A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

"I am only doing this to commend General Wei for his military achievements."

Emperor Ping of Han snorted coldly; all his schemes had failed.

Even those rebel armies that were nominally subdued by the imperial court had nothing to do with him.

Part of it went to Wang Mang, part to the Wei family, and the rest, which should have belonged to him, he dared not use now.

This group of people watched as Liu Xiu summoned meteors to defeat the enemy army, and now they are staunch supporters of Liu Xiu.

Even his trusted confidant Ma Wu, who had finally gained control of an army of 10, betrayed him after a major battle and defected to Liu Xiu.

Knowing that Liu Xiu was destined for greatness, they still pleaded for his merits. They deserve to die, they all deserve to die.

After scheming for so long, all the benefits and rewards were taken by others, and he was left with nothing.

Is destiny truly not on my side?!

Emperor Ping of Han thought with a touch of melancholy.

Several days later, Wei Xian's army returned to Chang'an.

On this day, the entire city of Chang'an was deserted as everyone gathered on both sides of the main road, eager to catch a glimpse of Wei Xian's true appearance.

Let's see if Wei Xian is really as legendary as he is, with a blue face, fangs, three heads, and six arms.

"Is this General Wei?"

"He's so handsome, he doesn't look like some kind of monster with a blue face and fangs, or three heads and six arms. He doesn't even look as strong as me, a blacksmith."

"Yes, if you change his clothes and say he's a scholar or a noble young master, that would be more fitting."

"What do you mean by 'suitable'? Is there anyone more qualified to be called a noble young master than General Wei?"

Countless people in Chang'an were greatly disappointed when they saw the handsome Wei Xian.

The people of Chang'an were somewhat educated, so they wouldn't actually believe in that blue-faced, fanged, three-headed, six-armed monster.

But in their view, a man should be at least 10 feet tall, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with muscles bulging all over his body, and his arms thicker than his waist.

Only a warrior of such courage could accomplish the feat of breaching a city gate with a single halberd strike.

The difference between Wei Xian's current painting style and what they imagined is not so much drastic as to be completely unrelated.

He had just returned home when the imperial court delivered the plaque it had prepared.

Wei Xian immediately returned the plaque to the Duke of Yan's residence. He had earned it through his military achievements, so why not take it?

"General Wei, this is a gift from His Majesty."

"It can only be hung in your residence."

A young eunuch intervened.

He was a trusted confidant of Emperor Ping of Han, and even when facing Wei Xian, who had made great military achievements, he still insisted on carrying out Emperor Ping's orders.

"Since it was bestowed upon me, isn't it my freedom to do with it as I see fit?"

"Besides, this mansion doesn't belong to me; it belongs to the Wei family."

"Both are residences of the Wei family, so why is this one allowed but the other isn't?"

"Is it because you discriminate against the Wei family? Or is it His Majesty...?!"

The young eunuch dared not utter a sound. If it were just him, he would simply repay the emperor's favor with his death, and he was not afraid.

However, he could not directly expose the struggle between His Majesty and the Wei family, as Emperor Ping's power was not yet fully consolidated, which would be extremely disadvantageous for him.

After the eunuch reported this matter to Emperor Ping of Han, the emperor was both angry and somewhat jealous.

Why is Wei Xian of the Wei family so loyal?!

Why shouldn't she be so loyal to him?!

Such a fierce general, who is also loyal, if one is loyal to him, what great things cannot be accomplished?

Could Liu Xiu have been so loyal?!

Emperor Ping of Han shook his head violently. Wei Xian was just a military general who had inherited the divine power of his ancestors. He was just a bit brave. It wasn't like there hadn't been such a thing in history.

But Liu Xiu was completely different; like him, he was a member of the Han imperial family.

Coincidentally, his throne was not inherited from his father, but rather because the previous emperor had no sons.

Under these circumstances, Liu Xiu naturally possessed some legal grounds for inheriting the throne.

Moreover, this involves summoning meteorites, which is completely different from brute force; they are not even the same concept.

There is absolutely no comparison between them.

Even if Liu Xiu truly acted with unwavering loyalty, would he dare to believe it? He wouldn't.

Wei Xian can live, but Liu Xiu must die.

Just then, another eunuch came to report that the plaque sent to the Duke of Yan's residence had been refused.

The Wei family then returned him to the emperor.

This behavior is a blatant way of telling Emperor Ping of Han that we don't care about what you're sending!

Not to mention us, they don't even look down on our family's branches!

A flush rose to Emperor Ping's face, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

……

On his way back to Chang'an, Liu Xiu continued to ponder countermeasures.

He knew that with his current reputation, Emperor Ping of Han would absolutely not tolerate him.

The fact that Emperor Ping of Han launched this nationwide rebellion reveals what kind of person he was.

Ruthless and unscrupulous.

Once he returns to Chang'an, all that awaits him is being plotted against until his death.

At that moment, Feng Yi proposed two solutions.

"Firstly, we can take the route of enfeoffment. Based on your military achievements this time, and considering His Majesty's fear of you, you can lead everyone out to be enfeoffed and conquer vast territories."

"Based on your performance in the Battle of Kunyang, there will surely be a large number of soldiers willing to follow you."

Liu Xiu: "..."

He left his hometown, the place where he was born and raised, and went to an unknown place to create a future that was uncertain and unclear.

Making him make such a choice all of a sudden is extremely difficult.

The Chinese people's greatest romance lies in their love of home and the idea that fallen leaves return to their roots.

Feng Yi noticed Liu Xiu's struggle and offered his second solution.

"Secondly, you can surrender to the royal family. If you can obtain the Prime Minister's protection, it will be enough to shield you from His Majesty's open and covert attacks."

"Why not the Wei family?"

Liu Xiu asked curiously, "The Wei family is clearly more powerful."

"Because the Wei family would never accept it."

"The Wei family has never participated in the struggle for the throne."

Feng Yi spoke Liu Xiu's deepest desire.

Ever since the meteorite fell from the sky, Liu Xiu would look up at the starry sky late at night.

He had wondered if he was truly destined for greatness.

The current emperor is only so lucky because the previous emperor had no sons, which is why the prime minister welcomed him to be the new emperor.

If he can do it, why can't I?

But by the next day, he would have buried that thought deep in his heart.

His background was too weak. Although he came from the royal family, it was from an extremely remote branch.

His family had no real resources to support him to that position.

Moreover, the current emperor has offspring, so even if he suddenly dies, someone will be able to inherit the throne.

It is impossible to find them among the Liu clan members.

Even if they were truly searching, they would certainly look for a child emperor who is easier to control, rather than this legendary emperor who is said to have a divine mandate and military merits.

From Liu Xiu's expression, Feng Yi could already tell his inclination.

He naturally coveted that position as well.

This is also good news for Feng Yi and the others who are under Liu Xiu's command. If Liu Xiu can ascend to the throne, they will have made contributions in his service.

This is much better than the miserable experience of establishing fiefdoms with Liu Xiu.

No matter how good it was that the vassal states were established, they still belonged to Liu Xiu, and their official positions were predictable.

But in the country, they might be able to achieve the rank of high-ranking officials.

Even the kings of those vassal states had to bow their heads before them.