The Three Great Han Dynasties: Awaken Liu Bei with a scolding; you weave mats and sell sandals.

Youzhou is far from Luoyang, so if they were to raise an army in rebellion, it would be several times more difficult than it is in Luoyang.

Moreover, there are various foreign tribes, which can be used as an excuse to weaken the power of the Liu clan in Youzhou.

For the royal family, the benefits are numerous.

However, this was ultimately just Liu Hong's idea. The reality was that Liu Hong, the Grand General of the Liu Clan of Youzhou, had to remain in Luoyang.

In this way, the royal family can maintain its previous advantages instead of letting others take away this hard-won benefit.

There are many intricacies involved here.

The attendant bowed and reported in a low voice, "Your Majesty, the Empress did indeed meet with an official a few days ago, namely her elder brother, the Imperial Brother-in-law He Jin."

He Jin is no longer a Grand General, so Zhang Rang addresses him as such.

After all, the status of the emperor's brother-in-law is not as prestigious as that of a member of the imperial family.

"It seems that this matter is most likely the work of the He family. They're really in a hurry."

Liu Hong's eyes were incredibly gloomy.

After Zhang Rang withdrew.

He did start to consider what would happen after his death.

He didn't pay attention to it in the past because he didn't have the energy for it.

But now, looking around the world, the royal family seems to have the intention to revive the dynasty. Perhaps it is unlikely that he can achieve this in his generation, but he can lay a good foundation for his son.

In this way...

Liu Hong closed his eyes, seemingly resigned to his fate.

But who should we choose?

Was it Liu Bian or Liu Xie?

Liu Bian was the empress's son and, according to ancestral rules, should have been the crown prince. However, he was weak-willed and unfit for important positions.

On the contrary, Liu Xie, although raised by Empress Dowager Dong, was always intelligent, resourceful and quick-witted in the palace.

These two men, one citing legal principles and the other citing virtue, made it difficult for Liu Hong to make a decision for so long.

Otherwise, why would it be so troublesome?

After all, he only had two sons, but each of them had their own strengths, which was the real dilemma for him.

Ugh.

After an unknown amount of time, Liu Hong let out a long sigh, still unsure of what to choose, truly caught in a dilemma.

Suddenly.

He thought of Liu Hong, and even wondered which prince Liu Hong would choose as his heir.

At this moment, Liu Hong suddenly became extremely interested.

……

"My lord, Zhang Rang has been informed of this matter, and His Majesty will likely be aware of it soon as well. It will not affect the affairs of my Liu family."

Jian Yong stepped forward and slowly answered, explaining in detail what he had done.

Liu Hong nodded in agreement.

"In that case, it's time to pay a visit to the Sun family."

Liu Hong spoke in this way.

Everyone nodded in agreement, as it was time to get to this point.

Soon, the group arrived at the Sun family's courtyard.

Inside the courtyard, Sun Jian had just woken up, but his eyes were lifeless. He felt waves of pain in his ribs, and his lips twitched from time to time. He was filled with a deep sorrow and despair.

He failed.

He lost his bet.

He foresaw this fate the moment he lost consciousness.

However, this is not the worst outcome.

In his mind, the entire Sun family should have been dead by now, not alive as they are now.

"Now that Uncle has woken up, the most important thing to do is to carefully consider how to save the Sun family, rather than letting them sit and wait for their doom."

Zhou Yu said in a deep voice, "I'm afraid the news of the court assembly has already spread throughout Luoyang. In a few more hours, Lord Liu will arrive."

How to survive this life-or-death situation is entirely in your hands, Uncle.

Zhou Yu immediately spoke up, for the current situation did not allow him to focus on recuperating.

One wrong move, and this courtyard, which appears to be a place of hospitality, could actually be a caged bird's prison, where all of them could die at any moment. They absolutely cannot delay any longer.

That is why Zhou Yu said that.

"Gongjin, what do you think should be done?"

When Sun Jian woke up, he knew about Zhou Yu's plan from the previous night. Although it couldn't fool everyone, it showed the young man's resourcefulness. He was able to make a decision in such a critical situation, which made him a trustworthy person.

"It was my uncle who led the Sun family to surrender to the General."

Zhou Yu's tone was resolute: "Since you previously intended to join the He family, why don't you join this general's ranks now?"

They went down a dark path and offended this powerful relative of the emperor to the death.

Only in this way can he perhaps escape this death sentence.

He paused, then added, "Moreover, not only that, the Sun family also has the Wu Commandery Sun clan, which must relocate to Youzhou. In addition, Bo Fu will definitely study at the Liu family's private school, as will Sun Quan. Only in this way can we gain the trust of Lord Liu and those around him, and prevent any other distractions. If any one of these conditions were missing, I'm afraid that everyone in this courtyard would be doomed by now."

Zhou Yu slowly began to speak, and he had no choice but to say it.

His words make a lot of sense.

Even if Sun Jian were to exhaust all his efforts at this moment, this would be the only thing he could think of.

"In that case, we will do as Gongjin says."

Sun Jian gave a wry smile and turned to look at his wife by the bedside. "Madam, I'm sorry to have troubled you and the child."

Sun Jian, lying on the bed, was completely unable to move at this moment.

It was only because he injured his ribs, not other limbs, that he had any chance of fighting back.

"It's alright."

The lady replied softly, "As long as our family is together, that's better than anything else."

Upon hearing this, Sun Jian felt even more ashamed.

dong dong dong.

A knock came at the door.

Zhou Yu's expression changed immediately, and then he called out loudly, "They've arrived."

Zhou Yu glanced at Sun Jian, who nodded emphatically. Only then were the others completely relieved and went to open the door.

"I wonder if General Sun has woken up?"

Liu Hong stood outside the door, a faint smile on his face.

Seeing Liu Hong's manners, even in this critical moment, still so polite, Zhou Yu understood that since Liu Hong had come to their door in person, the Sun family's decision to side with him might not be a mistake.

"He's awake. General, please come in."

Zhou Yu stepped forward to lead the way, followed by Sun Ce and Sun Quan.

It was as if he, the only outsider, was now in charge of the life and death of the entire Sun family.

Zhou Yu was unwilling to watch helplessly as his close friend and their hometown perished.

If Zhou Gongjin couldn't do that, then he wouldn't be Zhou Yu.

Liu Hongmai stepped into the room and saw Sun Jian lying on the bed.

Sun Jian's face was full of bitterness, as if he had no words to express his suffering.

Liu Hong glanced at him and smiled faintly: "Alright, no need to move, General Sun."

Right now, all I need is for General Sun to tell me who the mastermind is; the rest can wait.

However, this general will certainly spare the lives of General Sun and his family.

Liu Hong spoke again, and his words and demeanor sent a chill down the spines of anyone who saw him.