Chapter 10

The next day, in the Southern Palace, there were still only three people: Liu Yao, Liu Hong, and Zhang Rang.

"Son, what brings you to see your father today? Do you have more fine wine to offer me?" Liu Hong's face was filled with greed. Over the years, Liu Yao had often brought him fine wine, and Liu Hong assumed this time would be no different.

"Your Majesty, these past years I have studied literature under Master Cai Yong and martial arts under Master Wang. I believe I am now well-versed and skilled. I hope to contribute to our great Han. I have heard that Youzhou is often invaded by foreign tribes, so I hope Your Majesty will allow me to serve as an official there to defend against the invaders and uphold the dignity of our Han." Liu Yao said with passion and determination.

Upon hearing Liu Yao's words, Liu Hong's eyes suddenly sparkled. "Zhang Rang, you may leave. I wish to have a private conversation with my son."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

When only Liu Yao and Liu Hong were left in the Southern Palace, Liu Hong's lazy and greedy demeanor changed to a serious one. "Son, follow me." He walked into the hall without looking back.

Liu Yao, though puzzled, followed. He felt that today's Liu Hong was different, but he couldn't pinpoint how.

Liu Hong walked straight to his sleeping quarters and, to Liu Yao's astonishment, pressed a mechanism by the bed. "Clang..." A loud noise echoed, and a dark secret passage appeared before them.

"Come in." Liu Hong led the way, and Liu Yao, surprised, followed. Everything that had happened today was beyond Liu Yao's expectations.

The secret passage was dark and long. After about half a cup of tea's time, they reached the end. Liu Hong skillfully lit all the candles, and the entire secret chamber was revealed to Liu Yao.

The chamber was simply decorated, almost bare, except for a stand in the center holding a sword.

Liu Hong stepped forward, picked up the sword, and gently caressed it. "Son, do you know what sword this is?" At this moment, Liu Hong no longer appeared weak and ignorant; he was a true emperor.

"Is this... the sword of the High Ancestor..." Liu Yao said cautiously.

"Indeed, this is the Red Dawn Sword, the sword that the High Ancestor used to slay the serpent. Now, this sword belongs to you." Liu Hong handed the sword to Liu Yao.

"This..." Liu Yao carefully took the Red Dawn Sword. "Father, what does this mean?" Liu Yao was completely confused and at a loss.

"Ha ha ha!!" Liu Hong laughed loudly. "The world knows that the Imperial Seal is the symbol of our Han emperors, but few know that the Red Dawn Sword is the true symbol. Possessing the Red Dawn Sword makes one the head of the Liu family, with the authority to act first and report later. So now, you are the head of the Liu family."

"Father, what do you mean by this?" Liu Yao was drenched in sweat, as the situation had completely exceeded his control, and the unknown was the most terrifying.

"Alas." Liu Hong sighed deeply, his face filled with sorrow. "Son, do you know the current state of our Han?"

"Well, our Han is powerful and commands respect in all directions..." Liu Yao was breaking out in cold sweat.

"Ha ha ha, Son, do you think that I, who have not left the palace for years, do not know the outside world?" Liu Hong shook his head helplessly.

He then raised his hands and sighed to the sky. "I have failed the ancestors of Han. Han may fall in my hands." Tears streamed down his eyes.

"Father, you..." Liu Yao was completely at a loss, unsure whether Liu Hong was the ignorant emperor or the perceptive one.

"Son, do you find me very unfamiliar now, no longer like the ignorant emperor you once knew?" Liu Hong asked with a smile, seeing Liu Yao's expression.

"Yes." Liu Yao nodded mechanically.

"Son, although I lack great talent, how could I not know that our Han has declined, with powerful families controlling most of the power? When I first ascended the throne, I wanted to be a wise ruler and bring prosperity to the people, to restore the glory of the High Ancestor and Emperor Guangwu. But I could not do it, I could not do it." Liu Hong's expression became increasingly manic.

"I wanted to weaken the power of the powerful families, but Han's survival cannot do without them. Therefore, I began to favor the eunuchs, hoping to create a force to counterbalance the powerful families. But they only engage in minor conflicts, and I am helpless. So I became the pleasure-seeking person you see today." Liu Hong's face was filled with sorrow.

Liu Yao was completely stunned. He never imagined that the historically money-loving, shameless Emperor Ling of Han was actually a wise ruler who wanted to benefit the people. "Father, I am sorry, I have always misunderstood you."

"Yao, you don't need to say more. Do you know the Taiping Dao?" Liu Hong asked.

"The Taiping Dao, is it Zhang Jue?"

"Indeed, Son, do you know why the Taiping Dao can spread and incite rebellion without anyone discovering them?" Liu Hong smiled mysteriously.

"Father, could it be you?" Liu Yao's eyes widened in shock.

"Indeed, the actions of the Taiping Dao have been tacitly allowed by me. Every time someone reported, I suppressed it, giving them ample room to develop." Liu Hong admitted without hesitation.

"Father, why did you do this?" Liu Yao asked urgently.

"Ha ha ha!! Why?!! I want revenge, I want to take revenge on those powerful families. I have indulged in pleasures for years, and my body is already ruined, with little time left. They have brought Han to this state, so I want to take them down with me. Ha ha ha!!" Liu Hong became completely manic.

"Hisss..." Liu Yao drew a sharp breath. He never imagined that Liu Hong would be so ruthless, willing to fight to the death to take a bite out of the enemy.

Liu Hong then looked at Liu Yao. "However, my plan has changed. I no longer want to fight to the death, all because of you, Son."

"Me?" Liu Yao pointed to himself in confusion.

"Indeed, I have seen all your actions over the years. Whether it's the Fire Cloud Wine, the Fire Cloud Chamber of Commerce, or the 3,000 private soldiers, I know everything." Liu Hong said.

"You, Father, when did you find out?" Liu Yao was stunned.

"When you first asked to leave the palace." Liu Hong said. "You are my son, how could I not be concerned about you? So I sent some people to follow you, and I was amazed by your extraordinary talent."

Liu Yao was moved. No matter who this person was, he was his father, the one who cared for him the most. He called out, "Father!!"

"Son, you must have a plan today. Can you share it with me?"

"Yes, Father. I have decided to first secure a territory, gather strength, and when the chaos comes, reunify Han and eliminate the powerful families." Liu Yao said briefly.

"Good! Good! Good! To have a son like you is a blessing. Son, do as you wish. Although I am limited in other aspects, I will support you from behind. The future of Han depends on you, Son." Liu Hong looked at Liu Yao with satisfaction.

"Yes, Father, I will not辜负您的期望，一定会光复我大汉的江山的。”刘尧哽咽着抱拳说道。

“好！！父皇我相信你，接下来你准备怎么做？”刘宏决定完全听从刘尧的安排。

“父皇，儿臣现在还是想去幽州，一是练兵，二是积蓄力量。不过现在有了父皇的帮助，儿臣希望父皇可以征召三人来朝为我效力，有这三人相助，儿臣的把握就更大了。”刘尧考虑了一下说道。

“哦，是什么人能让皇儿你如此看重？”刘宏好奇地问道。

“一是现在洛阳的侍御史田丰，二是青州东莱的太史慈，三是荆州南阳的黄忠。”刘尧想了想，说出了三个名字，这三人绝对在这些地方，也是最好招揽的。至于其他人，不是行踪不定，就是还是个孩子，或者脾气古怪，不会理会朝廷，这种人还是需要自己亲自去请才行。

“好！！没问题，皇儿，朕这就下圣旨命他们前来。”刘宏想都没想就答应了。

“多谢父皇。”

密室内，父子二人密谋着，没有人知道这两人今天的交谈会对日后有着多么大的影响。

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“Good!! I believe in you, what are your next steps?” Liu Hong decided to fully follow Liu Yao's plan.

“Father, I still want to go to Youzhou, to train troops and gather strength. With your help, I hope you can summon three people to serve me. With their assistance, my chances will be much greater.” Liu Yao considered for a moment and said.

“Oh, who are these people that you value so much?” Liu Hong asked curiously.

“One is Tian Feng, the current Attendant Censor in Luoyang. The second is Taishi Ci from Donglai in Qingzhou. The third is Huang Zhong from Nanyang in Jingzhou.” Liu Yao thought for a moment and named three people. These three were definitely in their respective places and were the easiest to recruit. As for others, they were either unpredictable, still children, or had peculiar temperaments and would not heed the court, so they would need to be personally invited.

“Good!! No problem, Son, I will issue an imperial edict to summon them.” Liu Hong agreed without hesitation.

“Thank you, Father.”

In the secret chamber, the father and son plotted, and no one knew how much their conversation today would influence the future.

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