Chapter 163 Naming 75

Just as Liu Bang thought, building a national temple was a legitimate request, and the ministers who had followed him for a long time also knew that their emperor was truly protected by the spirit of the Han Dynasty. Building a national temple was nothing more than building a luxurious palace, and the court unanimously approved it.

When Liu Bang ordered Meng Tian to take Wei Shengjiujiu to the north, he also instructed Meng Tian to build a small state temple there, no matter how big, with two or three rooms.

He thought that since the Han hadn't explicitly refused his request to pass on intelligence, there must have been something to discuss, and it might be related to the temple.

Some ministers had doubts about the decision, but none of them objected, because several high-ranking officials in the court had praised His Majesty's wisdom, so there was no need for them to disagree.

…………

When Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu left, Zhu Qing Ai did not say goodbye, because it was really convenient for her to travel back and forth within the Great Han territory, taking only two minutes each way. If she said goodbye now, she could see him again that evening.

Without a physical body, one can really do whatever one wants. (jpg)

This made her feel that her goal of accumulating points to buy a physical product was starting to waver. Thinking about it carefully, having a physical product was quite troublesome. She had to be careful when using her body, and even more careful when not using it, so she had to find a safe place to store it. Otherwise, if it broke down and she had to buy a new one, it would hurt her terribly.

However, due to regulations protecting the rights of intelligent beings, the main system prohibits placing intelligent beings in the system space.

Otherwise, she could grit her teeth and buy a human body, but that would be too much trouble. Maybe she should wait until she accumulates more points and retires.

She could only sigh longingly at the bodies available in the system shop each time, so she closed the shop and spent a little bit of her points to buy new features for herself.

She bought a discounted teleportation feature; the regular one was too expensive and unnecessary, and its only advantage was unlimited teleportation on a single planet.

The discount feature she bought wasn't much different. Although it could only be transferred within her own territory, as long as the discount was applied quickly enough, it was no different from not getting a discount at all.

She could also use the points she saved to buy a plugin to make this feature intelligently managed. Overall, she felt she had made a profit.

…………

The procession heading north was quite large, with Liu Bang personally seeing them off with many ministers.

Standing in the farewell procession, Zhang Liang rubbed his eyes in surprise. He actually saw a mysterious smile on Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu's lips. Was this still the same serious and taciturn Grand Minister of Agriculture who would rather not speak than smile?

He was so curious that he didn't even hear Liu Bang calling him.

This immediately caught Liu Bang's attention. He wasn't petty; he was simply curious about what was wrong with Zhang Liang. He had never seen Zhang Liang so distracted in all these years.

"Zifang? Zhang Zifang?"

"Hmm? Oh, Your Majesty, I was impolite." Zhang Liang smiled awkwardly but politely, and bowed to Liu Bang.

"It's alright. What were you thinking about just now, so lost in thought?"

“This…” Zhang Liang’s gaze shifted for a moment, glancing at the many curious ministers around him. “I was thinking about something the Grand Minister of Agriculture told me earlier. It’s nothing important.”

After all, it was said to him in private, and Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu might not want him to tell anyone.

Liu Bang noticed that his ministers were curiously eager, but none of them took the initiative to speak up. Was he the only one left to play the 'bad guy'?

Fan Kuai suddenly realized: "No wonder the Grand Minister of Agriculture was smiling so happily when he left..."

Liu Bang looked at Fan Kuai: "You've figured it out?"

Fan Kuai replied frankly, "Ah? What, Your Majesty? Actually, I haven't figured it out at all."

Liu Bang: ...

Liu Bang chose to ask him directly: "Zifang, what do you say it is?"

When the emperor asked a question, no one would give a cold shoulder. Sorry, he decided to 'betray' Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu. Anyway, even if Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu failed this time, it wouldn't be a big deal. At most, he would be ridiculed by acquaintances for lacking charm.

“The Grand Minister of Agriculture once told me that he had someone he liked and even asked me for advice on how to pursue her. Seeing how happy he is this time, I wonder if his sweetheart lives in the north and I can pick her up on the way.”

Liu Bang recalled whether Wei Sheng Jiujiu had smiled very happily; it seemed he did have a slight smile...

He nodded: "Compared to his usual expression, it's not bad."

He had a headache when it came to the recent rebels, but he was wide awake when it came to gossiping about his men.

Liu Bang asked with a smile, "Did he say what his sweetheart looks like, where she's from, and why didn't he ask me to grant him a marriage?"

Liu Bang was not an emperor who kept a distance from his subjects in his daily life. He usually referred to himself as "I" or "I" and only used "朕" (zhen) when speaking in a more formal manner.

When someone is angry and cursing, they refer to themselves as "Nai Gong," which is roughly equivalent to "your father."

Zhang Liang knew nothing about these questions and shook his head directly: "He hasn't said anything yet. From what I heard, he hasn't succeeded in pursuing it yet."

"Why didn't you ask me? I..." Liu Bang stopped mid-sentence when he saw Lü Zhi's melancholy gaze beside him. He reluctantly shut his mouth. "Never mind, if he can really bring back a good man, I will grant him a marriage."

"Zhang Liang and Fan Kuai, stay. The rest of you may leave."

Although he has written the edict on establishing an heir, he has not yet announced it.

He was still pondering what Liu Ying had said that day. Liu Ying was certainly capable of being a good ruler who could maintain the status quo, but he had some other ideas and was waiting for the outcome of the war in the north before making any plans.

Zhang Liang and Fan Kuai were left behind to quell the rebellion. The dynasty was just beginning, and the non-royal princes left over from before had already started to make trouble.

Now that he has sent some people to guard the northern frontier and drive out the Xiongnu, those who were already restless will probably become even more unruly.

He had very few people he could trust, and Fan Kuai was one of them. Fan Kuai had been with him for a long time, and he knew Fan Kuai's character well. Moreover, they were related by marriage.

"If those people rebel, I intend to appoint you as the commander-in-chief to quell the rebellion."

Liu Bang walked at the front, followed by Zhang Liang and Fan Kuai, and further back were their guards and attendants.

The surroundings were open, and they could see far into the distance, ensuring that no one could hear their conversation.

"Furthermore, once the National Temple is completed, I will put on a play."

Zhang Liang and Fan Kuai both became serious and began to listen to Liu Bang's arrangements.

"In that case...you may go first..."

…………

Of course, before the grand show began, Liu Bang first went to find the spirit of 'Han'. After much difficulty, he found the country through the little princess, and shamelessly approached 'Han'.

'Han' reached out and tried to tease the little princess who was still in someone's arms. The servant holding the little princess was unaware that 'Han' was there and was half-kneeling and bowing to Liu Bang to show respect.

Ignored, Liu Bang casually took his daughter from the servant and held her himself, saying, "You may leave. There's no need to come in unless it's absolutely necessary."

"Yes." The servants and attendants in the palace all took a few steps back, then turned around and quickly walked out of the palace.

"Ancestors, do you have any requests for the statues in the temple?"

What he really wanted to ask was what the purpose of this temple was.

Looking at the delicate little face that was offered to her, 'Han' poked it with her fingertip. Of course, she was just a spirit, so the little princess's cheeks didn't even have a dent.

"Whatever you want," 'Han' replied nonchalantly. "She's healthy enough, have you decided on a name yet?"

We've always called each other by our nicknames, but now it's time for a formal name.

Seeing that 'Han' clearly expressed her fondness, Liu Bang suggested, "Why don't you name her?"

Are you sure?

Instead, Liu Bang hesitated: "Is there some taboo?"

“There are no taboos.” ’Han’s’ expression remained unchanged, but his gaze seemed to convey something.

He suddenly realized his mistake; his intended heir was not named after the Han dynasty. What should he do? Should he have Liu Ying change his name, or should he have another child with Empress Lü?

Before Liu Bang could even grapple with the choice between the two, the Han emperor spoke again: "Elegant and dignified, with a cheerful and amiable manner, let's name him... Liu Ya."

'Han': "elegant speech, elegant affairs, and refined manners."

Liu Bang nodded repeatedly, both sincerely and seizing the opportunity to flatter: "A good name, much better than what I came up with myself!"

'Han' bluntly replied, 'It does sound better than the name Liu Ruyi that you chose.'

Being teased is normal; he's used to it. He even proactively changed the little princess's nickname: "Then her nickname will be Yan Yan."

Although this honor fell on a princess, she was still related to him by blood. If he had known this would happen, he would have asked 'Han' again when the next prince was born.

“You…” ’Han’ suddenly turned around and looked at Liu Bang.

Liu Bang, looking like he was waiting for orders, asked, "?"

Are you free now?

Liu Bang: "If it is the ancestor's command, then even if there is no time, there will be time."

The Han dynasty was used to it; Liu Bang was like that.

“Then go get paper and pen,” 'Han' said, raising his hand to calculate the time. “We can still start drawing now.”

"Understood!"

Liu Bang returned to his familiar rhythm of drawing maps. He used to draw all the maps himself, bit by bit. He was really working hard to be a good ruler.

While his ministers were resting after court, he was drawing maps; while his ministers were sleeping, he was still drawing late into the night.

He was very skilled at this task. After the Han projected part of the terrain onto the table, he took bamboo paper, laid it on top, and then carefully dipped a brush in ink and began to trace along the lines on it.

He was well aware of his own abilities, and thankfully he knew how to draw, otherwise it would be hard to say what kind of garbled scribbles he would produce.

He didn't know exactly where the terrain formed by these lines was, but he recognized the labels next to them. Considering the recent situation, he realized that this was a topographical map of the area bordering the Xiongnu to the north.

As he sketched, he kept thinking about why he hadn't been allowed to start drawing earlier; the northward-bound teams had already set off, and he was only just beginning...

What does this mean? It means that the Han dynasty had its own way of sending the message over, and that it was related to the state temple he built. This is an implication for him.

He was more confident about his performance a month or so later. Although 'Han' didn't say it, Liu Bang believed that she still loved him.

When he was in a good mood, his subordinates became more efficient. Although he was working overtime, Liu Bang was still very happy.

So focused was he that he didn't see the man on the side teasing his little daughter with his finger.

A transparent fingertip waved in front of Liu Ya, whose big, dark eyes followed the finger's movement, and then she inexplicably burst into silly laughter.

Attracted by the laughter, Liu Bang glanced at his daughter and, confirming that she wasn't crying, that meant she was alright. Reassured, he let her lie down on the bed while he continued working overtime beside her.

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Author's Note: Actually, there are others who are terrible at naming things (like me [Clown]).