"At today's court assembly, the officials used my lack of an heir to pressure me into expanding the imperial harem. I had no choice but to agree, but this will inevitably bring forward the struggle for the position of empress."
"Back then, I was under Yuan Shao's coercion and had no foundation whatsoever. Every step was like treading on thin ice. I had no choice but to promise the position of empress to both the Zhen Clan and Duke Wen to counter Yuan Shao."
"Now that more than half the Han Dynasty's lands have been recovered and peace throughout the realm is close at hand, appointing an empress is something I can no longer avoid."
"Fengxiao, Wenhe, whom do you think I should appoint as empress?"
Before Jia Xu and Guo Jia, Liu Xie could pour out his worries without reservation and ask them for a solution.
Guo Jia and Jia Xu both fell silent at his words.
Although they had guessed before coming that this was why the Son of Heaven had summoned them to the palace, they could not produce a solution when asked.
This problem was simply too difficult to resolve.
Whether the position of empress went to Lü Bu or the Zhen Clan, it would inevitably provoke the other side's dissatisfaction, and both sides had rendered distinguished service to the Son of Heaven.
Lü Bu's achievements needed no elaboration. He had captured Yuan Shu, defeated Yuan Shao, and destroyed Gao Gan. His military merits could be called the greatest among the military generals.
Although the Zhen Clan had none of these achievements in suppressing rebels, they had supplied Lü Bu's army with money and grain, weapons and armor. Their efforts were no less than Lü Bu's.
In a certain sense, they had contributed even more than