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

With eager eyes, Liu Hong took Wu's soft hand in his arms amidst laughter and conversation, and pulled her into his embrace.

Ms. Wu blinked repeatedly, her worries of the past few days turning into a warm, moist feeling.

The study door was tightly closed.

In this small space, Liu Hong groped her all over, and Wu's breathing became rapid and her breath was sweet as orchids.

The two embraced tightly, whispering sweet nothings to each other for a long time, but did not consummate their marriage in broad daylight.

Wu was Liu Hongming's legal wife, whom he married in a grand and proper ceremony. The six rites of betrothal, name inquiry, auspicious date selection, gift exchange, wedding date setting, and wedding ceremony were all meticulously prepared before he was brought back as the mistress of the household.

Although Liu Hong had been patiently guiding her in recent years and had developed many intimate relationships with her in the bedroom, she might have given in half-heartedly under normal circumstances. However, she came to the study today with important business to attend to.

When Liu Hong paused briefly, Wu Shi, her clear eyes brimming with suppressed emotion, asked, "Husband, was your trip successful?"

Upon hearing this, the agitation in Liu Hong's heart gradually subsided.

He was not someone who only indulged in matters of the bedroom.

Exhaling a breath of stale air, Liu Hong's expression softened slightly: "The matter is settled."

With a smile on his face, he continued, "Although this trip cost five million coins and only bought me a nominal title of Marquis of Guannei, it has given my line of Han imperial relatives in Zhuojun, Youzhou, a great opportunity to take power."

As he spoke, Liu Hong seemed to remember something, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"There might even be an unexpected surprise."

This time, Liu Hong spent not just five million taels of silver to meet with the prefect of Zhuojun, but a full six million taels.

Even if the governor deducts a portion of the money, I should still have a considerable amount left over when I arrive in Luoyang.

His title of Marquis of Guannei was not merely a nominal one; he was, at the very least, a powerful figure in Zhuo County.

Liu Hong was absolutely unwilling to do things like discarding a bow after the birds are all gone, or being promoted in name only but demoted in reality.

……

Luoyang, the center of the Han Dynasty.

The city was filled with towering buildings, their eaves and brackets gleaming in the golden light; the streets were bustling with merchants and carriages, filled with music and singing, and people in splendid clothes, all telling the story of the prosperous and unparalleled Han Dynasty.

The official rank exchange was established in the first year of the Guanghe era.

It was called the West Garden Residence, a place where people came and went frequently.

Many merchants entered with vast sums of money, and when they left, they were already in high spirits and full of vigor, already holding official titles.

The official positions sold in the West Garden residences were not just honorary titles; there were also a wide variety of positions with real power.

Inside, the shelves are clearly priced, with fair and transparent pricing for all ages.

Apart from the Marquis of Guannei, whose title costs five million coins, the price of county magistrates in various places ranges from two million to four million coins, depending on the size and wealth of the county. Even the positions of the Nine Ministers and the Three Dukes in the imperial court are also for sale, but their prices range from twenty million to one hundred million coins. The prices are so high that ordinary people cannot afford even a fraction of them.

"Did you get a good price for it recently?"

Suddenly, a lazy voice with a high-pitched tone drifted into the mansion.

The young eunuch in charge of entertaining the guests had a fawning expression on his face. Upon seeing the newcomer, he quickly bowed and said respectfully, "Godfather, news just came from Zhuojun in Youzhou today. A member of the Han imperial family spent a full five million taels of silver to buy the title of Marquis within the Pass. After noon, more than five and a half million taels of silver arrived at the tent garden."

Upon hearing that there was an extra 500,000 coins, Zhang Rang's gaze fell on his godson, who was in charge of the lucrative position, and he snorted, "Did he get in through connections at our West Garden?"

Seeing his godson nod in agreement, Zhang Rang smiled with satisfaction. "He's a smart man. What official title do you plan to give him?"

"I'll do whatever you say, Godfather."

The eunuch quickly brought over the account book of vacant official positions in Zhuojun, Youzhou.

Zhang Rang's gaze swept across the ledger, and he couldn't help but frown slightly.

Even if it's just a mere 500,000 coins, I'd still follow his lead.

He lined the pockets and pocketed the lion's share.

In the end, only about 400,000 coins were put into his pocket; the rest naturally went into the national treasury and were handed over to His Majesty.

Zhang Rang's pale finger bones tapped lightly on the rosewood table, his lips slightly pursed, his mind racing: "Originally just a minor county clerk, now I'm a prefectural clerk..."

"These hundreds of thousands of dollars made him rise to the top overnight?!"

Within a single prefecture!

Besides the prefect, the chief clerk of the prefecture was the most important. He was in charge of the evaluation, appointment, dismissal and reward/punishment of all the subordinate officials in the prefecture. He had great power and was often referred to as the "arm of the prefecture". He was the highest position in the prefecture.

After Zhang Rang finished considering, he was about to lightly draw a stroke on the official title of Zhuojun County Chief Clerk in Youzhou, but he suddenly stopped halfway through his hand.

"inappropriate!"

"If His Majesty learns of the name of a member of the Han imperial family, it would be a relief for the royal family. His Majesty would be delighted and might even bestow some further rewards upon him."

Zhang Rang frowned, began to make new calculations, and finally took a deep breath, drew a line above the title of County Clerk, and selected another official title.

"With this arrangement, you little rascal, don't mess things up."

He narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze sharp, and tapped softly.

"Godfather, don't worry, your godson will never have any problems doing anything."

The young eunuch thumped his chest, looking very confident.

But when he opened the account book and saw the official title that Zhang Rang had just drawn, he gasped in disbelief and blurted out, "Godfather, did you make a mistake? This is the position of Inspector."

"Consider it a favor this member of the Han imperial family owes us; we should at least try to make His Majesty happy."

Zhang Rang's figure gradually disappeared into the distance, but his doting voice lingered in the West Garden residence for a long time before slowly fading away.

Duyou.

The key positions within a prefecture wielded immense power and inspired fear.

Their authority included representing the prefect in inspecting the counties under their jurisdiction, supervising the performance and conduct of the county magistrates and village heads, and being responsible for conveying government orders and apprehending fugitives.

A prefecture is usually divided into several departments, each with a chief postmaster. The chief postmaster's rank may be comparable to that of the former prefectural clerk, but the chief postmaster holds much more power.

Even on the original historical timeline.

Liu Hong's son, the future Emperor Zhaolie of Han, Liu Bei, made great contributions in his early years after suppressing the Yellow Turban Rebellion. When he served as the county magistrate of Anxi, he was once severely bullied by the local postmaster, which shows how valuable his position was.

Before long, the decrees of the West Garden Residence were slowly issued from top to bottom.

……

Meanwhile, in Zhuo County, Zhuo Prefecture, Youzhou, the Liu family...

Liu Hong has completed yet another task.

[Task: As emperor, you must guide your prince, leading by example and through your words, to ensure that Crown Prince Liu Bei embarks on the right path and the road to becoming the heir apparent within three months. Do not let him indulge in play and pleasure, lest he ruin the nation.]

[Reward: Daily Luck +10000, Daily Money +10000.]

[Current progress: Completed.]

Let's look at my own panel again—

Name: Liu Hong

[Identity: Emperor]

Age: 28

[Luck: Purple - 76441 (Daily +37000)]

[Rank: One Claw]

[Authority: Aura Observation, Imperial Conferment]

[Destiny: Ziwei Emperor's Destiny, with the Officer and Killer Stars in favorable positions, transforming the Killer Stars into Power, and acting as an emperor will bring blessings and good fortune]

In this way, they earn an extra ten thousand coins every day.

In addition to the previous task rewards, the daily money and luck numbers are the same.

The total daily amount is 37,000 coins.

If we consider 30 days as a month, that's 1.11 million coins; if we consider a year, that's 13.32 million coins.

It sounds like a huge amount.

In reality, the Liu family's mansion in Zhuo County alone cost nearly three million coins; otherwise, it would not have met the specifications of the "Emperor's Palace" mentioned in the previous mission.

It is also worth noting that Cao Cao's father, Cao Song, was famous for buying an official position for 100 million coins.

One hundred million coins...

Even with Liu Hong's current income, it would take him nearly ten years to save enough.

Therefore, Liu Hong's path to becoming emperor was arduous and long.