I'm really not King Jing of Zhongshan

Chapter 166 Five Brothers Are Mighty!

Just as what the Liang soldiers said to the emperor's eldest son Liu Rong in the twenty-mile pavilion outside the city: In the evening of that day, Empress Dowager Dou once again held a banquet in the Changxin Hall of Changle Palace to welcome the triumphant return of Liang Wang Liu Wu.

It was the same as last time when Liu Wu came to Chang'an before the rebellion broke out: this palace banquet was still a family banquet.

The people at the banquet were basically the clan relatives of Liu in Beijing, that is, the sons of Emperor Qi.

——In the first place, the empress dowager Dou, the emperor Qi, mother and son, sandwiched Liang Wang Liu Wu in the middle, the mother and son sat side by side, laughing and chatting from time to time;

And in the east seat where the princes were, Liu Fei, the fifth son of the emperor who also "returned triumphantly", undoubtedly became the focus of this family banquet.

The princes will soon be crowned kings, and at the time of parting, they naturally gathered together full of melancholy, toasted and exchanged glasses, and then expressed their respect to the son who returned in triumph without stinginess.

Not long after, Tianzi Qi also noticed the abnormality on Liu Fei, raised his head with a smile, and waved to Liu Fei.

"—My breast tiger!"

"Come forward;"

"Let me take a look."

With a loud voice, everyone in the hall looked sideways, and with a kind smile, they watched the fifth son of the emperor, Liu Fei, walk forward step by step.

Then Tianzi Qi slowly got up from the couch, held Liu Fei's shoulders with both hands, looked Liu Fei up and down, nodded with a warm smile, and patted Liu Fei's shoulders.

"it is good!"

"You didn't embarrass me!"

"—I didn't embarrass Mrs. Liu!"

With a proud smile on his face, he nodded heavily at Liu Fei, and the emperor Qicai took a deep breath;

Putting his left hand on Liu Fei's shoulder, he raised his right hand slowly, and lightly touched Liu Fei's right eye with the back of his hand. The dark brown scar was not very long, but it was impossible to ignore.

Following Tian Ziqi's actions, he looked at the father and son in the hall with a smile, and complex expressions appeared on their faces.

"Do you regret it?"

As soon as he asked softly, he saw a little melancholy on Tian Ziqi's brows.

Qiang Yan laughed and lowered his head, straightened the skirts of his son in front of him, and continued to say: "If you don't go to fight this battle, you can still be a prince;"

"But after this battle, you will still be the king of the princes, and you will still be the king of the princes."

"—Do you regret it?"

After saying that, Tianzi Qi finally raised his head again, and his dodging gaze involuntarily locked on the scar under Liu Fei's right eye again.

Feeling Tianzi Qi's rare sincerity, as well as the never-before-seen pride and admiration in his eyes, Liu Fei just smiled and stretched out his hand;
Touching under the corner of his eyes, he smiled easily.

"What is there to regret?"

"——Since I was a child, I have determined to be a majestic general who will fight for the country!"

"Liu Bi and Liu Wu's thieves started a rebellion, and my son and minister can lead the army to go out and punish Liu Bi and Liu Wu's thieves on behalf of the emperor. This has already achieved my ambition."

"My lifelong pursuit has been realized, son, how can I regret it?"

Saying so, Liu Fei couldn't help but smiled and turned his head;
Seeing on the imperial couch, the imperial grandmother Dou's also gave him a sad look, but Liu Fei still grinned.

"Furthermore, my son, I don't intend to be an official..."

"There are more scars on the face, and the officials of the prime minister's mansion will not write an evaluation of 'improper facial features' on the resume of the son-in-law;"

"—Even if I write such a stroke, the emperor's grandmother will never make me a prince because of my 'improper facial features'?"

The slightly teasing question only caused everyone in the hall to burst into laughter, and they cast their kind eyes on Liu Fei's burly figure and resolute face, which obviously didn't match his age.

For this expedition, Liu Fei only stayed in the army for more than two months;

But at this moment, Liu Fei couldn't see the noble spirit unique to his clan and princes at all.

The face that was originally thin and tender has already been exposed to a healthy tan;
If it weren't for the luxurious clothes on his body, people who saw him would probably say: Is this a soldier?
Or a farmer?

The short few months of life in the army also changed Liu Fei's temperament from the inside out.

The determination that originally wished to overflow his face has been suppressed a lot;

Instead, there is an incomparably reassuring stability and fortitude unique to warriors.

In his demeanor, although people can see the clues of royal etiquette, there is also a little more freedom and straightforwardness unique to warriors.

Set off by this unique and inexplicably eye-catching temperament, the slightly hideous scar now has a more indescribable and unclear charm.

——In Liu Sheng's words: This is the most handsome scar Liu Sheng has ever seen in his two lifetimes...

"Come and sit beside me."

"I haven't seen you for so long, and I miss Lao Wu very much."

In Changxin Hall, everyone smiled and sighed;

Beside the imperial couch, Tianzi Qi gently put his hand on Liu Fei's shoulder and nodded repeatedly.

In the end, it was Empress Dowager Dou who broke the brief peace with a low voice;
When Liu Fei nodded and stepped forward, Liang Wang Liu Wu, who had been seated between Empress Dowager Dou and Tianzi Qi, also hurriedly gave up his seat.

"Let me see;"

"Look at what my grandson has become after being harmed by the old thief Liu Bi..."

Muttering softly, Empress Dowager Dou turned sideways, groping for Liu Fei's hand.

Like a blind man touching an elephant, he moved his hand to Liu Fei's face little by little;
When the old hand touched the scar that was less than an inch long but obviously rough, the eye sockets of Empress Dowager Dou, who were already sore and moist, turned red again visible to the naked eye.

"My grandson..."

Empress Dowager Dou said with tears in her eyes, causing Liu Sheng, who was kneeling at the last seat, to take a deep breath, and then let out another sigh.

——Perhaps for future generations, having a scar the size of a fingernail on the face is not a big deal;
If it is a hot-blooded young man with a slightly immature heart, he may even think that having a scar on his face is a very cool thing.

But in this generation, the small scar less than an inch long on Liu Fei's face is called: Disfigurement.

And it is very difficult for a "disfigured" person to survive and reproduce as a normal person in this era of judging people by their appearance.

With a few simple examples, we can understand what "disfigurement" means in this era.

——In the past, in the laws of the Han Dynasty, there was a punishment method called "tattoo punishment".

Tattoo (qíng) punishment is also called: ink punishment.

The specific penalty is to tattoo words on the criminal's face, such as "prisoner", "robber", "robbery" and "robbery", etc., and paint the newly tattooed words with ink;

In this way, when the wound heals, the ink that heals with the wound will accompany the prisoner for life like a tattoo in later generations.

Maybe someone will say: Isn't it just tattooing on the face?
Although the character of the pattern is not a good character, but it is not a big deal, right?

But in fact, tattoo punishment, or black ink punishment, ranks higher than, and far higher than, the death penalty in this era!
In this generation, the vast majority of people would rather be sentenced to death, or even beheaded, than to be sentenced to tattooing.

Because for people in this era, life is not the most precious thing;
There are many things more precious than life.

such as reputation;

such as prestige;

such as clan;

Such as ancestors.

This is also the reason why later generations, those of the older generation, are so resistant to tattoos, and even stereotyped that people with tattoos are not good people.

Because after thousands of years in China, there are only two symbols of 'tattoo' in Chinese culture;
——The criminals who were sentenced to "tattoo punishment", and the barbarians who didn't know that "the body, hair and skin, receive the parents"...
As for why it is said that "tattoo punishment" once existed in the Han law, it is because most of the corporal punishment, including tattoo punishment, has been abolished by the first emperor Liu Heng.

Instead, 'Kun (kūn)' 'pliers'.

Kun, in fact, is to shave off the hair on the top of the prisoner's head;

The clamp is to use iron hoops to bind the prisoner's neck.

For future generations, this is even less of a big deal.

——Isn’t it just the weird hairstyle of the Mediterranean, and the shackles around the neck?

But for people in this era, there is still the same sentence: There are many things more precious than life...
If the "tattoo punishment" is not enough to explain the disfigurement, what does it mean to the people of this era;
That another case that actually happened in history can obviously explain the problem more directly.

——Feng Chu Pang Tong!
Pang Tong, who is as famous as Mr. Wolong Zhuge Kongming, did not get the attention of Emperor Shaolie Liu Bei at the beginning;
And the reason is precisely because Pang Tong, the young phoenix, did not have a good skin like Mr. Wolong.

Although in the end, Pang Tong relied on his own ability to dispel the prejudice of outsiders about his ugly appearance, but Liu Bei's attitude of "I don't think you are ugly" alone made Fengchu Pang Tong grateful;
Even in order to repay his kindness, he was willing to use his own death to win Xichuan, the base for Liu Bei.

And Fengchu Pangtong lived in the last years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, more than 300 years have passed since the Han Dynasty today...

After more than 300 years of ideological progress, Pang Tong in the Three Kingdoms period could not be reused because of his "ugly appearance";
What's more, it is still in the early days of Liu Han, and it is still prevalent in the era of "judging people by their appearance" and believing in the concept of "a person's appearance is born from his heart".

Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say: Liu Fei's small scar the size of a fingernail is basically no less than a permanent disability for people of this era.

——This scar has ruined Liu Fei's political life!
If it wasn't for Liu Fei, he was the son of today's emperor Liu Qi, and he was destined to be a clan prince, this scar alone would be enough to destroy Liu Fei's entire life...
"The fifth one is the pillar of my Liu clan;"

"Among the emperor's sons, the fifth child is the first to grow into a husband."

I don't know how long it took, but the atmosphere in the hall gradually fell into a strange silence because of this long silence. Empress Dowager Dou's abrupt whisper brought everyone's mood back to their eyes.

Empress Dowager Dou held Liu Fei's hand tightly, her eyes were red, and she looked solemnly at everyone in the hall.

After a while, he slowly raised a hand and pointed gently at the hideous scar under Liu Fei's eyes.

"The scar on Lao Wu's face was for me, Mrs. Liu;"

"—For every family member of the Liu family, I received a blow of treachery from the old thief Liu Bi."

"——This scar is owed to my fifth brother by every family member of the Liu family..."

"From now on, if someone dares to insult and slander the fifth child;"

"Just get it to my ears!"

"Don't blame me, a blind old woman, for denying the blood of my descendants;"

"Treat the royal family surnamed Liu like you treat a traitor..."

A hint of warning, admonishment, and some sad words made everyone in the hall stand up one after another;

Even Liang Wang Liu Wu, who consciously sat back in his seat, stood up sincerely, and bowed to Queen Dowager Dou together with every prince in the banquet.

"Your servants, I would like to obey the Queen Mother's edict;"

"From now on, no matter who dares to bully or slander the five princes, ministers, etc., they will never stand by and watch..."

Hearing the sincere responses from Liang Wang Liu Wu and her grandchildren, Empress Dowager Dou finally nodded slowly;

When he turned sideways again and looked at his grandson Liu Fei beside him, his calm and majestic temperament turned into endless softness.

"The emperor and I have decided to confer Liu Bi's Wu Kingdom on to Lao Wu."

"Change the state of Wu to the state of Jiangdu, and let the fifth child be the king of Jiangdu in my Han family."

"Although there is only one county in Guangling, and there is no longer Yuzhang, which is full of copper mines, and Kuaiji, where salt can be boiled along the coast, it is still relatively prosperous;"

"In the future, if the fifth child is in Guangling and needs money and food, he can ask the emperor directly."

"—If the emperor doesn't give it, I will."

"If at any time, I miss my old lady, there is no need to ask for instructions."

"Depart directly with the guards and come to Chang'an;"

"In my Changle Palace, I can always prepare wine and meat for the fifth child..."

The sincere words only provoked everyone in the hall to cast envious glances at Liu Fei.

——Especially Li Ji behind the three brothers Liu Rong, Liu De, and Liu Yu, with those eyes full of anger, she wished she could swallow Liu Fei alive!
Compared to Li Ji, the reactions of the princes were quite normal.

Most people, including the eldest son of the emperor, Liu Rong, all cast kind eyes on Liu Fei with only gentle smiles;

As for the brothers who were close to Liu Fei, as well as Liu Pengzu and Liu Sheng, they looked at Liu Fei with even more joy.

Just like just now, the honor Empress Dowager Dou bestowed on Liu Fei made the brothers feel honored.

And Liu Fei's next words pushed the atmosphere in the hall in the direction of "clan harmony".

"Grandmother loves you so much, grandson, you deserve it..."

After saying something politely, Liu Fei smiled lightly and turned sideways, slipped gently from the imperial couch, and knelt down in front of Empress Dowager Dou sincerely;
He held his grandmother's hand a little uneasy, and said without hesitation: "The grandson went out to suppress the rebellion because of his own ambition;"

"I was lucky enough to get some martial arts, and it was all because of the blessing of the ancestors' spirits in the sky, and the soldiers in the army sacrificed their lives to protect them."

"The emperor's grandmother and father are willing to entrust Guangling County to their grandson, and the grandson is already flattered."

"It's just that in the past few months, the most valuable thing my grandson has learned in the army is the word 'rule'."

"As the saying goes: there are no rules, no rules, no squares."

"—In the army, whether it is a general like a captain or a school lieutenant, or a soldier who charges to kill the enemy, he must abide by the rules of the army;"

"The orders of the superiors, as well as the edicts of the emperor's grandmother and father, must be obeyed unconditionally."

"This is because the rules are meant to be obeyed, not broken."

Saying so, Liu Fei couldn't help grinning again, and looked at Empress Dowager Dou with a touch of tenderness in her eyes.

"My grandson was in the army, and he finally learned the importance of the word 'rule'. The emperor's grandmother wants me to break the rules and enter Chang'an without going to the court to ask for instructions;"

"—Excuse me, grandson, it is really difficult to obey the emperor's grandmother's wishes..."

"But in the future, if you want to see the imperial grandmother, your grandson will definitely ask for instructions;"

"As long as the father and the emperor's grandmother agree, the grandson will definitely come to Chang'an to honor the emperor's grandmother."

"If the imperial grandmother misses her grandson, she can also send someone to summon her."

"Even if the grandson is to travel, he will definitely travel from Jiangdu to return to the emperor's grandmother..."

The sincere and impeccable reply only made everyone in the hall nod their heads again and again;
Even Emperor Qi, who was sitting on the imperial couch, looked at Liu Fei with more and more admiration.

——For a moment, a trace of guilt even sprouted in Tianzi Qi's heart!
And on the imperial couch, with her head down, watching her grandson kneeling in front of her, and giving such a decent answer, Empress Dowager Dou couldn't hold back her grief any longer;
Blinking subconsciously, forced back the tears, stretched out his hand, and helped Liu Fei up from the ground.

After Liu Fei laughed and sat back beside him, Queen Mother Dou even stretched out her hand, caressing Liu Fei's head non-stop, while not forgetting to murmur: "Good boy..."

"Good boy..."

Looking at this scene of incomparable warmth, feeling the inexplicably reassuring comfort in the hall, everyone in the hall could not help but smile on their faces.

At this moment, the princes and concubines gathered in the Changxin Hall of Changle Palace, as well as Tian Zi Qi, Liang Wang Liu Wu, Queen Dowager Dou's mother and son, finally felt the warmth of 'family' at this palace banquet.

With mixed emotions of distress and gratification, she pulled Liu Fei tightly to sit next to her, and Empress Dowager Dou even promised rewards to Liu Fei three times in just half an hour.

Empress Dowager Dou said: As a mother, I would like to thank Liu Fei for saving her son;

As a grandmother, I want to reward Liu Fei for growing into such a sensible appearance;
As the empress dowager, Liu Fei should also be rewarded for his contributions to the ancestral temple and the country.

Received the reward from the Empress Dowager's grandmother, Liu Fei was still neither humble nor overbearing, and accepted every reward without missing a beat, and he didn't say a single word of thanks and self-effacing.

"During the few months of training in the army, Fifth Brother, you have really grown a lot..."

At the last table, Liu Shengman let out a sigh of relief, which only caused the brothers beside him to nod their heads again and again;
Then they each raised their wine cups and had a drink with each other.

Just as the brothers were leaning together full of feelings, wanting to take this last chance to recount their brotherhood, on the imperial couch, there was a sudden inquiry from the emperor Qi.

And after this inquiry, the atmosphere of this palace banquet, which was originally full of warmth, gradually became a little weird...

"Eh?"

On the imperial couch, the emperor was cold and cold, 'eh? ' With a sound, everyone in the hall looked sideways;

Then Tianzi Qi lowered his head and looked at Liu Fei's waist, the two obviously different general seals.

"How do I remember that before Lao Wu set off on the expedition, I gave a general seal?"

　First more.

　　There are three updates today, and the third update may be around twelve o'clock. I can't say for sure, but I will definitely post it before going to bed~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)