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

Liu Hong said slowly, his tone tinged with regret and deep meaning, "Your father chose the wrong path."

"Thank you for your mercy, General."

Sun Ce immediately cupped his hands in greeting, his voice firm, but his eyes betrayed his deep concern.

He knew perfectly well that the safety of the entire Sun family would now depend on the other party's will.

Before long, under the watchful eyes of Dian Wei and Zhao Yun, the Sun family was quickly moved to a side residence of the General's Mansion.

It was ostensibly resettlement, but in reality, it was house arrest.

But within this front hall, the real discussion was just beginning.

After all, the assassination of the general must have some form of procedure.

"What does Mr. Cui think?"

Liu Hong looked at Cui Yan beside him and asked.

Cui Yan spoke slowly, each word precious: "Tonight's events are most likely the work of the He family."

Last night, they seemed to have put in the most effort in their investigation, but in reality, they were trying to cover it up, so they are naturally the most suspicious.

However, there is still a lack of conclusive evidence to definitively conclude this matter.

Now that General Cheng has brought the Sun family here, everything has come together.

When Sun Jian wakes up tomorrow, we can then put the He family members on hold.

He changed the subject, adding a hint of caution: "However, General, please be mentally prepared."

"What preparations?"

Liu Hong asked.

Cui Yan gave a bitter smile and said in a serious tone, "I'm afraid His Majesty won't really punish this relative of the empress severely."

After all, the power of the imperial clan had become so strong that it even suppressed the gentry.

Next, given Your Majesty's mind, even if you rely heavily on the power of the Grand General, you are still the Emperor after all. You are worried about losing power to others, so you must take precautions in many matters.

Therefore, this matter will likely be raised high but then gently put down in the end.

The influence of maternal relatives cannot be completely eliminated, especially in the complex imperial city of Luoyang. His Majesty needs various forces to check and balance each other.

Cui Yan's words were all reasonable.

At the lower end of the council chamber, the other three ladies, though listening to the discussion of such important military and national affairs, did not utter a word in response.

Even if she had something to say, she would wait until Liu Hong returned to the inner quarters, to her boudoir, and then close the door.

Only then can their family continue to discuss the matter.

The final decision rests with Liu Hong.

after all.

He is the current head of the Liu family.

"Understood, sir."

Liu Hong nodded, and Cui Yan slowly withdrew.

After all, such a thing happened tonight, and it's late and the dew is heavy.

It's not quite appropriate for these officials to remain in the General's mansion.

There are still many matters to discuss, which can be done tomorrow.

Gradually, everyone withdrew, and Liu Hong returned to the inner quarters.

"My lord, how did tonight go?"

Ms. Wu was the first to speak and ask a question.

Xu then looked at Cai Yan and gave her a meaningful look.

They were all women in the household, and although they could offer some advice on the affairs of the previous dynasty, they were ultimately not as talented, learned, beautiful, and intelligent as Cai Yan.

Born into the Cai family, she undoubtedly possessed the most insightful understanding of the power struggles and strategies of the previous dynasty.

When it comes to family matters...

There has never been any internal strife among the three women.

Of course, this is also thanks to Liu Hong's equal treatment of them all over the years. In addition, with the First Madam Wu in charge of the household affairs, there has never been a situation where he did not treat Cai Yan and Xu Shi equally.

That's why there's such harmony within this house.

Liu Hong is the main figure.

They are secondary; only when faced with danger will they all work together towards a common goal, which is truly rare in chaotic times.

"My lord, how are the preparations going?"

At the prompting of her two sisters, Cai Yan immediately spoke up, her tone filled with concern, showing her willingness to contribute to the family once again.

By now, the Cai and Liu families have long since become one.

When the Liu family prospers, the Cai family naturally rises in status as well; if the Liu family falls, the Cai family will certainly not fare well either.

They no longer distinguish these matters so clearly; they believe that everyone prospers or suffers together.

They both understood this perfectly well.

Upon hearing this, Liu Hong smiled faintly, patted Cai Yan's hand, and said gently, "We'll have a proper explanation for this matter tomorrow."

The ladies should rest early and not worry about these things.

Liu Hong spoke up, but he didn't intend to let them get too involved.

Thus, Xu and Wu exchanged a glance and could only nod in agreement.

If Liu Hong were willing, he would naturally give the word; but he has no intention at the moment.

These ladies would not actively get involved.

For so many years, both family matters and external affairs have been like this.

Silent all night.

The next morning, Liu Hong slept fairly well.

But this doesn't mean that other families in the imperial city of Luoyang can sleep so soundly.

Inside the Yuan family mansion, Yuan Shao, dressed in blue, asked Yuan Shu in a deep voice, "Today, at the court assembly, I suppose we can't avoid that meeting."

"Is that general dead or alive?"

Yuan Shu also perked up his ears and listened carefully from the side.

After all, at this point in time, the life and death of this general is of paramount importance not only to the imperial city of Luoyang, but also to the entire Han Dynasty.

If the other side is safe and sound, the Han Dynasty can naturally continue to be stable for a period of time; but if something goes wrong with the other side, the balance of power, the gentry, the local warlords, the imperial relatives and the harem, and all sorts of people will be somewhat shaken.

If luck turns bad again, it's not impossible that the entire Han Dynasty could fall apart in a short time.

After all, the Yellow Turban Rebellion, though seemingly suppressed, was only barely contained because of Liu Hong's sudden emergence.

In other words, if the current Duke of Weining of the Han Dynasty were still alive, the Han Dynasty could still maintain this superficial peace; but without him, the Han Dynasty's inherent weakness and poverty would inevitably be exposed to everyone.

When that time comes, the world will likely descend into chaos, with numerous warlords rising up.

Even with the ancestral precept that "anyone who does not have the surname Liu and claims the throne shall be punished by all under heaven," how effective it is today is probably no longer of any concern to anyone.

Faced with the worried expressions of Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, Yuan Kui chuckled and then said decisively, "Liu Hong will not die."

Now, it seems the maternal relatives are about to run into trouble.

However, this trouble won't be too great.

After all, His Majesty still needs to use the power of the maternal relatives to balance the power of the clans and us gentry.

Only in this way can this world truly be considered the world of Your Majesty's lineage.