I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 136 Audience with the Emperor
Jizhou, as the largest continent in the world, still maintained its number of households and population even after the devastation of the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

Eight hundred thousand households, nearly five million people.

Even if Liu Miao brought nearly 100,000 households to Jiangdong, Danyang and Wujun combined would only have a little over 300,000 households, which is not even half the size of Jizhou.

With such a scale to support it, even though the architectural layout of Ye City was far inferior to that of Jinling, it was still far more prosperous than Jinling.

"The essence of the world today lies in the North!"

Lu Su was indeed impressed by the grandeur of Ye City, but when he saw that the people of Ye City still looked malnourished, just like those in the Central Plains and Xuzhou, he stopped marveling at the sight.

No matter how vast Jizhou was, or how expansive its land, how much of it could the common people actually receive?
Considering that the people of Jiangdong had now all received land and their spirit was different from that of people in other places, Lu Su was undoubtedly even more determined in his decision, and at the same time, he also strengthened Liu Miao's belief.

"Only my lord can accomplish the great task of restoring order to the world!"

Lu Su regained his composure and humility, and the humility he had shown in the face of Ji Province's prosperity vanished without a trace!
This confidence came not only from Liu Miao, but also from the millions of people in Jiangdong!
After seeing the people of Ji Province, Lu Su became even more convinced that victory would surely belong to Liu Miao!

As usual, he presented his visiting card, but to Lu Su's surprise, no one came to receive him.

Lu Su could only resort to the methods that merchants usually employed—spending money!
After much effort, he managed to bribe an official in Ye City to speak, and the official finally told Lu Su the truth.

"How many people in Ye City know the name Liu Miao? Moreover, Liu Miao himself is under Yuan Shu's command. How many people in Ye City would welcome you as Liu Miao's envoy?"

Lu Su asked in surprise, "As an envoy of the imperial court, how can I not be granted an audience with Lord Yuan?"

"It is possible to meet them."

The official pointed out a clear path for Lu Su—

"The person in charge of receiving guests now is the renowned scholar Xu You. As long as you send some money to his residence, he will hand over your visiting card to Lord Yuan."

Lu Su found it unbelievable: "Does it really require a bribe just to meet Lord Yuan once?"

"What are you saying! Do you know how many officials Lord Yuan has under his command? If they all sent envoys to meet with Lord Yuan, he would work himself to death and still not be able to see them all! What's wrong with spending some money to get Xu You to help you out?"

Lu Su was speechless.

Upon returning to the post station, Lu Su led his troops to leave Ye City without saying a word.

His attendant couldn't help but ask curiously, "Is the registrar leaving already?"

"Let's go."

Lu Su took one last look at the magnificent and prosperous Ye City before turning back and leaving by boat.

"A man like Yuan Shao is incapable of achieving great things. In that case, why should I waste my money to benefit someone else?"

Lu Su sailed from the Zhang River into the main river and went directly upstream.

According to reports, the emperor and his officials have left Hedong and arrived in Luoyang under the protection of Yang Feng and Han Xian.

This time, Lu Su was going directly to Luoyang to pay homage to the emperor.

Lu Su disembarked at Mengjin and revealed his identity, finally meeting Emperor Liu Xie, who should have been revered by all.

The Luoyang Palace had been burned down long ago, so the emperor could only temporarily reside in the home of the deceased eunuch Zhao Zhong.

Unexpectedly, the one still protecting the emperor was none other than the eunuch, whom everyone hated.

Liu Xie sat in the central hall, his small body struggling to support the already overburdened imperial sacrificial robes, and asked Lu Su, who was kneeling on the ground, "Whose chief clerk are you?"

"Your subject is the chief clerk under Liu Miao, the governor of Yangzhou and general who guards the east!"

Liu Xie was somewhat unfamiliar with these official titles and the name, but he maintained his imperial dignity and was not intimidated: "And who is Liu Miao?"

"Liu Yangzhou, courtesy name Zhongshan, was a descendant of the Prince Xiao of Langya."

"He's actually a member of the Han imperial family?"

Upon hearing Liu Miao's identity, Liu Xie seemed to brighten up completely.

"How many generations back is Liu Yangzhou a descendant of the Prince Xiao of Langya?"

"Your Majesty, he is a fifth-generation descendant."

Liu Xie silently calculated in his mind.

Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu passed down Emperor Xiaoming Liu Zhuang.

Liu Zhuang is the successor to Emperor Xiaozhang, Liu Da.

Liu Da was the successor to Emperor Xiaohe, Liu Zhao.

Emperor Liu Long, whose reign ended in tragedy, was a descendant of the Liu family.

Liu Long died young, and Liu Hu, the grandson of Emperor Xiaozhang and son of the deposed Crown Prince Liu Qing, became emperor, known as Emperor Xiao'an.

After Liu Hu's death, Empress Dowager Deng enthroned Liu Shou's son, Liu Yi, as Emperor Shao of Han. Emperor Shao reigned for 206 days before dying of illness. The eunuch Sun Cheng and others then executed the Deng clan and their relatives, and reinstated Liu Bao, the son of Emperor Xiao'an (Liu Hu), as Emperor Xiaoshun.

Liu Bao passed the throne to Emperor Xiaochong, Liu Bing, who reigned for less than half a year and died at the age of three.

General Liang Ji installed Liu Zuan, the great-grandson of Emperor Zhang Liu Da, as emperor, who became Emperor Xiaozhi.

Liu Zuan ascended the throne at the age of eight and reigned for one year before being poisoned to death by Liang Ji.

Liang Ji then installed Liu Zhi, the great-grandson of Emperor Zhang (Liu Da), as emperor, who became Emperor Xiao Huan.

Emperor Xiaohuan had no sons, so his cousin Liu Hong succeeded him as Emperor Xiaoling.

Emperor Xiaoling begat Liu Xie, who is now the emperor.

Based on this calculation, Liu Xie was an eighth-generation descendant of Emperor Guangwu. Liu Miao was a fifth-generation descendant of Prince Xiao of Langya, who was Emperor Guangwu's eleventh son, making him a sixth-generation descendant of Emperor Guangwu.

That is to say-

"So Liu Miao was actually my imperial uncle!"

Liu Xie was overjoyed!

At this moment, Lu Su directly revealed the gift he had given—

"Liu Yangzhou is aware that Your Majesty has returned to Luoyang. He anticipates that the Luoyang palaces, having been destroyed, will need to be rebuilt. Therefore, he has ordered me to present ten thousand taels of gold to Your Majesty for the construction of the palaces!"

Ten thousand gold pieces!

Ten thousand gold pieces!

Upon hearing this, the entire central hall fell silent, and even Emperor Liu Xie, who was of noble birth, stood frozen in place.

After a moment, Liu Xie could no longer maintain his dignity as emperor and tearfully complained to Lu Su, "Does Zijing know how Li Jue treated me in Chang'an?"

"At that time, Li Jue abducted me to Beiwu, isolating me from the outside world and forbidding palace servants and attendants from bringing in grain. I requested Li Jue to provide five bushels of rice and five sets of ox bones to be given to the palace servants and attendants. However, Li Jue only sent five sets of rotten ox bones..."

The officials on either side were already sobbing, clearly recalling the tragic scene from that time.

Liu Xie then recounted the scene of his escape from Guanzhong to Hedong—

"Li Jue and Guo Si's soldiers pursued us from behind. I and my ministers walked out of the camp and reached the riverbank. The bank was more than ten zhang high, and we could not go down. It was only because Colonel Shang Hong carried me on his back with a fine silk cloth that we were able to get down to the bank. The rest of us either crawled down from the side of the bank or jumped down directly from the bank. The number of dead and wounded is unknown!"

"When we reached the riverbank, the soldiers rushed to board the boat, and it was impossible to stop them. Generals Dong Cheng and Li Le then used their spears to strike the soldiers, and the severed fingers fell onto the boat, so many that they could be picked up in one hand. After I boarded the boat, the only people who were crossing with me were Empress Fu, Consort Song, two palace ladies, Guo and Zhao, and dozens of ministers such as Yang Biao and Dong Cheng."

Even Lu Su, upon hearing such a story, could not help but cover his face and weep.

What a dignified man!
A dignified, strong man!

How could this happen?

Lu Su's weeping made the officials weep even more, and for a time, Zhao Zhong's mansion was filled with the sounds of mourning.

In the end, it was Emperor Liu Xie who first maintained his dignity and stopped the crying.

"But hearing today that my Imperial Uncle is still out there protecting the people and the land, I am comforted! Zijing, don't listen to me anymore, quickly tell me about my Imperial Uncle!"

Lu Su could only selectively discuss Liu Miao's affairs.

Even so, it was enough to shock the emperor and his officials!
The phrase "When one is in a high position at court, one should worry about the people; when one is in a remote place, one should worry about the ruler" particularly inspired Liu Xie!
"With such loyal ministers in the world, how can the Han Dynasty not prosper?"

At the same time, Lu Su also felt some regret: "When His Majesty was trapped in Guanzhong, Liu Yangzhou's troops were insufficient to come to his aid. Later, when the Imperial Seal was obtained, Liu Yangzhou was afraid that it would be seized by villains, so he could only entrust it to General Yuan Shu for safekeeping..."

When Liu Miao heard that he possessed the Imperial Seal of the State, all of Liu Xie's officials turned pale.

Upon hearing that Liu Miao had actually handed over the Imperial Seal to Yuan Shu, everyone felt a mix of emotions.

"That's all."

Liu Xie comforted him, saying, "With the strength of your troops at that time, it would be difficult to protect the Imperial Seal."

“The Yuan family of Runan has produced three dukes for four generations and has been a loyal subject of the Han Dynasty. It is better to leave the Imperial Seal with them than to have it stolen by other bandits.”

Seeing that Liu Xie was kind-hearted by nature, weak yet wise, and still comforting Liu Miao at this moment, Lu Su felt increasingly distressed.

Afterwards, Lu Su told Liu Xie many things about Liu Miao, such as resettling the people, distributing land equally, cultivating wasteland, suppressing the Yue tribes, and pacifying Xu Gong...

The more Liu Xie listened, the more he longed for it: "If only I could do so many things too."

Lu Su felt a lump in his throat; he, who was known for his eloquence, was now completely taciturn.

Liu Xie spoke a few words to the palace maid, who then cautiously approached the two generals and asked them questions. After a moment, the maid returned and whispered something to Liu Xie.

Upon hearing this, Liu Xie immediately said with delight, "Zijing, you previously said that the official titles and ranks of the Imperial Uncle were all recommended by General Yuan Shu, so you must not have received the official seal and insignia yet. This time, you can receive them together."

Lu Su then learned what Liu Xie had sent the palace maids to say to the two generals.

If I'm not mistaken, then it is Yang Feng and Han Xian, who are currently escorting the emperor and wielding great power.

The mighty Emperor of the Han Dynasty actually had to consult his ministers before even making official seals and ribbons!

Help him!
Help the Emperor!

We must let the whole world know that the majesty of the Han Dynasty still stands!

Lu Su thought of Liu Miao again.

"If our lord were here, he would surely draw his sword and kill them both, wouldn't he?"

At this moment, Lu Su only regretted that he was not Liu Miao, and could not impulsively draw his sword at this moment.

But Lu Su was still glaring at Yang Feng and Han Xian—

"The Emperor's return to Luoyang today is proof of the restoration of the Han Dynasty!"

"Although Liu Yangzhou is in Jiangdong, if he hears that the Emperor has been humiliated, he will surely lead a million-strong army to come to the Emperor's aid! You all should do your best!"

The Han Dynasty is not dead yet!
The emperor of this great Han dynasty is not to be humiliated by some bandits!

You must not forget that in this great Han Dynasty, there are still loyal and righteous people who are working to uphold the Han Dynasty!
　From *The Book of the Later Han Dynasty*, Volume 72, Biography of Dong Zhuo, Chapter 62: The Emperor walked out of his camp and approached the river, intending to cross. The bank was over ten zhang high, so he lowered himself down using a silk rope. Others either crawled along the bank or threw themselves overboard; many died, were injured, or maimed, and were no longer acquainted with each other. Those rushing to the boat could not be stopped, and Dong Cheng struck them down with his spear; severed fingers were found in the boat, enough to be scooped up.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)