I am not a deposed emperor of Han Dynasty

Chapter 534: The emperor’s eldest son Zhe comes out of the fortress to guard the border, and the conspiracy to seize the heir is surging! Danger, danger, danger!

The banquet dispersed, and under the North Tower of Weiyang Palace, carriages drove into the darkness amidst the ringing of bells.

In the end, only two cars remained, side by side, only an arm's length apart.

The coachman and the retinue had been sent far away, and the carriage was parked in place like two coffins.

Finally, after all the other carriages and horses had gone away, the curtains on the sides of the two carriages were opened.

The people in the car were Zhang Anshi and Wei Xian.

The cold wind suddenly blew in and poured into the car. Sixty-five-year-old Zhang Anshi and eighty-seven-year-old Wei Xian coughed violently together.

After a long time, calm was restored.

"Wei Gong, I'll wait for you." Zhang Anshi smiled bitterly in the darkness.

"Hahaha, Ziru is just old, and the old man is already half dead." Wei Xian said in a hoarse voice.

"Compared with the county magistrate, you and I are both going to be buried. We can't assist the county magistrate for too long." Zhang Anshi said with something in mind.

"Yes, we don't have much time left." Wei Xian sighed softly. As soon as he said this, the cold wind seemed to blow harder.

Talking about life and death is a sad thing.

Of course, these two people who claimed to be dying looked very sad.

But in fact, they are the two largest forces in the court of aristocratic families.

Before the implementation of the imperial examination system, Wei Xian, Zhang Anshi, Liu De and Bingji laid the foundation for their own families through the appointment system and the imperial examination system.

All my sons and nephews have already become officials.

Moreover, compared with the deceased Liu De and Bingji, Wei Xian and Zhang Anshi lived many more years, thus protecting their nephews for an extra seven to six years.

Although the cabinet academicians had no real power, they stood at the top of the Han Dynasty's power court.

The size of power is related to its location. The closer it is to the center, the greater the power.

A word from the cabinet bachelor in the emperor's ear can determine the fate of an official.

Of course there will be people making secret overtures.

Zhang Anshi and Wei Xian didn't need to condescend to speak, and their children and nephews would be able to get a lot of benefits.

This is a loophole that no power system can plug.

Wei Xian's eldest son Wei Fangshan is the governor of Henan County, his second son Wei Hong is the governor of Anding County, his third son Wei Shun is the deputy captain of the Handong Protectorate, and his youngest son Wei Xuancheng is the Grand Sima.

Zhang Anshi's eldest son Zhang Yanshou was the deputy captain of the Western Region Protectorate, his second son Zhang Qianqiu was You Fufeng, and his youngest son Zhang Pengzu who was adopted by Zhang He was Zuo Fengyi.

Their power has surpassed almost all the aristocratic families that have ever appeared in the Han Dynasty.

But compared to the ever-expanding territory of the Han Dynasty, their influence has actually shrunk.

And it will get smaller and smaller.

That's why Wei Xian said the words "time is running out."

The two fell silent, looked up at the outline of the twin towers, and tacitly brought the topic to the crux.

"Today is also the birthday of the emperor's eldest son Zhe. After today, he will be fifteen. He will go to guard the border." Zhang Anshi said.

"Yes, after returning from guarding the border, if the county magistrate is interested, the emperor's eldest son Zhe can be made the crown prince." Wei Xian said.

According to the rules set by the emperor, the sons of princes, princes and nobles who want to inherit the title of their fathers must go to the border for one year.

And the Son of the Emperor is no exception.

This means that once the emperor's eldest son Zhe goes out to guard the border and returns to Chang'an City safely in the next year, he can theoretically be established as the prince.

A prince with the blood of the Huo family, or an emperor with the blood of the Huo family, is something Zhang Anshi and Wei Xian can never accept.

When this emperor ascends the throne, Zhang Anshi and Wei Xian may have already passed away, and the new emperor may not remember those old things, but they dare not take the risk.

They want to find a solution for the Zhang family, the Wei family, and the families who participated in the collapse of the Huo family.

What's more, the character of the emperor's eldest son Zhe and the emperor cannot be said to be similar, only exactly the same.

If there is another emperor like this, then the great families in the world will really have no way to survive.

Just like the grandchildren of Zhang Anshi and Wei Xian, they will all take the imperial examination in the future. Wouldn't it mean that one generation will be worse than the other?

All of the above are the reasons why Zhang Anshi and Wei Xian were unwilling to let the emperor's eldest son Zhe become the prince.

"Your Majesty is in his prime years, so he may not establish a prince so early, right?" Zhang Anshi asked.

"Zi Ru, if Your Majesty didn't want to make him the crown prince, why would you keep Queen Huo?" Wei Xian replied.

"..." Zhang Anshi remained silent.

"Before, I didn't know why the emperor didn't abolish the queen. Now isn't it obvious why the emperor didn't abolish the queen?" Wei Xian said.

"Your Majesty really regards the wealthy families as a thorn in his side." Zhang Anshi is no longer as elegant as he used to be, and his deep forehead lines are also showing signs of vicissitudes of life.

The emperor played a big game of chess and the moment he defeated the Huo family, he opened his mouth to the wealthy family.

The emperor's killing move was buried so deeply. They finally misjudged the emperor again.

Zhang Anshi also often complained that Queen Huo was so fertile that she gave birth to three princes out of her husband's hands.

However, the heirs of Zhang Anjun and Cai Jieyu arrived belatedly.

Of course, there is no objection to clinging to this coincidence today. They have to think of other ways to reverse the current situation.

"It's not too late to make amends. We have been waiting for so long and we have to do something today." Zhang Anshi said.

"Lao Chan and the Wei family are willing to advance and retreat together with Ziru!"

"Wei Gong is willing to entrust the whole family to you, and I will definitely live up to the great trust."

Zhang Anshi and four other bachelors formed an alliance more than ten years ago, but things were so dangerous that they had to confirm it again today under the shadow of Shuangque.

"Queen Huo gave birth to three sons, and they are much older than the other three princes, so the key is not which prince." Zhang Anshi said.

"Zi Ru is right, the key is not the son, but the mother." Wei Xian nodded.

As long as Huo Chengjun's position as queen is abolished, the three princes she gave birth to will immediately lose their status as legitimate sons.

When the time comes, when the emperor appoints a queen, it will definitely be Zhang Jieyu or Cai Jieyu, and their son will become the legitimate son.

In this way, once and for all.

"Or you can put the mother and child together and dispose of them at the same time, which will be cleaner and more efficient." Zhang Anshi added.

"I'm afraid Queen Huo won't sit still and wait for death. Who knows if she has a back-up plan," Wei Xian said.

"Regardless of whether there is a back-up plan or not, we are going to take action." Zhang Anshi said fiercely.

"Does Ziru have any plans in mind?" Wei Xian asked.

"The county magistrate is in his prime in spring and autumn, and the eldest son of the emperor is young and vigorous..."

"Yang is the source of prosperity, and yin and yang can be reconciled, but when two yangs meet, one will be injured."

"We can follow the example of our predecessors."

When Zhang Anshi said this, he stopped at the right moment.

Wei Xian has lived for more than eighty years, and has experienced Emperor Xiaowu, Emperor Xiaozhao and the current emperors of three dynasties. He has seen too many things.

He naturally knew which past event Zhang Anshi was talking about.

"Zi Ru, is the county magistrate suspicious?" Wei Xian's cloudy eyes trembled and he asked knowingly. "If the county magistrate is not suspicious, why would he attack my wealthy family?"

"So, let's do everything as Ziru said."

"only!"

The guesses of Zhang Anshi and others were correct.

A few days later, the emperor issued an edict, ordering the emperor's eldest son Liu Zhe to go to the Western Regions to guard the border.

After more than ten years of development, not only the Huns but also the native Hu people in the old Western Regions have been reduced.

And further west, there are also the Protectors of Central Asia and the Protectors of Parthia.

So strictly speaking, this place is no longer the frontier of the Han Dynasty.

However, the Protectorate of the Western Regions is vast and sparsely populated, with an area of ​​thousands of miles and is as big as a state, but its population is only over 100,000.

Although there are pavilions every hundred miles along the official road, and hundreds of field guards every three to five hundred miles, but far away from the official road, there is a vast sea of ​​sand.

Not to mention the occasional bandits and bandits, even the groups of desert wolves are also very dangerous.

Therefore, serving in the Western Regions can still be regarded as guarding the border.

The status of the eldest son of the emperor is so noble. It is not easy to travel to the Western Region. No one will look for that small loophole again.

As a result, news that the emperor's eldest son was guarding the border quickly spread in Chang'an City.

The vast majority of people praised this, and the few sons of princes who wanted to evade the obligation to guard the border gave up their last illusions as if they were mourning their heirs.

In addition, some people rushed out of Chang'an City under the cover of night...

Liu Zhe was the eldest son of the emperor and the first prince to guard the border.

The big men have already guessed something, and many people have started to make arrangements based on their own interests.

Just before Mao hour on the first day of September in the sixteenth year of Dingxin, under the North Tower of Weiyang Palace, there were several times more soldiers patrolling the city than usual.

There was no one wandering around in the square.

Under the dark night, only a group of dismounted cavalry stood waiting quietly outside the north gate.

These knights are all in their thirties and in their prime. Each of them has experienced hardships and experienced life and death in the Western Region for many years.

However, the leader of the team was not the leader of the team, but Liu Xiang, the captain of Changyi Langzuo who was of high rank.

After sixteen years of hard work, the thirty-seven-year-old Liu Xiang has already become a fierce general in the charge.

Along the way, he received several more scars on his face and body, making him much more resilient than before.

However, even after experiencing many hardships, he was still too handsome on the battlefield and was often laughed at by enemy generals.

Of course, all the enemy generals who laughed at him were wiped out.

The emperor knew that he was troubled, so he specially ordered skilled craftsmen to make him a pair of gold-plated face armor. The image was based on the ghost Shen Tu who guarded the gate of ghosts in "The Classic of Mountains and Seas".

From then on, every time Liu Xiang went into battle, he had to wear this mask to shock Xiaoxiao.

Liu Xiang participated in almost all the Han's battles against the Western Regions and west of the Western Regions.

The Huns, Dayuan people, Dayuezhi people, Anxi Zahu, Romans and other barbarians... are all the dead souls of Liu Xiang's men.

Coupled with his superb archery skills that can kill people from thousands of armies, he was nicknamed the "Jade-faced Ghost General" in the Central Asian Protectorate and the Anxi Protectorate.

It is safest for him to escort Liu Zhe to the Western Regions.

Soon, the clock rang, the north door slowly opened, and the emperor's and empress's ceremonial guard came out. Liu Xiang immediately put on a solemn look, as did the soldiers behind him.

Liu He and Huo Chengjun came here to see Liu Zhe off, and several of his biological brothers and sisters also came.

The night before, Zhang Jieyu and Cai Jieyu had also brought their concubine brothers and sisters to Jiaofang Hall to see them off.

Regardless of their background and power, Zhang Jieyu and Cai Jieyu are also gentle people. The princes and princesses they bring are still young, and they can't see any evil intentions.

In short, Liu He balanced the harem very well, and there was no scandal of fighting for favor and heir apparent.

Of course, he did not take it lightly. People in the palace often had no control over their own actions. It was the people outside the palace who decided everyone's fate.

At this moment, Liu Zhe put on an ordinary cavalry armor, but there was a faint dragon pattern on the negative badge, which could barely tell his special identity.

Liu He stood with his hands behind his back, looking at this young man whose face was very similar to his own, feeling very satisfied.

But he did not go up, but left time to Huo Chengjun.

"The wind is strong in the Western Regions, and autumn has entered again. When you go to bed at night, you should spread out your felt mat and don't be greedy for the cold..."

"You also need to drink more water, eat more fruits and vegetables, and don't stop eating meat when you see it... and don't go out and walk around by yourself at night, there are a lot of jackals..."

Huo Chengjun kept talking, and in sixteen or seventeen years, a pretty girl turned into a resolute mother.

Mothers all over the world are like this. There are always countless nags and worries when sending their children away.

Liu Zhe was relatively calm. His mind had already been racing in the vast deserts and grasslands of the Western Regions, but at this moment he was still patiently listening to his mother's nagging.

Being filial and sensible are also essential virtues for becoming an emperor.

Half an hour later, several younger brothers and sisters also came to say goodbye to their brother.

"Brother, if you come across a book written by a foreigner in the Western Regions, you must bring it back to me for a look. I heard that they don't use paper and only use leaves and sheepskin..."

Uncle Liu Yong was only thirteen years old, but he was well-read and had read many of the books copied by Liu He. He might even be able to write a book and biography in the future.

"As long as you see it, I will definitely bring it back to you! In two years' time, you will go out to guard the border. Then you can go look for it yourself!" Liu Zhe said with a hearty smile.

"And me, and me! If you see a Roman crossbow or bed crossbow, bring it back to me!" Liu Youan, who was a head shorter, stood up and fought for it.

"Okay, okay, don't say it's a crossbow. If you encounter a craftsman, I will help you capture him!" Liu Zhe's promise made Liu Youan excited for a long time.

As soon as the four-year-old Liu Yu could walk steadily, she staggered up to Liu Zhe and asked him to bring back the toys of the barbarian children. Liu Zhe complied solemnly.

The last person who came up to say goodbye was Liu He's eldest daughter Liu Shu. She was only one year younger than Liu Zhe. The two siblings usually had the closest relationship.

But at this moment, there was a touch of sadness on Liu Shu's face, which was not as bright as usual.

Liu He knew the source of this sadness - she blamed herself for not being a man, otherwise she would have been able to leave the country today next year.

Liu Shu wanted to leave the country, not for the so-called power and status, but just to be able to travel around like a man.

"Brother, I sewed this cotton armor with my own hands. It is lined with steel plates and worn under the armor. It has an extra layer of protection and is more comfortable." Liu Shu handed the package to Liu Zhe.

"..." Liu Zhe took it, hesitated to speak, and then laughed loudly: "When I come back, I will bring you a Roman sword. Do you think it's okay?"

"No! I don't want it!" Liu Shu said firmly.

"Then what do you want, as long as I can find it, it's fine!" Liu Zhe asked again.

"Come back well and tell me how big the sandstorms are in the Western Regions, and tell me how high Su Fujun's tomb is!" Liu Shu's words were both sad and heroic.

"I understand!" Liu Zhe put away the smile on his face and raised his right hand. Liu Shu was stunned for a moment and finally laughed. The brother and sister clapped their hands and pledged an alliance.

At this point, Huo Chengjun took his children back a few steps, leaving the remaining space and time to Liu He.

This emperor, this father, this outsider walked up to his son with a complex emotion.

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(End of this chapter)