I, the prince, only want to be deposed.

Chapter 519 You must die today!
"What's your name?"

Liu Ju frowned slightly when he heard this and asked.

"My name is Sun Bao. I am the personal attendant of the King of Qi. I have been serving the King of Qi for eleven years."

The man kowtowed quickly in response.

"You said you knew too many secrets, and most of them were related to me. What were they?"

Liu Ju asked again.

"In recent years, the King of Qi has had close contacts with many ministers in the court, and has also often visited many princes and nobles privately. As the King of Qi's personal attendant, I have heard some things even though I don't want to hear them."

As the man spoke, he first looked up at Guo Zhen who was standing beside him, but seeing that Liu Ju had no intention of sending him away, he did not dare to say anything more and continued to kowtow.
"I dare not hide it from Your Highness. I am afraid that the King of Qi is trying to seize the throne!"

"?!"

Hearing this, Guo Zhen's brows immediately frowned and he looked at Liu Ju with some heartache.

Although recent events had already made him suspect that Prince of Qi Liu Hong had the intention of usurping the throne, hearing Liu Hong's personal attendant say it still shocked him a little.

He really couldn't figure it out.

Liu Ju had treated Liu Hong very well before. Even though he didn't know that Liu Hong was able to become the "General Tianlu" thanks to Liu Ju's "double-acting piston bellows", he was still deeply impressed by the "appendectomy surgery" performed on Liu Hong by Liu Ju and Yi Shuo personally.

what is this?
This is a life-saving grace, it is not an exaggeration to call them my reborn parents!

If Liu Hong was not such a ruthless person, how could he do such a thing to Liu Ju?
Speaking of which, there is one person who bears an unshirkable responsibility for the development of this matter to this point.

This person is the current emperor.

It was he who summoned Liu Hong back to Chang'an from Qi and gave him a garden, which he specially named "Zhumu Garden".

Guo Zhen once heard Dong Zhongshu say that the word "Zhu Mu" might be taken from "Qi Fa" written by the great poet Mei Cheng, in which there is a line "驰驰竞，慕味争先。農墨广博，观望之霧". The word "Zhu Mu" comes before "博望".

However, Liu Ju, who lived in "Bowang Garden", was the eldest son and the crown prince, while Liu Hong, who lived in "Zhumu Garden", was only the second son.

The name bestowed by the current emperor inevitably makes people think that this is a signal he is sending to the court and the people, and it is a signal with a clear meaning.

In this case, there will naturally be opportunists in the government and the opposition who will take sides in advance...

A person's thoughts are constantly changing. Perhaps at the beginning Liu Hong could still stick to his original intention and uphold his brotherhood, but as time went on, more people came to him and he heard more bewitching words, so changes were inevitable.

Moreover, Liu Ju was later deposed as crown prince, and Liu Hong, as the son of Liu Ju, became the person with the greatest hope of becoming crown prince.

At that time, there will be more speculators who will take sides in advance and try to deceive Liu Hong.

After all, no one would have thought that Liu Ju, the deposed crown prince, would have the opportunity to regain the position of heir to the throne. There has never been such a precedent throughout history.

Under such circumstances, Liu Hong's ideas would naturally be most likely to change.

Once this step is taken, it will be like rowing against the current. If you don't move forward, you will move backward. Even if Liu Hong wants to lie low, he has already fallen into a dilemma and has to be forced to continue.

Perhaps this is why Liu Hong has become what he is now?

Even now, Guo Zhen is still trying to find a plausible reason for Liu Hong, which is naturally influenced by Liu Ju.

But this is not to excuse Liu Hong.

As a close minister of Liu Ju, he understood Liu Ju's feelings towards Liu Hong best.

He also knew best what a blow Liu Ju would suffer, how disappointed and lonely he would be after something like this happened... He felt that if he could find a reasonable reason, Liu Ju might feel a little better.

However, Liu Ju now seemed to have no emotional fluctuations, and was even unimaginably calm. He just continued to ask:

"You said Liu Hong wanted to seize the throne. Do you have any solid evidence?"

"Your Highness, please be advised. Before the Fengshan Ceremony, I saw the King of Qi privately summon the Nanyue wizard named An Yu. Prime Minister Shi Qing was also present at the time."

The man named Sun Bao immediately said confidently,
"Although I don't know what the King of Qi discussed with Shi Qing and An Yu, when I went in to serve tea, I accidentally heard the words 'borrowing life'."

"But what impressed me most was the terrifying look that King Qi and Shi Qing gave me at that time."

"I almost thought I would not survive at that time."

"Fortunately, the King of Qi remembered my years of service and only warned me not to tell anyone what I heard, but did not make things difficult for me."

"However, when Your Majesty and Your Highness returned from Fengshan this time, they learned that a palace servant who delivered food to Huo Xian had died inexplicably, and that the Nanyue wizard An Yu had also committed suicide after meeting Your Highness. The King of Qi began to get restless, and the look in his eyes when he looked at me gradually became strange."

"I have served the King of Qi for many years, how could I not know what he is thinking?"

"In my panic, I recalled the private meeting between the King of Qi and Shi Qing and An Yu before the Fengshan ceremony. I suddenly felt that this matter was very serious and there might be a connection between the two."

"In this case, this time I will be in great danger."

"That's why I have been looking for a chance to escape from Zhumu Garden these past few days in order to survive. It wasn't until today that I finally found a chance and managed to escape by luck."

"In addition, in addition to Prime Minister Shi Qing, Your Highness has very close contacts with many ministers and princes and nobles in the court, and often conspires late at night. I'm afraid these people have also been used by the King of Qi. If they are united, I'm afraid they will be enough to affect the situation in the court."

"If this isn't an attempt to seize the throne, then what is it?"

"I dare not speak nonsense. This time, based on what I have seen and heard in recent years, I have written down these ministers and nobles who have close contacts with the King of Qi, and presented them to Your Highness to show my loyalty."

"Your Highness only needs to follow this list to verify what I said!"

As he spoke, Sun Bao raised his hand to untie the straps on his chest and took off the short robe he was wearing outside, revealing the white lining underneath.

The back of his lining was densely covered with handwriting.

This method is somewhat similar to the "Yidai Zhao" made by Emperor Xian of the Eastern Han Dynasty...

"Wait, I'll do it!"

Guo Zhen was also amazed when he saw this, but he did not hesitate. He immediately walked forward and personally stripped off Sun Bao's lining, then spread it flat on the table beside him. He then took out a small porcelain bottle from his body, poured out some of the liquid inside to wet his hands, and flicked the lining with his fingers for a long time.

After doing all this, he invited Liu Ju to come forward and take a look.

At this moment, the hall was filled with a pungent smell of alcohol. It was all thanks to Guo Zhen. After staying with Liu Ju for a long time and having sufficient understanding of the functions of alcohol, this guy also understood the importance of scientific disinfection.

Liu Ju nodded to Guo Zhen in appreciation and walked forward to take a closer look. Then Liu Ju understood the value of this list.

In addition to Prime Minister Shi Qing mentioned by Sun Bao just now, there is also the current Imperial Censor Zhang Gan, which makes two of the Three Dukes.

You must know that after Wei Qing's death, the position of general has been vacant, and Emperor Liu Che had already abolished the position of grand marshal, so there were only two of the Three Dukes left, Shi Qing and Zhang Gan.

Of course, because of the existence of the inner court, although Shi Qing and Zhang Gan were the three highest officials, they actually had no real power. Even if they joined forces, they could not influence political affairs. They were still just scapegoats and tools for managing officials.

Below this, nearly a hundred people from the various departments of the Nine Ministers and their subordinate chancellors also appeared in this list, including four from the Nine Ministers.

Below them were more than ten governors of frontier counties and more than a hundred wealthy and prominent families and virtuous and literati from various places, most of whom were from Chang'an and the Three Auxiliary Regions.

It was so grand and impressive that Liu Ju roughly estimated that the number of people was at least over three hundred.

Once these people unite, especially when there is a vacuum in imperial power, such as when Emperor Liu Che passes away and the new emperor has not yet ascended the throne, it may not be impossible for them to directly support a Hu Hai like in the Qin Dynasty. At that time, if he, the legitimate prince, does not have thundering means, he will probably end up like Prince Fusu!

only……

"Shi Qing's non-stick pan actually does this kind of thing?"

Liu Ju felt that his cognition had been challenged to a certain extent.

Shi Qing was already quite old, and if he remembered correctly, this Grand Tutor seemed to have died, probably in the last two years.

After his death, his uncle Gongsun He would take over the position of prime minister.

Judging from Shi Qing's performance in history and Liu Ju's several contacts with him after traveling through time, this guy really doesn't seem like someone who can accomplish such a big thing. After all, if this matter fails, it is very likely that the entire Shi family will be implicated.

But then I thought about it again.

Now Shi Qing's son Shi De had been promoted to the Prince's Tutor while he was still in the Western Regions.

Although Liu Ju had not summoned Shi De yet, and this Prince's Tutor was in name only, but during the "Witchcraft Incident" in history, Liu Ju seemed to have followed Shi De's advice. He was worried that he would end up like Prince Fusu, so he forged an order to raise an army, which led to the worst development of the situation. In the end, the father and son turned against each other completely, and were defeated and killed.

If Liu Ju had not raised an army during the "Witchcraft Incident".

Liu Ju felt that the ending might change.

After all, even if he was framed by a group of villains, Jiang Chong dug out the witchcraft doll from the prince's mansion, but he did not have Liu Che's approval, and he had to be interrogated personally by Liu Che. I'm afraid no one would dare to take direct action against Liu Ju, the current prince, otherwise he would be sentenced to death.

Once Liu Ju meets Liu Che, he may be able to resolve the misunderstanding and avoid the tragedy...

Therefore, Shi De also did not play an active role in the "Witchcraft Disaster". Instead, he became one of the key figures who intensified the conflict between Liu Ju and Liu Che and contributed to the "Witchcraft Disaster".

Could this be a hidden move by Shi Qing?
Speaking of which, although Shi Qing looks like a non-stick pan, he is actually not an honest person.

According to historical records, during Shi Qing's tenure as prime minister, there were thirteen people in the Shi family who were officials of the rank of 2,000-stone official. However, after Shi Qing's death, these people broke the law and were dismissed one by one. The Shi family's previous tradition of filial piety and strictness also gradually declined...

This can be seen.

This non-stick pan is not as lacking in ambition and desire as it appears on the surface, and it is definitely not the kind of person who would sit back and wait for death.

only……

Isn’t what is happening now too coincidental?
First, Su Wen received a secret letter, which alarmed Emperor Liu Che, who then put the task of investigating the longevity-borrowing ceremony on Liu Ju.

Then Liu Ju received another secret letter, which not only tried to prove that Liu Hong manipulated the longevity-borrowing ceremony, but also further escalated the situation, leading to the "Witchcraft Disaster 2.0" that directly pointed at Liu Hong.

Now, another of Liu Hong's close servants has come along and, on top of [Witchcraft Disaster 2.0], has added a plot to seize the throne that is tantamount to treason, and has brought out a large number of accomplices...

With each layer of escalation, it seemed as if they were determined to force Liu Ju to kill Liu Hong.

If these things were true, Liu Ju would certainly not be soft-hearted...but at the same time, it also made him more suspicious of the identity of the person who sent the letter. This person was obviously trying to manipulate him in this way and use him to achieve his own goals.

The more this happened, the more Liu Ju felt it was necessary to first find out the identity of the person who sent the letter and figure out his true purpose before taking any action.

Otherwise, how is he different from Liu Che who was involved in the "Witchcraft Incident" in history?
Thinking like this.

Liu Ju did not touch the lining, but looked at Sun Bao kneeling on the ground with a bad face. He was silent for a long time, until Sun Bao became more and more confused and cold sweat oozed from his back, then he said in a low voice:

"What I hate most in my life is people who are disloyal and unfilial."

"Sun Bao, you are the close attendant of the King of Qi, but you secretly wrote down the names of the people the King of Qi interacted with, and even came to me to report it. This is disloyalty. The King of Qi cannot tolerate you, and neither can I."

"So, you must die today."

"?!"

Hearing this, Sun Bao couldn't help but tremble and looked up in surprise.

Not only Sun Bao, but even Guo Zhen looked suspicious.

Although Liu Ju changed drastically after being deposed as the crown prince, becoming decisive and wise in killing people, he never did such a thing as destroying the bridge after crossing it or killing the donkey after it has done its work.

Could it be that at this time, Liu Ju still couldn't let go of his brotherly friendship with Liu Hong and planned to continue to protect Liu Hong?

He even went so far as to kill such an important witness as Sun Bao?
"Your Highness..."

Guo Zhen finally couldn't help but open his mouth to advise.

"No need to say more."

Liu Ju interrupted him, still looking at Sun Bao,
"Unless you tell me who told you to do this."

"..."

Sun Bao immediately bowed down and begged desperately.
"Your Highness, please spare my life. I did this just to save my life. I was not ordered to do so by anyone. I am not disloyal. I just know that the whole world belongs to the king and all the people are his subjects. Therefore, I am loyal to your majesty and your Highness. Please understand!"

"Then you should go to Weiyang Palace and ask to see my father."

Seeing that Sun Bao still hadn't been tricked into revealing the information he was interested in, Liu Ju didn't say anything more and just waved his hand.

"Guo Zhen, take him away for quarantine and custody."

Then he lowered his voice and whispered to Guo Zhen:
"Order someone to pass the news to Zhumu Garden accidentally and tell them that I have killed this man."

(End of this chapter)