I am not a deposed emperor of Han Dynasty

Chapter 20 The Lobbyist of King Guangling Has Arrived
The wine on the table was quickly drunk, but only half of the food was eaten.

This is only half of Wang Shi's usual appetite. Even if he drank a lot of wine today, he still shouldn't just eat this little bit.

But Wang Shi had already put down his chopsticks.

"Husband, don't you want to eat?"

"Don't eat, the old man is full."

Wang Shi wiped his mouth calmly, straightened his messy white hair, and said, "Madam, rest first, I'll go to the flower hall to digest food."

"It's so late, do you want to ask Mingyan to wait?"

"No, I want to read a book quietly tonight, and I have ordered that no one should approach the flower hall, and only Mo can serve."

"promise."

Mo is an old slave by Wang Shi's side. He has been Wang Shi's playmate since he was a child. Now the two have been in love for more than 60 years, and he is the person who has known Wang Shi the longest in this world.

It's a pity that Mo is a mute, so he can only drive for Wang Shi all his life, without any future, and usually lives in the stable of the house, alone and helpless.

Wang Shi stood up on crutches, pushed open the door of the main room, and walked towards the flower hall with some trembling. The sword on his waist swayed rhythmically with his master, as if he was also drunk .

The flower hall is built in the garden of the backyard of the courtyard, so it is very secluded. Not only does the host come here to rest and digest food after dinner, but it is also a place to receive guests outside the lobby.

After Wang Shi walked into the garden, he could smell a faint fragrance, and his mood became more comfortable.

When he continued to walk outside the door of the flower hall, he saw that Mo had been waiting here early.

When Wang Shi came in front of Mo, the master and servant communicated quickly with hand gestures. After a few rounds of movements, Mo nodded.

Then, Mo walked into the flower hall, walked out after a burst of noise, and disappeared at the other end of the garden.

Wang Shi walked into the flower hall, nodded with satisfaction, and silently packed up everything that needed to be packed.

He didn't write or read, but just sat down on the couch, holding the sword and looking at the door calmly.

The cold wind blew gently, under the dim and flickering light, Wang Shi's pale beard was trembling slightly, and he didn't know whether it was the wind, the lamp, or his heart.

A quarter of an hour later, footsteps came from outside the hall, and the footsteps came from far to near, and finally stopped at the entrance of the flower hall.

Wang Shi looked up and saw a middle-aged man in linen clothes.

The middle-aged man was around forty. Although he was wearing the linen clothes of ordinary people, his skin was a little pale.

Because his face was too pale and his eyebrows were crowded, the person who came looked like a white mouse.

"Xiahou Shijun, I haven't seen you in two years, how have you been?"

Xia Houping hurriedly bowed down and said, "I'm asking Wang Fu'an."

Xia Houping's position is Da Honglu's subordinate official and internal official, with a rank of six hundred stones, which is not a high rank, but it always makes the princes and kings faintly afraid.

Zongzheng was in charge of the affairs of royal family members or foreign relatives, and both the internal official Shi and the internal official Cheng were Zongzheng's subordinate officials.

There is only one official history, but there are dozens of internal officials.

On the surface, their duty is to supervise the creation of the "degree" that prevails in the world-the standard ruler, but what they really want to do secretly is to supervise the speeches and behaviors of the princes and kings.

And the Fu of every prince and king also has such a duty.

Therefore, Neiguancheng and Wangfu do the same things, and it can even be said that Neiguancheng is Wangfu's "superior".

Xia Houping's visit late at night was naturally to understand the words and deeds of the king of Changyi.

"No need to be polite, please sit down."

After sitting down, without any other pleasantries, Xia Houping mentioned his purpose of coming.

"Has Wang Fu received the letter?"

"I received it on the fifteenth day of last month."

"The things mentioned in the letter may have clues, or may there be signs."

Wang Shi's heart was beating a little fast, he calmed down a bit, then shook his head calmly, and said, "I haven't found any sign that His Highness has any evil intentions."

"This... will be difficult." Xia Houping was a little disappointed when he heard the "good" news.

The letter on the fifteenth day of last month explained the purpose of Xia Houping's trip, which was to ask Wang Shi about the words and deeds of the Changyi king in the past two years.

This was a perfectly normal routine.But what surprised Wang Shi was that at the end of this letter, Xia Houping added a paragraph that had nothing to do with official business for no reason.

This passage expresses two meanings: one is to express the concern of the frail and sickly emperor; the other is to praise Wang Xu of Guangling, saying that he has the legacy of his ancestors.

Wang Shi is a Confucian scholar, he may be a bit pedantic, but he is not stupid at all, so he naturally sensed the crisis in it, which is one of the reasons why he made a big fuss in the palace tonight and insisted on admonishing Liu He.

"Although His Highness is rebellious and playful, and often behaves differently from ordinary people, he abides by his duty and never crosses the threshold."

Xia Houping hadn't been to Changyi Kingdom for two years, and the King Changyi he had in mind was indeed like this. This was good news for the Son of Heaven, but not necessarily for King Guangling.

"Mr. Xiahou, this is a good thing, but why do you seem to be a little worried? Is there something unspeakable?" Wang Shi asked pointedly, while squinting his eyes to observe the other party's movements.

"Wang Fu, have you read the entire letter?"

"Of course, without missing a word."

Xia Houping bent his neck and poked his head forward, lowered his voice and said, "What do you think of the last paragraph I said in the letter?"

"The county magistrate is the Son of Heaven, and he has his own protection from the heavens. A mere ailment is nothing to worry about."

"As for Wang Xu of Guangling, although Kong Wu is powerful and able to kill Xiong Bo, I can't see that he has the legacy of Emperor Gaozu. Instead, I think he is somewhat similar to Liu Chang, the Li Wang of Huainan."

Liu Chang is the youngest son of Emperor Gaozu. Since childhood, he has been very powerful.

Later, he was dispatched to Shu County for rebelling against the leaders of the Xiongnu and Minyue, and died of a hunger strike on the way.

When Wang Shi compared Liu Xu and Liu Chang, it was obviously not to praise each other.

Xia Houping heard Wang Shi's sarcasm, and a fierce light flashed in his eyes, but when he thought that he would need Wang Shi's assistance in the next matter, he forcibly restrained his anger.

"Wang Fu, I won't play dumb with you anymore."

"Oh? I'm old and stupid, so naturally I hope that Lord Xiahou can make it clear."

"I was entrusted by King Guangling to ask for an important matter. If Wang Fu can agree, the day when King Guangling's major affairs are finalized will be the day when your Wang family will flourish."

"Is there such a good thing? The old man asked Xiahou Shijun to teach me."

Xia Houping didn't bother to discern the irony in Wang Shi's words, he stared at Wang Shi with those mouse eyes that were like a knife gouged out, and said, "Will Wang Fu frame Changyi Wang He for us? "

(End of this chapter)