I, the prince, only want to be deposed.

Chapter 2 Is He Really a Genius?

The news that Liu Ju suddenly dismissed his retainers without giving any reason or money quickly spread throughout Chang'an.

As Shi Qing had expected, many officials who had been in contact with Liu Ju, either openly or secretly, were confused and had no idea what the prince was thinking.

In addition, those retainers who were forcibly dismissed felt "betrayed".

Some people have already begun to retaliate and have not hesitated to express their dissatisfaction in public.

Naturally, this matter was reported to Weiyang Palace at the first opportunity.

Inside the greenhouse hall.

"Your Majesty, urgent news has come from outside the palace..."

Huangmen Su Wen walked into the hall in small steps. Seeing that this opening did not attract Liu Che's attention, he raised his voice slightly, "...It is related to the prince."

"Just say it."

Liu Che finally put down the bamboo slips in his hand and looked over.

Su Wen quickly bowed his head and continued:
"An urgent report said that the prince suddenly dismissed all his retainers yesterday. Some retainers wanted to see the prince one last time to ask why, but the prince not only ignored them, but also ordered the guards to forcibly expel them with sticks."

"Now these retainers are scattered all over Chang'an, accusing the crown prince of being a hypocrite and treacherous. Some are even speculating whether this is the will of your majesty."

"This is a serious matter. Your Majesty, please make the decision."

After listening to Su Wen's report, Liu Che's originally casual expression changed instantly. He stood up and examined the eunuch: "Are you saying that my son not only dismissed all the retainers, but also ordered the guards to beat the retainers with sticks?"

"Exactly."

Su Wen responded.

"I don't believe it!"

Liu Che waved his sleeves and said with great confidence, "Anyone can do this, except my son. Could it be that someone is spreading rumors to confuse the people?"

"Your Majesty, when I received the urgent report, I was also confused, so I sent people to investigate three times before I dared to come and report."

"Go out and take a look. Is the sun rising from the west today?"

"Your Majesty, I just came in from outside the palace, and I can confirm that there are no unusual phenomena today."

"..."

Liu Che fell into silence from then on, slowly closed his eyes and stopped talking, as if he was digesting and understanding this uncharacteristic event.

After a long time.

Liu Che's brows were still furrowed, and he shook his head slightly and said:
"Su Wen, I order you to go to the Pepper Palace and the General's Mansion immediately and explain this matter to the Queen and Wei Qing."

"I wonder what order Your Majesty wants me to convey?"

Su Wen asked carefully.

He was very sure that Empress Wei and Wei Qing must have already known about this matter and there was no need for him to inform them, so he asked this question.

"There is no decree. Just tell them the contents of the urgent report."

After Liu Che finished speaking, he picked up the bamboo slips again, as if he had completely forgotten about the matter.

"promise."

Su Wen didn't dare to say anything more. He responded and left the greenhouse hall.

Only then did Liu Che raise his head again, looking towards the palace door, muttering to himself: "Juer actually took the initiative to clip his wings, which makes me a little confused."

……

Inside the Jiaofang Hall.

"What on earth does this rebellious son want to do?"

Wei Zifu's face was filled with hatred, but she was mostly stunned.

Although time has left traces on her face and made her lose the emperor's favor, her position as the mistress of the harem is still unshakable.

And now.

She felt an unprecedented uneasiness.

The Queen and the Crown Prince are of the same blood, and they prosper and suffer together.

Now that such a thing has happened, it is extremely unfavorable to Liu Ju. It is tantamount to handing a knife to those who attack and oppose Liu Ju on a daily basis, thus affecting Liu Che's opinion of him.

But she still couldn't figure it out.

She and Liu Ju had already determined the character and route of benevolence, tolerance and gentleness countless times to ensure that there would be no mistakes before he succeeded to the throne. Liu Ju was not an ignorant child.

He had done very well before, why did he suddenly do such a thing as cutting off his own arm without any discussion?
at the same time.

A maidservant hurried into the hall, came to Wei Zifu, presented her with a piece of silk cloth folded into a small roll, and whispered in her ear:

"Your Highness, this was sent to the palace by the general."

"Ah."

Wei Zifu hummed softly and spread out the silk cloth, but it was completely blank.

However, Wei Zifu was not puzzled. Instead, she folded the blank silk cloth again and handed it to the maid: "Tell someone to send it back to the general's mansion."

After the maidservant left, she slowly sighed:

"Wei Qing doesn't know the reason either. Is this rebellious son crazy?"

"It has come to this, and I am afraid that it is too late to reverse the situation. The reputation and foundation that he has worked so hard to build over the years will definitely be damaged. His Majesty has probably learned about this. Wei Qing and I have done a lot of wrong and have done a lot of wrong. We can only wait and see what happens..."

at this time.

"Report! Your Highness, Huangmen Su Wen has been ordered to deliver an urgent report."

"Send him in."

Wei Zifu raised her eyes slightly, her confusion growing even more. "Your Majesty ordered Su Wen to come here at this moment, it must be to inform us of this matter... Is Your Majesty considering the relationship between father and son and tacitly allowing us the opportunity to make amends?"

……

Soon after, a group of people in Chang'an City took action.

These people quickly found the dismissed retainers in the name of Liu Ju and promised them generous money to appease them.

At the same time, the news was spreading among the people:

Nowadays, floods in rivers occur frequently, causing the people to live in misery. The Crown Prince is grateful for your Majesty's teachings and wants to donate most of his property to help the victims and share your Majesty's worries.

After donating his family property, the prince will have to live frugally in the future.

Therefore, since I cannot afford to support these retainers, I have no choice but to dismiss them with great reluctance. Please bear with my compassion.

This move comes out.

Although it might not satisfy all of his followers, nor eliminate the concerns of all court officials who were attached to Liu Ju, it did temporarily suppress some voices that were unfavorable to him.

As soon as the relevant actions began, Liu Che had already taken full control of them.

"The Queen and Wei Qing are easy to deal with, but..."

Liu Che poured a little jade dust into his mouth and swallowed it with the nectar. His eyes fixed on the nectar.
"…He lost his retainers, donated his property, and paid such a price to barely preserve his reputation. The damage he suffered was not small. It can be seen that the Queen and Wei Qing were caught off guard by this incident, so they were in a state of confusion and could only try to make up for the loss."

"It seems that this move was not initiated by the Queen and Wei Qing, but was made by Er on his own initiative?"

"But Er Er has always obeyed the Queen and Wei Qing. Why is he acting so abnormally today?"

"This will do me no harm."

"It only disrupted the Queen and Wei Qing's positions and damaged my own foundation. But why is this..."

Liu Che's brows were twisted into knots, and he was puzzled.

His ability to control people was perfect and his political wisdom was unparalleled. This skill was brought to its peak after the death of Empress Dowager Dou, and he had the entire court of civil and military officials firmly in his hands.

But this time, he just couldn't figure out Liu Ju's motives and thoughts.

"Speaking of Empress Dowager Dou..."

Past memories gave Liu Che a hint of inspiration.
"Could it be that Er'er has guessed my concerns and understood the truth that foreign relatives are more ferocious than tigers, so he is using this method to resist the manipulation of his mother's uncle and to draw a clear line between himself and the increasingly arrogant but powerful Wei family?"

"If that's true, then my son is beginning to resemble me. Back then, I was his age when I was controlled by Empress Dowager Dou..."

"Could it be that he is really a genius and has suddenly become enlightened?"

The flash of this thought made Liu Che's eyes gradually brighten up, and revealed a hint of expectation.

After pondering for a long time.

"Somebody come!"

"Pass on my order to summon the Crown Prince to the palace immediately. At his age, it's time for him to share some of my affairs!"

(End of this chapter)