Chapter 532 Chen Ajiao

A red mechanical bird flapped its wings and flew over the palace wall. Liu Ju followed closely behind with his short legs, looking thoughtfully at the unfamiliar palace and the halberd-wielding warriors guarding the front of it.

Is there any part of the palace he hasn't been to yet?

No, he insisted on going in to take a look!

Avoiding the guards' sight, Liu Ju circled around the palace from the side and, choosing a suitable spot, pulled out a delicate and miniature grappling hook from his sleeve. The dragon-shaped claw tip was wrapped with a thumb-thick wire.

Liu Ju swung the grappling hook twice and successfully landed it on the paulownia tree inside the palace wall. He pulled hard to make sure there was no problem, then gripped the wire tightly and exerted force.

Using the momentum, his small body stepped onto the palace wall, and with a half-baked attempt at the Divine Speed ​​Step, he actually managed to flip over and get inside.

Sitting astride the wall, Liu Ju proudly raised his head and said, "I am truly a genius."

Then, he looked down at the height of the wall and the distance between it and the ground, and remained silent for a moment, then said, "Oh..."

He hasn't learned how to get down yet.

"Kid, who are you?"

Just then, a female voice asking a question came from not far away.

Liu Ju looked up and saw a woman in red leaning against the window frame by the carved window not far away. Her fingertips were twirling the copper wings of the mechanical bird, and the smile on her lips was like an icicle in winter.

"Sister!" Liu Ju waved her chubby little hands in the air, her sleeves embroidered with gold thread slipping down to reveal her slender, lotus-root-like arms. "Could you give me a hug?"

The woman sneered, "You dare ask me to hug you? Do you know who I am?"

"I don't know." Liu Ju tilted his head, blinked, and smiled brightly. "But if you lift me down and we get to know each other, you'll know!"

The woman in red, her wide sleeves billowing, strolled leisurely to the base of the wall: "How did you get up here?"

"That's how we got up here." Liu Ju gestured as he flicked the grappling hook.

"Then you can get down like this."

"I came up this way, but I haven't learned how to come down this way yet."

Liu Ju pouted, his honesty endearing.

The woman's gaze flickered as she stared at him, then she suddenly asked, "Who is your father?"

"Liu Zhuzhu!" Liu Ju blurted out.

The woman raised an eyebrow, a half-smile playing on her lips: "So what's your name? Little Pig Liu?"

"You can think of it that way." Liu Ju nodded seriously, then suddenly changed the subject, "Aren't you really going to hug me? Isn't it uncomfortable to tilt your head back like that?"

"Thank you for thinking of me."

"You're welcome."

The woman rolled her eyes. "You really want to come in? This is Changmen Palace."

Liu hesitated, "Then should I leave?"

The woman immediately reached out to catch him: "It's not that easy, get down!"

Her soft, squishy little body snuggled into my arms, and the scent of milk wafted around my neck.

Unexpectedly, the child pounced down without hesitation. The woman's body stiffened, and her arms tightened involuntarily, but she still said, "Are you really not afraid that I'll dodge?"

"I believe in my sister."

"Silly boy."

The woman carried him into the hall, placed him on the table, and then instantly changed her expression to threaten him, saying, "Little Pig Liu, once you're here, you won't be able to leave. If you're discovered, you'll be beheaded."

"Why?" Liu Ju asked, looking completely bewildered.

"Don't you know? The Changmen Palace is where the deposed Empress Chen Ajiao, the culprit behind the witchcraft scandal, is imprisoned."

Chen Ajiao stared intently at Liu Ju's expression as she spoke, word by word.

Liu Ju suddenly realized and asked, "So you were locked up here because you were playing with dolls, and then what?"

"It's not about playing with dolls..." Chen Ajiao was speechless, but then she thought that the child was too young to understand, and it was good enough that he knew about dolls, so she didn't explain further. "And then what?"

"It's after they're locked up."

Chen Ajiao was somewhat displeased, "I have already been deposed and imprisoned in Changmen Palace, what more do you want?"

Liu Ju took a deep breath in disbelief. "You mean, you play with a doll and don't have to go to work, just stay at home every day, being pampered with good food and drink, without having to do any serious work? Are there really such leisurely people in the palace?"

He was resentful and unhappy.

"..." Liu Ju's words silenced her. Seeing the envy emanating from him, Chen Ajiao was in a daze. Did she seem to be doing well?

You don't understand.

"I'd like to understand it too."

The child's words made it sound like he was trying to take over her Changmen Palace. She hadn't thought much of Changmen Palace before, but now that someone was trying to take it, it suddenly seemed incredibly precious! Chen Ajiao quickly changed her tune: "This mechanical bird is yours?"

Liu Ju smiled and nodded, gesturing with his two palms: "I released a total of ten little birds, and they all followed the little red bird here, which means we are destined to meet."

Chen Ajiao pursed her lips, "Being destined to be with me is not a good thing."

“How could that be?” Liu Ju immediately retorted.

Seeing this, Chen Ajiao turned her head away somewhat embarrassedly, changing the subject: "Looking at this mechanical bird, are you a disciple of the Mo family?"

Before she was deposed, she knew that Liu Che was vigorously building the Jixia Academy, but at that time it was just an ordinary academy, nothing special. So she didn't understand why Liu Che was doing this.

However, looking at the exquisite mechanical bird in her hand now, Chen Ajiao understood his intentions somewhat.

"Yes." Liu Ju nodded. He was a disciple of the Hundred Schools of Thought, or more specifically, a disciple of the Mohist school!

"The Mohist school... is quite impressive. How is the outside world developing these days?" Chen Ajiao asked with a hint of curiosity and longing in her eyes.

Liu Ju saw this and couldn't help but ask, "Do you want to go out and take a look?"

Chen Ajiao gave a wry smile, "I can't get out."

"If you could go out, which of the Hundred Schools of Thought would you prefer?"

"Why are you asking this?" Chen Ajiao avoided answering.

Undeterred, Liu Ju pressed on, "Confucianism?"

Chen Ajiao scoffed: "A bunch of pedantic scholars, always spouting 'benevolent governance.' They're nothing but scraps from the sages, vainly attempting to educate the world. When has this world ever been at peace thanks to a few empty words?"

Legalism?

“Severe punishments and harsh laws are nothing more than using fear to bind people’s hearts. They may seem to make the country strong, but in reality, they are like drinking poison to quench thirst. Once the pressure is gone, it will collapse like a building crumbling in an instant.”

"The Taoists?"

"Taoism's principle of non-action? Ha! If we let all things live and die on their own, the world would have been in complete chaos long ago. It sounds nice to say that we are following nature, but in reality, it is an evasion of responsibility and utterly outdated."

"The Mohist school?"

“A bunch of brainless craftsmen will only become puppets in the hands of those in power…” Chen Ajiao said, then realized that the child in front of her was a disciple of the Mo family, and paused, “I wasn’t talking about you.”

Liu Ju blinked, clapped his hands, and exclaimed, "I understand!"

What do you know?

"You're so good at Yin and Yang, you're a born Yin-Yang master."

Chen Ajiao raised an eyebrow at Liu Ju, then suddenly burst out laughing: "You little brat, do you think I can't tell you're trying to embarrass me?"

"No, no," Liu Ju shook his head like a rattle-drum, "I'll introduce you to someone later, you're really suitable!"

His attitude was extremely serious and sincere. In short, the Han Dynasty does not tolerate idlers! He would not allow anyone in the Han imperial palace to have an easier life than his!