Everyone waited anxiously in the hall.
Before long, Empress He arrived with three underage imperial princes: Liu Bian, the crown prince-designate; Liu Xie, the emperor's son by a secondary consort; and Liu He, the emperor's second son by his primary wife. There was also a ten-year-old girl, Liu Bian's principal wife Tang Ji, who had been brought to Luoyang ahead of time. Once the crown prince was invested, she would be elevated to crown prince consort.
Liu Bian was the eldest legitimate son, twelve years old, and his position as crown prince was nailed fast to the board. The decree appointing him had already been issued; only the final investiture ceremony remained before he formally became crown prince.
None of the three princes was very old, but Liu Bian and Liu Xie were both over ten and had largely passed the danger of dying young.
The third imperial prince, Liu He, however, was only three or four. He had not yet passed that danger, and if he also had to endure the rigors of fleeing over a thousand li by carriage and boat, he would all but certainly die.
If he stayed in the city...
Luo Kong thought back on his elder brother. The boy might actually survive that way. As for all those women in the rear palace, fluttering orioles and swallows, his elder brother's generosity of spirit meant he would not make things difficult for these women and children.
On the surface, Luoyang seemed in imminent peril. Everyone feared that Zhang Jue would slaughter indiscriminately after storming the city, but in truth, the only people really in danger were the dukes and ministers who had stirred up trouble, and the emperor himself.
For Empress He to have risen in a single leap from a humble family to empress,