Chương 80: He Lian and He Jin's Conspiracy

Zhang Rang read it aloud.

After listening, Liu Hong was stunned for a long while, then burst into laughter:

"Excellent! Excellent poems! My younger brother has truly brought me honor! Hang these two poems beside the couch I often sit on in the Greenhouse Palace! I want to look at them often!"

He felt the poem was powerful and suited his taste, especially the line "I will not let the barbarian horses cross Yinshan," which made him feel that sending Liu Ce to Youzhou was an incredibly wise decision.

He was simply a perfect tool (a bonus) bestowed upon him by heaven to check and balance the court and bring glory to his family!

Liu Ce, the instigator of this major earthquake in Luoyang's literary and "gossip circles," is completely unaware of what's happening.

After leaving Zuichunlou, he did return to the Zhen residence, where he leisurely pondered the guqin. After dinner, he went to bed early, completely forgetting about writing poetry that afternoon.

The next morning, while he was having breakfast, the Zhen family's steward practically ran in, carrying a neatly copied sheet of paper. His face was flushed with excitement, a stark contrast to his usual composed demeanor.

"My lord! My lord! Look! The whole city of Luoyang is buzzing with the news! Everyone is praising the timeless poem you wrote yesterday at Zuichun Tower! This old servant specially had a copy made of the best one, please take a look!"

Liu Ce took the poem manuscript, glanced at it, and paused for two seconds before suddenly remembering that something like that had happened yesterday.

He touched his chin, feeling a bit amused and exasperated, and thought to himself:

"Oh, this... I almost forgot about it. I think I just thought the people downstairs were writing something too boring, and I saw Cao Cao was feeling stifled, so I just copied down a couple of poems to help him out... How did it cause such a commotion?"

The ancients' fervor for good poetry was almost like that of modern-day celebrity worship...

Dian Wei, who was dining with him, stared wide-eyed at the poem manuscript, then at Liu Ce, and asked:

"Big brother? This... this really was written by you? You can do this too?"

In his memory, his elder brother was always the image of someone who charged into battle and planned military strategies, and had nothing to do with composing poems.

Although Zhao Yun remained composed, his eyes were filled with surprise and admiration. He smiled and said:

"Brother, you are a brilliant strategist, and I never imagined you would also be such a gifted writer."

"Having fought a hundred battles in golden armor, I will not return until Lou Lan is conquered." This heroic line deeply moves me. My elder brother is truly a pillar of the nation, skilled in both literature and martial arts.

Seeing his two brothers' reactions, and then looking at the poem in his hand, Liu Ce could only chuckle awkwardly and mumble:

"Uh... I just wrote it casually, it's nothing, nothing at all. Let's eat, let's eat."

He felt a little helpless: "Now that's great, the image of 'both literary and martial arts prowess' is even more solidified."

It will probably be even harder to slack off discreetly in the future... But it doesn't seem like a bad thing?

At least when it comes to persuading... no, I mean recruiting talent, you're more convincing, right?

He shook his head, deciding to stop dwelling on it and continue enjoying his breakfast.

As for the storm sparked by those two poems, let it continue to blow away.

……

The Imperial Palace of Luoyang, Changqiu Palace.

The back hall was filled with a faint fragrance of osmanthus, a sweet scent that made one feel a little sleepy.

He Lian was reclining on the soft couch, idly flipping through a scroll of bamboo slips.

Actually, she didn't absorb a single word; I don't know what she was thinking.

The footsteps grew closer, and He Lian looked up to see her brother, General He Jin.

"Brother, what brings you here?"

He Lian smiled and waved, signaling the palace maid to bring tea.

"Please sit down and have some tea."

He Jin strode in, his steps as if he were rushing to war.

He plopped down on the stool opposite him, took the teacup handed to him by the palace maid, gulped down a mouthful, wiped his mouth, and then spoke:

"Your Majesty, I have something to tell you—"

"Brother, why are you being so polite with me?" He Lian interrupted him, playfully scolding him.

"Just call her 'little sister' if you're family."

He Jin laughed: "Alright, alright, sister. Here's the thing, the whole of Luoyang is talking about those two poems Liu Ce wrote, and the one I saw at the victory banquet a few days ago. What do you think of this Marquis of Champion?"

He Lian had just picked up her teacup when she heard this and couldn't help but smile. She took a sip of tea and said slowly:

"Liu Ce... I think he's great, young and promising."

He said that, but couldn't help but mutter to himself: At the victory banquet a few days ago, Liu Ce stood up straight, and when he raised his glass, the strong lines of his arms could be seen through his court robes.

And that face... that heroic spirit between his brows and eyes is quite rare... ptooey, ptooey, what am I thinking!

As He Lian thought about it, her face felt a little hot, so she quickly took another sip of tea to cover it up.

He Jin had no idea what his sister was thinking. He put down his teacup and raised his voice a few decibels:

"I also think this kid is pretty good! When he received the seal of General of the Cavalry in the court that day, he was so composed!"

At the victory banquet, when speaking to Huangfu Song and the others, I was neither servile nor arrogant, unlike those spineless members of the imperial clan—you have no idea, some members of the imperial clan tremble with fear when they see me, as if they've seen a ghost!

He Lian nodded, her fingers gently tracing the rim of the famous teacup, lost in thought.

She actually thought about it more deeply.

"Brother," she lowered her voice, "His Majesty doesn't like Bian'er very much these days. He thinks Bian'er is frivolous and lacks dignity, and is not fit to be a ruler. But Bian'er is the eldest son of the legitimate wife, and according to the rites, he should be made the heir."

He Lian then sighed and said, "But etiquette is etiquette, what matters is what His Majesty thinks."

The court is in chaos right now. The eunuchs want to seize power. Although the aristocratic families support Bian'er, it's only because our He family lacks a strong foundation and is easy to control.

He Jin's face darkened; these words struck a chord with him.

She paused, then continued, "As for Liu Ce, he is the emperor's recognized younger brother and a member of the imperial clan. He has no power base in Luoyang, just like us."

But he still holds military power in You and Ji provinces. If we could win him over…"

"It will be beneficial for Bian'er to rise to power in the future!" He Jin replied, his eyes lighting up.

"That's exactly what I wanted to tell you!" he continued.

"I'm thinking I should try to get on this kid's good side as soon as possible. But how? Give him gold and silver? He just received a fief of ten thousand, he doesn't need that. Give him beautiful women? I heard he didn't stay long at the Drunken Spring Pavilion today, he doesn't seem interested in those things."

(Liu Ce: No, I'm really lacking.) He Lian put down her teacup and said calmly:

"Brother, don't rush to send him gifts. In a couple of days, invite him to the General's Mansion and sound him out. See what his attitude is, what his preferences are, and then you can tailor your approach accordingly."

He Jin's eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh, saying, "That makes sense! You're so smart, sister!"

"Also," He Lian added, "we'll find an opportunity to let Bian'er get closer to Liu Ce. Last time, Bian'er said he wanted to learn to ride a horse, so let Liu Ce teach him."

"Won't they get to know each other better over time? When Bian'er calls him 'Royal Uncle,' won't he protect her?"

"Ah!" He Jin's eyes lit up even more.

"Sister, you're so thoughtful! How come I didn't think of that!"

The two exchanged a smile, both understanding each other's meaning.

Only by getting close to Liu Ce can the future of the He family and Liu Bian be more secure.