Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

"I don't want to be a monkey! Monkeys have fur! I don't have fur!" Liu Yi burst into tears, so frightened she cried out.

"Daddy's lying! I'm not a monkey! I was born from Mommy! Mommy says I came out of her belly!"

Liu Ce quickly comforted her, "Don't cry, don't cry. It was a monkey from a very, very long time ago, not a monkey from today. It took millions of years for it to slowly evolve into a human."

The monkeys of today will never become humans, because the path has already been trodden. The monkeys of that time will be different from the monkeys of today.

It took a long time to calm the little princess down. Her tears were still wet on her face when she asked again:

"Was Father also a monkey incarnate?"

Liu Ce said, both amused and exasperated, "Father too, and so are we."

The children nodded with some skepticism and then started chattering away again.

...

While Liu Ce was teaching the children, the windows of Chang Le Palace were already crowded with people.

Cai Yan, Zhang Ning, He Lian, Zhen Jiang, Zhen Mi, Da Qiao, Xiao Qiao, and more than a dozen other ladies were so curious when they heard that Liu Ce was personally teaching the children that they secretly came over to peek. They all pressed their faces against the windows like a row of cats peeking out.

When they looked, they were all dumbfounded.

Liu Ce was holding a round ball, pointing at it and talking about it. The children surrounded him, listening intently without blinking, occasionally letting out exclamations and laughter, as if they had seen something incredible.

"What is my husband teaching?" Xiao Qiao asked softly, covering her mouth, her eyes wide open.

"What Earth, gravity, monkeys turning into humans? I don't understand a word of this. These things are not in the Four Books and Five Classics I read since I was a child, and my father never taught me them."

Cai Yan frowned and whispered, "I don't understand either. But look how happy the children are. They've been sitting with their husband for an hour, still so energetic. When I was a child, I would get sleepy in less than half an hour of class."

Zhang Ning laughed and said, "Who cares what they teach? As long as the kids are happy and learn something, that's fine. It's better than those old teachers with straight faces shaking their heads."

"Yes," He Lian sighed, a hint of emotion in her eyes.

"When Liu Bian was studying, his teacher always had a stern face and would hit his hands with a ruler at the slightest provocation, until his palms were swollen. The child was so scared that he cried every day. Unlike my husband, who tells stories, gives candy, and rewards children. Naturally, the children are willing to learn."

Just then, Dian Wei, who was on patrol, passed by Chang Le Palace. Hearing the lively noise inside, he curiously came over and peered through the window.

He was tall and strong, and when he leaned out, he blocked half of the window.

"Hey, what are you all looking at, sisters-in-law?" Dian Wei asked in a low voice, his large head squeezed through the window crack.

"What's going on in there, big brother? Why is it so lively? Are they handing out some delicious food?"

Xiao Qiao turned around and saw Dian Wei. She smiled and said, "My husband is teaching the children. He's teaching something really strange. He's saying that humans evolved from monkeys."

"What? Humans evolved from monkeys?" Dian Wei's eyes widened, he scratched his head, looking completely confused.

"Why do I feel like I'm more like a tiger? My mother said I cried like a tiger when I was born."

This caused the ladies to burst into laughter, and the laughter carried into the classroom.

The laughter startled Liu Ce inside. He looked up and saw a row of heads peering through the window. He laughed and said:

"Stop lounging outside, come in. And you, E'lai, if you're going to come in, come in. Don't be clinging to the window like a thief; you're going to break the window."

The ladies walked in blushing, and Dian Wei also walked in with a chuckle, scratching the back of his head, looking embarrassed.

Liu Ce picked up the triangular mirror and shone it in the sunlight. Instantly, a rainbow appeared on the wall, displaying six vibrant colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.

"Wow! A rainbow!" the children cheered, running over to see it. Some reached out to touch it, some opened their mouths to bite it, and some jumped on the ground.

The rainbow swayed on the wall, moving with Liu Ce's hand.

The ladies were all stunned. Xiao Qiao jumped up excitedly, "How beautiful! Husband, how did you conjure up a rainbow? Do you do magic tricks? Do you know any magic? Did you secretly learn some kind of spell?"

"This didn't happen by magic; it's sunlight being refracted by a prism and split into six colors," Liu Ce explained with a smile.

"The rainbow after the rain works on the same principle. Sunlight passes through raindrops and is refracted, creating a rainbow. Sunlight appears white, but it actually contains six colors, which we can't usually see. Next time it rains, pay attention and see if there's a rainbow in the sky."

The ladies and Dian Wei were all amazed, thinking that His Majesty was truly amazing, knowing everything and even able to conjure up a rainbow.

Dian Wei was utterly impressed: "Brother, you can even create rainbows. In future battles, will you be able to create lightning and strike down those Xianbei people?"

Liu Ce smiled and shook his head: "We can't create lightning yet, we'll take it slowly."

...

As soon as the bell and drum towers of Luoyang finished their final chime, three beacon towers across the country simultaneously lit up with smoke signals, illuminating the dark night sky in a fiery red.

The smoke signals soared straight into the sky and could be seen from dozens of miles away.

Almost simultaneously, the Imperial Guards' fast horses, the military region's messengers, and the navy's fast ships, carrying the same order, rushed toward their respective targets.

The sounds of horses' hooves, water, and wind blended together into a somber symphony.

At the headquarters of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in Luoyang, Lu Bing, dressed in a black outfit, clutched the last command arrow in his hand, his eyes so cold they could freeze a person.

The hall was filled with Imperial Guards, fully armed and ready to go. Their embroidered spring knives gleamed coldly in the candlelight, and even their breathing was kept extremely low.

"Issue my order: a nationwide simultaneous operation! No one on the list is to be missed! Anyone who dares to resist, whether head of a household or a servant, will be killed without exception! Anyone who dares to harbor them will be punished as an accomplice!"

"promise!"

Hundreds of people responded in unison, their voices low but carrying a chilling aura.

He turned and rushed out the gate, the sound of horses' hooves instantly drowning out the night in Luoyang, like a gust of wind sweeping through the streets.

...

Yingchuan, Wangjiawubao.

The head of the family, Wang An, hadn't slept for two days; his eyes were bloodshot from exhaustion.

He had already received news that the imperial court was going to wipe out the powerful families, so he quickly reinforced the fortified village—the walls were five zhang high and three chi thick, with arrow towers built on top, and enough logs and stones to last for half a year. He also forcibly conscripted tenants and servants, gathering a total of three thousand people, known as the "Three Thousand Death Warriors," who patrolled the top of the wall with knives and spears.

At this moment, he stood atop the highest watchtower, holding a wine cup in his hand, and said smugly to his son:

"Hmph, what are the Embroidered Uniform Guards? Back then, even the Yellow Turban Army of 100,000 men couldn't take this fortified village! Do you think they can fly in with their few Embroidered Uniform Guards? If they can't take it after ten or fifteen days, they'll naturally retreat. Then we'll just send some money through someone, and that'll be the end of it."

The son nodded hastily, his face full of flattery: "Father is wise! Look, there seems to be movement in the distance; it's probably the Imperial Guards arriving."