The video takes us to ancient times; Li Er transforms into the Tongtian Emperor of Shu Han.

"What?"

"Your Majesty, did you confess to Empress Dowager Guo?"

Is this what you call being completely honest with each other?

Zhang Liang secretly slipped into the palace late at night, avoiding the eyes and ears of the Sima family.

Upon meeting Liu Bang, he was suddenly struck by this shocking news.

What do you mean?

Didn't we just say that, to be on the safe side, I would go and test things out for you first, and explore all sides?

How come I haven't even gotten a definite answer yet, and you've already thrown out your trump card?

"Rest assured, I will only do this if I am confident."

Seeing Zhang Liang's worried expression, Liu Bang simply waved his hand.

"The Empress Dowager herself has no power; at most, she can only be considered an appendage of imperial power. The reason why Empress Dowager Guo is so powerful and influential now is purely because the Sima family needed her nominal Empress Dowager's decree when they deposed and installed emperors."

“If I am ultimately unable to escape the fate of abdication, then she will be nothing more than a pawn in the change of dynasties, and will never have the power she has today.”

"What good is a family's glory then?"

"People are selfish, especially someone like Empress Dowager Guo."

Zhang Liang understood the reasoning, but there was still some resentment in his expression.

"Your Majesty shouldn't have acted so rashly. The Empress Dowager is indeed the most likely to stand on our side, but she is also the most in danger!"

Theoretically speaking, the Sima family's deposition and installation of emperors was illegitimate and lacked legitimacy. Even to silence public opinion, the Empress Dowager would have had to issue an imperial edict.

Empress Dowager Guo now fully understands that the emperor is just a puppet, and even if he has any improper thoughts, it would be futile for him to fight against the Sima family.

The best course of action would be for her to be completely honest, pretend she didn't hear anything, and eliminate anyone who might leak the information.

In the worst-case scenario, Sima Zhao would probably be waiting outside the palace with the imperial edict deposing the emperor and his officials before dawn.

As for those who compromise, they don't end up well either.

"Let's be honest with each other and plant a seed in her mind so that she might help us cover things up in the future."

Liu Bang did not think he had done anything wrong.

Now that we're already in this situation, if we don't take some risks and proceed step by step, we might not be able to outpace the two Sima brothers.

After all, aside from this secret meeting late at night, whatever he did was tantamount to being under the Sima family's nose.

Unless Empress Dowager Guo intervenes to cover it up.

Therefore, this ally was someone Liu Bang was determined to win over, and he was willing to take some risks.

"But there is only so much that Empress Dowager Guo can do."

Zhang Liang understood Liu Bang's purpose.

But in his view, the risks outweighed the benefits.

Today he has a general understanding of the various forces in the Great Wei, and the Guo family behind Empress Dowager Guo can be regarded as the number one lackey of the Sima family.

Even if she managed to win over the Empress Dowager, she couldn't expect the Guo family to provide much help. At most, she could only help cover up the Sima family's spies in the palace.

"I have my own plans; leave the affairs of the palace to me."

"Zifang, you don't need to say much about the Empress Dowager's affairs. Tell me about your gains today."

Faced with the doubts, Liu Bang was unwilling to offer any further explanation.

Seeing his confidence, Zhang Liang had no choice but to believe him for the time being.

"I managed to meet someone today."

"Who?"

"Chen Tai, who advised Cao Shuang to surrender when Sima Yi swore an oath by pointing to the Luo River."

"?"

Chen Tai?

Liu Bang thought about it.

I don't recall seeing it in any of the reviews, or rather, it didn't have any particularly outstanding performance.

"After the Chen family of Yingchuan, Chen Qun's son made great military achievements. More importantly, his attitude did not seem to favor the Sima family."

Liu Bang still didn't have much of an impression of the Chen family, but he did know something about Yingchuan.

Putting aside other factors, there were at least many scholars and intellectuals.

Where there are many such people, the power of powerful clans and aristocratic families will certainly not be weak.

"How powerful is the Chen family of Yingchuan?"

Liu Bang thought for a moment and asked.

"The Nine-Rank System for Selecting Talents was created by his father."

"?"

What is the Nine-Rank System?

Liu Bang was completely bewildered.

He remembered that he had initially used the recommendation and examination system.

What followed was the imperial examination system.

In the meantime, not long after the fall of the Han Dynasty, this system for selecting officials was created.

It was a system proposed by aristocratic families.

In an instant, he guessed the trickery behind this system.

Most of them wanted to usurp the Han throne, but their own abilities were insufficient to suppress all the powerful families, so this compromise was the result.

"Your Majesty should have guessed it. The Nine-Rank System has completely blocked the way out for the lower-class poor families. The common people will never have a chance to turn their lives around, while the gentry will never fall into the lower ranks."

"This is the compromise that the former Emperor Wei made with the powerful clans in order to gain their strong support."

"absurd!"

"Bastard!"

Liu Bang, inside the canopy, and Cao Cao, outside the canopy, simultaneously launched into a tirade of curses.

The difference is that Liu Bang, inside the canopy, only cursed.

Meanwhile, outside the canopy, Cao Cao's deep gaze was already fixed on Cao Pi.

“I have seen your talent. With your insight, you should be able to see the purpose of those Confucian scholars in proposing the Nine-Rank System, as well as the drawbacks of this system.”

"Tell me why."

Faced with Cao Cao's questioning, Cao Pi was already sweating profusely.

What the hell could he possibly know the reason for?

He's still a long way from that point!

"Your son, your son..."

Cao Pi was about to use the excuse that he knew nothing to make an excuse.

But when he looked up, he met Cao Cao's cold eyes.

"Don't try to fool me with 'I don't know.' Today I'll test you. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this Nine-Rank System?"

"If you cannot answer, then I will have to reconsider the choice of successor."

As soon as he finished speaking, Cao Pi's heart skipped a beat.

He knew that every word he uttered from that moment on would determine his fate!

"The Nine-Rank System, on the surface, is conducive to stabilizing the court in a short period of time."

"In the long run, the influence of the aristocratic families will expand further, and it is not impossible that the power of the aristocratic families will surpass that of the imperial power."

"Not impossible?"

Cao Cao gave a disgruntled snort.

"You're mistaken, aren't you? This outcome was inevitable."

"If the Nine-Rank System is implemented like this, do you see? By the time it was passed down to Cao Fang in the third generation, the aristocratic families had already surpassed the imperial power."

"Although Cao Rui died young, even without Sima Yi and the Sima clan, there would have been other aristocratic families."

“When their power reaches a certain level, they will naturally develop ambition.”

"At that time, even if it is not the generation of Cao Fang and Cao Mao, within five generations, the emperor will become a puppet and plaything of the aristocratic families."

"Or do you think that after you delegate these powers to the powerful families and compromise with them, you still expect your descendants to be able to take back what you've already done?"