Lu Ming planned to entrust the management of this women's brothel to his wife, Princess Wannian, and He Wan, the younger sister of Empress He. He also intended to bring in Liu Liu, the wife of the Grand Commandant, giving her a share of the profits. This would form the management team.
Princess Wannian was his wife and partner, a woman he could absolutely trust.
He Wan and Liu Liu were also his women. As long as he maintained physical relationships with them, no woman was beyond his control in bed.
Lu Ming had meticulously planned his path to dominance and expansion, even writing a note and keeping it in his medicine box so he could refer to it if he forgot.
Without the help of powerful clans, there were fewer constraints, a double-edged sword.
Currently, there were no advantages, but in the long run, it was very beneficial, as there was no upper limit to being controlled by others.
He strolled around the brothel, taking a look.
After checking the progress of the construction, Lu Ming left.
He went to another cloth shop, a property under the control of Marquis Zhao, or rather, the property of Emperor Ling.
Lu Ming had his underwear and trousers made here. The preliminary work, like preparing the silk threads, was done here, while he handled the subsequent high-end craftsmanship.
The trousers here also included men's underwear. Men wore underwear for protection and comfort. Ancient people didn't wear underwear; they only had something like boxer shorts, and even that was still in its rudimentary form.
Lu Ming never thought about updating the technology or changing anything; he only thought about making as much money as possible.
Not long after arriving at the fabric workshop, Zhao Hou unexpectedly appeared.
It had been almost three months since he'd seen Zhao Hou. Because of a previous unpleasant encounter with Zhao Hou's son, Lu Ming didn't want to go to Zhao Hou's residence.
He wasn't in a hurry, but someone else was.
"Oh, it's Zhao Hou! Long time no see. How have you been, sir?" Lu Ming asked with a smile and a cupped-hand salute. He didn't need to rely on Zhao Hou much anymore.
Cooperation still existed, but there was no dependence anymore.
He had gained Emperor Ling's trust and become the imperial son-in-law only through Zhao Hou's connections. Even though he had some disagreements with Zhao Hou's son, Liu Bi, he remained all smiles and went to great lengths to win him over.
Zhao Hou's complexion was not good; he looked somewhat pale.
Tuberculosis is not easily cured, especially since it involves some special ingredients that require special processing and synthesis. There are no naturally occurring tuberculosis drugs, so currently, only the symptoms are being alleviated. The fact that the disease is still present and hasn't worsened is good news.
"Anmin, long time no see. My health hasn't been good, and I've been busy with official duties these past few days, so we haven't been able to meet. I heard you achieved a great victory in Hedong, defeating a stronger enemy with a weaker force, and even brought back an elite army for His Majesty. Congratulations!" Zhao Hou forced a smile, it was hard to tell if it was genuine or not, but he was as enthusiastic as ever, only lacking some of his usual haughty air.
Lu Ming was already enough for him to invest in and cultivate relationships with. Since he had recommended him, he couldn't refuse.
"It's thanks to Lord Zhao's recommendation that I am where I am today. If it's convenient for you, sir, perhaps I could offer to examine you?" Lu Ming smiled, knowing it was best not to offend such a shadowy figure.
Furthermore, he could control the treatment.
If a conflict arose, killing the other party would be a simple matter.
"Haha, gold always shines, Anmin is too modest. Since we've met, why not have a banquet at my residence? Come, come, come." Lord Zhao extended a warm invitation; he indeed needed to make his moves.
If his son was incompetent, he would support a capable one.
Besides, his family was large and powerful; he didn't necessarily need his eldest son to inherit.
Lord Zhao's residence remained brightly lit.
The walls were adorned with precious ink paintings and calligraphy by renowned masters, intended to exude a scholarly atmosphere, but the literary ambiance was lacking, replaced by a strong smell of money.
After examining Zhao Hou, Lu Ming went to wash his hands. "My lord, have you been drinking again lately? Alcohol harms the spleen and stomach; it's best to drink less."
"Life is short, so enjoy it while you can. Since it's about ensuring the people's well-being, then I'll have one less drink," Zhao Hou replied nonchalantly. If he had truly listened, his condition wouldn't have worsened. "Cough, cough!"
The two sat down. Besides them, there were several other young people. Lu Ming counted eight in total, wondering whose young families they belonged to.
"Please sit," Zhao Hou said, addressing the eight young men. "This is General Lu Ming, a favorite of His Majesty, a miraculous healer, and the husband of Princess Wannian. Come and pay your respects to the General!"
"Greetings, General!" the eight young men shouted simultaneously, some listlessly, others merely moving their mouths.
Of the eight men, one was a familiar face—Liu Bi!
The young man who had previously called him a dog of the Han Dynasty was now among them. Interesting!
Lu Ming narrowed his eyes and cupped his hands in greeting. "Greetings."
Zhao Hou's invitation to Lu Ming was deliberate.
He needed to begin arranging for the next generation, and his conversation with Emperor Ling had given him a vague indication that the emperor intended to make his second son, Liu Xie, the crown prince.
The ancients said, "Establish the youngest, not the eldest; establish a son of a concubine, not the legitimate heir"—this has always been a path to chaos.
Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, chose his second son, Liu Ying, as crown prince, not his eldest son, Liu Fei.
Why?
Because Liu Fei was born of a concubine, while Liu Ying was born of the principal wife.
The common saying of "establishing the eldest son over the youngest" reflects the primogeniture system that had persisted in ancient China for thousands of years.
Now, Emperor Ling wanted to establish Liu Xie as crown prince, but the difficulty was far greater than Liu Bang's.
The eldest son, Liu Bian, was born to Empress He, and his maternal uncle was the powerful General He Jin.
A crown prince without sufficient support from his maternal family would find it difficult to maintain stability.
While the He family wasn't a top-tier family, they were enough to bolster Liu Bian's influence and power.
Liu Xie had nothing but Empress Dowager Dong, whose maternal family was not powerful and was even suppressed. Therefore, establishing Liu Xie as crown prince was extremely difficult.
Not extremely difficult, but practically impossible.
If Liu Bian ascends the throne, the He family will continue to enjoy wealth and prosperity, maintaining their glory for at least another thirty years.
However, if Liu Xie ascends the throne, it won't be a complete disaster for the He family, but their upward momentum will certainly be interrupted.
This is certain, because Liu Xie will use his own people, not those of them!