The Later Three Kingdoms: Slaying Deng Ai, and Reviving the Han Dynasty

In the dead of winter, the wind is cold.

On the desolate fields.

The sound of horses' hooves was crisp and clear.

"Clatter clatter clatter!!!!!" Liu Chen and Liu Zan, brothers, each rode a fine horse in front, followed by dozens of riders.

Suddenly, Liu Zan reined in his horse, threw his bow to the ground, and angrily said, "I'm not hunting anymore."

"Why are you angry, brother?" Liu Chen also reined in his horse and asked with a smile.

"You know perfectly well what I'm asking," Liu Zan said angrily, glaring at Liu Chen.

"Hahaha." Liu Chen laughed heartily, his laughter drowning out the wind, sounding incredibly powerful.

After fuming for a while, Liu Zan finally laughed.

"Ha ha ha ha."

However, Liu Chen's archery skills far surpassed Liu Zan's, and the two drew their bows simultaneously. Liu Zan, unable to outmaneuver his brother, became enraged.

"I'm really not happy. Chen. All your prey is mine now." Liu Zan stopped laughing and said viciously.

"Take it," Liu Chen readily agreed.

"Hmph." Liu Zan snorted and unceremoniously ordered his men to steal all of Liu Chen's prey.

Subsequently, the two brothers went their separate ways.

"Chen. See you tomorrow," Liu Zan said.

"Hmm," Liu Chen hummed in agreement. Tomorrow was New Year's Eve, and the royal family would also have a New Year's Eve dinner. This was the brothers' last hunt of the year.

Moreover, hunting is traditionally done in autumn and winter because prey caught in spring and summer is often lean.

"I will be crowned a king next year. The King of the North." Liu Chen smiled, turned his horse around, and led the imperial guards on a gallop back to Chengdu.

When he arrived at the palace, he saw Qian Yun waiting outside the palace gate. Upon seeing him, Qian Yun quickly stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Young master, a distinguished guest has arrived."

Liu Chen rode his horse into the palace, heading straight for the corridor. After dismounting, he entered a small hall.

"Mother," Liu Chen said, unfastening his cloak and handing it to a palace maid before stepping forward to greet Consort Li.

"Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, and it's freezing cold. Yet you still want to go hunting with your brothers. Don't you know how cold it is?" Consort Li stood up, walked forward, and took her son's hand in her slender, snow-white hand. The mother and son then sat down together in the main seat.

A palace maid came over with a hand warmer, which Consort Li took and handed to her son.

"Mother underestimates me. I'm young and vigorous, how could I be afraid of the cold?" Liu Chen said with a smile, beckoning the eunuch to bring over a small quilt and place it on his and Consort Li's laps.

Looking at Liu Chen's weathered face, Consort Li felt both heartache and pride. "My son is strong and good."

"There are a few things to discuss," Consort Li said after speaking with Liu Chen for a while.

"Please speak, Mother." Liu Chen handed the hand warmer to his mother.

"You and your dissolute fourth brother have been hunting excessively, drawing criticism from both the court and the public. Your father is displeased. Be more restrained next year." Consort Li gritted her teeth as she spoke of her fourth brother, blaming him for corrupting her son. After taking a deep breath, she managed to calm herself and said with a smile, "I've heard rumors that your father plans to enfeoff his sons as kings next year. My son will be a prince."

Consort Li put down her hand warmer, straightened Liu Chen's clothes, and smiled broadly.

Liu Chen's expression remained calm.

It was like a bucket of cold water being poured over her. Consort Li exclaimed in surprise, "Child, why do you seem so unhappy?"

Although our Liu Han dynasty had its own circumstances, and the princes were indeed poor, they lived in large estates outside the capital, surrounded by servants, and enjoyed a life of wealth and splendor.

It's ten times better than living in such a cramped place in the palace.

Why is he unhappy instead?

Liu Chen initially intended to give a perfunctory reply, but then a sudden inspiration struck him, and he sighed, "After I left the palace, I was no longer able to see my mother every day."

Consort Li felt a sudden tingling sensation throughout her body. After a moment, she opened her arms and embraced Liu Chen, crying out, "My son!"

After a long while, Consort Li finally released Liu Chen. Liu Chen smiled and took out a handkerchief to wipe away Consort Li's tears of happiness.

"You're always good at making people happy," Consort Li said reproachfully.

"No, I meant it all," Liu Chen said.

"Hmph." Consort Li snorted. Then, remembering something else, she rolled her eyes at Liu Chen and said, "Look at you, you almost made your mother forget the most important thing."

"Mother, please speak," Liu Chen said solemnly, bowing with clasped hands.

Consort Li smiled again after calming down. Her pretty face flushed, and she said excitedly, "You're about to be crowned a king, how can you not have a queen? Do you have someone you like? As long as she's of marriageable age, your mother will find a way to help you marry her."

Liu Chen said quietly, "What if she's a married woman?"

Consort Li was struck dumb, staring at Liu Chen in disbelief.

The eunuchs and palace maids around him were all dumbfounded, staring at Liu Chen in disbelief at what they were hearing.

"Hahahaha." Liu Chen laughed, patted Consort Li's hand, then stood up and pondered for a moment. He then bowed to Consort Li and said, "Mother. I don't value beauty, but I don't want to marry an ugly woman either. Above-average looks and a dignified demeanor are enough."

Consort Li realized her son was joking and immediately breathed a sigh of relief. She nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, yes. The Queen wants to marry a virtuous and upright woman, and her concubines should be fair-skinned and beautiful. My son is so thoughtful, so thoughtful."

She thought to herself, "This is terrifying. If my son wants a wife, I have no choice but to..." She didn't know what to do. Should she send someone to kill the husband? Or offer a large sum of money to force the couple to divorce? Neither seemed possible. How could a dignified prince do such a thing?

The government and the public should take notice.

Consort Li felt somewhat relieved, but Liu Chen then made a startling statement: "Mother, which family in Shu is the most extravagant? Who can provide such a generous dowry? And who has a beautiful and unmarried daughter? If so, then she will be my queen."

Consort Li and the eunuchs and maids around her were once again dumbfounded.

It's really a wave of unrest, a wave of another.

Young Master Chen really terrified them.

First he said he wanted to marry someone else's wife, then he said...

To sum it up: He married a queen, but who she was didn't matter. What mattered was finding the richest father-in-law!

In addition, there's Liu Chen's style of doing things over the past year.

They're obsessed with money.

"Hoo." Consort Li took a deep breath, her face pale, trembling, and weakly asked, "My son is joking?"

"The king does not speak lightly." Liu Chen looked down at his mother and said firmly.

This matter must be accomplished.

Class does not matter.

As long as he has money and the dowry is generous, he will marry even a poor merchant.

Whether he is virtuous or not is irrelevant. With the financial support of his wife's family, his career can take off.

If you marry a good woman, she will be an unbreakable queen.

If the woman you marry is not virtuous, then after the deed is done, you can simply send her home.

Consort Li looked up at her son, seeing his resolute and imposing demeanor. Suddenly, she felt a headache coming on.

The pain was excruciating. My heart was screaming in agony.

"My child, how could he/she have become like this?!!!!!"

But she gritted her teeth and nodded firmly, saying, "Alright. Since you like gold mines, then I will find you one."

Liu Chen smiled, sat down, took his mother's hand, and said with a beaming smile, "Thank you, Mother."