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

"May I ask your name, sir? It will be useful for both of us to prove our identities."

Zhao Feng continued to ask.

Upon hearing this, a smile suddenly appeared on Su Shuang's face.

The Liu family private school has rules.

If the Liu family recommends a talented person, there will naturally be an internal reward and punishment system, so he is happy to help them achieve their goal.

After all, Su Shuang is upright and honest, having committed no murder or robbery, nor any crime or violation of the law, so why should he fear others knowing?

"I dare not accept the title of 'sir'; my surname is Liu and my given name is Shuang."

Thank you.

Zhao Feng immediately clasped his hands in gratitude again before riding away with his younger brother.

"These two brothers are quite interesting. The elder brother seems honest and kind, but in reality, he is very skillful. The younger brother, in particular, looks exceptionally bright and handsome, a real young man, quite similar to Yuanzhi in the past."

"Could it be that he, like Yuanzhi, is a great talent of our time?"

Liu Shuang chuckled to himself, but dared not continue his fantasies.

It's not even dark yet.

……

When the half-month period was up, the Liu family had arrived in Zhuojun.

Among the several prefectures of Youzhou, Zhuojun is the southernmost region, a place rich in culture and people, and extremely developed in terms of economy and culture.

The convoy entered the city and looked around.

The main street was teeming with vendors, merchants, and passersby, whether they were finely dressed members of noble families or ordinary people. Their shouts mingled together, creating a bustling and prosperous scene.

When Liu Hong last came to Zhuojun, he had already decided on a residence.

Its specifications remain the same as those in Zhuoxian. This time, it cost several million coins, which can be considered as completing the latter of the advanced tasks of "a million in luck and a million in silver".

Having gained a lot of experience from completing previous tasks, Liu Hong also knew that with such an unspecified amount, the more the better, so he wasn't particularly distressed; what needed to be spent still had to be spent.

Soon after, the group moved into the mansion they had chosen in the bustling street.

This is only the first group of people from the Liu family in Zhuo County; the rest of the clan will gradually arrive here.

However, they did not stay at Liu Hong's mansion, but at other mansions on this street.

When it comes to buying, it's always a big-spending affair, with one purchase after another filling an entire area.

Although it cost some money, it was nothing compared to the main mansion. It was just a small amount, barely enough to accommodate all the members of the Liu family.

"Whose house is this? It's so grand! You should know that this mansion used to be the residence of Governor Liu."

"You don't know? This is the newly appointed Marquis of Weining of Zhuojun. Like the previous Governor Liu, he is a member of the Han imperial family. Otherwise, do you think this mansion is something an ordinary person could buy or live in?"

"I've heard that this Marquis of Weining is another inspector of Zhuojun, and that he has a very close personal relationship with the Prefect."

The other residents on this bustling main street were not ordinary people either; most of them were local powerful families from Zhuojun.

Liu Hong had already done his research, so in his opinion, these people were nothing more than cheap gimmicks, not worth mentioning.

Originally, the largest clan in Zhuojun was Liu Yu, a member of the Han imperial family. However, as Liu Yu was promoted to governor of Youzhou, the clan underwent a change.

His branch of the clan had long since moved from Zhuojun to Guangyangjun, the military and political center of Youzhou.

That's why Zhuojun is in this situation, which can be described as "when there's no tiger in the mountains, another tiger will come to claim the throne."

If there's anything else worth noting or dealing with properly, then the newly appointed officials deserve our attention, including the local prefect, Liu Wen.

He was also a member of the Han imperial family, and surprisingly, a descendant of King Jing of Zhongshan.

Unfortunately, although both Liu Hong and he were descendants of Prince Jing of Zhongshan, their families were not from the same branch.

Otherwise, how could the Liu family branch in Zhuoxian have remained so obscure in history?

How could Liu Bei have relied entirely on the assistance he received from others?

Even when the three sworn brothers of the Peach Garden took their refuge in Zhang Fei's backyard, it showed how miserable their situation was.

"I'll leave the household affairs to you, Madam."

Liu Hong said with a slight smile.

"My husband, please go ahead with your work. I will not trouble you any further."

With a gentle smile, Madam Wu agreed to all the household matters.

Liu Hong supported Wu's slender waist and gently touched her unadorned face before leaving: "Once today's business is finished, I will certainly not treat you badly, Madam."

"The journey has been arduous, and my wife has suffered greatly."

Liu Hong exhaled warm breath, and this charming gesture immediately made Wu's heart flutter.

Despite being a mother, her face remained as delicate and youthful as a young girl's, rosy and incredibly alluring.

"My husband is talking nonsense again."

Wu parted her lips slightly, watching Liu Hong slowly leave, the ripples in her heart unable to calm down for the time being.

She truly had her whole heart set on this nemesis.

……

The Prefect's Residence, Xie Pavilion and Waterside Pavilion.

It was situated by a clear lake, with servants carefully attending to its every need.

"Lord Liu, it has been many days since we last met. I have missed you dearly today."

"Why do you need to say such things, Marquis of Weining? We have known each other for many years, why be so polite?"

After exchanging pleasantries with Prefect Liu Wen, Liu Hong and Liu Wen quickly got down to business.

"I thought that at most the Marquis would only be promoted from a county official to a prefecture official, which was already a big step. But I never expected that the Marquis would become another inspector of Zhuojun. It is really unbelievable."

Liu Wen sighed with emotion.

Liu Hong, however, pointed out incisively: "Others may not know, but perhaps even you, Brother Liu, don't know?"

"We are both relatives of the Han imperial family. Once we are in the Western Garden residence, even those eunuchs who are hated by all the noble families will have to show some consideration to us relatives."

"After all, eunuchs like them have always relied on the Liu family, the imperial family."

"Not to mention Brother Liu, even with my marquisate, isn't the same principle true for the governor of Youzhou?"

Liu Hong spoke softly, and Liu Wen, who was standing in front of him, had nothing to say after hearing it.

Simply because it is the truth.

The Han Dynasty lasted for hundreds of years. Although it was divided into the Western Han and the Eastern Han in later generations, there is no such division in the present day.

Even so, as the Han Dynasty has been passed down to this day, eight or nine out of ten officials with real power in the court are from aristocratic families. One after another, they take turns in power, which is nothing more than a covert exchange of interests.

The power struggles between the emperor and his ministers in the Han Dynasty continued for generations. Although Emperor Ling of Han is described as incompetent in later historical records, from the perspective of these members of the Han imperial family, the current emperor Liu Hong can be called a wise ruler.

Although their practice of selling official positions is highly criticized, from their perspective, it is truly unavoidable.

The entire court was composed of aristocratic families, with no one from a humble background to gain a foothold, and no one the emperor trusted. Left with no other option, the court could only rely on the emperor's relatives and palace eunuchs.

The so-called recommendation system had long been defunct, and the so-called recommendation of filial and incorruptible officials was merely a game of interests among the aristocratic families.