My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 85 I want to be the prince! (First order required)

"Wouldn't this mess up His Majesty's plan?"

Weiyang Palace, Phoenix Palace.

Prince Zhan Shi Dou Ying and the emperor's eldest son Liu Rong happened to be discussing this issue.

When Liu Rong mentioned that "the court can make plans early" and even arrange troops in advance for targeted prevention, Dou Ying's gentle and jade-like easy-going face immediately showed a hint of surprise.

"Your Majesty's promotion of the policy of reducing vassals is to force Liu Bi to rebel as soon as possible, so as to prevent Wu from continuing to accumulate strength."

"——The prime minister's illness and the discord between the emperor and the emperor are also to make Liu Bi feel at ease and boldly raise troops."

"Under such a situation, if the court dispatches troops and generals first, Liu Bi will be frightened and dare not raise troops..."

Regarding Dou Ying's question, Liu Rong, who was lying leisurely on the rocking chair, just shook his head with a relaxed smile.

"The arrow is on the string and must be fired."

"This is how the imperial court cuts down the feudal vassals, and the same is true when Liu Bi raises his troops."

"——Most of the kings of the Qi and Huainan factions have agreed to raise troops together with Liu Bi."

"The kings of Chu and Zhao have already begun to prepare for the day when they will actually raise their troops."

"We have already reached this point - we have reached the point where we have to fight back. If Wu King Liu Bi really retreats from the battle, then in the future, there will be no more attempts to gather the princes of Guandong."

···
"When Liu Bi retreated at this time, he basically gave up raising his troops to cause chaos, cut himself off from all the clan kings in Guandong, washed his neck clean, and stretched his neck under Tingwei's butcher's knife."

"Other clan princes, even if they are not settled by Chang'an Chaotang Qiu, will never listen to any word of Liu Bi from now on."

"So, even if it comes to a narrow escape, Liu Bi will definitely raise his troops to fight for that slim possibility."

"Because there is still a glimmer of hope if we raise our troops;"

"If you retreat, you will die without rebirth."

After speaking the words calmly, Liu Rong saw his cousin Dou Ying nodding thoughtfully. He picked up the tea bowl next to him with a smile and pretended to lower his head to sip the tea. From the corner of his eye, he also secretly looked at the prince Zhan Shi.

Earlier, Liu Rong, as the eldest son of the emperor, was a little respectful and insensitive to Dou Ying's attitude of "sooner or later he will be a monarch and his subjects, so there is no need to be too alienated".

Not only because of fear of violating taboos, but also because of other considerations.

But now, things are different.

Liu Rong's self-isolation in the Ancestral Temple is tantamount to showing the world that Liu Rong, the eldest son of the emperor, wants to be the crown prince!

No matter who stands in front of the emperor's eldest son, they can't make the emperor's eldest son retreat at all! !

Even though she was the Queen Mother, the eldest son of the Emperor dared to risk his life and pull out a few dry hairs from the old lady's head! ! !

Perhaps this statement is a bit exaggerated, but the undoubted fact is: the Ancestral Temple incident has exposed Liu Rong's personal position in front of the world without any concealment.

Now that he has told everyone in the world: I want to be the crown prince, there is no need for Liu Rong to continue to 'avoid suspicion' and keep a distance from the prince Zhan Shi Dou Ying.

Although you still have to be a little careful and don't really regard yourself as Dou Ying's 'king', there is no need to deliberately avoid taboos in normal communication and dealings in private.

Just like today, Dou Ying sent someone as usual to tentatively ask Liu Rong: Do you want to invite me, my cousin, to come and sit in your Phoenix Palace?
Liu Rong immediately replied: My nephew will leave now and greet him outside the palace gate...

"Everyone inside and outside the court is saying that my cousin, the prince, will not be able to do his job for how many days?"

After looking at Dou Ying for a moment, Liu Rong only smiled and said something when Dou Ying finally turned around from his thoughts and nodded with approval.

Then Dou Ying suddenly beamed and smiled. Although his face was full of joy, he did not forget to be humble and said: "It's just that he got the favor of the Queen Mother and took advantage of his relative."

"The final result still depends on His Majesty's decision..."

Seeing that Dou Ying was talking duplicity, grinning with joy, but still saying, "We'll have to wait for notification for details," Liu Rong couldn't help but shake his head and laugh.

After sitting quietly for a moment, Fang thought to himself and said: "Since the time of the Zhou Dynasty, it has been a common thing for monarchs of other countries to have relatives in charge of the army and run the army."

"——Sometimes, it is to make the hero a relative, and sometimes, it is to help the relative to earn military honors."

"As for my Han family, Emperor Taizu Gao has Lu Ze, and Emperor Xiaohui has Zhang Ao;"

"The Empress Dowager Lu has all the nephews of Lu Zi, and the former emperor has Bo Zhao, the Marquis of Zhi."

"When you come to Father's house, will you become your cousin?"

As soon as he asked the question casually, Liu Rong stretched out and immediately lay down on his side on the rocking chair, looking at his cousin Dou Ying with a teasing expression.

Under Liu Rong's playful gaze, Dou Ying lowered his head shyly, smiling and speechless for a while.

——Liu Rong just said that Dou Ying, the crown prince, is about to come to an end. Of course, he is not saying that Dou Ying is about to be dismissed from office.

Rather, as a maternal relative of the current Emperor Qi: the youngest, strongest and most capable leader of the Dou family, Dou Ying will surely become the Emperor Qi in the visible future - in the Wu-Chu Rebellion that will inevitably break out. The relative I rely on the most!
According to the usual practice, there is at least a 80% chance that it is a fake Emperor's Day and worship of the general.

Even if the remaining 20% ​​is left, he can't control the generals such as chariots and cavalry, generals, etc., and is not much worse than the general.

Whether it is a general, a general of cavalry, or a general, Dou Ying will use this to command the army, thereby gaining the most indispensable resume for a Han Dynasty official: martial arts!

If you have talent, learning, ability, and complete the indispensable resume of "Martial Arts", the next step is to wait for the time to be granted the title of Marquis and Prime Minister...

"Cousin, do you think you have a plan for quelling the chaos?"

The two uncles and nephews had made it clear that they regarded each other as their future emperor/subordinate, so Liu Rong became less cautious when speaking.

This change naturally filled Dou Ying's heart with joy, but he said with a smile on his face: "Your Majesty has not yet appointed me, and I am just a Confucian scholar..."

He instinctively wanted to be polite, but in the middle of the sentence, Dou Ying couldn't help but his face froze.

He looked at Liu Rong thoughtfully, and after a moment, he raised his head with a meaningful smile.

"But regarding the matter of quelling the chaos, what do you have to explain to me, Your Highness?"

But when Liu Rong heard this, he just shook his head helplessly and let out a long sigh, and even tapped his fingers towards Dou Ying.

After a while, Fang sat up from the rocking chair and his expression straightened slightly.

"My nephew is just a boy who was born in a deep palace and grew up with the hands of a woman."

"We will never dare to make random comments about the military formation."

"It's just that my nephew has thought about my cousin's future situation over and over again, and still feels like he has to mention it."

When Dou Ying heard this, most of the smile on his face disappeared, and he sat up straight, assuming a posture of sitting upright and listening.

Liu Rong took a deep breath and winked at Kui Wu beside him. After the courtyard was cleared, he said a little seriously: "My cousin's surname."

"——The Dou family's cousin is the father's maternal clan. Logically speaking, it can bring a lot of convenience to my cousin."

"That's it. If it weren't for the 'Dou' surname, even if my uncle is a master of economics and strategy and has the courage of Xiang Ji, it would be difficult for him to be entrusted with important responsibilities by his father."

"But as the saying goes: this is how you succeed, and this is how you fail."

"This relative's status is both a help and a hindrance to my cousin..."

Liu Rong's words were cryptic, but they were also straightforward enough when they reached Dou Ying's ears.

"I understand what the young master means."

Following Liu Rong's subtle reminder, Dou Ying's serious face immediately became full of solemnity.

He had also moved his eyes away from Liu Rong, casting his thoughts to the ground not far in front of him, and nodded sternly.

"As a relative, I gain more trust from His Majesty."

"Dante is also a maternal relative - especially the status of Dou's maternal relative, which will make Your Majesty have a lot of suspicions about me."

"Especially now that the Queen Mother has become more and more interested in establishing an emperor's brother. Although Your Majesty is cowardly and conciliatory, it is absolutely impossible for her to do so."

"If I take charge of the army and get some military honors by luck, then not only His Majesty but myself, I will not know how to deal with myself..."

···
"If the Queen Mother asks me to support Prince Liang, I will not obey."

"But even if you don't obey, Your Majesty will never think that I am a trustworthy person because of this."

"——Holding a large army, he achieved great achievements, but was jealous of the monarch;"

"Coupled with my status as a 'relative of the Dou family' and a nephew of the Queen Mother, I, Dou Ying, really have a clear conscience. At that time, I was afraid that I was..." Dou Ying's words were plain, but his mood was definitely not like it was now. , showing such stability.

This problem has actually troubled Dou Ying for a long time.

As a member of the Dou clan, Dou Ying naturally enjoys a series of privileges brought by his status as a 'foreign relative'.

Take this time, what happened after the Wu-Chu Rebellion broke out;
——What if a courtier with a foreign surname had never served in the military in the past, let alone had any military honors, but was directly worshiped by the emperor as a top military officer such as a general or a general of cavalry?

Hey!
Regardless of whether there is going to be a turmoil inside or outside the court, there will be at least one hundred and eighty old ministers who have "no merit but hard work" kneeling outside the palace and shouting in unison: Emperor Youyou, why should you treat me less? !

To put it bluntly, this is the emperor's nepotism, which chilled the hearts of loyal generals both inside and outside the court.

Talking about it more seriously?
This is clear evidence that Emperor Qi is ignorant and has no moral principles, and urgently needs King Wu Liu Bi to correct the chaos and replace him!
But Dou Ying has the status of a maternal relative, so there is no problem in all this.

——A major military and national event, an important place for military strategists!

——I don’t trust my own mother-in-law, should I trust you, an outsider?
Just this sentence was enough for the emperor to hold his head high and face the world calmly.

In the original history, it was also based on this that Wei Qing, Liehou of Changping, was able to skip the upgrade path of "starting from a big-headed soldier and slashing with one sword". Almost the first time he put on a military robe, he was directly killed by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. Become a general of chariots and cavalry.

I'm a relative~
He is a relative of the emperor~
Regardless of your abilities, whether you can lead troops, or whether you can win battles - at least as relatives, you are more trustworthy than outsiders, and more worthy of being entrusted with military power.

As Liu Rongcai said: The Han family, and even the earlier great powers in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, also had the tradition of foreign relatives taking charge of the army.

As for the contemporary nephews of Dou's relatives, Dou Ying is indeed the only one who can do it.

But just like Liu Rong just mentioned Zhou Luhou Lu Ze, Xuanping Hou Zhang Ao, as well as Zhu Luzi's nephew and Zhenhou Bo Zhao: as a foreign relative, Dou Ying, while enjoying the political privileges brought by his status as a foreign relative, also has to Carrying this identity has brought many disadvantages to oneself.

The most important point is that relatives naturally belong to the queen mother's camp, not the emperor.

Take Dou Ying for example, an old farmer who doesn't know Dou Ying or even knows anything that happens outside the village. When he hears the name "Dou Ying", he will probably ask: Whose surname is Dou?
Are you and Empress Dowager Dou of the current dynasty the same family?
Considering the current situation, Empress Dowager Dou of the East Palace and Prince Li's brother are becoming more determined and even more anxious;

Due to the special nature of Liang State, Emperor Qi had to give an ambiguous attitude and exchange time for space.

Between these two parties, Dou Ying wanted to be a loyal minister - he wanted to be a loyal minister of the Han family and the Emperor of the Han Dynasty, but he could not get rid of his surname and the identity he was born with as a 'relative of the Dou family' and a nephew of the Queen Mother... …

"This is something I can't decide."

"——Being born in the Dou family, this is something I can't change."

"If Your Majesty really wants to conclude that I am a pawn of the Queen Mother and King Li Liang because I am from the Dou family in the future, I have no other choice but to try my best to prove it myself."

Hearing the helplessness in Dou Ying's tone, Liu Rong achieved his goal, but he did not forget to ask immediately: "How does my cousin plan to prove himself?"

"You must know that the Crown Prince and the Crown Prince are important matters related to the ancestral temple and the country. It is impossible for my father to be more cautious."

"Even if my cousin has done something, or even tried to persuade my grandmother and father, I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to trust my cousin."

When Dou Ying heard this, he shook his head and smiled bitterly for a while, his face full of vicissitudes of life;
After a long time, he seemed to be relieved again, and let out a long sigh with a smile.

"If necessary, I will stand up and stop the Queen Mother when she attacks Her Majesty."

"However, this is not to gain His Majesty's trust."

"——But I originally thought and planned to do this."

"As for whether the Queen Mother will be angry because of this, and whether Your Majesty will still think that I, Dou Ying, am not trustworthy, it is not that important to me."

···
"As a minister, you may have to do a variety of things, but in the final analysis, it is just one thing: eating the emperor's salary and being loyal to the emperor."

"As a relative, I have enjoyed so many blessings in Chang'an. It's time for me, a rotten scholar, to serve His Majesty..."

"If I can help Your Majesty put down the rebellion and stop the Queen Mother and King Liliang, so what if I give up my life?"

"Being able to leave a name in history and be admired and respected by future generations - isn't this something more worthy of my pursuit than just living in this world??"

Dou Ying said these words calmly.

Liu Rong, the eldest son of the emperor, who was so calm that he was sitting in the rocking chair, couldn't help but feel dazed for a while.

Dou Ying's words and his attitude of "putting life and death at risk" made Liu Rong feel inexplicably familiar.

After thinking about it for a long time, Liu Rong finally recalled: Last year, Liu Rong also saw such high integrity in another veteran.

That person's name is: Shen Tujia.

Title: Gu'anhou;

Official worship, Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty...

"Today, I wanted to use my cousin's worries to achieve some of my own plans."

"But I never thought that my cousin would be like this..."

"Ah;"

"My nephew, I feel a little ashamed of myself..."

Liu Rong is not a person who tells lies when seeing others and lies about others when seeing ghosts.

As the eldest son of the emperor, Liu Rong was more inclined to upright conspiracies rather than cunning intrigues.

Even if you have no choice but to do it, you have to do it as a last resort.

Seeing Dou Ying being so open-minded, Liu Rong stopped covering up and simply stated his intention.

It was not what Liu Rong expected: after Liu Rong's candid statement, Prince Zhan Shi Dou Ying only smiled meaningfully, and then made a "please" gesture to Liu Rong.

And Liu Rong lived up to Dou Ying's expectations.

"The Imperial Grandmother is going to establish a relationship with the Emperor's nephew. As the eldest son of the Emperor, there is no need to be secretive and vague anymore."

"——My nephew is the emperor's eldest son by birth, and he is destined to sit on the throne of my Han family."

"Whether it's for the safety of my nephew himself, or the safety of his mother and brothers, or even the stability of our Han family's ancestral temple and the country, my nephew must sit on the throne of the crown prince."

Speaking calmly, Liu Rong finally lifted his butt that seemed to be stuck to the rocking chair, stood up, and took two steps forward with his hands behind his hands.

The look he looked at his cousin Dou Ying was filled with endless determination, even the determination to move forward.

"My nephew, I want to be the crown prince."

"Everyone who prevents my nephew from doing this is his enemy."

"——The same goes for people who want to grab the reserve first."

"But my cousin is not such a person."

···
"My cousin is from the Dou family, but he wants to be a loyal minister of my Han family, and he will definitely become the crown prince's lieutenant in the future."

"My nephew is not in his position, and he has no ambitions for government. He is not yet able to regard himself as a king and treat his cousin with the courtesy of a minister."

"But regarding my cousin's predicament and his purpose of being established as the heir apparent, my nephew has an idea to get the best of both worlds for my cousin's reference."

After saying these words, Liu Rong just secretly took a breath and waited quietly for Dou Ying's reply.

And when that gentle smile that made people feel like a spring breeze appeared again on Dou Ying's elegant, easy-going, yet masculine face;
The eldest son of the emperor, Liu Rong, finally sounded the clarion call to officially launch a charge towards the position of crown prince - the crown prince.

"When the chaos between Wu and Chu is over, the King of Liang will enter the court with his extraordinary power, and together with the East Palace, he will kidnap his father and the crown prince's younger brother."

"By then, my cousin will lead the troops outside, and he may receive a secret edict from his father, or he may not."

"But if my cousin takes the lead - before my father sends a secret edict, he preemptively submits a petition to establish a crown prince, then my cousin's suspicion that he is from the Dou family and should not be trusted can be wiped out by his father."

"From now on, my father will no longer regard my cousin Dou Ying as the vanguard of the Dou family and the crown prince, but will regard my cousin as the crown prince's supporter and confidant!"

···
"My father will also use this to legitimately appoint the crown prince and crown prince. He will overturn Wang Shu Liang's thoughts and deal with the imperial grandmother by saying, 'Dou Ying leads the troops outside and uses military power to force the palace.'"

"And my nephew, I can also live in the prince's palace as I wish..."

"——What does my cousin think?"

"My cousin thinks that's the case, is that okay?"

(End of this chapter)