The First Tyrant

  He brought along Cai Yan and Diao Chan, and also brought Chen Liu Wang and Hong Nong Wang, as well as Princess Tang Ji of Hong Nong. To Liu Xuan's surprise, the historian Shi Dao was also among them.

  Shi Daoren was originally invited by Empress He to care for her son Liu Bian, as she feared he would die young. Later, after caring for Liu Bian and developing a close relationship with him, Shi settled in the capital.

  At that time, when Liu Xuan fled Luoyang with civil and military officials, Shi Daoren was not among them. However, considering the face of his second brother Liu Bian, Liu Xuan still sent him a letter, which only said that if he wanted to find Liu Bian in the future, he could go to Chang'an.

  Later, Luoyang was occupied by Dong Zhuo's generals, and the good city of Luoyang was ruined. Shi Dao Ren also couldn't escape, if not for his cleverness, he might have died in that chaos.

  After fleeing Luoyang, Shi Daoren did not come directly to Chang'an, but instead wandered around and observed the situation in the world. Finally, he took another look at Chang'an and only then did he have a plan. He went to seek out Prince Hongnong Liu Bian, who was now residing in the Hongnong Wangfu. Liu Bian treated him with great respect, as if he were an elder of his own family come to pay respects and offer sacrifices.

  Liu Xuan had also heard about this, but he didn't want to interfere too much in his younger brother's life. Moreover, Shi Daoren indeed had a nurturing grace towards Liu Bian, and it was right for him to serve him, so he didn't pay too much attention to this matter.

  It was unexpected that Shi Daoren also came along on this trip.

  Apart from these few people, the general who led the army was Huang Zhong, a deputy general who Liu Xuan had specially transferred from Jingzhou to the imperial court. At this time, Huang Zhong was still in his prime years, although he had some white hair due to his early years of hard work for his son, but his spirit and energy looked very good.

  It's also possible that because his son had passed away for a long time, he gradually became more open-minded, so Huang Zhong didn't have the dejected look that Liu Xuan thought he would - thinking about it, since Liu Biao was able to appoint Huang Zhong as a middle-ranking general, it can be seen that Huang Zhong was already willing to come out and serve as an official. However, what's regrettable for Liu Xuan is that Huang Zhong's son had passed away long ago... which meant there was one less opportunity to win people over.

  As for Huang Zhong, at first he was quite surprised by the imperial court's recruitment, and he never thought that he would be recruited by the imperial court.

  However, he himself felt extremely happy about this matter... After all, it was because in the early years, he had spent all his family savings to treat his son's illness, not to mention running around everywhere.

  Now that his son is dead, he still has his wife to support and so he started looking for things to do. At first, he did some things in the county, but after Liu Biao came to Jingzhou, possibly because of his relationship with the Huang family... wanted to get along with him, gave him the opportunity to make a name for himself and then took advantage of the situation to recommend himself as Zhonglangjiang.

  At that time, he only felt that if this matter was successful, the living conditions of his family would be greatly improved - although he was a member of the Huang clan, he was not a direct descendant, but only a collateral branch. In addition, since the Huang clan was a large clan in Jingzhou, it was impossible for every clansman to be taken care of, and basically everyone took care of themselves. Therefore, Huang Zhong did not consider seeking help from his fellow clansmen... but wanted to change his situation by relying on his own ability.

  Besides, Huang Zhong also had a proud temperament. He was not incapable and naturally would not stoop to accepting charity from others... yet he did not expect that Liu Biao's attempt at winning him over would lead to such unexpected consequences.

  However, considering that there's nothing worth staying for in Jingzhou and it's easy to recall his deceased son, he decided to bring his wife to Chang'an. This period of time has been relatively comfortable.

  Especially since the grain and rice in Chang'an were abundant, the court had never been stingy with him, his salary was always paid on time, and whenever he encountered any difficulties, they would be solved immediately. Under such care, Huang Zhong gradually became accustomed to life in Chang'an. However, this good treatment also made him feel that he should achieve something...he really felt ashamed, so he wanted to make a show of himself.

  It's a pity that when the Emperor personally led the expedition to conquer Li and Guo, Huang Zhong was one step late and missed this battle. He regretted it for a long time, feeling that he had missed a great opportunity to make a name for himself. Unexpectedly, not long after... His Majesty appointed him to follow and guard his side, which is a very good job. Huang Zhong's family was settled at home, and he had made preparations early on, but it wasn't until today that he finally saw the current Emperor.

  "You're still so young!"

  This was Huang Zhong's first impression of Liu Xuan, and the second feeling is: "Your Majesty has a strong and sturdy figure, with steady and powerful footsteps, looking at his martial arts is not bad."

  As for Liu Xuan, he didn't understand him at all and could only observe him bit by bit. Fortunately, Liu Xuan was wearing armor and carrying a bow and arrow on his waist, so he didn't need to perform a grand ceremony, just a military salute would do, thus allowing him to continue sizing him up.

  While sizing him up, he thought about some rumors he had heard about the emperor.

  Some say the emperor was cruel, because on the court, he didn't like a certain official's words and directly executed him. Moreover, there was also something called "extermination of nine clans" law. Some people said his cruelty surpassed that of the pre-Qin dynasty tyrants. Others say the emperor was dissolute, seeing a beautiful woman in the residence of Wang Su, he forcibly took her away from him.

  At that time, Huang Zhong, who had just arrived in Chang'an, was filled with anxiety and doubted whether he had made a mistake by coming to Chang'an after being summoned.

  But then he heard some good news, such as under the current emperor's governance, the lives of people in Chang'an and surrounding areas are getting better and better. At least for this generation of people, they have never worried about food issues in the past two years.

  These words were originally inconspicuous, after all, ordinary people who have eaten their fill like to discuss those miscellaneous things, and such things are the easiest to be ignored.

  But what about Huang Zhong and others? Suddenly, he realized the key point, understood that those comments might be biased, and couldn't be true. What can really let the people live and work in peace and have a full meal is practical. The longer Huang Zhong stayed, the more he felt that today's emperor was not so unbearable. Compared with Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling, he could even be said to be one of the few wise and virtuous rulers.

  Especially those words of debauchery, made him sigh with a bitter smile - nowadays the emperor has only established one empress, and apart from that not even one noblewoman, let alone taking a woman from the Sutu estate to serve in the palace, it would not be excessive even if he wanted ten more.

  The only certainty is that this emperor's temper seems to be really bad, after all, the law of exterminating nine clans was indeed issued by the current emperor.

  However, after meeting him today, Huang Zhong felt that this emperor didn't seem to be a difficult person to talk to. At least from the time he came out of the palace until now, when speaking with himself, he always had a slight smile on his face and there was no oppressive feeling in his words, giving people a refreshing spring breeze-like sensation.

  He looked up and saw that the emperor was in front, while the two horses beside him were ridden by King of Hongnong and King of Chenliu... Several brothers looked around and talked about trivial matters. Huang Zhong glanced at them for a moment, then rode his horse back to check on the supplies of the rear army.

  Liu Xuan was currently talking to Liu Xie... Perhaps because they had never been out before, the two brothers looked very excited. Since leaving the imperial city, their heads kept turning around, even if there were no beautiful scenery around them, they still looked at it with enthusiasm.

  Behind the brothers were several large carts, each with its own purpose. The first one was where Cai Yan sat... At this time, Diao Chan and Tang Ji were both in the cart chatting with Cai Yan. Although the cart was tightly covered, faint sounds could still be heard coming from inside, it seemed that these little girls were also very excited.

  As they approached the city gate, someone was already waiting. The first person wore a court dress and saw the team coming from afar, waiting at the city gate. Liu Xuan took a look but didn't recognize him... It wasn't until Cao Shuang stepped forward and whispered: "That is Sima Lang, the eldest son of Sima Fang, the governor of Jingzhao. He is currently working under his father's account. It is said that Sima Fang has been in poor health recently... I guess he came here on behalf of his father."

  Liu Xuan nodded and when they were about to arrive at the city gate, he turned over and dismounted his horse, receiving the homage of the crowd.

  In the crowd, Liu Xuan was sizing up Sima Lang. He saw that this man was about thirty years old, tall and sturdy in build, and looked like a great general commanding troops if he were to wear armor. Just now, Cao Kuo also said that Sima Fang's son had a reputation for being talented since his youth, and judging from his appearance, he indeed seemed extraordinary.

  But it was just like this... Liu Xuan glanced at him and then placed his gaze on a young man standing in the crowd.

  This young man was not short in stature, at least standing in the crowd, it was absolutely impossible to see any great difference from the people around him just by looking at his figure. But Liu Xuan's eyes were sharp, and even in the crowd, he noticed this young man... because just now when everyone was paying their respects, only this young man secretly sized himself up for a while.

  "Oh? Who is this young man?"

  Sima Lang originally came to see off the Emperor on behalf of his father, and it was just a matter of meeting at the city gate. However, he did not expect the Emperor to ask about some young man, and suddenly felt a jolt in his heart. He turned around and took a look, only to find that his second brother was mixed in with the crowd.

  "This is my younger brother, who is young and ignorant of worldly affairs. I hope Your Majesty will forgive him."

  He just saluted and didn't see what happened, but he thought quickly. Since the emperor could notice his brother in a crowd, there must be something wrong with him.

  The Han Dynasty had strict regulations on etiquette, and there were many details to pay attention to when meeting people and performing rituals. If one's own brother was noticed by the emperor, it was likely that the ritual was not performed properly. This was a serious problem that would be criticized by acquaintances, and if it happened to the Son of Heaven, it would be even more troublesome.

  Liu Xuan also knew what he was worried about, and casually waved his hand: "I'm just curious, how can there be such a young official in the Beijing Governor's Mansion, it turns out to be the son of Jian Gong."

  As he spoke, it seemed as if something had occurred to him, and he beckoned the young man over. Seeing that the youth came forward without any fear, not showing the slightest sign of nervousness or panic, his suspicions were further confirmed: "This youngster is quite extraordinary; what's his name?"

  Simu Lang saw Liu Xuan looking at himself and knew this was asking him: "This is your humble servant's second brother, Sima Yi!"

  Liu Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly, and he muttered under his breath: "It's really him!"

  After a moment's thought, he suddenly made up his mind: "Your younger brother is about the same age as Prince Chenliu; it would be good for them to have each other's company. What do you think if I take your younger brother with me on this trip?"

  Simarang was stunned, although he didn't understand how things had developed to this point. However, since the Emperor had spoken, what objections could he still have? He could only respectfully say: "Being able to attend to Your Majesty's side is my second brother's good fortune, I, your humble minister, have no objections!"

  The deputy owner created a group for this book, which is considered to be a place where everyone can discuss the situation of the book. Those who are interested can check the top post in the book review section to learn more about it.