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

As night fell, a messenger arrived from the palace; it turned out to be a minor eunuch.

Empress He had managed things in the palace for so many years, and she still had some trusted confidants; she wasn't truly without capable people.

"Thank you very much, sir."

He Jin bowed to the eunuch, speaking politely, and handed him a heavy ingot of silver.

Immediately, the young eunuch in front of him beamed with joy and quickly bowed, saying, "General, why bother with such formalities? We are originally the Empress's people. Helping you is helping ourselves, so it's only natural."

Hearing the summons of the eunuch, He Jin felt even more confident, and the smile on his face became more genuine.

In the past, these eunuchs and junior eunuchs would have been treated differently.

He, of course, remained indifferent and dismissive.

But times have changed. Now that he has lost his power, he has to win over even these lowly eunuchs in order to restore the prestige of the He family and prevent it from falling into a hopeless situation.

Before long, He Jin arrived at the inner palace and went to Empress He's bedchamber.

After dismissing the palace servants and leaving only a few trusted confidants, Empress He could no longer suppress her anxiety and hurriedly stood up to ask, "Brother, what should we do now?"

Is there any hope left for the He family now?

"What's there to be afraid of?"

He Jin snorted coldly, lowered his voice, and said with certainty, "The power of this world will ultimately fall into the hands of the emperor alone. Even the position of Grand General, if I can replace him today, I can naturally replace Liu Hong in the same way in the future."

"As long as Bian'er ascends the throne, how could he, the dignified Marquis of Weining and Grand General, dare to cause trouble?"

"As long as he doesn't rebel, the Liu family's power will eventually help my He family restore its former glory."

Hearing her brother's confident and meticulously planned words, Empress He's previously flustered heart finally calmed down a little.

"Yes, yes, yes..."

She nodded repeatedly, saying, "And there's Bian'er. I still have Bian'er. His Majesty's health has been deteriorating lately, and sooner or later, he will pass away. When that time comes, the entire Han Dynasty will belong to Bian'er. With the support of my entire family, no one will be able to oppose Bian'er."

"In the end, even Liu Hong will have to listen to Bian'er. After all, Bian'er is also a member of the Liu family."

Empress He spoke slowly, her tone carrying a hint of confidence.

However, her words, spoken in a moment of utter confusion, subtly conflicted with the interests of her brother, He Jin.

A faint, almost imperceptible look of heaviness appeared on He Jin's face, but it vanished in an instant.

At least at this moment.

He still needs to rely on his sister; otherwise, He Jin and the entire He family alone are simply not qualified to participate in the upcoming power struggle in the court.

then.

He continued to nod, gently reassuring her, "Don't worry, nothing will happen, absolutely nothing will go wrong."

He Jin comforted her for a long time, and when the time was almost up, he bowed and took his leave.

Although he was Empress He's brother, he was ultimately an official outside the palace and could not possibly stay overnight in the inner palace; such a crime would be no small matter.

Royal rules forbid it. Not to mention there are people watching from all sides in the palace; someone will specifically remind them.

As He Jin stepped out of the bedchamber, gazing into the deep night, he coldly muttered to himself: "Sister, when Bian'er ascends the throne one day, don't blame your brother."

My brother did all this for the sake of the He family. After all, if those noble families dare to covet this land, why can't the He family do the same?

Why should this vast land of thirteen states be given to the gentry but not to us, the He family?

Brother, I certainly won't allow it. The scene shifts to the Yuan family mansion.

Grand Tutor Yuan Wei returned from Liu Hong's residence and remained silent, sitting in the hall, stroking his beard, his expression inscrutable.

He remained silent, but Yuan Shu, standing beside him, couldn't contain himself and spoke first, his tone full of indignation: "That Liu family, that Liu clan of Youzhou, has truly soared to great heights. Now that their power is so strong, they don't even put my Yuan family in their eyes anymore..."

As soon as he said this, Yuan Shao frowned and retorted, "Gonglu, what do you mean by that?"

"Could it be that you intend to make enemies of the Liu family of Youzhou?"

"This is hardly a benevolent act. If the Liu and Yuan families fight to the death and both are severely weakened, the prestige of these aristocratic families will likely fall entirely into the hands of the Yang family, who have also been officials for four generations. In that case, wouldn't you and my brother also end up in a miserable state?"

Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu were still locked in a fierce confrontation when they met. Yuan Kui frowned and his face darkened.

In the past, when the Yuan family was at its peak, healthy competition among its members was not a problem. But now that the Liu family of Youzhou has risen to power, the entire imperial clan and the power of the royal family are now pressing down on the gentry.

At this moment, for these two brothers to still be fighting amongst themselves seems extremely foolish.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Yuan Kui slammed his fist on the table, his roar echoing throughout the hall, "If you continue fighting, you will all be sent back to your hometown in Ji Province. You need not stay in Luoyang any longer. From now on, only members of my Yuan family who understand the bigger picture will be worthy of stepping into Luoyang."

Yuan Kui's angry shout immediately silenced the crowd. Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu both turned pale and lowered their heads, not daring to say another word.

Seeing this, Yuan Wei's face showed a hint of satisfaction, and his tone softened slightly: "Alright. Actually, I said this today for your own good, so don't be confused."

"Now, my Yuan family can sit back and watch the He family and the Liu family of Youzhou fight to the death. Only in this way can we solidify the reputation of my Yuan family."

"Otherwise, the title of the Yuan family, the head of the aristocratic clan and the number one among the Three Dukes, will be snatched away by others sooner or later."

"The power of the aristocratic clans can only be used once, not twice. Otherwise, once this momentum is broken, even if a good opportunity comes in the future, it will probably not be prepared for my Yuan family."

At this moment, Yuan Wei spoke again in a deep voice, every word striking the hearts of Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu.

Upon hearing this, the two could only nod in agreement.

As a scion of a prominent family.

Both of them were quite intelligent.

When should we be enemies, and when should we work together?

They know perfectly well what's going on.

Perhaps when they are in charge in the future, they will each have their own thoughts and plans, but for now, they cannot continue to act recklessly and must obediently follow Yuan Wei's orders.

Once the rules are set by those above, those below have no choice but to obey.