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

Chapter 159 Empress Dowager He: Is my son not worthy?

Liu Hong bowed slightly in return, and Liu Bei also bowed slightly beside him, showing a semblance of decorum, which was quite impressive.

Seeing this, Liu Hong smiled slightly, and then the group walked towards the inner courtyard of the Yuan family.

"As expected of the son of Duke Weining, he is indeed handsome and dashing, truly enviable."

"Hahaha, General Xuande is no ordinary man. Even without Duke Weining, he would surely have made great achievements. He should not be underestimated."

A chorus of praises fell, and one could naturally feel the overwhelming enthusiasm of the Yuan family.

Liu Hong sat with them, taking the main seat alongside Grand Tutor Yuan Kui. Meanwhile, Liu Bei spent time with the two young men, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, and things seemed to go quite well.

At this moment, in the backyard of the Yuan family, Madam Wu was also getting along well with the other women of the Yuan family. They were chatting in small groups about matters of the household, and at least it seemed that there were no major problems.

After the Yuan family's group left, everyone saw them off at the door. Yuan Wei looked solemn and knew Liu Hong's intentions, so he didn't want to put Liu Hong in a difficult position. He said frankly, "I hope that the General will give my Yuan family a good consideration today. My Yuan family has held high office for four generations, and we are a good match for the General. We will definitely not hold him back."

"Please rest assured, Lord Yuan, I, Liu Hong, am not an ungrateful person. Now that I have the opportunity to form a marriage alliance with the Yuan family, how could I dare to give it up so easily?"

After Liu Hong expressed his thoughts, Yuan Wei breathed a slight sigh of relief before watching their carriage procession depart.

Liu Hong originally planned to return to the Liu family first. If he were to head straight to the Yang family now, it would be too hasty and unseemly. Moreover, it was getting dark, so he should choose another auspicious day for this matter.

"In that case, does my Yuan family still have a chance?"

As usual, Yuan Wei continued to test Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu behind him.

With his hands behind his back, Yuan Shao slowly spoke: "In the present opportunity, the Yuan family has ultimately gained the advantage of opening the door. As for the rest, it depends on Lord Liu's wishes. My Yuan family naturally has the greatest chance."

Yuan Shu chuckled, his tone full of arrogance: "I suppose this Duke of Weining wouldn't be foolish enough to form a marriage alliance with the Wang or Yang families, especially the Wang family. How could they possibly be compared to us? They are far inferior."

If Yuan Shao's words still contained a hint of humility, then Yuan Shu was completely arrogant and self-important. Even Yuan Kui felt disgusted at this moment. He glanced at Yuan Shu a few more times, as if he had never seen him so ungrateful before.

It was truly disappointing.

But Yuan Wei didn't say anything at the moment. His temperament was neither important nor unimportant. In the end, it all depended on which of their daughters could bring further glory to the Yuan family.

The most important thing for the Yuan family right now is to form a marriage alliance with Liu Bei.

"how?"

Inside the carriage, Liu Hong looked at Madam Wu.

Madam Wu gave a bitter smile, her face showing a hint of helplessness: "I dare not deceive my husband. This Yuan family girl is indeed elegant and noble, with a pure heart. Although she has a bit of a pampered air, I think that almost all women from high-ranking families are like that."

However, with each of these women possessing their own unique strengths, it's truly difficult to choose. Perhaps we should observe them further?

Wu asked softly.

Liu Hong looked at Liu Bei, who was now holding the portrait of Lady Yuan: "We should still respect the child's wishes and see if he is willing."

"Alright, let's continue to observe. Now that we've already decided on three companies, how can we suddenly change our minds? That would be truly inappropriate."

Liu Bei responded.

Liu Hong nodded slightly, agreeing with this statement, and then the carriage continued its journey towards the Liu family.

However, such a major marriage alliance is currently attracting considerable attention throughout the entire imperial city of Luoyang, especially since the news has already subtly reached the inner palace. The sheer scale and momentum of the event is astonishing.

Empress Dowager He was gritting her teeth, her face filled with indignation, "Did you hear that?"

Second brother, the Liu family actually wants to form a marriage alliance with the Yuan and Yang families. I had previously discussed with both families the possibility of bringing their daughters into the palace to become concubines for Bian'er.

They all repeatedly declined and refused. Why?

Could it be that His Majesty, the current emperor of our great Han Dynasty, is not as good as the son of a mere Duke of Weining?

Second brother, you can't ignore this matter.

"Don't care? Heh."

He Miao was not in a good mood with his younger sister at the moment. His eyes were filled with coldness, which was both anger at being guarded against by her and a little disappointment in the younger sister in front of him. "Now that you are a member of the imperial family, how dare I, a mere subject, have the slightest dissatisfaction? Whatever you say, then it shall be."

He Miao never imagined that his younger sister, now Empress Dowager He, would even have to be wary of him.

If it were just some minor matters of survival, it wouldn't be a problem. But the other party's vigilance was extremely strong, even going so far as to block him from matters concerning the Han Imperial Guards. This was enough to show that a considerable rift had grown between the brother and sister.

He felt that he had done more than enough by coming to meet the other party at this moment.

Sensing He Miao's anger, Empress Dowager He showed a hint of embarrassment.

She also realized that what she had done was indeed wrong. It was normal for He Miao to be angry; it would be abnormal if he wasn't: "Second brother, I have my own reasons for this. Please don't say that—"

"You are the Empress Dowager, and I, a mere captain, am no match for you. Your Majesty, you flatter me. Whatever Your Majesty says is law, and I dare not disobey you in the slightest."

"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave. In a few days, the Empress Dowager will be ruling from behind the curtain. Right now, all the court officials are at her beck and call; she alone can decide everything."

That's enough.

He Miao flicked his sleeves and walked straight out of Kunning Palace, and no one dared to stop him.

What's wrong?

He was also the emperor's brother-in-law, and held real power in the palace. If any palace maid or eunuch dared to stop him, even Empress Dowager He's sister would probably scold them.

After all, they are siblings and family. Even though He Miao is secretly helping Liu Hong, he has not abandoned his sister, Empress Dowager He. At worst, the dynasty will change, and Empress Dowager He will still be a member of the He family. She can maintain her wealth and status for life, which is not a problem. After all, this is an abdication, not a real change from the Han Dynasty to the later Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.

The difference between them is truly enormous.

Watching He Miao leave, Empress Dowager He felt a pang of bitterness in her heart, knowing that she had gone too far.