Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1448 Betting
Yuan Xi did not stay in Yecheng for long, and immediately prepared to leave for Nanchang to once again take charge of the negotiations with the Kingdom of Hannan.

Logically speaking, given the size of Jin State and its foreign policy dealings with Hannan, the emperor did not need to come in person. Therefore, many officials in the Jin State advised that Yuan Xi should behave like an emperor, and that the ruler of Hannan did not show up even after he came in person twice, which was really too disrespectful and rude.

Only a few intelligent people like Zhuge Liang and Yang Xiu knew that Yuan Xi's actions had actually forced the Hannan Kingdom into an extremely embarrassing position step by step.

Not to mention the foundation of the State of Jin, which came from the abdication of Liu Xie, the emperor of the former Han Dynasty. The system of justice and harmony was so perfect that no one could find fault with it. People all over the world gradually turned their hearts to the Han Dynasty and slowly shifted their thoughts from supporting the Han Dynasty to the new dynasty of the State of Jin.

Especially towards Hannan, Yuan Xi did his utmost to be kind and righteous. He visited Hannan in person twice, but Liu Chan only sent an envoy to meet him. This made the gentry in the world feel that Hannan was impolite. This practice had already occupied the moral high ground, and made the public opinion of Hannan increasingly unfavorable.

Moreover, Jin has provided a lot of assistance to Hannan in recent years. Under such circumstances, if Hannan joins forces with Wei, it will be regarded as a treacherous person in the eyes of the world. Yuan Xi personally rushed to Jingzhou to let the people of Hannan understand that Jin has made enough gestures. If Hannan wants to make any moves, it will have to bear the possible double backlash in morality and military affairs.

This was a kind of intimidation in itself, but Hannan couldn't play dumb. At Liu Chan's age, he didn't have the courage to go to Nanchang to meet Yuan Xi in person, so he could only be defeated step by step.

One of the few variables is the ideas of the Restoration of Han faction headed by Xu Shu. They can naturally see through this series of operations, but seeing is one thing, how to do it and to what extent is another.

Fine snowflakes were falling from the sky. Yuan Xi and Zhen Mi were standing side by side on the covered bridge of Tongque Tower. In front of them was the street of Yecheng, which was already covered with a thin layer of snow. Yuan Xi took Zhen Mi's slightly cold hand and said, "It snowed so early today."

"If this trip goes well, maybe I can come back in time for the New Year, but if something goes wrong, I'll have to trouble you to host the Spring Festival ceremony."

Zhen Mi was a little reluctant, and forced a smile, saying, "In the past thousands of years, no ruler or emperor has ever been as busy as Your Majesty."

"It is said that the monarch sits in the capital and governs the world, but my husband is always responsible for major events and takes care of everything himself. How can future generations follow suit?"

Yuan Xi smiled and said, "Everyone has his own way of doing things. Maybe in the future, the world will not need my way of doing things anymore."

"The territory of Jin State is now larger and its foundation is becoming more profound, but if we can save some money and food and fight fewer unnecessary wars, the only cost is that I go there in person, which is still quite cost-effective."

"You are the one I feel the most sorry for these years. When we got married, I always said I would spend more time with you, but I broke my promises many times. It has been so many years without me noticing."

"It's just that you still look the same, but I've obviously aged a lot."

Zhen Mi turned slightly to the side and saw that Yuan Xi's temples were covered with white hair. Her heart twitched unconsciously. She subconsciously held Yuan Xi's hand tightly and whispered: "My husband is just too overworked, but in my memory, my husband looks exactly the same as when we first got married."

The two of them snuggled up to each other, snowflakes drifted down and landed on their shoulders and bodies, covering them with a layer of crystal color, but at the same time, a warmth surged in their hearts.

In the Hannan Palace in Changsha, Liu Chan saw Xu Shu coming in and stood up in panic, "Prime Minister, Prime Minister, the Emperor of Jin actually came to Nanchang at this time and asked to meet with me. What should I do?"

Xu Shu said, "Don't panic, Your Highness. Since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, kings have not met each other. The meeting at Mianchi and the imprisonment of King Huai are all lessons from the past. There is absolutely no reason to agree to the other party."

"Your Highness, just send an envoy like you did last time."

Liu Chan lamented, "Don't mention it. I thought so too, but the people who went there last time, including Duke Shanyang and Cai Mao, all expressed their unwillingness to go. The other ministers even felt powerless to negotiate favorable conditions for Hannan in front of the King of Jin. What should I do?"

Xu Shu thought for a moment and said, "How about sending the general?"

Liu Chan was surprised and asked, "Send Uncle Guan?"

"He was originally on good terms with Xionghu. What if he surrendered directly to the State of Jin?"

Xu Shu laughed and said, "How is that possible? The general values ​​loyalty the most. Even if everyone betrays His Majesty, he will not betray."

"Besides, your majesty is going to marry the daughter of the Guan family as your queen, and the general will do the same as Huo Guang in the future. What reason does he have to rebel?"

Liu Chan said in confusion: "Don't mention it. I mentioned it to my uncle two days ago, but he said that my daughter is still young and needs to wait a year or two before she is of the right age."

"I think so. Miss Guan is not yet of marriageable age. It's not easy to force her, right?"

Xu Shu thought about it and said, "This is a problem, but if the wedding date is delayed, it is indeed easy for variables to appear."

"It is true that women who marry before the age of marriage are easily criticized by the common people and nobles, but there is one exception."

Liu Chan asked hurriedly: "What's going on?"

Xu Shu said, "For all the rules, the emperor's family can make exceptions."

"In the past, Emperor Zhao of Han married Empress Shangguan, who was six years old, when he was twelve years old. The emperor followed the rules, so he would naturally not be bound by these rules."

Liu Chan hesitated and said: "But I am only the King of Hannan now, this..."

Xu Shu immediately knelt down and said, "So I beg the king to ascend the throne and become the emperor!"

Liu Chan jumped up in fear and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "Prime Minister, please don't scare me. I am already terrified to sit in this position, how can I pretend to be the emperor?" Xu Shu raised his head and shouted, "Have you forgotten the will of the previous king?"

"Will Your Majesty allow Hannan to be eroded bit by bit and swallowed up by Jin?"

"Only by becoming the emperor and taking over the title of the former Han Dynasty can Your Majesty gather the people's hearts and fulfill the wishes of the previous king!"

"Does Your Majesty want to do nothing for the rest of his life, wasting his time and sinking into despair?"

Liu Chan's face was uncertain, "But will the ministers in the court, even my uncle and the Duke of Shanyang, really support me?"

Xu Shu said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, please let me do this."

"I will certainly convince them. Duke Shanyang has no reason to refuse. Moreover, if Your Majesty becomes emperor, it will also shake the foundation of the State of Jin."

"As long as Duke Shanyang abdicates the throne to Your Majesty again, no one in the world will regard Jin as the legitimate state. At that time, Your Majesty will at least be as powerful as Xionghu in status, and you will be able to take the opportunity to recruit a group of officials who are loyal to the Han Dynasty, thereby expanding your power and preparing for future entry!"

Liu Chan looked unsure. "How can I join the game? I am far inferior to the fierce tiger in terms of ability, courage and military strategy. If I anger the State of Jin, won't the whole of Hannan be dragged into the water?"

Xu Shu said confidently: "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will do my best to help you preserve the legacy left by your ancestors!"

"After your majesty becomes emperor, you will have a legitimate reason to refuse to meet the fierce tiger, and the general will no longer have an excuse to delay marrying off his daughter. This kills two birds with one stone. I hope your majesty will understand!"

Liu Chan listened, pondered for a long time, and finally made up his mind, saying: "Then everything depends on the Prime Minister!"

In the next few days, Xu Shu mobilized his subordinates to build momentum for Yuan Xi to become emperor, and officials from Hannan were summoned to the palace one by one and asked to express their attitudes. Naturally, the officials and generals had no reason to object, and they all expressed their loyalty and fully supported Liu Chan's enthronement.

Therefore, the schedule for proclaiming himself emperor was put on the agenda in full swing, and finally scheduled for seven days later. When the Jin emperor had not yet arrived, Liu Chan proclaimed himself emperor, and the Hannan Kingdom continued the name of the Han Dynasty, which was called Ji Han.

On that day, the palace sent eunuchs to Liu Xie's home to convey the order, asking him to present the abdication edict the next day.

At that time, Liu Xie was talking to the two wives of Fu Shou and Cao. When the three of them saw each other, they knelt down to receive the imperial edict. Liu Xie took the imperial edict and said to the eunuch: "I will present the imperial edict to you tomorrow morning. I hope you can go back first."

After the eunuch left, Liu Xie smiled and said to the two women, "This is a familiar job. I never thought that there would be a day to write the fourth edict of succession."

Empress Fu looked worried, "This should be the Prime Minister's initiative, but Your Majesty, if you declare yourself emperor now, aren't you afraid of angering the Emperor of Jin?"

Liu Xie said: "On the contrary, the Jin Emperor will not do anything to Hannan Kingdom during this period of time before he sees the reaction of the people of the world."

"I have to say that Prime Minister Xu is very courageous in taking advantage of the situation."

Fu Shou shook her head and said, "But I feel that the Prime Minister's actions may have made the Emperor of Jin think of it. He is a vengeful person."

Liu Xie said leisurely: "That is not something we can decide."

"The rise and fall of dynasties has nothing to do with me. I just hope that when something unexpected happens, the people will be less affected."

Guan Yu returned home from the palace. Madam Zou came out with tea to greet him. Seeing Guan Yu's worried look, she asked, "Did my husband encounter any troubles in the palace?"

A few years ago, after Guan Yu's wife passed away, he wanted to make Madam Zou his wife, but Madam Zou refused, saying that her status was not suitable for public display. Seeing her determination, Guan Yu did not force her, so he maintained the status quo.

After Madam Zou was taken away from Wancheng by Guan Yu, she gave birth to a daughter for Guan Yu. The daughter is now twelve years old. She is the girl from the Guan family that Liu Chan wants to marry as his queen.

Guan Yu took the tea bowl and put it to his mouth, but then put it aside and said, "Xu Shu is simply betting and playing with fire. The fate of Hannan is gambling!"

"He implicated the entire Hannan, completely disregarding the consequences. Although it was my eldest brother's last wish, this move at this time is undoubtedly telling Jin that the previous peace talks with Wei were not groundless!"

"How should I explain this when I go to meet the King of Jin to negotiate?"

Madam Zou said, "The Prime Minister should not be ignorant of the situation. Besides, as long as Ping'er gets married, with the relationship between our family and both sides, things shouldn't become so awkward, right?"

Guan Yu snorted coldly, "The motive for establishing a queen at this time is not so pure."

"Marrying my eldest brother's son is not an insult to her, but the timing is really bad. I feel even more uncomfortable when I think of being used by Xu Shu to influence the government."

Madam Zou said, "At least our family was chosen. If General Zhang had died earlier, it would be unknown who would have won the throne."

(End of this chapter)