Chapter 594 [First Update] 594
Liu Tan glanced at Lu Xuan. Although Lu Xuan looked quite normal at the moment, Liu Tan seemed to see his ears drooping, and he looked extremely lost.
When they returned to the main hall, Liu Tan pinched Lu Xuan's face. Lu Xuan held his hand and took the opportunity to kiss him when the emperor and empress were not paying attention. Then he stood up and took his leave.
Liu Che and Chen Ajiao didn't want to keep him for anything.
After Lu Xuan left, Liu Tan had no choice but to move the hot pot that he was originally going to eat with him to give the empress and the prince a midnight snack.
In fact, Lu Xuanzou did not feel wronged, because not only him, but also Liu Ju was sent back by Liu Che after having supper.
Liu Ju originally thought that he could stay, but he was unexpectedly kicked back.
Liu Che's idea was very simple. If Liu Ju wouldn't go, who would preside over the grand court meeting?
After settling the emperor and empress into place, Liu Tan, lying on the unfamiliar bed, suddenly remembered something very important - the ice sculpture would only look good after the sun came out.
Nowadays, everyone usually arrives at the grand court meeting before the sun rises completely.
If Liu Che stayed with him... he would have to go back if he couldn't see the ice sculpture tomorrow.
So why did he insist on staying?
Since Liu Che stayed, of course he had to finish watching the ice sculptures during the day before leaving. So at the court meeting the next day, everyone basically spent the first half of the meeting reporting some unimportant matters to the prince.
In fact, the first day of court is just to let everyone regain their composure. After all, post-holiday syndrome is not something that only occurs after the holidays.
The next day, Liu Tan accompanied the emperor and empress to look at the ice sculptures again. It must be said that the ice sculptures under the sunlight were not necessarily more beautiful than yesterday, but the reflected light was obviously more magnificent.
Especially this ice sculpture has many different views throughout the day.
This time they didn't have to go to the scene to see it. The windows of Liu Tan's palace had long been replaced with transparent glass, so it was also very interesting to sit inside the house and watch the ice sculptures outside being dyed various colors by the sunlight.
Liu Che stayed until noon and then left. He still had to show up at the court meeting, but before leaving he said that he would come again.
Chen Ajiao simply stayed in the palace for a day.
In the past, she felt that her son's palace was too spacious and the furnishings were not luxurious enough, so she always felt that her son was a little aggrieved to live in the palace, so she always wanted Liu Tan to stay in the palace. At first, she was worried that Liu Che would not agree, but later, with Liu Che's tacit consent, Chen Ajiao simply refused to let Liu Tan leave.
But after arriving at the palace today, she discovered that Liu Tan had a lot of interesting things here, especially some of his semi-finished products, which looked very interesting.
Not to mention her, even Liu Che found the Northern Palace interesting.
As a result, Lu Xuan was stuck in his own palace for several days in a row. Every day he looked at the wall of the Northern Palace and it almost looked like a wife-waiting stone.
However, no matter how much the emperor and empress liked Liu Tan, as the weather got warmer, it was time for Liu Tan to pack up and prepare to leave.
Before leaving, he designed an underground palace for Chen Ajiao.
The underground palace is not very high, only about five or six meters high. It is basically a place for Chen Ajiao to place various ice sculptures. He even divided the underground palace into several different parts, turning it into an ice sculpture amusement park.
There is no other way. Underground palaces are a bit unlucky these days, and it is not appropriate to turn them into other amusement parks. Since they exist for ice sculptures, why not just turn them into various ice sculptures?
Liu Tan chose dried flowers for all the flowers and plants inside. It would be impossible not to use dried flowers. Not to mention that there is no light below, it is estimated that no flowers will survive well. Even if there are flowers that can adapt to complete lack of light, they cannot withstand that temperature.
During this process, Liu Tan even made ice flowers. He used different dyes for different parts and finally glued them together with water. It was not a difficult task.
Before leaving, Liu Tan wrote down all his ideas, but many of them had not been tested. But it didn't matter. He could try them after returning to the Northern Territory. If possible, he could write to him again.
It is said that communication is inconvenient these days, but that definitely does not include his communication with Chang'an.
So before the civil and military officials in the court could no longer bear it, Liu Tan took the initiative to write a letter requesting to return to his fiefdom.
Naturally, Liu Che was reluctant to let him go. Not to mention Liu Che, even Liu Ju was reluctant to let him go.
So after reading his memorial, Emperor Wu summoned him to the palace and said, "Why are you so anxious? Huo Guang must have already arranged the spring plowing. You can't do anything about it if you go back now."
Liu Tan said, "The patience of the entire court has almost reached its limit. Before they start to chase me away, I'd better leave on my own. Otherwise, it will be recorded and it will be very embarrassing."
After he said this, Liu Che subconsciously glanced at Sima Qian beside him. Sima Qian was originally writing with his head down, but after feeling the emperor's gaze, he looked up at the emperor, his father and his son.
Liu Tan immediately said, "Historical recorders should be impartial. If something happened, it should be recorded..."
But before he could finish, Sima Qian said quietly, "Your Highness, don't worry. I don't have enough paper at home. Some things are not worth writing down, so I won't write them down."
Liu Tan: ???
There’s not enough damn paper!
However, even if Sima Qian wanted to give him some leniency, Liu Tan had no intention of staying.
In Chang'an, he just messes around eating, drinking and having fun. It sounds like he can often come up with new things, but after a long time, he will probably be ruined and his vision will be limited.
He certainly likes to make money, but what he likes more is to let ordinary people make money, revitalize the economy, and make everyone's life better.
Anyway, since arriving in the Northern Territory, his hobby has become like this.
Liu Che and Liu Ju had no choice but to sigh and agree to his request.
But since he had met Sima Qian, Liu Tan couldn't help but run to Sima Qian's house to see him before leaving.
Sima Qian was obviously very surprised when he heard that Liu Tan had come. He hurried out to greet him and said, "Your Highness, if you have something to say, just summon me directly. Why come here in person?"
Liu Tan said with a smile: "You have a lot of things to do, and I am a leisurely person, so I will just run a trip as soon as possible."
Sima Qian immediately invited him to the first seat. Liu Tan sat down and said, "I won't beat around the bush with you. I came here just to ask if you have finished the Biography of Merchants."
After hearing this, Sima Qian immediately said, "I haven't written it yet. Princess Yi'an gave me a wake-up call. I..."
Liu Tan interrupted him and said, "Princess Yi'an... you don't have a long-term vision on this matter. What's wrong with commerce? Why look down on it? Without it, the country would be like a stagnant pool of water, lifeless. Now the Prime Minister is busy pursuing commerce, which shows that commerce is not a bad thing. You should still write about it."
Sima Qian's eyes lit up when he heard this: "Your Highness, do you think it should be written?"
Liu Tan nodded seriously: "It's time to write it."
This can not only serve as a reference for future generations, but most importantly, it can also become a very important historical material, which has very important reference value for studying the economy of the Han Dynasty. Moreover, Sima Qian's history book is regarded as a model for later generations. Only after he wrote it will those historical recorders of later generations follow suit and write it down. If it can guide everyone to write it down, future practitioners who study history will surely be able to save a few hairs.
Liu Tan couldn't help but sigh when he thought of this. Look how much he cared about future teachers and students.
The only thing that is not certain is that the world he lives in should be considered a story, and I don’t know whether it will have an impact on future generations.
Sima Qian seemed greatly encouraged. He looked up at Liu Tan and asked, "Then...if I write this, could Your Highness correct it?"
Liu Tan paused and said, "Well...I might not be able to do that."
Sima Qian admired him highly, and he also respected Sima Qian very much. Sima Qian's "Records of the Grand Historian" has been passed down through the ages. How can Liu Tan...how can Liu Tan compare to him?
Sima Qian immediately said, "Your Highness is too modest. If you can't do it, then I'm afraid no one in this world can correct this article. In that case... I'll just leave it at that."
Liu Tan: ???
Why is it threatening?
He had no choice but to say: "Even if I say it, it's just my opinion. You can just take a look at it when the time comes."
Well, it’s best not to influence Sima Qian’s stance too much. Of course... if it can influence him to be nicer to Zulong and show more leniency in his writing... that would be great.
Thinking of this, Liu Tan couldn't help but wonder whether he could have some influence on Sima Qian through the Biographies of Merchants.
As for the relationship between Zulong and commerce...it is very closely related. Unified currency, unified weights and measures, these are all closely related to commerce.
If you think about it this way, helping is not a bad thing.
After Liu Tan helped Sima Qian strengthen his confidence, he left his mansion.
After Liu Tan returned to the palace, Miao Rui came up and whispered, "Your Highness, my wife has sent someone to bring the Seventh Prince over."
Liu Tan was stunned for a moment: "What?"
Miao Rui looked at him carefully and said, "My wife said it would be better for the Seventh Prince to follow His Highness."
Liu Tan was shocked. He had just said it casually out of sympathy and had never thought that he could really take Lao Qi away. But now... was he really asked to take care of Lao Qi?
It's not surprising that Chen Ajiao agreed to him. Apart from the crown prince, whom Chen Ajiao couldn't handle, Chen Ajiao wished she could ban all the other princes from the palace.
His mother was worried that another prince would replace his position in Liu Che's heart.
However, Liu Tan didn't think it mattered. If he could be replaced so easily, what was the point of struggling for so many years?
He had the seventh prince brought over for a look. Children are naturally sensitive, and when they saw Liu Tan, they couldn't help but grin and smile foolishly, and even reached out for a hug - in the entire palace, Liu Tan was indeed the kindest person to him.
The other palace servants either looked down on him or ignored him. Even Chen Ajiao would only play with him on a whim, basically treating him like a little pet.
Liu Tan asked, "Apart from the Seventh Prince, is there anyone else?"
"Some of the Seventh Prince's clothes and other things have also been sent, as well as people to serve him."
Liu Tan hesitated for a moment and decided to go to the palace to ask. He didn't want to ask Chen Ajiao, but to ask Liu Che.
It was impossible for Liu Che not to know about such a big thing as the seventh prince being sent out of the palace, so he needed to ask Liu Che what he thought.
After Liu Tan entered the palace, he met Liu Che smoothly without having to wait.
At that time, Liu Che was dealing with documents, and even Crown Prince Liu Ju had gone back to do his own work.
Liu Tan originally wanted to wait until Liu Che was done before speaking, but he didn't expect that as soon as he sat down, Liu Che threw the documents in his hand aside and asked while washing his hands, "Are you here for the matter of the seventh brother?"
Liu Tan immediately responded, "Yes, Father... do you really want me to take Old Seven away?"
Liu Che said indifferently: "If you like it, take it away."
Liu Tan was a little confused: "But he is a prince."
Liu Che said: "He will leave sooner or later anyway. At worst, I can send him back when he is older. I will give him a fiefdom."
Liu Tan: ...
To be honest, Liu Che cared more about his horse than the seventh brother.
Liu Tan couldn't figure out why Emperor Wu of Han was so cold towards the Seventh Prince, but he didn't want to ask any more questions. He just said, "But the Seventh Prince still doesn't have a name. We can't just keep calling him Seventh Prince, right? It wouldn't be appropriate for me to give him a name. Father should give him a name."
Liu Che seemed to have just remembered this matter and said casually: "Let's call him Liu Ku."
Liu Tan: ???
Is this the name for your son?
Although ancient people often did not always use characters with good meanings when naming, they would generally combine them to make the meaning of the name better.
For example, to get rid of a disease or to recover from illness, one has to have good wishes.
Liu Ku... The word "Ku" alone in his name doesn't really have a good meaning.
Liu Che's names for his sons were actually pretty good. Why is it that even the name of Liu Tan, a person who is supposed to not exist, is okay, but when it comes to the seventh son, it's just...
Liu Tan looked at Liu Che's expression carefully, and in the end he didn't waste time talking to Liu Che just for a name.
The name of the seventh prince was thus decided.
When Liu Tan returned, he happened to see Lu Xuan playing with Liu Ku. Lu Xuan was calling Liu Ku "Royal Brother." Liu Tan couldn't help but go over and pat him, saying, "Children can't speak such complicated words at first!"
Lu Xuan casually asked, "Did you go to the palace to ask for a name for the Seventh Prince? What's his name?"
Liu Tan said: "Bitterness, just one word bitterness."
Lu Xuan was a little surprised after hearing this: "Huh?"
Liu Tan said calmly, "Yes, my father has high hopes for him. He hopes that he will become a patient and persevering person in the future."
Lu Xuan's face was full of questions: "Did I hear it wrong? Or are the characters different?"
Liu Tan squinted at him and said, "You're not very skilled. You should read more. 'Bitter' has other connotations, but it also means patience and effort. For example, 'earnestly persuasive' and 'painstakingly solitary'. Think about it, isn't that right?"
Lu Xuan thought about it and realized the same thing, so he smiled and said, "It seems I haven't read enough."
Liu Tan patted him on the shoulder and told him to be honest, he was just talking nonsense because he really didn't feel from Liu Che any of the expectations he had for Liu Ku.
This is just Liu Tan trying to save Liu Ku's reputation.
But what was even more strange was that after people knew that Liu Ku was thrown to the King of the Northern Territory by the Emperor, the entire court was silent, and no one stood up to object. They actually let Liu Tan take Liu Ku away!
The day Liu Tan left was a grand farewell for the whole city. When his carriage left, not only were the people lining the streets to watch, but Liu Ju also brought a group of officials to see him off.
Although not all the civil and military officials were brought out, Liu Tan still felt a little uneasy.
He couldn't help but move closer to Liu Ju and ask, "What's going on? Why are there so many people? Was it the emperor's order or His Highness's?"
Liu Ju smiled and said, "They came of their own accord."
Liu Tanmu said: "I'm not familiar with them."
Are these people trying to trick him?
Liu Ju tilted his head and whispered, "They don't ask to be familiar with you, they just ask you not to cause them trouble."
Liu Tan: ...
Looking back, these people really seemed like they were sending away the plague god. Each of them had a very festive look on their faces, which made Liu Tan a little puzzled. He didn't have any problems with anyone when he was in Chang'an.
Liu Tan left with a head full of doubts, and the officials in Chang'an looked at his back with tears in their eyes - the King of the North was nothing, but he could easily step on the minefield of the Emperor and the Prince if he was not careful, which was too difficult.
Compared with the officials in Chang'an, the officials in the Northern Border Kingdom were very enthusiastic. They all breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Liu Tan's frame - he was finally back.
After not seeing each other for a year, Liu Tan didn't feel strange when he saw Huo Guang. Huo Guang was still the same Huo Guang. After asking about his hard work, he asked, "Your Highness, what are your plans next?"
Liu Tan pondered for a while and said, "Let's farm first."
Huo Guang: ?????
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