Volume 1: Kyoto Turbulence Chapter 49: Reporting War News Shocks the Imperial Court

  Liu Zhang has left Luoyang for five years. In these five years, Liu Hong has slowly degenerated from an emperor who cares about the world to a king who likes to indulge in pleasures. Of course, it can't be said that Liu Hong is a foolish ruler, but the problem is that the Han Dynasty's treasury doesn't have much money left! Indulgence, after all, requires money, and without money, how can one enjoy? But those ministers, especially those from noble families, who isn't trying every means to embezzle money into their own homes?!

  Actually, Liu Hong also had ambitions, but unfortunately he was suppressed by Cao Jie for too long. A normal man, being oppressed by a eunuch for a long time, even if his lower body still hasn't lost its function, his spirit will be castrated, and Liu Hong belongs to the kind of person who has been spiritually castrated. Otherwise, he wouldn't have called Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong 'Ah Father' and 'Ah Mother'!

  What dealt the most severe blow to Liu Hong's enthusiasm was that Cao Jie, this old eunuch, had finally died six months ago. As for how he died, no one cared. However, before Cao Jie died, he handed over power to Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong, and Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong were indeed loyal to Liu Hong. With great power in his hands, Liu Hong was full of expectations, hoping to change the current situation of the Han Dynasty. But the alliance of the aristocratic families was like a basin of cold water poured from his head to his feet!

  That's how people are, when they suffer setbacks, either they struggle to get back up or they lie down completely. Liu Hong faced the surging aristocratic families and chose to avoid them, he chose to indulge in pleasure and women's bodies, as for court politics and struggles, he left them to his loyal followers Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong, and He Jin!

  The emperor's side was surrounded by eunuchs and women, and there wasn't a single woman in the palace who didn't want to get close to the emperor. He Lingyi followed Liu Hong for five years, and after Empress Song died, she was made empress. However, those who serve with their beauty will not last long. Just as He Lingyi became pregnant and was about to give birth, Liu Hong met the woman he loved most in his life: Wang Meiren. And when Cao Jie died, it happened to be the time of Wang Meiren's child's birth, which is called "double happiness", making Liu Hong love Wang Meiren even more!

  He Lingsi and Wang Meiren did not have any contradictions, although they were competing for the same man. She understood that it was impossible for one person to monopolize the emperor, and He Lingsi was not a narrow-minded person. However, Wang Meiren was not a peaceful master, she secretly plotted against He Lingsi's son Liu Bian! Every child is a piece of flesh fallen from their mother's body, as long as they are normal mothers, they will love their children dearly. If He Lingsi could tolerate Wang Meiren harming her own son, then she would not be He Lingsi anymore.

  The struggle, after all, revolves around the emperor. Liu Hong is a sentimental person, and Wang Meiren is indeed at a disadvantage, so Liu Hong surprisingly slowly leaned towards Wang Meiren in the struggle. He Lingyi would never allow her concubine to destroy her wife, so a murderous intention arose in her heart, and she also had resentment towards Liu Hong.

  Since He Lingsi had resentment, Liu Hong rarely went to see her. As He Jin's younger sister, he had always doted on his little sister since childhood. When he found out that Liu Hong was cold-shouldering his sister, he was also filled with righteous indignation. In He Jin's view, He Lingsi as the empress dowager took care of Liu Hong's personal affairs, and he himself as a great general in the court risked his life for Liu Hong, but Liu Hong did not treat them like family members. What can be tolerated, what cannot be tolerated! In anger, He Jin actually joined forces with Yuan Wei!

  He Jin's sudden change of heart immediately dealt a blow to the eunuchs' power. Emperor Ling saw He Jin as a stupid pig, who had inexplicably turned to the aristocratic families for support, and grew even more displeased with him in his heart. However, Emperor Ling had one good point - he valued relationships very much. Although he was not pleased with He Jin, he still treated Liu Bian relatively well. But what Emperor Ling did not know was that Empress Wang had been secretly plotting against Liu Bian; if it were not for the protection of Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong, Liu Bian would have long since perished. Perhaps this was one reason why He Jin later wanted to kill the Ten Attendants, while his sister He Lingyu wanted to protect them.

  Youzhou was invaded by the Wuhuan every year, and the imperial court had to allocate funds to Youzhou to relieve the people. After Liu Yan arrived in Youzhou, the situation improved slightly, but not much changed. In order to maximize Liu Zhang's achievements, Liu Yan also played a small trick.

  The imperial court holds a grand New Year's ceremony every year. Calculating the timing, Liu Zhang had defeated Wuduan and returned to Youzhou in December, so Liu Yan ordered the messenger to rush into the palace on the day of the New Year's ceremony, shouting loudly from the gate of Luoyang! There were sacred edicts and command tokens given by Emperor Wu of Han to Liu Yan, and Liu Yan's memorials could reach the emperor directly.

  Before long, it was New Year's Day. Liu Yan and Liu Zhang were dressed in festive attire, drinking and feasting with Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun at home. But Luoyang welcomed an unexpected guest. A dusty cavalryman, holding a pass-like object high in his hand, carrying a bamboo tube on his back, rushed into the city of Luoyang, riding his horse while shouting: "Report from the Battle of Youzhou!"

  A galloping horse rushed through the streets of Luoyang, causing a commotion among the people. Many shopkeepers scolded the rider, who was seen as a defeated soldier seeking help by everyone. However, when they saw him rush towards the imperial palace, everyone shut their mouths, but not all war reports could be delivered directly to the emperor's hands.

  The guards at the palace gate saw a cavalryman holding something and rushing over, hastily raising their long guns to stop him: "No horse riding is allowed in front of the palace gate, halt!"

  A cavalryman jumped off his horse and said: "Quick! Governor Liu Yan of Youzhou has an urgent military report to present!"

  The guards heard this and knew they couldn't make a decision, so they called over a small eunuch. Nowadays, nine out of ten small eunuchs in the palace are people of Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong. In recent years, Liu Yan has offered quite a few sacrifices to Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong, and since Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong still remember Liu Zhang's respect, these eunuchs were very respectful to the people from Youzhou. The small eunuch heard it was a battle report from Youzhou and quickly took it over, holding it as he entered the palace!

  In the palace, Liu Hong was sitting listlessly on the dragon throne, accepting the court's homage from civil and military officials, thinking about Wang Meiren's tender and white body. Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong could not accept the court's homage, so they stood behind a pillar near the main hall. They saw Xiao Huangmen carrying something over, and their eyebrows furrowed involuntarily.

  Xiao Huangmen walked up to Zhang Rang with a bamboo tube, and Zhang Rang asked somewhat displeased: "What are you doing? How dare you deliver things at this time?"

  Xiao Huangmen saw Zhang Rang's displeasure and nervously said: "Sir, this is a battle report sent from Youzhou, it says that it must be presented to the Emperor immediately!"

  "Youzhou?" Zhang Rang furrowed his brow and asked: "Isn't it that Wuhuan has invaded Youzhou again?"

  "Yes! However, the messenger said that this battle report must be presented to Your Majesty at the New Year's Grand Court Assembly!" Little Huang Men secretly glanced at Zhang Rang's expression and didn't see any changes, but he felt a sigh of relief in his heart!

  Zhang Rang waved his hand and let Xiao Huangmen retreat, then said to Zhao Zhong: "You see..."

  "It's possible that Governor Liu has won against Wuma, and wants to give Your Majesty a surprise!" Zhao Zhong smiled: "What kind of person is this Governor Liu of Youzhou? He wouldn't dare to cause trouble for Your Majesty on a grand festival day, would he?"

  Zhang Rang smiled and said, "I suppose so. Then I'll help Director Liu out! Anyway, on New Year's Day, the governors of various regions will have to present gifts to the imperial court. This battle report can serve as Director Liu's gift!"

  After the officials finished paying their respects, each provincial governor sent someone to present a thick gift. When the ceremonial officer loudly announced the arrival of the Governor of Youzhou, Zhang Rang suddenly stepped forward and said: "I beg to report to Your Majesty, the Governor of Youzhou has brought a battle report as his tribute!"

  "What's the military report?" Zhang Rang spoke up, causing great confusion among the civil and military officials, especially the aristocratic families like Yuan Wei. They had sent Liu Yan to Youzhou, and in the first two years, they still paid attention to him. Later, as Liu Zhang left, Youzhou gradually calmed down. Moreover, Liu Yan's dealings with foreign tribes were only defensive, and the imperial court in Luoyang began to struggle again, so they didn't care about Liu Yan anymore. But now, it seemed that Liu Yan had achieved something!

  Liu Hong smiled with great interest: "The imperial uncle is in the barren land of Youzhou, and there are often foreign invasions. Even if there was no tribute, I would not blame him. Since he took this battle report as a gift, Zhang, you open it for everyone to read, let's see what my imperial uncle has done!"

  "Yes!" Zhang Rang was about to open the bamboo tube, but his eyes turned and said: "Your Majesty, this battle report is presented by the old minister. Please ask Yuan Yi, Yuan Gong, to read it. It's also good to ask Yuan Gong to verify the seal on the bamboo tube!

  "This statement makes sense!" Liu Hong smiled and said: "Then let Yuan Ai read it!"

  Yuan Wei took the battle report from Zhang Rang's hand and glared at him, but Zhang Rang just smiled calmly. After carefully checking the bamboo tube, Yuan Wei said: "Your Majesty, this battle report is no problem!"

  Liu Hong knew Zhang Rang's mind, so he smiled and said: "Then let's open it and read it!"

  Yuan Wei reluctantly opened the battle report, announcing his enemy's military achievements to himself, which was not a pleasant thing. However, when he saw the content of the battle report, his eyes suddenly widened like a cow's eyes. The people around him were all staring at Yuan Wei, but he didn't make a sound. The people around him didn't dare ask either. For a moment, the joyful and prosperous imperial court became quiet!

  "What's going on?" Liu Hong saw that Yuan Wei didn't make a sound and suddenly became anxious, he said to Zhang Rang: "Go! You come and read!"

  Zhang Rang was also surprised, what kind of battle report could make Yuan Wei like that. Upon hearing the emperor's order, Zhang Rang snatched over the battle report and was about to read it when he too was stunned! After flipping through it twice, Zhang Rang was certain that this battle report was not fake, but the content inside was really shocking!

  Zhang Rang was also stunned, and Liu Hong's curiosity was piqued. He said with a hint of displeasure: "Zhang Rang, do you want me to come and read it myself?"

  "Your Majesty, this battle report has left me too shocked. Please sit down, I will read it now!" Zhang cleared his throat and read: "Your humble servant, the Governor of Youzhou, Liu Yan, reports to Your Majesty: In the fifth year of Guanghe, in August, Qiu Liju led an army of 100,000 to invade Youzhou. I, along with all officials of Youzhou, vowed to fight to the death. In September, my son Liu Xiang led his troops to battle against the Wuhuan people. His subordinate, General Huang Zhong, led Generals Zhao Yun, Zhang Ren, and Huang Xu, with an army of 12,000, to resist the 100,000-strong Wuhuan army. Later, Liu Xiang led Generals Shi Ah and Zhang Fei, with 8,000 soldiers, to directly attack the Wuhuan king's court at Wuhuanshan, killing over 100,000 enemies and capturing countless cattle, sheep, and horses. In December, Liu Xiang returned from Wuhuanshan and joined forces with Huang Zhong. The Wuhuan king Qiu Liju was defeated and retreated from Youzhou, beheading over 20,000 people!"