Chapter 414: Diao Chan

After seeing Liu Bian's incredible methods, the five had no more doubts in their hearts.

With such a powerful monarch and officials, one might ask, who in this world could stop Liu Bian's footsteps.

The five felt a bit fortunate in their hearts for choosing Liu Bian.

Seeing that the five had put away the spirit stones, Liu Bian said to them again:

"Zilong, Hansheng, I will not arrange your positions for now."

"In three days, it will be the grand court assembly; you should also come to participate."

The five heard this, and their expressions shook immediately.

"We obey the decree!"

Seeing this, Liu Bian nodded with satisfaction and said to Lu Zhi:

"Minister Lu, arrange for Zilong and the others to have a place to stay in Luoyang City, and reward each of them with a mansion."

"Follow the standard of fourth-rank officials."

Thinking that Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, and the others had no place to stay in Luoyang, Liu Bian said to Lu Zhi.

"This old minister obeys the decree!"

Lu Zhi heard this and responded respectfully.

"We thank Your Majesty!"

At this time, Zhao Yun and the other four were truly almost knocked dizzy by Liu Bian's series of rewards, and immediately thanked Liu Bian.

You must know that they had just joined Liu Bian's command and hadn't made any contributions, yet Liu Bian had already rewarded them with so much.

He even thought

This moved the five of them deeply.

If Liu Bian were checking the loyalty of the five at this moment, he would discover that their loyalty had already reached one hundred percent.

"No need for such formalities; with your abilities, you are fully worthy of these things."

"I am merely bestowing them upon you in advance."

Watching the five, who were moved beyond words, Liu Bian waved his hand slightly toward them and spoke.

Seeing this, the five thanked Liu Bian profusely and then accepted the gifts.

However, in their hearts, they could not help but marvel at his grand gesture.

What was even more rare was the trust he placed in them.

All five silently swore in their hearts that they would serve Liu Bian loyally from now on.

"Wenhe, can Wen Yuan and the others make it to the Grand Court Assembly in three days?"

Suddenly, Liu Bian remembered that Zhang Liao had not yet arrived, and feeling somewhat worried that he might miss the Grand Court Assembly in three days, he immediately asked Jia Xu.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, General Zhang and the others should have no problem; they will be able to return to Chang'an by this evening at the latest."

"And with the speed of General Zhang and Military Advisor Xi, it will be no problem for them to travel from Chang'an to Luoyang in two days."

"I will use the jade token's communication function to contact the Dark Guards in Chang'an City and inform General Zhang and the others about the Grand Court Assembly in three days; this way, they should be able to make it."

Jia Xu gave Liu Bian and the others a detailed introduction regarding the news of Zhang Liao and his group.

"That is excellent."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bian also breathed a sigh of relief and nodded at Jia Xu.

Afterward, the group chatted for quite a while longer in Liu Bian's Imperial Study before taking their leave.

Since returning to the court, Liu Bian had spent the entire day handling official business and had not yet gone to see the Empress Dowager and Diao Chan.

Now that everyone had left, Liu Bian wanted to go see the Empress Dowager and Diao Chan.

Truth be told, after being away on the expedition for so long, he did miss Diao Chan.

Immediately, Liu Bian led Li Liangcheng and Dian Wei to Empress Dowager He Lian's Changqiu Palace.

At this moment, inside the Changqiu Palace, the Empress Dowager and Diao Chan were waiting for Liu Bian.

Although the two of them also missed Liu Bian very much, they knew that after his return, there were still many matters waiting for him to handle.

"Empress Dowager, Your Highness, His Majesty has arrived!"

Just as Diao Chan and the Empress Dowager were chatting, the Empress Dowager's personal maid, Lan'er, suddenly burst in and said happily to the two women.

Upon hearing this, Diao Chan and the Empress Dowager stood up immediately and hurriedly looked toward the entrance of Changqiu Palace.

"E'lai, you go find Zhongkang; I have Li Liangcheng here, and that will suffice."

After arriving at the entrance of Changqiu Palace, Liu Bian said to Dian Wei.

The Imperial Harem was a place where, other than the Emperor, no other males were permitted to enter; Dian Wei could not enter the harem.

Currently, the defense of the harem was the responsibility of the palace maids and the eunuchs trained by Li Liangcheng.

These people were temporarily managed by Li Liangcheng, and Liu Bian planned to hand this matter over to the Empress, Diao Chan, in the future.

After all, as the mistress of the harem, it would be most appropriate for her to manage it.

"This subordinate obeys the decree!"

After Dian Wei respectfully cupped his hands to Liu Bian, he turned and left.

In this Imperial Palace, he was not worried about Liu Bian's safety; after all, the guards of this palace were the responsibility of his Huben Army.

Outsiders would absolutely not be able to sneak in, and as for the eunuchs and palace maids in the palace—

When the palace was being cleared out, Liu Bian had personally inspected them to ensure there were no issues before allowing them to remain.

Moreover, with Liu Bian's strength, there was currently no one who could cause him harm, which was the important reason Dian Wei could leave with peace of mind.

The moment Liu Bian stepped into Changqiu Palace, he felt two gazes fall upon him.

Liu Bian looked up and saw Diao Chan and the Empress Dowager both looking at him with misty eyes.

"Your son pays his respects to Mother!"

Liu Bian first bowed to the Empress Dowager, then said to Diao Chan:

"Mother, Chan'er, I have made you worry!"

Upon hearing this, both women had tears in their eyes, and Empress Dowager He Lian said to him with heartache:

"It is good that you have returned!"

And Diao Chan, also suppressing the urge to throw herself into Liu Bian's arms, said to him full of love:

"This concubine congratulates Your Majesty on suppressing the rebellion and returning in triumph!"

To be honest, having not seen Diao Chan for so long, looking at her pitiful and moving appearance at this moment, she was truly lovable.

"Chan'er!"

Liu Bian stepped forward to help Diao Chan up and called out to her affectionately.

Afterward, Liu Bian stayed in Changqiu Palace until evening, and after having dinner, he left with Diao Chan.

During this time, Liu Bian briefly told the two women about his experiences during this period and also gave each of them an identity jade token.

After the three of them added each other as friends, both women were shocked by the powerful functions of the identity jade token.

For a time, the two women played with them, unable to put them down.

And Liu Bian also told the two women about his plan to marry Diao Chan as Empress.

After spending time with Diao Chan during this period, the Empress Dowager naturally loved her dearly, and of course, she had no objections to this.

And Diao Chan, upon hearing that Liu Bian was going to confer upon her the title of Empress, was also deeply moved.

One must know that she was born a mere palace maid; she truly had never thought that one day she could sit in the position of Empress.

After Liu Bian took Diao Chan out of Changqiu Palace, he headed straight for his sleeping quarters.

That night, the two engaged in deep communication until midnight.

Looking at Diao Chan, who had fallen asleep from exhaustion, Liu Bian still felt somewhat unsatisfied.

However, thinking that Diao Chan, in order to show her gratitude, had unlocked several positions she had never done before, Liu Bian felt secretly delighted.

Giving the sleeping Diao Chan an affectionate look, Liu Bian also embraced her soft body and slowly drifted off to sleep.