I, the prince, only want to be deposed.

Chapter 157 The prince wants to burn books and bury scholars?!
This is a gift proposition!
How could the old lady not hear it?

If she said that the gods were not blind, then the gods turned a blind eye to the emperor. This was a disregard and insult to the emperor. How could the emperor let it go?

If she said that the gods were blind, then she would be denying the omniscience and omnipotence of the gods, and at the same time, she would also be undermining the sacredness of the gods that these alchemists and wizards had always created for Liu Che!
But now the more critical issue is.

She had no idea what had happened to the prince?
Why did Liu Che immediately become certain that the prince had become an immortal after reading this memorial, without even a trace of doubt?
Could it be that some incredible miracle had occurred and the prince had passed away in public on a dragon or a crane?
Thinking about this, the old lady Goddess racked her brains, frantically analyzing what Liu Che had just said, thinking about how to deal with this life-threatening question.

Finally, she noticed a logical loophole, so she bowed and said:
"Your Majesty, I am not sure whether the gods are blind or not, but as far as I know, the gods have long been born with the third eye and do not need to see things with their eyes."

"Also, whether or not Your Majesty can become an immortal is not something that the gods can decide."

"The immortal bodies of gods and immortals are granted by the way of heaven. The reason why mortals seek help from gods and immortals is just to get their help and guidance, so as to break through the way of heaven and find the way to immortality."

"So it is the heavens that hang over the heads of ordinary people that decide when Your Majesty will ascend to heaven, and it has nothing to do with the gods."

Upon hearing this, Liu Che fell silent again.

He just stared into the old woman's eyes, as if he wanted to see through her completely.

One has to admit that the old woman's answer was very sophisticated. She invisibly complied with Liu Che's intention and reduced the sacredness of the gods, allowing Liu Che to vent his humiliation and dissatisfaction. At the same time, she brought out a belief that was even more intangible and irrefutable - Heaven!
No one in this world is greater than heaven, otherwise why is the emperor called the Son of Heaven?

If Liu Che denied the Heaven, he would be denying himself, and even denying people's understanding of the world for thousands of years before and after.

"Your Majesty, I heard from you that the prince has become an immortal. I wonder how you came to this conclusion?"

When the old lady saw Liu Che's appearance, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She was glad that she had temporarily escaped the disaster, and at the same time she pretended to be confused and asked.

She had to know what was going on.

Only in this way can you make the most advantageous response for yourself.

Or in other words, she actually hoped that Liu Ju's "immortality" was fake, so that she could find some loopholes based on her many years of professional experience, expose Liu Ju in front of Liu Che, and further consolidate her own position and Liu Che's faith.

Even if doing so requires exposing the secret methods of some alchemists and wizards, and harming some colleagues and his own interests, he would not hesitate.

After all, a prince who was competing with them for their jobs was too much of a threat to them...

"Yup!"

After hearing this, Liu Che, whose brain was congested, finally calmed down a little.

Although this memorial was sent back by Huo Guang, he was willing to believe that Huo Guang would not accompany Liu Ju to deceive the emperor given his character.

But Huo Guang was, after all, a layman in the ways of ghosts and gods, so his description might not be biased. Why not let this god who had been possessed by a fairy help analyze Liu Ju's "magic arts".

Perhaps this would help him have a more accurate understanding of Liu Ju's "immortality"?

"Take it and let me have a good look. Don't miss anything!"

Liu Che still had a sullen face and casually threw the scroll that he had almost crushed to pieces.

this moment.

Although he had different ideas, Liu Che was actually on the same side as this old lady.

Both of them hoped that Liu Ju's so-called "immortality" was false, and hoped to find conclusive evidence from this bamboo slip.

For Liu Che.

Liu Ju's becoming an immortal would do him no good but only harm.

Not to mention the strong humiliation and unwillingness in his heart, which shook his determination and shattered his previous beliefs.

Most importantly, this matter really made him not know what to do with himself!

If Liu Ju became an immortal and rode away on a dragon or a crane, that would be easier to explain.

But if Liu Ju continued to walk the world with his immortal body, it would be the biggest threat to his power as the Son of Heaven!
An omnipotent, immortal god, or his son?

Would an omnipotent, immortal god be content to be just a prince?

Under such circumstances, how can the power of the king and the father be maintained?

Even if Liu Ju always followed the rules of the emperor and his father, what about the people below him?
Do those ministers and people respect him, the mortal emperor, or Liu Ju, the divine prince?
Will his decrees be more effective in the future?
Or is Liu Ju's immortal order more effective?
Can't we just discuss our own opinions?

Liu Che could never accept the existence of such a threat, even if this person was the crown prince, his own son, even if this person had no intention of fighting him, he could not accept it!

Because his existence itself is the biggest threat to imperial power!

There was even a moment when murderous intent appeared in his heart. Although he didn't know how to get rid of Liu Ju who had already become an "immortal", he would definitely try it at all costs.

Even if... he broke off completely with Liu Ju because of this, and was even killed by Liu Ju in the end.

Because he really couldn't imagine the scene of someone snoring beside his bed, he really couldn't accept the feeling of imperial power being constrained by others, and he really couldn't bear the anxiety of having a sword hanging over his head.

He just couldn't bend down and be a cautious emperor!

You can’t do this to your former great mother and queen mother, you can’t do this to the other countries, you can’t do this to the powerful ministers and nobles, you can’t do this to your own son... you can’t do this to anyone!
Rather than that, he would rather try his best.

Even if he is trying to stop a chariot with his arms, or even if he is trying to shake a tree with his arms, he will never regret it.

He must be the supreme emperor, he must hold complete imperial power, and he will not accept any compromise!
If he failed completely, if he could not compete with Liu Ju even if he tried his best, he could only accept the outcome that his imperial power and his life would end together, without any compromise!
then.

"..."

After reading the description of the exorcism of Gongsun Qing, the old lady licked her dry lips and said nothing.

"..."

After reading Liu Ju's description of "levitation", the old lady's dim eyes trembled slightly, but she still didn't say anything.

"..."

After reading Liu Ju's description of "Luoquan Offering Colors", especially Huo Guang's description of the immortal wine, and the scene and feeling of hundreds of people tasting it together, the old woman's throat moved, but she still didn't speak.

"..."

I have read Liu Ju's description of "human body cutting".

The old lady's body shook unconsciously, and her old face showed an expression of surprise that she could not help but feel.

She wanted to say something from the very beginning. She wanted to rely on her many years of professional experience to find some loopholes in these texts, expose them to Liu Che on the spot, and push Liu Ju off the altar.

But she found that she overestimated herself.

She simply didn't have the ability to do so. She couldn't understand any of Liu Ju's "immortal arts", let alone find loopholes to expose to Liu Che. "Could it be that... the prince really became an immortal?!"

The old lady of the Divine Lord couldn't help but have such thoughts.

If one does not possess an immortal body, how could one be able to cut himself in half and then come back to life?

She doesn't understand!

I will never understand it!
"Now that you've read it, what do you think?"

Liu Che was always observing the old lady's expression, waiting for her reply.

Although he had received the answer he least wanted from the old lady's face, he still held on to one last glimmer of hope.

"Your Majesty, based on the description in this memorial alone, I am unable to determine whether the Crown Prince has attained immortality."

The old lady shook her head helplessly and said unwillingly,
"If you want to judge this matter, Your Majesty had better recall the Crown Prince to Chang'an and ask him to show his magic in person. Only then can I draw a conclusion..."

Without listening to him, Liu Che turned and walked towards the temple gate, pushing it open:

"Su Wen!"

"Issued three imperial edicts in a row, summoning Crown Prince Liu Ju back to the capital to report!"

……

Donglai County City.

"What did you say? The prince wants to burn books in public?"

When Sima Qian heard the news, his face was full of surprise.

"Yes, those alchemists presented many bamboo slips about ghosts and gods, which were all accepted by Your Highness and stored in the storehouse."

Huo Guang nodded and said helplessly,

"Your Highness is going to burn these bamboo slips in public now, and he has ordered the governor of Donglai County, Chen Tao, to issue a county order, inviting the local people to go to the East City Gate to watch in two days."

He is not a talkative person, nor is he a nosy person.

He was just worried that this matter would have a serious impact, so he told Sima Qian about it, hoping that Sima Qian would also go and persuade Liu Ju.

Over the past few days, he could also see that Liu Ju seemed to have an inexplicable respect for Sima Qian for some reason, which was beyond the respect that ordinary people had for historians.

What's more, Sima Qian was not even a court official at that time, let alone a historian.

Therefore, he thought that since he couldn't persuade him, Sima Qian might be able to... so he might as well give it a try.

"I would like to ask you to persuade the Crown Prince to avoid unnecessary criticism... Although it is understandable that His Highness wants to destroy these bamboo slips, it is actually OK to deal with it privately. There is no need to make such a big fuss."

"This……"

Sima Qian did not agree immediately after hearing this. He had already started thinking about the meaning behind Huo Guang's words. He asked thoughtfully,

"Is Captain Huo worried about something?"

"nothing."

Huo Guang looked a little unnatural.

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has now become an immortal, so he naturally has his own reasons for doing what he wants to do."

Sima Qian immediately concentrated again and said,
"If Captain Huo is unwilling to tell the truth, please allow me to refuse this request. I do not want to offend the Crown Prince at this time."

"..."

Seeing that Sima Qian was not moved by his persuasion, Huo Guang hesitated for a moment, and finally lowered his voice and said,
"You don't know that recently His Highness ordered the Qimen warriors and Jianzhang cavalry to trap the group of alchemists. Although he openly invited them to participate in the event, he secretly ordered that no one was allowed to leave..."

"!!!"

Hearing this, Sima Qian's expression immediately changed:
"Captain Huo is worried that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince might be planning to... burn books... and bury the scholars?!"

Although Sima Qian also recorded the "burning of books and burying of scholars" in the "Records of the Grand Historian" he completed later, he did not mention a word about the Confucian scholars who were buried alive by Qin Shihuang. He only said that those who were buried alive were alchemists who deceived and opposed Qin Shihuang.

Therefore, there is no historical basis for "burning books and burying scholars".

However, at this time, the idea of ​​"burning books and burying scholars" had already emerged. It was first proposed by an official named Kong Anguo in the "Preface to the Book of Documents".

And such a statement.

In fact, it should have some politically correct elements. After all, in the early Western Han Dynasty, opposing Qin and criticizing Qin was the greatest political correctness.

However, this product of political correctness has spread and influenced the cognition of later generations for more than two thousand years...

"I can only speculate on this. After all, His Highness is determined to 'burn the books' and has already done half of it. Now he is unwilling to let those alchemists go."

Huo Guang smiled bitterly and said with a worried look,
"Also, you also know that Fatty Yu'er and his family were nearly killed after they went to Huang County a few days ago. His Highness has always been very ruthless. This time he will definitely target the Taoist priest Xu Shenxian. I'm afraid he will also attack these Taoist priests..."

"..."

Sima Qian swallowed his saliva.

"This matter is of great importance. If Your Highness really does it, I am afraid that it will be used by someone with ulterior motives to link this matter with the 'burning of books and burying of scholars' incident, causing a shock in the court. Even if he has become an immortal, I am afraid that he will not be able to escape the infamy of cruelty like the First Emperor Ying Zheng, and become the target of criticism from Confucian scholars and scholars all over the world..."

"But speaking of which, haven't those Qimen warriors and Jianzhang cavalry always been under the command of Captain Huo? If Captain Huo is worried about this happening, why doesn't he privately order the expulsion of those alchemists?"

"Even if His Highness blames me later, considering Captain Huo's good intentions and the fact that he is my cousin, I don't think it would be convenient to investigate further."

Huo Guang sighed helplessly when he heard this:
"That was before His Highness became an immortal."

"Ever since His Highness showed his magic that day, these Qimen warriors and Jianzhang cavalry have been obedient to him and no one can order them around..."

Having said that, Huo Guang suddenly realized something.

As his body stiffened, deeper worry appeared in his eyes.

"!"

Sima Qian also froze at the same time, and his eyes met Huo Guang's, with unspeakable worry emerging in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)