"Heh~, what are you thinking about, you little rascal...?"
Hearing Lanzhi mention her son, Dongshi couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Dou Miao couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle: "There are so many people in my Liu clan, there are plenty who could be your godfather!"
Upon hearing the Empress Dowager's words, Lanzhi's expression shifted from stunned to bewildered, then to shy, and her cheeks instantly turned bright red.
"Ugh, this is so embarrassing...!"
Recalling her words, Lanzhi immediately lowered her head and looked at the ground, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the ground.
Seeing Lanzhi's adorable appearance, the surrounding clansmen couldn't help but smile slightly.
Dou Miao then turned around and looked at the group of clansmen behind her, finally fixing her gaze on the newly appointed clan head, Liu Yu.
"Since you have no daughters, why not adopt this girl as your goddaughter and let her serve you in your old age?"
"Of course it's possible. This woman is resilient, kind, and lovely, and I like her very much!"
Liu Yu stroked his beard, smiled, and nodded, his gaze towards Lanzhi filled with affection.
Upon hearing Liu Yu's voice, Lanzhi couldn't help but look up.
Looking at Liu Yu's kind face and loving eyes, Lanzhi felt a tremor in her heart and couldn't help but think of her own father's face.
Then Liu Yu stepped forward and looked at Lan Zhi, saying in a gentle voice:
"I wish to adopt you as my goddaughter. Would you be willing?"
"Thank you for not abandoning me, sir. I, Lanzhi, wish to become your godfather and serve you for the rest of my life!"
Lanzhi then knelt down and respectfully kowtowed to Liu Yu, acknowledging him as her father.
Liu Yu smiled and nodded: "Since you have acknowledged me as your father, from now on you will be a daughter of the Liu family. I hereby bestow upon you the surname Liu, and from this day forward your name will be Liu Lanzhi!"
"Thank you, Father!"
After saying this, Lanzhi kowtowed to Liu Yu again, which was considered as accepting her new identity.
"Haha~, good, good, get up quickly!"
Seeing that he had suddenly gained a daughter, Liu Yu couldn't help but feel overjoyed.
"It's my father!"
Lanzhi then stood up and stood respectfully beside Liu Yu.
Liu Shu also stepped forward with a smile: "Haha~ Congratulations, Your Excellency, on the birth of your beloved daughter!"
"Yes, the Imperial Clan's beloved daughter, who has just been adopted today, will soon find a good husband. It's truly the envy of everyone!"
Liu Biao, who was standing nearby, also stepped forward and bowed to Liu Yu to offer his congratulations.
"Absolutely! Zongzheng is so lucky!!"
A group of relatives also stepped forward to offer their congratulations.
Haha~ Congratulations to you too!
Liu Yu also laughed heartily, cheerfully returning the greeting with a cupped hand, clearly extremely happy.
Seeing this, Dou Miao smiled and nodded.
After everyone had finished exchanging greetings, Dou Miao gathered them together.
Dou Miao looked around at everyone and said in a deep voice: "The primary responsibility of those in power is to ensure the well-being of the people and to educate them, so that they can live and work in peace and be knowledgeable and courteous. Only in this way can the world be at peace!"
The Taiping Cult is doing very well now, and you should all follow suit!
"We will heed the Empress Dowager's teachings!"
Everyone echoed in agreement.
Dou Miao nodded: "After you go back, each of you should discuss it and learn from the Taiping Sect. Open a few schools and recruit more disciples. Only in this way can you better share the Emperor's burdens!"
"promise!!"
"Alright, it's getting late, we should head back!"
After saying this, Dou Miao and Madam Dong walked ahead, followed by the others, and together they headed out of the temple.
Before long, the group descended the mountain, and the grand procession left Taiping Taoist Temple, heading towards Luoyang.
......
On the other side, Chen Fan and Li Ying, who arrived at Deyang Palace, learned that Zhang Huan had mentioned in his message to the emperor that he planned to take advantage of the opportunity to eliminate the Jie people and weaken the Southern Xiongnu. They both agreed with this.
Although the Southern Xiongnu have outwardly submitted to the Han Dynasty, there are still quite a few instances of rebellion.
After years of stable development, the Southern Xiongnu population has now exceeded 500,000, putting invisible pressure on the three northern commanderies of Bingzhou.
If a natural disaster strikes the grasslands and the imperial court is unable to provide timely relief, the Southern Xiongnu will likely invade again in an instant. Given their proximity to the Han Dynasty, their threat should not be underestimated.
Moreover, even now, a large number of Southern Xiongnu people are unwilling to move into the interior of the pass and accept the rule of the imperial court, which is enough to prove that their thoughts are not so simple.
After reading Zhang Huan's detailed analysis of the Southern Xiongnu, Chen Fan and Li Ying both looked at Liu Hong, wanting to hear the emperor's opinion.
Seeing this, Liu Hong did not rush to speak, but stood up and looked at the map of the Han Dynasty behind him, his gaze wandering over Yanmen Pass and the area north of Yunzhong.
"Since the rebellion of the Western Qiang, our Han Dynasty has paid an unknown price in order to appease the Southern Xiongnu and get them to help stabilize the northern border."
Yet the Northern Xiongnu and Xianbei have been able to break through our defenses year after year, entering our Han territory to burn, kill, and plunder, while their population and resources continue to grow. This truly baffles me...
The Jie people only raided a tribe of a few thousand people and obtained five hundred shi of salt, not to mention cattle, sheep, and horses. Where did they get so much stuff...?
As he finished speaking, Liu Hong narrowed his eyes and exuded a chilling aura.
Upon hearing Liu Hong's words, Li Ying suddenly remembered the supplies recorded in the victory report Zhang Huan sent about Lü Bu building the Jingguan.
I was so happy at the time that I didn't pay much attention, but now that I think about it, something does seem a bit off.
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