I, the prince, only want to be deposed.

Chapter 493 Five Departments Xihou
Since the auspicious date for the Fengshan Ceremony had been set, the date for Liu Ju's return was naturally also set.

"Su Wen, draft the imperial edict."

Liu Che called Su Wen to his side, and he narrated to him while leaning on the jade pillow on the dragon couch.

"Liu Ju has done enough for me. I want to hold the Fengshan ceremony. I want him to come back a few months early and climb Mount Tai with me to offer sacrifices to the gods."

"If a divine dragon really comes to greet me, I will be reluctant to leave, but I will have no choice but to ride it to heaven."

"This great man's kingdom can only be handed over to him to manage."

"Fortunately, he is no longer a brat, and has great talents and ambitions in his heart. His future achievements may not be inferior to mine. Perhaps one day, he and I will meet in heaven, and then we can continue our father-son relationship."

"Oh, tell him straight out that I really miss him this time."

Over the years, Liu Che's face has developed a few more wrinkles, the few strands of white hair have turned gray and white, and his beard is half white. He looks much older than when Liu Ju went to the Western Regions.

But there is nothing wrong with this.

Liu Che had already reached the age of knowing his destiny.

Hair treatments were not popular in that era, and when the hair and beard turned white, they would just turn white without any cover-up. Therefore, people over fifty would look older than modern people in later generations, and even the emperor Liu Che was no exception.

"promise……"

Su Wen, who was older than Liu Che, looked even older, with a slightly hunched back.

After responding to Liu Che's words, Su Wen paused for a moment, then hesitantly reported something:

"Your Majesty, the Dong family just sent us an obituary. Dong Zhongshu passed away early this morning. Along with the obituary, there was also a suicide note that Dong Zhongshu had written in advance and asked his family to give to Your Majesty..."

"Dong Zhongshu is gone too?"

Liu Che's voice suddenly became heavy, and he said with a wry smile,

"These old guys, as if they had discussed it beforehand, are leaving one after another. Wei Qing, Ni Kuan, Sima Tan, Dong Zhongshu... If they hold their breath a little longer, when I hold the Fengshan ceremony, maybe they can ride on the dragon with me, and we can be king and minister again in heaven."

"Forget it, it's their own fault. Present his suicide note to me."

"This old man had always been critical of me before, but after I sent him to Bowang Garden to be a junior tutor and debate with Liu Ju, he seems to have made some progress. He can now say nice things and do nice things."

"I really don't know whether he went to Bowang Garden to be Liu Ju's master, or whether he became Liu Ju's disciple."

After saying this, Liu Che extended his hand towards Su Wen.

Su Wen still hesitated and said in embarrassment:

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid Dong Zhongshu's suicide note still contains some offense to Your Majesty..."

"So that's why he wrote it in advance, but asked his family to send it to him after he died, right?"

Liu Che was not surprised at all, and did not even show any emotion. He just shook his head and smiled bitterly with a hint of amusement.
"It seems that although this old fellow has made progress since he went to Bowang Garden, he has also picked up many of Liu Ju's bad habits. Give it to me. He is gone now. How can I bother with him?"

"promise……"

Su Wen finally took out a scroll of bamboo slips from his arms and carefully presented it to Liu Che. Then he lowered his head and went to the desk beside him to draft an edict based on what Liu Che had just said.

He could clearly feel Liu Che's growing longing for Liu Ju.

Just like the conversation just now, it was clearly about Dong Zhongshu, but Liu Che could only say a few words and always unconsciously turned the topic to Liu Ju.

Especially in recent years, this has been Liu Che's daily life.

But speaking of it, Liu Ju did indeed do well.

No matter what Su Wen thought of Liu Ju before, he couldn't help but admire him now.

He conquered the Western Regions, destroyed the Xiongnu, and rode on the Queen of the Yuezhi. Now, the Han Dynasty has even extended its hand to the Parthian Empire thousands of miles away.

After the Taichu calendar was newly established a few years ago, the beginning of the year was changed from October to the first month of each year.

Nowadays, before the first month of each year, foreign envoys and caravans coming to pay tribute almost block the Bacheng Gate, and it is impossible to enter the city without waiting in line for several hours.

Some of these foreign envoys came from the northeast and even overseas, some came from the southeast and southwest, some came from the Western Regions and even further west. Such a grand occasion was unprecedented in ancient and modern times. The prestige of the Han Dynasty had long spread throughout the world... This was the real tribute from all nations. Who dared to compete with the Han Dynasty?

The most important thing is that more than half of these countries that came to pay tribute were related to Liu Ju. They were either pacified by him, or surrendered because of the policies he introduced, or were conquered by him.

Su Wen recalled a sentence Liu Ju had written in a memorial a few days ago:

"Wherever the rivers flow, wherever the sun and moon shine, all this is Han territory!"

When Su Wen saw this sentence, he realized that Liu Ju must have started planning for this more than ten years ago.

Therefore, he pacified the Kingdom of Nanyue as a prince, went on an expedition to Korea as a prince, secretly boarded a ship to go overseas, and took the initiative to request an expedition to Loulan Gu Shi, still guarding the country's borders as a prince, and expanding the territory for the Han Dynasty.

Before this, people only thought that this prince was unruly, inconsistent in his behavior, and didn't know when to advance or retreat.

Now, there should be many people like him who understand that the real wise man is actually Liu Ju. People laugh at him for being too crazy, but he laughs at people for not seeing through him...

These deeds have exceeded Su Wen's understanding of the word "Wu". He doubts whether the word "Wu" can still be used as Liu Che's posthumous title if he ascended to heaven on a dragon or after his death.

But on second thought, it shouldn't be a problem.

After all, Liu Ju was still the crown prince and a subject of Emperor Liu Che. The achievements made during Emperor Liu Che's reign should naturally be attributed to Liu Che first, while Liu Ju's achievements should be counted after he ascended the throne.

Thinking of this in his mind, Su Wen ground the ink himself, dipped the brush in it, and began to draft the edict.

Liu Che spread out Dong Zhongshu's suicide note in front of him, and carefully examined it with his eyes narrowed...

At this age, his eyesight has gradually begun to become presbyopic. On the contrary, Su Wen, who is older, still has very clear eyesight.

In this suicide letter, Dong Zhongshu indeed had some criticism of him.

This old fellow is still vigorously promoting his theory of "the interaction between heaven and man", insisting that decades ago, in the sixth year of Jianyuan, the flood in Gaoyuan Hall of Changling and Gaomiao of Liaodong was due to problems with Liu Che's policies, which led to the anger of heaven and sent down disasters as punishment.

"Hehehehe..."

Liu Che laughed unconsciously. This happened more than thirty years ago.

At that time, he had not submitted the memorial on this matter. It was seen by Lord Father Yan when he visited, who stole the draft out of jealousy and gave it to Liu Che.

After reading the memorial, Emperor Liu Che was furious and ordered him to be beheaded on the spot. However, he later felt pity for his talent. In addition, at that time he was vigorously promoting the policy of "respecting Confucianism alone and promoting the Six Classics". Killing such a great Confucian scholar would have a bad influence, so he quickly issued an edict to pardon him. It can be said that he used a trick of raising him high and then letting him go gently.

I didn't expect this old man to be so petty, and he's still brooding over it...

However, Dong Zhongshu soon changed the subject in his suicide note and praised Liu Che's policies over the past decade.

He no longer opposed the "state-run salt and iron" as strongly as before, and even admitted his mistakes in his suicide note, admitting that the "state-run salt and iron" was actually a policy that benefited the people, but was implemented incorrectly by the people below. Thanks to Emperor Wu of Han's timely order to Liu Ju to make a thorough reform of the "state-run salt and iron" policy, it returned to its original role. Dong Zhongshu also admitted his mistakes and changed his position on the reform of the Imperial College.

Although the Imperial Academy still uses the Six Classics of Confucianism as compulsory cultural courses, it has incorporated the strengths of all schools of thought and opened a variety of professional courses, instead of "abolishing all schools of thought."

This led to an unprecedented integration of various academic schools before the Han Dynasty, rather than the usual confrontation between the various schools.

This move not only did not weaken the influence of Confucianism, but also enabled the culture and virtues advocated by Confucianism to be more widely spread and more practical.

Today's Confucian scholars at the Imperial Academy are naturally no longer synonymous with being useless.

He can be an eloquent figure in the court, or he can go to the countryside to do scientific research. Even if he becomes a local official, he can truly benefit the people.

This also improved the reputation of Confucianism and gave it a broader mass base.

This time, it was thanks to Liu Che's policies, and of course, Liu Ju's role in "throwing a brick to attract jade" was also indispensable...

In short.

Although Dong Zhongshu's eloquent suicide note contained some criticism at the beginning, it contained a lot of praise for Liu Che later on.

But how could Liu Che not see what Dong Zhongshu was thinking?

Although he repeatedly praised his own policies in his suicide note, he also said that the good weather and good harvests in the Han Dynasty in recent years were all due to his proper governance and the reward from God.

But in the end Liu Ju was always involved, either Liu Ju was "throwing a brick to attract jade" or Liu Ju was "reforming in accordance with the emperor's order".

So much to say.

He then subtly included Liu Ju in the praise, recognizing his invaluable contributions.

To put it bluntly, this old man was speaking for Liu Ju. Although he did not say it explicitly, every word he said implied that Liu Ju would definitely be a wise ruler in the future and the most suitable candidate to succeed the throne.

"This old man has really grown up. He knows how to criticize before praising me, and he has also learned to understand my temper and speak these high-sounding and hypocritical official words."

Liu Che put the suicide note down, shook his head and smiled.
"Su Wen, please draft another edict. Dong Zhongshu has made great contributions to my administration. During his tenure as a doctor and servant, he also devoted himself to the reform of the Imperial College. He was still concerned about state affairs at the end of his life. He deserves the title of a national hero. I grant him burial in Maoling Mausoleum."

……

The Great Yuezhi had their summer capital in Peshawar.

After the marriage with the Dayuezhi, Liu Ju's identity was still the Crown Prince of the Han Dynasty, not the Prince of the Dayuezhi. After all, the status of the Crown Prince of the Han Dynasty was much nobler than that of the Prince of the Dayuezhi.

Whether it was the Dayuezhi people, the Western Alliance countries, or the Han Dynasty, they all knew that Liu Ju was marrying someone of lower status, while the Dayuezhi queen was marrying someone of higher status.

The reason why Liu Ju accepted this marriage was not only for political considerations, but also for another personal reason.
——The royal family of Dayuezhi are of Caucasian race.

That is, white people, and white people with blond hair and blue eyes.

If it were another race, it would probably be alright.

It’s not that there are any racial discrimination factors, it’s just that this race of people is second only to the Han people and is more in line with Liu Ju’s aesthetic.

In addition, Han Ling also supports this marriage.

Because she was now pregnant, the marriage system of the Han Dynasty at that time made her not think there was anything wrong with Liu Ju marrying a few more women.

After all, Liu Ju is the crown prince who will succeed to the throne in the future, and having many descendants is also an important assessment indicator.

Han Ling knew this better than anyone else. After all, she possessed extraordinary wisdom at a young age.

And Liu Ju did not let her down.

Even though he had a new love, he still took time out every few days to visit her and the baby in her womb in person and talk to her heart-to-heart. He never ignored her and never deliberately concealed anything from her.

For example, she knows it now.

The Queen of the Yuezhi, named Dilibai'er, was willing to marry Liu Ju with her country as a dowry, not only because she hoped Liu Ju would help her recover her country, but it was also a helpless act to protect herself.

Because in addition to the royal family, the Great Yuezhi also had five other tribes of marquises in the country: Xiumi, Shuangmi, Kushan, Xidun, and Dumi.

Although these five Xihou tribes were subordinate to the Great Yuezhi royal family, they were usually autonomous. Their strength has gradually grown, and the Kushan was the most powerful among them.

Especially after the Xiongnu's westward migration and invasion, the power of the Dayuezhi royal family suffered a severe blow. Now they are at a disadvantage facing the five Xihou tribes, and it is difficult for them to issue orders to them.

Even when the previous king died not long ago and Dilibai'er succeeded to the throne, the five marquises had already begun to have ulterior motives, and their words and actions gave her the feeling that they were forcing the king to abdicate.

But Dilibai'er is also a werewolf, and she immediately used the trick of "leaning against a big tree for shade".

He directly ordered people to find Liu Ju and expressed his willingness to become Liu Ju's woman with Dayuezhi as dowry, so that Liu Ju could become the actual king of Dayuezhi with the identity of the crown prince of the Han Dynasty.

This was also in Liu Ju's interests.

No one knows better than him what he will face in the future, and no one knows better than him what preparations he should make in advance to lay a solid foundation.

However, a purely political marriage could not bind Liu Ju.

He was first and foremost a beauty lover and would not compromise himself in such a matter. Moreover, he could get what he wanted without going through a marriage alliance, so he asked to inspect the goods first.

Then he understood the online slang used by later generations to mock their ancestors, and finally understood the real reason why their ancestors conquered the Western Regions in history... even though Liu Che had never touched a woman from the Western Regions in his life.

However, this does not hinder Dilraba's breathtaking exotic beauty.

Isn’t there a saying like this in later generations?
It is said that "When flowers are in bloom, pick them immediately; don't wait until there are no flowers left to pluck empty branches."

Thus, Liu Ju and Dilibaier reached a win-win situation.

Liu Ju won twice, gaining both people and the country, and everything was justified.

And the big man also won once.

The current situation of the Yuezhi is already a precursor to the future emergence of the Kushan Empire.

Although the relationship between the Kushan Empire and the Han Dynasty was not bad in history, it even sent troops to assist Ban Chao in pacifying Shule and defeating Shache.

The only time that the Kushan Empire had a military conflict with the Han Dynasty was when the then Kushan King Mecca asked to marry a Han princess based on his merits. After being sternly rejected by Ban Chao, the Kushan King Mecca became furious and sent 70,000 troops to attack Ban Chao.

The result was that Ban Chao easily defeated the larger force with a smaller one, forcing the Kushans to send envoys to apologize. From then on, the Kushans were convinced and paid tribute every year. From then on, they maintained friendly relations with the Han Dynasty until their demise.

However, Liu Ju still had his own ideas.

He couldn't stay in the Western Regions forever, and the Han Dynasty couldn't remain strong forever.

Therefore, what was most important to him was the absence of a local power like the Kushan Empire on the Silk Road.

(End of this chapter)