Chapter 30

"Your humble son, the Governor of Youzhou, Liu Yao, pays respects to His Majesty. In the ninth month of the fourth year of Guanghe, the Wuhuan Great King Quli Ju sent 60,000 troops to invade our Youzhou. Your humble son led the officials of Youzhou to resist with all our might. In the same month, your humble son led the commandants Huang Zhong, Zhang Fei, Gao Shun, and Tian Chou to defeat the 50,000 Wuhuan troops invading Jixian and Yuyang. We killed over 45,000 enemies. Afterwards, the commandant Taishi Ci led 5,000 cavalry to penetrate the Wuhuan grasslands, wiping out over 40 large and small Wuhuan tribes, killing over 60,000 enemies and capturing countless cattle, sheep, and horses. In October, the Wuhuan Great King Quli Ju sent envoys to seek peace. After this battle, the Wuhuan will not have the strength to invade for five years." Yuan Feng read out with clenched teeth.

Silence fell upon the court. Initially, everyone thought Liu Yao had barely repelled the Wuhuan and preserved Youzhou. But now it seemed that not only had he won, but he had won a great victory. Over 100,000 enemies were killed, something that no one had accomplished in decades. Moreover, the Wuhuan Great King Quli Ju had even initiated peace talks.

Liu Hong looked at the expressions of those below with great satisfaction. After all, his son had achieved something, and as the emperor, he also had face.

Just as Liu Hong was secretly pleased, a voice came from the crowd, "Your Majesty, although the First Prince is of noble status, he does not have the authority to negotiate peace with the Wuhuan. Please punish him and remove him from his position as Governor of Youzhou."

Liu Hong, who had been interrupted, looked angrily in the direction of the voice. It was none other than the Grand General He Jin. Liu Hong was instantly furious. Originally, Liu Hong had promoted He Jin to Grand General out of respect for Empress He, and to use his power to counter the aristocratic families. But for some reason, the fat pig He Jin had joined the side of the aristocratic families.

Liu Hong angrily said, "Rubbish! He Jin, have you forgotten that I bestowed the Chixiao Sword upon my son, granting him the right to act first and report later?" Liu Hong's disgust with He Jin was growing. Moreover, Empress He had even poisoned and killed Wang Mei Ren, making Liu Hong even more disgusted with her and, by extension, Liu Bian.

"This..." He Jin was speechless. To be honest, he had really forgotten about the Chixiao Sword. His intention was simply to prevent Liu Yao from gaining so much credit. If Liu Yao's achievements were too great, the throne would surely be his. His nephew, the Second Prince Liu Bian, born to the Empress, would have no chance to compete for the throne.

He Jin only found out about Empress He's poisoning of Liu Yao after the fact. He had scolded her harshly on the spot. In his view, Liu Yao had no one supporting him, while Liu Bian had both himself and Empress He backing him. The throne would surely be Liu Bian's, so there was no need for such extreme measures. If Liu Yao had really been poisoned, even a fool would know it was Empress He's doing. At that time, whether it was himself, Empress He, or Liu Bian, they would all be doomed. Fortunately, for some reason, Liu Yao did not die, and He Jin breathed a sigh of relief.

"Your Majesty, the First Prince is only 12 years old. How could he have the ability to completely annihilate the Wuhuan invaders without much damage to himself? Please send someone to thoroughly investigate to prevent the First Prince from falsely reporting his achievements and endangering the entire Youzhou." Yuan Feng added fuel to the fire after He Jin's impeachment.

Yuan Feng naturally did not want Liu Yao to gain such great credit for three reasons. First, Liu Yao's achievements had slapped him in the face, leaving him with no dignity. Second, He Jin was on the side of the aristocratic families, and helping him would also benefit himself. Third, Yuan Feng did not want the Han dynasty to have such a powerful prince and future emperor. This would be the greatest threat to the interests of the aristocratic families. No capable emperor would want his subordinates to have the power to overthrow him. Only an emperor like Liu Hong, who had no great ambitions and indulged in pleasure, would not care about such things.

"You..." Liu Hong was so angry that he took deep breaths to calm himself.

At this moment, a small eunuch timidly entered, walked to Zhang Rang, and whispered something in his ear. Zhang Rang's face immediately lit up.

"Zhang Rang, is there any good news?" Liu Hong asked eagerly.

"Your Majesty, an envoy from Youzhou has also arrived and is waiting outside the palace," Zhang Rang said.

Liu Hong was overjoyed, "Quick, quick, bring him in."

"But the envoy from Youzhou is covered in dust, I am worried..." Zhang Rang said cautiously.

Liu Hong said without concern, "What are you afraid of? Can't I tolerate a little dust?" He then glanced at Yuan Feng and He Jin, saying sarcastically, "I also want to ask about this matter to prevent some people from being jealous of others' achievements."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Zhang Rang understood Liu Hong's intentions and was happy to join him in embarrassing Yuan Feng and He Jin. They had caused him a lot of trouble in recent years. "Proclaim, the envoy from Youzhou is to be received."

With a duck-like voice, Gao Shun entered the hall under the watchful eyes of the court.

Gao Shun paid no attention to the gazes of the court officials and walked straight to the center, kneeling down, "Your humble servant, Commandant Gao Shun under the Governor of Youzhou, Liu Yao, pays respects to His Majesty."

"Oh, you are Gao Shun." Liu Hong exclaimed in surprise. He had seen this name in the battle report and knew he was well-informed about the matter. "Does your prince have any important matters to entrust to you?"

"Your Majesty, this time your humble servant is here to present tribute on behalf of the Governor and to convey a message from him."

Liu Hong asked curiously, "Oh, what message does your prince want you to convey?"

Gao Shun imitated Liu Yao's tone, "Your Majesty, today your humble servant, Liu Yao, has defeated the Wuhuan, capturing countless war spoils. With the New Year approaching, I specially offer this tribute to show my respect to my father, wishing him good health." He then took out a list of gifts from his robe.

"Haha, my son is truly thoughtful. Zhang Rang, bring it to me quickly," Liu Hong was delighted.

Zhang Rang took the list and carefully handed it to Liu Hong.

Liu Hong happily took the list, opened it, and his expression changed slightly before he began to read. His eyes widened as he looked at the list. He then excitedly handed the list to Zhang Rang, "Zhang Rang, read this list so that certain people can know about my son's generosity and ability."

"Yes." Zhang Rang took the list, "The Governor of Youzhou, Liu Yao, offers 5,000 fine horses from Dayuan, 10,000 strong cattle, 20,000 sheep, 8,000 gold, and countless precious treasures from the Wuhuan."

The court officials gasped in shock. This list of gifts was even more valuable than the entire property of a medium-sized aristocratic family.

"Good, my son has achieved such great success, I must reward him well. I will appoint him as the General of the Flying Cavalry and grant him the right to establish his own office. How does that sound?" Liu Hong said generously.

"No, absolutely not." Everyone immediately opposed. It was understandable that Yuan Feng and He Jin opposed, but Zhang Rang's opposition left Liu Hong puzzled.

Liu Hong looked at Zhang Rang in confusion, knowing that Zhang Rang was on his side, "Why not?"

Zhang Rang said cautiously, "Your Majesty, if we appoint the First Prince as the General of the Flying Cavalry this time, what will we do if he achieves another great success in the future? It would be better to appoint him as the General of the North for now."

Liu Hong considered this and agreed. "Since that's the case, I will reward his subordinates with his achievements."

"Your Majesty is wise." Yuan Feng breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Liu Hong's words. The position of General of the North was somewhat acceptable. As for his subordinates, they were mere ants in Yuan Feng's eyes, insignificant.

"Since that's the case, the Governor of Youzhou, Liu Yao, step forward to receive the appointment," Liu Hong said.

"Your humble servant is here." Since Liu Yao was not present, Gao Shun stepped forward to receive the appointment on his behalf.

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