Due to the funeral held for Liu Hong, Liu Zhang repeatedly delayed the selection of the new king, which was supposed to be discussed in Changle Palace three days later. Now seven days have passed.
As an emperor, Liu Hong's burial was supposed to be very cumbersome and required a lot of etiquette. However, it was a troubled time at the moment. After Liu Zhang discussed with Empress Dowager Dong and Empress He, he finally added the posthumous title Han Ling Emperor and the burial was carried out smoothly.
Empress Dowager Dong and Empress He had some objections. After all, Liu Hong was the king of a country, and their sons and husbands, but due to Liu Zhang's current power and the fact that Liu Zhang had absolute say in who succeeded him, they both chose to Come to compromise.
Fortunately, although Liu Hong's funeral was sped up, it was still extremely beautiful. Neither the Queen Mother, the Empress, the ministers, nor even Liu Yun expressed any dissatisfaction.
With the burial of Liu Hong, the era of Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty officially came to an end, and this also meant that the era of disputes and hegemony among the Han Dynasty officially began!
At the west gate of Luoyang City, Liu Zhang and his men bid farewell to his wife and their family members before heading to Hanzhong.
"Yan'er, Yun'er, take care of yourself!"
After saying a simple farewell, everyone set off. Liu Zhang has to enter the palace, and many ministers have already approached Liu Zhang, asking him to start discussing the new king today.
"Gongda, is everything arranged?"
The safety of these family members is very important, not only his own wife, but also Huang Zhong's wife, son, Xu Huang's mother, and even Xun You's family!
"Don't worry, my lord, it's absolutely foolproof! We are escorted by two thousand cavalry from the Wu Feng Battalion. These cavalry are veterans who followed us in our expeditions. Even without Ziyi, they can form a chariot formation to fight against the enemy! And I have sent people quickly. Ma notified Wen He in Hanzhong in advance, I believe that when the mistresses arrive at Xiegu, someone will already be there to take care of them!"
Liu Zhang nodded. In fact, he was very worried about Xun You, but at this moment he still couldn't help but ask.
Liu Zhang and Xun You came up with the route through joint discussion.
The best route is definitely Chencang Road. Although it is a little far away, the road is flat and the cavalry can travel unimpeded! It was a pity that this road was occupied by Han Sui. Liu Zhang didn't know whether Han Sui had withdrawn his troops, so naturally he wouldn't let his family take this risk!
As for the Tangluo Road and the Ziwu Road, Liu Zhang had no plans at all. The Ziwu Valley was rugged and difficult to navigate, and there were many dangers. There were too many variables when these female relatives arrived! Not to mention the Tangluo Road, there are no roads in many places, and the cavalry cannot enter this road at all!
In the end, only Baoxie Road was left. In fact, Baoxie Road was not conducive to the passage of cavalry. Fortunately, the number of people was not very large. With Jia Xu sending people to greet them, there would naturally be no problems.
"Let's go into the palace!"
Liu Zhang had just taken a few steps when he looked at Zhao Yun and others behind him.
"Zilong, you and Wu Lai lead the five hundred soldiers to follow me and Gongda into the palace. Ziyi, please return to the camp as soon as possible."
After making these arrangements, most of Liu Zhang's troops were divided into two and went in two directions.
Although Liu Zhang had not arrived at Luoyang Palace and Changle Palace, the ministers had already begun discussions.
The Empress Dowager He brought Liu Bian, and the Empress Dowager Dong took Liu Xie. The throne in the middle was already vacant, and the two empress dowagers sat on both sides.
"To the Queen Mother, the Queen Mother, a family cannot be without a master for a day, and a country cannot be without a king for a day! Now that the late emperor has been buried, the new emperor's enthronement is a top priority! If the country is without a king for a day, the world will be uneasy, and the people will be uneasy! "
The first one to stand up was Situ Yuan Feng. In the three years since Liu Zhang was away, Yuan Feng also successfully ascended to the position of Sangong! Coupled with the current Grand Tutor Yuan Wei, the Yuan family already occupies two places among the three princes!
Since Liu Hong was buried, Queen He was promoted from queen to queen mother. Looking at the empty throne in the middle, she felt anxious in her heart, wishing that her son Liu Bian could sit on the throne right away!
"Master Yuan, General Wei has never revealed the late emperor's edict, so the Ai family can only be secretly anxious!"
Yuan Feng once again saluted the Queen Mother He. He wanted to take advantage of Liu Zhang's absence to unify the opinions of the Queen Mother and the ministers!
"To report to the Queen Mother, the eldest prince Liu Bian is a virtuous and resourceful man, and he is your majesty's eldest son. The late emperor often praised him when he was still there! I believe that the eldest prince succeeded to the throne in compliance with destiny!"
Queen Mother He became obviously excited when she heard these words, and even her breathing became rapid!
"Oh? Mr. Yuan is truly a pillar of the Han Dynasty. No wonder the late emperor often praised Mr. Yuan! I wonder what other adults think?"
"To report to the Queen Mother, I also feel that the eldest prince Liu Bian's succession to the throne is in compliance with the destiny of heaven and the will of the people!"
Empress Dowager He was overjoyed again, and Lieutenant Yuan Wei also stood up and openly supported Liu Bian!
If two of the three ministers support it, then there is almost no problem with this matter!
Sure enough, with the statements of the two leaders of the Yuan family, many ministers expressed their agreement, and Liu Bian's succession was about to be approved unanimously!
Queen He was already happy, but she was still a little angry! Fortunately, Liu Zhang was not allowed to take advantage. With so many ministers supporting him, was there any need to worry about Liu Zhang?
Some people were happy and some were sad. Queen He was extremely excited, but Queen Mother Dong beside her was extremely uncomfortable, and even looked extremely gloomy!
Liu Xie was brought up by Empress Dowager Dong, and she obviously loved this grandson far more than Liu Bian! The most important thing is that Empress Dowager Dong was very disgusted with her daughter-in-law, Empress Dowager He, especially after Empress Dowager He poisoned Wang Meiren.
There are many reasons why Liu Hong became increasingly alienated and even disgusted with the then Empress He, but they are absolutely inseparable from the instigation of Empress Dowager Dong!
The ministers unanimously supported Liu Bian, which made Empress Dowager Dong feel sad! If Liu Bian succeeds to the throne, the power of her daughter-in-law will definitely increase, and the status of their grandfather and grandson can be imagined!
Just when the voices were unanimous, someone finally stood up and openly raised objections.
"I think the eldest prince is not suitable to inherit the throne!"
This person who is not afraid of the Yuan family is Dong Zhuo, the general of Polu!
As for why Dong Zhuo dared to openly contradict the ministers, it was naturally because of Li Ru's persuasion. In addition, with the arrival of Li Jue and Guo Si, 50,000 troops made him the strongest force in Luoyang. !
Li Ru's sincere words yesterday are still echoing in Dong Zhuo's ears!
"My lord, we are from a wealthy family in Liangzhou. Even if we gain power by force, it will be difficult to gain the approval of the ministers, let alone have no prestige! If the lord wants to quickly establish prestige, he must do what Yiyin Huoguang did!"
"Ru predicts that tomorrow the ministers will definitely support Liu Bian as his eldest son to inherit the throne. If the lord wants to gain power and establish prestige, he must openly oppose it and then support the second prince Liu Xie! Once Liu Xie succeeds to the throne, then The lord is the great meritorious supporter!"
It was Li Ru's words that gave Dong Zhuo the courage to openly confront the Yuan family in the Yongle Palace!
"You? How dare you, a humble general, discuss state affairs here!"
