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

Yuan Wei wasn't really afraid of Liu Hong; it was just that there was no need for him to be.

Especially for the gentry, everything must ultimately be about cost-effectiveness.

For the majority of aristocratic families, engaging in a bloody conflict with the imperial clan who held military power in the name of a moment of passion, resulting in mutual destruction, was far too costly and too bloody.

"I, He Miao, have actually become a captain in the Imperial Guards..."

After the court session, He Miao walked unsteadily out of the main hall, his fingertips still trembling slightly.

He gazed at the glazed tile roof of the palace.

It felt like a dream.

After much maneuvering and deliberation, they finally saw off their domineering older brother.

He actually got the job, a crucial position that held the safety of the capital region in his hands.

Now he holds real power, and everything is exactly as he imagined at the beginning.

After his good brother was gone.

He finally reached the pinnacle of his life.

Looking back at the depths of the Northern Palace behind him, He Miao sighed softly, "His Majesty is not living much longer than he should today."

Fortunately, I, He Miao, have led the entire He family to join the General.

In the future, I am confident that my He family will be able to continue to stand firm in this world and move forward bravely.

Brother, now that you have this, you can go in peace.

"Rest assured, with He Miao here, there's no way I'll bring shame upon the entire family."

An unprecedented sense of security welled up in He Miao's heart.

After doing all this.

He naturally wouldn't stay in the palace for long.

Choosing an opportune time, He Miao respectfully appeared at the General's Mansion, bowed deeply to Liu Hong, who was sitting upright in the hall, and expressed his utmost loyalty.

"This humble general, He Miao, greets the Great General."

He Miao lay prostrate on the ground, his voice resounding, "The Imperial Guards have always been under the command of the Grand General, and this will not change in the slightest because I hold this position."

Although Wei Yan was the nominal commander of the Imperial Guards, they were actually firmly controlled by Liu Hong.

Liu Hong's current actions appear to be a way of diminishing Liu Hong's power and supporting his maternal relatives to counterbalance the imperial clan.

However, no matter how much Liu Hong schemed, he could hardly have imagined that the He family had long since become Liu Hong's private domain.

After all, the He family's status as maternal relatives does indeed give them the appearance of being able to form their own faction.

But He Miao was self-aware.

He doesn't have the ability to govern a region.

Therefore, siding with the most powerful faction of the Luoyang dynasty naturally became his extremely wise choice.

Now, in the entire imperial city of Luoyang, who is stronger than Liu Hong?

In this way, the Imperial Guards would still remain Liu Hong's possession.

"stand up."

Liu Hong raised his hand slightly, his tone indifferent.

He pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke: "Recently, through Eunuch Zhao's connections, I have recruited another person. This person was not recruited openly; his name is Xu Huang, and he is quite brave and resourceful."

After you return to the Imperial Guard, you can secretly promote this person and quietly place him in various units within the Imperial Guard. This person will definitely be a great help to you and will also help you easily seize power over the entire Imperial Guard.

He Miao's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly replied, "This subordinate obeys the order."

"besides."

Liu Hong changed the subject, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes, "From now on, when you go to court, you must act as if you are going head-to-head with the people of my General's Mansion."

"Only in this way can you continue to be highly valued by the emperor, and only then can His Majesty feel that you, as a relative of the empress, can truly check and balance me, a member of the imperial clan."

This was an open strategy, and also a task that Liu Hong assigned to He Miao.

He Miao was perfectly aware of the key to this.

He kowtowed to the ground, his voice growing increasingly respectful: "This humble general understands. I will certainly not fail the General's trust."

It's clear that while He Miao lacks ability, he is still quite clever.

After all, no matter what year it is, if you follow the right master, you can say that you are 99% guaranteed to succeed.

"Ha ha ha ha."

Upon seeing this, Liu Hong burst into laughter again.

In the days that followed, the winds of change in Luoyang quietly shifted.

The Cao family, the Xiahou family, and the Sun family also successively sent their visiting cards and joined Liu Hong's ranks.

Although it is only a preliminary commitment at present, and the family power has not been completely taken over like that of the Changding Zhao family, it is only a matter of time for Liu Hong.

The atmosphere was solemn in a side hall of the General's Mansion.

"Retainer Cao Mengde greets his lord."

"Xiahou Yuan, a retainer, pays his respects to his lord."

"Retainer Cao Ren greets his lord."

Cao Cao, Xiahou Yuan, and Cao Ren bowed respectfully.

Their arrival was not merely a personal act of seeking refuge, but also a choice made on behalf of their families to take sides.

Among the aristocratic families, there is a saying that one should not put all one's eggs in one basket. The Cao family and the Xiahou family naturally had their own considerations.

However, Liu Hong is currently very powerful and is a high-ranking official of the imperial clan, so siding with him is undoubtedly the best option.

Moreover, Cao Cao's father, Cao Song, was already preparing to travel from Xuzhou to Luoyang to personally pay a visit to Liu Hong, the powerful general of the Han Dynasty, as the elder of the Cao family.

This action demonstrates the Cao family's utmost sincerity.

Liu Hong sat upright in the main seat, his gaze sweeping over the three of them. He spoke slowly, his voice steady and powerful: "Alright, now that you've joined my Youzhou Liu family, you're all one family from now on."

He paused, his tone laced with enticement: "The profits from selling the salt, iron, glass, and soap—all sorts of exquisite items from Youzhou—in various places should also be a share for you."

"The rules will be based on the minimum share for now."

"If you can join my staff in the future, or make great contributions to the Liu family of Youzhou, your share will be no different from that of the Chen family of Youbeiping County and the Zhao family of Changting."

This is a straightforward statement, essentially an attempt to lure someone with benefits.

really.

Upon hearing this, a hint of joy flashed in the eyes of Cao Cao and the other two, and they quickly bowed again to express their gratitude: "Thank you for your great kindness, my lord."

Before long, Cao Cao, Cao Ren, Xiahou Yuan, and others bowed and left the General's Mansion.

Outside the mansion gate, the group exchanged smiles, put their arms around each other's shoulders, and walked away into the distance. They didn't express much gratitude, but rather seemed relieved and at ease.

Xiahou Yuan patted Cao Cao on the shoulder and laughed, "See that, Mengde? I told you, the General isn't such a narrow-minded person. He's the General, a figure of immense importance."

"It's our good fortune to be able to serve under him."

"Haha. Mengde, it seems I was overthinking things."

Xiahou Yuan laughed heartily, his tone full of delight.

"What kind of person is the General? With his outstanding demeanor, how could he possibly concern himself with such trivial matters?"

Cao Ren chimed in, his eyes gleaming with excitement: "Right now, my Cao family and the Xiahou family have only just submitted to the Great General, yet we already have the right to sell Youzhou glass and Youzhou salt."

This would amount to at least tens of millions of taels of silver each year. And this is just the initial gesture of goodwill.