Emperor Liu Xie is not a fool.

From the moment Dong Zhao's words of request came out, he instantly realized in his mind that all the situations he was worried about had finally arrived.

Although last time, the words of an old official of the Han Dynasty refuted it, which temporarily blocked Cao Cao's path to becoming king.

But the situation is still not optimistic!

Especially as the Cao family's power and control over the court became more and more overwhelming, this matter was inevitable.

As the emperor of Han Dynasty, he will face power struggle sooner or later.

But he didn't expect that,

This day will come so quickly.

Thinking about it this way, maybe the proposal to be crowned king at the last court meeting was just a tentative move by the other party.

We can also take the opportunity to eradicate some loyal old officials of the Han Dynasty.

After saying these words, Liu Xie glanced at both sides of the hall unconsciously. He glanced at it and found that no one answered after about a while.

His originally fierce expression suddenly seemed to be broken, and he was a little discouraged.

"Knew it……"

"Last time, the old minister defended the big man with righteous words, but in the end he was killed violently at home, and the whole family was exiled to the frontier."

"Now it seems that this is not only to weaken my influence in the DPRK, but also to knock down the mountain and frighten the tiger?"

Liu Xie's face looked a little downcast and he thought to himself.

Even though he has been on the throne for so many years and has rarely been in power, after many years of being a puppet, he is no less proficient in power than others.

Seeing that no one stood up to continue to fight for the Han Dynasty, it was not surprising that there was a hint of sadness on his face.

Probably because he is now an emperor who has lost power.

Apart from being aloof and enjoying the nominal gift of the emperor, he has no real power at all.

The person who was talking about the entire court was not himself.

The old ministers who spoke for themselves and the Han Dynasty had no meaning except being liquidated afterwards.

In this case, all the people in the court who are still present in the main hall are those who support the Cao family, or are simply neutral factions who mainly protect themselves by being wise and wise.

How could they speak uprightly and sacrifice their family's safety for the sake of the rise and fall of the Han Dynasty?

Liu Xie can empathize with this!

After all, he can't even control his own destiny. Every day when he wakes up, he doesn't know whether he can see the sunshine of tomorrow.

How can we talk about protecting loyal ministers?

It's understandable, but his face still showed a stern expression involuntarily the next second.

However, Dong Zhao, who was meeting from the side, pretended not to notice the slight change in Liu Xie's expression. He then continued to raise his voice and shouted loudly without waiting for Liu Xie's reply:

"Since my great Han Dynasty was controlled by the traitor Dong Zhuo in the past, all parts of the country have been in a state of chaos and rebellion."

"Without the Prime Minister, after more than twenty years of campaigning from east to west to pacify the prefectures and counties, how could the world be as peaceful as it is today?"

"The prime minister's achievements have shocked the past and present. No one other than Yi Yin or Lu Wang can compare with him!"

"Such heavenly achievements are what all people hope for. If you cannot be promoted to an official position, wouldn't it be a huge disappointment to the people of the world?"

"How can anyone continue to serve the Han in the future?"

After saying this, Dong Zhao seemed to roll his eyes, and then a smile appeared on his face, and he said: "What's more, there are still Sun and Liu thieves in the land south of the Yangtze River."

"If Your Majesty does not appreciate the Prime Minister's merits, how can his civil and military personnel be able to do their best when they attack the south in the future?"

"Your Majesty, Wanwang, must put the overall situation first!"

After saying this, Dong Zhao immediately knelt down and bowed his head.

Immediately afterwards, most of the noisy ministers in the hall stood up and knelt down beside the desk, kowtowing in agreement.

These people were basically visited by Dong Zhao in private.

A consensus has already been reached.

Naturally, they are willing to advance and retreat together with the Cao family and become ministers of the dragon.

As for the small number of neutrals, they still stayed at the table and watched indifferently, not getting involved.

Almost all of these people are wise and protective.

They neither threatened the emperor to submit openly nor opposed Cao's further advancement!

Among the ministers, the most special person is probably the Prime Minister Cao Cao, who is on the left side of the Emperor's Dragon Case.

I saw him sitting upright and kneeling on the mat, with his sword beside him.

He seemed to be sitting quietly, not showing any thoughts about the actions of the ministers, and his expression was calm.

There is no expression at all, it seems that the city is quite deep!

But no one stood up and tried their best to defend the Han Dynasty. The ministers who knelt on the ground and agreed with Dong Zhao's suggestion to beg the emperor completely took the initiative.

Faced with this situation, although Liu Xie was unhappy, he did not dare to vent it on his face. He had to ponder secretly for a moment, managed to squeeze out some seriousness, and said in a slightly consultative tone:

"My dear friends, the Prime Minister is now a Duke and holds the position of Prime Minister. His status is already that of a highly respected minister, above ten thousand people, and his official position is prominent."

"How to add a title to an official or a noble title?"

After finishing his sentence, he pretended to be confused and asked.

Dong Zhao naturally understood that the emperor was pretending not to understand, so he was not hypocritical. His face suddenly darkened, and he raised his hands and suggested loudly:

"Your Majesty, I think you can confer the title of King to the Prime Minister!"

"What?"

As soon as he said this, Liu Xie had already expected it, but he still exclaimed with pretended surprise on his face, and then explained with reason:

"Dong Aiqing, this is absolutely unacceptable!"

"Since the day Emperor Gaozu killed the white horse to swear an oath of alliance, we, the great Han people, have stipulated that those who do not have the same surname and are called kings will be attacked together by the world."

"Although the Prime Minister has been kind to our great Han Dynasty, he is now a prosperous official and a highly respected minister. How can he violate the ancestral precepts of the Han Dynasty?"

"This is absolutely impossible, I will never agree to it!"

At first, he explained it easily, but then the expression on his face quickly turned sharp, as if he had a very determined expression.

The words have settled.

When Dong Zhao heard this, a cold smile appeared on his lips.

Emperor Liu Xie's reaction was completely within his expectation!

Seeing this, he still showed a resolute look on his face and admonished, "No, Your Majesty, this happens at the same time and that happens at the same time!"

"The reason why the great ancestors of the past established this ancestral precept was because the princes and kings rebelled one after another and threatened the country."

"However, the Prime Minister has made great achievements in rebuilding the Han Dynasty. He has been dedicated to serving the country for many years and has never had the slightest thought of stealing the throne!"

"On the contrary, it is the prime minister's power of heaven. If he is not granted the title of king, it will be unforgivable."

"I believe that Your Majesty will not hesitate to uphold the ancestral precepts."

"What Dong Jijiu said is true!"

"Your Majesty, you must not hesitate."

"The Prime Minister's heavenly power is rare in ancient and modern times. He should be awarded the title of king!"

…

After saying several words in succession, the ministers who knelt down and begged for their heads also echoed Dong Zhao's words.

Upon seeing this, Emperor Liu Xie's back, draped in a dragon robe, seemed to have been soaked with sweat.

There are also faint drops of sweat on the forehead.

Seeing the ministers' efforts to force the palace, he felt strong pressure all over his body.

He then glanced sideways at the first Prime Minister Cao Cao on the left, who was sitting upright. He still closed his eyes in deep thought without making any move.

At this moment, Liu Xie's heart was full of sadness.

Even if what happened today was not instigated by Cao, it would still be Dong Zhao's tacit approval.

If not, how could he be so arrogant in the court?

And now, in his heart, the already sparse joy could not help but decrease a few points, and the dark atrium was once again shrouded in a shadow.

Gradually swallowing up the only light.

Cao insisted on forcing himself to be conferred a royal title, so what could he do?

Can the emperor who has lost power have the strength to compete?

Besides compromise, does he have any other options?
To be continued...