Chen Qiu left Chang'an Palace in a daze and couldn't recover for a long time.

A little palace maid came secretly to Chen Qiu.

"General Chen, the princess has told me to tell you to complete the homework assigned by the empress conscientiously. This is very important."

Huh?

Chen Qiu wanted to ask more, but the little palace maid didn't give him a chance and ran away.

He was a little confused and scratched his head. He decided not to think about it anymore and just think about how to do his homework.

…

In the Chang'an Palace, Liu Zhao sat on a soft couch and ate melon.

"If you think Chen Qiu is not suitable, we can find another marriage for Ruyang."

Gu Jiu said, "Aside from his utilitarianism, Chen Qiu is also a promising talent. Besides, there's nothing wrong with being utilitarian. If everyone were as lacking in utilitarianism as Ren Qiu, the court wouldn't be able to function."

Liu Zhao nodded repeatedly, "That makes sense."

His biggest regret is Renqiu.

Liu Zhao once wanted Ren Qiu to succeed Mr. Lu as the Minister of the Central Secretariat, and Yang Ji would continue to serve as the chief steward of the overseas camp.

Even though Renqiu had no achievements, Liu Zhao planned to promote him against all odds.

As a result, my sincerity was misplaced.

But Ren Qiuzhi is not here.

Liu Zhao had to promote Yang Ji back to Beijing ahead of schedule.

For Emperor Liu Zhao, the lack of self-interest is actually a disadvantage.

Where there is utilitarianism, there is intention.

Having intentions is a good thing.

"So you approve of him? Is he worthy of our Ruyang?"

Gu Jiu asked Liu Zhao, "What about you? In your eyes, is he worthy of Ruyang?"

Liu Zhao thought for a moment, "He's a little off the mark. He's still young, after all. Among guys his age, he's quite outstanding. Of course, he's still not as good as those evildoers."

He felt emotional.

In recent years, the academy has produced many geniuses.

Liu Zhao couldn't help but show off.

Only in a peaceful and prosperous era can talented people emerge.

This is a sign of a wise ruler.

But the court officials did not buy his account.

The court officials would only talk about their family background or the good teaching in the academy!

It has nothing to do with Emperor Liu Zhao.

Liu Zhao responded with a laugh!

He was magnanimous and did not argue with court officials for short-term gains.

Liu Zhao asked again, "Are you sure it's him? The thought of marrying Ruyang to this brat makes me want to dismiss him from his post and have him thrown into the Jinwu Guards for torture."

Phew!

Gu Jiu laughed out loud.

"Don't scare him! I want to see how well he's done with his studies! He can't be a complete idiot if he wants to marry our daughter. I allow him to be ambitious and have aspirations, but I won't accept someone with great ambitions but little talent, or someone who looks down on others. Even more so, I won't accept someone who's cold-hearted and unfaithful. It's essential to observe his demeanor and character from his writing."

"Even if he's cold-hearted and ungrateful, he has the will but not the courage. The Second Brother is overseas and will take care of him and ensure that Ruyang is not harmed."

Gu Jiu shook his head. "If a couple is living together and he's really not a good person, it doesn't mean there's no harm just because you say there's no harm. By the time we discover the problem, the harm is likely already done."

"Then what do you say we should do? Or don't marry her. I will support her for the rest of her life."

"Are you sure?" Gu Jiu looked at him with a smile.

Liu Zhao sighed, "I'm not sure, and I can't bear to see Ruyang die alone. Having someone by your side and having a few children is always better than being alone. When you encounter difficulties, at least you have someone to talk to and someone to help share the burden."

Gu Jiu laughed at him, "I didn't expect you to be sentimental sometimes."

"I am as sensitive as a poet!" Liu Zhao was proud.

Pooh!

Gu Jiu was very disgusted.

He became more and more shameless and even compared himself to a poet.

He is clearly a vulgar person!

…

Before Chen Qiu finished his work, Liu Zhao issued two edicts.

The second prince Liu Heng and the third prince Liu Xun were granted the title of king and the title of prince.

Liu Heng was granted the title of Prince Rong, and Liu Xun was granted the title of Prince Lu.

When the decree of bestowal of the title was issued, the whole world was shocked.

"Your Majesty is more generous than the late emperor!"

The ministers nodded repeatedly.

"Not only did he confer the title of Prince upon the princes, but he also prepared palaces for them in advance, and even had separate courtyards. It is said that His Majesty and the Empress subsidized 500,000 to 600,000 taels just for the renovation of the palaces."

"Not only that! Princess Ruyang returned to the capital this time, and the rewards given by the Empress and His Majesty totaled two hundred thousand or three hundred thousand taels."

"The Emperor and Empress only have one daughter, and they are both wealthy. It is not surprising that they reward Princess Ruyang with hundreds of thousands of taels of wealth."

"Not only is he more generous than the late emperor, he is also more generous than the previous emperors."

When the court officials met a generous emperor, they felt both happy and sad.

On the one hand, he was worried that the emperor would squander all the wealth he had accumulated with great difficulty.

On the other hand, they also hoped that a little bit of money would slip through the emperor's fingers so that they could also benefit from it.

"Now, all three of your highnesses will be princes! The advantage that Prince Qi held as the sole leader will be gone. I'm afraid the situation in the capital will have to change."

"Besides, His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi is not in the capital and is unlikely to return in the short term."

"What do you mean by this? Are you saying that the Second and Third Princes also want to compete for the throne?"

"Maybe not before. But now that I've been granted the title of prince, as a prince, who can resist? I have to fight for it."

"Your Highness Prince Qi has a solid foundation..."

"But His Majesty has never confirmed the Prince of Qi's position as crown prince, and has never even brought up the subject in court."

"According to your understanding, His Majesty is dissatisfied with His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi? Then why did he send His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi to the Western Regions for training?"

"Is that training? His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi was sent to the Western Regions, which is clearly exile. There's plenty of opportunities for training in the Jing Camp. Why does he have to rush to the Western Regions to fight? Swords and guns are blind. If something goes wrong, wouldn't it be..."

"I disagree with this! If Your Majesty doesn't value His Highness the Prince of Qi and is exiling Him, then why would you give half of your personal guards to His Highness the Prince of Qi to protect His Highness's safety?"

"That makes sense!"

"I think someone wants to muddy the waters of the capital and take advantage of the situation to fish in troubled waters."

"Nonsense! The Second Prince returned to the capital, and immediately afterwards, the two Princes were granted the title of Prince. I simply cannot believe that you have no thoughts on this!"

"Even if I had such an idea, I wouldn't be so crazy as to think that Your Majesty would exile His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi to the Western Regions."

"Your Majesty only has three legitimate sons. Bypassing the eldest son and enthroning the Second or Third Prince is tantamount to sowing the seeds of disaster. This will inevitably lead to chaos in the court. Chaos in the court will not benefit Your Majesty's plan to rule the country in the slightest."

"Furthermore, His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi has done nothing wrong, and His Majesty has never had any dissatisfaction with His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi. Most importantly, His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi already has two legitimate sons."

"A legitimate son is crucial! On the other hand, the Second and Third Princes haven't even gotten married yet, so having children is a distant prospect."

"Your Majesty's dispatch of His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi to the Western Regions itself carries a certain unusual flavor. Let us wait and see which prince will ultimately ascend the throne."

"Okay! We'll see."

Before anything happened to Prince Rong Liu Heng and Prince Lu Liu Xun, the court officials started to make trouble and consciously divided into factions.

What is the struggle for the throne? This is the struggle for the throne.

Even if the princes did not have that idea, the people around them would push them all the way to that location.

Prince Rong Liu Heng was a few years older and had some experience.

After receiving the decree to be crowned king, he would close the door to visitors except when he went to the palace to express his gratitude. He would not see anyone who came to visit.

Prince Liu Xun of Lu continued to work at the Audit Department as usual.

However, he did not expect that there would be people coming to him all the time to show their presence, which made him very annoyed.

Finally, he followed his second brother Liu Heng's example and closed the door to visitors.

I will not go out until the storm stops.

…

"Look what you've done to the children!"

Liu Zhao muttered in Gu Jiu's ear, very dissatisfied.

"These court officials are only interested in chaos. I bestowed upon my children the title of king, and they each imagined countless dramas. Some kept saying that I was dissatisfied with the eldest son. Sending him to the Western Regions was a disguised exile. Some actually believed this obviously false rumor and even came to test me. It's infuriating!"

Gu Jiu said with a stern face, "Lie down! Have you been in pain again these past two days?"

Liu Zhao nodded. "When the weather gets cold, my health starts to deteriorate. Those court officials don't understand me and only make me angry. Look at me, am I that kind of cruel and heartless father? I sent the eldest son to the Western Regions as a training ground. Yet, a bunch of villains fabricated all kinds of rumors about him."

"You said they were villains, so why bother about it." Gu Jiu poured medicated oil and gave Liu Zhao a massage.

"I can't let it go! I lost my temper at the morning court today. I hope those people will be more self-aware and keep their mouths shut. If you dare to sow discord and mislead people again, I'm afraid the world will be in chaos. The Jinwu Guards will be on your side."

"This matter cannot be ignored, but there's no need to get too angry! I anticipated this situation long before the king was crowned. As the saying goes, even if the tree wants to be still, the wind will not stop! The court officials are that wind, and when it blows to the local government, the local officials will follow suit and join in the fun. I think it's better to just confirm the title of the boss."

Liu Zhao shook his head repeatedly. "I'm worried that once the title is confirmed, you'll be subjected to overwhelming attacks. Every crown prince has always been a target of attack by court officials. The fate of Crown Prince Renxuan is a lesson for us. I witnessed with my own eyes how the court officials fabricated stories to pin Crown Prince Renxuan down. I can't bear to let you bear this pressure. A good crown prince being attacked every day would drive even a normal person crazy. This person, once his character changes, it's all over!"

Gu Jiu nodded. "Your concerns are not without reason. I was not thoughtful enough on this matter. You are right. We cannot publicly establish the status, but we cannot let the court officials stir up trouble either. We were originally good brothers, but the people around us kept sowing discord. Sooner or later, we will become enemies."

"Then call the children to the palace and have a deep conversation!"