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

Although Empress Dowager Dong said that everyone should speak freely.

But it's clear that no one in this hall is foolish enough to speak freely.

The change of the throne is a period of reshuffling of power.

If one is not careful and chooses the wrong side, they may be squeezed out of the core of power.

Moreover, Empress Dowager Dong has already made it very clear that the emperor intends to appoint one of the princes as the crown prince.

As for who it is...

Who among those standing in this grand hall could not guess who it is?

If it were the eldest son of the emperor, then the people sitting behind the beaded curtain at this moment would be Empress He and 'Marquis Shi'.

Instead of Empress Dowager Dong and 'Marquis Dong' Liu Xie.

Rumors circulated that Empress He and the eldest prince Liu Bian were under house arrest at the time, one in Changqiu Palace and the other in Wende Hall.

As for General He Jin, he did not enter the palace today.

At present, it seems that Empress Dowager Dong has taken control of the entire situation.

"Grand Tutor..."

The hall was completely silent. As the officials looked at each other, Empress Dowager Dong, who was kneeling behind the beaded curtain and dressed in a long black dress, turned her gaze to Yuan Wei.

Yuan Wei bowed and stepped forward.

"What is the Grand Tutor's opinion on this?" Empress Dowager Dong asked.

Those eyes peered through the beaded curtain.

"Empress Dowager..." Yuan Wei raised his tablet and said, "This old minister believes that since Your Majesty has already indicated your intention, we should of course comply with Your Majesty's decree. Although Your Majesty is still seriously ill, it is not impossible for you to recover."

"Your Majesty is blessed with boundless fortune; there will surely be a day of recovery."

“The matter of establishing a crown prince is for the sake of ensuring the long-term stability of the country. Therefore, this old minister believes that Your Majesty’s wishes should be taken into consideration, which is also in line with the will of Heaven.”

"Good." Empress Dowager Dong, kneeling behind the beaded curtain, nodded in satisfaction.

Yuan Wei's words were so impeccable that they pleased Empress Dowager Dong greatly.

"Since the Grand Tutor has said so, then I will say no more." Empress Dowager Dong, behind the beaded curtain, slowly stood up, holding Liu Hong's hand.

When Empress Dowager Dong stood up, all the officials in the hall knelt on the ground.

At the entrance of the main hall, Jian Shuo, who had been keeping a watchful eye on the hilt of his sword, also turned his gaze into the shop, his expression relaxed.

Making Liu Xie the crown prince was indeed Liu Hong's previous wish.

There is no doubt about this.

Last year, Liu Hong intended to make Liu Xie the crown prince.

However, at that time, the Yellow Turban Rebellion was raging, and the need for a general like He Jin and the power of the maternal relatives was needed to balance the power of the aristocratic families.

Therefore, under such circumstances, establishing Liu Xie, the Marquis of Dong, as the crown prince would not be conducive to stabilizing the court.

It was precisely for this reason that Liu Hong did not choose his eldest son, Liu Bian, when court officials advised him to establish a crown prince.

"His Majesty is seriously ill now, but he has long intended to make his second son, Liu Xie, the crown prince."

Empress Dowager Dong, dressed in a long black dress, pulled Liu Xie out from behind the beaded curtain.

Wearing a brocade robe, four-year-old Liu Xie looked at the assembled officials in the palace with his big, curious eyes.

"Now that His Majesty is seriously ill and unable to handle state affairs, I, as his mother, am more anxious than anyone else, but the country cannot be without a ruler for a single day."

"Following Your Majesty's wishes, I inquired with the ministers about the matter of establishing a crown prince. Since the ministers have no objections, I will follow Your Majesty's wishes and establish Marquis Dong, Liu Xie, as the crown prince."

"During His Majesty's serious illness, the Crown Prince will oversee the state affairs, assisted by the Grand Tutor, the Three Dukes, and the Nine Ministers."

"Until His Majesty recovers."

"Do any of you have any objections?"

The kneeling officials kowtowed and shouted at the same time.

"We will obey His Majesty's will and the Empress Dowager's decree."

"We will obey His Majesty's will and the Empress Dowager's decree."

"We will obey His Majesty's will and the Empress Dowager's decree."

After the courtiers cheered, Empress Dowager Dong nodded in satisfaction, then took Liu Xie's hand and guided him step by step to sit on the throne that symbolized the supreme imperial authority.

Four-year-old Liu Xie sat on the throne, his eyes darting left and right.

"Alright, now that the Crown Prince has been chosen, all of you may return to your respective duties."

"Grand Tutor, Minister of Works, Grand Commandant, Minister of Agriculture, please stay. I have something to discuss with you."

At this moment, Empress Dowager Dong had already taken her seat next to the dragon throne that Liu Xie had made.

After all the officials had left, only Yuan Wei and a few others remained in the main hall.

Several people stood up.

He stood bowing at the bottom of the steps.

"Grand Tutor Yuan, Minister Cui..."

“You are all the pillars of the Han Dynasty, His Majesty’s right-hand men, and virtuous and capable advisors to the country.”

Empress Dowager Dong said slowly, "I am but a woman and have never participated in court affairs. The reason I am doing this today is because I am forced to do so."

Yuan Wei nodded in agreement.

"Grand Tutor Yuan..."

"I heard that the General has fallen ill today, but when I sent people to his residence, I did not find him. It is said that he has left the city and is in the military camp outside the city."

"Does Grand Tutor Yuan think that the Grand General has some dissatisfaction with the Crown Prince and I?"

"Also, what is the whereabouts of Dong Zhuo, the Commandant of the Capital Region who presented the jade pill to His Majesty?"

"His Majesty is seriously ill, and the court is unstable. What does the Grand Tutor think is the best way to stabilize the situation?"

Empress Dowager Dong posed several questions in one go.

His Highness and his companions exchanged bewildered glances.

Why did He Jin not enter the palace?

It should be said that this is reasonable.

At this point, if any of them were He Jin, they probably wouldn't dare to enter the palace.

If they don't enter the palace, they might still have a glimmer of hope. But if they do enter the palace, they might end up under house arrest.

The palace guards are now all under the control of Empress Dowager Dong.

As long as Empress Dowager Dong issues an order, Jian Shuo will surely take down He Jin.

Therefore, He Jincai claimed to be ill and did not enter the palace.

Of course, you can't say it like that. If you say it like that directly, then you've already torn off all pretense of civility and there's no room for negotiation.

"Your Majesty, in my opinion, the most important thing right now is to stabilize Luoyang."

Yuan Wei held up his official tablet and said, "Now that Luoyang is undefended, we must be vigilant against treacherous officials taking advantage of the situation."

"Now Luoyang is weak in military strength. Although there are soldiers at the eight passes of Luoyang, they are not enough to protect Luoyang."

"The court officials believe that if two armies can be mobilized to enter Luoyang and protect it, then there will be no worries."

Empress Dowager Dong nodded slightly: "Does Grand Tutor Yuan have a suitable candidate?"

Having anticipated this, Yuan Wei nodded directly and said, "This old minister recommends Huangfu Song, the Left General of the Central Army who led the campaign against the Yellow Turban rebels last year, and Zhu Jun, the Right General of the Central Army."

"Both men are skilled in battle and loyal to His Majesty and the court, and the troops they lead are battle-hardened soldiers."

"Furthermore, the Empress Dowager could issue an imperial edict ordering Ding Yuan, the governor of Bingzhou, to lead troops into Hangu Pass and block it..."

At this point, Yuan Wei paused in his speech.

Then he looked up at Empress Dowager Dong and said, "Empress Dowager, although it is still unknown whether Dong Zhuo's offering of the jade pills is related to Duan Yu, the governor of Liangzhou."

"But Dong Zhuo is Duan Yu's father-in-law. If Duan Yu was really involved in this matter, I'm afraid Liangzhou will be thrown into turmoil."

"The Liangzhou army is strong and powerful, and Duan Yu is known as a tiger general of the world."

"Moreover, as far as this old minister knows, Duan Yu has a close relationship with General He Jin. If Duan Yu really does change his ways, we should take precautions in advance."

"A strong army is needed to block Hangu Pass. As long as Hangu Pass is blocked, even if Duan Yu has thousands of troops, he will have difficulty crossing it."

As soon as Yuan Wei finished speaking, Situ Cui Lie, who was standing to the side, also stood up to support Yuan Wei.

"Your Majesty, I believe the Grand Tutor is right," Cui Lie said, holding up his imperial tablet. "The Governor of Liangzhou, Duan Yu, is a tyrannical and bloodthirsty man. If he truly harbors any disloyal intentions, he will be a great threat to the court. We must be on guard!"

"I believe that we must block Hangu Pass and absolutely not allow Duan Yu to enter Hangu Pass."

Ma Ridi and Zhang Wen's gazes fell on Cui Lie.

His eyes looked thoughtful.

Cui Lie was so eager to stand by Yuan Kui's side and support him because when Duan Yu faked his death, Cui Lie had submitted a memorial impeaching Duan Yu.

Later, Duan Yu used bloody methods to purge the Liangzhou gentry, and Cui Lie became afraid.

If Duan Yu were to enter Luoyang, Cui Lie would likely be the first to be eliminated by him.

He Jin has not dared to attend court now, and it's actually quite easy to guess what he's up to.

Yuan Wei wanted to lure Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun into Luoyang to intimidate the situation.

He Jin also longed for it.

However, He Jin didn't have many capable people, and Duan Yu was probably the best choice.

Therefore, He Jin will most likely summon Duan Yu to Luoyang.

In the struggle for the throne, each side displayed their unique methods.

If Duan Yu leads his troops into Luoyang, He Jin will have an extra bargaining chip.

Preventing Duan Yu from entering Luoyang is tantamount to extinguishing He Jin's last hope.

Liu Xie was made crown prince. Once Liu Hong passed away and the new emperor ascended the throne, everything would be settled.

This is Yuan Wei's plan.

In order to prevent power from falling into the hands of her relatives, Empress Dowager Dong, in cooperation with Yuan Wei, would inevitably agree to Yuan Wei's suggestion.

In the main hall, besides Yuan Wei and Cui Lie, there was another person who was willing to see this outcome.

That is Jian Shuo, who was in charge of the imperial palace guards.

"Your Majesty, I also believe that the most important thing is to guard against Duan Yu's rebellion," Jian Shuo advised Empress Dowager Dong.

"Very well." Empress Dowager Dong, dressed in a long black dress, nodded slightly: "Since all the ministers have said so, then let's do it this way."

"I will issue an imperial decree immediately, as the Grand Tutor has suggested, to summon Left General of the Household Huangfu Song, Right General of the Household Zhu Jun, and Ding Yuan, the Governor of Bingzhou, to the capital."