128 Chapter 128
◎Rumors.◎
Yizhixie's reply was very interesting. He did not agree immediately, nor did he refuse immediately.
He attempted to negotiate, requesting a reduction in the Han's compensation demands and the opening of trade channels between the two sides. He also agreed that the Han court would designate the future Chanyu, whether there were three or four. Furthermore, the Han wanted to repatriate the remains of the princesses who had been married off to foreign countries for reburial. Yizhixie pledged his utmost to ensure this happened, and he would respectfully lead his entire clan in escorting the princesses back home.
"Not bad." Liu Che said, "but also... not smart enough."
Yizhixie knew which one the Han emperor would never give in to, so he agreed first and then took his time to make decisions.
But if he can see it clearly, can't the Emperor of Han see it clearly?
I have the desire to start over, but my ability... His Majesty the Emperor shook his head, it's still a little bit lacking.
Liu Ju smiled and said, "It's better if he's not smart enough. My father-in-law has always been kind, so it's not a bad idea to let him have some sweet dreams."
Liu Che said lazily: "Such an opponent is meaningless."
Liu Ju patted his father's legs attentively and asked, "Aunt, are you still going to see him?"
"Of course I want to see him," Liu Che said with a smile. "I'm still waiting to see how the Xiongnu Chanyu sings and dances!"
You say I'm mean, but you're no less so, Liu Ju thought to himself.
Liu Che ordered someone to reply to Yizhixie, saying that His Majesty the Emperor had been merciful enough and that allowing the Huns to continue grazing on the grassland was a great favor. He hoped that Yizhixie would not go any further.
This time Yizhixie's reply was a little slow, but the Emperor was not in a hurry because the other party had no other choice.
Besides, it was Yizhixie who was eager to return to the grassland, not Liu Che. What was there for him to be anxious about? His Majesty the Emperor was hoping that there would be more changes in the grassland.
Although Yizhixie was disliked by the Emperor for not being smart enough, he had competed for the position and was no mediocre person. After seeing the Han Emperor's unshakable determination, he no longer hesitated and accepted all the conditions of the Han court.
Just as His Majesty the Emperor had thought, Yizhixie was eager to return to the grassland.
Only after the two sides formally signed the document did Yizhixie meet the Emperor of the Han Dynasty for the second time. This time he was no longer treated as a prisoner, but he felt no more humiliated than when he was a prisoner by kowtow to the Emperor of the Han Dynasty.
Not to mention, he was forced to perform a dance in front of Han officials. The wise kings on both sides, as well as the captured prime minister and princes, all participated in the performance.
There are two types of dance: rough and soft. If a group of men from the grassland want to dance, they will naturally dance a rough dance full of wild beauty.
To be honest, everyone in the Han Dynasty, from the Emperor to ordinary court officials, was very satisfied with the performance of the Xiongnu monarch and his ministers.
As for the feelings of the Xiongnu king and his ministers, I'm sorry, no one here cares.
After enjoying the dance, the happy emperor gave rewards as usual. Yizhixie's face was almost frozen with laughter, but he still had to express his gratitude.
At the end, His Majesty the Emperor expressed deep regret: "What a pity! I will never be able to see such a dance again."
Yizhixie's eyebrows jumped. What tricks was the Emperor of the Han Dynasty going to do next?
Then he heard the Crown Prince suggest in a very filial tone: "Since my father-in-law loves Yizhixie Chanyu so much, why don't we keep him here for a while longer? Chanyu, what do you think? Do you like my father-in-law?"
Yizhixie: “…”
He doesn't like it. Give him a knife and he can die together with the Han Dynasty emperor.
Yizhixie spoke fluent Chinese and needed no translation. "Thank you, Your Highness, for your kindness. However, I am afraid that I cannot remain in Chang'an for long if I return to the grasslands."
The prince said innocently, "But I see you Xiongnu people, you are no match for me, Chanyu. Why don't you give up your throne to them and stay in Chang'an? I heard from my uncle and cousin that the grasslands are not as good as Chang'an."
Yizhixie's face was blue and purple, and it was so beautiful. Liu Che had seen enough and said slowly, "The prince is young and outspoken, but he is sincerely doing this for the good of the Chanyu. I think the Chanyu can understand the prince's good intentions, right?"
Yizhixie swallowed his anger and said, "Yes."
His Majesty the Emperor is not a person who likes to kick someone when he is down, but he must avenge Taizu for the Siege of Baideng and the humiliation suffered by Empress Gao in the past, so as not to let down his ancestors.
As Yizhixie waited for what felt like ages, the Emperor finally spoke: "In that case, Chanyu, please choose a day to return to the grasslands."
Yizhixie's heart finally settled down. As long as he could return to the grassland, he would have the opportunity to avenge his great hatred.
In Yizhixie's expectation, just like the emperor of the Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu people would never forget this deep hatred from generation to generation, and one day, his descendants would avenge their previous shame!
What Yizhixie didn't know was that when there was no more war between the Han and the Xiongnu, when the civilians of the Han and Xiongnu began to interact, trade, and marry, as time went by, the culture of the Han Dynasty would slowly spread to the grasslands, and the culture of the Xiongnu would also influence the Han people. They would merge with each other and would no longer be distinguishable from each other.
…
Yizhixie left Chang'an very quickly. Some of his subordinates followed him back, but more of them stayed in the Han Dynasty and became generals and ministers of the Han Dynasty.
After they left, Liu Che took Liu Ju to pay homage to Changling, Baling and Yangling, namely Emperor Taizu of Han Liu Bang, Emperor Wen of Han Liu Heng and Emperor Jing of Han Liu Qi.
Judging from seniority, the first person to be worshipped must be Liu Bang, the ancestor of the Han Dynasty, who was the victim of the Siege of Baideng and had been remembered by His Majesty the Emperor for a long time.
Emperor Wen's Ba Mausoleum was separated from his father's by the Wei River, so Liu Ju and his father had to run there and then run back, because Emperor Jing's Yang Mausoleum and Chang Mausoleum were both on this side of the Wei River.
Liu Ju thought about it and realized that among the emperors of the Western Han Dynasty, there were two mausoleums on the other side of the Wei River, namely the Ba Mausoleum of Emperor Wen of Han and the Du Mausoleum of Emperor Xuan of Han - two emperors who were recommended by court officials rather than recognized by the previous emperor.
His father's Maoling Mausoleum and his grandfather's Yangling Mausoleum are the farthest apart on this side of the Wei River. Those who don't know may think that Emperor Jing of Han treated his son harshly, so that when Emperor Wu of Han chose a mausoleum, he had to stay far away from his father.
But actually...his father just looks at Feng Shui.
Liu Ju held his chin in his hand, thinking. Liu Che poked his son's cheek and asked, "Ju'er, what are you thinking about? Why don't you say anything?"
Liu Ju subconsciously said, "I think I should be buried closer to Aung from now on."
Liu Che paused and didn't knock his son's head. After all, one has to start planning for his affairs after death while he is still alive, especially for the emperor, whose mausoleum would be built as soon as he ascended the throne.
Liu Che followed up on his words and asked, "Which place do you want to choose?"
Liu Ju blinked and said, "It's... the location closest to the Maoling Mausoleum burial site... Ouch!"
"Aunt, why did you hit me?" Liu Ju said aggrievedly.
Liu Che lectured him with a stern face: "Listen to what you said!"
"Oh." Liu Ju touched his head, still with some grievance on his face.
Liu Che thought to himself, although his son is ten years old, he has always been dependent on me. After all, he is still a child who is unwilling to leave his father-in-law.
Liu Che rubbed his son's head tenderly: "You are so young, it is too early to consider this matter."
Liu Ju didn't want to say anything more. It was still unknown where he would be buried in this life. Maybe his father would be the one to decide where he would be buried in the end.
But at that time he certainly could not be buried next to his father, otherwise the new prince would have nowhere to go.
"Aunt," Liu Ju pointed outside and said, "Look how lively the streets are. How about we go out and play some other day?"
Liu Che loved to play, but he had been busy with many things in recent years. He spent his rare rest time in Ganquan Palace and Shanglin Garden, and rarely went out. After Liu Ju's reminder, he immediately said, "Why wait until another day? Let's go today."
Liu Ju rubbed his legs and said, "Aunt, I'm tired today."
Liu Che laughed as soon as he saw it: "How far have we walked today? You usually run, don't you? You can't stand this little distance."
Liu Ju explained, "Aunt, today we are not walking, we are standing. Standing is more tiring than running!"
Liu Che smiled and said, "Really? You must have a reason. Go back to the palace and send someone to give you a massage." He brushed Liu Ju's hand away and said, "Just sit still."
Liu Ju sat down as he was told and said, "Aunt, have you heard the recent rumor?"
"What?" Liu Che asked casually.
Liu Ju said, "They say you promoted the General of the Cavalry in order to suppress the Great General, so all those under the Great General went to serve under the General of the Cavalry."
After hearing these words, Liu Che's mind went blank. He said, "I have to think about it. I want to suppress the general, so I promoted the general of cavalry... What is the relationship between the general of cavalry and the general? I have forgotten."
Liu Ju smiled and said, "They are uncle and nephew, old man. I didn't spread this rumor, so don't ask me."
Liu Che continued, "I suppressed the general and made him the Grand Marshal, exercising the power of the Grand Commandant and commanding the inner court. If this is also suppression, then all the ministers in the court will probably want this kind of suppression."
Liu Ju laughed so hard that he couldn't straighten his back. "Ah Weng, they're not talking about this. It's the power in the army. In the army... well, the uncle in the army is still the general."
"Aunt, this is how you should suppress my uncle. Let him be the Grand Marshal and General, and the Marquis of Changping, so that he can receive a salary and a fief, but don't allow him to do anything and put him under the yoke!" Liu Ju said seriously.
Liu Che also said seriously: "Don't let your uncle know, otherwise it will be as he wishes."
Liu Ju had a distinguished position and received a salary without having to work. He thought, I also want to do this job.
When he returned to the Xuanshi Hall of the Weiyang Palace, the two Grand Marshals happened to ask to see him. What they reported was the recent transfer of personnel under their command.
However, just as they opened their mouths, His Majesty the Emperor and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince suddenly burst into laughter, leaving the two Grand Marshals confused.
The prince finally calmed down a bit and explained, "I just thought about the rumors that A-weng has been promoting Huo Yiwei recently."
Wei Qing had obviously heard of this rumor, and he smiled as soon as the prince spoke. Only Huo Qubing looked confused.
"What?"
Guanjun Hou has been too busy lately, and these rumors have not reached his ears yet.
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