Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1415 Thoughts

Liu Xie thought that Liu Chan asked him to be an envoy out of respect for himself and Yuan Xi, but it was reasonable for Liu Chan to summon him first to ask about his wishes. However, the imperial edict omitted this step, indicating that the attendants around Liu Chan did not play a good guiding role.

He stood up and said, "I will go into the palace to see His Highness."

After Fu Shou heard this, she stopped the stone wheel that was grinding the medicine, went to the side to look for money, and said, "My husband, wait a moment. I will take the money and call a carriage."

Liu Xie said, "No need. It's only a few steps away. I can just walk there."

Fu Shou said, "This is not appropriate. Your husband is the Duke of Shanyang after all. If other officials were to walk like this, it would be difficult for them to do their job."

Liu Xie smiled and said, "They are them, and I am me. We run a free clinic, and the cost of herbal medicine for the people is not small, so we can save a little bit."

He saw the two silver coins in Fu Shou's hand, thought for a moment, then took them from him and said, "It's a saving by not taking the carriage. I'll buy some smoked meat and food on the way back."

He weighed the silver in his hand and sighed, "The silver issued by the Jin State is not simple."

Fu Shou nodded and said, "It is indeed convenient and durable. It is said that the State of Jin has obtained a large amount of silver mines from overseas. Now this silver coin is equivalent to a copper coin, and it is still appreciating in value."

"I heard that it has been less than two years since it flowed from the Yangtze River and Huai River to Hannan, and it has almost completely replaced the copper coins issued by Hannan. If this continues."

Liu Xie sighed, "Some things should have been told to His Highness by people around him, but His Highness is too young now, and there is no one around him who can guide him. General Guan has been fighting outside, Military Advisor Pang is defending Xiangyang and can't come back, and Prime Minister Xu... Oh."

Fu Shou said, "I always feel that this prime minister is out of tune with the officials of Lord Xuande back then. He really acts like the Yingchuan School."

Liu Xie waved his hand and said, "Be careful with your words. I will remind Your Majesty."

He walked out of the house and saw a small square courtyard in front of him. There were three thatched houses. One was where two people lived, one was a kitchen where firewood was stored, and at the door of the other house, Mrs. Cao was holding her child to enjoy the cool air.

When she saw Liu Xie coming out, she stood up quickly and said, "My husband is going out?"

Liu Xie nodded and said, "I'll be back in half a day. You and Madam Fu can have lunch together at noon. Don't worry about me."

Liu Xie walked out of the courtyard and Mrs. Cao saw him out. After watching Liu Xie go away, she closed the faded and cracked wooden door.

Liu Xie is now the Duke of Shanyang. Although Hannan is not as powerful as the other two countries, his salary is still acceptable. However, most of his income is used to provide free medical treatment to the people, so he lives such a frugal life.

Liu Xie walked for more than half an hour before he arrived at the gate of the palace. After asking the guard to pass the message, the guard came out and said, "The king has summoned you. Please let the Duke of Shanyang go in with me."

Liu Xie followed the guards all the way inside. Along the way, he saw that the palace had been replaced with a new group of palace maids. They looked quite young, all about eleven or twelve years old. He couldn't help but frowned.

Liu Chan was waiting for Liu Xie in the study. When Liu Xie entered, he bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I, Liu Xie, greet you."

Liu Chan came over excitedly, pulled Liu Xie to sit down, and said, "Shanyang Gong, you don't have to be so polite. At the beginning, you called my father the emperor's uncle, so you are my elder brother."

"The affairs of Hannan are largely due to my brother's hard work. I am very happy for you."

Seeing that Liu Chan was so young but tried hard to act like an old man, Liu Xie felt strange. He cupped his hands and said, "I came here this time because I received an imperial edict from Your Highness, but I don't know the reason behind it, so I came to pay my respects to Your Highness."

"I would like to ask, what message does Your Highness want me to convey to the Emperor of Jin, and what does Your Highness want him to do?"

Liu Chan was stunned by the question, and he touched his head and said, "I didn't think so much at the beginning. Shouldn't I act according to the situation and see what the other party says first?"

Liu Xie explained: "If it is just a simple message, anyone can be sent. Your Majesty asked me to go because you think I am familiar with the Emperor of Jin, so it is easier to negotiate terms, right?"

"But if I do this, I must first know your Highness's requirements and bottom line."

After hearing this, Liu Chan touched his head and said, "I didn't think too much about it at the time, but the Prime Minister said that you are the most suitable, so I immediately issued an edict, haha."

Liu Xie was quite speechless, "Then Your Highness, do you know what result the Prime Minister hopes for?"

Liu Chan was even more dumbfounded, "I really didn't think so much at the time."

Liu Xie sighed helplessly, "Your Highness, state affairs are not that simple. One move can affect the entire body, especially when dealing with a powerful force like the State of Jin. If you are not careful, state affairs will develop in an irreversible direction."

"Although Jin is on good terms with Hannan, it is limited to the former king and General Guan. The Jin emperor is actually a very discriminating person. Your Highness is in charge of Hannan. You can't rely on the favors and friendships of the previous generation to expect Jin to sit back and watch Hannan act as it pleases."

Liu Chan finally understood a little bit, and he said, "Brother, are you saying that the Emperor of Jin came here with a purpose?"

Liu Xie showed an expression of approval, "Your Majesty's understanding is actually higher than mine in the past. If you have a famous teacher to guide you, you will definitely achieve something in the future."

"But now there is not much time left for Your Majesty. The Jin State has occupied ten of the thirteen states in the world, and the unification of the world is imminent. The Emperor of Jin must have come here to discuss some important matters with Your Highness."

"If I am the only one sent as an envoy, I am afraid that many things will not be carried out, so I came to ask your Majesty for your opinion."

"To take a step back, even if Your Highness does not want to meet with the Emperor of Jin in person, you should send more generals and officials representing Hannan to show respect."

"Your Majesty, as the ruler of Hannan, you should know that Hannan only occupies one state and cannot be compared with the size of Jin. If you treat it perfunctorily, you will only waste the favors of the previous generation. The goal of Jin has always been to unify the world." Liu Chan's forehead was sweating when he heard this. He trembled and said, "Brother Wang, do you mean that Xionghu wants to find an excuse to destroy Hannan?"

Liu Xie shook his head and said, "Although the possibility is not great, Hannan Kingdom should at least be polite to avoid giving others an excuse."

"In fact, I think that if the Prime Minister and the General can go, the Emperor of Jin will definitely feel the respect of Your Highness."

Liu Chan said in distress: "The general is still fighting the southern barbarians, and the war in Jiaozhou is tense. It seems that he can't come back in time."

"The Prime Minister probably doesn't want to go, otherwise he wouldn't have strongly recommended that you go."

Liu Xie's heart moved. He was recommended by Xu Shu?
From the perspective of friendship, he and Yuan Xi were indeed familiar with each other, but the two sides had actually already been clear of each other. Did Xu Shu expect that he could make Yuan Xi go back without doing anything just by talking?

He said, "When I came in, I found that Your Majesty had changed a group of palace maids. The youngest one was only ten years old. Weren't the palace maids selected before at least sixteen years old?"

"These maids are so young, I'm afraid they can't do any hard work, right?"

Liu Chan listened and said indifferently: "The palace maids in the past were too old to play with me."

"These people are about my age. In a few years, when I select concubines and harem, I can directly choose from them. Isn't it convenient?"

Liu Xie's heart skipped a beat. "Is that all?"

Liu Chan didn't understand what he meant, and asked in confusion: "Brother, do you think I am lying?"

Liu Xie hesitated for a moment. "During the pre-Han period, several emperors sought alchemists from the Taiping Dao to make elixirs, which required the assistance of young girls. Your Majesty did not do such a thing, did he?"

After hearing this, Liu Chan forced a smile and said, "No, no, my brother, you are overthinking. How could I possibly do such a thing?"

Liu Xie was relieved after hearing this and solemnly warned: "These methods are harmful to people and the body. Your Majesty must be careful. If there are people around you who slander and tempt Your Majesty, they must be severely punished and expelled from the palace."

Liu Chan laughed dryly and said, "I will definitely remember what you said, my brother."

"As for the list of envoys, I will discuss it with the Prime Minister and others, so don't worry, brother."

After hearing this, Liu Xie leaned forward and said, "Then I will take my leave."

When Liu Chan saw Liu Xie was about to leave, he tried to persuade him to stay, saying, "Brother, why don't you stay? I will have someone prepare a banquet for you."

Liu Xie declined politely, saying, "Hannan's treasury is tight, and the court is frugal. We do not want to hold meaningless banquets. I will take my leave now."

When Liu Chan saw Liu Xie leave, he heaved a sigh of relief after he had been gone for quite some time, and said to his attendants, "My brother is so rigid. Talking to him is like the last king is in front of me."

"Go and find the Prime Minister and tell him I have something to discuss with him."

After Xu Shu came over, he listened to Liu Chan's explanation of the cause and effect, thought for a while, and said, "Shanyang Duke probably has no other intentions."

"But this time, it is not appropriate for me to go."

Liu Chan asked in confusion: "Why?"

Xu Shu said, "Although the possibility is very small, I need to face the worst-case scenario and deal with it in Changsha."

Liu Chan said in a lost voice: "Prime Minister, do you also think that Jin will use troops against Hannan?"

Xu Shu said in a deep voice: "The opponent is a fierce tiger, anything is possible."

"This man is an outstanding figure in both civil and military affairs. He is not only good at using troops, but also at plotting and scheming. Over the years, the State of Wei and the foreign tribes outside the Great Wall have been troubled by him. If he uses this method to deal with Your Highness, the consequences will be worrying."

"I also heard that Lady Xiahou, the widow of the late General Zhang, has been going to Shouchun in recent years, which means that Xionghu has been trying to infiltrate the upper echelons of Hannan."

"He was originally on good terms with General Guan, and now he has this relationship with him. What will happen if the army and Your Highness are not on the same page in the future?"

Liu Xie turned pale after hearing this. "Then what do you think I should do, Prime Minister?"

Xu Shu said, "First, send people to monitor the residences of several generals who are on good terms with the State of Jin to prepare for any possible changes."

"If there is any unusual movement, we should strike first."

Liu Chan was at a loss at this time and agreed immediately. He discussed with Xu Shu for a long time before finally deciding on the officials who would meet with the Jin Emperor.

These include Mi Zhu, who has been sidelined in recent years, and Cai Mao, who no longer leads the navy. Both of them were implicated because of their relatives, and gradually moved away from the core of Hannan's official system under Xu Shu's manipulation.

Including Liu Xie, after hearing the list of these three people, Liu Chan couldn't help but ask: "Are these three too close to the Jin Emperor?"

(End of this chapter)