Chapter 43: To be a son-in-law or to be a son-in-law?

  The fun on the march is naturally everywhere, and finally Liu Guan Zhang three brothers are going to roll, I don't know if it's because everyone has been chanting "roll" too much for Liu Bei, this guy doesn't have any concept of rolling at all. It's just that they've already passed through Anxi Prefecture, and as a small county magistrate, Liu Bei naturally doesn't need to go to the capital to thank the emperor, so he no longer has any good reason to follow behind the army's butt.

  Liu, Guan and Zhang finally left, looking at the backs of the three men, some were happy and some were worried. The happy ones were naturally Zhang Fei's three sworn brothers, who no longer had to listen to Liu Bei's nagging. The worried one was Cao Cao, touching his own dark eye circles from staying up all night, when could he have a top-notch general? Even if not two, having just one would be fine too.

  Zhang Rui looked at Cao Cao's appearance and couldn't help but want to laugh. This Cao Cao, why envy others? Later he will have his own Zhuan Yu and Xu Shu, plus the brothers Xiahou and the three Cao brothers, and the five elite generals. It's simply a luxurious lineup, after all, there aren't many top-notch warriors in the world.

  The lineup of the Three Kingdoms generals: Lu Bu, Zhao Yun, Wei Yan, Ma Chao, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei. Of course, this is not absolute, and at that time, Huang Zhong was still in his prime. Wu's Gan Ning, Taishi Ci, Wei's Xu Chu, these should all be top-notch generals.

  If we must categorize by Wu Soul, the Azure Dragon Wu Soul has already appeared. I wonder who the White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise are? Or is there another existence beyond the Four Holy Beasts that surpasses them? Moreover, warlords like Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Yuan Shao, and Sun Quan have not displayed anything particularly special so far. Zhang Rui is full of expectations for this world.

  The days without Liu Bei are really relaxing, Zhang Rui and a group of little friends can play happily again, and the city tower of Luoyang is already in sight.

  Everyone hastily tidied up their clothes and hats, sat upright on horseback, ready to experience the enthusiasm of the people of Luoyang. The news that Zhang Jiao had died and the Yellow Turbans had been wiped out spread back to Luoyang, causing a huge stir throughout the city. After all, no matter what era it was, those who lived in the capital were not particularly poor people. At this time, Luoyang was naturally inhabited by many wealthy families. The peasant uprising being put down meant that everyone could rest easy, and indeed the whole city was abuzz with excitement.

  The army was received by General He Jin at the city gate. He Jin chatted with the old generals, including Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun, and patted Cao Cao on the shoulder. Zhang Liao looked stunned, thinking that nobody dared to pat Cao Cao's shoulder, which meant they had a very good relationship. However, considering the era, Cao Cao was also following He Jin around, so it wasn't unusual for the big brother to pat the little brother's shoulder.

  The Emperor Ling intended to strip the General-in-Chief He Jin of his power, and news that eight Imperial Corps were to be established in the capital had already spread. It was impossible for He Jin not to know this, so the purpose of his coming out to welcome the army was now clear. But if He Jin came out to welcome the army into the city, how could Emperor Ling not know?

  "The Emperor has issued a decree, ordering Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun, Cao Cao, Zhang Rui and other meritorious generals to enter the palace immediately for an audience. As for the rest of you, the Emperor has prepared a banquet to welcome and refresh you, so please tidy up and proceed directly to the feast."

  It turned out to be Zhang Rang, He Jin's face was iron-green. This Liu Xie needed his own time, handed over the military power to himself, and let him sit in the capital. When he had stabilized the capital for him with all his heart, this guy got sick again, being fooled by Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and others, and even wanted to set up something called the West Garden Eight Schools Lieutenant. These eunuchs holding political power were not enough, they even wanted to extend their hands into the military, which was something He Jin could never tolerate. The problem was that this damned Liu Xie actually listened more to these eunuchs than trusting his own uncle, and this time was a very good example.

  It seems that the feud between himself and the Ten Eunuchs must be settled soon. The problem is that last time, two of the eunuchs rebelled but didn't bring down Zhang Rang. To say that they wouldn't have dared to contact the Yellow Turbans without Zhang Rang's consent, He Jin wouldn't believe it even if he was beaten to death. The problem is that this Emperor Liu is just not believing himself, and thus missed a good opportunity. What to do now? He Jin rode his horse back to the General's mansion in deep thought.

  Huangfu Song and others followed Zhang Rang into the palace, Huangfu Song, Zhu Xu, Cao Cao and others entered the main hall. Only Zhang Rui was led by Zhang Rang to a side hall.

  "Zhang Gongzi, a talented and handsome young man, has achieved great merit this time. He will surely be favored by the Emperor. I wonder where Zhang Gongzi's hometown is?" Zhang Rang, that eunuch, was indeed worthy of having served several emperors. His voice was very gentle and could easily make people feel close to him. If one didn't know it was Zhang Rang, who would have thought that this was the same person who held great power and killed without batting an eye?

  "In the next fabric, when can't get Zhang Gonggong's praise." Zhang Rui was obviously not interested in Zhang Ran, and his answer was also mediocre, without any hint. Zhang Ran also saw Zhang Rui's potential, if this young man knew how to behave, relying on this military achievement and that person's appreciation, leaving a position for Zhang Rui among the eight lieutenant colonels of Xiyuan was not impossible, the key was whether the young man knew how to behave or not.

  However, it was clear that this young man was either too young to understand his own mind or simply not interested in himself. How could someone who considered themselves superior to everyone else waste their time on a mere white-clothed person like him? Zhang Rang hoped that Zhang Rui was the former, but his intuition told him that Zhang Rui was clearly not interested in himself.

  Two people walked together in silence. As the saying goes, "When wine meets a bosom friend, a thousand cups are not enough; when words don't mesh, half a sentence is too much." To begin with, it was impossible for two people from different camps to get along, so how could they have a pleasant conversation? Zhang Rui didn't want to be cursed.

  "Alright, go in then. There's naturally someone waiting for you inside." Zhang Rang's words this time sounded much more normal, without a hint of warmth. Zhang Rui didn't say anything else and pushed the door open to enter. The fewer words exchanged with this old man, the better; it would save trouble later on.

  "Minger, how did you end up here? Of course, look at this foolish me, as the princess of Da Han, where else could I be? It must be that I've been thinking about you too much lately, which is why my words are so incoherent." Zhang Rui had already thought of this from the main hall to the side hall, and had prepared his words to respond to Liu Minger.

  "Brother Rui, you did it! You really stood out in this Yellow Turban War. I've already told Father about our matter, and with your brilliant performance this time, Father will surely like you even more. Our matter is now settled, and it's not impossible that Father will make you a royal son-in-law!!" Liu Min could no longer bear her longing for Zhang Rui and threw herself into his arms.

  Holding the jade person in his arms, Zhang Rui's heart was in a mess. If Emperor Ling really wanted him to be the imperial son-in-law, then what about Yanyan? If he were to become the imperial son-in-law, the emperor would definitely not tolerate him taking another wife. But neither Yanyan nor Min'er wanted to give up, so what should he do?

  Liu Min said so, it must be that the Emperor has already had this intention. Then what should he do? Should he become a son-in-law or not?