I, the prince, only want to be deposed.

Chapter 500: The missing word "son" in "son minister"

Shortly after entering Chang'an, Liu Ju met Su Wen who was ordered to come and greet him.

Then, led by Su Wen, they went straight to Weiyang Palace to report to Emperor Liu Che.

As for family members like Han Ling and Dilibai'er, they were temporarily led by Guo Zhen back to Bowang Garden to rest for a while, waiting to attend the family dinner set by Liu Che in the palace tonight.

In this way, we passed through Nan Sima Gate, Duanmen, Xuanshi Hall, and arrived at Jinma Gate.

Before Su Wen could say anything, Liu Ju took the initiative to lift the curtain and jumped out of the carriage.

Behind the Golden Horse Gate are the Greenhouse Hall, Qingliang Hall, Shiqu Pavilion and other places where Liu Che slept. Although Liu Che often handled state affairs here, compared with the officially open Xuanshi Hall, this is already the harem part of the Weiyang Palace.

The Han law stipulated that no one except the emperor Liu Che and the queen Wei Zifu was allowed to ride in a carriage.

As for the Empress Dowager and the Grand Empress Dowager, when they were alive, they lived in Changle Palace, which was adjacent to the Weiyang Palace, which did not conflict with this rule.

"Your Highness, His Majesty has ordered that Your Highness be allowed to ride in a carriage and enter the palace."

Seeing this, Su Wen hurriedly stepped forward and bowed.

"My father is so kind to me, but I can't be ignorant and break my father's rules. Besides, I am still young and won't be tired after walking a few steps."

Liu Ju said with a smile, and then walked towards the Golden Horse Gate on his own.

"..."

Looking at Liu Ju's back, Su Wen hesitated for a moment, then hurriedly followed him.

Just the smile on Liu Ju's face and these few ordinary words made Su Wen feel a little strange about Liu Ju.
——This Crown Prince seems to have changed.

His smile is decent and humble, giving people a warm feeling.

His words were generous and sensible, revealing a calmness beyond his age, and every word was impeccable.

Su Wen couldn't help but recall the scene at the beginning when Liu Ju had opened up his heart to him.

He also couldn't help but think of the scene where Liu Ju used "Su Liu" to force him to steal the Baoding incense that the Kingdom of Nanyue presented to Liu Che as a tribute.

Although he did not dare to look down on Liu Ju at that time, and even had some fear in his heart, he also felt like he was interacting with a naughty boy, and he was always fearful and disrespectful in his heart.

And now, he has turned into this mischievous boy.

It is undoubtedly more difficult to see through and understand than before.

He is also the existence that old foxes in officialdom like Su Wen fear the most, because his decades of experience have told him that such people who do not show off their abilities are the ones who are truly ruthless.

"Your Highness, please come this way. His Majesty is waiting in the greenhouse hall."

Su Wen caught up with Liu Ju at such a fast pace, and while talking, he secretly observed Liu Ju.

Liu Ju is now twenty-four years old. His facial lines are a little rougher and a little darker than when he left Beijing a few years ago. He is also taller and it is estimated that he has surpassed the already tall Liu Che.

The biggest change is the calm temperament emanating from Liu Ju.

Whether a person is calm or not is a comprehensive reflection of many aspects, which can be reflected in the way he raises his hands, gestures, gaze, expressions, conversation, and even the rhythm of his breathing.

Su Wen was an expert at observing people's words and expressions, and he had interacted with Liu Ju a lot before, so he could tell at a glance.

"Please, my father is still in good health these years, right?"

Liu Ju nodded and asked another question.

"Your Majesty, your Majesty has always been in good health. In addition, the Fengshan Ceremony will be held in the near future. I also know that your Majesty is finally coming back. It is a happy occasion and your Majesty is in high spirits. Your Majesty is even more rosy and energetic."

Su Wen bowed again and answered.

This was the first time he heard Liu Ju concerned about Liu Che's health, which was also a huge change. Of course, Liu Ju might also be hinting at the timing of his succession to the throne.

Su Wen had no idea what Liu Ju was thinking and could only respond carefully.

"I have not been by my father's side for the past few years. Thanks to Minister Su's careful service, I also brought some specialties from the Western Regions to Minister Su to express my gratitude. However, they still need to be delivered to the palace before my father can distribute the rewards."

Liu Ju nodded, his smile still warm.

However, the "specialties of the Western Regions" he referred to this time were definitely not achievements, but genuine local specialties of the Western Regions. After all, this was under the feet of Emperor Liu Che, and Liu Che's words did not count.

"Your Highness, thank you for your compliment. Serving Your Majesty is my duty. How dare I not fulfill my duty?"

While Su Wen hurriedly expressed his modesty, he secretly said in his heart, "It's watertight."

Because if it were the previous Liu Ju, he felt that Liu Ju would most likely not go through Liu Che, so he ordered someone to send the gift to his house privately... This was not worth mentioning at all for Liu Ju, the "rebellious son" who often made Liu Che furious.

But now Liu Ju is obviously able to take all aspects into consideration.

The act of gift-giving alone is a perfect example...

Neither Liu Che nor he would feel dissatisfied or resentful because of this. This gift was truly well-made!
"Minister Su, there is no need to be modest. Minister Su is fulfilling his duty. I am also fulfilling my duty by going to the Western Regions. All the civil and military officials in the court have their own duties, but there are very few officials who can truly abide by their duties like you and me. Otherwise, why would my father have to worry so much?"

Liu Ju asked back with a smile.

"Your Highness is absolutely right..."

Su Wen bowed in response, but a chill quietly rose in his heart.

Riddler!
Liu Ju finally...became the Ultimate Riddler!

His words sounded casual, but they contained many meanings. If we analyze them from different angles, we can draw completely different conclusions. Maybe he was trying to win him over, maybe he was warning him to abide by his duty, or maybe he was ordering him to be a lone minister...

Being in this position, Su Wen couldn't help but think too much.

At this moment he suddenly had an urge to retire and return home immediately.

He was originally serving a big riddle man, and now a small riddle man has also appeared. He really doesn't know whether he can still be competent for the position of Huangmen Shilang and have a good ending in the end, sandwiched between these two riddle men.

……

Greenhouse Palace.

"Su Wen, please step back first."

Liu Che made tea himself, but his expression and tone were very calm. He waved at Su Wen with the palm-leaf fan in his hand.

"promise."

Su Wen was naturally more than happy to do so, and he quickly "escaped" very gracefully.

Liu Ju looked around at the furnishings in the greenhouse hall. It was still the same after not seeing it for several years. His gaze finally lingered briefly on the wall behind the dragon couch.

There hung a cane with a golden handle.

Because someone cleans it every day, the rattan is still spotless, with only some signs of cracking.

At the beginning, it was with this rattan that Liu Che pinned him to the ground and beat him. Looking back, it seemed that it was because Liu Che wanted to arrange a marriage between him and Han Ling, but he flatly refused... Now, Han Ling has not only become his virtuous wife, but will also give birth to a child for him soon.

Looking back on it, Liu Che must have put some thought into choosing a woman of the right age for him, and it was not just a rash matchmaking.

"sit down."

Liu Che waved to Liu Ju again, and after he knelt down in front of him, he said without any greeting,
"Now there is a rumor that 'two dragons cannot meet'. I wonder if you heard about it on your way back?"

"In reply to what the emperor said, I have heard a little bit about it."

Liu Ju lowered his head slightly and replied.

"I don't believe it, and you don't have to worry. I have appointed Wei Kang as the direct commander of the Embroidered Uniform to lead people to investigate this matter."

Liu Che nodded and continued,

"Although the source has not yet been found, no one in Chang'an City dares to discuss this matter anymore... Those people are so ignorant that they would believe such a lowly rumor."

"What the emperor said is..."

Liu Ju lowered his eyes and nodded, but he disagreed in his heart.

No one knows who he is, but he is still pursuing immortality and keeping a group of alchemists and wizards in Shanglinyuan and Ganquan Palace.

If there is no difference between the current Liu Che and the previous one, it is probably that since Liu Ju became the "Donglai Houshen", he has been more strict in testing these alchemists and wizards. At the same time, no one dares to make up a book of "Zha" and send it to the palace as before.

No one knows who it was, but in history, just because he was sick, he believed the lies of the sorcerers and allowed them to launch the "Witchcraft Disaster", which not only dug up most of the harem, but also many officials and civilians in Chang'an city were not spared.

According to historical records, tens of thousands of people were implicated and killed because of this incident...

Liu Che naturally didn't know what Liu Ju was thinking, but he felt that the atmosphere of such a question and answer seemed a bit cold, so he changed his tone and tried to speak as if it were a casual conversation:

"Zi'er, you have done a lot of great things for me this time. I am very pleased, but now you should focus on your work."

"Do you see the white hair on my head and the gray beard?"

"Although I refuse to admit my old age, time is merciless. In addition, the Fengshan Ceremony is approaching. If a divine dragon really descends to the mortal world, the Han Dynasty will have to be entrusted to you. You must prepare in advance. From today on, you must not only attend the morning court, but also the inner court meetings..."

Before he finished speaking, Liu Ju stood up, bowed and interrupted him, saying:
"I beg you, Father, to take back your words!"

"In the eyes of this son, the emperor is not old at all. Moreover, if he ascends to heaven, he can still protect the Han Dynasty in heaven. Whether it is me or my brothers who succeed to the throne, they can still receive the emperor's grace. Why should we make preparations in advance?"

Even if others don’t know, how could Liu Ju not know?
In history, Emperor Liu Che held a total of eight Fengshan ceremonies, an average of once every two years. If there really was a dragon descending to the mortal world to take him to heaven, he should have encountered one even by luck, so this was impossible.

And how old is Liu Che?

Of course he is a little old, but even so, he still has thirteen years of life left.

It is too early to prepare for the succession to the throne now, and the more thorough the preparations, the more dangerous the situation will be when facing Liu Che, who is suspected to have Alzheimer's disease.

"..."

Liu Che was somewhat confused by Liu Ju's words. He stared at Liu Ju for a moment before he smiled with relief:

"Zi'er, I haven't seen you for a few years. You have indeed grown a lot."

"It seems that my decision to order you to go to the Western Regions was correct. Young people really need to go through some big things and be tempered enough to grow up quickly."

"Your Majesty, thank you for your praise. I am just a little more sensible and understand your good intentions, so I dare not slack off."

Liu Ju still lowered his head and spoke submissively.

"Okay, okay. You have become much more humble now. You are not as capricious and willful as before."

Liu Che smiled even more and nodded.

"Sit down, there are no outsiders here, we don't need to be so restrained, we can speak freely."

While speaking, Liu Che personally poured a cup of hot tea for Liu Ju and pushed it in front of him before continuing:

"You've been tired from the journey, so first have a cup of tea that I brewed myself to moisten your throat."

"I have already ordered people to prepare a dinner, and also sent people to notify your mother and Yishuo and her son to come together. The usher has already gone to Bowang Garden to summon Han Ling and the Queen of Dayuezhi to the palace. While welcoming you, you can also meet the whole family."

"Your Majesty is indeed very thoughtful. I cannot compare to you."

Liu Ju bowed again and then sat down obediently.

"..."

The smile on Liu Che's face froze slightly.

He knew in his heart that this was indeed the son and prince he recognized, and that everything he said and did was perfect.

But when such a son sat in front of him, he always felt something was wrong, as if the character "儿" was missing in the two words "儿臣".

There was even a moment when he didn't know why, but he inexplicably missed the many times when Liu Ju had made him furious, and when Liu Ju dared to play word games with him in the court, and he had swung a rattan stick to beat this rebellious son.

But it was only this moment, Liu Che quickly covered it up, then smiled and said:

"Come, come, take advantage of this opportunity to tell me about your experiences and thoughts during the battle against the Xiongnu, as well as the strategies and ideas you used in the Western Regions."

"I never expected you to accomplish these things."

"I urgently summoned you back because I wanted to have a good chat with you about these matters."

Having said that, Liu Che moved the seat under his butt forward, then sat up straight with his neck slightly stretched forward, looking eagerly as if he was listening attentively.

However, Liu Ju stood up again and bowed:

"Reporting to the emperor, there is actually nothing worth mentioning. It is just some petty cleverness that is not worthy of being shown on the stage. Compared with the emperor's great talent and strategy, it is simply not worth mentioning."

"I want you to say it."

Liu Che pretended to have a stern face and spoke in a deliberately commanding tone.

Liu Ju also acted in a difficult position:
"Father, these matters have been explained in detail in the memorial sent back to Chang'an. I really don't know where to start..."

"Oh!"

Having said this, Liu Che suddenly slapped the table between the two of them hard, his face full of a murderous look called "Shunchang is a rebellion against us". This was no longer just an act.

"?"

Liu Ju was startled and looked up at Liu Che.

When Liu Che met Liu Ju's gaze, he was also stunned. The hostility on his face began to fade away quietly, replaced by resentment and regret. Then he quickly turned his back and waved his hand to drive Liu Ju away:
"You are tired too. Go rest with your mother first and come back when the banquet starts."

(End of this chapter)