I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 276 The Blooming of the Goddess of the Luo River
When Zhen Yan and Zhen Yao went to see Zhen Mi, Zhen Mi's face remained expressionless.

When she heard the requests from her two elder brothers, Zhen Yan and Zhen Yao, the sorrow in Zhen Mi's eyes almost materialized.

"Brothers, please return."

Zhen Yao, being impatient, immediately asked anxiously, "Could it be that my sister is unwilling to help?"

Zhen Yan also asked, "Why? Could it be that you've offended Liu Miao?"

Zhen Mi shook her head and denied both of her brothers' speculations.

"actually……"

"My husband, you have never come before me from beginning to end?"

"what!"

Before Zhen Mi could finish speaking, Zhen Yao cried out in alarm.

It's no wonder Zhen Yao reacted so strongly.

Tell me, which man could remain unmoved by the goddess-like Zhen Mi?
Not to mention, Liu Miao had never had a good reputation for being a womanizer.

Now that Zhen Mi has been by Liu Miao's side for a long time, Liu Miao has never even come to Zhen Mi's place once?

"Brother, there's no need to be so alarmed."

Zhen Mi lowered her swan-like neck slightly: "My husband hasn't come many times, but Madam Lu and Madam Wu often come to see me and explain the reasons to me."

"I heard that he was absent because of official business, not because he was neglecting me."

"..."

This explanation did not reassure Zhen Yan and Zhen Yao; instead, it made them even more frightened.

This is completely different from the Liu Miao they've heard about!
In fact, after witnessing the prosperity of Nanjing firsthand, the two brothers realized something was wrong.

Now that I've heard that Liu Miao could even leave a beauty like his own sister alone in an empty room, doesn't that mean Liu Miao wasn't the legendary Liu clan member who controlled Jing and Yang provinces solely based on bloodline?
The two brothers were filled with anxiety, feeling as if they had escaped one wolf's den only to fall into another.

Zhen Yan could only plead with Zhen Mi: "Sister, please meet with Liu Miao, even just once, to help your brother find a way to make a living."

"Otherwise, my brother and all the relatives of the Zhen family would probably starve to death in this Jinling City!"

Zhen Mi lightly bit her red lips, and soon teeth marks appeared.

originally.

Even after marrying Liu Miao, Zhen Mi was confident that she could secure a place for herself.

But for so long, Liu Miao didn't even glance at her, which completely disrupted her plans.

Sometimes, Zhen Mi even doubted whether Liu Miao was capable enough!

However, Zhen Mi's courtyard was not far from the courtyards of the other ladies.

Liu Miao frequently visited the homes of the Yuan, Lu, Lü, Wang, Wu, Yan, Mi, Cai, and Zou families, and even Lü Bu's daughter, making a great commotion there.

One or two wouldn't matter.

But now the sound has been heard almost everywhere around! Moreover, when Zhen Mi occasionally goes out and runs into other ladies, they are all radiant and healthy, which is obviously not a fake.

This setback made Zhen Mi somewhat afraid to face Liu Miao, because she always felt that Liu Miao might despise her, which was why he was ashamed to share a room with her...

But upon hearing her two elder brothers' requests, Zhen Mi suddenly felt that she had been driven to a dead end.

As a smart woman, she clearly knew that if she lost the power of her maternal family, she would likely face great difficulties in the future.

Therefore, Zhen Mi knew that she probably had nowhere left to retreat!

"I will go see Madam Lu later and ask her to talk to my husband about this matter."

Zhen Yao asked in surprise, "Isn't Lady Yuan Liu Miao's legal wife?"

"But my husband listens to Madam Lu more often."

Zhen Mi glanced at her brother out of the corner of her eye: "Now that my husband and brother are family, how can I still call them by their full names?"

Zhen Yao frowned, clearly feeling that Zhen Mi had turned against him too quickly.

Zhen Yan, however, knew that Zhen Mi was reminding him, so he immediately cupped his hands to Zhen Mi and said, "I understand, brother."

I hope my little sister will have a swift and successful trip!

------

the other side.

Liu Miao had truly forgotten all about Zhen Mi.

Upon returning to Jinling, Zhang Zhao immediately approached Liu Miao and reported all the pressing government affairs to him.

For example, how many farmers and supplies were mobilized during the standoff at Langya, so some areas need to reduce or exempt them from corvée labor; also, the Yue tribes deep in Kuaiji and Yuzhang are becoming restless, requiring military expeditions to quell them, and so on...

Each and every one of these things felt like a matter of utmost importance.

Especially after leaving Gu Yong, Zhang Zhao's workload increased dramatically!

So when Liu Miao finished reporting to Zhang Zhao, he didn't rush to deal with these political affairs. Instead, he walked up to Zhang Zhao, reached out and plucked a white hair from his temple, holding it in his hand.

"It seems that Mr. Zhang has really reached the age of an old man now."

Zhang Zhao also looked at the white hair in Liu Miao's hand with some surprise.

How come he never noticed these white hairs?

Looking back now, I'm afraid that my subordinates and relatives didn't dare to mention this matter in front of me, for fear of making me angry?
Liu Miao presented the white hair to Zhang Zhao, saying, "You've worked hard, Lord Zhang."

"I have just heard Zhang Gong's handling of the matter. Most of the decisions were reasonable, with only a few being a bit radical. It seems that Zhang Gong is somewhat anxious without Yuan Tan."

Liu Miao had already come up with a solution: "In Yuzhang, the land redistribution has basically been completed."

“Zhang Hong, the Prefect of Yuzhang, is gentle in nature. He can be appointed as the Chief Administrator to share the burdens of Prefect Zhang.”

Zhang Zhao was still taken aback by his own white hair, but after hearing Liu Miao's words, he couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Doesn't our lord carefully review these administrative matters?"

"Has Lord Zhang lost his mind? How can orders be changed overnight? If I were to handle the same official business that Lord Zhang has already done, what would the officials think?"

Liu Miao acknowledged that Zhang Zhao had also made rash decisions in handling government affairs.

But now is clearly not the time to correct mistakes.

As for the reason, Zhang Zhao naturally understood it as well.

"Is my lord still so worried about the war with Yuan Shao?"

Liu Miao nodded frankly.

"That old bastard Yuan Shao, I don't see the slightest sign of him being defeated."

Especially after the key figure Xu You defected to Cao Cao's side, Liu Miao got goosebumps at the current Yuan Shao.

The only thing they can rely on now is Yuan Shao's already short lifespan.

Therefore, when Liu Miao came, he told Sima Yi that as long as Yuan Shao was held back, there was still a chance for his side to achieve final victory.

But this is on the premise that he, Cao Cao, Lü Bu, and others can withstand Yuan Shao's three-pronged attack.

Yuan Shao's current size is such that he could easily sweep through the Central Plains like a flood and then engulf him.

To prevent such a thing from happening, Liu Miao could certainly put aside all political affairs and hand them all over to Zhang Zhao to handle.

In any case, the system has been established, at least the lower limit has been maintained, and Zhang Zhao's ability is also very close to the upper limit, although there are occasional fluctuations, so Liu Miao naturally has no reason to hold a grudge.

……

Zhang Zhao could talk fluently with Liu Miao about other matters, but he was helpless when it came to dealing with Yuan Shao.

As Liu Miao's chief steward, Zhang Zhao knew that if Liu Miao only aimed for "invincibility," it would be quite easy for him.

At worst, they could ignore the fate of Cao Cao and Lü Bu, and at the same time completely abandon the flat area north of the Huai River, establishing the Xiangyang-Han River-Shouchun-Huai River defense line. Yuan Shao would have no chance of taking Liu Miao away in one fell swoop.

But what Liu Miao is pursuing now is clearly not such a result.

Otherwise, Liu Miao wouldn't have needed to specifically obtain elephant hides to build a heavy cavalry force.

Liu Miao's strategic goal was to defeat Yuan Shao on the main battlefield.

For a southern power to go to the Central Plains, thousands of miles away, to fight Yuan Shao after losing the support of its water network and ships, is almost like cutting off its own arm to fight a strong man. The difficulty of this is self-evident.

Zhang Zhao considered Liu Miao's predicament and couldn't bear to continue bombarding him, so he finally let Liu Miao rest in peace.
"call!"

After leaving Zhang Zhao's place, Liu Miao immediately changed his demeanor.

"Youping?"

"Chen is here!"

"How long has it been since you last went to a brothel to listen to music?"

"Anyway, it'll take a long time, hehe!"

Zhou Tai immediately showed his big teeth, while looking somewhat puzzled: "Didn't our lord tell Zhang Gong that he was worried about the war?"

"Nonsense! If I hadn't said that, would Master Zhang have let me leave so easily? Hahahaha!"

Liu Miao laughed loudly: "When soldiers come, we'll block them! When water comes, we'll dam it!"

"Fight if you can win! Run if you can't! If Yuan Shao really pushes me too far, I'll go find saltpeter everywhere and give him a good beating with trebuchets!!!"

Although Zhou Tai didn't understand what it meant, he still chuckled and said, "That's right! That's right!"

"Let's go! My lord! It's my treat today!"

"it is good!"

"My lord, won't you be a little polite?"

"Stop talking nonsense! I said you'd treat, so you treat! Let's go! I'm going to see the prettiest girl wiggle her most flexible waist today!"

Liu Miao stayed in the marketplace until the very last moment, reluctantly leaving only when curfew was imposed.

"It's a pity that the girl's waist is a bit flexible, but her figure is a bit lacking!"

Zhou Tai immediately nodded: "Exactly! It's a little too small! Not strong enough!"

Zhou Tai clicked his tongue in amazement: "If only there were women in this world who were as beautiful as angels and had amazing figures!"

"Screw you! I've never even met someone like that, how could you possibly meet one?"

Liu Miao returned home with a laugh and a scolding. He subconsciously headed towards Madam Lu's side, but saw her personal maid come forward to lead him: "Madam is not feeling well today, please rest here, my lord."

Liu Miao felt that the courtyard was somewhat unfamiliar, as if he had never been there before.

"Who is this again? Oh well! Whatever! It's all the same with the lights off!"

As Liu Miao crept into the room, just as he was about to reach for the bed, a burst of light suddenly illuminated the room!
I squinted and realized it was an oil lamp.

But at this moment, Liu Miao's gaze was not on the oil lamp at all.

Because right next to the oil lamp was a body that was even brighter and more dazzling than the oil lamp itself!

Her lips were bright red, her teeth white and gleaming, her eyes sparkling, and her dimples charming. Her beauty was exquisite, her demeanor serene and composed. Her gentle grace and captivating charm were evident in her every word.

Just moments ago, Liu Miao thought he would never see such a woman again in his life, but now she appeared before him, looking so beautiful and radiant!

(End of this chapter)