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

morning.

Chengdu.

The weather is gradually becoming hot and humid.

Inside the palace, the Imperial Guards, clad in armor and wielding weapons, stood guard meticulously, enduring great hardship.

This palace was built when Liu Bei declared himself emperor. It is neither spacious nor grand. It has only four gates: east, south, west, and north.

It cannot be compared with the imperial palaces of Chang'an and Luoyang during the Former Han Dynasty.

On the road leading to the South Palace Gate.

Liu Chen sat in the carriage, flanked by imposing and robust imperial guards, and accompanied by four eunuchs.

Mi Zhao has already sent someone to handle the recipe matter. Making money is just a means, not his goal. Since someone else is taking care of it, he won't interfere anymore.

Just wait to collect the money.

This time, he was going out to see what was going on with his mother, Consort Li's, five hundred acres of fertile land outside the city.

I took the opportunity to go out for a walk and get some fresh air.

Although the palace is a prison, it's not impossible to leave. As long as there's a suitable reason.

His reason for this trip was to visit his fourth brother, Liu Zan, the Prince of Xinping, outside the city.

Halfway there, Liu Chen saw a carriage being escorted by imperial guards approaching. Seated in the carriage was a middle-aged or elderly man dressed simply and wearing a scholar's cap.

The man had a dignified appearance and an impressive demeanor.

"It's him." Liu Chen's heart skipped a beat, and he took a deep look at the other person.

The two groups stopped and, after verifying each other's identities, the middle-aged man alighted from the carriage, stood beside it, and bowed to Liu Chen.

Liu Chen did not get out of the carriage, but simply ordered, "Go."

"Young master, you should get out of the carriage and return the courtesy," a eunuch couldn't help but remind him.

Liu Chen said, "Noisy."

"Yes." The leader of the Imperial Guards bowed in response, gestured to the coachman, and the group continued forward.

The middle-aged man remained respectful until Liu Chen's entourage had gone far away, at which point he straightened up and sat back in the carriage. Only then did a glint of light flash in his eyes. "Young Master Chen."

The two met occasionally but weren't very close.

This was the first time they had met on the street. Liu Chen didn't leave a good impression on him; he was an arrogant and domineering young master.

But isn't that normal? What prince is ever humble and kind?

The middle-aged man smiled and ordered them to set off.

"Chen Zhi," Liu Chen thought to himself with a cold laugh, his face showing disgust.

The downfall of the Liu Han dynasty was largely due to the efforts of the "dog father" (a figure in Chinese mythology). The Liu Han dynasty had four prime ministers: Zhuge Liang, Jiang Wan, Fei Yi, and Dong Yun.

Although the latter three combined cannot compare to Zhuge Liang, their existence certainly played a crucial role.

When they were alive, the court was just.

There is a saying, "There are upright voices in the court." This means that there are honest ministers in the court who dare to speak the truth.

Offer your suggestions boldly.

After Dong Yun's death, Liu Shan favored Chen Zhi. Chen Zhi and Huang Hao, another of Liu Shan's favorite ministers, colluded to control the court, suppressing loyal officials and promoting treacherous ones.

Some things are irreversible.

Once official corruption is rampant, it is very difficult to reverse it.

The court was rife with corrupt officials, and the root of the problem had spread to the local level. This rampant corruption led to hardship for the people, who were constantly fleeing.

Or they might flee to the mountains and become unregistered residents.

Or they might flee to a powerful clan and become a member of that clan's elite.

When the Liu Han dynasty fell, its registered population was only 800,000. The imperial court used these 800,000 people to support such a large army in order to contend with Cao Wei.

How can people's hearts not be scattered?

Unfortunately, Chen Zhi was about to die. Even though Chen Zhi was incompetent, he still had some ability. After Chen Zhi's death, Huang Hao seized power. Liu Han was like a carriage hurtling towards a cliff, beyond saving.

"Money can move even the gods." Liu Chen took a deep breath, his face somber, feeling the heavy burden on his shoulders.

Liu Chen's entourage quickly left the palace, but instead of immediately visiting Liu Zan, he ordered his troops to a mansion.

The mansion occupies a moderate size, and its gate is neither grand nor ordinary.

A plaque was hanging there.

Li Residence.

It was the residence of Li Qiu, Liu Chen's maternal uncle.

Li Qiu currently serves in the Imperial Guard, which is part of the Imperial Household Department. He works in the palace.

Upon hearing this, Li Ding, Liu Chen's eldest cousin and the eldest son of Li Qiu, led his brothers to come out and greet them.

Li Ding is twenty years old this year. He is handsome, strong, and has a heroic air about him. He is not good at studying, but he is skilled at riding horses and archery.

"Young Master." Li Ding and his brothers bowed in greeting.

Liu Chen alighted from the carriage and returned the greeting to Li Ding, saying, "Brother, and all my brothers."

Being from the same maternal clan, their intimacy was naturally evident. Liu Chen and his cousins ​​entered the residence, chatting and laughing. Then, Liu Chen dismissed the others and went to the study with Li Ding to sit down.

"Brother, I said I was going out to visit my brother, Prince Xinping. But actually, I wanted to see the five hundred acres of land that Mother left me. The Imperial Guards and eunuchs who came with me are too conspicuous. Please prepare some servants' clothes for them to change into," Liu Chen said.

"Okay." Li Ding was a little surprised, but readily agreed.

Immediately, Liu Chen persuaded the imperial guards responsible for escorting him to change into servant's clothes. He then boarded an ordinary carriage belonging to the Li family and left for the city gate.

"It's really lively. This is what they mean by 'raising sleeves to form clouds' and sweating like rain.'" As they ventured deeper into Chengdu, Liu Chen, sitting in his carriage, showed a look of admiration.

As the capital of a country, Chengdu exerted a siphon effect on the surrounding areas. Its permanent population was extremely large, with likely over 100,000 residing within the city itself.

The business scene was extremely prosperous. Among them, the trade in Shu brocade and silk was of paramount importance.

Every household had a loom and skillful women who produced Shu brocade or silk.

Secondly, there were treasures from the south, such as rhinoceros horns, pearls, and jade.

Looking at the endless stream of people and listening to the sounds of looms coming from the houses lining the road, Liu Chen's resolve grew stronger.

"This is the land my ancestors left me; how can I just hand it over to someone else?"

"If we can't do it, then let's fight to the death. It's just like that saying, 'Even now, I think of Xiang Yu, who refused to cross the Yangtze River.'"

Chengdu was so bustling that entering and leaving the city was extremely slow. It took Liu Chen a long time to finally leave Chengdu.

What I saw and heard along the way was prosperity and splendor.

It made him feel very satisfied.

Chengdu was the capital of a country, so its roads were naturally impeccably constructed—wide and smooth. Outside the city walls, the roads were filled with the carriages of merchants, travelers, and officials, as well as nobles traveling on horseback.

Liu Chen's entourage arrived near the 500 mu of land that Consort Li had given him.

He felt the situation there wasn't good, so to avoid alerting the enemy, he sent someone to scout out the situation first.

He and most of the others temporarily stayed at a tavern by the roadside.

Most people stayed outside, while he, along with a eunuch and two imperial guards disguised as servants, entered the tavern, sat down, and ordered tea and mutton to fill their stomachs.

Before he could even settle into his seat, the conversation of the three people next to him caught his attention.

"Jiang Wei is merely a military general, not a pillar of the court. Now, the internal enemies of the Han Dynasty are ten times stronger than the external enemies. Yet he only knows how to lead troops to the north. The Han Dynasty will surely perish in his hands," a well-dressed, white-haired old man said indignantly in public.