I, the prince, only want to be deposed.

Chapter 43: First Court Meeting

"This……"

This sudden question stunned Su Wen.

As Liu Che's eunuch, he felt these days more deeply than anyone else.

Therefore, it was once believed that Liu Ju would lose his position as crown prince.

It was for this reason that he consciously cut off contact with Liu Ju after sending someone to deliver a secret letter to Liu Ju when the dikes were destroyed and the fields were flooded last time.

No matter how big the incident was, it was never reported through the wind.

After all, a prince who is about to be deposed is in danger of his own future. What qualifications does he have to be open-hearted with him in the future?
The result was unexpected.

Liu Che only came to Zhumu Garden once, and after coming out he became concerned about Liu Ju's marriage again?
This should be considered a kind of concern, right?

So what exactly does your majesty mean by this, and what is your intention?
Su Wen felt that he was becoming increasingly unable to understand Liu Che. This was truly the unpredictable grace of God.

If you think about it, this change doesn't seem to have just started.

It seemed that Liu Ju had started off the confusing situation first, and then Liu Che entered this unpredictable state, making it completely hard for an eunuch like him to figure out his mood...

While he was suspicious, Su Wen quickly bowed and replied:

"Your Majesty, I am not too clear about this matter."

"But I heard that the person asking the question seemed to be the daughter of the Shi family, the Queen of Lu. Unfortunately, an old man in the Shi family passed away recently, and the daughter of the Shi family insisted on observing mourning for the old man for three years, so this matter had to be put on hold for the time being."

Liu Che frowned slightly:

"Observing mourning? But your parents are dead?"

"It's just that they are old men, so they shouldn't be my parents, otherwise it would be clear."

Su Wendao.

"If your parents are not dead, what kind of filial piety is this?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Che frowned even more tightly, and then he had an idea in his mind.

It was probably because of his manipulation that many people in the court and the country believed that Liu Ju would be deposed.

The historian also heard the rumors, so he came up with this excuse to reject the marriage.

Otherwise, if he was just a relative of a prince, his daughter could marry the prince, and in the future, become a princess and possibly be in charge of the harem. How could he turn down such a good thing just because an elder in the family passed away?

how?

You take advantage of the benefits and reject the disadvantages. How can there be such a good thing in the world?
What's more, he is my son, maybe he is a blessing given to me by God!

As long as I have not deposed him, he will still be the Crown Prince. How can you rats find fault with him? !
Thinking of this, Liu Che's eyes gradually showed a hint of anger: "Su Wen, what is Shi Duzhou, the court judge who failed to do his job last time, doing now?"

"This person is still working in the Imperial Court, but he has been demoted to a clerk in the Imperial Court."

"Give him a chance to redeem himself and make meritorious contributions. Order him to investigate the historian of Lu. Investigate thoroughly and enforce the law impartially!"

Liu Che said in a cold voice.

A hungry dog ​​bites more fiercely.

Since the historians want to observe mourning, then observe true mourning. I will fulfill your filial piety!
……

Learned that Liu Che went to Zhumu Garden.

Liu Ju didn't know that he had already walked back from the gates of hell.

Instead, he felt that the situation was set, so he lay in Bowang Garden every day, eating and sleeping, enjoying the gift package of house arrest while waiting for good news.

The result was a long wait.

A few days later, what arrived was an imperial edict from Liu Che summoning all the ministers to participate in court meetings.

A total of two people were summoned to the Prince's Mansion, one was Liu Ju himself, and the other was Dong Zhongshu, who sat in the backyard reading books all day long.

"Father also summoned me to attend the court meeting?"

Liu Ju was a little surprised when he received the imperial edict.

As far as I can remember, he had never participated in any court meeting before.

Firstly, it was because he was still young, and secondly, Liu Che was still young and strong during this period and had never considered giving up power.

Besides, given his current situation, he might be useless someday. And Liu Hong is at the peak of his career, so even if he needs to be summoned, he should be summoned, right?

So what is the meaning of summoning him to the court meeting this time?
"Emperor Chang, do you know what my father is talking about in this court meeting?"

The person who delivered the imperial edict today was not Su Wen, but Chang Rong, who disguised himself as a merchant to investigate the flood control matters last time.

"It's hard for me to tell you, you will know once you go there, Your Highness."

Chang Rong had no personal relationship with Liu Ju, and out of some selfish motives, he was always trying to sow discord between Liu Ju and the emperor, so naturally he would not give him any useful information.

Liu Ju also had some understanding of Chang Rong from historical books and knew what he was thinking.

However, thinking that the last time he gave Su Wen motivation, it had the opposite effect, he did not embarrass Chang Rong this time. He just smiled and said:
"In that case, Mr. Chang, take care. I won't see you off."

"The slaves retire."

After walking out of the gate of Bowang Garden, Chang Rong looked back at the plaque on the door with a wry smile on his face:

"Haha, would I tell your Majesty that this court meeting is to discuss the etiquette and regulations for the Fengshan Ceremony so that you can prepare in advance?"

"You are the crown prince. When the court meeting begins, His Majesty will summon you for questioning first."

"This is the first time His Majesty has summoned you to attend a court meeting."

"If you are speechless at that time, not only will you be laughed at by the civil and military officials and Confucian scholars in the court, but His Majesty will only hate you even more. Just wait and see."

……

The next morning, Xuanshi Hall.

Liu Ju was wearing court robes, kneeling in the first seat on the right, holding a blank tablet in his hand.

Next in line were a group of civil officials and Confucian scholars, represented by Prime Minister Zhao Zhou.

As expected, King Liu Hong of Qi was also summoned. He knelt in the first seat on the left side of the hall.

Next in line were a group of nobles and military marquises, represented by the great general Wei Qing.

As for the alchemists kept by Liu Che, they had no actual official positions and were not qualified to participate in court meetings.

Liu Che still had a sense of propriety in his mind and would not easily destroy the ancestral system.

Besides, if those alchemists could not give him the answers he wanted, there would be no need for him to convene this court meeting which was different from the morning court meeting.

Before the court meeting began, Su Wen was the first to enter the hall through a side door and read aloud Liu Che's self-boasting edict.

The edict was very long, starting almost from the time when Liu Che took control of the government and going all the way to the recent destruction of dikes and flooding of fields, listing his various great achievements during his reign.

To sum it up, it can be summed up in one sentence:

"My achievements are comparable to those of the Yellow Emperor, and the recent auspicious signs have also shown that it is time for me to hold a Fengshan ceremony to report my achievements to heaven and earth!"

After hearing this boastful edict, Liu Ju instantly lost his desire to get up early.

Is this another opportunity?
Although it was true that Liu Che was a rare great ruler in a thousand years, Liu Ju also admitted that his father was indeed qualified to be enthroned.

But if from then on, he began to offer sacrifices to heaven once a year, to earth once a year, to the five sacred places once a year, to make a circle every three years, to offer sacrifices once every five years, and to visit immortals in the East China Sea and to tour the country at irregular intervals, the cost would be incalculable...

Then it can definitely be said to be a disaster for the country and the people, okay?
What Liu Ju was extremely sure of was that Liu Che did just that after this Fengshan ceremony...

This was also another main reason why he dissuaded Liu Che from holding the Fengshan Hall when he was in Bowang Garden.

He likes to do things that can both achieve his own goals and benefit the whole self.

But this time was different from the last time. This time, all the civil and military officials in the court gathered together for a meeting.

Liu Ju was really not sure. If he embarrassed Liu Che in such a situation, would he die in a rhythmic way while being deposed from the crown prince?
at the same time.

In a corner of the Xuanshi Hall, Dong Zhongshu was holding a wooden box containing bamboo slips, looking at Liu Ju's back with excitement and gratitude:
"Your Highness, you are truly a prophet!"

"I have just completed the etiquette of the Yinggu Ceremony, and Your Majesty is holding a court meeting to discuss this matter. Isn't this a coincidence?"

"Thanks to your Highness's reminder, otherwise how could this old minister have had the opportunity to accomplish such a great feat?"

"Please rest assured, Your Highness. I have already signed your name in the book, and I have even placed it before my own name..."

"Can't you think of it?"

"Since I was nearly beheaded by Your Majesty many years ago, I have made some progress in the past twenty years in office. I have learned some of the basic ways of officialdom."

(End of this chapter)