I am not a deposed emperor of Han Dynasty

During the Great Extermination of Xu, all the maids and officials in the Jiaofang Hall of Weiyang Palace left early.

Only Emperor Liu He and Queen Huo Chengjun sat facing each other.

Compared with the bustling Zhang Zhai and Meng Zhai, this place is very deserted and lonely.

Even though the charcoal fires were burning brightly around him, it was still chilly inside the unpopular hall.

Only Liu He and Huo Chengjun's couches were surrounded by some warmth.

The emperor and empress had already finished their simple dinner, and there was only a pot of tea and a small stove for hot water on the clean table.

The pot sitting on the stove was boiling water, making a faint "gurgling" sound, which made the front hall seem even quieter.

No one was sitting on the couches behind them, but the tables in front of the couches were all covered with food and bowls and chopsticks, but no one had touched them at all.

Of course, it is also possible that it has been enjoyed by ghosts, but it is just not visible from the surface.

These foods were prepared by Huo Chengjun for Huo Guang and Huo Yu, the dead members of the Huo clan.

Huo Chengjun already knew that Huo Guang and Huo Yu died outside Chang'an City, but she didn't know the secret. She only thought that they really died at the hands of strong bandits.

Such an ending was not beyond Huo Chengjun's expectation, otherwise these days would have been even more difficult.

Under the current climate, Huo Chengjun could not pay filial piety to Huo Guang and Huo Xian, but she had taken off all her jewelry these days and dressed simply to express her grief in this way.

After the last major court meeting a few days ago, Liu He no longer had any important political matters to deal with. After that, he stayed with Huo Chengjun.

The two of them often sit across a lacquered table, brewing a pot of hot tea, and talking late into the night, just like they did tonight.

Liu He laid out in detail what Huo Guang, Huo Yu, Fan Mingyou, Huo Xian and others had done, and told Huo Chengjun one by one, hiding almost nothing.

And Huo Chengjun didn't avoid it, he just listened quietly, his face darkened, he didn't know whether it was fear, guilt, or sadness.

At the moment of the great eviction, Liu He finally told everything Huo Chengjun should know.

After Liu He said the last sentence, he poured himself a cup of tea, drank it in one gulp, and suddenly felt relieved.

"So, my father and brother put themselves on this dead end?" Huo Chengjun said with red eyes.

"It would be better to say that their greed for power led them to a dead end." Liu He asked calmly.

"Your Majesty, when will you depose the queen?" Huo Chengjun suddenly asked.

Liu He was surprised. He didn't expect Huo Chengjun to ask this question.

"Husband, don't be too surprised. I also know a little bit about the matters in the court. In the past, during the witchcraft chaos, the violent prince rebelled. After the defeat, Wei Zifu... committed suicide in this Jiaofang Palace."

"Prince Ru is the flesh and blood of Emperor Xiaowu. The Huo family is just a powerful official. His father and brother conspired to rebel against the Han Dynasty, and his mother committed regicide. These are all crimes that cannot be overridden if the family is destroyed. It is the right thing for your Majesty to depose the queen."

"If the queen is not abolished, I am afraid that the courtiers who followed His Majesty to betray Huo will be uneasy."

Huo Chengjun said slowly and unusually calmly that she had been thinking about this question for a long time, and now she could say it so fluently.

The days in the Huo family did not leave Huo Chengjun with much warmth, but instead were full of depression. The few months he spent with the emperor were very comfortable and relaxing, something Huo Chengjun had never experienced before.

When the Huo family fell, Huo Chengjun was inevitably sad, but this sadness was limited: he had been used as a tool since he was a child, so how could Huo Chengjun have too much affection for them?
What's more, what Huo did is unforgivable.

Standing at such a high place as the Jiaofang Hall of Weiyang Palace and spending a long time with the emperor, Huo Chengjun's vision could see further. She would not cry and seek death.

Raising this issue today is not out of anger, but just a matter of calm discussion and deliberation.

The entire Huo family had been executed, so leaving a queen named Huo in the Jiaofang Hall of Weiyang Palace would be too eye-catching.

The emperor was not worried about Empress Huo and her heirs, but Zhang Anshi and others who followed the emperor to betray Huo were worried.

"So when will Your Majesty depose the Queen?" Huo Chengjun asked again.

Liu He looked at Huo Chengjun silently and asked a question instead of answering.

"Then why doesn't Chengjun imitate Queen Wei and hang herself?"

This time it was Huo Chengjun who was asked.

If the emperor hadn't poured a cup of tea with a calm expression and had been accompanying her in the Jiaofang Palace these past few days, then she would have thought that the emperor was forcing her to kill her.

After a moment of silence, Huo Chengjun said softly: "I can't bear to leave my husband alone in this world."

When Liu He heard this, he was naturally shocked and suddenly felt guilty for what he had concealed.

On that day, when Liu He hinted to Huo Guang that Huo Chengjun might be the next emperor, he regarded Huo Chengjun as a pawn on the chessboard.

As long as it is a chess piece, it may be discarded. "Then it's my husband's turn to answer. When do you plan to depose the queen?" Huo Chengjun looked at Liu He very bravely and asked.

Deposing the queen is more than deposing the queen, which is equivalent to forcing Huo Chengjun to hang himself.As long as Liu He opens his mouth, Huo Chengjun can hang himself on the beam in this Jiaofang Palace tonight.

"I will not abolish the queen." Liu He said even more firmly.

"Husband, why is this happening?" Huo Chengjun asked in confusion.

"For the same reason Chengjun just said, I don't want to live alone in this world."

At this moment, the two of them looked at each other in silence, letting their sadness and emotions gradually rise and surround them with the white water vapor.

Yes, now in this vast territory of the Han Dynasty, the emperor and the queen have become the most similar people - lonely people!
Zhang Anjun and Cai Wenyan will enter the palace in three months. Although the emperor will treat them with respect, he will also be wary of them.

Because they have a huge family behind them, they entered the palace with a mission.

But Huo Chengjun no longer has any bonds: the queen and the emperor share the same fate, and apart from each other, he has no bonds anymore.

They have all become the loneliest people: lonely people are the cruelest people.

"As long as Chengjun doesn't commit suicide, I will never depose the queen!" Liu He promised again.

"But one day, there will be courtiers who force Your Majesty to abolish the Queen. If Your Majesty does not abolish the Queen, how will you give them an explanation?" Huo Chengjun asked.

"Explain? Why should I give them an explanation? Give them a damn explanation!" Liu He, who was much suppressed, suddenly said ferociously, and the resentment that had been accumulated in his heart for a long time spurted out.

In the past few months, the emperor had been very unhappy. He was hampered at every turn and had to meander around. Liu He was really annoyed a lot.

In the past, if you wanted to overthrow Huo, you would naturally have to win over other courtiers. Now that Huo Guang has fallen, you should be more violent!

These extremely vulgar words made Huo Chengjun suddenly stunned. She had never seen the Emperor look like such a rogue.

Liu He realized that he had lost his composure, and he held Huo Chengjun's cold hand in his.

"Chengjun, next year I will implement reforms and implement new policies. Then there will be many things that the courtiers will oppose to me, not more than this one."

"You have nothing to worry about with me, and you can face their persecution with me. This may be the best result."

"A few months ago, I asked you if you were willing to live a new life with me, and you answered simply and decisively."

"Then today, I want to tell you that this new life is not just as simple as teaching a few palace maids to write and read, but also to fight with others!"

“It’s endless fun to fight against the sky, it’s endless fun to fight against the earth, and it’s even more fun to fight against people.”

"The people we want to fight are not in the northern city walls, nor in the mountains and countryside, nor in the northern border of the Xiongnu... but in the city of Chang'an, right above the court."

"I ask you again, are you willing to fight them to the end?"

Liu He came to Chang'an City not to make the rich and powerful become more unscrupulous, but to make ordinary people like Meng Banguan Er live a better life.

Since many people in the court will become enemies and rivals in the future, what's the harm in having an extra queen in a similar situation to yourself?

Many courtiers said that he was a kind emperor.So if this matter is not abolished, the courtiers can get to know themselves again.

After my death, it doesn't matter if there is a flood: those who propose to abolish the queen are all disobedient and can be dealt with.

Huo Chengjun naturally didn't guess that Liu He's heart was much harder than before. This time she still seemed to understand.

However, she was willing to believe everything the emperor said, and she was even more willing to fight for the emperor with those in the court.

After a long time, Huo Chengjun nodded resolutely.

The two of them didn't say anything more. There was still a lot of time in the future.

"Husband, father and mother's bones..."

"They are still in prison now. They will be laid to rest in the coming year, as well as the bones and children of the Fan family. I will let Xiuyiwei dispose of them properly."

"Then my sister and brother-in-law..."

"I will also send embroidered guards to take care of them and try to make them suffer as little as possible."

Liu He whispered his arrangements. These people may die or live, and it has nothing to do with him, because they will never return to Chang'an City.

In this way, amidst the joy of some people and the sorrow of others, the last day of Yuanfeng's seventh year passed, and the Han Dynasty ushered in the first day of the first year of reform.

On this first day, something "shaking the world and making ghosts and gods cry" will happen in Chang'an City. (End of chapter)