163 Chapter 163
◎Regency and inspection tours.
When Cao Xiang asked for an audience, Liu Ju was reading his father's reply. The Emperor expressed his disdain for those flattering memorials. He had seen too many of these things and his eyes had finally cleared for a few days. So he ordered the prince not to send these things to him anymore, otherwise he would not return to Beijing during the New Year.
Liu Ju slammed the letter onto the table and said angrily, "Cousin, my grandfather threatened me. I'm so sad..."
Huo Qubing pointed at his desk and said, "After reading this, don't take this opportunity to slack off."
Liu Ju paused and said, "Cousin, this is the first time I've used this trick."
Huo Qubing said calmly: "But this is not the first time you have wanted to be lazy."
Yesterday he made an excuse to go back to the Prince's Palace to see his children, but he didn't come back for most of the day. The day before yesterday he said that he couldn't sleep last night because of the children, so he had to catch up on some sleep at noon. As a result, Huo Qubing never saw the Prince again that day.
Of course, the Champion Marquis, who had been given a lot of official duties for no reason, would not be fooled again.
Liu Ju scratched the table and said, "Oh."
Huo Qubing said, "Your Highness, I will not take you with me when we go out to sea."
Cao Xiang was stunned when he heard these words as soon as he entered the inner hall. What do you mean by going out to sea? The Marquis of Guanjun and the Crown Prince are going out to sea?
Liu Ju's face fell, but he knew he was in the wrong and didn't dare to be more aggressive. He turned around and asked, "Marquis Pingyang, what do you want?"
Cao Xiang bowed quickly and reported to the Crown Prince everything he had learned about Luan Da.
In short, Ding Yi's decision to recommend Luan Da to the prince was related to the way Bowang Garden recruited talents.
Liu Ju always welcomed anyone who had the courage to come to Bowang Garden. He firmly believed that everyone was born with talents that would be useful. Even if he had no other use, he could at least farm and do hard labor.
Therefore, all those who came to the prince over the years were kept by him. In the eyes of many self-righteous people, the prince was a little unwise.
Among them was Lecheng Hou Dingyi. His sister was the queen of the previous King of Jiaodong, but she had no son, so the current King of Jiaodong was not her biological son. She had a disagreement with the King of Jiaodong, so she wanted her brother to recommend Luan Da to the prince. If Luan Da could gain face in front of the prince, she would not be afraid of the King of Jiaodong.
It was almost the same as in his previous life, the only difference was that this time Luan Da was recommended to the prince.
Liu Ju pointed at the desk and said, "So, Luan Da has some real skills?"
Cao Xiang said, "Marquis Lecheng is very confident. I took a look and saw that Luan Da's ability is very similar to the principle of a compass."
After that, Cao Xiang told Ding Yi what he had seen truthfully. Those who claimed to have seen gods could only talk. Luan Da was able to gain Ding Yi's trust because he really had a skill, which was playing chess. He could make the chess pieces collide without anyone touching them, which made it look as if it was really magical.
However, Cao Xiang had once followed the general on an expedition and had seen a compass before. He had also heard Wei Qing talk about its principles, so this trick could not fool him.
The compass is a military secret and Ding Yi has no way of knowing it, so he will believe Luan Da.
Liu Ju asked, "Cousin, what do you think?"
There were two of the prince's cousins in the room, but Cao Xiang knew that the prince was not asking him at the moment.
Huo Qubing said, "This person may not be able to understand the underlying principles, but we still need to control him to feel at ease."
The compass has only one function, which is to point the way. It sounds unremarkable, but it is indispensable for wars, diplomatic missions, and trade routes. It is of vital importance and cannot be missed.
Cao Xiang said, "Your Highness, I agree with Marquis Guanjun's words. Since Marquis Lecheng intends to recommend Luan Da to Your Highness, why not take advantage of their situation?"
Liu Ju nodded and said with a smile, "Since he can think of this way to deceive people, let him make a compass."
If you are assigned to confidential work like the compass and allicin, you will never be free for the rest of your life.
However, it was obvious that none of the three people in the room would sympathize with Luan Da.
Huo Qubing asked, "What are your plans regarding Marquis Lecheng?"
Liu Ju propped up his chin and said, "Old Master has always been very regretful that he couldn't make up an integer when his titles were reduced. This time I will give him another one."
Cao Xiang suddenly felt a chill on his back. With his status, the royal father and son's seizure of the title would definitely not affect him, but when he saw that the prince and His Majesty were exactly the same indifference, he couldn't help but be frightened.
Turning one hand makes clouds, turning another makes rain. Cao Xiang thought, this sounds like a very noble and impressive status, but in the eyes of the royal father and son, what does it mean?
Huo Qubing said, "I have ordered someone to draft an edict."
Cao Xiang looked at him and suddenly felt a little envious. He had actually been wrong. There were only two people in the world who should least worry about being stripped of their titles: one in front of him, and the other was accompanying the emperor.
…
The emperor's carriage was resting in a forest, which was actually inappropriate because it was easy for assassins to hide in the dense woods, which was extremely dangerous.
The people around him advised him several times, but the emperor was so attracted by the scenery here that he insisted on stopping.
Everyone looked at the Marquis of Changping, hoping that he could offer some advice. After all, he was the only one who could speak here, and perhaps the Emperor would listen.
But they were wrong. The general could not possibly oppose Your Majesty.
The only relief was that the general personally arranged the defense.
When Wei Qing returned, the Emperor waved to him warmly, "Zhongqing, the Crown Prince has just sent a letter to me."
Wei Qing thought of the pile of memorials he had seen last time and couldn't help but smile, "Your Majesty, is there something interesting this time?"
"Interesting, very interesting!" Liu Che laughed. "Marquis Lecheng tried to use the alchemists to deceive the crown prince, so Ruer stripped him of his title."
Just one more to make it a perfect number, Liu Che thought to himself.
"Alchemists?" Wei Qing asked in surprise, "How could there be alchemists who dare to approach His Highness? I thought they would have been frightened out of their wits."
Liu Che smiled nonchalantly and said, "People in this world are very forgetful. If they don't remember, they will think that the prince doesn't remember either."
His Majesty the Emperor obviously had something else to say, but since he didn't say it explicitly, Wei Qing naturally had to pretend that he didn't hear anything.
Wei Qing smiled and asked curiously, "Your Majesty, what skills does Luan Da have? How did he deceive Your Majesty?"
"Come and sit down." Liu Che became interested. "I'll show you."
Liu Che turned around and took a box from the eunuch, took out two chess pieces from it, and placed them on the table in front of him at a distance. Then, when no one touched them, the two chess pieces actually moved, and finally they collided with each other.
"It's quite amusing to watch. No wonder you dare to cheat." Wei Qing said with a smile, "Let me guess, Your Majesty, these two chess pieces are not the ones you usually use, right?"
"That's right." Liu Che gathered the two chess pieces into his palm. "Most of the deceptions in the world are just like this. They are just tricks. How can they really be considered magical powers?"
Coming from the Emperor's mouth... it's still a little strange, Wei Qing thought.
He knew how obsessed the emperor was with immortals and alchemists, and the prince knew how to prescribe the right remedy.
Wei Qing then asked, "I am truly curious about the underlying principle. Your Majesty, please explain it to me."
Liu Che laughed and said, "Why weren't you so eager to learn when I asked you to write poetry and prose?"
Wei Qing smiled and said, "Your Majesty, that was when I was young. Now I am very eager to learn."
"Really?" His Majesty the Emperor said with a smile, "Then shall I teach you how to write poetry and prose?"
Wei Qing: “…”
Liu Che laughed out loud. Even though he didn't have a son to amuse himself, it was fine to amuse his son's uncle. After all, he was the one who watched his son grow up.
After laughing enough, His Majesty the Emperor said, "I have chosen a name for my grandson. Come and have a look."
The little grandson has been born for more than eight months. His Majesty the Emperor took on the task of naming him, but he had not decided on it for a long time. Now it has finally been decided.
Wei Qing hurried over to take a look and saw only the word "jin" written on the paper.
"I have thought of many words, but I don't know why, I think this one is the most suitable for the emperor's grandson." There was some confusion in Liu Che's eyes.
Wei Qing said gently, "The Emperor's grandson will inherit the legacy of his ancestors and will surely make the Han Dynasty even more prosperous in the future. This single word perfectly reflects your Majesty's expectations for him."
Liu Che nodded slowly and asked someone to send the letter back to the Weiyang Palace in Chang'an City.
When Liu Ju received the letter, his mood was undoubtedly complicated.
Liu Jin.
Whenever this name appears in history books, it is always associated with the witchcraft disaster.
Liu Ju returned to the Prince's Palace and told Qing Yue his son's name.
"Jin'er, our baby has a name." Qing Yue held the child's hand and teased him, "It was Grandfather who named Jin'er..."
After a while, Qing Yue realized something was wrong. She looked at Liu Ju and asked, "Why are you unhappy?"
Liu Ju smiled, squeezed Liu Jin's hand, and said, "I miss Grandpa a little."
Qing Yue laughed and said, "You look younger than Jin'er."
Liu Ju tapped the child's chubby face and said with a smile, "Jin'er doesn't miss his grandfather at all. He just eats and sleeps all day long."
"You'll have a headache if he doesn't just eat and sleep." Qing Yue laughed out loud. "Have you ever seen how noisy a toddler is?"
Liu Ju laughed and said, "Of course I have seen him. Shan'er has become a bit calmer now, but when he was three or four years old, he was like a wild monkey."
"Like father, like son. The son of Marquis Guanjun is naturally like Marquis Guanjun. Marquis Guanjun has always been a calm and steady person." Qing Yue slowly rocked the child in his arms, and when he saw him slowly close his eyes, he lowered his voice.
Liu Ju raised his hand and patted the child gently, waiting for him to fall asleep, then laid him on the couch. The palace maids who served the little emperor's grandson came over to look after him.
"My grandfather will return to Beijing around the end of July, and the ceremony of conferring the title of Crown Princess will be held in August." Liu Ju held Qing Yue's hand and sat down in the outer room.
Qing Yue was born in August last year. The weather turned cold after she finished her confinement. Liu Ju was afraid that she would get sick from the cold weather, so he thought of postponing the appointment of the Crown Princess to the spring of the following year. However, in the spring, His Majesty the Emperor began to tour the counties and states.
So, just like Liu Ju's unfulfilled wish, the enthronement of Qing Yue's Crown Princess was once again postponed.
Fortunately, the matter will be settled in August this year.
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