I am not a deposed emperor of Han Dynasty

Chapter 518 I want to compare with my uncle, which of the three "Liu" is the biggest?

Fan Ke quickly stopped writing, and hurried to the door of the front hall under the suspicious gazes of the officials.

He faced Danqi, which was filled with courtiers, and raised his loud and high-pitched voice, shouting with all his strength and singing loudly.

"The Emperor has an order to summon Zhang, the old woman from Changyi Kingdom, to the palace!"

"The Emperor has an order to summon Zhang, the old woman from Changyi Kingdom, to the palace!"

"The Emperor has an order to summon Zhang, the old woman from Changyi Kingdom, to the palace!"

……

Passed on by countless visitors, the strange and vulgar name of Zhang Old Woman resounded throughout the Weiyang Palace.

From inside the palace to outside the palace, everyone from the cabinet bachelor to the "little official" with 600 shi, all heard the words "Old Woman Zhang" clearly.

The three words "Old Woman Zhang" are not even a name. At most, they can only be regarded as a title, an extremely humble title, which means that this person does not even deserve a name.

A truly famous person will only call himself this when he is humble, and will never allow others to call him this.

Just like Wei Xian can call himself Lao Chan, but if someone really dares to call him Lao Chan, then I'm afraid he will draw his sword and fight others to the death.

Nowadays, the emperor calls this old woman an old woman, which naturally makes many people in the palace puzzled.

Except for Gong Sui and a few people who had free access to Changyi Palace who knew the origin of the old woman, most of the officials and ministers did not know the reason. After hesitating for a moment, they began to whisper to each other.

They were talking a lot, wondering who this old woman was, that the emperor would announce her on such an important occasion.

Even Liu De, who was "confronting" the emperor, his anger was replaced by curiosity. He also wanted to know where the emperor would bring reinforcements.

The discussion in the palace became louder and louder. Liu He sat on the imperial couch and saw clearly the appearance of the officials.

He did not rebuke them for their lack of etiquette in front of the palace, but allowed them to discuss and speculate, which would make it easier for fear to ferment.

After a while, the discussion gradually died down, because everyone found that no matter how they discussed, they could not come up with a clear answer.

No one knows the identity of this old woman: those who know her identity are unwilling to ruin the emperor's plan.

Therefore, the officials had no choice but to turn their attention to the outside of the palace, waiting for the so-called old woman Zhang to appear.

Fortunately, the old woman did not keep the Yanyan masters waiting for a long time - a staggering figure soon appeared at the end of Danqi.

The officials and ministers no longer cared about the so-called court rituals, and stretched their necks to look outside.

They were extremely surprised to find that the old woman in this picture really looked like an ordinary peasant woman wearing coarse linen clothes, and she didn't look anything out of the ordinary.

Is it possible that this person knows some magic?

Even though they had doubts in their hearts, no one dared to question them, and they all fell silent and waited solemnly.

The old woman Zhang, who was nearly sixty years old, walked to the front door of the front hall with a little stagger, a little nervous, and a little panic under the attention of hundreds of officials.

She has been in Weiyang Palace for a full year, and has stayed in Changyi Palace for more than 20 years, almost watching the emperor grow up.

Old woman Zhang was not afraid of the King of Changyi who suddenly became approachable three years ago and smiled at his servants all day long.

Old woman Zhang was not afraid of this emperor who had been kind and friendly all year round and who gave food and clothing to his slaves from time to time.

But she was afraid of the palace full of princes and envoys, so when she came to the front door, she still didn't dare to step in.

"Fan Ke, help old woman Zhang into the palace!" Liu He said.

"Wei!" After Fan Ke answered, he quickly helped the trembling old woman Zhang into the hall.

"Untouchable Mrs. Zhang..." Old woman Zhang panicked and wanted to bow down and say hello.

"Today you are a role model and role model for the people. There is no need to bow down."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Old woman Zhang stood still awkwardly.

"Who is willing to give up his seat to Old Woman Zhang?" Liu He looked at everyone and said.

"Weichen is willing to give up his seat to Old Woman Zhang!" Anle seized this opportunity and stood up immediately.

"This, this is impossible. How can a pariah and a vulgar man sit in the position of the Prime Minister of Changyi? This is impossible!"

Old woman Zhang was so ignorant that she would not know about the changes in official positions in the court. She only thought that Anle was still the aloof Prime Minister of Changyi.

How could a mere untouchable sit in the position of Prime Minister of Changyi?

"Old woman Zhang doesn't dare to sit down, so An Qing will help old woman Zhang over and sit down firmly!" Liu He said firmly.

"only!"

After Anle finished answering, he immediately stood up and walked forward, bowed to Old Woman Zhang three times as a junior, and finally asked Old Woman Zhang to sit down.

"Old woman Zhang, I said that today you are not just yourself, but also the representative of the people in the world, so you can sit back and sit still." Liu He said.

"Untouchable, thank your Majesty for the seat."

"The word untouchable is not good, it sounds harsh. The cabinet has drafted an edict that no one will be allowed to use this word to refer to themselves or others in the future. People will call themselves common people no matter who they face." Liu He said.

"Your Majesty is wise!" the officials praised.

"Old woman Zhang is a representative of the common people, so I would like to find a representative of a noble family from the front hall to compete with her. Who dares to compete with her?"

After hearing this, all the officials were stunned. What was the emperor thinking about?

Just a country old woman, even if she has some means, she won't have any merit?

If he really had some merit for the Han Dynasty, how could they, the courtiers with their hands and eyes, not know about it?

Zhang Anshi, Bingji and others secretly shook their heads, feeling worried and confused about the emperor's actions again. Could it be that the emperor was really ill?

Because they despised Old Woman Zhang in their hearts, of course no one was willing to stand up and "compete" with her: even if they won, it would not be a glorious thing.

In this way, they express their more direct contempt.

"Since no one has volunteered, let me choose..."

Liu He looked at the sanctimonious ministers again, and finally his eyes rested on Liu De.

I respect you enough to call you uncle; if I don’t respect you, I’m just a fish to be slaughtered.

"Mr. Liu Ge, are you willing to compete with this old woman on behalf of the great families in the world?"

"Wei Chen..." Liu De stubbornly wanted to express his unwillingness.

"Liu Ge always doesn't dare?" Liu He smiled disdainfully.

"Why don't you dare!" The method of stimulating generals is most effective for upright people like Liu De.

"Okay! I will give Liu Gong a compliment!" Liu He said and slowly clapped his hands a few times, more like ridicule than praise.

"Liu Gong is a giant in the court. He was first Zongzheng and then a cabinet scholar. His achievements are well known to all the officials in the court, so there is no need for me to repeat them."

"I would like to invite you and me to come and hear about Old Woman Zhang's family history first, and see what contributions they have made to the Han Dynasty."

"promise--"

Liu He didn't wait for the "promise" to end, then turned to the old woman Zhang and asked harmoniously.

"Old woman Zhang, where are you from?"

"The common people have been prosperous for generations, and the giant savage family has made the city prosperous for generations."

"What is the surname of my husband's family?" "My husband's family is the Liu family of Juye in Changyi. A commoner married into the Liu family when he was sixteen years old. It has been more than forty years ago."

All the officials were slightly stunned. They didn't expect that this old woman's husband's family name was also Liu.

A man from the mountains and wild fields actually deserves the surname Liu? Absolutely insane!

"Okay, Liu Ge's surname is Liu, my surname is also Liu, and old woman Zhang's husband's family is also surnamed Liu. Five hundred years ago, we were all the same family!"

With a single word from the emperor, the Liu family, who had appeared out of nowhere, was raised to the same level as the Liu family in Peixian County.

Meng Lang's words caused another round of low-pitched discussion, but no one dared to come out to remonstrate.

"How old is your husband now, and where is he now?" Liu He then asked.

"My husband, Liu Bugeng, was drafted into Wuyuan County to guard the border thirty years ago. When he was patrolling Tiantian, he was besieged by a pack of wolves, but no body was found..."

When Old Woman Zhang mentioned this sad point, her cloudy eyes turned red and she kept wiping her tears with her sleeves.

Those officials and ministers who had looked down upon Old Woman Zhang in their hearts immediately restrained themselves and felt slightly blushing.

"Okay, Fan Ke, take note of this. The Liu family of Changyi sacrificed a man in his prime for the Han Dynasty!" Liu He pointed at Fan Ke freely and said.

"No!" The latter quickly wrote it down on a clean piece of paper.

"How many children does Old Woman Zhang have?"

"There are three sons in total, the eldest son Zhong, the second son Heifu, the younger one is surprised."

"Have you ever been drafted into the army?"

"I have served for two years, one year as a military officer in Changyi, and one year as a border guard in Jiuquan..." Old woman Zhang's voice was trembling, and her tears couldn't stop flowing.

"What's your position now?"

"Twenty years ago...twenty years...when I was guarding the border in Jiuquan County, I fell from a beacon and died." Old woman Zhang was already sobbing.

"Fan Ke! Write it down again! The powerful Liu family of Changyi Kingdom sacrificed two of their prime men for the Han!"

"Wei!" Fan Ke didn't dare to stop writing.

This time, even the faint discussion disappeared, and the officials and ministers looked at Old Woman Zhang with more admiration and shame.

"Did Heifu and Jingmei ever serve in the Han army?"

"Heifu served as a boatman in Changyi for one year, and as a patrolman in Chang'an City for another year. Now he has opened a roast duck restaurant in Chang'an City. It was the capital given by His Majesty."

"Jingmei spent one year as an archer in Changyi, one year as a border guard in Yuyang, and now he serves as a Lang in Changyi... as a team leader."

"Thanks to His Majesty's protection, and to the protection of God Taiyi, Heifu and Jingmei are free from illness and disaster, and their limbs are sound..."

Old woman Zhang finally wiped away her tears when she talked about her two sons who were still alive, and she smiled a little amid her bitterness.

This is his simplest wish, and the reason why she can get these comforts is because of Liu He.

The big man doesn't know how many people like Old Woman Zhang are there. They have not climbed up to the emperor's adventure, and it is even more difficult to change their destiny.

Liu He wanted to save not only the people in front of him, but also the people in the world.

"Does the old woman have any grandchildren?"

"Yes, yes, the eldest son Zhong has a son. He is now twenty-two years old and is serving as a knight in the Changyi Kingdom."

"Heihusband has two sons and one daughter. The eldest son, sixteen, is also a knight in Changyi Kingdom. The younger one is seven years old and has been sent to a private school to study scriptures. This son said he wants to take the imperial examination."

"Jingmei is not yet married. He often says that he wants to imitate the hussar general. If the Huns are not destroyed, why should we care for our family?"

Old woman Zhang continued to "rebuke", and she gradually relaxed. The front hall was like the willow branches at the entrance of the alley in her hometown. It was a good place to talk about the family's shortcomings.

"Fan Ke, let's remember the Juye Liu family in Changyi, there are four others serving the Han Dynasty to guard the border!"

"Wei!" Fan Ke replied decisively, and the sound of "swish, swish, swish" came from the pen again.

Except for this lively voice, everything inside and outside the palace was extremely quiet. No one dared to look down on the Liu family in Changyi.

Liu He didn't ask any more questions. He stepped down from his superior's seat, stood in front of the old woman Zhang, and saluted her as a junior.

"Your majesty, your majesty, you can't do it, break it..." Old woman Zhang stood up and tried to avoid it.

"The old woman accepts this gift. This gift is not only performed to the old woman, but also to the deceased Liu Bugeng and Liu Zhong, and also to the common people of the world."

Old woman Zhang's eyes turned red again, and she finally accepted the emperor's gift as a junior without refusing.

After the salute, Liu He stood up straight with an indifferent expression and walked to Liu De opposite.

"Liu De, among the three generations of your family, has anyone ever died for a big man?" Liu He said without any emotion.

"Never before." Liu De'an sat on the couch and didn't notice anything strange.

"Among those three generations, are there people who serve as border guards for the Han Dynasty?" Liu He asked again.

"It's never happened before." Liu De was still sitting on the couch, but his face was a little red.

"Have you ever paid taxes to Da Sinong or Shaofu within three generations?" Liu He asked again.

"Except for donating gold, I have never paid taxes." Liu De still said calmly.

"Mr. Liu Ge answered simply, but do you still dare to falsely claim that aristocratic families are the foundation of the Han Dynasty in front of Old Woman Zhang?" Liu He said with a sneer again.

"The princes can enjoy tax exemption, rent exemption and corvee service. This is a system established by the Han Dynasty, and minor ministers have never violated the law." Liu De's words were a bit stuck and unreasonable.

"The law is only the bottom line for words and deeds. Mr. Liu Ge is familiar with the books of sages. Is it possible that he only uses the law as the criterion without any sense of moral integrity?"

Liu He was telling the truth, and all the officials in the palace naturally understood the difference between the two.

At the moment, even Liu De was speechless.

In private, aristocratic families and court officials can ignore "propriety, justice and integrity"; but when it is put on the table in public, they cannot turn a blind eye.

For a moment, many people in the hall seemed to have been stabbed in a sore spot, lowering their heads and saying nothing: Liu De also felt ashamed.

After a moment of silence, Bingji, a man who rarely spoke out, finally stepped forward to save the situation.

"Your Majesty, although the Liuge clan does not serve or pay taxes, they have been Zongzheng for three generations and have devoted themselves to assisting the emperor. They have made greater contributions to the Han Dynasty. Your Majesty knows it clearly." Bingji said.

Although Bingji has always followed Zhang Anshi and others, he has rarely directly opposed Liu He, nor has he forcefully stopped or boycotted the New Deal.

In addition, Bingji was able to do such "evil things" as sending someone to assassinate Liu He in order to make Liu sick. Liu He had certain expectations and affection for this famous minister.

But unfortunately, Bingji's butt is still crooked; since it is crooked, it needs a good beating.

"Okay, then I would like to ask Mr. Bingge if you, the Bing family, would like to change your lifestyle with the Liu family in Changyi!?"

"This...this..." Bingji was speechless for a moment, and then seemed to think of a possibility. He looked at the emperor in panic, not knowing what the emperor meant.

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(End of this chapter)