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

Chapter 190 Zhang Yide: Putting the Big Picture First

The act of a powerful official like Liu Biao freely entering the capital was itself suspected of being a power grab and a rebellion.

Even when Liu Hong entered the capital, it was by imperial decree from the emperor, which was perfectly legitimate. Otherwise, relying on a mere pretext, it would have taken who knows how long.

Now Liu Biao has also come with a large army.

Although his strength is far inferior to Liu Hong's, he is still considered a threat.

The Danyang soldiers under his command have always been a force to be reckoned with.

However, Liu Biao's attitude remained friendly and he made no unusual moves, so Liu Hong was in no hurry to deal with him and decided to wait and see.

After leaving the General's Mansion, Liu Biao boarded a carriage, where Lady Cai was sitting and waiting.

Her eyebrows curved slightly, her face showing a hint of inquiry, as she softly asked, "Husband, how did General Liu treat you just now?"

"not bad."

Liu Biao carefully recalled their interaction and gave a definite answer: "After all, we are both of the Han imperial family. The current peace and stability of the world is largely due to his efforts. I have no intention of competing with him for even a little bit."

He has no need to be my enemy; otherwise, wouldn't that be pointless?

Liu Biao spoke with remarkable nonchalance, seemingly unconcerned, but Lady Cai dared not let her guard down. She frowned and advised, "After all, he is a great general who holds the reins of military affairs. My husband should be more careful."

Next, you will need to enter the palace to pay your respects to the Empress Dowager, so please be extremely careful.

When Empress Dowager He was mentioned, Liu Biao's eyes flashed with undisguised disdain: "If it weren't for the children she bore for the Liu family, such a woman wouldn't even be worthy of my attention. Even now that she holds the position of Empress Dowager, what good is it?"

That being said.

He was also aware of the rules in the palace, "but once you enter the palace, you naturally have to show respect on the surface."

The scene shifts to the Kunning Palace.

Empress Dowager He sat in the main seat, adorned in a phoenix robe. Although she deliberately tried to maintain her imperial dignity, that majesty was ultimately superficial, unable to conceal her inner insecurity.

Her gaze fell on Liu Biao, and she spoke calmly, getting straight to the point: "Governor Liu, how do you now view the imperial family, and how do you view our Han dynasty?"

Liu Biao bowed respectfully, his voice steady: "I beg Your Majesty's judgment, for once I am a member of the Han family, I will be a subject of the Han family for life, and I would never dare to show the slightest disrespect."

-

"Now that the emperor has ascended the throne and the empress dowager is ruling from behind the curtain, the court is stable and the world is at peace. This is the best possible outcome. I'm sure the late emperor, if he were alive, would be very pleased."

His words were earnest and seemed to come from the heart, but Empress Dowager He secretly cursed him: What a slick and slippery member of the Han imperial family, full of empty words and not a single word of truth.

Although he was dissatisfied, he did not show it on his face. He simply waved his hand and had someone lead Liu Biao down to rest.

Upon leaving Kunning Palace, Liu Biao's respectful expression vanished instantly, replaced by a faint, cold smile as he inwardly grumbled:

They simply wanted to lure me here and disrupt the political situation in Luoyang.

Unfortunately, I'm not foolish enough to become your weapon and fight Liu Hong to the death.

In the end, wouldn't it all be a wedding dress made for you?

If I were to meet a tragic end, would you, the Empress Dowager, care about me in the slightest? I, Liu Biao, may not be a top-tier strategist, but I would never do such a foolish thing.

After muttering to himself, Liu Biao stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the pavilions and towers in the palace, and a sense of emotion arose within him.

He hadn't set foot in this palace for a very long time.

Liu Biao's arrival in the capital was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples in the political situation of Luoyang.

What was even more alarming was that Liu Yu from Youzhou also entered the capital shortly after Liu Biao's arrival. Following this, members of the Han imperial family and high-ranking officials from various regions rushed to Luoyang.

Although each region has high-ranking officials remaining in their posts, it is by no means a wise move to have all the important generals of a region leave their towns.

During the court assembly, no one dared to voice any criticism.

Privately, however, countless officials and soldiers cursed her in secret, and the name of Empress Dowager He as "the most wicked empress in the world" quietly spread throughout Luoyang, with discussions becoming increasingly heated.

Inside the Grand Tutor's residence, Wang Yun, his face beaming with relief, stroked his beard and sighed repeatedly, "Fortunately, I didn't choose to side with the Empress Dowager back then, otherwise, wouldn't I be completely ruined by her today?"

"At that time, the Wang family of Taiyuan will probably all turn into withered bones in the tomb."

After gritting his teeth for a while...

He finally breathed a sigh of relief, a relieved smile appearing on his face.

However, Wang Yun's attitude alone was enough to reveal the overall situation and trends in Luoyang.

The current global situation is quite clear on whose side it is on.

The overwhelming trend is gradually advancing in the predetermined direction.

On the other side...

Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei returned home later and later each day. In the end, they stayed at post stations or disaster relief camps outside the city for a long time and never returned home.

That day, Zhang Fei's angry curses suddenly rang out in the camp, so loud that everyone around him dared not utter a sound.

"Damn! These people are all living beasts."

"How dare they? They even dared to embezzle disaster relief funds, and not just one, two, or three layers deep, but a full 70% of them."

Only 30% was left for the disaster victims. If it weren't for the adoptive father's order to conduct a strict investigation, according to the usual practice, most of this 30% would have been taken away.

How could the disaster victims possibly survive?

"No wonder there are countless refugees and deaths everywhere every year. If the disaster victims can survive in this situation, they must all be immortals."

Zhang Fei's face was already dark, but now, in his rage, it turned as black as the bottom of a pot, his eyes wide open, filled with uncontrollable fury.

Guan Yu, standing beside him, was also furious, his face red and neck bulging, veins popping on his forehead, his fists clenched tightly, but in the end, he was helpless.

Such embezzlement of disaster relief funds was not a recent occurrence in the Han Dynasty, but rather a long-standing problem that had been accumulating for years. The corrupt officials in the court had long been accustomed to it.

Their indignation, aside from being vented at this moment, was of no use whatsoever.

"Third brother, we are already in Luoyang territory. We shouldn't be saying these things."

Guan Yu took a deep breath and whispered his advice.

His voice was filled with suppressed anger.

Zhang Fei opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but the words caught in his throat as he thought of the Liu family of Youzhou behind him, of Liu Hong, and of the responsibilities on their shoulders.

In the end, he reluctantly shut his mouth.

Everyone knows that Zhang Yide is brave enough to defeat ten thousand men and full of courage, but they don't know that he is not a reckless man and has a lot of sense of propriety.

"This shouldn't be said, that shouldn't be said either, second brother, does one really have to live such a stifled life?"

"Our extremely noble status already surpasses that of countless sorrowful people in this world, and to have to be so restrained is utterly pointless."

Zhang Fei rode a black steed, gripping the reins, his face full of frustration. He wished he could unleash his passion and gallop across the battlefield, making seven charges in and out, killing the most satisfying and exhilarating enemy. That would be what would make him happiest.

"Third brother!"

Guan Yu spoke in a calm voice, and then said it again in a harsh tone.