Chapter 270 What can I do?
“Your humble servant, I pay my respects to my royal brother.”

“Hahaha, please get up quickly.”

Familiar dialogue, familiar characters, the difference is that the scene of the dialogue is not outside the city of Chang’an, but in front of the Beigong Gate.

There is also one more person on both sides of the conversation.

Liu Ju smiled kindly and helped one of them up with one hand. “My second brother is weak, so please don’t pay attention to these red tape. If the emperor hears about it, he will definitely blame me.”

The thin King of Qi, Liu Hong, smiled and nodded in agreement.

The other end.

After greeting his second brother on his left, Liu Ju looked at his third brother on his right and said with a loud laugh, “You are still the strongest and most powerful one. Even I have heard of your bravery in the capital.”

Although he looked young, the King of Yan Liu Dan, who was already strong, answered with a high spirit: “Yan is a cold country located at the frontier. I have learned martial arts and can serve the court in the future!”

“Good ambition!”

Liu Ju praised, and then pulled up the two men one by one, “I came out of the palace specially to welcome you, and your father has not seen you two brothers for a long time. Let’s go into the palace.”

King Liu Hong of Qi nodded with a smile, while King Liu Dan of Yan puffed out his chest and strode forward.

The princes entered the palace hand in hand, and the attendants who accompanied them were waiting in the North Palace Duty Room. One was from the East, the other from the West, and their temperaments were completely different.

The attendants of the King of Qi are mostly scholars and Confucian scholars, all of whom are easy-going and gentle. The King of Yan is surrounded by many retainers and warriors, who cannot hide his fierce and sharp style.

“Who do you think is the bigger threat between the two?”

“It’s hard to say, what do you think?”

“They are all big!”

After Huo Guang finished speaking, he walked into the palace with steady steps without looking back. Li Ling, who was standing under the gate, seemed to be thinking about something. He looked at Huo Guang who was leaving, then looked in the direction of the duty room. After a while, he went to patrol in the other direction.

Li Ling currently holds the rank of General of the Household, in charge of the imperial guards.

The words are divided into two parts.

The Crown Prince brought the Prince of Qi and the Prince of Yan into the palace to pay homage to the Emperor. This process was not a deliberate arrangement to express the deep affection between father and son or brothers.

It’s just a ceremonial process.

According to the etiquette of the Han Dynasty, after entering the capital, the princes had to first go to the palace for an audience, which was called a “small audience”.

Every prince who comes to the capital has to go through this process, the only difference is that the King of Qi and the King of Yan have special status, so the Crown Prince has to come out of the palace to greet them.

According to etiquette, after the “small meeting”, the next procedure is the highlight of the emperor’s summoning of the kings.

In the second year of Yuanfeng, the first month of winter, that is, the first month.

The first day of the first lunar month.

The emperor, kings, marquises, the three dukes and nine ministers, all attended the ceremony in their best attire. During the ceremony, there was grand music and ceremonies, and the ceremony was solemn and grand. In the Taimiao, the princes held jade disks and placed white paper under them, and offered gold with the marquises. The emperor personally came to receive the gold.

This is the ‘Dharma view’.

At that moment when the princes from all over the world bowed their heads to the emperor and the heaven and earth were silent, the emperor, who was so independent, must have gotten what he wanted in his heart –

The power is spread throughout the universe and all the seas submit to him!
……

Jianzhang Palace, front hall.

In the grand hall, the princes of the Liu family were seated, and amid the clinking of glasses, someone laughed and said, “I have seen that your Majesty’s palace is magnificent, solemn, magnificent and glorious. When I compare it to my palace, it suddenly feels closed and dull. It is really hard to compare it.”

“Hahahahaha!”

As soon as King Zhao Liu Pengzu finished speaking, the other kings in the hall burst into laughter and repeatedly praised the grandeur of the Jianzhang Palace, which made the emperor very happy.

Today is the Liu family’s family banquet, and everyone present is a prominent prince. Some of those who could not sit still in similar scenes in the past are now sitting firmly at the banquet.

Crown Prince Liu Ju was at the head, followed by Prince of Qi Liu Hong and Prince of Yan Liu Dan. Even the fourth prince Liu Bo, who was only four years old, was also on the list.

And on the opposite side.

They were headed by King of Zhao Liu Pengzu and King of Jiaoxi Liu Duan.

“When Your Majesty led the army in person and passed through Zhao on his way back to the capital, I felt at that time that Your Majesty’s achievements far surpassed those of the previous emperors. Seeing this today…”

“It is true!” The one who spoke the most was the King of Zhao. He raised his wine cup and said generously, “I congratulate Your Majesty!”

As soon as he finished speaking, someone else followed.

It was not the eighth Jiaoxi King, but the younger Jiaodong King. “Very true, very true. Your Majesty made the Xiongnu submit to you. This is such a great achievement. Who can compare with it?”

These words…

It was a little too explicit, but the emperor just listened with a smile, without any intention of stopping him from being disrespectful to his ancestors. Instead, his dignified expression seemed to be saying:
‘Keep going, don’t stop, I love to hear it.’

Once someone breaks through the lower limit, the bottom line will go down, down, and down. Raising the emperor is secondary; lowering oneself is fatal.

How can a dignified prince fall into the trap of flattery and sycophancy?

King Zhao Liu Pengzu was the first to realize this. He was the first to speak up and the first to shut up.

unfortunately
He shut up, but the others didn’t.

The kings talked about the emperor’s personal expedition, the Fengshan Ceremony at Mount Tai, and the Korean War not long ago. Finally, they talked about the conquest of Nanyue and Dongyue, and the expansion of the territory in Hetao and Hexi, directly praising the emperor to the sky!
At the same time, he also flattered himself to the fullest.

The only prince in the palace who did not join in the craze of flattery was King Liu Duan of Jiaoxi. He… had no desires or demands, so there was no need to care.

Even the emperor didn’t care. Liu Che squinted his eyes and looked around. He was very satisfied and had a bright smile on his face.

Listened for a while longer.

The emperor raised his hand to calm the noise. When the noise in the hall died down, Liu Che stopped smiling and said with a sigh, “The last time I went to the capital to pay homage, my ninth brother and fourteenth brother were also there, but this time…”

“Ugh.”

The ninth brother, King Zhongshan Liu Sheng, passed away in the third year of Yuanding and officially became the King Jing of Zhongshan in the mouth of a certain Uncle Liu.

And the fourteenth brother, King of Changshan Liu Shun, also became King Xian of Changshan.

Among Emperor Liu Che’s brothers, only King of Zhao Liu Pengzu and King of Jiaoxi Liu Duan are still alive.

“King of Zhongshan.” The emperor called someone while expressing his emotion.

“I’m here.” The eldest son of King Jing of Zhongshan, now King Zhongshan Liu Chang, hurriedly bowed and responded.

“When your father was alive, he was fond of beautiful women, but it was not a serious matter. He left many descendants. As their elder brother, you must not treat them harshly.”

“I dare not!”

Liu Chang was a little nervous and was about to explain again, but the emperor waved his hand and interrupted him, “Hey, I was just giving instructions, not scolding.”

“I know that you are brothers and sisters, so you must continue to set an example for the royal family in the future.”

The word “role model” is so appropriate to describe Liu Chang!
Without him.

Among the entire royal family, his father, Prince Jing of Zhongshan, had the most sons, and was famous for it. With the Enfeoffment Order below and the emperor eyeing him covetously above, Liu Chang’s “brotherly love and respect” made him extremely respectful.

If there weren’t so many elders in the hall at this moment and the emperor was not staring at him, Liu Chang would have had a very gloomy face.

After the emperor had “encouraged” this person, he went on to encourage others. His rhetoric was completely –

Poke where it hurts the most!
In the end, it was inevitably the turn of the emperor’s brothers… There was no need to worry about the King of Jiaoxi, as he had no children.

“I heard that my brother is particularly fond of a concubine and is planning to depose the eldest and enthronize the youngest?”

This sentence was said to King Liu Pengzu of Zhao, and the favored concubine was Nao Ji, who was shared by brother and nephew.

King Zhao had been gritting his teeth secretly due to the endless flattery craze. Now, when he heard the emperor talking about Nao Ji in public, Liu Pengzu’s face twitched suddenly.

I feel as bad as if I had eaten shit!
“Your Majesty, you have misunderstood. I have absolutely no intention of deposing the eldest and enthroning the youngest. Liu Dan is a gentle and polite man. How could I depose him?” King Zhao replied first, then immediately changed the subject:

“I am far away in Zhao State, but I always take Your Majesty as an example. When I teach Liu Dan, I also let him learn from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”

Humph. The emperor nodded with a smile, without making any comment.

King Zhao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and continued praising the emperor, then the prince.

After the previous round of “struggle”, the princes in the palace have relived their painful memories. Like every time they came to the capital to pay homage, this banquet –

On pins and needles!

Seeing that King Zhao had brought up the topic, everyone quickly followed up, praising how wise and brave His Majesty was and how benevolent and loving the prince was to the people.

How the King of Qi is magnanimous, gentle, and talented; how the King of Yan is eloquent, strategic, brave, and so on!
You read that right.

When praising the King of Qi and the King of Yan, the aspects involved and the modifiers used are far more numerous than when praising the Crown Prince!

Is it a coincidence? How could it be possible!

You disgust me, don’t I disgust you?
The princes grew up in the light and supported the King of Qi and the King of Yan. You, Liu Che, are good at bullying your own brothers. When a fire breaks out in your backyard, let’s see how powerful you are!
It is worth mentioning that.

At the banquet, many people praised the Prince of Qi and the Prince of Yan, but no one praised the fourth prince Liu Bo.

Firstly, the fourth prince is still young and doesn’t understand things. If you support him, he won’t be able to do anything wrong.

Secondly.

The lineage of the Fourth Prince has clearly broken off relations with the Crown Prince’s Palace. Anyone who praises him is clearly making an enemy of the Crown Prince’s Palace, right?
The princes dared to be sarcastic and even dared not to embarrass him openly.

that’s it.

After a joyful, united and warm banquet, everyone said goodbye to the emperor with a smile, greeted the prince and left.

Liu Ju had experienced such scenes several times, and the hypocritical smile came easily, but after seeing off his uncles and brothers and leaving the Weiyang Palace.

He immediately dropped his smile.

“Your Highness.” Outside the palace gate, Liu De, who was invited into the palace today, looked hopeless and lamented:

“In the past, the royal banquet was always like this… er, like this…”

“So hypocritical?” Liu Ju added for him.

Liu De nodded with a bitter face. He thought that the worship banquet that the elders in his family had been asking for would…

Ok.

I didn’t have too many good expectations, but I didn’t expect it to be so painful!

The princes were on pins and needles, and so was Liu De, a member of the royal family who was about to be out of the fifth degree of mourning. He was just sitting in the hall and listening, and he was scratching his toes!

“hehe.”

Liu Ju smiled and said, “Today is not bad. The last time the kings paid homage to each other, it was much more exciting than this time.”

Liu De shuddered, looking frightened, and made up his mind that he would never attend such a banquet again.

At this time.

Liu Ju called for the carriage and made an invitation gesture to Liu De, “You were just pretending to smile at the banquet, and now you are still hungry. I have someone prepare a meal in the palace.”

“Do you want to come together?”

At the same time, while Liu Ju and Liu De were speaking the truth outside the palace, inside the palace and on the high platform outside the hall, some people were also shedding their hypocrisy.

“Father, although magnificent palaces are nice, building such palaces will inevitably involve large-scale construction, which will cost the people a lot of money and labor. It is better to be frugal.” King Qi Liu Hong said earnestly.

After the banquet is over.

After the kings left, the emperor left only King of Qi Liu Hong. Seeing his second son giving him advice and looking at the other’s slightly pale face, Liu Che just sighed and did not scold him coldly.

“Father knows that you have a kind heart, but when it comes to governing a country, we cannot be concerned about the gains and losses of a single penny or a single person.”

See this.

Liu Hong lowered his eyebrows, knowing that he could not persuade his father, so he had to shut up.

“I am keeping you here today so that you can go to Bowang Garden when you have the chance.” The emperor turned his head and looked over. “Your brother has hired some doctors. Let them see you.”

Liu Hong wanted to refuse. He knew his physical condition well. When he was in Qi State, he visited many famous doctors, but all of them were helpless. He had long been accustomed to being weak.

however.

When the words came to his lips, he could not refuse his father’s kindness, so he just said, “I remember it.”

“Go.”

There are many doctors in Bowangyuan Medical Clinic. Patients who cannot be cured elsewhere may have some hope of recovery here. After all, famous doctors are incomparable to ordinary people.

Unfortunately, Song Yi and Duke Song had left the medical clinic not long ago, and on their way back to Linzi in Qi State, they missed the carriage of the King of Qi.

What a pity.

However, there are still Yishuo and Yigong in Bowang Garden. Although she is proficient in gynecology, she is also capable of diagnosing and treating male patients.

In the following days, the kings stayed in the capital, and the emperor, as usual, continued to summon them to the palace for drinks and to build relationships.

But this year is different after all.

Because among the princes who came to Beijing to pay homage, there was also the emperor’s son, so while continuing to “strive”, there was also a little father-son affection mixed in…

The emperor often summoned the Prince of Yan and the Prince of Qi to question them, or test them on literary matters or martial arts. When he was in the mood, he would take them to Shanglin Garden to hunt.

According to reports.

His Majesty praised the two princes a lot, and one day he even asked about how to govern the country.

It was unclear how the Prince of Qi and the Prince of Yan answered, but the question the emperor asked and his attitude towards the two princes caused a stir in the hearts of the dignitaries in Chang’an!

Beidi, Bu Mansion.

Back hall courtyard.

“Your Majesty, they are already waiting in the front hall. Would you like to bring them in?” Imperial Censor Bu Shi asked softly.

The King of Qi was wrapped in a fur coat, his hands resting on the small stove. He did not answer Bu Shi’s question, but instead asked, “As soon as there was a rumor in the palace, they rushed to see me. Aren’t they afraid of offending my brother?”

Bu Shi told him frankly, “The people who came here all have some grievances with the Crown Prince’s Palace.”

Since there is already grudge, there is no need to be afraid of making further enemies.

Liu Hong did not look very happy when he heard this. He stared at the charcoal fire and said to himself as if he was talking:
“I have been weak and sickly since childhood, and I don’t have much ambition to compete for the throne. My mother died early, and my mother’s family is not as prominent as my brother’s. I really don’t see any hope.”

“How to fight?”

Bu Shi, who was standing beside him, had a gloomy expression on his face and said in a hoarse voice, “But your majesty asked the king to fight, so he had to fight even if he didn’t want to. What can we do?”

Yes.

Liu Hong laughed suddenly, just like the scattered snowflakes in the courtyard, just as pale, just as fluttering all over the ground, he couldn’t help himself, there was nothing he could do.

“Father wants us brothers to be the sharpening stone for our elder brother. If that’s the case, then let’s compete for it.”

Bu Shi had a sad face and kept wailing.

“Teacher, you don’t have to do this.” At this moment, it was the King of Qi who came to comfort Bu Shi. The young man smiled and said, “I am here to compete for the throne. If I can break a few of your teeth, it won’t be a waste of my father’s kindness.”

“If I can try hard to make Father miscalculate and give Brother a surprise, that would be even better.”

Hear the last sentence.

The sadness on Bu Shi’s face turned into a deep look, and after a while, he showed more determination. He bowed and asked, “Your Majesty?”

“Let them in.”

(End of this chapter)