Thousand-year-old family: its rise began with Shang Yang’s reforms

Chapter 296 Three Legs
Not everyone can participate in Prince Liang's banquet. Nowadays, the seats in Prince Liang's palace are all powerful people who can influence one party.

There are nobles, powerful ministers, important ministers, and veterans from three dynasties.

But everyone was looking at the front position with expectation in their eyes.

There are two empty spots there.

One is the seat of the host of this banquet tonight, and the other is the seat of the person they are all looking forward to.

The lights were brightly lit, and there were many snacks and fruits on the table.

The food and drink had not yet been served because the banquet had not yet started.

The master did not return either.

Chen Mansion
Sitting in front of the brothers Chen Qiu and Chen Pi was a very humble man, with a smile and confidence on his face, like a bright moon in the sky.

"You two, there is a banquet at Prince Liang's house tonight, and I would like to treat you two to some thin noodles."

In this mansion, it is clear that King Liang is the person with the highest status now, but his voice, words and expression are all very humble.

Because he knows one thing, if he wants to compete for the supreme position, he must get the support of Chen.

At least we need Chen's statement of "no objection".

Otherwise, the Emperor's brother's affairs will never be accomplished.

Thinking of this, his expression became even more humble.

Chen Qiu and Chen Qiu looked at each other and saw the helplessness in each other's eyes. Chen Qiu raised his head and looked at Prince Liang in front of him and said: "His Royal Highness Prince Liang is really too polite. It's just that my two brothers are here." Living in a mansion, I feel a little acclimated since I came from Guandu."

"If it weren't for Prince Liang's personal visit today, and we really couldn't refuse, we should avoid it, so as not to spread the illness to His Highness."

There was helplessness in Chen Qiu's expression, and when King Liang heard Chen Qiu and Chen Pi's words, he unconsciously raised his head and glanced at their faces, obviously seeing some paleness in them.

There was a flash of panic in his eyes.

But it passed in a flash, and then he looked at Chen Qiu and his tone was still respectful: "I see."

"In this case, I will not force you any more."

He sighed and said, "It's just a pity."

After saying a few more words, King Liang quickly stood up and left in a hurry.

After King Liang left, Chen Qiu and Chen Pi sneered.

Chen Pi stood up directly: "Brother, I can no longer bear everything in Chang'an City! I have decided that after the chaos among the kings, I will ask your Majesty to allow me to go to the Western Regions."

"The long yellow sand there has been waiting for me for a long time."

There was determination in his eyes: "Instead of wasting my life on these flies and dogs, I would rather devote myself to what I really love."

Chen Qiu looked at Chen Pi with a complicated expression: "Even if you are likely to be buried in the yellow sand and hidden by it, your body will not even be able to return home?"

Chen Pi nodded: "Not bad."

Chen Qiu let out a long sigh and stood up. The moonlight followed his body and gently wrapped around him.

He whispered: "If that's the case, then go ahead."

"Don't worry about things in Chang'an City."

"Brother is here."

"Don't worry about anything."

After Prince Liang left Chen Mansion, he did not directly return to Prince Liang Mansion to hold this banquet.

He needs to find someone with the same status as Chen Qiu and others. Only in this way can he support this banquet.

King Liang looked at the "Prime Minister's Mansion" in the distance with a helpless and complicated expression. The person he was looking for could only be "Chen Tuo", but he and the Confucianists fought fiercely over the matter of the "Emperor's Taidi". It's this one.

Now he is going to invite this person shamelessly
King Liang gritted his teeth. Apart from Chen Tuo, who else in Chang'an City could suppress those nobles and make those powerful ministers and nobles believe that they were sure to become the "Emperor's Crown Prince"? "Woolen cloth?

Gone!

The entrance of the Prime Minister's Mansion

King Liang got off the chariot himself and was going to visit Chen Tuo.

But he saw the attendant next to Chen Tuo in the Prime Minister's Mansion in advance. The man stood respectfully under the moonlight at the door of the Prime Minister's Mansion, with a respectful expression on his face, as if he was a sculpture.

When she saw Queen Liang, she quickly walked to King Liang before he got off the sedan chair.

"See His Highness Prince Liang."

The man whispered: "Sir is seriously ill. He just came back from the palace tonight and is already in bed unable to get up."

"I heard that His Highness was going to hold a banquet, and I was afraid that Your Highness, Prince Liang, would be in vain, so I ordered my servant to wait here and ask Your Highness to forgive me."

The boy's words were very high-sounding, but King Liang gritted his teeth when he heard it.

seriously ill?

He also realized at this moment that what Chen Qiu and Chen Pi said just now were probably lies. What about being acclimatized to the local environment and what about a serious illness?
Just such a coincidence?
Did they all break out one by one just in time for his banquet?

What a joke!

Thinking like this, a surge of anger surged up in King Liang's heart, but he suppressed it forcibly, because he knew that as long as he still wanted to get the position of "Emperor's Crown Prince", he had to get this person. Swallow it!

Otherwise, Mrs. Chen would have reason to legitimately refuse her request!

When King Liang turned around and left, the attendant breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the prime minister's house to report to Chen Tuo.

Chen Tuo was sitting in the mansion, his eyes slightly calm.

He wrote something on the paper, as if he was laying out his own plan.

Prince Liang's Mansion

When the sound of carriages sounded, everyone at the banquet looked outside the courtyard.

It's just a pity that in the next second everyone sighed in disappointment, and their "bet" on Prince Liang became a little lighter.

If Chen doesn't express his position, probably few people will be willing to put all their efforts into it.

The person beside King Liang is Liu Bi, the "Princess of Guantao".

If Liu Bi was in his original trajectory, he would probably be able to control this group of people, but now?

Sorry, who are you?
If there was not a sword named "Chen" hanging on the head of Queen Mother Dou, so that Queen Mother Dou could not be too "arrogant", Liu Bi must be the biggest backer at the entire banquet, or in the entire city of Chang'an!

The banquet went as usual. King Liang sat down at the table without changing his expression, and Liu Bi sat beside him.

After all, this banquet did not fulfill King Liang's original expectations.

In the eleventh year of Jingyuan, it was the fifth month of summer.

In just half a year, the "war" that swept the world half a year ago was ended. General Zhou Yafu defeated the enemy and returned with a great victory, bringing all the rebellious kings back to Chang'an City.

However, Liu Qi was not soft-hearted at all and sent all the nine rebellious kings to death.

This, of course, aroused opposition from many people, but under Liu Qi's arbitrary orders, no one could disobey His Majesty.

Especially when the Chen family, who could restrain the emperor, remained silent. In the eleventh year of Jingyuan, it was the seventh month of summer.

The general Zhou Yafu returned from victory, and the emperor ordered him to be worshiped as Taiwei and Taishi.

At the same time, another edict from the emperor did not cause any disturbance, and everyone even thought it was normal.

The emperor issued an edict to add the current head of the Chen family as "Taifu" and "King An".

This did not cause a stir among the people. After all, for the Chen family, it was too common for the family heads of the past generations to be crowned kings by the emperor. People even thought that the emperor worshiping Zhou Yafu as the Taiwei might be more attractive than this. .

People would rather listen to another "rumor" circulating in the market.

When the emperor fell in love with a woman who was a "prostitute", he wanted to bring her back to the palace.

This is a popular saying among the people.

But in fact, this statement is not entirely correct.

The emperor indeed fell in love with a woman, and he indeed wanted to bring her back to the palace.

But this woman is not a "prostitute".

She is just a "woman".

Yes.

A married woman.

This woman is called "Wang Quan".

Of course, it is not so appropriate to say that Mrs. Wang is a married woman, because at this time, Wang Mie had already reconciled and divorced the Jin Wangsun. Although she had given birth to a daughter, it was not a big deal.

At least in the emperor's eyes, this is not a big deal.

The emperor of the old Liu family?

Falling in love with a married woman is just a trivial matter, and raising some male favorites is nothing more than a trivial matter. What can't these rogue emperors do?
It's just the domineering and wantonness that is imprinted in the bones of the old Liu family.

In the autumn of the eleventh year of Jingyuan, as an edict was issued, Wang Mie really entered the palace and was named "Madam". This was a rank in the Han Dynasty, which was similar to that of later generations. "Concubine" etc.

Many people don't care much about the emperor's harem.

But some people seem to care a lot about it.
For example, Mrs. Li Ji, a definite idiot.

No matter from which point of view, Mrs. Li Ji is an absolute idiot, and her stupidity is destined to be famous throughout the ages.

Last year, which was the tenth year of Jingyuan, she scolded Princess Liu Bi of Guantao more than once for presenting many "beauties" to the emperor. She regarded the emperor as her private property.

She felt that the emperor was her "husband".

In the winter of the tenth year of Jingyuan, she even broke into the Emperor's Changle Palace and even beat up a concubine in front of the Emperor.

Of course, the emperor later punished Li Ji with both minor punishments and major admonitions.

After all, for a man, when he likes a woman, anything she does can be forgiven. Li Ji's arrogance is nothing more than a trivial matter in the eyes of the emperor.

after all
Li Ji is not extremely stupid - she is not fighting the emperor.

After that small punishment and big admonition, Li Ji really settled down for a while. On the one hand, this was because the emperor's punishment to her made her a little scared, and on the other hand, it was also because Liu Bi was also honest. After a while, no more beauties were presented to the emperor.

The emperor was also busy due to the chaos among the kings last year, and the harem was like a quiet pool of stagnant water.

These "peaces" were broken in the autumn of the eleventh year of Jingyuan.

why?
Because the "king mole" mentioned before has entered the palace.

How favored is Wang Mole?

After the death of Queen Bo, the rest of the wives lived far away from the emperor. After Wang Zhi entered the palace, the emperor gave Wang Zhi the palace "Changqiu Palace", the second closest palace to the emperor, to live in.

In addition to Changqiu Palace, the closest place to the emperor was the "Jiaofang Palace" where the queen lived.

After hearing the news, Li Ji's anger was almost like a flame covered in grease, erupting instantly and burying all her reason.

This time, Li Ji did something really big.

She ordered Wang Mie to be pushed into the water and almost drowned him.

Of course - just barely.

Because after the emperor heard the news, he rushed there and rescued Wang Mie who was trapped in the water.

When Liu Qi looked at Wang Mie, who was all wet in his arms and had a panicked yet trusting look in his eyes, his reason was also ignited by anger.

Liu Qi squinted his eyes and looked at Li Ji in front of him.

He sneered: "Li Ji, where do you think this place is?"

"Who do you think you are drowning?"

Liu Qi's voice was cold: "Let's go to Mrs. Li Ji's house. We will be imprisoned in the palace. We will not be able to leave without an edict!"

He didn't even look at the collapsed Li Ji behind him, but walked back with Wang Mie in his arms.

Autumn, the eleventh year of Jingyuan.

The emperor's eldest son wrote a letter to plead for his mother, which made the emperor furious. He issued several edicts in succession to reprimand the emperor's eldest son Liu Rong for being unfilial. In the winter of this year, a major event also happened.

The emperor's eldest son Liu Rong was crowned king.

This is something without precedent.

How can the eldest son of an emperor be crowned king? Especially when there is no eldest son?
Yes, Liu Qi does not have his eldest son at this time!

Liu Qi's queen came from the Bo family, which was the maternal clan of Liu Heng's mother "Bo Ji". Liu Qi had no relationship with this queen, and they didn't even call her at all. They didn't even spend the night here since they became queen. several times in the queen's palace.

Because of historical records, this queen's appearance is actually a bit unattractive.

In other words, Queen Bo looks mediocre.

Therefore, no heir has been born. In this case, the eldest son of the emperor should naturally be the candidate for "Crown Prince", but I don't know why Liu Qi has never established a crown prince.

This is also the reason why King Liang has expectations for the crown prince.

When the news came out that the emperor's eldest son Liu Rong was named "King of Yan", the whole world was shocked.

This is not only the reason for being named the king, but also the reason for being named the "King of Yan" in such a bitter and cold place!

The last King of Yan was cut off by the emperor because of his rebellion, so the Yan Kingdom was naturally freed up, but no one would have thought that this would become the fiefdom of the emperor's eldest son!
Li Ji palace
King Yan Liu Rong looked melancholy. Opposite him sat an even more angry Li Ji. She looked at Liu Rong and said, "How is this possible! How is this possible! How can your Majesty be so heartless?"

"You are his eldest son!!!"

There was a wry smile on Liu Rong's lips: "Mother, don't you know yet?"

"In the eyes of the father, whether he is the eldest son or not is not the key to determining his position because he can create his eldest son."

In the twelfth year of Jingyuan, summer.

Amidst the cries, a child came into the world.

(End of this chapter)