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

Empress He believed that she had not yet reached the top of that hundred-foot cliff.

At this moment.

She was naturally unwilling.

"But what if Bian'er doesn't ascend the throne?"

He Jin was quite experienced in how to fool his own sister.

His simple question immediately caused Empress He's expression to change again.

"If this Lord Liu of Youzhou is supporting that little brat Liu Xie under Empress Dowager Dong's jurisdiction?"

Will we still have any power to resist at that time?

Who knows, once that little brat ascends the throne and purges the former court officials, he'll probably start by targeting my entire He family. That's when we'll truly be doomed.

"Little sister, would your brother really harm you here?"

"What good would it do me, your elder brother, to harm you?"

He Jin's voice carried a hint of urgency and seduction, "The power and influence of the He family only came about after you married His Majesty and gave birth to a prince. Without you, the entire He family would not exist."

At this moment, He Jin, possessing a remarkable talent for eloquence, delivered these words vividly and slowly, completely bewildering Empress He before him.

Empress He gritted her teeth slightly, glanced at her brother, and carefully considered the various arguments he had just devised. Finally, she sighed softly, "Then I will do as you say, brother. However, we must choose the right person to carry out the act, and we must succeed in one fell swoop. Even if we fail, we must not let this matter implicate us. Otherwise, His Majesty, the former court officials, the eunuchs in the palace, and the various gentry will certainly not let us off the hook."

Although Empress He was not very knowledgeable about the affairs of the previous dynasty, she still had a general idea of ​​who had power and influence in the Han Dynasty and who could threaten her status as empress. That is why she spoke these words.

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty."

He Jin bowed deeply and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I will spare no effort and will not allow these treacherous officials to harm you in the slightest."

At this moment, He Jin slowly uttered these words, at least putting on airs, which reassured Empress He in front of him somewhat.

Upon returning to the He family mansion, He Jin did not intend to tell anyone about the matter. He went straight to his study, where the lamp was dimly lit.

He Jin summoned a man.

His gaze was solemn, and after a long silence he slowly spoke: "Sun Jian, do you have the courage to kill this traitor today?"

"If this thief is killed, and this matter is accomplished, then you will be the most capable person under my command. Promotion and rank will be a natural consequence in the future. Are you willing?"

He Jin's eyes were piercing, his face fierce, as if he wanted to devour people; he looked every bit the formidable and ruthless tyrant.

Upon hearing his words, Sun Jian, one of his subordinates, showed no hesitation whatsoever.

If he had truly hesitated, he wouldn't have come today.

"Please rest assured, General. I will certainly accomplish this task. Of all the things under heaven, I only acknowledge you, General."

"Ha ha ha ha."

Upon hearing Sun Jian's words, He Jin burst into hearty laughter, but he did not forget the importance he should attach to the matter, and thus urged, "As soon as possible. This matter should be handled sooner rather than later."

"The so-called Liu family of Youzhou, from top to bottom, only covets Liu Hong. Although his son Liu Bei has the demeanor of his father, he is still young and cannot shoulder any great responsibilities. At most, he can only maintain the status quo, but it is absolutely impossible for him to regain the power he has in the imperial city of Luoyang today."

"Yes, General."

Sun Jian answered again, his eyes showing some reluctance, but for the sake of the Sun family and for this opportunity to rise to the top echelons of power.

He, a weak member of a lowly aristocratic family, had no other choice.

Night deepened.

Liu Hong lay down on the couch, but did not sleep with any of his wives.

Of the three wives, the principal wife, Lady Wu, was calm and composed, and never indulged in sexual pleasures; Cai Yan was physically weak, and Liu Hong could satisfy her desires after returning from several campaigns, so she would not take the initiative to ask for them; in addition, although Liu Hong still had the physique of a powerful overlord, he could not afford to spend his time in Luoyang on matters of the boudoir, otherwise it would have some impact on his clarity of mind.

Ultimately, we must not let this delay the truly important matters.

But tonight, Liu Hong had just fallen asleep and was sleeping quite well, feeling very sleepy, when suddenly he heard a series of footsteps beside him.

The footsteps were hurried yet light, like a black cat lurking on the beam; when they appeared, an ordinary person would not have noticed them at all.

But Liu Hong's eyes were clear. He suddenly opened them and stared at the dark shadow that occasionally burst out under the bright moonlight outside. There was a hint of murderous intent in his eyes.

Indeed, the most skillful business battles are often so simple and straightforward: just kill. It's like when someone wanted to kill Cao Cao, and Cao Cao wanted to eliminate Dong Zhuo.

Now holding a high position, Liu Hong has undeniably received this honor at this moment.

It really is... a stroke of luck.

After all, even his father-in-law, Cai Gong, had experienced this, so it was perfectly normal for Liu Hong to encounter this situation today.

With a whoosh, an arrow pierced the window and flew into the room, heading straight for the bed. Liu Hong dodged lightly, inevitably making a slight noise.

The person outside also noticed this and fled frantically without the slightest hesitation.

"Where do you think you're going, you little thief?"

Liu Hong moved with lightning speed, his body like the wind. The moment he stepped outside, he met the dark figure rushing towards the roof beam, grabbed a large piece of wood beside him, and hurled it fiercely. A heavy groan followed. This little thief, however, was a tough guy; despite his injuries, he still managed to dash away and disappear into the night in the blink of an eye.

"Everyone! Protect the General! Protect the General!"

"Now we shall see which villain, which assassin, dares to assassinate the General, dares to assassinate Lord Liu."

As Liu Hong made a huge commotion, the guards throughout the general's mansion rushed over immediately and surrounded him.

"It was too late after all."

Cui Yan's gaze was solemn and gloomy as he looked in the direction where the dark figure had disappeared, and he said in a hateful voice.

Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Dian Wei, Gan Ning, and several others nearby watched the battle unfold and saw the arrows scattered on the bed.

Those were standard military arrows.

Liu Bei glanced at it and made a basic judgment: "This arrow was used by the Eight Schools of the Northern Army."

Holding his twin halberds, Dian Wei began angrily berating the guards in the manor, his face contorted with rage: "A bunch of useless trash. If I ever find that assassin, I'll make sure his head explodes and he's reduced to ashes."