When Liu Tan saw Liu Qumao, he felt something was wrong. The situation outside was like this, so why did everyone still support the prime minister?
Before, Liu Tan thought that the city had not been able to open the gates to welcome the enemy, which meant that Liu Qumao must have been suppressed or even captured.
No matter what the situation is, it shouldn't be like this. Why are all the officials still secretly following Liu Qumao as the leader?
Don’t they know that Liu Qumao has already rebelled?
Liu Tan didn't believe that all the civil and military officials were Liu Qumao's followers. Did he think Liu Che was a fool? If Liu Qumao was really so capable of forming a clique for personal gain, he would have been killed by Liu Che long ago. Why would he keep him alive until now?
Miao Rui and Bi Gao tightly guarded Liu Tan and asked, "Your Highness, could this... be a trick?"
"Whether there is one or not, I have to go."
Now we can't lose either the man or the formation.
However, Liu Tan still ordered someone to tell Wei Buzhi not to rush into the city and to wait outside. If he was safe, he would send someone out of the city to inform him every day. If he did not inform him one day, he would let Wei Buzhi quickly return to the Northern Border Kingdom to dispatch the army.
He told Wei Buzhi that he came to rescue him, but in fact he knew that if Liu Qumao really wanted to start a rebellion, the first person he would kill would be him, so it was likely that when the time came, Wei Buzhi would only bring people to help him get revenge.
As he rode toward the city gate, he suddenly wondered: If he accidentally died in Chang'an, would he be buried with him in Maoling? It seemed his mausoleum had never been built. Huo Guang had previously told him to choose a location, but he hadn't bothered to do so. He didn't know if his father would be able to return in time to collect his body.
Although he was thinking about death, Liu Tan was very calm.
When he left the Northern Territory, he knew that this trip was very dangerous and he might not be able to go back.
But he still made the decision, so it seems there is nothing to be afraid of.
After Liu Tan's team crossed the moat, he dismounted, put his right hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist, and walked over with an expressionless face.
Liu Qumao saluted him from a distance and said, "This humble official pays respects to His Majesty the King of the Northern Territory."
Liu Tan stood in front of them, took a quick look, and found that everyone had come in great numbers. For a moment, he was a little confused about the current ecology of Chang'an.
The water in Chang'an is still too deep.
He smiled and helped Liu Qumao up, saying, "Please don't be so polite, everyone. You've been frightened these days. It's all my fault for being so slow."
Liu Qumao stood up, tears welling in his eyes, and said, "We have all waited day and night for His Highness to finally come. We knew His Highness would not abandon Chang'an!"
Liu Tan almost vomited on the spot when he saw that he was so excited that he was about to cry. Only then did he realize that his acting skills seemed to be still inferior to these old foxes.
He quickly changed the subject and asked, "How is the Queen? How is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"
Liu Qumao quickly explained, "The Queen is fine. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has woken up, but he is completely exhausted and unable to handle state affairs. The court now relies entirely on the Queen to preside over it."
Liu Tan immediately said, "I will go to the palace to visit my mother and the crown prince first. We should close the city gates first. This time, I am traveling light and only have so few people with me. I only have this opportunity because I caught the Marquis of Liang off guard. If the other rebels discover us, they might attack us directly."
Upon hearing this, everyone hurriedly took Liu Tan into the city and ordered people to continue guarding the city gates.
As Liu Tan walked towards the palace, he asked, "What's the situation in Chang'an now?"
Liu Qumao said, "Your Highness, the people of Chang'an are relatively stable now. They are not in a panic. But that is only because the siege is still short. If it lasted a few more days..."
Liu Tan looked at Liu Qumao and then at Sang Hongyang. This kind of question should have been answered by the Minister of Agriculture, but Liu Qumao answered it first.
Sang Hongyang smiled at Liu Tan, looking nonchalant. Liu Tan thought for a moment and said, "Where is the Chief Justice?"
A very thin middle-aged man stood up and said, "Your Highness, I am Du Zhou, your Highness."
Liu Tan pointed behind him with his whip and said, "I have brought two captives with me. One is Liu Qi, the Prince of Guangchuan, and the other is Liu Chaoping, the Marquis of Jiangliang. I hand them over to you."
He turned to look at Liu Qumao and said with a smile, "From what I know, Liu Chaoping seems to be the Prime Minister's elder brother."
Liu Qumao said with a cold expression, "I am loyal to Your Majesty and do not have such a traitorous brother! If Your Highness considers us as fellow royal family members, please give him a quick death!"
Is this an attempt to silence someone?
Liu Tan smiled and said, "Not really. We have to know why they suddenly rebelled. They were all fine and obedient before, so why did they suddenly rebel? We still have to ask them."
Without waiting for Liu Qumao's reaction, he turned to Du Zhou and said, "These two people are crucial. We need to see if they have any connections with others. It will be difficult for me to catch them. Tingwei, you must keep a close eye on them. If anything happens to them, I will be very unhappy."
Du Zhou immediately said, "Don't worry, Your Highness. I will never harm an innocent life."
Liu Tan: ...
Why did he feel so upset when a cruel official said such words to him?
But by the time he finished speaking, they had already arrived at the palace.
The Grand Chamberlain, who was beside the Queen, had been waiting at the palace gate long ago. When she saw Liu Tan, she immediately came forward and said with tears in her eyes, "Your Highness, you are finally back."
It must be said that the tears in the eyes of the Grand Chamberlain made Liu Tan's heart soften. He quickly went over to support him and asked, "Where is the Queen Mother?"
The Grand Chamberlain said, "My wife is waiting for Your Highness in the Pepper Room."
Liu Tan took a deep breath, turned around and said to the officials, "It's getting late. Please go back and recuperate. We will discuss this tomorrow!"
Liu Qumao stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, now that we have captured one of the four rebels, do we need to pursue them?"
Liu Tan turned and asked, "I heard that the Grand Marshal was assassinated. Is there anyone in Chang'an who can lead the troops to fight?"
Liu Qumao sighed slightly: "If there were, why would we have been besieged for so long? But since Your Highness is here, it is natural..."
"Prime Minister," Sang Hongyang said, his eyes lowered. "Your Highness took five days to return to Chang'an from Shuofang City, and in the process, he also captured Prince Guangchuan and Marquis Jiang Liang. Even a body of steel couldn't withstand such an ordeal. If anything were to happen to Your Highness again, could the Prime Minister afford the compensation?"
Liu Qumao still sighed: "Alas, if it weren't for our incompetence..."
"Prime Minister, please don't say that." The Imperial Censor beside him said, "The Prime Minister has been saying for the past few days that we can't send troops without the tiger talisman. I wonder if the Prime Minister has found the tiger talisman yet?"
When Liu Tan heard this, he couldn't help laughing. He said how could the civil and military officials obey Liu Qumao's orders and be of the same mind as Liu Qumao. It was estimated that they had had several conflicts before, but the winner was not determined.
Now that Liu Tan's arrival may break the balance, these people decided to make their positions clear publicly.
Liu Tan said, "I don't have the tiger talisman either, so I can't mobilize the troops in Chang'an. The Prime Minister isn't asking me to take 500 men to fight the rebels, is he?"
Liu Qumao's expression was a little stiff. He had begun to gain the upper hand in Chang'an before. Both the Grand Censor and the Chief Justice were suppressed by him. The Grand Minister of Agriculture was just one of the Nine Ministers. What could he do to him?
Unexpectedly, the appearance of a mere King of the Northern Territory disrupted his entire plan. Liu Qumao secretly hated Liu Chaoping for being a waste.
How could a few thousand people lose to five hundred? At this moment, even Liu Qumao began to doubt whether Liu Tan really knew some kind of magic. Otherwise, how could he have done it?
He forced a smile and said, "Your Highness, you are joking. Now that Your Highness is here, maybe you can find where His Majesty's tiger talisman is."
Liu Tan said calmly: "Let's see. Okay, everyone go back first. Others should not dare to attack the city tonight, and everyone can sleep well."
He really didn't want to bother flirting with Liu Qumao anymore. What was the point of talking so much nonsense? He might as well wait for Du Zhou to pry Liu Chaoping's mouth open.
Everyone dispersed in groups of three or four, each with their own worries.
Liu Tan followed the Grand Chamberlain all the way to the Pepper Room.
The Pepper Room was brightly lit at this time. Liu Tan entered and knelt down immediately: "Your son pays respects to your mother. I am sorry that you frightened me by being late."
Chen Ajiao quickly came over to help him up and said, "How come you're here so soon? Thank you for your hard work, Tan'er."
After Liu Tan stood up, Chen Ajiao realized that Liu Tan was wearing a military uniform today.
This was the first time she saw Liu Tan in military uniform. This outfit seemed to give Liu Tan a different meaning. Chen Ajiao, who was originally a little worried, calmed down instantly.
She held Liu Tan's shoulders and looked him up and down before saying, "I'm glad you're back, I'm glad you're back."
Liu Tan nodded and said, "It's unfilial of a son to ask the Queen Mother to get up so late. Let's talk tomorrow. The rebels outside... I don't think they will make any more moves tonight."
Chen Ajiao always felt that there was something behind Liu's conversation, but she didn't know what he meant. After thinking about it, she didn't ask any more questions.
She nodded and said, "Sui Yu Palace is still available to you. We have already had it cleaned up for you. You should go and have some rest. You have been busy for so many days. Drink a bowl of calming soup before going to bed. We can deal with the rest tomorrow."
Liu Tan nodded and glanced behind Chen Ajiao. He had just noticed Madam Wei standing behind Chen Ajiao. He was really curious and wondered why Madam Wei was hanging out with Chen Ajiao at this time.
Normally, Chen Ajiao would turn a blind eye to Liu Che's concubines. But at this moment, she brought Madam Wei with her. Was it because of the prince?
Chen Ajiao noticed his gaze, turned around, took Wei Zifu's hand and said, "Okay, Tan'er is back, everything will be fine. You must be tired from taking care of the prince these past few days. Go back and rest first. The prince's condition has stabilized, and he can now recuperate in peace."
Liu Tan interrupted at this time: "How is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince now?"
Wei Zifu quickly said, "I'm much better now, but the doctor said I need to stay in bed for a few more days and avoid any overexertion."
Liu Tan couldn't help but ask, "Is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince really just sick?"
Chen Ajiao sneered: "Of course not, how could it be such a coincidence?"
When Liu Tan heard Chen Ajiao say this, he knew what was going on. He had thought it was too coincidental before, but he didn't dare to express his opinion directly.
After all, sometimes things are just coincidental. Now that Chen Ajiao has refuted it, it means that someone is indeed tampering with it.
He couldn't help but wonder, "What's going on? Liu Qumao has even reached into the palace?"
"Liu Qumao? How could he have such ability?" Chen Ajiao snorted coldly, "It's still that Hu Ji you gave to your father!"
Liu Tan: !!!!!!!!!!!!
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