Crowned the New Han Dynasty

Chapter 588: Power Addiction Is Hard to Quit
"During the time I was away, it was thanks to Uncle Huang's management of Luoyang's affairs."

In the grand hall, Emperor Liu Dai sat on the stage, and below were hundreds of civil and military officials. The leader was none other than King Liu Hui of Jiangdu.

Liu Hui's father, Liu You, was the first king of Jiangdu. In terms of seniority, Liu You was the same generation as Emperor Xuanwu Liu Min. He was the grandson of Liu Chan and the great-grandson of Emperor Zhaolie.

Therefore, Liu You's son Liu Hui was of the same generation as the father of Emperor Liu Dai and King Liu Chu of Guanghan, and the previous emperor Liu Zhong, and was the uncle of these two princes.

However, when facing the emperor, his uncle could not act like an elder. Instead, he had to listen respectfully. When Liu Dai finished speaking, he immediately followed the etiquette and then said: "This is what I should do." Your Majesty and the Regent are working to ensure the stability of the country and the government, and they are fighting abroad. I wish I could accompany them. Compared with this, some matters of stability are insignificant."

"Uncle Emperor, you're welcome." After Liu Dai said a few words, he felt a little bored and sat at the top, lost in thought. However, his imperial brother Liu Chu, King of Guanghan, came out of the procession at this moment and stood at the foot of the steps. Looking directly at Liu Hui, he said: "Uncle Huang, there hasn't been any big trouble in Luoyang during this period. This is indeed your credit. However, I let you sit in Luoyang to supervise the army's food and grass. This thing has been done a little bit." Not good."

Liu Hui was stunned when he heard this, with a look of unaccustomedness and displeasure flashing in his eyes. During this period of time, the emperor and King Guanghan were not in the capital. Although King Jiangdu could not decide all matters big or small, the minister ordered Zhang Ying and others to do so. He respected him very much and asked about everything, no matter how big or small, which made him feel the feeling of being in great power.

Not to mention, commanding the land of Luoyang and sitting in the center of the empire, the feeling of the world spinning with him is like a shadow that cannot be shaken off. No one dares to look at him, let alone reprimand him face to face. , inquiry.

As a result, when Liu Chu came back today, he, Liu Hui, had to keep a low profile. He was already a little unaccustomed to it. The result was good now. In front of the civil and military officials of the court, Liu Chu's words sounded even more accountable. He immediately This made Liu Hui feel a little helpless.

In fact, from the perspective of others, Liu Chu's words were a bit harsh, but his speaking style was almost the same. After all, he had been in power for a long time and would not worry too much at all.

What really changed was Liu Hui's mentality.

However, he has not lost his mind after all, and he also knows that in terms of power, he cannot compete with Liu Chu. The reason why he is in power is because of Liu Chu's trust, because he has a good relationship with Liu Chu, and he has always given Only with an image of no struggle between people can we get this opportunity.

So he immediately said that what he did was not enough and he was willing to accept the punishment.

"I said this not to punish you, but to tell everyone that quelling the rebellion and exterminating the rebels is not a matter of one person or one place, but a concerted effort by the whole government!" Liu Chu was speaking. , did not look at Liu Hui at all, but wanted to make use of the topic to sound the alarm for everyone present, "Nowadays, the rebels in the southwest have not yet been calmed down, and there are troubles in the northwest. The civil war in Xianbei will inevitably affect the Central Plains, and the disaster in Hebei has just started There are still many thieves and bandits that have not been exterminated, so we must not take it lightly!"

Hearing this, the civil and military officials in the court nodded in agreement.

Both Liu Chu and Liu Hui were familiar with such scenes. The former didn't feel anything at all and continued to explain things, while the latter felt a twinge in his heart because before this, everyone had come to agree with him in such scenes. , but today, he wanted to go with everyone to compliment Liu Chu.

It just so happened that at this moment, Liu Chu’s words came back to Liu Hui——

"Uncle Emperor, you have worked hard during this period. You can let go of this burden in the future. I heard that you organized a Buddhist commentary in the capital. This is also a good thing. However, with the current situation of unrest, such things should not be publicized, otherwise Let historians know about it, but they don’t know how to write about it.”

Liu Hui was stunned for a moment, and then realized that he was about to relinquish his power. Suddenly, anger and frustration surged up in his heart at the same time. He had the urge to get up immediately and tell Liu Chu clearly about his own situation. It has been so difficult for a while, and how difficult it is to maintain the stability of such a large city.

But in the end, this impulse was suppressed by reason. He clearly realized that there was an essential difference between himself and Liu Chu, that is, he had no soldiers in his hands, whether it was the troops guarding the capital or the Chinese army outside. There are a lot of people who are loyal to Liu Chu. Even the King of Jiangdu can sit firmly in Luoyang without anyone provoking him or making trouble because of his airborne landing. It is also because of the Luoyang garrison. I really want to fight with the King of Guanghan In the competition, he had no chance of winning.

In view of this, he bowed his head.

Afterwards, this court meeting became a concentrated summary of Guanghan King Liu Chudui's recent Luoyang issues. The regent was far away in Guanzhong and Shu, but listening to his words, he had a good grasp of the situation in Luoyang. It is very clear that even the consequences of such things as Buddhist commentary are known.

However, as the civil and military officials stepped forward to report their work one by one due to the inquiry from King Guanghan, the feeling of loss in the heart of Liu Hui, the King of Jiangdu, became more and more intense.

Liu Hui lowered his head and remained silent, trying not to attract attention. The people around him did ignore him, but not everyone was like this. Zhang Ying, the minister, noticed something strange about King Jiangdu. , he rolled his eyes and already understood the reason, but he didn't say much.

By the time he finished speaking, a long time had passed. Emperor Liu Dai, who was sitting on the stage, could no longer sit still. When Liu Chu saw this scene and knew that the time had come, he nodded slightly.

Afterwards, a eunuch announced that the court meeting was over for the day and all the officials had to withdraw.Liu Hui also retreated with the crowd. He didn't know whether it was his misunderstanding or gratitude. When he walked out of the palace gate, he found that the officials along the way seemed to be deliberately avoiding him.

However, whether it was an illusion or not, the past scene of being surrounded by people was gone forever.

This is also normal. The previous powers of Jiangdu King Liu Hui have been removed in a few words by Guanghan King Liu. Without these powers, even if other officials want to talk to him, it may not be of any help. , he might even be caught by his political opponents and use it as an excuse to make friends with the feudal king.

"That's all, that's all. This Luoyang defense was an unexpected gain. If it hadn't happened, I would still be happy in Jiangdu. If I don't have to worry here, I'd better go back."

Thinking this, he comforted himself, and King Jiangdu stepped back, but when he left the palace, he found that there was still a person standing beside his carriage, seemingly waiting for him.

Taking a closer look, if it's not Zhang Ying, the minister, who is it?
"Your Majesty, you are a little slow today." Zhang Ying saw Liu Hui and walked over with a smile.

King Jiangdu was a little surprised, and then smiled and said: "Is Zhang Shangshu here waiting for the lonely king?"

Zhang Ying nodded and said: "Of course that's the case. Could it be that the king has forgotten that you and I made an appointment yesterday to come up with a countermeasure for the situation in Hebei. At the same time, the situation in Youzhou is not optimistic. If we don't make a decision as soon as possible, Ce, when Wang Jun becomes big, it will be difficult for the court to control him, and he will have to be asked for everything."

King Jiangdu became more and more surprised and couldn't help but said: "I'm afraid Shangshu has found the wrong person. From now on, it will be difficult for me to get involved in these matters." There was inevitably a hint of disappointment in his words.

"You can't say that," Zhang Ying laughed, pointing to the carriage, "This matter is still different."

King Jiangdu's heart moved, so he took Zhang Yingtong into his car and talked while walking.

"The return of King Guanghan is a good thing, but he was not in Luoyang during this period. He knows many things about the situation, but does not know the reasons or development trends. He is not as good as you, the king. You have been talking to us for a long time, and you have no idea about the frontier." We are very familiar with the situation, and we also know the next development situation. You should talk more to King Guanghan about this aspect."

Hearing this, Liu Hui smiled bitterly, shook his head and said, "My nephew is not something I can explain in just one or two sentences, and now that he has returned, I'm afraid I won't be able to stay in the capital for long, and I will have to rely on your assistance from now on. "

"Your Majesty's words are wrong." Zhang Ying shook his head, which surprised Liu Hui. "Is it possible that Your Majesty plans to return to the fiefdom and not ask about court affairs?"

"If it's not like this, what can we do?" Liu Hui's heart moved, and he heard the hidden meaning in those words, "Staying here may not be of any use, not to mention that King Guanghan has already made it very clear in today's court meeting. , my previous handling methods still have shortcomings."

Zhang Yingze shook his head and said: "The shortcomings are just that you and King Guanghan have different ideas and perspectives when dealing with problems. Your Majesty, you are fair in dealing with things and you also pay more attention to the mood of others, so that all parties can step down. Look. It may seem weak, but it actually eliminates hidden dangers.”

Liu Hui felt comfortable listening to these words, but he was still modest. However, the estrangement between him and Zhang Ying disappeared, and he couldn't help but ask: "Then according to the meaning of Shangshu, how can I stay to assist the regent and the emperor?" He actually believed Zhang Ying. He is making suggestions for himself.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Ying shook his head and said: "If you stay, how will you get along with King Guanghan? And it will inevitably arouse suspicion."

Liu Hui suddenly frowned and said: "Could it be that Shangshu is here to entertain me? Didn't you suggest that I should not return to my fiefdom? Now you are saying not to stay in Luoyang. What do you mean?"

Zhang Ying smiled calmly and said: "Your Majesty, is it possible that this is not in Luoyang or Jiangdu? The world is so big that there is no other place to go?"

When Liu Hui heard this, a flash of inspiration immediately flashed through his mind, as if he was seeing the blue sky through the fog. He suddenly became enlightened and said in a low voice: "What do you mean?"

Zhang Ying raised his hand, pointed to the north, and said with a smile: "At this time of crisis, the king is a relative of the Han family and has great sages, so he should share the country's worries!"

(End of this chapter)