"This is absolutely infuriating!"
In Yong'an Palace, Luoyang.
Empress He flew into a rage, overturning all the food and utensils brought by the eunuchs, and even kicking down the tall gilded bronze lamp in the palace.
Her once flawless makeup and beautiful face now appeared utterly grotesque.
The eunuchs and palace maids prostrated themselves on either side, not daring to utter a sound.
He was afraid that if he raised his head and was seen by Empress He, he would suffer for no reason.
It turned out that He Jin had just brought her some news.
Liu Yu, the governor of Youzhou, returned to the capital and held a funeral for his son.
He submitted a memorial requesting to resign as governor of Youzhou and recommended Liu Wei, the King of Yunzhong and General Zhenbei, to succeed him.
The table highly praises Liu Wei for defeating the Wuhuan and Murong Xianbei people in the Battle of Youzhou, quelling the rebellion of Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju, and recovering Youzhou.
He also said that Liu Wei will continue his eastern expedition and is expected to pacify Liaodong this year, defeat Goguryeo, and conquer the Korean Peninsula and even Japan and Ryukyu under the iron cavalry and swords of the Han Dynasty.
The court was greatly encouraged by this report.
This was a shot in the arm for the Han Dynasty, which had been struggling since the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
Liu Hong was overjoyed upon hearing the report. Despite the strong opposition from He Jin and others, he agreed to Liu Yu's request and officially appointed Liu Wei as the Governor of Youzhou, and promoted him from General of the North to General of Chariots and Cavalry.
Liu Yu was also promoted to Grand Tutor.
The position of General of Chariots and Cavalry was originally held by He Jin's younger brother, He Miao, but it remained vacant after He Miao's death.
All the generals under He Jin's command were eyeing this position.
But Liu Wei took it.
Soon after, news arrived that Yuan Shao had suffered heavy losses in his battle with Liu Wei at Baiyangdian.
He Jin's faction was extremely surprised.
Since the recapture of the Hetao region, Liu Wei has been fighting countless battles, large and small, over the past year, and seems to have never been defeated.
This made them very worried.
Previously, Liu Wei, representing the imperial clan, had clearly stated at the grand court assembly that he would support Liu Xie, the Prince of Chenliu.
Now Liu Wei's power is growing stronger. Originally, he only had three remote, barren, and sparsely populated territories in Hetao, Hexi, and Henan, as well as two nominal protectorates in the Western Regions and the Northern Desert.
Now that Youzhou is under his jurisdiction, the situation is completely different.
The three places in the Hetao region are definitely not comparable to Youzhou.
The three places in the Hetao region are basically outside the Great Wall, or are blocked by dangerous passes. It would take a lot of effort to enter the important central plains and capital areas.
The most valuable areas of Youzhou are all within the Great Wall, and they are all large plains without any dangerous mountains or rivers to block them.
Furthermore, Liu Wei had conquered the foreign tribes beyond the Great Wall, resulting in abundant warhorse resources, which allowed him to build a large-scale cavalry force.
Once the time is right, countless cavalrymen will rampage across the vast plains of Ji Province, reaching the Central Plains in no time and besieging Luoyang.
Now that Liu Wei has become the governor of Youzhou, the threat he poses has changed dramatically.
The court already knew that he had 50,000 elite troops in places like the Hetao region, and now, with the addition of troops after the Battle of Youzhou, he had at least 100,000 soldiers.
How could this not worry He Jin and his men?
Even if Liu Wei himself had ambitions to become emperor, let alone support Liu Xie's succession, he was very confident in his ability to do so!
When this news reached Empress He from He Jin, Empress He was furious!
Initially hesitant and unable to eliminate Liu Wei, they were ultimately unable to do so.
Now, Liu Wei is becoming increasingly powerful, and has eventually become her greatest threat.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"
After Empress He calmed down a bit, her personal eunuch, Eunuch Wang, stood up and spoke cautiously.
"Calm down? How can I calm down?!"
"This Liu Wei is getting stronger and bigger every day, and he's becoming more and more ruthless. Who knows, he might come to Luoyang one day and try to seize Bian'er's throne."
"If he were to become emperor, would I, and all of you servants, still be as carefree as we are now?"
Empress He glared at him with her phoenix eyes, which frightened Eunuch Wang so much that he shrank back like a turtle.
"Your Majesty is right!"
After a long while, Eunuch Wang said tremblingly, "Your Majesty, to avoid any unforeseen complications, the only thing we can do now is to let the Crown Prince ascend the throne as soon as possible and put an end to this!"
"In that case, neither the King of Chenliu nor the King of Yunzhong will be allowed to have any other thoughts!"
"After the Crown Prince ascended the throne, he appointed Liu Wei to honorary positions such as Grand Tutor and Grand Preceptor, and sent him to the capital to take up his post."
“If he comes, kill him; if he doesn’t come, raise an army to punish him. This is in accordance with the will of Heaven, and no one in the world will disobey.”
Empress He said, "Of course I know that after Bian'er becomes emperor, he can issue an order to investigate Liu Wei."
"But now, that sickly man, who was supposed to be dying, is still alive and can attend court. He's holding onto the Imperial Seal of the State and won't let go."
"He's supposed to be alive, but he's on his deathbed, barely clinging to life. Who knows when he'll pass away!"
At the beginning of the year, Liu Hong was seriously ill, but he still wanted to sleep with women.
Consort Xiao, whom Empress He used to frame Liu Wei, had been favored by Liu Hong several times. Just as she stopped menstruating, Empress He found out and immediately sent people to throw Consort Xiao into a pit filled with poisonous snakes.
Empress He forbade any of her concubines from conceiving a child with the emperor.
Helpless, Liu Hong had no choice but to seek out Empress He.
However, how could the sickly Liu Hong satisfy the beautiful and vigorous Empress He?
This resulted in Empress He being unable to obtain her desired satisfaction.
Empress He looked disgusted when she spoke of Liu Hong.
"Your Majesty, if His Majesty were to suddenly pass away one day, you and the General should make preparations in advance!" Eunuch Wang said, seemingly casually.
"Huh? He died suddenly?"
Empress He's gloomy face suddenly lit up with a raised eyebrow and a bright smile. "Wang Zhen, go and invite the General to Yong'an Palace again. I have important matters to discuss with him!"
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