164 Chapter 164
◎Promise.◎
At the end of July, His Majesty the Emperor returned to the Weiyang Palace.
Liu Ju led his ministers out of Chang'an City to welcome him, and just as the ceremony was over, he was dragged to the imperial carriage.
"Old man, stop pulling me. My clothes are all wrinkled." Liu Ju quickly straightened his collar. This was the problem with silk clothes.
Liu Che looked at his cherished look and said with a smile, "We only need this one piece of clothing."
Liu Ju sighed and said, "Aunt, I'm saying you should at least give me some respect. I'm already a grown man."
"Wow!" His Majesty exclaimed in surprise. "It hasn't even been half a year since I left the capital, and the Crown Prince has truly grown up. It seems you've been too dependent on me. From now on, I'll have to go out more often."
Liu Ju said, "Aunt, if you want to travel the world, you can just say so. Please don't use me as an excuse."
Liu Che laughed and said, "You don't know what's good for you. I'm just training you."
"Thank you, Uncle." Liu Ju raised his head and smiled, a smile that was a bit forced. "I am so lucky."
"Such a sarcastic remark!" His Majesty the Emperor patted his head. "It seems I shouldn't have come back this time..."
Before he could finish his words, Liu Che's eyes blurred, and then the prince leaned on him: "Aunt, I miss you so much. I can't eat or drink since you left. How about you take me with you next time you leave the capital?"
Liu Che laughed out loud: "You are talking nonsense and making such a mess. How can we, father and son, leave the capital together?"
"Ah." Liu Ju rested his head on his father's shoulder and thought for a moment, then said, "I have to teach Jin'er a lesson."
"What?" Liu Che didn't understand what he meant for a moment. "What happened to Jin'er?"
Liu Ju enthusiastically shared with his father: "Grandfather, think about it, if Jin'er can stay in the capital to supervise the country and govern the country, then you and I can travel around the world together, right?"
Liu Che was stunned: "Jin'er is only a little old now, yet you are thinking long-term."
"Not long, not long, just less than fifteen years." Liu Ju said with a smile.
Liu Che reminded him: "You are seventeen years old, why did you reduce Jin'er's age by one without authorization?"
Liu Ju said as a matter of course: "As the saying goes, the disciple surpasses the master. My son is definitely better than me, old man. Maybe he can be the regent at the age of fifteen."
Liu Che laughed in silence. No matter whether it was fifteen years or fourteen years, he didn't dare to imagine that he would be able to tour the world with the prince at that time.
By then I will be nearly sixty years old, and I don’t know if I can still be alive!
But the prince never seemed to care about this. In his plan, Aung could live to be seventy years old.
"Okay, when Jin'er is able to govern the country..." Liu Che patted the prince's shoulder, "I will take you on a tour around the world."
Isn’t it just seventy years old? His Majesty the Emperor thought to himself, I have accomplished many things that my ancestors have never done. I have lived to be seventy years old, so why can’t I do it?
Since he had made an agreement with the prince, the first thing Liu Che had to do was to take care of his health, and let the prince take care of his health with him.
Of course Liu Ju would not refuse. Although he was very young now, health preservation has no age limit. He also brought the queen, the crown princess, and the two great marshals Wei and Huo along.
…
On the sixth day of August, the eve of Liu Jin's birthday, the ceremony of conferring the title of Crown Princess was officially held. There were those who sincerely congratulated him, but there were even more who sighed with regret.
Ever since the Crown Prince's Palace welcomed Liangdi into the family, those who were interested in the idea had come up with countless ideas to prevent the position of Crown Princess from falling into another family, but the Crown Prince's Palace never revealed any intention of marrying a wife.
There were rumors at the time that the prince might be intending to promote Liangdi to the position of Crown Princess. Naturally, many people refuted this, but there were also many who agreed.
The dispute was not settled until Shi Liangdi gave birth to the emperor's grandson and the emperor issued an edict.
But obviously, there are still many people who are unwilling to give up.
Just as His Majesty the Emperor always appears infatuated when he favors someone, no matter how good the Crown Princess is to the Crown Prince now, he will get tired of her sooner or later. When that happens, their family's opportunity will naturally come.
Of course, Liu Ju didn't know what they were thinking privately, and even if he did, he wouldn't bother to care.
That day, he and Qing Yue brought Xiao Liu into the Pepper Room to pay their respects to the Empress. Coincidentally, Liu Yuan was there. After they exchanged greetings and took their seats, Wei Zifu smiled and said, "Your sister has good news again."
Liu Ju's eyelids twitched. This was a child he had never had in his previous life.
It is not a bad thing to have variables, but Liu Ju was worried about the child of Liu Yuan and Cao Xiang. After all, their blood relationship was too close, and no one could guarantee that the unborn child would be as lucky as Cao Zong.
Qing Yue smiled and congratulated Liu Yuan. After they exchanged a few words, Liu Ju asked, "Why did my sister enter the palace alone when she was pregnant?"
"You're picking on me again." Liu Yuan said with a smile, "When Qing Yue was pregnant, she came to the Pepper Palace to pay her respects, but you weren't always there."
Liu Ju hurriedly said, "Qing Yue has not left the palace, and there are attendants and female officials following him..."
"I'm not alone either." Liu Yuan continued with a smile.
Liu Ju was speechless. He looked at Qing Yue with apology in his eyes.
Qing Yue laughed softly and said, "You have your things to do, and I have mine. I don't really need you to accompany me all the time."
Liu Yuan leaned closer to his mother and chuckled softly, "I don't know who taught me that."
Wei Zifu smiled and shook her head, saying, "Has Xiang'er treated you badly?"
"That's true." Liu Yuan nodded and smiled. She looked at the young couple over there and said, "Prince, I heard something about you."
Liu Ju looked over and asked, "What's the matter?"
Liu Yuan smiled and said, "Now that you have a Crown Princess, naturally someone will be eyeing other positions."
Liu Ju turned to look at Qing Yue, who simply smiled gently and said, "I will obey your Highness's orders in everything."
But there was no smile in her eyes. Liu Ju sighed, held her hand, and said to Liu Yuan, "Let them give up this idea."
Qing Yue lowered his eyes to look at the two people's clasped hands, and a smile slowly appeared in his eyes.
Liu Yuan smiled and said, "I don't need to tell you. Over time, they will naturally give up. It's just..."
"Nothing more than that." Liu Ju said decisively.
Liu Yuan looked at him for a while, then looked at his mother. Wei Zifu just smiled calmly, obviously not intending to interfere with the prince's plan.
Liu Yuan also smiled.
…
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, His Majesty the Emperor specially arranged an autumn hunt in Shanglin Garden.
Liu Che smiled and said, "You owe me the bear paw, Prince, it's time for you to return it."
"It's been several years, and you still remember it, old man?" Liu Ju gripped the bow in his hand. Fortunately, he had never stopped practicing archery and horse riding.
"You owe me a debt, and you still hope that I will forget it, Prince..." Liu Che laughed again, "I will have to punish you more."
Liu Ju shouted, "Ah, I suddenly can't hear anymore, Aung, my cousin and I are leaving first!"
Huo Qubing said, "Your Majesty, I will go and accompany the Crown Prince."
Liu Che smiled and said, "Go ahead and protect him."
"I obey the decree."
After Huo Qubing caught up with the crown prince, Liu Che turned around and said to Wei Qing with a smile: "Zhongqing, my crown prince is becoming more and more lawless."
Wei Qing smiled and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me for my disrespect. Your Highness behaves like this because Your Majesty dotes on the Crown Prince too much. If Your Majesty were stricter with the Crown Prince, he would naturally not dare to do such a thing."
"That's reasonable." His Majesty nodded solemnly, "But I've spoiled him so much that if I want to be strict with him, I don't know how to do it."
"Let him go." Liu Che smiled.
All the followers sighed in their hearts that His Majesty's preference for the Crown Prince was rare in ancient and modern times, and the Crown Prince was truly enviable.
The enviable Crown Prince successfully hunted a bear with the help of Marquis Guanjun and others, and presented the bear paw to His Majesty the Emperor, but he would have to wait until tomorrow to eat it.
But today we have a deer hunted by His Majesty the Emperor himself, so we can enjoy it first.
Halfway through the banquet, Liu Ju yawned and said, "I'm really getting old. I can't endure it any longer..."
Before he could finish his words, the prince was hit on the head.
Liu Ju knew who it was without raising his hand. After all, who would dare to hit him like this?
"Aung, why are you here?" Liu Ju looked up and asked.
"I'm afraid you'll fall into the fire." Liu Che said angrily, "Old? How dare you say you're old in front of me?"
Liu Ju blinked and said, "Aunt, I'm sleepy and confused. What did I say just now?"
Liu Che tapped his forehead and said, "You are quite good at pretending to be stupid. If you are tired, go and rest. I will not stay up any longer. It is better to go to bed early and get up early."
"That's right." Liu Ju nodded repeatedly, "As for my uncle and cousin, tell them to go back and rest as well."
"I'm so sleepy." Liu Che laughed, "If I leave, won't this place be dispersed?"
Liu Ju was stunned and said, "Oh, yes."
Liu Che shook his head and smiled: "Go back and rest!"
After a good night's sleep, His Majesty the Emperor returned to the Weiyang Palace the next day.
The New Year is approaching, and there are not many affairs in the court. It is very suitable for Liu Che to live his health-preserving life. He goes to bed early and gets up early, exercises, and eats a combination of meat and vegetables. He is extremely healthy.
Because he was obsessed with health preservation, Madam Li, who accompanied him, catered to his wishes and imitated the emperor. Her physical condition actually improved a lot. Seeing this, the people in the harem also followed suit, and soon a health preservation wave was set off in the harem.
Later, this wave spread to the people outside the palace, but that’s another story.
Now that the New Year has passed, His Majesty the Emperor has started his tour again, but this year is not as stable as last year. It is not that Liu Che's itinerary is unstable, but that the neighbors of the Han Dynasty are unstable.
The Western Qiang frequently contacted the Xiongnu, seemingly wanting to cooperate with them in raiding the Han border. However, the Xiongnu were now divided and had been paying compensation to the Han for years. They could not provide many war horses for combat and were completely unable to fight against the Han, so they were very hesitant.
"They still dare to hesitate?" Liu Che put down the letter sent by the crown prince and said in a dignified tone. "It's only been a few years, and the Xiongnu have forgotten their lessons. They are truly barbarians who fear power but not virtue."
Wei Qing said, "Your Majesty, I guess the lesson we gave you last time was too lenient."
Liu Che said, "Zhongqing's words are quite reasonable. I will write a secret letter and have it delivered to the Crown Prince as quickly as possible."
In the sixth year of Yuanding, the Han Dynasty once again dealt a heavy blow to the Xiongnu, and the Xiongnu was on the verge of death.
At the same time, the Han Dynasty pacified the Western Qiang and established a commander to protect the Qiang.
It was also in this year that His Majesty the Emperor decided to hold the Fengshan Ceremony at Mount Tai the following year.
【Author’s words】
Another Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai is about to begin, and the main text of this article is about to end.
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