Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

Hearing that Xu Da was going there, the two got together to discuss countermeasures. But there were also internal conflicts that could be exploited.

Liu Ce nodded as he read.

Just then, someone at the door announced:

"My lord, there is news from Prince Liu Chong of Chen."

Liu Ce raised his head and said, "Come in."

A member of the Imperial Guard entered and handed over a secret report.

Liu Ce opened it, took a look, and smiled.

...

Yuzhou, Chen State, Chen County, Chen Royal Palace.

Chancellor Luo Jun hurriedly entered the main hall and bowed to Prince Liu Chong of Chen, who was seated in the main seat.

"Your Majesty, breaking news!"

Liu Chong looked up and said, "Speak."

Luo Jun said, "Prince Liu Ce of Yan has already captured all the warlords of Guandong! Dong Zhuo was also beheaded at Hulao Pass! Luoyang, Chang'an, Hulao Pass, and other places are all in the hands of Prince Liu Ce! Now Prince Liu Ce is stationed in Luoyang, mobilizing troops!"

Liu Chong was stunned when he heard this.

Immediately, a surprised smile appeared on his face, and he slapped his thigh, saying:

"Good! Good! Dong Zhuo is dead! He's really dead!"

He stood up and paced back and forth in the main hall, his voice trembling with excitement as he spoke:

"That old villain Dong Zhuo wreaked havoc on the court, deposed and installed emperors, plundered imperial tombs, and robbed the people... I've long wanted to kill him with my own hands! But I lacked the strength! Now, Liu Ce has rid me of this scourge! It's truly gratifying! Heaven bless the Han Dynasty! Heaven bless the Han Dynasty!"

"I've had my eye on Liu Ce for a long time. Back when he was fighting the Xianbei and destroying Goguryeo in Youzhou, I knew he was destined for great things."

Seeing Liu Chong's excited expression, Luo Jun hesitated to speak.

After Liu Chong calmed down, he cautiously began to speak:

"Your Majesty, but... we are also part of the coalition against Dong Zhuo. Although we didn't send troops, we at least provided supplies. What if Liu Ce, the Prince of Yan, comes..."

Liu Chong waved his hand, interrupting him.

He smiled and sat back in the main seat, saying with certainty:

"Don't worry! Liu Ce won't come."

Luo Jun asked in confusion, "Why is Your Majesty so certain?"

Liu Chong stroked his beard and said slowly:

"Because we are family. We are both members of the Han imperial family, and according to seniority, I am his cousin."

"Among the members of the Han imperial family, there are some unspoken rules. As long as I don't go against him, he won't touch me. Moreover, I have always stood to support the Han dynasty and have never had any disloyal intentions."

He paused, then said with even greater certainty:

"Liu Ce is not the kind of person who is unreasonable. He pacified the feudal lords because those feudal lords raised troops without the consent of the Empress Dowager and him, which can be considered a 'rebellion'. But my Chen state has never rebelled."

"I haven't met Liu Ce many times, but I've heard about his style. He always shows leniency towards his own family. Look at how he treated Liu Bian, Liu Xie, and Empress Dowager He—wasn't that the same?"

"Besides," Liu Chong pointed to his own Chen state, "our Chen state hasn't bothered him in any way. What he wants is the whole world, not this tiny place of mine. As long as I don't stand in his way, he has no reason to make things difficult for me."

Upon hearing this, Luo Jun nodded thoughtfully.

He paused, then added with a smile:

"Just wait. It won't be long before Liu Ce sends someone to contact us. Then we'll go with the flow and submit to him. We're all from the Liu family, so what difference does it make who rules the world?"

Liu Chong patted him on the shoulder:

"For now, let's stay in Chen and do what we need to do. Once Liu Ce unifies the world, we'll still be members of the Liu clan and kings of Chen. We can't escape it."

Luo Jun was finally completely relieved and cupped his hands in greeting:

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Luo Jun nodded upon hearing this.

But he was still a little uneasy.

Will Liu Ce, the Prince of Yan, really adhere to such rules?

...

The study of the Prince of Yan's residence in Luoyang.

Liu Ce put down the secret report, leaned back in his chair, and looked out at the sky.

He thought of his cousin, Liu Chong.

Historically, Liu Chong, the Prince of Chen, was a rather interesting figure.

During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he managed to defend the State of Chen with only a few thousand powerful crossbows.

Later, when the warlords attacked Dong Zhuo, he also provided them with provisions. Later still, he was assassinated by Yuan Shu's men and died a violent death.

But now, Yuan Shu has been imprisoned by him.

Liu Chong's fate also changed.

...

In Luoyang, at the Prince of Yan's residence, the sun was at its zenith.

In the study, Liu Ce had just finished reading various intelligence reports. He was sitting with his legs crossed, sipping the tea that Yin Ying had just brewed, looking completely relaxed.

The tea was fresh and fragrant, with a sweet aftertaste. He squinted his eyes as he drank it, and with the warm sunshine outside the window, he felt lazy and relaxed, like a big cat basking in the sun.

On the desk was a stack of documents sent from various places, including military reports and summaries of government affairs sent by Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui from Youzhou.

However, I've already finished looking at the most important things; the rest are just routine matters, so there's no rush.

In the charcoal brazier next to it, a batch of useless waste paper had just been burned, and it was still emitting some residual heat.

Yin Ying is truly a remarkable person.

Since that night, she has been living in the mansion as if she had never left, serving him in different ways every day.

The tea was brewed just right, neither too hot nor too cold.

The desserts were exquisitely made, with a perfect balance of sweet and savory.

Even when Liu Ce was reviewing documents, she would sit quietly beside him, adding tea when needed and grinding ink when necessary, without ever disturbing him.

Liu Ce sometimes thought that the advantages of married women are really incomparable to those of young girls. They know how to be tactful, know when to advance and when to retreat, and are gentle when they should be gentle and quiet when they should be quiet. Every move they make is just right.

Just as I was enjoying myself, there was a gentle knock on the door twice.

"Knock knock knock".

Come in."

The door opened, and Lu Bing crouched down and slipped in.

This guy was dressed impeccably in his flying fish suit, his belt was tightly fastened, his hair was combed meticulously, and he had a perfectly timed smile on his face—the kind of smile that says, "I have good news to report."

Upon entering, he first gave a respectful bow and said:

"My lord, are you busy?"

Liu Ce raised his eyelids slightly, put down his teacup, and casually said:

"Just finished reading the documents, nothing special. So, what do you need to report this time?"

Lu Bing took two steps forward, lowered his voice, and got straight to the point:

"My lord, it's like this. When Dong Zhuo was wreaking havoc in Luoyang, he killed a number of powerful families who were at odds with him. But there are still more than half of these powerful families who used to live a life of luxury by clinging to Dong Zhuo's coattails, and they've done a lot of bad things."

He curled his lip, looking disdainful, and said:

"Now that Dong Zhuo is dead, these people have immediately changed their tune. They pretend to be loyal and law-abiding citizens outside every day, and they're even thinking of asking you for favors and official positions."

He paused, then continued:

"I'm just here to ask, what should we do with these people?"

As he spoke, he added, his tone full of disdain:

"To be honest, my lord, these people are more fickle than weather vanes. When Dong Zhuo was robbing the people and killing loyal officials, they all followed suit and shared the spoils, even sending their own daughters to Dong Zhuo's mansion. Now, they're all patting their chests and saying they're loyal to the Han Dynasty. It makes me want to vomit."