Can I get to the other side?.

Chapter 227: The Queen Should Give Birth to His Majesty to Secure His Position as Queen

"Why is he here too?"

Looking at Han Sui in front of him, Ma Teng was stunned.

I never expected to run into Han Sui, my mortal enemy, here. Why would this damn guy come to Yecheng? !
Not only Ma Teng was surprised, but Han Sui was as well.

He also knew that the emperor had issued an imperial edict to both him and Ma Teng at the same time. In order to win the emperor's respect and trust before Ma Teng, and to express his sincerity in serving the emperor, he chose to come to Yecheng in person to meet the emperor.

But I didn’t expect that Ma Teng would come in person!

This old man actually has the same plan as him!

"Wait, aren't the people next to Ma Teng his sons Ma Xiu and Ma Tie? Why did he bring his sons here as well?"

"Could it be that he wants to..."

Han Sui noticed this and his expression suddenly changed.

Coming to Yecheng in person to meet the emperor was undoubtedly the most sincere act, but Ma Teng not only came in person, he also brought his two sons with him.

Han Sui could tell what Ma Teng's purpose was with this action - he was planning to hold his son as a hostage in Yecheng!

This coward!

How can one be so unscrupulous!

Han Sui was furious and could not help cursing, "Ma Teng! You shameless old man! How dare you come to Yecheng to meet His Majesty?"

"Why can't I come?"

Ma Teng snorted coldly when he heard this, and said solemnly: "My ancestor is General Fu Bo, a founding hero. My Ma family has always been loyal to the Han Dynasty!"

"I have received your majesty's grace and been granted the title of Marquis of Huaili. Naturally, I must bring my son with me to express my gratitude to your majesty!"

"Why do you dare to come to Yecheng? You are a rebel, aren't you afraid that His Majesty will kill you to restore order?"

Ma Teng took the lead in occupying the moral high ground.

He looked down at Han Sui and pointed fingers at him.

Han Sui, however, showed no sign of weakness and cursed directly: "What nonsense! It is you who are clearly rebelling against the imperial court. I was deceived by you. How dare you slander me here!"

"I will report to His Majesty the ugly things you have done, and His Majesty will definitely chop off your head!"

The two of them confronted each other sharply, neither showing any weakness.

They had rebelled together and betrayed the court before, but now they both wanted to put the blame on each other, so that at most they would only be charged with the crime of being deceived and bewitched.

There is a lot of people coming and going at the gate of Yecheng.

The quarrel between the two attracted many people to stop and watch.

When the onlookers learned the identities of Ma Teng and Han Sui, they were all extremely surprised - these were two important figures with heavy troops under their command, and yet they were actually swearing at each other in the street like ordinary people?
It has to be said that Ma Teng was quite good at scolding people, and with the help of his two sons, Han Sui soon fell into a disadvantage and was so angry that he drew his sword.

"You old bastard! Do you want to test the sharpness of my sword?"

Han Sui pointed his sword directly at Ma Teng, speaking with murderous intent.

"My sword is not bad either! I will kill you today to avenge my wife and children!"

Ma Teng drew the sharp blade from his waist and confronted Han Sui head-on.

At the same time, Ma Xiu and Ma Tie also drew their swords. The three father and sons shared the same hatred and completely crushed Han Sui in momentum.

"Death, old man!"

Han Sui's face turned pale, and he could no longer bear it. He rode his horse towards Ma Teng and chopped off his head with the sword in his hand!

And how could Ma Teng be afraid of Han Sui?
Let his two sons watch from the side while he goes into battle alone!
Both of them are veterans who have fought for a long time and are sworn enemies. Although they are not young anymore, their martial arts skills should not be underestimated. The fight between the two sides was very fierce.

Just as the onlookers were watching with great interest, a long spear flew over like lightning and stabbed directly between Han Sui and Ma Teng who were fighting.

The tip of the gun sank into the bluestone ground, and the gun body shook continuously.

Ma Teng and Han Sui were both shocked when they saw this. They looked in the direction where the spear came from and saw a young general in a white robe riding a horse and leading a team of city defense troops, who surrounded them.

The young general in white robes casually pulled out a spear from the ground and said in a cold voice: "Armed fighting is prohibited in the imperial capital!"

This young general in white robe is Zhao Yun!

Although Ma Teng and Han Sui did not know Zhao Yun, they could feel the hidden and imposing power from Zhao Yun, so no one dared to underestimate him. They could only choose to give up unwillingly and enter the city one after another.

……

Imperial Palace, Xuanshi.

Liu Xie was handling government affairs when Zhang He walked into the palace and reported to him, "Your Majesty, Ma Teng and Han Sui are outside the palace asking to see you."

"what?"

Hearing Zhang He's words, Liu Xie's hand holding the brush paused slightly, and a look of surprise flashed across his face.

He remembered that the imperial edict sent did not ask them to come to Yecheng for an audience. Why would these two guys come in person?
And aren't they like water and fire?

Why do they come together?

strangeness……

Liu Xie's mind was full of thoughts. Although he felt extremely confused, he still said, "Let them in."

"promise!"

Zhang He turned and left.

Not long after, Han Sui and Ma Teng entered the Xuanshi Hall under the leadership of Zhang He, and then kowtowed directly to Liu Xie.

"I, the guilty minister Ma Teng (Han Sui), kowtow to Your Majesty!"

The two men performed the ritual of kneeling and asking for apology.

The attitude can be described as quite respectful.

Hearing the word "guilty minister", Liu Xie's eyes moved slightly, and he immediately understood their intentions, so he smiled and asked:

"You two dear ministers are entrusted with the important task of guarding the border. Why did you suddenly come to Yecheng to see me?"

Ma Teng said first: "Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful for your appointment as Marquis of Huaili. I have brought my two sons to Yecheng to serve you."

Good guy!
History repeats itself.

Originally, Ma Teng was recruited by Cao Cao and led his second and third sons to the capital as hostages, leaving his eldest son Ma Chao alone in charge of the army.

Who would have thought that Ma Chao would directly rebel against Cao Cao, resulting in the killing of Ma Teng and his son, thus presenting a story of loving father and filial son.

Although history repeated itself and the most desired Ma Chao did not come, Liu Xie was still delighted to get Ma Teng's nominal loyalty.

Once Yuan Shao took Youzhou and launched a large-scale attack on Yecheng, the Western Liang Army could provide support from the side and at least tie down more than half of Yuan Shao's troops.

Even if Lu Bu sent troops to Qingzhou and attacked from both sides together with the Xiliang army, forcing Yuan Shao to divide his troops for defense, Liu Xie would have the opportunity to seize the entire Jizhou!
If the entire Jizhou is captured, Yuan Shao will no longer be a threat.

"Your loyalty is commendable, and I am very pleased."

Liu Xie encouraged Ma Teng and decided to give him a high official position as a token of his emperor's grace.

Han Sui, who was standing by, felt his scalp tingling instantly when he saw this.

Ma Teng could naturally bring Ma Tie and Ma Xiu to Yecheng as hostages, but he couldn't.

He knew very well that his son was a pampered good-for-nothing who could not intimidate the soldiers of the three armies like Ma Chao could.

Therefore, he could not do what Ma Teng did, taking himself as a hostage and letting his son take charge of the situation in Liangzhou and Guanzhong.

Lost!

This time, he was defeated miserably in the tit-for-tat battle with Ma Teng.

After Liu Xie and Ma Teng talked for a few words, he looked at Han Sui who had a gloomy expression on his face and said:

"Wen Yue, I heard that you have a strong army and powerful horses, and you are feared by Liangzhou and Guanzhong. Now the thief Yuan Shao is ambitious..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Han Sui said, "Yuan Shao is a traitor to the country, and everyone should punish him. I am willing to lead the army to conquer Bingzhou!"

"good!"

Liu Xie nodded with satisfaction.

"My dear minister, please wait in Yecheng for orders. I will tell you in a few days when to attack Bingzhou."

Han Sui felt a little relieved when he heard that the emperor's address for him had changed from "Wen Yue" to "Ai Qing" just like Ma Teng.

Ma Teng also knew that being a hostage was not enough, the most important thing was to send troops, so he quickly said:
"Your Majesty, my eldest son, Ma Chao, is also extremely brave and can fight for your Majesty."

Liu Xie was even happier when he heard this. The "prisoner's dilemma" strategy really worked.

He only needed to offer the illusory righteousness of being an emperor and a marquisate that allowed him to be stationed in Guanzhong with justification, and he would be able to make Han Sui and Ma Teng rush to serve him.

"In that case, you two will come to the palace again in three days, and I will give you the details."

After Liu Xie finished giving his instructions, he asked Han Sui and Ma Teng to leave.

Just as he was about to send someone to summon Guo Jia and Jia Xu to the palace to discuss how to use Han Sui and Ma Teng's army, Gao Lan walked in.

"Your Majesty, Princess Yang'an requests an audience."

"Princess Yang An?"

When Liu Xie heard this name, he was stunned.

After searching in my mind for a long time, I realized that this person was the eldest daughter of Emperor Heng and the biological mother of Empress Fu.

In history, Fu Quan's entire family and Empress Fu were all killed by Cao Cao, but he did not dare to kill Princess Yang'an, so he could only exile her to Zhuo County.

"Fu Wan has already determined that I am the legitimate heir of the Han Dynasty. Princess Yang'an's visit this time should not be to identify my identity, but for other purposes."

After Liu Xie quickly analyzed the purpose of Princess Yang'an's visit, he asked Gao Lan to bring her into the Xuanshi Hall.

In less than a cup of tea, a woman about thirty-four or thirty-five years old walked in.

She looks about 70% similar to Empress Fu, and their temperaments are also very similar, both revealing dignity and elegance.

However, she has a bit more of the mature charm of a woman, while Empress Fu is more graceful and elegant.

As soon as she saw Liu Xie, Princess Yang'an bowed respectfully.

"See Your Majesty."

After she finished her greetings, Liu Xie personally helped her up and said in a displeased tone:
"Please stand up quickly! According to seniority, you are my aunt and the Queen's biological mother. Such a great gift is too formal. If the late emperor knew about this, he would probably blame me."

After Princess Yang'an sat down with the help of Liu Xie, she directly stated the purpose of her visit.

"The Han Dynasty has always valued filial piety. Your Majesty has been on the throne for many years, but you don't have a son."

"In addition to Shou'er, the Fu family has four other daughters. The second daughter is already of marriageable age. She is both beautiful and talented. She can be a good addition to your majesty's harem."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xie immediately understood the purpose of Princess Yang'an's visit.

She was worried that Empress Fu's position in the palace was unstable, so she sent Empress Fu's sister into the palace in the name of filial piety.

At the moment, Fu Wan's image is undoubtedly that of a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty who rebukes Cao Cao.

If you don't show favor, you will inevitably get a reputation of being heartless and ungrateful.

It's just a position as a concubine anyway, so what's the problem if you agree to it?

It can also help to calm the family down.

"The Han Dynasty is in decline. I have been working day and night, exhausting myself with thoughts. I really don't have much energy to spend on the harem. But what my aunt said makes sense, so I will follow her advice."

Princess Yang'an was overjoyed when she saw Liu Xie agreed.

The Fu family no longer has any way out. If the emperor holds a grudge against Empress Fu because of what happened in Xu County, it would be a bolt from the blue.

Fortunately, the emperor is not a mean and ungrateful person.

She said repeatedly: "Thank you for your permission, Your Majesty! I will choose an auspicious day and send the second daughter of the Fu family to the palace to serve Your Majesty."

After another round of polite greetings, Princess Yang'an left with a happy look on her face and contentedly.

Not long after she left, Gao Lan came in to report.

"Your Majesty, the father-in-law has entered the palace and requests to see the Queen."

The couple came one after the other, one asking to see the emperor and the other asking to see the empress. It was obvious that they had no intention of hiding anything in front of Liu Xie.

This made Liu Xie satisfied.

But no matter how satisfied he was, he would never let down his guard.

"That's right."

Liu Xie thought for a while and finally nodded and agreed to Fu Wan's request to visit Empress Fu.

On the one hand, it was a signal revealed by Princess Yang'an, and on the other hand, it was difficult to refuse.

If others wanted to visit the queen, they could naturally refuse on the grounds that the queen needed to rest and recuperate.

But it's not possible to do it.

It is natural for a father to visit his daughter.

Even if they refused, they couldn't do so during these few days when they had just arrived in Yecheng.

After allowing Fu Wan to visit, Liu Xie also left the Xuanshi and walked towards the Jiaofang Palace.

He was still wary of these two people, wanting to see whether Fu Wan was really visiting Empress Fu or had some other ulterior motive.

In any case, he had to know the content of the conversation between the two men.

……

Jiaofang Hall.

Empress Fu sat in front of the dressing table, looking at her beautiful face in the bronze mirror which looked a little haggard, and could not help but sigh.

She hadn't had a good rest for several days. To be precise, she hadn't slept well since the day she asked Liu Xie that question while drunk.

"The Mandate of Heaven... means the Emperor of Han?"

Empress Fu murmured to herself with a complicated look in her eyes.

But her father, Fu Wan, looked rosy-cheeked and in very good health. His whole spirit and energy was completely different from when he was in Xu County.

It is said that people feel refreshed when happy events occur.

He has been in the limelight these days. Everyone knows that he is a loyal minister who upholds his integrity and his daughter is a chaste queen. He has also been publicly praised and recognized by the emperor. This has undoubtedly brought the Fu family's reputation to its peak, and even the Yang family could not match it for a while.

As soon as he saw Empress Fu, Fu Wan asked with a smile, "Is the Empress adapting to living in the palace?"

Empress Fu did not seem to hear Fu Wan's question. She just looked at him dimly and asked:

"Father, is he really the Son of Heaven?"

When Fu Wan heard this, he became furious.

"It's already this late, why are you still suspicious? Does your Majesty's wise and mighty appearance look fake? How can a fake emperor make so many counselors and generals loyal to him?"

"And your mother, Princess Yang'an, has just entered the palace to ask for an audience with His Majesty, and she has confirmed His Majesty's identity without a doubt."

"Let's take a step back. Even if Lord Yang and I were deceived, could your mother also be deceived? Could the entire court of Yecheng be deceived?"

"Do you think those ministers are fools?"

"Don't mention this matter again! It will damage your majesty's dignity and hurt the foundation of the country. It will be a disaster for my Fu family!"

Empress Fu had a blank expression and her mood was extremely complicated.

If you can deceive everyone, doesn't that mean you are given a command by heaven?
If you can get everyone's recognition, then aren't you the Son of Heaven?

But in the end she couldn't convince herself with this reason.

Seeing that Empress Fu remained silent, Fu Wan suppressed his anger and said earnestly, "Empress, Shou'er! You must not be possessed by evil spirits now!"

"You can not think about yourself, and you can not think about the lives of hundreds of people in the Fu family, but what is the fault of the people of the world?"

"Now the Han Dynasty is in decline, the princes are fighting for their own interests, and people are in dire straits. Your Majesty has the ability to rebuild the country and rebuild the Han Dynasty. You must not make any mistakes!"

"You have seen with your own eyes how difficult it is for the people to survive on the way from Xu County to Yecheng."

"For the sake of the people's livelihood, you should also fulfill your duties as the queen!"

The pressure of family and country finally changed Empress Fu's expression.

She pursed her lips tightly, and after a long while she asked, "What does my father want me to do?"

Fu Wan was overjoyed when he saw that Empress Fu was wavering, and he said quickly:

"Your most important task right now is to give birth to a heir for His Majesty, so as to stabilize the country and secure your position as queen!"

-

(PS: I am writing the manuscript non-stop, and there are still 10,000 words to go! If I can’t finish it, I really won’t sleep.)
(End of this chapter)