106 Chapter 106

◎Grapes.◎

Summer passed by quickly, and soon only a small tail was left.

Before August 15th, Liu Che set out for the Weiyang Palace, where the moon worship ceremony would be held on the 15th day.

His Majesty the Emperor has always been very positive about such superstitious practices of praying to gods and Buddhas.

As the queen, Wei Zifu had to preside over corresponding ceremonies in the harem, and the princesses also had to participate.

What Liu Ju was going to participate in was the sacrificial activities of the previous dynasty, and his position was only behind His Majesty, and the other princes could only see his back.

The treatment of the crown prince and ordinary princes was very different. Liu Ju was used to being a crown prince in his previous life, and he just thought it was natural that he was different from his brothers. However, he had some new insights after returning this time.

It’s no wonder that brothers in every dynasty have fought to the death for the throne; the temptation is simply too great.

Of course, being high and mighty also comes with huge risks. After all, the prince's enemies are not limited to his brothers. He also has enemies in the harem and in the court. There are countless people who wish the prince would fall out of favor and make mistakes.

Of course, there is also the emperor. The emperor and father have always been the prince's biggest enemy.

Liu Ju looked at his father's tall figure in front of him. In any sense, he was the person closest to the emperor.

It's not without reason that the emperor dislikes the prince. Having someone always standing behind you and trying to replace your supreme position is something that would be a thorn in anyone's side.

But you still need such a person to exist, and you must teach him well enough, otherwise your dynasty will not be able to be passed on.

Liu Ju thought that the feudal system had huge shortcomings. Unfortunately, we are all people who uphold the feudal imperial power and cannot break this shackle.

My father-in-law and I can only struggle in this shackle. Liu Ju thought, even if he was the Emperor Wu of Han who created so many achievements and influenced later generations.

After the sacrifice, Liu Che left the Weiyang Palace again, and this time his destination was Shanglin Garden.

Liu Ju naturally followed them. After all, his father made this trip because he was thinking about his previous promise to go to Shanglin Garden to hunt bear paws for him to eat.

Li Ying shook off the goose bumps on her body: "Eating bear paws again."

Liu Ju said: "In the BC era, bears were not protected species and could be eaten freely."

Li Ying said, "But eating wild animals is very dangerous. Be careful of viruses, Your Highness!"

Liu Ju said: "So I am making allicin. Also, don't tell an ancient person that wild animals can't be eaten."

Li Ying emphasized: "An ancient man who received modern education!"

Liu Ju didn't bother to argue with him and asked directly, "Is the garlic ready to be harvested?"

"It's almost there," Li Ying said. "In two or three days, Your Highness. Didn't you eat garlic sprouts before? I didn't have time to ask you, was it delicious?"

Li Ying was a chatty person, so Liu Ju said helplessly, "Haven't you ever eaten garlic sprouts?"

While making fried pork with garlic sprouts and fried eggs with garlic sprouts, Liu Ju also made an iron pan. The cooking won the emperor's favor. And because he disliked many people recently, the iron pan was only circulated in the palace and not spread outside.

Li Ying smacked her lips. "I haven't had stir-fried dishes in a long time. They taste especially good now."

Although he had always lived a life of luxury, Liu Ju actually didn't pay much attention to his appetite, and he didn't think there was anything wrong with the food he had eaten before.

However, Liu Ju probably offended the God of Food today, and his father wanted to give him bear paws to eat. Li Ying mentioned garlic sprouts to him. When they arrived at Shanglin Garden, Wei Qing presented a box of grapes to Liu Che, and he was called over to taste them again.

Wei Qing smiled and said, "This is a newly ripe fruit. Your Majesty, please try it. If it's sour, don't eat it."

The palace maid peeled the skin, and Liu Che opened his mouth to taste it, and then his eyes were squinted because of the sourness.

"acid."

Liu Ju hurriedly handed a glass of water to his father: "Old man, rinse your mouth."

Liu Che rinsed his mouth and said, "Qubing once told me that the grapes in your house are delicious. This kid..."

Wei Qing took the grapes back and said with a smile, "Then I'll give them to Qubing to eat."

"Give it to him!" Liu Che said with a smile, "Didn't he say it was delicious? Let him eat all of it."

Liu Ju hurriedly said, "Uncle, I haven't eaten yet!"

Liu Che reminded him: "I said it was sour, and you got your teeth knocked out, so don't cry."

"Aunt, I have to try it." Liu Ju insisted.

Liu Che then said with a smile: "Zhongqing, give him one."

Wei Qing handed the box over and said with a smile, "Ju'er, pick one for yourself."

Liu Ju looked at them and picked one with a darker color. He didn't ask the palace servants to peel it, but did it himself and took a small bite and ate it.

"It's okay," Liu Ju commented. "It's a little sour, but I can eat it."

"Hmm?" Liu Che sat up straight, "Let me try this."

"Ah?" Liu Ju said, "Aunt, I want to eat..."

Liu Che grabbed his son's hand and put the grapes into his mouth, and then he felt the sour taste again.

"hiss……"

This time it was Wei Qing who handed him a glass of water: "Your Majesty cannot tolerate sour food."

Liu Ju nodded: "Ah Weng, stop eating."

Liu Che rubbed his cheeks. He didn't want to try it anymore. "Ju'er, take it to your cousin. It happens that you both like it."

"Yes." Liu Ju responded and retreated with the box in his arms.

But he didn't expect that the one who liked sour food was not Huo Qubing, but his wife. Liu Ju thought that she was a pregnant woman now, so it was normal for her to like sour food. Besides, sour food is good for boys and spicy food is good for girls. Even if it was not Huo Qubing this time, he could still satisfy his cousin's wish of taking his son to fight on horseback.

…

This trip to Shanglin Garden was not very smooth. Liu Che failed to hunt the bear. His Majesty felt a little embarrassed in front of his son, but he had to return to Weiyang Palace, so he promised Liu Ju to bring him here next time.

Just a few days after returning to the Weiyang Palace, there was new progress in the rebellion of King Huainan Liu An. Liu Ju overheard that it was the news of adultery between Zhang Cigong and Liu Ling, so he stopped paying attention to it.

What is important about Liu An's rebellion is not whether Liu An rebelled, but what purpose Liu Che wanted to achieve through Liu An's rebellion.

Although the Enfeoffment Order had been issued, the princes would be thorns in Liu Che's eyes as long as they existed, and he would never be able to please them no matter how hard he tried.

There was a ready-made case of rebellion by the princes in front of him, and he failed and was strangled in the bud by the emperor. Liu Che had to make an example of him to scare the monkeys!

Therefore, Liu Che was not in a hurry to deal with Liu An's rebellion case. Zhang Tang was still investigating, and Liu Che did not urge him.

Besides, Liu Che still has a lot of things to do, Liu An... let him wait for now, after all, it’s not the Emperor who is anxious and frightened.

Compared to his busy father, Liu Ju was much more relaxed. After all, he was just a prince who was still studying. State affairs and military affairs were very far away from him.

So, taking advantage of this period of leisure, the garlic harvest began, and Liu Ju first thought about making sugar from a variety of sugarcane - this is the advantage of not having to work hard to cultivate the land himself.

Liu Ju even went to the group to show off to Fusu, but he only got a roll of the eyes in return. The Crown Prince of Qin was much busier than the Crown Prince of Han.

Seeing this, Liu Ju reflected for a moment, then decisively presented the new sugar-making method to his father and became a hands-off manager.

——Liu Ju had been a prince for many years in his previous life, and he understood one thing very well: the prince should never take on matters that the emperor should do. If he succeeded, there would not be much benefit, but if things went wrong, the responsibility would be all on the prince.

With the successive victories in the war against the Huns, His Majesty the Emperor was actually a little short of money, so in recent years he had been thinking about how to increase the income of the national treasury.

Sugar making, like porcelain and silk, is a long-term business. Before making money from foreigners, His Majesty the Emperor decided to wait until he succeeds and then take advantage of the princes in the country whom he dislikes.

In one summer, porcelain earned a lot of gold for His Majesty the Emperor, but Liu Che was very unhappy.

Since the princes can afford porcelain worth thousands of gold, it only means that they have more gold in their hands!

The princes seemed to be as rich as a country, and His Majesty the Emperor was of course very displeased.

Every autumn, the princes would make their annual pilgrimage to the emperor. According to custom, in addition to offering wine and gold to His Majesty, they also had to pay tribute with local specialties.

The current Emperor doesn't like the princes, and he is also very ruthless and difficult to deal with. He also has a general under his command who is more brutal than the Huns. The princes are already terrified when they come to pay homage every year, and this year the news of the rebellion of Prince Huainan broke out, making them even more cautious, as if treading on thin ice.

However, unexpectedly, even so, most of the princes did not get a good face from His Majesty the Emperor. They were sent away indifferently before they could say a few words.

——Of course, the princes don’t want to talk much with His Majesty the Emperor, but... His Majesty’s attitude now is obviously more frightening. Doesn’t he also want to follow his father’s example and reduce the power of the princes?

——Doesn’t he remember the Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms?

——Do the princes still have the ability to cause the Seven Kingdoms Rebellion?

After asking three questions in a row, everyone looked at the King of Huainan who had been convicted of treason and was waiting to see how the emperor would deal with him. They suddenly felt that the Enfeoffment Order was actually quite good, and that His Majesty the Emperor should let them go!

After the garlic harvest was completed, Liu Ju was busy testing allicin. The princes' visit to the court was originally nothing to do with him, but someone came to give him gifts.

Liu Ju: “…”

The princes have been in Chang'an for less than a month, and they're still trying to find trouble for me in this short time? The Crown Prince is meeting the princes. Do I think I'm living too comfortably?

Liu Ju immediately ordered people to decline all gifts and invitations to meet, but before he could go back to work, Liu Che sent someone to invite him.

In the Xuanshi Hall, His Majesty the Emperor smiled slightly and said, "Ju'er, who gave you any gifts?"

Liu Ju sensed something was wrong and answered truthfully, "I don't remember."

Liu Che asked again: "You rejected them all?"

Liu Ju guessed his father's intention. He groaned inwardly and said, "Yes, Aung, there are still people who want to see me, but I have refused them all."

Liu Che said, "Ju'er, what you did is wrong. The princes are all elders of the Liu family. How can you be so rude? Come, I will teach you how to do it."

The princes will never be able to leave Chang'an unless they pay a heavy price.

Liu Ju couldn't help but smile in gloating: "Please teach me, old man."

Liu Che said with a stern face: "Ju'er, don't laugh."

Liu Ju hurriedly imitated his father's expression and tightened his face: "Yes."