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

"But……"

Liu Hong opened his mouth, a hint of unspeakable pain appearing on his face, "What can we do about it?"

Is there really a choice?

Although the imperial physicians were highly skilled, it was still difficult to treat his own health.

He knew better than anyone else.

He won't live much longer.

"Royal Uncle..."

Liu Hong's words, filled with resentment, signify that all his previous actions were born out of desperation.

Because he wouldn't live much longer, he could only let others take the power that originally belonged to him.

Whether to return it or not depends on the other party's conscience.

In the eyes of any politician, conscience is no different from having none at all.

"Is the Imperial Uncle capable of shouldering this great responsibility?"

At this moment, Liu Hong asked another tired question.

Liu Yan, however, remained silent.

Now he is old and frail. If he were young, he might still be able to stand up and take on the main responsibility, stabilizing the precarious Han dynasty.

At this point, aside from maintaining some clan power, he was ultimately powerless to address the affairs of Luoyang.

Both of them were extremely grateful that Liu Hong had appeared at this critical moment.

Otherwise, to whom could this royal power be given?

That was He Jin, the maternal relative from before.

The position of Grand General originally belonged to the other party.

Otherwise, how could the power to command all the troops in the country be so easily handed over to a butcher?

The intricacies and entanglements involved cannot be explained in just a few words.

"This decision must be made."

Liu Hong closed his eyes, his tone resolute.

Liu Yan bowed deeply and said in a deep voice, "Your humble servant will do his utmost to protect the Han dynasty."

At this moment, Liu Yan, the Minister of the Imperial Clan, did not say anything about protecting Liu Hong's offspring; he could only say that he had done his best.

After all, Liu Hong's sons had not yet been chosen as heirs.

He had two sons, one named Liu Bian and the other named Liu Xie.

The eldest son was Liu Bian, the future Emperor Shao of Han, and the youngest son was Liu Xie, the future Prince of Chenliu.

Even Liu Yan, the imperial uncle in charge of the imperial clan, couldn't openly discuss the matter of establishing the heir apparent based on the eldest son of the legitimate wife.

Otherwise, that would be an even bigger disaster.

Gradually, Liu Yan took his leave and withdrew from the North Palace, leaving Liu Hong alone in the hall.

Just as I was about to go to sleep, before I could even have a moment of peace, I heard a hurried and anxious sound coming from outside the hall.

"Your Majesty. Your Majesty. Are you feeling any better? Your Majesty."

It was Empress He's voice.

The woman was plump and had stunningly beautiful features. She walked quickly towards them, her face showing deep anxiety.

But how much of this anxiety is genuine, and how much is cold-blooded?

It's really hard to figure out.

It's truly unbelievable that almost everyone in this palace is incredibly shrewd and capable.

Those who weren't shrewd have all died long ago.

Empress He, with tears streaming down her face, rushed to Liu Hong's side, her eyes red and choked with sobs.

Liu Hong was initially angry.

The visitor had, after all, disturbed his hard-won peace and quiet.

But upon suddenly seeing Empress He's appearance and sorrowful state, most of the resentment in his heart dissipated, and he couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy when looking at her.

If only his health could improve.

Empress He, standing before her, would not be in such a difficult situation as she is now.

As for the idea of ​​having Empress He be buried alive with the emperor, it only flashed through Liu Hong's mind for a moment before disappearing in an instant.

When he is buried in the imperial mausoleum one day, countless concubines who have never borne him children will be buried with him. The empress in front of him, having given birth to the legitimate son Liu Bian, will stay in the harem to take care of the crown prince.

After all, the Empress's authority was extremely important in the ensuing political turmoil at court.

Therefore, Liu Hong would not take such a ridiculous notion seriously, that for such selfish reasons, he would abolish the Han dynasty and cut off his son's chance of ascending the throne.

"Alright, get off."

Liu Hong waved his hand, his voice tinged with weariness, "As long as I am here, as long as the Han dynasty stands, no one will touch you, the empress."

"His Majesty……"

Empress He nodded timidly, displaying all the gentle beauty of a young woman, which made Liu Hong, who was standing in front of her, also have some thoughts about her.

However, his body was truly too weak to do anything; he couldn't do anything at all.

So they could only urge Empress He to leave first, otherwise things would get awkward.

As soon as she left the North Palace, the tears on Empress He's face vanished without a trace the moment she turned around, replaced by a deep sense of calculation.

After all, how could she not harbor any resentment towards Liu Hong?

It should be noted that just recently, Liu Hong took over the position of Grand General from her elder brother He Jin and transferred it to Liu Hong.

It would be abnormal if she didn't harbor any resentment.

"If I'm going to die, I must first pass the crown prince position to Bian'er."

Empress He's eyes rolled slightly. In those phoenix eyes, there was no trace of the righteousness of the head of the six palaces and the majesty of the world. Everything about her seemed to be nothing more than the obsession of a woman in the deep palace, which made people feel ridiculous and pathetic.

"No, we still need to discuss this matter properly with my brother."

She thought to herself, "In this imperial city of Luoyang, in this entire realm, the privileges belonging to our He family must not be so easily handed over to others. If all else fails, cooperating with those aristocratic families is not entirely out of the question."

This woman is all talk and no action; in her quest for power, she's willing to disregard even the Han and Liu families.

Little did she know that all her honors and privileges were based on the Liu family's imperial power.

If the Liu family is gone.

Everything about her will vanish into thin air, and the process will only be faster.

That's incredibly stupid.

Now that Liu Hong holds the position of Grand General, he naturally has a mansion bestowed by the imperial court within the imperial city of Luoyang.

However, no matter how luxurious the mansion was built, it could never satisfy his ambition.

In the entire imperial city of Luoyang, there was only one place that could truly match his ambition.

That is Beigong.

However, Liu Hong had just come out of that place. To completely take it over would not be something that could be done overnight. It was not as easy as it seemed, but it was not that difficult either.

In the following days, Liu Hong only attended one court assembly. The rest of the time, he spent his time in the imperial city of Luoyang interacting with various gentry families.

It wasn't that Liu Hong actively sought to curry favor with them; rather, these aristocratic families rushed to visit him one after another, and most of these clans had previously opposed Liu Hong.

Liu Hong is now very powerful.

They wanted to profit from it, and Liu Hong was naturally happy to share in it.

For example, there was Cui Yan, who was by his side, and Zhao Yun, who was from Changshan Town, and Zhao Yun, especially the major clans in Youzhou.

Those who receive more support will receive more, and those who receive less support will receive less.

Although Liu Hong has not yet ascended the throne as emperor.

They weren't exactly meritorious in their service to Liu Hong, but Liu Hong's command of the army as a general and various other real powers was enough to make them envious for a long time.

As for how to divide it, how exactly to divide it, and how much to divide it, all of that naturally depends on Liu Hong's wishes.

This is also his greatest power as the leader.