I, the prince, only want to be deposed.

Chapter 23 Do You Know What You Are Talking About?

Liu Che's suppressed and low voice came from the hall.

It seemed as if he was talking to the attendants and warriors in the palace, or as if he was talking to himself under stimulation.

No one dared to respond easily.

Only Su Wen, Chang Rong and other close attendants knew how difficult it was to get Liu Che to say the word "regret".

At least before today, this seemed to them like something they could never even dream of!

at the same time.

They became more and more uneasy in their hearts. Did this count as hearing something they shouldn't have heard?
"Su Wen!"

Liu Che suddenly shouted again.

"Your Majesty, I am here."

Su Wen shuddered and quickly looked up and responded.

Only then did he suddenly realize that Liu Che was slumped on the dragon couch with disheveled hair. The outburst just now seemed to have drained all his strength, making him look many years older in an instant.

"Your Majesty, I beg you to take care of yourself, Your Majesty!"

Seeing this, Su Wen no longer cared about etiquette. He immediately stood up and ran forward, helping Liu Che up while crying.

"You go!"

Liu Che raised his hand weakly.

"Tell Zhao Yu to go to Dongjun immediately to arrest the rebellious son and those involved in this matter. I will personally interrogate them one by one. No one can escape. Go!"

"Yes, but Your Majesty..."

Su Wen responded while shouting at Chang Rong, "Chang Rong, what are you still standing there for? Go and call the imperial physician!"

"promise!"

Chang Rong was also panicked at this moment. When he stood up in a hurry, he heard a cracking sound at his waist.

He almost cried out in pain, but he could only hold it back and forced himself to limp out.

"Do you also think that I am old and weak?"

Liu Che suddenly shouted again, scaring everyone to stop what they were doing.

Fortunately, he did not continue to attack, but just waved his hand:

"Why summon the imperial physician? I am just feeling a little dizzy. Go and get me my jade dust and celestial dew."

……

On the day.

The Pepper Room and the General's Mansion were both deathly silent.

The dull and depressing atmosphere made everyone breathless, and a dark cloud seemed to cover the sky above the Pepper House and the General's Mansion.

Until the next day.

The full mobilization of the Chief Justice has attracted the attention of everyone in Chang'an City.

Some news came from the direction of Dongjun.

Then on the third day.

A group of Confucian scholars and court officials have gathered at the Jinma Gate to request to enter the palace to see the emperor. Each of them is filled with righteous indignation, and they look like they are passionately pleading for the people.

But Liu Che had already given the order.

Before the Court Justice Zhao Yu brought the prince and others back to Chang'an, he would not summon anyone and would not hold any court meetings.

Things just dragged on like this for the time being, as if nothing had happened.

However, it is not difficult for people to see that this is just a moment of calm before the storm, and they can still feel the various forces in Chang'an City ready to move.

This matter can't be dragged on like this forever.

In a few days, there will be huge changes in the royal family.

The prince is finished!

Completely finished...

No one can protect him.

Neither Wei Zifu nor Wei Qing could do it, and even if Huo Qubing were still alive, it would still not work.

But this is not someone else's fault. It was his own fault that he did the foolish thing of destroying the dike and flooding the fields.

Maybe this is what they mean, you reap what you sow?

……

Qi State, Qi Royal Palace.

Bu Shi, the Grand Tutor of the Prince of Qi, rushed into the palace. When he saw the Prince of Qi Liu Hong playing with the dog, he shouted excitedly:

"Your Highness, Your Highness, this is great news. From now on, you will soar to the sky!"

Liu Hong was the second son of Emperor Liu Che.

He is only twelve years old this year, and is the prince born to Lady Wang who died early.

A few years ago, when Huo Qubing was still alive, he led his ministers to petition Emperor Liu Che to confer the title of king on him, the third prince Liu Dan, and the fourth prince Liu Xu, and ordered them to go to their fiefdoms to reign.

At that time, Liu Hong was only eight years old, and Liu Dan and Liu Xu were even younger.

This incident was Huo Qubing paving the way for Crown Prince Liu Ju and eliminating these possible threats to the throne in advance.

"Master, you scared my dog. What good news is that?"

Liu Hong's face and voice were still very childish. He asked curiously while comforting his dog.

"I just received news that the Crown Prince destroyed the dike and flooded the fields in Puyang, Dongjun, which caused a serious mistake. I'm afraid that his position as Crown Prince is no longer secure!"

"Are you talking about my brother?"

Liu Hong was somewhat surprised and even more confused when he heard this.

"My brother has been very good to me since I was a child, and he has always been sensible and obedient, rarely doing anything wrong... and my brother's position as the crown prince is no longer secure, so why is this such great news?"

"Oh, Your Highness, don't you understand? The Crown Prince is His Majesty's eldest son, and you are His Majesty's second son."

Bu Shi had no choice but to explain patiently.

"If the Crown Prince's position is no longer secure, then according to the ancestral system, the throne should be inherited by Your Highness. In this way, Your Highness will be the Crown Prince from now on!"

"And His Majesty has been particularly fond of Your Highness's biological mother, and he also dotes on Your Highness."

"After your mother passed away, His Majesty even sought a Taoist priest to summon her spirit. This is a legitimate move, and it is almost certain that your mother will inherit the throne of the Crown Prince."

"I would like to congratulate Your Highness first!"

As he spoke, Bu Shi's face unconsciously turned red.

If one person succeeds, the whole family will benefit. If Liu Hong successfully becomes the crown prince, these royal ministers will be one step closer and their power and status will undergo a qualitative change.

Liu Hong looked worried when he heard this:

"But I don't want to seize my brother's position as the crown prince, nor do I want to be punished by my brother..."

"Your Highness, this is not something you stole. It fell from the sky."

Bu Shi advised earnestly,
"If Your Highness doesn't take it, and someone else does, they may not be able to accommodate Your Highness. This is a matter of life and death, so you must not act on your emotions, and you must not arbitrarily refuse!"

……

Qinghe County.

"Such a foolish and heartless prince is something I have never heard of or seen before!"

County Magistrate Wang Xi stood on the bank of the rushing river, cursing loudly without concealing his anger and anxiety.

Liu Ju destroyed the dike and flooded the fields in Puyang. After the river broke its dike, it invaded four counties on the north bank.

Qinghe County is one of them.

The flooding of the river would not only bring disaster to the local people, but also cause a lot of trouble to him as the county magistrate.

He hasn't had a good night's sleep in recent days.

He had to order his subordinates to investigate the disaster situation in several groups all day long, and also actively prepare for disaster relief.

Otherwise, when people from higher levels come and he is clueless about anything they ask him and fails to handle disaster relief matters properly, his job as a county magistrate will be over.

Soon after.

A horse galloped towards them from a distance.

The county magistrate dismounted, came to Wang Xi with a complicated expression, and saluted, "Sir, the people who went out to investigate the disaster in the county have returned."

"how?"

Wang Xi turned around, having already prepared for the worst.

The county magistrate hesitated for a moment, and his strange expression seemed to be saying something that he himself did not believe:

"After checking, we found that the river flowed through seven small villages and flooded only 272 acres of cultivated land."

"Not only did this flood not cause any casualties among the people, but the villagers in the affected villages also received a sum of money and grain compensation in advance and were driven away from the disaster area in a timely manner..."

"???"

Hearing this, Wang Xi was already shocked and couldn't help but curse:
"Do you know what you're talking about?"

"There is a time to deceive superiors and subordinates. It's fine if you tell it to me, but if you tell it to the superiors who come to investigate in the future, you and I will be questioned and our property will be confiscated!"

(End of this chapter)