Dahan first prince

Chapter 202 Fly high and fly high!
Changle Palace, Xuande Palace.

As the residence of Zhao Wang Liu Ruyi and his biological mother Madam Qi, the Xuande Hall has been the focus of the entire Changle Palace complex since the day its construction was completed.

In previous years, not to mention the holidays, even on ordinary days, all kinds of supplies sent from the Shaofu would often fill up the few small warehouses in the Xuanshi Hall.

Not to mention the gold, silver, jade ornaments and rare treasures paid by the vassal states in the Kanto region—basically, as soon as the Shaofu took over, they were sent to the Xuande Hall by the emperor Liu Bang with a warrant.

During the rare days when Liu Bang was able to take a rest in Chang'an without leading his troops, Liu Bang's yellow house left banner basically stayed outside the Xuande Hall.

Except that Liu Bang went to Xinfeng every five days to meet the Supreme Emperor Liu Xie, Liu Bang himself basically lived in the Xuande Hall.

If it weren't for the Weiyang Palace on the opposite side of Zhangtai Street, where the queen Lu Zhi and the prince Liu Ying lived, and the concubines and princes living in the palace complex of Changle Palace, I'm afraid they would have given birth to "Madam Qi is the queen" , Liu Ruyi is the prince, and the Xuande Palace is the queen's residence' illusion.

But today, when Liu Bang once again appeared in the Xuande Hall where Mrs. Qi, Liu Ruyi's mother and son lived, the Xuande Hall was no longer as lively as it used to be...

·
As night fell quietly, the main hall of Xuande Hall was illuminated by palace lanterns one after another like dawn.

A dozen court ladies in plain clothes and delicate eyebrows are twisting their graceful bodies along with the elegant Sesheng and chime bells.

The emperor Liu Bang sat on the head with an easy-going expression, his palms patted on his knees following the melody, his expression was relaxed and comfortable.

As the owner of the Xuanshi Hall, Madam Qi knelt beside Liu Bang, holding chopsticks in a somewhat helpless manner, and delivered pieces of cooked meat to Liu Bang's mouth. A touch of anxiety that cannot be concealed, and some obviously deliberate ingratiation.

At the banquet in front of Liu Bang's left, Zhao Wang Liu Ruyi, who was only nine years old, lowered his head with a stern expression, not caring about enjoying the dancing postures of the court ladies in a relaxed manner like Liu Bang.

It was in such a strange and dull atmosphere visible to the naked eye that the dance of the court ladies finally came to an end with Liu Bang gently raising his hand.

The sounds of chime bells, cymbals and other musical instruments also gradually fell silent as the ladies of the palace receded.

Seeing that the dancers in the hall were sent away by Liu Bang, Liu Ruyi's already serious expression only tightened!
And beside Liu Bang, Mrs. Qi, who kept feeding Liu Bang, finally took a deep breath with anxiety...
"His Majesty······"

"Ok?"

A soft call caused Liu Bang to turn his head to the side, and only looked at Madam Qi, still looking leisurely.

Not sure about Liu Bang's mood, Madam Qi didn't know how to speak for a while.

After being so dazed for a moment, when Liu Bang lowered his head with an easy-going expression again, and grabbed a piece of roasted meat from the table without caring about his image, Madam Qi finally gritted her teeth and naturally added the meat in Liu Bang's hand and the sauce on the side. After lightly touching the dish, it was gently delivered to Liu Bang's mouth.

Taking advantage of Liu Bang's chewing time, Mrs. Qi finally lowered her head with worry, and asked Liu Bang softly in an extremely aggrieved tone without any deliberation.

"Today, my concubine heard rumors in the palace, Feifei..."

"What he said is actually a matter of the country?"

Pretending to say this with hesitation, Madam Qi looked lonely, raised her head with some trepidation, and smiled sadly at Liu Bang.

"Your Majesty, do you think that this concubine should blame such people for speaking wild words and talking about the country?"

Hearing her mother's question, Liu Ruyi turned her head indistinctly, and secretly looked at Liu Bang's expression from the corner of her eyes.

At Madam Qi's side, Liu Bang, who heard this question, subconsciously stopped chewing.

He seemed to be puzzled for a moment, and finally saw Liu Bang smiled, swallowing the roasted meat that had not been chewed in his mouth, then picked up the silk cloth at hand, and casually wiped the sauce on the corner of his mouth.

"Well······"

"I know about this."

He said something casually, and saw Liu Bang let out a long breath of comfort, and immediately stretched his upper body, and lay down on his side on the soft couch.

"Today's court meeting, I have made it clear: I will wait for a hundred years, and the crown prince will inherit the country."

"Also, Chen Xi's defeat is imminent, and Han Xin and Peng Yue have already given their heads; Huainan Wang Yingbu will also rebel not far away."

"If Ying deploys troops, I want the crown prince to go there on my behalf to pacify Huainan."

"I have already discussed this matter with the queen, and the queen has also agreed..."

As if talking about gossip, he said the matter in a relaxed tone, and then he saw Liu Bang smiling and looking at Madam Qi.

"If the palace discusses what it says, then this is the matter, and Qi Ji doesn't have to worry about it."

"If it's something else..."

After making a long sound with meaning, Liu Bang let out a soft 'hey', and lay down flat on the soft couch, looking calmly at the beams on the roof of the hall.

"Xuande Palace is the place I bestowed upon Qi Ji and King Zhao."

"If the maids and eunuchs in the palace speak inappropriately, Qi Ji can deal with it according to her own circumstances..."

After saying a word in a gentle tone, Liu Bang slowly closed his eyes. Although it seemed to be falling asleep, Liu Bang's hand was unobtrusively supported on the abdomen, and he kept rubbing the swollen and painful stomach.

If it wasn't for Mrs. Qi's preoccupation, she would have discovered that as Liu Bang's massage became more and more vigorous, Liu Bang's forehead covered with furrows had already been tightly wrinkled...

Hearing Liu Bang's natural expression and his undisguised words, the anxiety on Madam Qi's face was replaced by a touch of fear and horror!

She stared blankly at her son Liu Ruyi, and after a short while, Madam Qi's expression changed into one of extreme grievances without warning.

On the soft couch, Liu Bang rubbed his stomach for a long time with a distorted expression, but finally failed to relieve the pain in the stomach.

Just as Liu Bang's furrowed brows were slightly inexplicably angry, there was a low sobbing sound from Liu Bang's ear.

"ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

Hearing this familiar crying sound, Liu Bang's already irritable mood could not help but a burst of secret annoyance welled up.

But when Liu Bang straightened up with an unhappy face and saw Mrs. Qi's side face that I still felt pitiful for, the anger that only appeared for a moment, quietly drifted away in Liu Bang's heart...
Looking at Madam Qi with a stiff face, she wiped away her tears for a while, then turned her head to the side, looked not far away, still lowered her head deeply, wishing to pierce her youngest son Liu Ruyi with her chin, Liu Bang finally sat up straight , and immediately let out a long lament.

"Ugh·······"

"Ma'am, why is this so?"

"Isn't this fruit the result of Madam's acquaintance with the Tian family back then?"

Upon hearing Liu Bang's words, Madam Qi's originally low and mournful cry suddenly showed a tendency to cry loudly.

Seeing Mrs. Qi trembling her shoulders, she managed to suppress her crying for a while, then looked sideways at Liu Bang full of sorrow.

"A concubine is no better than a queen, her mother's family is not rich, and Ruyi is young; if the concubine doesn't work hard for Ruyi, how can she deal with the queen in the future?"

"The concubine is just wishful thinking, making friends with a mere merchant from the Tian family!"

"On the contrary, the Queen, in order to protect the crown prince's position, it can be said that her followers are all over the government and the public!"

Venting out the grievances in her heart without restraint, Madam Qi's originally low and mournful mood became agitated in an instant.

"The queen's cliques are all over the place, even if your majesty is afraid of three points, won't your majesty turn a blind eye?"

"It's a concubine, who made the empress hold grudges only by making friends with a merchant from the Tian family. Your majesty doesn't pity the concubine's strength, and even sits and watches the empress confine my mother and son in the deep palace!"

"Today, today I want to destroy the past..."

In the middle of speaking, Madam Qi couldn't hold back the grief in her heart anymore, and burst into tears in front of her son Liu Ruyi and her husband Liu Bang.

The only difference is that no matter how sad or excited she was crying, Mrs. Qi's weaker fist never dared to hit Liu Bang's chest...

Seeing Mrs. Qi wailing in front of her son, Liu Bang suddenly felt a little embarrassed, so he frowned slightly at Liu Ruyi.

When Liu Ruyi retreated in a hurry, Liu Bang stood up from the soft couch frowning, and let out a long sigh full of bitterness.

"Madam opened her eyes for Ruyi, there is nothing wrong with that."

"In the past, didn't I turn a blind eye to these things?"

Asked a little irritably, Liu Bang couldn't help showing a look of hatred for his indisputability.

"When Chen Xi was in chaos last year, I even planned the layout, using Zhou Chang as Zhao Xiang; and Zhao Yao as the royal doctor, thinking that Ruyi will help you in the future!"

"Fan Kuai, Guan Ying, and even Xia Houying and other meritorious officials, because of their 'kinship with Lu', they were dismissed from office and given a job for me!"

"What's more, when I went to war, I also made things difficult for the prince with the idea of ​​'supervising the country to build canals', and made mistakes in order to create a good opportunity for easy storage!"

"Isn't it because I opened my eyes for wishful thinking?"

Full of resentment, Liu Bang wanted to say this again, but seeing Mrs. Qi's crying became more and more urgent, he couldn't help but let out a long and indifferent sigh.

"I set up Ruyi for Yi Chu, it can be said that I did not work hard; for the queen and the prince, I was completely indifferent..."

"However, when I went out to fight and left Beijing, and stayed in the government with Xiao He, how will Mrs. Qi respond to my painstaking efforts?"

"To make things difficult for me, Prince, how do you act?"

"Empress, what are you saying and what are you doing?"

Speaking of this, Liu Bang couldn't help shaking his head in disappointment, and finally looked at Madam Qi with a clear conscience.

"When I leave Beijing, Madam only thinks about it, wanting to ruin the prince's affairs!"

"Even if this is the case, there is nothing wrong with it; however, Madam should never, never should have conspired with the Tian family to disrupt the state affairs of the country because of the evil prince!"

"Today, madam can reserve a position, and conspire with merchants to promote grain prices; how can I rest assured that madam will not completely destroy our Han family's society for other things tomorrow?!"

With a slightly angry cry, Liu Bang's complexion sank slightly, and his tone of voice returned to normal.

"On the contrary, the crown prince entrusts me with the responsibility of supervising the country. It can be said that he is cautious in his words and deeds, without any fallacies."

"Having such a good opportunity to seize power, the prince has never been tempted by it. All affairs in the court are dominated by Xiao He."

"Madam Zhi conspired with the Tian clan to drive up the price of grain in Guanzhong. The prince is not afraid of my reprimand, and plans a strategy for the government of the Shaofu, so he goes to worship Tianhe!"

"After the crown prince was assassinated in Changling, the queen was furious and ransacked the Tian family's mansion. Only then did she know that the wife had already had close contacts with the Tian family."

"Even so, have the Empress and the Crown Prince used this to harm Madam and Ruyi?!"

He asked with a serious expression, and seeing Madam Qi finally stopped crying, Liu Bang just shook his head sadly.

"Never..."

"Prince, because of this, he has never exercised the power of supervising the country and punished Ruyi."

"The empress almost suffered the pain of losing her son, and she never took the opportunity to falsely criticize the wife because of Tian's matter."

"Madam, do you know why?"

Hearing Liu Bang's question, Mrs. Qi finally calmed down from howling, but she couldn't give her own answer to Liu Bang's question.

Then Liu Bang straightened up full of melancholy, and let out another long sigh.

"Because both the queen and the prince know: this is a shame..."

"Here, my Liu's family is ugly..."

"In order to protect the face of my Liu family and the majesty of my Han Zuo, even if the queen and prince miss this good opportunity, they are unwilling to take this opportunity to attack my wife and Ruyi..."

"Madam, do you know: Knowing that Ruyi is so connected with the Tian family that he is suspected of being involved in the assassination of Chu, how does the crown prince react?"

"——The crown prince asked Qu Nihou to come face to face with me and plead for mercy and kind words on behalf of Ruyi..."

"The empress never blamed Ruyi and Madam for this, but only restrained Madam, Ruyi stayed in the palace, and waited for me to return to Chang'an to be with her..."

As he said that, Liu Bang's expression was completely occupied by a burst of inexplicable loneliness.

"If it's Madam, what should I do?"

"Ma'am, will you confine the queen and prince to the deep palace, waiting for my return?"

"Would Ruyi remember his elder brother's relatives, and quickly go to the prime minister's mansion, without fear of Xiao He's majesty, and burn all the evidence of his crime?"

"Will you bribe my trustworthy counselors, and use them as good words to excuse me in front of me?!"

Having said that, Liu Bang finally sighed again, and shook his head with a gloomy expression.

"If the crown prince is established, he will treat me for a hundred years. Regardless of whether the wife likes it or not, he will be able to protect his wishes."

"However, if you succeed in standing as you wish, may the madam spare the queen?"

"Ruyi, can you save the crown prince and not regard the same father and elder brother as a thorn in the eye and a thorn in the flesh?"

After throwing down a few questions at the end, Liu Bang turned around with a lonely expression, looked out of the hall, and sighed uncontrollably.

As for Liu Bang's last few questions, even if Mrs. Qi wanted to speak again, she couldn't utter a single word from her mouth...
The two sat and stood, sighed and raised their breaths, and lowered their heads to sob. The huge Xuande Hall fell into a long silence.

I don't know how long it took before Liu Bang's cold voice shattered the long silence.

"Wait for the prince to go out to fight, I want to go to Ganquan and rest for a while."

Hearing Liu Bang's sudden murmur, Madam Qi raised her head hastily!
"The concubine will go with His Majesty!"

But when Liu Bang heard the words, he just shook his head with a wry smile, turned around, slowly returned to the soft couch, and sat down again.

"In the past few years, I have often fought in the Kanto, but it has been many years, and I have never seen my wife's dancing posture again?"

"It's not as good as today, when I hit the fou myself, madam, dance again to think I'm watching?"

Hearing Liu Bang's words, Madam Qi was taken aback.

After a while, Madam Qi, who finally realized what she had lost, finally nodded to Liu Bang with tears, and immediately came to the center of the hall under Liu Bang's gaze.

When Madam Qi began to dance in the Xuande Hall with tears in her eyes, Liu Bang, who was sitting upright, also began to pick up the chopsticks with a desolate face, and knocked on the edge of the rice bowl in front of her.

Afterwards, a melodious and mournful Chu tune resounded over Xuande Hall...
"The swan flies high!"

"Thousands of miles in one move!!!"

"Yuhe is ready~"

"Across the world..."

"Across the world~"

"What can I do?"

"Although there is a fee..."

"Shang'an's gift..."

"Although there is a fee!!!"

"Shang'an, what did you do?!!!!!!"

"·············"

　I wish you all a happy new year, all the best in the year of the tiger, everything goes smoothly, good health, happy family~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)