I, the prince, only want to be deposed.

Chapter 491 Reinstate the Crown Prince!

While saying this, Su Wen secretly sighed in his heart:
"Liu Ju is probably the only person in the world who can make Liu Che start to reflect, right?"

He had served Liu Che for many years, but he had never seen Liu Che reflect on himself like this.

Of course, it may also be because as he grows older, Liu Che has become more sentimental and more easily touched than before?

This is also reflected in the death of Wei Qing.

Su Wen still clearly remembered the sadness and regret that Liu Che showed when he learned that Wei Qing was seriously ill and could not recover. He also clearly remembered the words that Liu Che said to him as if they were an apology from Wei Qing after he was drunk.

Also.

There is something only Su Wen knows.

That is, Liu Che began to become forgetful from time to time without knowing when.

Often, things that he had discussed with the court officials the day before would be completely forgotten the next day, and he would need to remind them carefully before they could suddenly remember them.

Especially when he was stimulated by something, such as when he learned that Sang Hongyang was stranded in the Western Regions when he went to convey the imperial edict, he completely forgot about the suburban sacrifice to be held in a few days. So when Su Wen woke Liu Che up in the morning and wanted to dress him in formal attire, he was full of confusion.

You must know that Liu Che attached great importance to sacrificial matters, and such a situation had never occurred in the previous decades.

However, he remembered the matter about Liu Ju very clearly.

Including when Liu Ju set out from Chang'an and how long he was away, these things can even be accurate to the time.

"You are right. It's not that I am heartless, but I just have to be on guard against others."

Liu Che nodded slightly when he heard this.

"But Liu Ju seems a little different. He never forgot my Fengshan ceremony, and he did not covet military power or authority. Am I too harsh and strict in my treatment of him?"

"Your Majesty, I personally think that Your Majesty is just fulfilling his duties as a father, and there is nothing wrong with that."

Su Wen quickly lowered his head and said,
"I often hear people say that kind fathers often spoil their sons, and strict fathers often produce filial sons. I'm afraid that it is because Your Majesty is strict enough with Your Highness that Your Highness has such a filial heart and has grown into the pillar of the country today."

"One day, Your Highness will surely appreciate the good intentions of Your Majesty."

"Perhaps you have realized it now, so Your Highness has always been concerned about Your Majesty's Fengshan, and is determined to fulfill Your Majesty's long-cherished wish."

Su Wen was not wholeheartedly on Liu Ju's side at the moment, which was why he was speaking for Liu Ju.

However, having said this, he could only say this in order to reassure Liu Che. If he said anything else, and it might not suit Liu Che's wishes, it would easily bring disaster upon himself.

He even had a feeling in his heart:
It felt like this situation was all designed by Liu Ju in advance. The memorial in front of him was just a medicine that caused Liu Che to reflect and forced him to say the only words he could say.

If this is the case, Liu Ju is really too scary.

Even more terrifying than Su Wen had previously imagined.

But that was all he thought.

After all, this time Liu Ju handed over all his military power, handed over the control of the "Western Alliance", and voluntarily demoted himself to the position of military commander, which was equivalent to completely handing over all his power and troops. This couldn't be "retreat to advance", right?

If so, this would be a step too far back.

He simply retired and became a commander without any support. Now Liu Che only needed to issue an imperial edict and send a few Jianzhang cavalry to kidnap Liu Ju back.

If Liu Ju really had any ideas, he would never be so submissive, and would not easily give up the power and troops he had obtained.

Wouldn't it be great to have tens of thousands of elite cavalry, a hundred thousand infantry, and a "NATO" coalition force?

Liu Ju, who firmly grasped these forces, was feared by even Liu Che. He did not dare to push Liu Ju too hard, let alone break off relations with Liu Ju easily.

Otherwise, it might be a disaster that shakes the country...

It was precisely for this reason that Liu Che was inclined to believe that Liu Ju's stay in the Western Regions was out of filial piety, rather than out of ulterior motives.

"Alright, alright, you don't have to speak for this rebellious son. I have my own thoughts on whether he is good or bad, and whether he can understand my good intentions."

Liu Che waved his hand and said something ambiguous.

But Su Wen had already noticed that Liu Che's feet, which were hanging down from the dragon's feet, had begun to shake slightly after hearing what he said.

This is enough to show that his flattery just now did not hit the target, but instead touched Liu Che's heart.

Now that he was finally relieved, Su Wen felt as if the lump on his forehead was splitting open and it was painful, along with an indescribable burning sensation.

Damn it, as the Yellow Gate Minister, although Liu Che was not an easy master to serve, he still had never felt as dangerous as he did now.

It’s just that Liu Ju always does things that offend Emperor Liu Che.

In the end, the one who was caught in the middle and felt the most sad was him, the Imperial Court Minister...

Anyway, ever since Liu Ju suddenly changed his personality, his knee has never been at peace. He even broke a finger because of it, and today he got a broken head.

It's so difficult for me.

Or should I find an opportunity to retire and return home?

Otherwise, if he continued to be caught between this father and son, it would be a blessing for him to have a good ending...

……

The Kingdom of Kucha, the city of Luntai.

"Your Highness, I am not convinced by you! I feel it is not worth it for you!"

"I really don't understand. You have done so much for the Han Dynasty, made such unprecedented contributions, and solved the Xiongnu problem that has troubled the Han Dynasty for a hundred years. Why does His Majesty treat you like this?"

Zhao Po Nu, who had already handed over his military command, shouted indignantly in front of Liu Ju, his eyes red with excitement.

Besides him, there were also Wang Hui, Su Wu, Sima Qian and Han Zeng in the tent.

These were either Liu Ju's old generals when he first came to the Western Regions, or Liu Ju's brothers-in-law. After experiencing so many things together, they had long become Liu Ju's own people and admired him from the bottom of their hearts.

After Liu Ju completely handed over the "Western Alliance" and military power, these people were also greatly affected.

Zhao Po Nu and Wang Hui were originally the commander-in-chief and the deputy general of the army, but now they have handed over the military power to Lu Bode and Li Ling and are preparing to return to the capital to report to Emperor Liu Che.

As the Central Military Inspector, Sima Qian naturally had to return to the capital with these two men.

At this moment, Su Wu had successfully completed the marriage arrangements with the Wusun Kingdom, and of course it was time for him to return to the capital to report.

Only Han Zeng was originally appointed as a fake Sima by Liu Che and stayed in the Western Regions to assist Liu Ju and promote military farming and garrisoning.

Now that the "Western Alliance" was handed over to Sang Hongyang and Huo Guang, Han Zeng, the elder brother-in-law, naturally became an official under Sang Hongyang and Huo Guang, and no longer an official under Liu Ju.

As for Liu Ju, although he asked Huo Guang to request in his memorial to demote himself to the position of military commander, he was still the Central Guard General until Liu Che's edict came back approving his request and allowing him to continue to stay in the Western Regions.

However, when the memorial was sent out, Liu Ju began to give himself a vacation.

He spent the whole day taking Han Ling on tours between Qiuci and several surrounding small countries, enjoying themselves to the fullest.

"General Zhao, my father is a wise and holy ruler who is rare in history. He must have his reasons for doing this."

Facing the angry looks from the crowd, Liu Ju just smiled indifferently.
"As subjects, we only need to follow orders. We should not mix in too much personal feelings, and we should not comment on my father's decision in private."

"Besides, you have been on this expedition for several years, and now everyone has made contributions that have earned them the title of nobility."

"I estimate that with General Zhao's merits, he is now second only to Marquis Lie (Wei Qing) and Marquis Jinghuan (Huo Qubing). This time he should be able to be conferred a title of marquis with more than 3,000 households at least."

"General Wang should also be a marquis of a thousand households."

"General Su, it should be no problem for you to get back the Marquis of Pingling that your father lost."

"Sima Jianjun will become the first historian in the history of the Han Dynasty to be granted the title of marquis. Your father's long-cherished wish to bring honor to the family will be realized in Sima Jianjun."

“As the saying goes, wealth and honor never return to one’s hometown, like fine clothes walking at night.”

"Now it's time to go back and accept my father's reward in person."

After hearing Liu Ju's words, Su Wu couldn't help but say:

"Your Highness, we naturally have nothing to say. This time, following Your Highness, even if we are mediocre, we have made great contributions. How dare we complain? But Your Highness..."

"What's the word?"

Liu Ju laughed again and said,

"I am a prince, and the eldest son. The Han Dynasty belongs to my family. How could my father treat me unfairly? He must have other arrangements... That's all I have to say. You all know it."

"Oh--"

After hearing this, several people finally understood.

That was true. Liu Ju was already a prince, the eldest son, and had once been a crown prince. Naturally, it was impossible for him to be granted a title of nobility like them. The worst that could happen was that he should be a king, and a king with only one character at that.

In addition, Liu Ju had made such great contributions this time that being crowned a king was tantamount to demotion for him, who was once a crown prince.

Therefore, if Liu Che wanted to reward Liu Ju, the only thing he could do was to reinstate Liu Ju as the crown prince.

As for why Liu Ju wanted to stay in the Western Regions even though he had demoted himself to the position of military commander, it was probably because he wanted to gain more merits so that the matter of reinstating the crown prince could be finalized, right?
After understanding this, everyone felt a little better.

It was no longer important whether the fruits of victory were reaped by others. What was important was that Liu Ju could reinstate the crown prince, and he was willing to suffer some grievances for this.

At the same time, they also had some new understandings about returning to Beijing to report.

Their return to the capital to report may also be an important part of Liu Ju's restoration of the crown prince.

Firstly, they could prove to the current emperor that they were still his subjects and eliminate the emperor's suspicion that Liu Ju was "too successful to be a threat to the emperor"; secondly, after returning to the capital, they could speak well of Liu Ju in front of the emperor, letting the emperor know Liu Ju's wisdom and ability and understand that he was the most suitable candidate for the crown prince.

"In this case, we shall obey your command!"

"We are where we are today thanks to your support and care. I will never forget your kindness!"

"When Your Highness returns to the capital in the future, I will go thirty miles outside the city to personally welcome you!"

Finally, the few of them stopped talking and bowed to express their attitude, accepting the reality of having to return to Beijing immediately to report.

But how could they know?

They were actually just one of the methods Liu Ju used to appease Liu Che. Although Liu Ju now also hoped to reinstate the crown prince and hope to succeed to the throne in the future.

After all, whether it was Wei Zifu, Yi Shuo, Han Ling, Liu Fuling, the clansmen of the Wei and Huo families, or even the old generals of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, they could only have a good end after he succeeded to the throne, and the closer they were to him, the more their fate was tied to his.

However, reinstating the crown prince cannot ensure that there will be no accidents in the future succession to the throne.

The only issue Liu Ju was really worried about was Liu Che... How to avoid a falling out with Liu Che, prevent the love-hate relationship between father and son from evolving into civil war and division in the Han Dynasty, and ensure that he was always in a safe situation before Liu Che's death, this was the issue that Liu Ju always considered seriously.

……

Not long after Zhao Po Nu and others returned to the capital to report, Liu Che's edict arrived again.

What Liu Che didn't know at the time was that Lu Bode and Li Ling had also become supporters of Liu Ju.

After these two took over the military power with Liu Che's tiger talisman, they were not harassed or constrained by Liu Ju. On the contrary, Liu Ju taught them all the subsequent strategies and tactics, which enabled the strategic goals he had previously proposed to be steadily advanced while also allowing the two to achieve gratifying military achievements.

This made the two people, who were originally worried, quickly respect Liu Ju.

For this reason, the two of them soon became like Zhao Po Nu, Wang Hui and others, and almost obeyed Liu Ju's every word.

It's not just a military matter.

The same was true of Sang Hongyang and Huo Guang, who took over the "Western Alliance".

Liu Ju's endless strategies left the two of them overwhelmed. Conspiracies, covert plots, and all kinds of plots always managed to achieve the best results with the least effort.

So even though Liu Ju was nominally just a surrendered "military Sima", he was still a core figure in the entire Western Regions and the Han army, and everyone followed Liu Ju's lead.

And when Liu Che's edict was delivered.

The Great Yuezhi and the Kingdom of Sindhu, which is currently located south of the Xiongnu, have just sent envoys to apply to join the "Western Alliance".

As for the previous message from Liu Ju to the Xiongnu Chanyu, which stated that "Sindhu has applied to join NATO", it was naturally just a means of intimidation.

But even so, Wuwei Chanyu did not dare to risk going south.

Even though he knew what Liu Ju was planning, he could only temporarily lead his people to station in the western part of Dayuezhi to buy some breathing time.

And the Huns under the command of Uwei Chanyu did live up to expectations.

After only two months of peace, some tribes could no longer hold back, and several tribes even united to send troops to plunder the neighboring Great Xia and Parthia.

This is all good news.

However, the imperial edict sent by Liu Che contained even better news:
——【Liu Ju was officially reinstated as the crown prince! 】

And this time, Liu Che did not urge Liu Ju to return to the capital to report. Instead, while praising Liu Ju's achievements, he specially authorized him to guard the country's borders as the crown prince and lead the army on behalf of the emperor to expand the territory of the Han Dynasty!
When receiving this edict.

Liu Ju's heart couldn't help but soften.

Although this was due to his design and manipulation, it can still be seen from this edict that Liu Che was not actually a pure political machine.

(End of this chapter)