"That makes sense. I don't want to get involved in the struggle for the crown prince. However, when I was in Luoyang, I observed that His Majesty intended to pass the throne to his second son, Liu Xie. Liu Bian was inherently weak and incompetent, while his second son, Liu Xie, was intelligent and sensible. Although young, he already possessed a certain grace in his dealings with others." Lu Ming picked up his ginger tea, took a sip, and then shook his head. "His Majesty sent his eldest son here this time; could it be that he has some ulterior motive?"
Jia Xu felt a slight unease. This was far too audacious.
However, the fate of the Han Dynasty was nearing its end. What will be, will be. No dynasty lasts forever. When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact. In an avalanche, no snowflake is innocent.
The eunuchs' wreaking havoc, the powerful clans' monopolization of most resources leading to an empty treasury, the wealthy seizing land and oppressing the people—the heavens and earth are ruthless, treating all things as straw dogs. All these factors combined created the trend of a dynasty's downfall; none could be missing.
"My lord," Jia Xu said, taking out a map and checking the surroundings. With the lord's personal guards protecting the area, leaks of information and secrets were unlikely.
"My lord," Jia Xu continued, "if Liu Bian were in Chang'an and Liu Xie in Luoyang, and His Majesty abdicated in favor of Liu Xie, the Grand General's faction would surely be dissatisfied. We could gather our troops and seize this opportunity to grant Liu Bian a fiefdom." Jia Xu paused, seemingly giving Lu Ming time to process this. If Lu Ming heard this, he would only think the strategist's scheme was nothing special; it lacked legitimacy and was nothing to be proud of.
"My lord, consider this: if Liu Bian were in Chang'an and Liu Xie in Luoyang, and His Majesty abdicated in favor of Liu Xie, then the Grand General's faction would surely be dissatisfied. We could gather our troops and seize this opportunity to grant Liu Bian a fiefdom in his name." Jia Xu paused, seemingly giving Lu Ming time to process this. If Lu Ming heard this, he would only think that the strategist's plan was nothing special; it was illegitimate and lacked any real justification.
"Furthermore," Jia Xu said slowly, "I request that you also enfeoff the various lords as kings. During the reign of Emperor Gaozu of Han, a white horse was slapped in a pledge, and anyone not of the Liu family who became king would be attacked by the whole world. No one can refuse such an enfeoffment. In this way, the world will be thrown into chaos, and heroes will rise up everywhere. My lord only needs to wait a few years. First, we will take Yizhou and Jingnan, then Guandong and Hebei, and finally unify the Central Plains. Thus, the whole world will fall into your hands."
This move was undeniably brilliant, a true stratagem of extermination.
No one could refuse the enfeoffment of land and the enfeoffment of kings.
Even if someone with a clear mind wanted to refuse, their subordinates would persuade them to agree.
Did they not know it was a trap?
Of course they knew. But as the saying goes, lust blinds the mind, and greed cloud judgment. Only by enfeoffing kings could their subordinates be promoted.
This wasn't just one person's problem; it was everyone's problem.
This poisoned apple was like the "enfeoffment policy" of the Western Han Dynasty, subtly preventing the rise of powerful warlords and eliminating the possibility of rebellion.
Everyone knew what was going on, but how many could truly remain aloof and independent in this world?
Lu Ming stroked his chin, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Wenhe truly is my trusted advisor; this move is brilliant! Taking Hanzhong requires a garrison; this person must be capable, responsible, and skilled in governance. Hanzhong is a granary; if managed well, the warlords of Guandong will need to buy grain from us in future wars!"
Jia Xu remained silent, head bowed. Recommending talent was a highly taboo matter.
His consistent approach was to be low-key in his personal life but high-profile in his actions; only in this way could long-term stability be maintained.
Few in the Eastern Han Dynasty met a good end, and he was one of them!
A few days later, a procession arrived in Didao. This was sent by Empress He, and included many family members of high-ranking officials, all seeking medical treatment.
Meanwhile, Lu Ming neglected his official duties, leaving them to Jia Xu. He was instead in the backyard of his residence, indulging in pleasure with women.
A row of women stood there: four mature women and three young girls.
They were all mothers and daughters, each with a swollen belly, already pregnant with Lu Ming's semen, their pregnancies now bearing fruit, each over four months along.
Yi Jin and Wang Li, mother and daughter; Wu Kuang's wife Yang Lian; Zhang Hua and Wu Xian, mother and daughter; Cao Bing and Feng Qin, mother and daughter—all lay prone by the bed, their buttocks raised high.
Lu Ming was excitedly following behind, fucking this woman dozens of times, fucking that woman dozens of times, feeling the old and tender holes of mature women and young girls alternating, being fucked side by side, the snow-white big buttocks and the charming flesh between the legs, the vulva swollen due to pregnancy, these were all former wives and ladies from good families, now they still have to stick out their buttocks and let him obediently favor them!