Chapter 566 [First Update] 566
Liu Tan was shocked when he heard the news. Princess Yi'an had hit Sima Qian? What kind of conflict did she have with the Grand Historian? Did the Grand Historian write about her in a way that was too harsh?
But that’s not true. There are very few princesses in history whose names can be recorded in history books.
There were even fewer princesses in the Han Dynasty. Many princesses only had a title, and even their biological mothers were unknown. Those who lived to adulthood and got married would usually have a record of who they married. If they gave birth to a son who inherited the title, the identity of his biological mother would also be recorded for the son.
There is basically no such thing anywhere else.
Princess Yi'an wouldn't fight with the Grand Historian over such a small matter, right?
He frowned and said, "Have you pulled them apart? Let's suppress this matter first and don't let anyone know."
It's really not appropriate for a princess to beat up an official appointed by the court.
Of course, Princess Yi'an is definitely no match for the Grand Historian. The Grand Historian is said to have always had a good habit of keeping fit, and his personal fighting strength is there for all to see.
But the problem is that Princess Yi'an... can command experts, but the family of the Grand Historian is not qualified to employ guards. At most, they have some household slaves and soldiers.
The young eunuch whispered, "It's too late. His Majesty has already found out and has sent for them all to be summoned to the palace."
Liu Tan: ...
He was also convinced. He wondered if Princess Yi'an was the reincarnation of a cricket. How could she be so combative?
Since Liu Tan was called into the palace by Emperor Wu of Han, this matter had nothing to do with him. At most, he could show some concern, and he couldn't even plead for mercy - how could he plead for mercy when he didn't know the whole story?
If it was really Princess Yi'an who was causing trouble, he definitely couldn't stand on Princess Yi'an's side.
But Princess Yi'an was his sister, and according to his habit of helping relatives rather than others, it was inappropriate.
Liu Tan thought about sending someone to find out what happened. Well, others might not know, but his brother the prince must know.
Before Liu Tan could send anyone to the Crown Prince to inquire, the eunuch beside Liu Che came over and asked, "Your Highness, the Emperor has summoned you."
Liu Tan's eyelids twitched, and he thought, could this matter have anything to do with him?
He threw a silver pill to the eunuch and asked, "Is there anyone else with the emperor?"
The eunuch was a little worried when he received the money. Those of them who had been with Liu Che for a long time knew very well what they could say and what they could not say. They were afraid that the questions Liu Tan asked would embarrass him, so naturally they could not accept the money.
Fortunately, Liu Tan simply asked who was there, and he immediately said, "Your Highness, Princess Yi'an, and the Grand Historian are here."
Okay, Liu Tan has basically confirmed that this matter is likely related to him.
Liu Tan straightened his clothes and stopped speculating. After all, he didn't do anything illegal. Even if he did, his father and brother would try to cover it up for him, not to mention his mother.
Liu Tan went to the Xuanshi room with peace of mind.
When he entered the Xuanshi Hall, he heard Liu Che scolding Princess Yi'an: "How dare you hit an official appointed by the imperial court!"
Liu Tan paused and walked in quietly. He originally planned to stand there for a while like a background board and wait for Liu Che to finish scolding before going over.
As it turned out, Liu Che was probably born with the ability to see and hear everything, so he immediately stopped attacking, looked up at Liu Tan and said very gently: "Tan'er, come here."
Well, he was sure it wasn't because he had done anything wrong.
After Liu Tan walked over and saluted Liu Che, he glanced at Princess Yi'an who was crying bitterly, and then looked at a middle-aged man with slightly dark skin who was kneeling beside her - he must be Sima Qian, the Grand Historian.
Unfortunately, the man lowered his head and he couldn't see the other person's face.
Just think about it, Sima Qian did not rely on his looks to survive, and since he could serve as an official under the nose of Emperor Liu Che, he must at least have a handsome appearance, so he did not need to be too curious about other people's appearance.
Liu Tan walked all the way to Liu Ju and asked him with his eyes.
Liu Ju shook his head and said nothing. Liu Tan didn't know what he meant, so he had to sit there and look at Princess Yi'an, wondering whether he should ask her actively.
But before he could ask, Liu Che said in a deep voice, "Why are you crying? Do you know you are wrong?"
Princess Yi'an said aggrievedly, "I am wrong. I beg Your Majesty to calm down, but... I am also very angry and cannot bear to see my brother being humiliated!"
Liu Tan's ears pricked up. Now in Chang'an City, the only one who could be called "brother" by Princess Yi'an was him and the seventh brother.
It’s just that Old Seven is like an invisible man now. Liu Tan was worried that someone would take advantage of him, so he simply kept him in Sui Yu Palace.
Liu Tan would occasionally ask about it, but the child was just over one year old, had just learned to walk, couldn't speak much, and really had no sense of existence.
Liu Tan is very busy and only thinks of this person when he has free time.
Not only him, but even Emperor Wu of Han was like this - until now Emperor Wu of Han had not given the seventh prince a name.
Not to mention Princess Yi'an, she might not even remember that she has such a younger brother.
So…Princess Yi’an said he was insulted. Who was it? Who had the guts to insult him?
It’s not that he is so arrogant, but insulting him is basically equivalent to insulting the royal family, and further, insulting the emperor and the prince. Isn’t he tired of living?
Liu Che said expressionlessly, "Don't believe everything you hear. If this kind of thing gets out, how can it sound good?"
Princess Yian lowered her head and stopped talking.
Liu Che glanced at Liu Tan and said, "The victim has arrived, Grand Historian...you can speak for yourself."
Liu Tan was confused. What did he do to become the victim?
Sima Qian, the Grand Historian, turned to Liu Tan, bowed, and said, "I was confused for a moment and offended Your Highness. I beg Your Highness to forgive me."
Liu Tan looked bewildered: "What happened?"
It felt like he was the only one in the situation present, and he was the person involved. What was going on?
Sima Qian took a deep breath. "I was inconsiderate. I had intended to write a biography of merchants and wanted to include Your Highness's trip, but I forgot... In short... I am guilty."
Wow, a biography of merchants!
This thing is also included in the Records of the Grand Historian. Most people may not know much about it, but it is actually very valuable.
Because there were no people, or very few people, who were willing to record the economy and livelihood of the time, and those people might not have been famous, so their records were not passed down.
The Biographies of Merchants can be said to reflect the economic situation of the Han Dynasty at that time in great detail, and include many outstanding talents and deeds engaged in the "merchant" industry.
You have to know that the Grand Historian was a historian, and things that did not have a big enough impact were not worthy of his inclusion. In other words, Sima Qian highly approved of Liu Tan's achievements in "merchant management", otherwise he would not have wanted to include him in the Biographies of Merchants.
This can be considered a good thing for Liu Tan.
However, apart from him, probably no one present thought this was a good thing.
Liu Tan suppressed his excitement and said, "Biographies of Merchants sounds very interesting. If you want to write it, then write it. What's wrong with that?"
Liu Che coughed twice and said with some dissatisfaction: "What nonsense are you talking about, little kid? Merchants and the like are so vulgar and unacceptable."
Well, yes, it can be seen from Princess Yi'an's actions that they feel that putting Liu Tan together with those merchants is an insult to him.
Liu Tan immediately stopped talking and felt a little regretful that he couldn't challenge the most deeply rooted ideas of this era.
However, he could have discussed it with Sima Qian and just include him briefly in the last part of "Records of the Grand Historian". This way, he would not be put together with the merchants, but would at least give him a role to play. Isn't that good?
Although Sima Qian asked Liu Tan to punish him, in fact it was impossible for Liu Tan to punish him in front of Liu Che. After all, this was not the Northern Border Country. Even if he was in the Northern Border Country, he might have to ask Liu Che's opinion.
However, since this matter had not yet been accomplished, it was not worth making a big deal about it. Liu Che simply gave each of them fifty lashes and punished them both.
Princess Yi'an was sentenced to house arrest for three months, while Sima Qian was fined three months' salary.
After hearing this, Liu Tan began to calculate Sima Qian's salary for three months, preparing to go back and help him.
Apart from anything else, this person can be considered an honest official. An honest official means that he basically relies on his salary to support his family. Even if he has some family assets, he will feel very uncomfortable if his salary is reduced by three months.
After punishing them, Liu Che let them go. Princess Yi'an was obviously a little dissatisfied. Liu Tan quietly shook his head at her and let her go first.
Fortunately, even though Princess Yi'an was unhappy, she would not really disobey Liu Che and she retreated obediently. Sima Qian even retreated with his head down.
During this process, Liu Tan didn't even see his face!
After they all left, Liu Tan looked up and saw that Liu Che still looked unhappy. He smiled and said, "It's not a big deal. Father, don't be angry."
Liu Che snorted coldly: "They dared to act like this while I was still alive. If they do this in the future..."
Liu Tan: ...
So, this person is starting to think divergently?
Liu Tan was a little surprised. Liu Che had always been very active in seeking the secret of immortality. Even if he hadn't found it, he was still actively taking care of his health and paying attention to his health in various aspects.
Why are you now thinking about what will happen to him a hundred years from now?
Liu Tan had a bad feeling and forced a smile, saying, "Your Majesty, you are worrying too much. The Grand Historian may not mean this."
Liu Ju also spoke up, "That's right. The Grand Historian has always been very respectful and grateful to my younger brother, so perhaps I didn't think much of it before."
Liu Che glanced at Liu Tan with some dissatisfaction and said, "Next time, you should be more careful and stop being so silly." Then he turned to Liu Chen and said, "Keep a closer eye on him."
Liu Tan was bewildered. Liu Ju looked at him with a smile and said, "Your son obeys your order."
No? What happened? Why is he so stupid?
You have no idea what the significance of this "Biography of Merchants" is, and yet you call me stupid!
Liu Tan was secretly furious, but what could he do? He couldn't say it out loud.
As they left the Xuanshi Hall, Liu Tan couldn't help but ask, "Did Father... encounter something recently? Why are you worried about the future?"
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