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

"Oh? Sima Zhao went to see Wang Xiang?"

In the royal palace late at night.

Upon hearing the message delivered by Chen Tai, Liu Bang couldn't help but smile.

To be fair, Sima Shi's younger brother was a bit more naive than him.

In this situation, it's still hoped that negotiation or other benefits can sway Wang Xiang.

Little did they know, their goal was to be granted land and made king, so that they and their descendants could have their own fiefdoms.

Faced with the prospect of fiefdoms, the benefits Sima Zhao could offer seemed so insignificant and powerless.

Even if the king and the horse share the world, how can it be more tempting than being able to control a fiefdom with a flick of the wrist?

The former can only nominally be on par with the royal family, while the latter can not only control the country's finances and political power, but also truly possess their own army!

To put it in the worst-case scenario, if chaos reigns again, one could either advance and compete with other heroes for supremacy, or retreat and find peace in a corner of the land.

To attempt any negotiation in the face of such temptation would be naive!

"So what was the result? A crushing defeat? Or a smile?"

Chen Tai thought about it carefully.

"It seems that what the people below said was that Sima Zhao returned to the mansion with a smile on his face, but as for what happened after he got back, no one knows."

"That's probably because that old fox Wang Xiang doesn't want to reveal his true intentions yet. He's probably afraid that Sima Shi might suddenly have a meltdown."

Liu Bang smiled.

Although once this plan begins, even if Wang Xiang dies, someone else will be able to take over.

But if one could live, who would willingly give up their life?

If given a choice, Wang Xiang would certainly have preferred to be the first member of the Wang family to receive the honor of being granted the title of king.

"So Your Majesty, you believe that the Sima family will definitely compromise?"

"Then why is His Majesty so happy?"

The smile on Liu Bang's face was something Chen Tai found hard to understand.

Why is His Majesty still able to laugh at this time?

Even if everything goes according to Wang Xiang's plan, and the Sima family eventually compromises, His Majesty will still have to abdicate!

Why are you unhappy?

"Xuanbo, are you worried about me, or about the title of King of Han that I promised you?"

Faced with such a potentially disastrous question, Chen Tai answered without hesitation.

"If it's just for the title of king, then in Wang Xiang's plan, my Yingchuan Chen family can also get a share of the pie. Although it may not be a prestigious title like the King of Han, it won't be too bad."

"Your Majesty need not doubt my loyalty to the Great Wei. Even without the matter of bestowing a title upon me, as long as Your Majesty intends to restore order to the court, I will certainly do my utmost to assist you!"

He admitted that treacherous officials held power in the court.

But if it is said that no one in the court is loyal to the Great Wei, then Chen Tai will be the first to jump out and oppose it.

Although he was willing but powerless in the past, at least his heart was with the Cao Wei royal family!

"Xuanbo truly deserves to be called my Han Xin. I am confident in your loyalty."

"However, you need not worry about me. The Sima family's abdication will not go smoothly."

“If you retreat one step, you will have to retreat every step. The ambitions of the aristocratic clans have never ended.”

Liu Bang was quite confident in his ability to control the hearts and minds of these people.

"Ah? But if the Sima family is willing to compromise, and the aristocratic families do not support Sima Zhao's ascension to the throne, how will this matter end?"

Chen Tai looked bewildered.

He felt he was not quite understanding what His Majesty was saying.

Shouldn't the process have been that the Sima family compromised, granting land and titles to the top aristocratic families, and then the gentry supported Sima Zhao in accepting the abdication and ascending the throne as emperor?

Could there be other variables?

Seeing his confused expression, Liu Bang couldn't help but laugh.

"The variable naturally lies with Wang Xiang. He is a genius at manipulating power, and geniuses are often the most greedy."

"Do you think it's better for him to have an emperor who always goes along with him, or someone like Sima Zhao who is always thinking about how to suppress and exploit their interests?"

"Moreover, the Sima family might compromise, but Sima Shi would certainly not be so decisive as to hand over all his cards."

"The more they struggle and the more unwilling they are, the more Wang Xiang and the aristocratic families behind him will feel my goodness."

Wang Xiang did not confront Sima Zhao today.

This means that, at least until the Sima family takes the initiative to bring up the matter of ascending the throne, both sides will maintain a final restraint and dignity.

"If I am not mistaken, when the Sima family truly makes up their minds, it will be Sima Shi who will confront Wang Xiang."

Compared to his brother, Sima Zhao was ultimately inferior.

Seeing Liu Bang's confident expression, Chen Tai's face was filled with surprise.

It seems that these past few days, whenever he went to the palace to see His Majesty, he always looked so confident and in control.

The Cao family's power was clearly waning, and the Sima family held considerable power, ready to usurp the throne at any moment.

But why did he always have this feeling in his heart?

It feels like everything is under His Majesty's control.

……

"Chen Tai's feeling was right. The Sima family does control the current situation in the court, but the whole situation has been firmly in the hands of Emperor Gaozu."

You have to admit it.

Mr. Cao is now completely convinced.

He was the first to question Emperor Gaozu's attempt to win over Gao Rou.

But now, he is also the first to express his admiration.

"Although I still don't understand how he did it, it seems that from the moment he recruited Gao Rou, the initiative was firmly in Gaozu's hands."

Yang Jian also expressed his amazement.

He could understand everything Liu Bang did and could see the motives behind it.

But he couldn't understand why Liu Bang was so confident, even knowing everyone's attitude and what they would do.

From Gao Rou to Wang Xiang, and now to the extremely rare alliance among the major aristocratic clans.

If any one link in the chain goes wrong, the whole thing will be lost!

Zhang Liang insisted on leaving Liu Bang a way out precisely because he was worried that something might go wrong in one of the links.

“Just from other people’s descriptions and their past deeds, one can clearly guess their character.”

"Perhaps this is a unique talent that belonged only to our ancestor."

Although Li Er felt that if he were the one taking the challenge, he should be able to complete it as well.

However, Liu Bang's situation was far more disadvantageous than that of later emperors.

"Although Emperor Gaozu showed great reluctance when Zhang Liang went to Huainan, I always felt that he also hoped that Zhang Liang would go to Guanqiu Jian."

Old Zhu's expression was somewhat strange.

From the moment he entered the challenge, Liu Bang did not make a single useless move.

He won over the Empress Dowager in exchange for greater freedom of movement within the palace.

The subsequent events surrounding Gao Rou became even more interconnected.

Unfortunately, Chen Tai from the Yingchuan Chen clan was caught in the middle.

If this move wasn't intended to allow Chen Tai to replace Zhang Liang in the capital, then it would have been completely meaningless!

"...Old Zhu, sometimes it's better to see through things than to say them out loud."