Liu Bian at the start, so you're called Dong Zhuo, right?

The next day, at Deyang Palace.

Bells and drums sounded in unison, and officials lined up in formation.

Grand Master of Ceremonies Chen Dan held the imperial edict, and Minister of the Imperial Secretariat Zhong held the draft edict; the atmosphere in the hall was heavy.

Empress He sat to the side, a hint of undisguised joy in the depths of her eyes—she had waited too long for this day.

Liu Bian stood below the steps, dressed neatly, his face displaying the respect and restraint expected of an eight-year-old child.

He knew that today was the result of his nearly one year of hard work.

"...Establish Prince Bian as Crown Prince, residing in the Eastern Palace, to uphold the ancestral temple and ensure the stability of the state..."

Before the crowd in the hall could even rise to their feet, someone suddenly stepped forward and said loudly:

"Your Majesty is greatly pleased by the Empress Dowager's decree that Prince Xie has just surrendered. However, the Empress Dowager is concerned about the ancestral temple and fears that establishing an heir too hastily may harm the harmony among the princes. She requests that Your Majesty reconsider and postpone the establishment of the Crown Prince to observe the future."

The hall fell silent instantly.

Everyone knew that Empress Dowager Dong wanted to make Prince Xie the crown prince, and that she had been eager to have custody of him ever since that day.

Liu Bian, however, remained calm. He had anticipated this situation and glanced slightly in Xun Yu's direction.

Immediately, Xun Yu stepped forward, bowed, and said:

"Your Majesty, I have something to say."

Emperor Ling of Han was wondering how to respond when he saw someone step forward and quickly said:

"speak."

"The Empress Dowager's concern for the ancestral temple is a natural human sentiment and a reflection of her position."

"However, propriety is the foundation of a nation. The Crown Prince is the cornerstone of the world. If the foundation is not secure, the hearts of the people will waver; if the hearts of the people waver, the wicked will rejoice."

He looked up at Emperor Ling of Han:

"Your Majesty's establishment of a crown prince is not for the sake of one person, but for the sake of the ancestral temple and the state."

"Prince Bian is the son of the Empress and His Majesty's legitimate son. His status is already established and known throughout the land. If we delay any longer, disloyalty will easily arise among the people. Some may suspect His Majesty of being fickle, while others may suspect that the ancestral temple is up for grabs. This is not peace; this is chaos."

Seeing that things were going badly, the eunuch turned pale and stepped forward, still trying to argue: "The Empress Dowager's decree fears that discord among the princes and moral decay in the harem..."

Xun Yu, however, acted as if he hadn't heard him and continued, "Peace is not established slowly, but clearly."

"The foundation of the country is established, and all decisions will come to an end."

Zhonghuangmen gritted his teeth, finally realizing that the situation was hopeless, and slowly withdrew.

Emperor Ling of Han finally relaxed his tightly furrowed brows and spoke:

"I know of the Empress Dowager's benevolent heart."

"But as for the matter of the crown prince, my mind is already made up."

"In all matters, the foundation of the nation should be of utmost importance; once the edict has been issued, it cannot be changed."

He flicked his sleeve:

"Proclaim the decree and perform the rites."

Grand Master of Ceremonies Chen Dan was prepared; as soon as Emperor Ling of Han finished speaking, he immediately shouted:

"By imperial decree—perform the ceremony for the enthronement of the Crown Prince!"

The ceremony begins.

The book was handed out.

Seal and ribbon.

Liu Bian knelt to receive the message, kowtowed, and spoke in a clear and resonant voice:

"Your subject has received this mandate, and fears I may fail to live up to it. I wish to uphold the ancestral temple, assist my father, and bring peace to the world."

The crowd inside the hall shouted in unison, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Crown Prince!"

Empress He, sitting to the side, finally loosened her fingers, her palms already sweating.

Zhang Rang stood to the side, his eyes also full of smiles.

The matter of yesterday's remonstrance must be brought to the attention of the Crown Prince.

Once the Crown Prince is established, many official positions will become vacant. Whoever reaches out first will be the first to establish a foothold.

If all Zhang Rang did was wait for the new emperor to ascend the throne and then curry favor with him, then he wouldn't be Zhang Rang.

The lights in Changqiu Palace were still burning at night.

Liu Bian was resting on his couch. Now that the crown prince had been established, he could start making his next move ahead of schedule.

Now that he has become the Crown Prince, he can start to cultivate his own power base. However, relying solely on himself and Xun Yu is not enough.

One crucial person is still missing.

"Your Highness, Her Majesty requests a visit to the main hall." Suddenly, Chunjuan's voice came from outside the curtain.

Liu Bian nodded, and a palace maid came forward to help him change his clothes.

It was just nightfall, and since he had just become the Crown Prince that day, Empress He naturally wanted to discuss future matters concerning the Eastern Palace with him.

"Your subject greets Your Majesty."

Empress He saw Liu Bian arrive and was about to speak when a eunuch announced from outside the hall:

"Zhang Changshi sent someone with a document titled 'Old Regulations' for Your Majesty to review."

Empress He's eyes turned cold, and she raised her hand to indicate that it should be presented.

The paper was written in great detail: Once the Crown Prince is established, according to the established system, the positions of Grand Tutor, Junior Tutor, Junior Attendant, Attendant, and Attendant-in-Waiting should be appointed...

The Crown Prince's Palace Attendants and Palace Attendants were in charge of the daily life and announcements of the Crown Prince, and were responsible for entering and leaving the palace.

The last two lines, however, were particularly striking.

After reading it, Empress He gave a cold laugh:

"He does know the rules. But he reached out a little too quickly."

Liu Bian also glanced at it quickly and knew that Zhang Rang wanted to put his people into the Eastern Palace.

This is an investment.

Zhang Rang was a capable man, and if he were to become emperor in the future, he would certainly need eunuchs, and Zhang Rang would be a very useful tool for that.

How could someone who could be called "Father" by Emperor Ling be a mere eunuch who only served tea and carried boots? He could reach into money, official positions, military affairs, and imperial edicts, make officials swallow their anger, and even make the imperial relatives of the empress fear him.

Such people should either be eliminated completely, or they should be allowed to join you on the same boat.

The ship sank, and he sank with it.

Only if the boat is stable can he survive.

Thinking of this, Liu Bian no longer hesitated and raised his head to look at Empress He:

"Mother, since the Crown Prince is to be established, the rules must be followed. If we don't let him in, he'll only want to enter from somewhere else."

"But if we let him in... we must also let him know that the gates to the East Palace were opened by the Empress Dowager."

Empress He's eyes flickered slightly.

She paused for a moment, then tapped the "old system entry" with her fingertip:

"Tell Zhang Rang—one eunuch may be appointed in the Eastern Palace to be in charge of conveying imperial edicts, but he must not overstep his authority. The candidate shall be submitted for my review first."

"Here you are."

Liu Bian felt a slight sense of relief.

We need to borrow the knife of the eunuch.

Once someone takes the first step, there will be a steady stream of people surrendering.

In the past two days, visits to Changqiu Palace have been nonstop, and Liu Bian has been receiving more and more people these days.

At first, Liu Bian handled things quite well. Later, as more and more strange and unruly people appeared, Liu Bian gradually became overwhelmed and handed the whole process over to Xun Yu, only occasionally listening in.

Until one person appeared.

-

Guo Sheng hasn't had a good night's sleep in the past few days.

Logically speaking, as one of the Ten Attendants and the one who introduced him to Empress He, he had no need to worry about his future status.

However, Zhang Rang's intervention made some of the Ten Attendants uneasy. Song Dian, Zhang Gong, and Han Kui were one thing, but not a threat. What Guo Sheng never expected was that Zhao Zhong would also join the fray.

Although it wasn't as obvious as Zhang Rang's, they still secretly sent people to participate.

He wasn't as favored as Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong, and his status and background were far inferior. He needed to bring in someone in a high position with real power to bet on the Eastern Palace in order to gain a higher stake.

His first thought was naturally the position of one of the Three Dukes.

However, the Minister of Ceremonies is in charge of ancestral temple rituals but has no real power; the Minister of Imperial Sacrifices is in charge of palace guards and attendants who serve His Majesty, and if he were to actually extend his influence, he would probably die without even knowing how; not to mention the Minister of the Imperial Guard.

If the Three Dukes are not suitable, then the Nine Ministers are the only option.

Suddenly, the most suitable candidate came to mind—the Grand Minister of Agriculture, Cao Song.

The Grand Minister of Agriculture was in charge of the national treasury. With the Eastern Palace newly established, money was needed everywhere, and anything that could be solved with money was no problem for the Grand Minister of Agriculture.

Cao Song was the descendant of a eunuch, and he had a long-standing friendship with him. It was not impossible to try to get him on board.

Thinking of this, Guo Sheng couldn't wait to shout:

"Someone come here."

"I am here. What are your orders, Attendant?"

"Please invite Grand Minister of Agriculture Cao Song into the hall for a discussion."

"Here you are."

-

"Your subject Cao Song pays respects to Her Majesty the Empress and His Highness the Crown Prince."

When Liu Bian saw Guo Sheng arrive, he didn't intend to pay him any attention and just asked Xun Yu to give him an insignificant official position.

But the words of the person next to Guo Sheng made Liu Bian's pupils suddenly shrink.

Cao Song.

The name flashed through his mind, followed by an even more glaring chain of cause and effect—Cao Teng's adopted son, a tycoon, who climbed the ranks step by step amidst the corruption of selling official positions.

His son was named Cao Cao.

Later, he seized control of the emperor; later, he seized Xuchang; later... the entire framework of this chaotic world was built by that person.

Liu Bian remained expressionless, but he had already made up his mind.

Since Guo Sheng was able to bring Cao Song along, he must have promised Cao Song benefits that Cao Song could not refuse.

The only thing Liu Bian could think of was the money source for the Eastern Palace.

Empress He remained silent. She had heard of Cao Song's name, but she didn't respect any of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers.

They are nothing but incompetent people who bought their way into official positions.

"Lord Cao, there's no need for such formality," Liu Bian said gently. "I've long admired your name, Lord Cao, and meeting you today, I can see it's truly well-deserved."

"Your Highness flatters me. I have merely been diligently performing my duties and do not deserve such praise."

Liu Bian didn't waste any more pleasantries and went straight to the point: "Lord Cao must have important business to attend to today."

"With the Crown Prince newly established, all officials must be appointed according to regulations, and their salaries, stipends, carriages, horses, and clothing are all fixed. This year, the national budget is already tight, and if new categories are created, the Ministry of Personnel and the Imperial Treasury will surely shirk their responsibilities."

Cao Cao paused, seemingly hesitating for a moment, before finally gritting his teeth and saying:

"Your Majesty, I dare not speak presumptuously, but I am willing to do my part. If the Empress and the Crown Prince permit, I can first allocate a 'yearly expenditure' from the Ministry of Agriculture's budget for the Eastern Palace—with clear categories and verifiable accounts. In this way, the Eastern Palace's expenditures will have a source, the appointment of officials will have a basis, and it will be difficult for others to cause trouble under the guise of 'money'."

Guo Sheng immediately chimed in, as if afraid someone would steal his lines:

"Lord Cao is willing to set up an office for the Crown Prince, and I am willing to be his errand boy. All comings and goings will be recorded and presented to the Empress and the Crown Prince for review. Anyone who dares to use the Crown Prince's influence will have their hand cut off by me!"

Liu Bian was secretly delighted, but remained calm and said:

"That would be excellent. However, there are two rules to be established regarding the matters you and Lord Cao discuss."

"Firstly, the annual expenses of the Crown Prince's Palace must be clearly stated in writing, and the account books must be presented to the Empress Dowager, to me, and to my teacher every ten days. Anyone who dares to alter them will be executed on the spot."

Secondly, all the money and grain issued by Cao Cao must be accounted for, without bypassing the register. Every bushel of rice and every bolt of silk must have a designated destination.

Since this involved money, Liu Bian had to be careful.

Cao Song's eyes flickered slightly, then he solemnly cupped his hands in greeting:

"Your subject obeys. The Crown Prince's prudence is a blessing to the nation."

Empress He finally spoke:

"allow."

"Cao Song calculated the expenditure figures, and Guo Sheng handled the accounting, but the ledgers were kept in my Changqiu Palace. Anyone who dares to deceive me will be punished by me first."

Guo Sheng kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Crown Prince!"

Cao Song hesitated for a moment before speaking:

"Your Majesty, I have an unfilial son named Cao Cao, courtesy name Mengde. He currently serves as a Consultant. If Your Majesty does not mind, your unfilial son and I may serve Your Majesty together."

Liu Bian's eyes lit up.

That's exactly what I've been waiting to hear!