Chapter 238: Bo Qiaohui 50
King Liu Bi of Wu rushed all the way to Wu and almost immediately began to intensify his rebellion. Liu Qi's actions this time had little impact on him, who was determined to rebel, or on the other kings who were already loyal to the Han Dynasty, but it would certainly sway those allies who could have been won over.
Moreover, he lacked an excuse to send troops. He had no legitimate reason to do so, and the situation was very unfavorable to him. Liu Bi slammed the table hard, gnashing his teeth in hatred.
He had been running Wu for many years, and his business was going very well. Even Liu Heng was unable to effectively curb his development. But Liu Qi, a young brat, got the support of the treacherous minister Bo Xiang, who came up with the Enfeoffment Order. His sons, who had been loyal to him, immediately became disloyal.
That would be fine, but he was clearly using the Queen Mother's birthday banquet to win over other princes and nobles who had ulterior motives.
If there is no rebellious intention, fine wine and beautiful women will naturally be rewards. If there is any ulterior motive, these will naturally become poison that penetrates the intestines.
But these were just superficial appearances. What really stirred up waves in his heart was the timing chosen by Liu Qi, which was too clever and too timely.
Almost in the second month after they secretly agreed, news suddenly came from Chang'an that Liu Qi was going to hold a grand birthday party for the Queen Mother and invite everyone to be crowned kings.
Those who originally held onto hope are now...
Just as he was thinking about it, he saw Doctor Ying Gao walk in with a bad look on his face.
"how?"
"The King of Jiaoxi seems to have regretted his actions. He said he needs to reconsider the letter you sent him."
"A common man is not worthy of being consulted!"
The King of Wu was furious, his eyes wide, and he angrily asked, "Have they forgotten the shame of their father and elder brother who once stood for justice but were usurped by those villains?"
Ying Gao quickly advised, "Your Majesty, please keep your voice down. Those people only care about the present pleasures and cannot see the dangers in the future."
"The Emperor is treating the princes with favor and hasn't openly reduced their power. Even the world is boasting that his policies benefit the princes. This is not the time to make any major moves. You'd better take a long-term view."
"No, I have been planning this for decades. Life is finite. If I endure this any longer, I will become a fish on the chopping board, waiting to be slaughtered."
The King of Wu gritted his teeth and said, "Besides, the Emperor is adept at manipulating people's hearts. It's only been three years, and the situation in the world has changed dramatically. If we don't take advantage of his infancy, I'm afraid there will be no chance to avenge Xian'er in the future."
Ying Gao felt somewhat helpless. He had worked with Liu Bi for many years and he was still unaware of his ambitions. He said that he was doing it to avenge his son, but he was just trying to use this as an excuse to make himself appear to have a legitimate cause.
But back then, Empress Dowager Dou threw the prince at your feet and let you kill him. You didn't do it yourself, so the matter was naturally over. It's untenable to use this as an excuse now.
Ying Gao pondered this while tactfully admonishing, "I've always known Your Majesty to be a kind father. Even though the virtuous Crown Prince has passed away... you still can't let him go. But when Empress Dowager Dou confronted you in the court that day, you spared the Emperor's life out of pity for his youth. Now that Your Majesty has ascended to the throne, I'm afraid that while others may sympathize with your plight, they won't aid you."
"Is there really no other solution?"
Liu Bi slowly sat down. He wasn't someone who couldn't endure. But he endured in order to accomplish great things, not to live a life of shamelessness.
Liu Qi was about the same age as his eldest son, who had passed away. He was already aging, while Liu Qi was still in his prime. He had always had endless courage to move forward because he always believed that he could succeed.
But at the moment, Liu Qi's smooth handling had made him realize a fact that he was unwilling to believe.
Perhaps he really had no choice but to give up and continue to be the King of Wu.
"Go out first, let me think about it."
Liu Bi pinched his brows tiredly, and Ying Gao tiptoed out. In the silent and dim room, he felt a shadow over his heart.
Unfortunately, just as he was struggling with whether to build it or not, the gears of fate began to turn at a pace no one had expected.
The State of Chu, which bordered his territory, rebelled just one month later.
As for the reason why our King of Chu rebelled, it was also ridiculous. Liu Wu loved the four beauties sent by Liu Qi very much. He almost had fun with them every night, and the more he played, the more extravagant he became. The four young girls were really like fresh flowers. They only had a blooming period of a month before they died.
Before that, when he killed the first girl, his prime minister Zhang Shang had advised him that after all, it was the emperor's gift, and if they all died, it would be difficult to explain to the emperor.
The King of Chu did not take it seriously at the time. After all, there were four of them. Who would have thought that only a month later, as Zhang Shang had said, they all died of illness.
Only then did Liu Wu begin to panic.
He knew that these women were probably of unusual status. Even if they were not spies, they were their mascots to prove to the emperor that they had no intention of rebelling. Now four of them had died in a row, and only one month had passed!
Liu Wu had a favored and flattering minister who took the opportunity to persuade him to rebel. After all, the dead cannot be resurrected. Even if he explained to the emperor that it was not intentional, who knew if the emperor would believe him? Even if he did, wouldn't he take the opportunity to punish him? Now that he had opened this door, who knew if he would punish him a second time?
The King of Chu was not one who would suffer injustice, and he felt guilty, so he actually believed the words of this flatterer and killed the Prime Minister Zhang Shang and the Grand Tutor Yue Yiwu who came to persuade him on the spot.
This time he had to rebel even if he didn't want to. Liu Wu immediately raised his arms and called for a rebellion!
But what is intriguing is that although he acted so hastily, he actually had soldiers and horses to cooperate with him.
Liu Bi, who was not far away from him, was stunned by this unexpected good news. He asked Ying Gao several times, and after confirming the news, he laughed out loud: "This is God's will!"
Then he couldn't wait to ask, "What is the reason for Liu Wu to raise an army?"
Ying Gao hesitated for a moment, then finally said, "It is to punish Bo Xiang and purge the imperial court."
"Execute Bo Xiang and purge the imperial court? Bo Xiang has always been known for his benevolence, so why would they choose him?"
"The King of Chu said, 'Bo Xiang used Your Majesty's kindness to stir up disputes within the Han Dynasty, causing discord between fathers and sons, and brothers to kill each other. He claimed to be extending favors, but in reality he was seeking personal gain, contrary to the teachings of Huang-Lao. These are the twelve grave sins I have listed."
"Great, great! I didn't expect Liu Wu to have such a skill. That's great!"
Liu Bi was so overjoyed that he walked around the table three times and quickly responded to Gao Dao: "Go and invite the generals to discuss the plan together."
Ying Gao felt that this was not a good idea, but judging from the situation, if the King of Wu really wanted to raise an army, now would be the best time to do so. He had no choice but to agree and leave.
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