Liu Zhao recently fell ill.
A disease called getting irritable when seeing one's son.
Everything I see is wrong, from the soles of my feet to the hair.
"Stop, where are you fooling around again?"
Liu Zhao roared so angrily that the palace maids were so frightened that they dared not even breathe.
The second prince Liu Heng stood at the door with an innocent look on his face.
"My son has just returned from the academy. I have just paid my respects to my mother, the queen, and am about to pay my respects to my father, the emperor."
So unfair!
He didn't make any mistakes, but I still yell at him every time.
Liu Zhao didn't think there was anything wrong with a father yelling at his son.
He said with a stern face, "I heard that you and a few classmates secretly ran away from the academy and went to the horse farm for two days?"
"My son asked for leave, and the teacher agreed."
"The teacher agreed, but I didn't." Liu Zhao was furious.
“Ahem…”
Gu Jiu's cough was heard from the room.
The second prince Liu Heng secretly breathed a sigh of relief as if he had been pardoned.
Emperor Liu Zhao's expression instantly changed from ferocious to gentle.
He waved his hand with a look of disgust and sent the second prince Liu Heng away, forgetting to mention that he would check his homework.
The second prince Liu Heng ran away.
The emperor was too terrible. He would scold him every time he caught him.
When my eldest brother returns to the palace, I will at least help him disperse the firepower.
Liu Yu, who was far away in Jing Daying, rubbed his nose and looked up at the sky. The Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching.
He had to find a way to complete the mission before the Mid-Autumn Festival, perfectly avoid the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet, and avoid his father's fire attack.
Liu Zhao walked into the study with a smile on his face.
He didn't forget to scold Liu Heng, "You little bastard, you run away when you see me. Am I that scary?"
"That's about right. If someone treats their son like an enemy like you do, of course the children will be afraid of you."
Gu Jiu poured him some tea and said, "You've been so irritable lately, you need to calm down."
Liu Zhao picked up the teacup and drank from it. "This is nothing. Think about how my grandfather treated my father, and how my father treated me. It was such a scene. I treat them not even one tenth of what my elders treat me."
Gu Jiu sneered, "So, you think the education methods of Emperor Wuzong and the late emperor are correct? Do you agree with teaching children in a fierce and vicious way, scolding them as if they were enemies?"
As soon as he heard the tone, Liu Zhao knew that something bad was going to happen.
He chuckled, "It's a misunderstanding, a huge misunderstanding. I am the emperor after all, and I must have an attitude."
"It's okay to have an attitude, but is it necessary to be so cruel to the children? The children have done nothing wrong. Isn't it better to speak to them in a friendly manner?"
"I'll listen to you and treat the child more gently in the future." Liu Zhao agreed.
Gu Ji didn't believe a word of it, "You agreed to it now, but you turned around and forgot it completely. Could it be that you have reached..." menopause?
"What did you get?" Liu Zhao couldn't guess what Gu Jiu meant, so of course he asked since he didn't understand.
Gu Jiu shook his head. "Have you been experiencing a lot of mood swings lately? Are you easily angered and displeased with everyone?"
"I like you." Liu Zhao said proudly.
Gu Jiu was very disgusted and said, "Come on, stretch out your hand."
"What?"
"Take your pulse. If necessary, prescribe some medicine for your recovery."
Liu Zhao obediently stretched out his hand.
Gu Jiu took his wrist and took his pulse.
Liu Zhao gazed at her affectionately, unable to see enough.
Gu Jiu asked casually, "Are you done with your work today?"
"No. There are so many things to do, there's no end to the work."
"Work and rest."
"I'll listen to you."
After taking the pulse, Gu Jiu picked up the pen and quickly wrote a prescription.
The prescription was given to Lin Shuping to prepare and decoct the medicine.
Liu Zhao was curious: "Is there really something wrong with my health?"
"You have internal heat and fever. I'll prescribe some medicine to clear it up for you."
"It's all because of those court officials who made me angry."
"A grand court meeting can't solve any problems, and it can't come up with any strategies. It's just a chance for the court officials to express their opinions and to argue and vent their anger. As for you, don't take it too seriously. Just turn a blind eye to what happens at the grand court meeting."
"I just don't like them. You didn't hear how rude these officials were. I can't ignore them even if I want to."
Liu Zhao was furious, like a child who had been wronged.
Gu Jiu laughed, "If you really can't bear it, I have an immature suggestion."
"What suggestions do you have?"
"The court officials love to quarrel. The two grand court meetings on the first and fifteenth of each month are clearly not enough to satisfy them. How about choosing a different location on the fifth and tenth of each month, and having the Minister of the Central Secretariat preside over the court meetings, without you appearing. The court officials can raise any suggestions or decrees at the court meetings. If they have any dissatisfaction, let them argue among themselves."
When Liu Zhao heard this, his eyes lit up.
"I need to think carefully about your idea. Can it work if I don't show up?"
"It would be better to let the Minister of the Central Secretariat, Lord Lu, solve this problem for you."
Liu Zhao pinched his chin. "A court meeting was held, but I didn't show up. Would some people think I've lost control of the court?"
Gu Jiu said, "You can send someone to sit in and take notes. Even though you didn't attend, you'll know everything that happened during the court meeting. Of course, you still have to show up at the grand court meetings on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month. When the court officials have more channels and opportunities to express their opinions, they might be more polite to you during the grand court meetings on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month."
Liu Zhao said, "It is also possible that this has fueled their arrogance, and the grand court meetings on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month have made them even more vicious towards me."
"What you said is possible. That's why I said this is an immature suggestion. It's up to you whether you want to do it or not."
"I need to think about it again."
Gu Jiu rubbed his brows for him and said, "Don't look so sad all the time. It makes you look old."
"Am I old?"
"Not old, just as young as before."
"Don't lie to me. I still remember that after my father ascended the throne, he aged very quickly."
"Being an emperor means worrying about too many things and not paying attention to health preservation, so you will naturally age quickly. So you must learn from this lesson."
"I'll do as you say."
Liu Zhao enjoyed Gu Jiu's service and felt so comfortable that every pore in his body seemed to be dancing.
He rested his head on Gu Jiu's legs with his eyes closed.
When people get used to being busy, they can't relax.
After enjoying himself for a while, he took the initiative to talk about business, "There's been no new news from the northwest recently."
"Everything is going according to plan, and it seems to be going smoothly at the moment." Gu Jiu comforted him.
"Do you think this old fellow, Marquis Lu, will change his mind at the last minute?" Liu Zhao was a little worried.
"Even if he changes his mind, where can he go? Is he planning a rebellion? The Northwest Military Governor's Office is not a mere formality, and the military training we used against Beirong and Xiliang over the years was no sham. The Northwest Military Governor's Office is no match for the Northwest Army. The worst-case scenario is a defeat, but the situation won't continue to deteriorate. Everything will eventually come to an end. Don't forget, Marquis Lu is old, and even if we wait for him to die, we can outlast him."
Liu Zhao smiled and held Gu Jiu's hand. "I've thought about it carefully. That old fellow, Marquis of Lu, really wants to be king, or even emperor. But he doesn't have the capital to become king or emperor in the Great Zhou, and he's unwilling to hand over power. You pointed out a path for him, and he went along with it. Because he knows this is his best way out. Although Xiliang is desolate, the territory is large enough. As long as he manages it well, he can make a big difference and become a true local emperor."
After saying this, Liu Zhao tutted his tongue twice and continued, "My royal grandfather raised a wolf!"
Gu Jiu said, "It's understandable that Emperor Wuzong Kaiyao supported Marquis Lu in order to eliminate the Cui family's influence in the army. But he didn't expect that he would raise a wolf."
"If there was no Xiliang as a road to success, do you think he would dare to rebel?" Liu Zhao asked curiously.
Gu Jiu thought for a moment and said, "There's a 70% chance that the situation will remain deadlocked, and Marquis Lu will never rebel until his death. When Pei Meng inherits everything from Marquis Lu and takes command of the Northwest Army, he'll be forced to rebel."
Liu Zhao laughed heartily. "Once Marquis Lu dies, the imperial court will legitimately take over the Northwest Army. Pei Meng wants to keep everything he's gained, so he'll have no choice but to rebel against the imperial court. Then, the entire Pei family, thousands of people, will have to go to Caishikou and behead them."
"Lord Lu is a wise man. He knows what choice is best for him, the Northwest Army, and the Pei family. You don't have to worry about Lord Lu changing his mind midway and ruining the Northwest Plan."
"Have you ever thought that if the Duke of Lu cooperates with Xiliang, then in turn..."
"Absolutely impossible. Those who are not of our race must have different hearts. Xiliang does not trust Marquis Lu, and Marquis Lu does not trust Xiliang either. If they cooperate with the court, Marquis Lu and the Pei family still have a chance of survival. If they cooperate with Xiliang, they will seek their own destruction."
Gu Jiu was very sure that the Duke of Lu would not cooperate with Xiliang.
"Although I have never met the Marquis of Lu, judging by his actions over the years, he is a man with a bottom line. As long as the court does not push him into a desperate situation, he will stick to it."
Liu Zhao asked, "What do you think his bottom line is?"
“Don’t cooperate with alien races.”
Liu Zhao frowned.
Gu Jiu was nervous. "Could it be that my prediction was wrong? Without being able to see the Duke of Lu in person, I can't make an accurate judgment."
Liu Zhao laughed and held her hand. "Your prediction is correct. The Duke of Lu is indeed a man with a bottom line."
Gu Jiu raised his eyebrows, "Are you still worried that he might rebel?"
Liu Zhao laughed heartily. "As long as he has a bottom line, I won't worry about him rebelling. But we must be wary of Pei Meng, as he doesn't have the bottom line of the Marquis of Lu."
Gu Jiu said softly, "Let Northwest Grand Commander Li Bingming take care of this matter."
Liu Zhao complained, "I just received a report from Li Bingming yesterday, asking me for money and food. I finally saved up some money, but I've spent it all on this bottomless pit."
"Li Bingming's appetite is indeed a bit big, he needs to be disciplined."
Liu Zhao smiled and asked, "You want to teach him a lesson? I'm busy dealing with those court officials and really don't have time to spare."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Okay, I'll begrudgingly beat him up for you. You can't blame me if I hit him too hard."
"As ruthless as you are, I have long disliked that old fellow surnamed Li."
Gu Jiu laughed out loud when he heard that.
She jokingly said, "Who have you found pleasing to the eye lately? You don't even like your own son, so I'm afraid everyone else is disgusting and unbearable to the sight in your eyes."
Liu Zhao thought this made sense and nodded repeatedly, "Now, only when I see you, my lady, can I feel relaxed and at ease."
Gu Jiu pinched his ear and said, "Stop flattering me."
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