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

Inside the bedchamber, Liu Hong woke up after a few moments of restlessness, his face revealing a hint of exhaustion that was hard to conceal.

He mustered his strength, and Zhang Rang stepped forward to help him up, supporting most of his body against the edge of the bed behind him.

At this moment, the emperor was terminally ill and emaciated.

"Ziguang, you've arrived."

Liu Hong looked at Liu Hong's figure and saw that he was still as robust as ever, with a broad back and a strong waist, in the prime of his life. He could probably eat three sesame cakes and two bowls of mutton soup in one go, and then enjoy some snacks. His appetite was definitely not comparable to that of ordinary people.

Liu Hong was genuinely envious when he saw it, but unfortunately, with his frail body, no matter how much he envied it, he could only look on helplessly.

"Your Majesty, your humble servant is here."

Liu Hong replied with a respectful bow.

Liu Hong's kindness in recognizing his talent was deeply appreciated, even though the circumstances forced him to do so. Otherwise, he would have done what Zhang Rang had worried about long ago.

"I'm afraid I don't have much time left."

Even if the imperial physicians in the palace do their best, they can only prolong my life for a few more days. I can foresee that my own time is up, and it will probably be within the next day or two, if not today, then tomorrow.

The reason I sent you here is for the sake of my Han family.

Let the crown prince ascend the throne and become the emperor.

Liu Hong patted Liu Hong on the shoulder, his eyes filled with hope as he looked at him, as if he wanted to get a firm promise from Liu Hong.

"Your humble servant will do everything in his power to assist the Crown Prince in ascending the throne and to protect the Han Dynasty."

The two then exchanged pleasantries and chatted for a while, mostly about trivial matters of the court and arrangements for the royal family. When Liu Hong's body could no longer bear it and his breathing became increasingly weak, he slowly closed his eyes and fell into a coma.

As Liu Hong left, a heavy look appeared on his face. The plan he had just instructed Zhang Rang could probably not be carried out now. Perhaps it could eventually be accomplished, but it would have to wait. It was absolutely impossible to do it immediately after Liu Hong's death.

General.

Zhang Rang soon emerged from the North Palace behind him, awaiting Liu Hong's orders.

"Then the crown prince was allowed to ascend the throne and become the emperor."

Since His Majesty trusts me so much as his subject, how can I, as his subject, not put His Majesty at ease?

Whatever I say, no matter who or what person it is to me, I will never go back on my word.

Liu Hong spoke.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Rang's heart pounded even harder, and a broad smile spread across his face. He nodded solemnly and replied loudly, "Yes, General."

If Liu Hong kept his promise to the dying Liu Hong so faithfully, then naturally, he would most likely also keep his promise to Liu Hong to live a life of wealth and honor in the imperial mausoleum. This put Zhang Rang and the other eunuchs at ease, and their original worries about Liu Hong disappeared at this moment.

"Respectfully seeing off the General."

Zhang Rang bowed again, his respect now even more genuine.

This is how things are in the world. One's own behavior will have repeated effects. Unless you can truly not care, your reputation and the situation in various places will be affected by every little thing.

Liu Hong nodded but said nothing more, and soon left the back courtyard.

As for meeting with other people, there is really no need for that.

However, things happened even faster than Liu Hong had imagined. Almost three hours after he left the inner courtyard, as soon as night fell, the North Palace was already bustling with activity, with figures moving in and out quickly.

Empress He, Empress Dowager Dong, the palace attendants, the Western Garden Commandant Lü Bu, Zhang Liao, as well as Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Yuan Shao and others, almost all of them came.

At this moment, although they were all outside the North Palace Hall, not one of them could fail to sense the impending doom of the entire Han Dynasty. It was likely that in just a short while, the entire Han Dynasty would be transformed once again.

Among them, some are impatient, some are deep in thought, and some are thinking about the future. It can be said that everyone is caught in this vortex and no one can escape it.

Yuan Shu chuckled and, standing to the left of the North Palace, led his troops and said softly, "Yuan Benchu, does my Yuan family truly have no chance at all?"

After all, this is a position.

If the Liu family of Youzhou can become a general, why can't our Yuan family?

"Could it be that my Yuan family is lacking in some way?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao glared at his cousin with annoyance, finding his words as stupid as a pig's.

He really didn't want to say anything more, but he still had to say what needed to be said: "Shut up. You stupid fool, my Yuan family absolutely cannot go against the Liu family of Youzhou now, otherwise wouldn't other aristocratic families be reaping this huge benefit for nothing? You are unworthy of being the eldest son of the Yuan family."

After being ridiculed by Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu glared angrily, wanting to retort, but when he saw the other West Garden Colonels, especially Lü Bu, who had recently become the strongest in terms of personal martial arts, looking at them, he immediately shut his mouth and no one dared to speak again.

Not to mention, there's also He Miao, the General of the Western Garden, who keeps an eye on their mistakes, looking for an opportunity to drive them all out.

Therefore, the two sons of the Yuan family would never make such a low-level mistake, absolutely not.

Suddenly, the area outside the North Palace fell silent once again, with everyone falling silent.

Lu Bu snorted coldly, then turned his gaze away from the sullen faces of these aristocratic scions.

He had long since lost any goodwill towards them in the past few days. He had originally thought that the scions of noble families were so glamorous, but now in his eyes they were no different from the Wuhuan people, and in most cases, even inferior to them, having lost their fighting spirit.

Upon seeing this scene, He Miao, the General of the Western Garden, revealed a satisfied smile, and also felt a sense of relief. Fortunately, Liu Hong had sent Lü Bu over; otherwise, how could he, with his so-called position of General of the Western Garden, possibly control so many aristocratic families?

Of course, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei would never openly side with He Miao, otherwise it would cause too much worry for Emperor Liu Hong and other powerful families.

After all, if we think about it this way, the power of the Liu family in Youzhou is probably too great, thus failing to achieve a balance. This is undoubtedly a scene that no party wants to see. This point can truly be called a reality.

Afterwards, the entire North Palace remained quiet, but within the palace walls, deep within the main hall, figures were now fleeing in panic. Even the usually well-dressed palace servants had fear in their eyes.

Other imperial physicians, dressed in white, examined Liu Hong's condition, but none dared to confront him directly.