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

Lü Zhi staggered to the front of the heads and examined them one by one.

Lü Chan, her nephew, the second son of her elder brother Lü Ze;

Lü Tai, the eldest son of her elder brother Lü Ze;

Lü Lu was the youngest son of her second elder brother, Lü Shizhi.

Lü Zhong was the second son of her second elder brother, Lü Shizhi.

Lü Ze was the eldest son of her second brother, Lü Shizhi.

The second-generation male members of the Lü family are all here.

"How did you change it!"

"Do you know who they are?!"

Unable to accept this reality, Lü Zhi roared at Wei Ping.

Wei Ping drew his Chixiao sword and pointed it at Lü Zhi's neck.

"His Majesty has decreed that the Lü clan, except for the Empress Dowager, is guilty of treason and should be exterminated along with their entire family!"

"Wang Junhou has already led the Northern Army to capture the person."

This is Chixiao!

Chixiao was the sword Liu Bang used to start his uprising after slaying the white snake. It held an extremely high status in the Han Dynasty and was always kept by the emperor himself, only to be worn during major ceremonies.

Now that it's in Wei Ping's hands, it represents the emperor's will and cannot be changed in the slightest.

"Lord Yan, Grand Tutor, I beg you, let the Northern Army return! My Lü family cannot be cut off from our line!"

Empress Lü pleaded desperately.

She couldn't imagine how she would face the ancestors of the Lü family in the afterlife, knowing that the Lü family line had ended because of him.

"This is the Emperor's decree; no one but His Majesty can change it!"

Wei Ping looked coldly at Lü Zhi, thinking, "There's always a reason why someone is pitiful!"

"By imperial decree, I will plead with His Majesty to allow the Grand Tutor to grant the Northern Army a moment's delay!"

Lü Zhi hurriedly said.

"His Majesty?!"

"Has the Empress Dowager forgotten what she once did?!"

Wei Ping's eyes were bloodshot.

Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs!

Empress Lü actually killed her own son for the sake of power!

"His Majesty has passed away!"

"Then who can I plead with?!"

Empress Lü desperately wants a way to undo her mistakes.

Once Liu Ying died, no one could change his will, not even the newly enthroned emperor!

She personally crushed the last hope of the Lü family!

"You're still thinking about the Lü family!"

"Do you still remember that His Majesty is your son! Your own son, born after ten months of pregnancy and a brush with death!"

"Before his death, His Majesty instructed us, his trusted ministers, not to claim to the outside world that he was poisoned by you!"

"Even on his deathbed, His Majesty was thinking of you, the mother who poisoned him, and did not want you to be remembered in history for poisoning the emperor's own son!"

Wei Ping was unusually angry.

Empress Lü never considered him a member of the Liu family; she always considered things from the perspective of a married daughter of the Lü clan.

Even now, they haven't inquired about Liu Ying!

"Ying'er".

"Ying'er!"

"I'm so sorry, Mother!"

Empress Lü sat on the ground and wailed loudly.

But what's the use of that!

Liu Ying is dead!

"The gift has been delivered; I shall take my leave!"

Wei Ping ordered the heads to be laid down, snorted coldly, and left the cold and lifeless Changxin Palace.

The next day, many court officials inquired about what had happened the previous night.

The Lü clan plotted a rebellion, which was quelled by the Grand Tutor.

But they waited and waited, and none of the bigwigs or the emperor came.

"White silk!"

Some ministers noticed Wei Ping and his entourage walking slowly towards them, all of whom were wearing white silk ribbons on their heads.

They knew all too well what this meant. Just a few years ago, they had experienced it: when Liu Bang died, all the civil and military officials wore white silk ribbons on their heads.

In the end, it was Prime Minister Cao Shen who announced, "His Majesty toiled day and night for the affairs of the state, exhausting his heart and soul, and devoted himself wholeheartedly to the cause. He passed away last night in Changle Palace."

"His Majesty's dying wish!"

The courtiers knelt on the ground.

"I ascended the throne at a young age, and in less than four years, I have been diligent and attentive day and night, never daring to be negligent or idle."

"Heaven is not in mourning, and illness is afflicting me; I fear my life is nearing its end."

"Liu Heng, the fourth son of Emperor Gaozu, was known for his filial piety and brotherly love among the imperial clan, and his benevolence was widely praised among the common people. In the past, when he governed Dai, his successful administration was lauded by many."

"His character is magnanimous and profound, possessing the qualities of a ruler; his virtue is gentle and kind, possessing the qualities of a sage king."

"I have examined the Five Blessings of the Great Plan and respectfully followed the Nine Rites of the Rites of Zhou. Now I entrust the imperial regalia to you so that you may succeed to the throne."

"From the day this edict is promulgated, all princes and ministers shall devote themselves to assisting the emperor; all nations and peoples shall submit to its authority. The relevant departments shall prepare the necessary rites and, at the appointed time, formally confer the mandate. This edict shall be proclaimed throughout the land so that all may know."

"This edict was jointly witnessed by the Grand General, the Grand Tutor, and the Grand Commandant."

"Your Majesty, we obey!"

The ministers bowed again.

"Grand Tutor, the capital is currently in turmoil, and we still need you and me to guard it together."

"General, Grand Commandant, Marquis of Quni, and Minister of the Imperial Clan, you four will personally go to Dai to welcome His Majesty to the throne."

After Cao Can finished speaking, Han Xin, Chen Ping, Zhou Bo, and Liu Zhang all nodded.

Wei Ping had no objections.

A country cannot be without a leader for even a day.

Soon, the imperial court selected a delegation to go to Dai to welcome Liu Heng to the throne.

To prevent any unforeseen events, the envoy group stopped ten miles outside the palace of the Prince of Dai and sent someone to inform Liu Heng of the matter.

Liu Heng was greatly surprised when he heard about this in the palace of the Prince of Dai.

Zhang Wu, the Imperial Physician of Dai State, and others believed that there was no such thing as a free lunch, much less the throne!

There must be something fishy going on here!

Liu Heng thought so too, was Chang'an looking for an excuse to weaken the power of the vassal states?

He won't fall for it!

Trust level for the "Declaration of Emperor" incident: 0%!

So he sent someone to tell the envoy that he was seriously ill and lacked virtue, and therefore could not accompany the delegation to the capital.

After the messenger relayed the message back, the four men simultaneously wore wry smiles and led their delegation to the Dai King's Palace in a grand manner.

The royal palace had spies who informed the King of Dai and his ministers of all this.

However, they still had some doubts, after all, Liu Ying had only been on the throne for less than four years and was still very young.

Lieutenant Song Chang overruled the objections of others, believing that the imperial court could easily destroy the Dai region with its strength, and there was no need to use the throne as a pretext.

His words convinced many ministers.

But Liu Heng in this world is only 14 years old. Although he is mentally mature, the huge windfall has left him dizzy and unable to believe it.

After regaining his senses, Liu Heng thought that since he had already refused once, he might as well refuse again.

It's not a business that's rushed.

If it's true, refusing would help establish his authority and also help him seize power after arriving in the capital.

Trust level for the "Declaration of Emperor" incident: 10%!

Therefore, Liu Heng once again declined, citing insufficient talent and shallow virtue.

Bo Zhao understood Liu Heng's intentions. He privately approached the delegation and arranged to find an auspicious day to lead the ministers of Dai and the delegation to invite the King of Dai to register.

The accompanying diviner predicted that three days would be an auspicious day, so three days later, all the officials and delegations from Dai came together to the palace of the Dai king and bowed down.

Liu Heng asked the divination master to perform another divination, and received a result of "a great horizontal stroke".

The secret explanation was: "This result shows that the crack in the Great Horizontal Belt is quite proper. The King of Dai will soon ascend the throne as the Heavenly King and carry forward the great cause of his family."

Only then did Liu Heng agree to go to the capital to succeed to the throne.

Trust level for the "Declaration of Emperor" incident: 30%!

Furthermore, he sent his uncle Bo Zhao to Chang'an in advance to investigate the situation.

Fifty miles from the capital, Liu Heng stopped again.