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

"I hope I'm overthinking it. At least for now, he hasn't shown anything too extraordinary."

Sima Shi nodded, indicating his agreement with Sima Zhao's statement.

Of those in power within the Cao family, some died, some were imprisoned, and the rest either became dependent on the Sima family or had to live in hiding.

It can be said that the Cao family no longer has any chance to regain control of the country.

For those aristocratic families, the young emperor was nothing more than a figurehead.

Even if they really fell out with the Sima family, supporting another powerful aristocratic clan would be far more worthwhile for them than assisting the young emperor.

"It's this kid's attitude of selling off his grandfather's land that really makes my teeth ache!"

"He probably hasn't said that to too many people, has he?"

Sima Zhao clicked his tongue hard.

"According to the reports from our palace informants, no, Gao Rou should be the first one."

"But why did Gao Rou suddenly enter the palace today? The day before yesterday, he told me that he wanted to go to the palace to pay his respects to His Majesty, but he did not explain the reason. Send someone to investigate."

Sima Shi suddenly remembered this matter.

Gao Rou is the kind of person who only visits temples when she has a reason.

He would never suddenly decide to go to the palace to see the young emperor for no reason; there must be other reasons behind it.

Once we can uncover the reasons behind this, we should be close to the truth!

"We'll send someone to investigate this immediately!"

"The things we need to do next have basically been decided, so you don't need to worry, brother. I will handle everything. What you need to do now is to take good care of yourself."

Sima Zhao laughed.

He didn't seem to care much about it.

In his view, there are many possibilities for Gao Rou's sudden desire to meet the emperor.

It might not be some conspiracy by others, but it's possible that the Gao family itself was already unwilling to be firmly suppressed by the Sima family, and he wanted to lead the Gao family to a higher level!

Even Sima Zhao suspected whether the idea of ​​granting fiefdoms and titles to kings was proposed by the young emperor himself or intentionally guided by Gao Rou!

After all, compared to Gao Rou, the young emperor was too young and too easy to fool.

Putting aside the old fox Gao Rou, even Sima Zhao himself could easily guide the young emperor to say whatever he wanted!

"Then I'll leave it to you. My Sima family is now only one step away from the throne. The closer we get to that point, the more vigilant we must be!"

After saying this, Sima Shi leaned back on the bed with the help of his servants and slowly closed his eyes.

His eye condition is truly his greatest weakness.

Fortunately, he had his younger brother Sima Zhao, who, although not as capable, was still able to handle most problems.

……

Late at night, inside the palace.

"Your Majesty, Gao Rou has already found Wang Xiang. In addition, the Xun and Chen families of Yingchuan, among other top aristocratic families, are also on his list of invitees."

"If nothing unexpected happens, he will make this a public spectacle, so that all the gentry will know that you are going to grant land and titles to meritorious officials."

“At that time, the most influential gentry should all step forward.”

"As for those who don't get enough, it depends on whether Gao Rou is willing to offer them a generous reward. As long as it's more than what the Sima family offers, they shouldn't stand idly by."

The plan has progressed to this point, and in theory it should be considered a success.

They had at least succeeded more than halfway; all they needed to do was wait for the various aristocratic families to join forces and force the Sima family to compromise.

Once you compromise, you can compromise countless times in the future.

But Liu Bang's expression was even more solemn than it had been a few days before.

"Zifang, do you really think Sima Shi would compromise so easily?"

"This is just like the agreement made by King Huai in the past, that whoever enters Guanzhong first shall be king. I am indeed one step ahead of Xiang Yu, but will he just stand by and watch me sit firmly on the throne of King of Guanzhong?"

Did the aristocratic clans join forces to force the Sima family to compromise?

Back then, none of the various warlords could force Xiang Yu to compromise, and when Liu Bang was driven out of Guanzhong in disgrace, not a single person dared to stand up for him or say even a single word.

From that moment on, he knew clearly that relying on numbers and verbal attacks would not truly achieve anything.

"Your Majesty's concerns are not without merit, but the situation is different now than it was before."

"Who gets the title of King of Guanzhong has nothing to do with the feudal lords of the past. They have no vested interests in it, so naturally they won't step forward rashly."

"But now, this matter of granting land and bestowing titles of kings gives all the gentry the hope of lasting for thousands of years and leaving their names in history. Since their interests are directly related, they will be more united."

"And if Xiang Ji had been willing back then, he could have easily swept away all the feudal lords, including King Huai."

“If it were Sima Shi, he wouldn’t have done that. He could make an example of someone, but he could only kill the chicken, not all the monkeys.”

Zhang Liang's analysis, word by word.

The two situations are similar, yet somewhat different.

"So in the end, Gao Rou will still die. Today, I've made a move that has backfired spectacularly!"

Seeing the look in Sima Shi's eyes as he left, Liu Bang knew that Gao Rou was most likely not going to survive.

The Sima brothers were more troublesome than previously anticipated.

"Your Majesty, since the Sima family was able to successfully usurp the throne, it at least shows that there are talented people in their family."

Although Liang has never met Sima Shi, he has learned a thing or two from what others have said.

"This person is ruthless and meticulous, making him a very difficult opponent."

"Your Majesty must not underestimate this opponent, and for a long time to come, you must not make any obvious moves. He will definitely send people to monitor everything that happens in the palace!"

Clever people are not difficult to deal with, nor are ruthless people, and the same goes for those who wield great power and can overturn the table at any time.

However, when all three conditions are combined in the same person, one must be extremely careful.

"I know what is important and what is not."

"After all, I saw Sima Shi in person today."

"Zifang, it seems that you and I will have to face this challenge for quite some time."

Liu Bang said with a wry smile.

Although he had anticipated before embarking on this challenge that it would not be so simple.

But after meeting Sima Shi, he truly felt the pressure.

If he was like this, he had no idea how desperate the original owner of Cao Mao must have been.

"It doesn't matter if it takes a little longer, as long as we can consistently succeed in the challenge, time is not an issue."

"Your Majesty, the problem we face now is that Gao Rou's connection is definitely going to be severed. So, who should we start with next?"

Zhang Liang didn't pay much attention to time.

He was more concerned with the challenge itself.

"Next..."

"Who was the first person Gao Rou saw after leaving the palace today?"

Liu Bang thought for a moment and asked.

"Wang Xiang, Grand Master of Ceremonies; Zheng Chong, Minister of Works!"

Gao Rou invited many people to her residence, but to be precise, the first two people to be notified were these two!