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

Zhu Jun fell silent.

Within the court, other officials soon began to echo this sentiment, clearly demonstrating the severity of the current situation and revealing that there were those secretly plotting against Liu Hong.

Liu Hong smiled slightly and naturally turned his gaze to the Yuan family.

Apart from the other party.

He couldn't really imagine who else in Luoyang, besides the imperial relatives and powerful families, could be his enemy.

The maternal relatives had been deposed, and Dong Zhuo, who posed a threat from the Western Liang, had been completely subdued by him.

Even Li Ru, who could wreak havoc on the world, was well-behaved under Liu Hong. Not to mention others, Jia Xu alone was enough to keep the other side in check and prevent him from doing anything else.

Liu Hong is quite confident.

"It is acceptable for the General to temporarily assume His Majesty's authority. I hope that the General will do his best to handle the affairs of the court and not forget his original intention as a subject."

These officials spoke with trepidation and dread.

After all, if Liu Hong doesn't care, these words won't matter, but if he does care, it probably won't be long before he reacts.

Their official careers would come to an end here.

Even those from prominent families.

They were extremely concerned about official titles and ranks, as these were their rightful future prospects.

Although scions of prominent families care about their clans, it doesn't mean they don't care about themselves. Under normal circumstances, these two aspects can still be somewhat reconciled.

……

After the court session ended and the officials left one after another, Liu Hong walked straight to Yuan Wei.

He raised an eyebrow, his gaze full of meaning: "Lord Yuan, you truly have remarkable methods."

Yuan Wei pretended to be stupid, as if the court meeting had nothing to do with him: "Why do you say that, General?"

Could it be that you think that the incident where the Lieutenant General targeted the General was instigated by me?

If that's really the case, then the general has probably chosen the wrong person.

Although my Yuan family had made its own proposals before, we have now withdrawn from the matter. In addition, the General has repeatedly pardoned my Yuan family and its members. How could my Yuan family do something so foolish?

Moreover, even Grand Commandant Yang has already submitted to the General-in-Chief. How could my Yuan family possibly do something so foolish and absurd? I implore the General-in-Chief to see the truth.

It must be understood that at this very moment, in front of all the officials, before they had all dispersed, Yuan Wei was making such a gesture toward Liu Hong in public. Although he did not explicitly submit like Yang Shi, he still clearly demonstrated the attitude that the Yuan family should have. It must be said that this kind of courage and methods is indeed rare. Even Liu Hong temporarily put aside his suspicions about him at this moment.

"I hope so."

Liu Hong glanced slowly in Yuan Wei's direction, not intending to let the matter rest based solely on the other party's one-sided account.

Yuan Wei, on the other hand, could indeed be described as having a clear conscience and without the slightest worry.

After leaving the Golden Palace, Liu Hong headed straight for the inner courtyard. Zhang Rang was already waiting for him at the palace gate. However, he wondered who had specifically sought him out in the inner courtyard.

Watching Liu Hong's departing figure, a hint of annoyance flashed in Yuan Wei's eyes. As he turned to leave, he saw a group of figures immediately surrounding him. They were Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, two junior members of the Yuan family, as well as many of Yuan family disciples. At this moment, everyone had the same suspicions as Liu Hong.

"This was not done by me."

Zhu Jun, the General of the Central Army, had always been feared by the powerful families and was a figurehead soldier.

The Zhu family was never a vassal of the Yuan family.

Yuan Wei spoke slowly.

The officials nodded repeatedly after hearing this, and it was unclear whether they believed it or not. At least the matter now had a plausible excuse, which allowed them to breathe a little easier.

After they left, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu also cast suspicious glances at them, which implicitly revealed everything.

Seeing this, Yuan Wei sighed: "The methods of the person behind this are truly formidable, directly pushing my Yuan family into the eye of the storm."

My Yuan family has a reputation for producing three dukes for four generations, but so what? We have always been subordinate to the Liu family of the imperial family.

"While His Majesty was on the throne, my Yuan family remained law-abiding. Now that Liu Hong has joined the ranks, does my Yuan family truly dare to be his enemy?"

At this moment, Yuan Wei suppressed his voice and only told these true feelings to the two younger members of the Yuan family beside him. The other officials could not hear him no matter what.

"Is he really not my uncle?"

Yuan Shu muttered something.

Yuan Shao probably understood Yuan Kui's thoughts. He pondered for a moment, then nodded and stroked his chin: "If it's not my uncle, then who else in this entire imperial city of Luoyang could it be?"

In a short time.

They were all genuinely baffled.

Moreover, it is obvious to the naked eye that this matter is clearly persecution against the Yuan family. If that general really harbors such suspicions...

How could the Yuan family possibly benefit from this?

In the end, it is likely that Yuan and Liu will fight amongst themselves, resulting in a tragic scene that neither side would want to see.

At this moment, in the rear courtyard, Zhang Rang carefully served Liu Hong from the side, his face revealing an undisguised nervousness: "General, now that we've arrived in the rear courtyard and are seeing His Majesty, please try to be a little more composed."

His Majesty's health is now critically ill, and there is absolutely no need for him to undergo any further stimulation.

Zhang Rang secretly watched Liu Hong, seemingly afraid that Liu Hong would do something impulsive at this crucial moment, which might not be a good thing for Liu Hong's future reputation.

"If you don't want others to know, then don't do it in the first place."

Therefore, the only way is to do nothing, to follow the natural course, and things will fall into place naturally.

Liu Hong glanced at Zhang Rang indifferently, a smile appearing on his face. His way of addressing Zhang Rang remained unchanged, which made Zhang Rang secretly delighted once again.

"Don't worry, Mr. Zhang."

His Majesty's kindness to me is as heavy as a mountain. Even if His Majesty were to pass away one day, His Highness the Crown Prince would still ascend the throne.

Unless His Highness the Crown Prince is of questionable character and commits a disgraceful act that would bring shame upon my Liu family, perhaps I would temporarily assume this important responsibility.

Otherwise, supporting the crown prince would be the first thing we, as his subjects, should do.

At this moment, Liu Hong spoke softly, and Zhang Rang's eyes flashed with a hint of realization. The heart that had been in his throat before settled down again: "Good, it's good that the General knows what's important."

Especially after seeing that Liu Hong hadn't misunderstood anything, Zhang Rang's previous worries vanished without a trace.

Before long, outside the North Palace's sleeping quarters, Zhang Rang quietly announced, "Your Majesty, the Grand General has arrived."