Chương 30: General of the Southern Army, Holding the Imperial Insignia

Liu Hong, sitting on the dragon throne, watched the noisy scene below. Far from being annoyed, he found it quite amusing, like watching a play, and was just short of grabbing a handful of melon seeds.

In the chaos, Zhang Rang, the Grand Eunuch, quietly leaned close to Liu Hong's ear and whispered:

"Your Majesty, this old servant has suddenly remembered something... The bead with dragon patterns that I presented to you a while ago was actually... actually entrusted to me by Liu Ce."

"He said that only the true Son of Heaven is worthy to possess this treasure, and he dares not keep it for himself. Prefect Liu's loyalty to His Majesty is truly unwavering!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Hong suddenly realized that his goodwill towards Liu Ce had increased significantly. It turned out that this capable minister was also a sensible "one of his own"!

Just as he was pondering how to reward the talent in a way that was both dignified and cost-effective.

Cai Yong, a court advisor, stepped forward calmly. His voice was steady, yet each word resounded like thunder in the court:

"Your Majesty, I recently learned something by chance. Liu Ce, the Prefect of Zhuojun, is a great-great-grandson of Emperor Jing and a descendant of the Prince of Changsha, a true member of the Han imperial family!" (This was mentioned during my last visit, but was not written down.)

"What?!" Liu Hong jumped up from the dragon throne.

"Minister Cai, is this true? Don't try to fool me!"

"How dare I speak presumptuously? The Imperial Clan Court can verify this."

Liu Hong immediately turned to look at Liu Yu, the head of the imperial clan, who was in charge of clan affairs:

"Minister Liu, hurry! Go check the family genealogy!"

Liu Yu dared not delay and quickly had someone bring over the thick genealogy of the imperial clan, which he then perused on the spot.

The entire Deyang Palace was so quiet that only the sound of bamboo slips turning could be heard. A short while later, Liu Yu looked up, his face filled with excitement:

"Your Majesty! What Cai Yilang said is absolutely true! Liu Ce is indeed the great-great-grandson of Emperor Jing and a descendant of the Prince of Changsha. In terms of seniority, he is Your Majesty's younger brother!"

Liu Hong stared at the densely packed characters on the family genealogy, his fingers trembling slightly, then suddenly burst into laughter:

"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! So it is my imperial brother! No wonder he is so valiant! This is the divine intervention of our Emperor Gaozu, Heaven blesses our great Han Dynasty!"

Now Liu Hong was completely relieved of his psychological burden. Could it still be called a reward if he was just giving something to his own family?

That's called "keeping the good stuff in the family!" He instantly transformed into a dramatic figure, putting on a heartbroken expression:

"I had no idea that my younger brother had suffered so much among the common people for so many years! Now that he has rendered such a great service, if I do not reward him handsomely, would I not chill the hearts of all the imperial relatives?"

Zhang Rang quickly offered a way out: "Your Majesty is wise!"

He paced back and forth excitedly, then suddenly had an idea, and waved his hand:

"Draft an imperial edict!" he said, and Zhang Rang, who was standing next to him, quickly took notes.

"Liu Ce, the Prefect of Zhuojun, is my younger brother and a pillar of the Han Dynasty! Now, at a time of national crisis, he has defeated a large force with a small one, swiftly quelling the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Youzhou and upholding our national prestige. His loyalty and bravery are commendable, and his merit is immeasurable! I hereby appoint him as General of the Southern Army, granting him the authority to appoint his own officials and command his troops.

He is to immediately proceed to Jizhou, Yuzhou, and other areas where the Yellow Turbans are rampant to quell the rebellion! Once the empire is at peace, I will certainly reward him with royal honors!"

This imperial edict contained a great deal of information: the Southern General was a high-ranking military officer in charge of the imperial guards and chariots.

The blessing ceremony also meant having the power of life and death to "act at one's own discretion"; appointing officials and having independent command of troops was practically like being a mini-military governor!

This is tantamount to giving Liu Ce a blank check, allowing him to legally expand his power.

He Jin's faction was satisfied (they felt Liu Ce had become one of their own); the upright officials kept quiet (after all, it was the emperor's family affair); and the eunuchs were secretly pleased (they felt Liu Ce was "sensible" and easy to control).

Those who opposed the conferment of a marquisate felt that since the conferment was not done immediately, and it was more legitimate to send the "imperial brother" to quell the rebellion, there was no point in saying anything more.

Most importantly, the emperor has just recognized such a capable "brother" and is in high spirits. Who would dare to offend him at this time?

Once the imperial edict was written and sealed, it was immediately sent to Youzhou by fast horse.

Liu Hong watched the envoy's departing figure, feeling a sense of satisfaction, as if sitting on the dragon throne was more secure than usual.

He could almost see his "younger brother" Liu Ce leading a massive army to sweep away the Yellow Turbans.

The officials below shouted "Long live the Emperor!" but their own thoughts were far from over.

He Jin was pondering how to further strengthen his relationship with Liu Ce; Representatives of powerful families like Yuan Wei thought that the sudden emergence of a fierce general from the imperial clan might change the political landscape of the court.

The eunuchs, including Zhang Rang, felt that since Liu Ce was "sensible" and could give gifts, perhaps they could cooperate in the future...

After the court session ended, Liu Hong remained alone in the Deyang Palace, smugly contemplating his next move: With a capable "younger brother" fighting desperately on the front lines, he only needed to strategize in Luoyang. Once the Yellow Turban Rebellion was quelled, history would surely record that "Emperor Ling knew how to recognize and appoint capable people, and revived the Han Dynasty!"

He even fantasized about a time when all nations came to pay tribute, and he would hold Liu Ce's hand and say to the foreign envoys, "This is my Wei Qing and Huo Qubing!"

……

this day.

Liu Ce was strolling around the Zhuojun camp under the blazing sun, watching the new recruits practice spear thrusting.

Dian Wei was cursing loudly on the side, while Cheng Yaojin was squatting under the shade of a tree, secretly gnawing on roast chicken. Everything was as lively and bustling as ever.

Suddenly, a fast horse galloped up to the camp gate, kicking up dust. Zhao Yun nimbly dismounted and quickly walked to Liu Ce's side, whispering:

"Brother, someone from the imperial court has arrived! It's a pale-faced, beardless eunuch, waiting at the prefect's residence with an imperial edict, saying you must receive it immediately!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Ce said to Dian Wei and Cheng Yaojin:

"E'lai, Zhijie, you two continue training. Do not slack off without my order!"

Liu Ce knew perfectly well that it must be the reward for the great victory at Zhuojun a while ago! He waved his hand at Zhao Yun:

"Let's go meet this 'angel' and see how much money the emperor can give us."

On the way, he was still thinking, "I hope it's not some empty title again. It would be better to have something substantial, like ten thousand taels of gold, an expansion of the army, or a high-ranking official position."

In the main hall of the prefect's mansion, a middle-aged eunuch with fair skin and dressed in the robes of an imperial eunuch was sipping tea from a bowl, while several junior eunuchs stood respectfully on either side.

Seeing Liu Ce stride in, the eunuch put down his teacup and gave a professional smile:

"Prefect Liu, you must be tired from your journey!"

Liu Ce returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "It is the envoy who has worked hard, traveling thousands of miles from Luoyang to this border region of Zhuojun."

The eunuch chuckled:

"Prefect Liu, what are you saying! You are now His Majesty's personally acknowledged younger brother. Although Zhuojun is far away, it is very close to His Majesty!"

These words struck Liu Ce like a bolt of lightning, leaving him completely stunned—"Your Majesty?"

When did I become Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong's, younger brother? While he was still in a daze, the eunuch had already stood up and cleared his throat:

"Prefect Liu Ce of Zhuojun received the imperial decree..."

Liu Ce quickly performed the kowtow ceremony. The imperial edict was a long, elaborate document, but its core message was just three points: First, it was confirmed that Liu Ce was "the great-great-grandson of Emperor Jing and my younger brother" (presumably the result of checking the family genealogy).

Second, Liu Ce was promoted to General of the Southern Army and given the authority to appoint his subordinates.

Third, he was ordered to immediately organize his troops and march to Jizhou, Yuzhou and other places to quell the rebellion.

"Your Majesty, I kowtow in gratitude for Your Majesty's divine grace!"