Chapter 332 Dark Clouds
Dark clouds covered the city. Above the sky, there were howling winds, lightning and thunder. There was no light between heaven and earth. Heavy rain rushed down from the sky without stopping for a moment. The continuous raindrops formed a continuous curtain of water.
In the torrential rain, there is a magnificent city, like a silent giant beast, or like the residence of gods, vaguely emerging. It is the capital of the Han Dynasty, Chang'an City.
The hustle and bustle of Chang'an City during the day was washed away by the heavy rain, and the countless undercurrents returned to silence.
Only in the residences of Marquis Che, some voices were heard, the words were full of worry, and listening carefully, they were about the Regent Prime Minister Luo Xin.
"Since the death of Marquis Ying and Marquis Anyang, the Prime Minister has been so moody. When I looked at him, I thought he was going to kill me. It was so scary."
A group of Chehou sat casually in the house, had a few drinks to relieve their depressed mood.
"Alas, who said it wasn't true? I really don't want to go to court now. I was careless a few days ago and had a bad meal. It's really disrespectful that Marquis Ying is not here. It's really hard to live like this."
"How long will it take for Your Majesty to be crowned?"
Marquis Wuyang asked the key question, and the atmosphere in the room suddenly stagnated. Liu Heng's crowning was not a problem. The key was that Luo Xin should return power after the crowning.
Of course, Luo Xin could also choose not to return power. After all, returning power after being crowned is an unspoken rule, not a must. But if he really did that, the atmosphere in the entire court would change drastically, and all affairs would revolve around the power struggle between the regent and the emperor. There was no telling how many conspiracies and calculations would be hidden beneath the surface.
Marquis Jiang said softly, "Wait, there will always be a day when we will sharpen our swords and spears, and we will be the ones to defend the Han Dynasty."
Imperial Palace, Changle Palace.
Liu Heng stood under the eaves of the palace. He was tall and straight, and very handsome. Except for some fine hair around his mouth, he was almost becoming a real adult.
He looked at the heavy rain and said to Luo Xin, "Uncle, I'm afraid this heavy rain won't stop for a while. You should stay in the palace tonight. There are countless palaces in Changle Palace, all of which are open to you."
“Ahem.”
Luo Xin stood under the eaves with his hands behind his back, coughed twice, and chuckled, "Your Majesty, look outside the high palace walls, those marquises must be talking about how harsh I have been to them these days.
I will drive the best of them back to their fiefdoms, and deal with a few of the noble children who are really not up to par."
Liu Heng heard this and said, "Thank you for your hard work, uncle."
The next day.
An imperial decree issued from the Forbidden City shook the city of Chang'an just after dawn. The cavalry rushing out of the palace stepped into the puddles on the ground, splashing puddles of water. The silence of the city of Chang'an was broken.
Many people who had just woken up watched as the imperial guards rushed into the streets of Chang'an City where the powerful and wealthy gathered.
Then they surrounded Marquis Che's mansion.
The Chehou who had gathered to drink last night were still drunk and never dreamed that they would be visited by the palace guards.
"I am the captain of the guard of the Regent Prime Minister. The Regent Prime Minister summoned all the princes to the palace to meet His Majesty. I will leave immediately."
When Wuyang Hou and his men heard this and looked at the men's appearance, they immediately said, "General, can you allow us to wash up? Wouldn't it be disrespectful to meet His Majesty in this state?"
Who knew that the leading general said grimly: "There is no time for you to pack up, go to the palace immediately, the regent prime minister is calling you urgently, and you guys can't afford to delay things."
The people who came to look for these Che Hou were brave warriors of Luo State and people close to Luo Xin, so naturally they would not give these people face.
Besides, this is a sting operation, so we will naturally not give these people any chances.
Marquis Wuyang and others felt bitter when they heard this. This was a day off, and who knew why the Regent Prime Minister suddenly summoned them to meet His Majesty? Moreover, they ran into such a cold-faced person whom they had never seen before, who was not flexible even towards them, the Marquis Che.
But there was no other way, these people could only rush to the palace, still smelling of alcohol and wearing messy clothes.
These people were taken to a side hall where the prime minister usually met with foreign ministers. Seeing that Luo Xin and Liu Heng had not arrived yet, they started chatting and guessed the purpose of Luo Xin calling them.
But they could never have guessed that they had a purely superior-subordinate relationship with the Regent Prime Minister. If Marquis Ying were still alive, they would go to Marquis Ying's mansion to congratulate and pay a visit during festivals, but they really had no friendship with the Regent Prime Minister.
"Thump, thump, thump."
As the footsteps sounded, these people sat up straight one after another, but their messy clothes and hairstyles as well as the smell of alcohol made them look a little funny.
This was the scene that Luo Xin and Liu Heng saw as they walked into the hall. They stopped immediately. Wuyang Hou and others looked towards Luo Xin and Liu Heng, and when they raised their heads they saw that the expressions on their faces were very ugly.
Grand Prime Minister Luo Xin was clearly furious, and shouted, "Is this how you meet His Majesty? You are so disrespectful in front of the Emperor!"
As soon as Luo Xin said this, Marquis Wuyang and others felt very aggrieved. It was your guards who did not let us enter the palace with our belongings packed up, so why are you blaming us now?
Moreover, the charge was of impoliteness in front of the emperor. He wanted to argue immediately, but Liu Heng spoke faster, "Grand Prime Minister, I'm sure the princes didn't do it on purpose. Why don't you ask the reason?"
Luo Xin said arbitrarily: "Your Majesty, I summoned these people from their mansions, but they behaved so badly. This is too arrogant. If we don't train these people severely, how can they become the pillars of the country?
According to my opinion, these people should be sent back to their fiefdoms in Shandong to guard the borders and keep the people safe, so as to achieve results in the future."
Marquis Wuyang and his men never expected that they would be driven out of Chang'an City so easily. After all, the Liuhou Mansion was punished for seizing the land of the common people. We were deceived and lost our manners in front of the king. It was really too unfair.
"Your Majesty, Grand Prime Minister, we are wronged!"
Wuyang Hou and others just cried out in injustice, and then they heard Liu Heng say: "Grand Prime Minister, is this the only way? They are all descendants of founding heroes. Although they have committed a serious mistake, is the punishment too severe?"
Luo Xin said firmly: "Being indecent in front of the king is not a small fault, it is a lack of correct thinking. If they were not the descendants of the founding heroes, I would definitely punish them severely. Now just sending them back to their fiefdoms is already a great grace. If they reform in the future, and you think they are promising talents, you can naturally call them back."
After hearing what Luo Xin said, they were completely desperate. The Prime Minister was determined to drive them out of Chang'an. They even began to wonder what they had done wrong.
After all, during the Prime Minister's decades of ruling career, something like this has never happened before.
Liu Heng sighed softly and said to the people who were looking at each other in bewilderment, "Why don't you come over and thank the Prime Minister for his grace?"
A few people thanked Luo Xin in a somewhat humiliating manner, and were then taken out of the palace.
After leaving the palace, these people realized belatedly: "Something is wrong, is the Prime Minister planning to take action against us nobles?
He has been bullying people all these years, and now the princes have been defeated, and the Han Dynasty has been overthrown. Only people like us can be his opponents."
Marquis Jiang was surprised and suspicious when he heard this, "Not really. Although we noble families are powerful, compared to the Prime Minister, we are nothing compared to the stars and the bright moon. Unless the entire Chang'an City and all the marquises in the world unite, how can he take us seriously?"
Marquis Wuyang whispered, "Of course the Prime Minister will not take us seriously, but the Prime Minister is not young anymore. Marquis Anyang was even younger than the Prime Minister, but he has passed away. The Prime Minister may be worried that we will harm His Majesty, so he drove us out of Chang'an City in advance, just like he drove the Liuhou family out of Chang'an City back then. Isn't it because he is worried that the Liuhou family will harm His Majesty's reputation?"
Marquis Jiang became even more suspicious, and then said: "But we are all your Majesty's most loyal subjects. In this world, besides your Majesty, is there anyone else qualified to become the emperor?
How could the Grand Chancellor doubt us?"
Everyone nodded in agreement with Marquis Jiang's words. That was it. They might be thinking about fighting for power, showing off their might, or even having some illegal ideas, but the only thing they had not thought about was rebellion, and the only thing they had not thought about was doing harm to the emperor.
After decades of rule, as long as the Luo family does not attempt to usurp the throne, the status of the Liu royal family is as stable as a rock.
Will Luo usurp the throne?
Won't!
This is the idea of the vast majority of people, especially the actions of the brothers Luo Xin and Luo Yi in recent years, which have made this idea deeply rooted in people's minds.
“What can be done about this?
Our family is not like the Luo family, or even the Xiang family of Chu, where countless generations have proven their loyalty. Naturally, the Prime Minister will be suspicious of us.
But brothers, don't worry too much. The Prime Minister's actions seem to indicate that he is going to return power. As long as Your Majesty holds power and we gain Your Majesty's trust, we will be able to return to Chang'an."
The previous generation's Marquis of Wuyang was a meticulous and reckless man. The current generation's Marquis of Wuyang did not inherit his father's bravery, but became full of cunning.
Hearing his words, everyone looked up at the closed palace gate and thought to themselves: We must come back here and restore the glory of our family.
Afternoon.
An imperial edict was issued from the palace. The content of the edict was very simple. It stated that Marquis Wuyang and others had behaved improperly in front of the emperor, and they were ordered to return to their fiefdoms immediately to reflect on their mistakes.
You are not allowed to return to Chang'an without an imperial decree!
This decree spread throughout the entire Chang'an City in an instant, and everyone from the nobles to the common people were talking about it.
(End of this chapter)
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