After the court session, the newly appointed military officers, now holding high positions and enjoying great honors, were in high spirits and chatting happily, discussing where to find a place to drink to their hearts' content.
Only King Zhao, Liu Xinwu, was worried about his adopted son Liu Ziyu's abnormal behavior. He feared that Liu Ziyu might not be able to accept the rewards bestowed upon him and might do something outrageous.
He was hesitating whether to use this as an excuse to visit his daughter Liu Shujun and, incidentally, talk to Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an about Liu Ziyu's situation, so that he would be well-informed and could go back to comfort his adopted son Liu Ziyu, who was suffering a blow.
Unexpectedly, just as he stepped out of the Golden Palace, he was stopped by several former kings of different surnames from the previous dynasty. After exchanging pleasantries and congratulations, they had a small gathering at the suggestion of Du Bo, the King of Jiujiang.
On the one hand, congratulations to Brother Jingyu (Liu Xinwu) on being granted the title of Prince of Zhao in the new dynasty;
On the other hand, after the enthronement ceremony of Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an and the conferment ceremony of the founding heroes, these former kings of different surnames who had been ordered to come to the capital should also return to their respective fiefdoms.
Furthermore, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an's arrangements for these former kings of different surnames were only verbal promises made before the army breached the city, promising to retain all the privileges they enjoyed in the previous dynasty except for military power and fiefdoms, but he did not announce them to the world in the form of an edict from the new dynasty.
Therefore, these former princes of different surnames from the previous dynasty also wanted to take this opportunity of their small gathering today to ask Brother Jingyu to put in a good word for them before the Emperor, so that the promises they made back then could be announced to the world in the form of an imperial edict as soon as possible, so that they could feel at ease!
Faced with the invitation from his old comrades, King Zhao Liu Xinwu naturally couldn't refuse.
He knew that after this gathering today, these old brothers who had followed Emperor Zhao Mang, the founder of the Great Xin Dynasty, in conquering the world would probably never have the chance to meet again in this lifetime.
Therefore, Liu Xinwu readily accepted the invitation from the King of Jiujiang and returned to his residence with the former kings to drink and reminisce.
That night.
In an inn in Jinling City, Liu Ziyu, the Marquis of Wuyi of the Tang Dynasty, who was drinking alone, was finally found by his generals.
Leading the way were Hu Dalin, the vanguard general under Liu Ziyu, and Xiong Kai, the garrison general of Youzhou.
After the investiture ceremony concluded today, Hu Dalin and his group of fierce generals from Youyun learned that Deputy General Liu Ziyu had only been granted the title of Earl of Wuyi of the Great Tang Dynasty.
The difference between a count, a marquis, and a duke is not just a matter of a few hundred bushels of rice and a few thousand taels of silver per year; it represents the face of the civil and military officials of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun in their prime!
"Brother, why are you drinking alone here all by yourself? We brothers have been looking for you for ages!"
It turned out that these fierce generals of Youyun, who were not qualified to attend court, began searching all over Jinling City after learning that their elder brother Liu Ziyu had only been granted the title of Earl and had disappeared after leaving court. Finally, they found Liu Ziyu drinking alone in this inn.
While greeting Liu Ziyu, who was drinking alone, Hu Dalin signaled his personal guards to clear out the inn and restaurant.
The ordinary people who were eating and drinking dared not speak out, because the newcomer was arrogant and carried a knife, and was obviously not a good person.
"Oh, brothers, you've arrived?"
Liu Ziyu was already quite drunk. After seeing the person's face clearly, he immediately called out, "Come on, brothers, sit down and have a couple of bowls with me!"
"Boss, bring the drinks!"
Soon, the innkeeper nervously brought several jars of fine wine to the group and ordered the kitchen to prepare several hearty dishes to accompany the wine. Only then did he retreat behind the inn's counter, huddled up, and covered his ears, looking heartbroken and helpless.
After Hu Dalin and the others sat down, Liu Ziyu first downed three large bowls of wine with them, then said with red eyes, "Brothers, I feel so choked up, I'm so bitter!"
"Brother, there's nothing more to say. All the brothers know about today's court assembly and investiture ceremony!"
Hu Dalin refilled Liu Ziyu's bowl with wine and said indignantly, "This emperor is too much of a bully! My brother has made far more than just a few great contributions to the establishment of the Tang Dynasty!"
"Back then, if it weren't for my elder brother's secret support in Wuzhou City, the tens of thousands of elite troops that the Emperor sent to raid Tumu Fort via the northern desert would have all frozen to death on the northern grasslands."
"If, if it weren't for my elder brother's rallying cry, would the garrison generals of the various prefectures of Youyun have defected on the battlefield and raised the banner of the Prince of Jin?"
"In the battle of Kaifeng Prefecture, my elder brother lost seven of his adopted sons, all of whom were outstanding men from the Youyun region!"
"yes--"
Emboldened by the alcohol, Xiong Kai, the garrison commander of Youzhou, began to indignantly chime in, "Given the general's achievements, even considering the influence in the court, if not granted the title of Duke of the Great Tang, he should at least be a marquis!"
"Even good-for-nothings like Guo Dingfang and Wang Wenbin, who almost lost their Chang'an garrison to the Tibetan barbarians, were granted titles of nobility."
"And then there's Liu Ergou. He's just a nobody among the military officers in the Youyun region, yet he's been granted the title of Earl, and his ranking is even higher than that of a general. Where the hell can we even begin to reason with him?"
"To put it bluntly, it's the Emperor deliberately suppressing the generals of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun by discarding them after they've served their purpose."
Xiong Kai continued to speak recklessly, "Little do people know, if it weren't for the generals of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun guarding the borders for His Majesty, could the Tang Dynasty have been stable?"
Fueled by alcohol, the group poured out all their grievances against Emperor Zhaowu, Chen Huai'an.
On one hand, it was to stand up for his elder brother, Liu Ziyu;
On the other hand, they were also dissatisfied with their failure to receive an imperial decree. In the eyes of Hu Dalin, Xiong Kai and others, even the unknown Liu Ergou had been granted the title of Earl, so why couldn't they, these valiant generals of Youyun with outstanding military achievements, be granted one?
Under the influence of alcohol, the group's dissatisfaction with Emperor Zhaowu, Chen Huai'an, was amplified to an extreme degree.
During the meal, someone else said, "Brother, this prince is your godfather. Are you just going to stand by and do nothing?"
"And then there's the Empress, your sworn sister. Back then, to prevent the Empress from being exiled to the Uyghur Khaganate for a marriage alliance by Zhao Gan, you were prepared to raise an army against the court."
"Now that the Emperor has treated you this way, do you think the Prince and the Empress are unmoved?"
brush!
Upon hearing this, the previously noisy crowd immediately fell silent, and no one knew how to respond.
Yes, why didn't the Prince and the Empress stand up for Liu Ziyu in the face of such unfair treatment? They could have at least spoken a word of justice to the Emperor!
Just watch helplessly?
After a long silence, Liu Ziyu, whose eyes were already bloodshot from drinking, finally sneered and said, "They're family now, so why would they care about the life or death of an outsider like me?"
"An adopted son is never a biological son."
"Even a sworn brother is not a biological brother!"
Bang!
Suddenly, Hu Dalin slammed his wine bowl on the table, jumped to his feet, and said sternly, "Brother, this matter can't be left like this!"
"I'm going to the palace right now to see the Emperor. I demand an explanation from him!"
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