The Three Kingdoms: The Oath of the Peach Garden, the Rise of the Han Dynasty

Zhang Rang quickly stepped forward and said obsequiously:

"Your Majesty, Liu Bei is a man of commendable loyalty and bravery. He made great contributions in suppressing the Yellow Turban Rebellion and is also a member of the Han imperial family. He is extremely loyal to Your Majesty."

"What I'm asking is, what is his relationship with the powerful and influential families?" Liu Hong raised his eyelids slightly.

"Your Majesty, Liu Bei maintains a distant relationship with the powerful clans," Zhao Zhong interjected.

"Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun under his command were all from humble backgrounds, or even less than that."

That strategist, Li Chang, was also a wandering Taoist priest of unknown origin. They had no family background whatsoever in Luoyang.

"Oh?" A glint of light flashed in Liu Hong's eyes. "That's not bad."

What he feared most was the collusion between generals holding military power and powerful families. Liu Bei, lacking a powerful family background, was perfect for him to use.

But in his eyes, what Lu Zhi did before was betrayal!

Even though Lu Zhi was Liu Bei's teacher, Liu Bei still had the surname Liu!

"By the way," Liu Hong suddenly remembered something and asked, "I heard that Li Chang knows magic? He fought Zhang Jiao in Guangzong and even created some kind of yin-yang separation phenomenon?"

Zhang Rang quickly said:

"Your Majesty, this is indeed true. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers witnessed it firsthand. Li Chang ascended the altar and performed magic, able to summon wind and rain, rivaling Zhang Jiao. The soldiers all called him a living deity."

"A living god?" Liu Hong scoffed and shook his head.

"It's nothing but a bunch of superstitious tricks. I've been emperor for so many years, what kind of superstitious tricks haven't I seen? As for summoning wind and rain, it's just a coincidence that the weather changed."

Over the years, he had seen too many sorcerers and Taoist priests in the palace, using their tricks to swindle money, and he had long since stopped believing in such things.

Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong exchanged a glance, not daring to say anything more.

After a moment of silence, Liu Hong's hand movements became increasingly large, and his movements below became more and more forceful.

It's like a farmer outside Luoyang, diligently pulling up radishes. As he pulls out the radish, with a splash, he gets splashed all over himself!

"Phew..." Liu Hong let out a heavy sigh. He didn't want a traitor to emerge from among the Liu family's descendants!

Because blood flows downwards, so does thought.

He then asked, "Have Liu Bei and the others all gotten married?"

"Your Majesty, none of them are," Zhang Rang replied. "I heard that Liu Bei only has one concubine; Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Li Chang are all alone as well."

"Oh?" Liu Hong raised an eyebrow. "Have any powerful families recently expressed interest in forming marriage alliances with them?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Zhao Zhong replied.

"Many small and medium-sized families wanted to marry their eldest daughters to Liu Bei; even some top aristocratic families were tempted to marry their illegitimate daughters to him in order to win them over."

"Hmph!" Liu Hong snorted coldly, his face darkening. "These aristocratic families are quick on their feet. How can I let them win over the people I've set my sights on!"

He pulled up his pants, pushed the man away, sat up abruptly, and said to Zhang Rang:

"Go and check if there are any women of marriageable age among the royal family. Also, check the women who are descendants of meritorious officials but not from aristocratic families, and make a list for me."

"Your Majesty, what is this...?" Zhang Rang was taken aback.

"I wish to bestow marriages," Liu Hong said in a deep voice. "Arrange the marriages for Liu Bei and the others. I want them to know who truly deserves their wealth and honor!"

He absolutely could not allow Liu Bei and the others to fall into the control of powerful families!

We must never produce another fool like He Jin!

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Zhang Rang was startled and quickly bowed to accept the order.

As the sun sets, its golden rays fall upon the glazed tiles of Luoyang, reflecting a dazzling light. Yet, this light cannot dispel the darkness of the late Han Dynasty, nor can it reach the homes of ordinary people.

……

Inside Lu Zhi's study, candlelight flickered.

After listening to Liu Bei's confusion, Lu Zhi gently blew on the foam on the surface of his teacup:

"Xuande, you are now the most conspicuous piece on the chessboard of Luoyang. His Majesty wants to hold you in his hand as a weapon, while the aristocratic families want to pull you over as a shield. No one is willing to let go."

He tapped the table:

"Didn't you see those looks in the court that day?"

Those looks—some call you a eunuch, some praise you as a loyal subject—but those who criticize you may not hate you, and those who praise you may not be sincere.

They criticize you because they fear you might actually side with the Ten Attendants; they praise you because they want to pull you into their circle!

"Then what do you mean, sir?" Liu Bei frowned.

"Don't rely on anyone." Lu Zhi said firmly.

"Do not get too close to the eunuchs, nor completely side with the aristocratic families. You are a member of the Han imperial family; this is your shield, but also your shackle. Protecting your eight thousand soldiers and guarding your true self are more important than anything else."

Xuande, no matter what happens in the future, never forget your original aspirations!

He paused, then added:

"Also, recently, no matter who invites you to a banquet, decline if you can. If you can't decline, don't show anything! The waters of Luoyang are much deeper than you imagine."

Liu Bei nodded heavily, keeping Lu Zhi's words firmly in mind.

But he didn't expect that trouble would come knocking as soon as Lu Zhi finished speaking.

The next morning, Liu Bei was stunned by the sight before him as soon as he got up.

The courtyard of the inn was piled high with all kinds of invitations, stretching from the entrance all the way down the steps.

The servants delivering the invitations crowded in the courtyard, pushing and shoving each other, all wanting to be the first to hand the invitation to Liu Bei!

"Lord Liu, my master is the Prefect of Henan. He has prepared a small feast and cordially invites you to his residence for a chat!"

"Lord Liu, my Grand Commandant has long admired your name. He is hosting a banquet at the West Garden tonight and cordially invites you to attend!"

"Lord Liu, this is my master Yuan Benchu..."

All morning, Jian Yong and Xiahou Lan were so busy that they barely had time to breathe, collecting invitations and registering people, and they were covered in sweat from exhaustion.

Xiahou Lan flipped through the thick stack of invitations in her hand, and said to Li Chang with a bitter face:

"Strategist, we've received thirty-eight invitations in just one morning. From the highest officials to the most prominent families, we've invited almost everyone of importance in Luoyang."

Li Chang picked up the top few invitations, glanced at them, and smiled!

Once you're in a higher position, things really do change!

He shook his head, tossing an invitation in the air.

"This isn't a dinner invitation; it's clearly an inspection tour. Everyone wants to see what kind of person our newly appointed Marquis of Duting is and whether he's worth investing in."

"What should we do?" Liu Bei looked at the invitations all over the courtyard, feeling utterly overwhelmed.

"We can't just reject everything, can we? If we offend everyone, we'll really be stuck in Luoyang!"

"If you can't turn it down, then go," Li Chang said thoughtfully.

"Choose a few of the most important ones to attend, and let Mr. Jian and the Xiahou brothers handle the rest. Remember, when you go, just drink and talk about romance, not state affairs, and don't agree to any attempts to win you over."

"I understand," Liu Bei nodded.

But he still underestimated the enthusiasm of the Luoyang aristocratic families.

For the next few days, Liu Bei spent almost every day at drinking parties.

There was a banquet at the Grand Commandant's residence at noon, a banquet at the Minister's residence in the evening, and a banquet at a certain young master's residence in the middle of the night.

He would get completely drunk every day, return to the inn and fall asleep immediately, without even having time to say a word to his brothers.

The banquets hosted by those small and medium-sized aristocratic families were nothing more than attempts to curry favor, uttering all sorts of insincere compliments, and occasionally probing into Liu Bei's background.

They even hinted or explicitly stated that they wanted to form a marriage alliance or seek refuge with the government!

Liu Bei could only laugh it off and deal with each of them.

What truly exhausted him were the gatherings of scions of top aristocratic families.

That evening, Yuan Shao sent an invitation to Liu Bei to attend a banquet at his residence.

Besides Yuan Shao's name, the invitation also listed the names of Cao Cao, Yuan Shu, Xu You, and others!

"We must attend Yuan Shao's banquet." Li Chang looked at the invitation. "The Yuan family has held high office for four generations, and their disciples and former officials are all over the country. We can't afford to offend Yuan Shao. Moreover, Mengde is also there, which is a good opportunity to find out his background."

Liu Bei nodded and took Guan Yu and Zhao Yun with him.

Zhang Fei also wanted to go, but Li Chang stopped him: "Third Brother, you have too quick a temper. It's easy for trouble to happen if you go. Stay in the manor and keep an eye on the brothers."

Although Zhang Fei was unwilling, he had no choice but to agree.

The banquet hall of the Yuan residence was brightly lit, with carved beams and painted rafters, displaying extreme luxury.

Dozens of young men from prominent families, dressed in fine silks and satins, sat together, clinking glasses and engaging in lively conversation.

As soon as Liu Bei and his two companions entered, the previously noisy banquet hall instantly fell silent.