that Liu Hong was in a good mood, Zhang Rang also showered him with flattery.
Liu Hong smiled and said, "It's rare that you have this kind of heart. Just do your job well, and you won't have to go through any dangers!"
"I understand! I will certainly do my best to serve you in the future!"
Then Liu Hong picked up several memorials from the table and handed them to Zhang Rang, saying, "Take a look at these!"
Zhang Rang took the document and saw that it was full of accusations against him for corruption and bribery. It was clear that news of his acceptance of gifts from powerful families in Bingzhou had reached the ears of the court officials, and he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
Seeing Zhang Rang's appearance, Liu Hong said softly, "You are all working for me, and I have seen it all!"
It's getting cold lately, take these things home and burn them to keep warm!
"This servant thanks Your Majesty for your kindness!"
Zhang Rang immediately knelt down. At this moment, he was both excited and moved. He was excited because he had done his best to serve the emperor and had finally gained recognition. He was moved because the emperor had not neglected or abandoned him because of the impeachments from those court officials.
Jian Shuo, standing to the side, was deeply moved. The fact that the emperor was willing to stand up for his loyal followers showed that he was not a heartless and ungrateful ruler.
As long as these eunuchs, who depended on imperial power, were wholeheartedly devoted to serving the emperor, they wouldn't have to worry about being punished later.
"Your Majesty! What do you intend to do with those Xiongnu slaves?"
Upon hearing Zhang Rang's words, Liu Hong was at a loss for what to do.
He originally intended to use these slaves for Hua Tuo and Zhang Zhongjing's medical research, but now he was struggling with his inner conflict.
As a descendant of Yan and Huang, a proud and upright Chinese, Liu Hong could use any means necessary to oppress and crush his enemy, and could order his soldiers to cut off their heads without hesitation, killing them until they were terrified or even exterminating their entire clan.
However, live human experimentation is truly against the natural order. This act can be described as completely inhumane. Regardless of the motivation, both the experimenter and those who participated will be forever nailed to the pillar of shame and suffer eternal infamy!
We are human beings, not beasts. There are some things we can do and some things we cannot do!
After much deliberation, Liu Hong sighed softly, "Hand them over to Yang Qiu for interrogation. Anyone who has killed any of my Han people should be poisoned on the spot! Then send the bodies to the medical school."
As for the rest, send them to the Research and Manufacturing Bureau. Mo Shang and the others need some assistants. Also, tell them that if they perform well, they might be eligible for Han citizenship and land allocation in the future.
Medical research is not feasible with living subjects, but Liu Hong can accept the possibility of dead individuals. After all, these people have the blood of the Han people on their hands, and death alone is not enough to atone for their sins.
Thinking of this, Liu Hong murmured softly, "Let their corpses serve as the soil for the growth of Han Dynasty medicine!"
"Your Majesty, the Marquis of Dingbian has sent some gifts to present to you!"
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