Three Kingdoms: Ten Times Speed, Diao Chan Says I'm Too Fast

Liu Hong's series of questions left Jian Shuo stunned.

Of course, what shocked Jian Shuo the most was that Lu Zhi had actually been defeated.

"His Majesty......."

Jian Shuo knelt down in the main hall with a thud: "Your Majesty, this servant has never done anything to wrong Your Majesty."

"Even if you kill me, I won't, and I wouldn't dare."

Liu Hong looked at Jian Shuo with a gloomy gaze.

Jian Shuo, kneeling on the ground, said, "Your Majesty, the one who submitted the memorial to Dong Zhuo requesting that he avoid battle was Lu Zhi, who was recommended by Grand Commandant Yang Ci."

"In Yingchuan, Duan Yu was clearly at odds with Zhu Jun and Huangfu Song, among others."

"This servant only thought that the conflict between Duan Yu and the aristocratic families should be deepened, which is why I suggested that Your Majesty grant the petitions from the court."

"But......"

Jian Shuo truly felt extremely wronged.

Who would have thought that Dong Zhuo had just been dismissed from his post, and Lu Zhi was defeated so soon after?

Yang Ci had tried to obstruct the bestowal of honors upon Duan Yu last year.

Lu Zhi was recommended by Yang Ci.

His advice was merely an attempt to make Duan Yu believe that Yang Ci was targeting him.

Of course, Jian Shuo wasn't entirely without his own ulterior motives.

He was determined to vent his anger over the conflict between the two of them in front of the Jiade Hall.

Liu Hong's expression gradually softened as he sat on the dragon throne.

He then raised his sleeve and said, "Alright, get up. I believe in you."

Upon hearing this, Jian Shuo felt as if he had been granted a pardon and got up from the ground.

"I will not blame you for what happened before, but now that Lu Zhi has been defeated, I still need to use Duan Yu to suppress the rebels."

As he spoke, Liu Hong narrowed his eyes and glanced at Jian Shuo, who had his head down, and said coldly, "You should keep your little schemes to yourself."

Jian Shuo, who had just stood up, was struck as if by lightning, and his whole body began to tremble uncontrollably.

“This servant…”

"This servant understands," Jian Shuo said, his voice trembling.

"The fact that I entrust the Imperial Guards to you shows that I trust you."

"Guard the palace properly."

"I have already vented your anger for you, but this kind of thing is only allowed once, and absolutely not a second time, do you understand?"

The cold voice traveled through the hall and reached Jian Shuo's ears.

Terrified, Jian Shuo nodded with a heart full of fear.

Liu Hong waved his hand to dismiss Jian Shuo, who was standing in the hall.

With Jian Shuo gone, only Liu Hong, sitting on the dragon throne, remained in the main hall.

Liu Hong reached out and rubbed the armrests of the dragon throne, his expression intriguing.

...........

Outside of Nangong.

Yang Ci, who had just been dismissed from his post, walked together with Yuan Wei.

For them, being dismissed from their posts was perfectly normal.

The positions of the three public officials are replaced on average every six months or every few months.

It's not surprising that emperors used such methods to amass wealth.

Moreover, the power held by people like the Yuan and Yang families was never in the form of official positions in the imperial court.

Rather, it is influenced by a powerful and far-reaching political background.

“Lord Yang…” Yuan Wei said with a chuckle as he walked, “It seems that His Majesty has won this game.”

Leaning on a gray cane, Yang Ci walked very slowly.

He looked like an old man in his twilight years.

If he were to change into ordinary clothes and walk down the street, he would be no different from any other old man.

But this old man was the head of the upright officials in the Han Dynasty.

“It seems we all underestimated our Emperor.” Yuan Kui stroked his beard.

As Yang Ci slowly moved his feet, he said, "Your Majesty ascended the throne at the tender age of twenty, rising from humble beginnings to wield the power of the state. How can you compare to ordinary people?"

Yuan Wei nodded slightly upon hearing this.

Before ascending the throne, Liu Hong was merely the Marquis of Jiedu.

Liu Hong inherited the title of Marquis of Jiedu at a young age after his father, Liu Chang, died early.

There are countless Han imperial relatives like Liu Hong.

The reason why Liu Hong was chosen to inherit the throne was not because Liu Hong was particularly close to Emperor Heng by blood.

On the contrary, Liu Hong was able to ascend the throne as emperor because he had no relatives or ministers, making him a truly isolated and powerless ruler.

When Empress Dowager Dou Miao was in power, her influence was immense. She brought Liu Hong from Jizhou because Liu Hong had no background, which made it easier to control him.

Empress Dowager Dou's idea was correct.

The approach was not wrong.

At that time, Liu Hong was only twenty years old, and indeed, Empress Dowager Dou held the reins of power for a period of time.

However, this period of good fortune did not last long. Empress Dowager Dou established the position of female minister and cultivated eunuch confidants, intending to exercise the power of Empress Lü, which was opposed by the aristocratic families.

This led to a coup.

It was during this time that Liu Hong quietly rose to prominence.

Just as Chen Fan gained the upper hand in his struggle against Empress Dowager Dou and placed her under house arrest in Changle Palace, he was preparing to write to Liu Hong requesting the execution of the eunuchs who were causing trouble in the palace.

The officials collectively defected and sided with Liu Hong.

Liu Hong used the power of Cao Jie, Wang Fu, and others to carry out a magnificent coup and seize control of the palace.

That year, Liu Hong was eleven years old.

Perhaps too much time has passed; more than a decade has passed since that year.

Many people have forgotten how the current emperor, Liu Hong, came to power.

Most people only know how licentious and immoral the current emperor is.

At that time, officials like Lu Zhi, Huangfu Song, and Zhu Jun were just children.

But Yang Ci and Yuan Wei, those old foxes who have lived for decades, have not forgotten.

Yuan Wei and Yang Ci walked towards the outside of the palace.

The servants behind them were far away.

In addition, the two spoke very softly, so no one else could hear them.

"His Majesty knew perfectly well that those who impeached Dong Zhuo were our people, yet he not only went along with it but also reduced his death sentence by one degree." Yuan Wei said with narrowed eyes, "This move has only widened the gap between Duan Yu and us."

"Now that Lu Zhi has been defeated, as long as Dong Zhuo returns to Luoyang and His Majesty pardons him, is there any fear that Duan Yu is not loyal enough?"

Yuan Wei sighed and said, "This move may seem like it did nothing, but it yielded the greatest results."

Yang Ci nodded and said, "Although Your Majesty may seem absurd on ordinary days, your imperial wisdom is in no way inferior."

"The fact that we two old men were dismissed from our posts is enough to show how much importance we place on Duan Yu."

"Killing two birds with one stone, killing two birds with one stone!"

...........

Time flies, and several more days have passed.

Anping Kingdom, Nangong County.

Tens of thousands of Yellow Turban soldiers are marching from the direction of Anping Kingdom towards Julu County.

The scorching sun baked the earth.

Under the scorching sun, hundreds of thousands of Yellow Turban soldiers slowly marched across the flat plain.

Nearly three thousand cavalrymen led the way at the very front of the procession.

Further back, beneath rows of yellow banners, a carriage was protected in the middle.

Jia Dong rode a white warhorse, wearing a yellow robe.

Inside the car sat Zhang Jiao and his daughter Zhang Ning.