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

Chapter 196 Liu Hong made it clear

Liu Hong simply smiled at Wu's provocation, then shook his head and made no further reaction, remaining unmoved no matter what.

Liu Hong didn't respond, so Wu started talking to herself, but it wasn't very effective.

So the other sisters, Xu and Cai, took turns to participate.

"My husband agreed."

I heard that this younger sister is a rare beauty, and although she comes from a merchant family, she is also very good at managing household affairs.

"When you come to the manor in the future, you should be able to help your elder sister with some things."

When Madam Xu spoke up, even he joined in, which was something Liu Hong hadn't expected.

Liu Hong raised his hand and pointed slightly at him: "You've already taken on enough of the burden on a regular basis. If you take on any more, the steward of this mansion can simply hire a few female nannies. Can't that be managed?"

Could it be that someone actually moved all of them into their own home within this mansion?

Liu Hong slammed his chopsticks on the table, making a sound that could be made softly or loudly.

Now even Cai Yan, who was just about to speak, couldn't add any more fuel to the fire.

Otherwise, if the household were to launch a major investigation, it would be a disgrace to the women of the inner quarters.

Although they had all agreed to Mi Lan's request, it was absolutely impossible for them to make such a huge sacrifice for a woman they had never even met.

They all readily gave up and went their separate ways.

After finishing their dinner there, Madam Wu shook her head at Mi Lan, indicating that this matter was not advisable.

Mi Lan was now filled with regret, and she really hadn't expected Liu Hong to be so resistant.

She was, after all, a beautiful woman. If things didn't work out, she would have to be betrothed to Xuande.

Mi Lan sighed softly.

So this time, he shook his head even more resolutely: "Xuande won't do either."

Since it was her own mother who spoke up, and the decision was only for a concubine, it could be said that the Zhen family and Zhen's father had almost completely severed any possibility of ties with the Liu family of Youzhou.

Mi Lan opened his mouth, wanting to try again, but seeing that his elder sister Wu's attitude was more resolute than ever before, he decided to stop there.

As night deepened and the dew grew heavy, it was time for most of the family members to rest.

Liu Hong will stay in Xu's courtyard tonight.

Madam Xu is only concerned with her own little courtyard and would never get involved in such matters.

Even though they exchanged a few words at the table just now, it was merely a formality and didn't involve much. It was also the best place for Liu Hong to go tonight.

"Why are you being so hesitant with this Miss Zhen? Weren't you always so quick to take concubines in the past?"

Although Xu spoke, there was little intention in her words to offer any advice or comfort.

Looking into his eyes with such sincerity, Liu Hong began to explain slowly.

"The Mi family of Xuzhou are related by marriage, and we do need to expand our connections. But if a daughter from the Zhen family were to join us, wouldn't I end up with a harem of three thousand beauties?"

There shouldn't be too many women in this household; too many would be detrimental.

If one case is opened today, won't another one be opened tomorrow?

This reason seems plausible, but Xu knew Liu Hong quite well.

Since it could have been opened in the first place, it wasn't opened when we were at that time.

At this moment, Xu was referring to herself.

After all, she was the first concubine.

Liu Hong's words suddenly froze.

Xu did not seize the opportunity to press the matter further; instead, she sat down and began massaging Liu Hong's back.

"Are there any other concerns?"

"Times have changed."

Liu Hong sighed softly, "Now that we've arrived in the imperial city of Luoyang, the Liu family of Youzhou should be wary of arrogance and complacency. We must not casually associate ourselves with other families."

Even now, in the land of Youzhou, many clans, taking advantage of the Liu family's influence, have already begun to act recklessly.

If I hadn't discovered it immediately and made a severe example of it to deter others, the reputation of the Liu family of Youzhou would have suffered an unprecedented blow.

Moreover, businessmen value profit over parting, and many things cannot be viewed from only one perspective.

The Zhen family's influence is merely icing on the cake for my Liu family; we can do without it. Moreover, we already have the Mi family of Xuzhou, so their presence is negligible.

If that's the case, why insist on marriage?

When Liu Hong said this, his words were filled with consideration for the entire family, rather than being driven by his own lust.

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Gradually, Xu stopped talking.

The two played music together, and the night passed in harmony.

On the other side of Luoyang's imperial city.

Li Su visited again.

This residence of Commandant Lü Bu of the Western Garden is not a mansion.

Given Lü Bu's official position and accumulated wealth in Luoyang, although he is now highly regarded, it is undoubtedly too early for him to enjoy the wealth, honor, and glory of a noble family.

However, as long as one can endure the current poverty, and think about what comes next, each step will be a more solid and reliable one.

It could even transform his entire Lü family into a prominent family in Luoyang.

Officials in Luoyang during times of peace and prosperity were quite different from officials in other places.

The same applies to the power of officials who want to be several ranks higher, and the prevailing social customs.

This time, Li Su's arrival was undoubtedly much better than the last.

Instead of being kicked out immediately, the two had a proper discussion about cooperation.

Li Su also clearly realized that Lü Bu was not the kind of person who was loyal to General Liu Hong.

Especially after the two got drunk, the ambition they displayed made even Li Su feel a little uneasy.

The most powerful person in the world today is not the puppet emperor, nor the king or empress dowager who rule from behind the curtain, nor even the old empress dowager Dong deep in the palace, but Liu Hong.

Previously, Zhu, who commanded the Imperial Guards, could have challenged him, but within a few days, Zhu, the Lieutenant General of the Han Imperial Guards, directly defected.

After Zhu handed over the tiger tally and all the power in his hand to Liu Hong in the presence of Empress Dowager Dong and the Three Dukes and the Emperor, Zhu's status in the court naturally declined significantly.

In fact, it could be said that nowadays, it's only slightly better than before, barely qualifying as one of the Nine Ministers.

Liu Hong's power within the imperial city of Luoyang remained as overwhelming as ever, with no one able to challenge him, and even maintaining a balance was impossible.

At this very moment, this lowly West Garden Captain...

How could Li Su not be terrified that Lü Bufengxian was actually hinting at replacing the Grand General?

He originally came to have Lü Bu assassinate Zhu, but the mission was not accomplished. However, Lü Bu's skill ultimately prevailed.

Li Su and his lord Dong Zhuo made a note of it.