Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1100 The Two-Sided Liu He
In the Changqiu Palace, Zhang Yu had just fed milk to the little prince Liu Feng, who was only one month old, and then handed him to the wet nurse, and then walked slowly to Liu He.

Liu He grabbed her hand and placed it on his shoulder.

"Pinch me, I feel a little tired these days."

Zhang Yu kneaded Liu He's shoulders and teased, "Your Majesty has been to Concubine Ilia's palace for three consecutive days. Concubine Ilia is young, beautiful, and passionate. No wonder your majesty is sore all over."

Hearing the queen's words, which were obviously meant to be a joke, Liu He's cheeks turned a little red.

"Yu'er, you and I are an old married couple, and you are still joking with me like this."

Zhang Yu was serious, "I am not joking. Although your majesty is in the prime of his life, you only have four princes: Zheng'er, De'er, Tai'er, and Feng'er. Zheng'er survived this disaster purely by luck. If he had died, the royal family would have been damaged. Before my mother died, she was very concerned about this matter. After all, I am old. Doctor Hua said that Feng'er might be my last child. Now that sister Jieyu has entered the palace, she should give birth to more sons and daughters for your majesty."

Liu He frowned and rubbed his temple.

"These four alone are already giving me a headache. If there are more, I'm afraid I'll have to worry about them."

"Your Majesty, is this about the recent controversy over the succession to the throne?"

Liu He sighed: "Besides this, what else can worry me?"

He turned around and looked at his first wife who had been with him for more than sixteen years, rubbing her hands which were no longer delicate.

"Yu'er, at this moment, there are only you and I, husband and wife. I am not asking you about the crown prince as a king, but as a husband, I am asking you about the heir. You have always been smart, and you are not in the court, so you can see things more clearly from the sidelines. Please answer me truthfully. In your opinion, who is the most suitable to be the crown prince?"

Zhang Yu seemed to have expected him to ask this question, and her expression did not show any surprise at all.

She sat next to Liu He and looked into her husband's eyes.

"Since my husband has asked me this question, I dare not not speak frankly."

Liu He immediately sat up straight and pricked up his ears.

Zhang Yu cleared her throat and said, "In my opinion, it is not appropriate for Your Majesty to appoint a crown prince within the next ten years."

"Hmm?" Liu He was a little surprised: "Don't you want Zheng'er to be the crown prince?"

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "As a mother, I naturally hope that my eldest son can inherit the family business. But as the mistress of a family, the Queen of the Han Dynasty, I cannot allow myself to think so. No matter who is chosen as the crown prince, it will bring disaster to the Han Dynasty and leave a rift between the emperor, his subjects, and his sons in the future."

Liu He fell into deep thought: "Tell me in detail."

Zhang Yu said: "Your Majesty is only thirty-four now, and you are in good health. The world is becoming more peaceful, and the unification of the world is just around the corner. I think it is not difficult for Your Majesty to live another twenty or thirty years."

Liu He nodded. He had never doubted this. With his body, living to sixty or seventy years old in this era was not a rare thing.

"That's it." Zhang Yu continued. "The so-called crown prince is a minister in front of His Majesty, but he is the king in front of the court officials. The crown prince means the deputy king, who also holds some of His Majesty's authority and assists in government affairs. In this way, there are two kings in the court, one principal and one deputy. If the king is stupid, old, or weak, the crown prince will assist him and take charge of the important things in the ancestral temple, which is a blessing for the country."

"But Your Majesty is in the prime of life, at the height of his power, capable of taking charge of the government and creating an unprecedented prosperous era. At this moment, appointing a crown prince would be superfluous. Not only would it not help with state affairs, but it would easily breed chaos in the court. The clash of authority would also cause the relationship between Your Majesty and the crown prince, and the father-son relationship to become increasingly strained."

"Moreover, no matter who is appointed as the crown prince, once he enters the East Palace, he will definitely take the throne as the emperor, and all his words and deeds will be the goal. Your Majesty is a person of longevity, and there is no danger of Long Yu passing away in a few years, or even more than ten years. A crown prince of a country has little hope of ascending the throne for more than ten years, or even more than twenty years. If this goes on for a long time, how can he not be anxious? Seeing the supreme power in the world within reach, but unable to grasp it in his hands, it is inevitable that he will have crazy thoughts."

"In this case, appointing a crown prince at this moment will damage your majesty's authority, harm the court, and will not benefit the prince who will be appointed as the crown prince. With these three harms, I think it is not appropriate to appoint a crown prince at this moment."

After hearing these words, Liu He's eyes sparkled and a look of relief appeared on his face.

"Yu'er's words are truly brilliant. It's a pity that those ministers, who are paid by the state, have less vision and insight than a girl like you."

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "I have been married to Your Majesty for half my life, how could I not know what Your Majesty is thinking? Your Majesty actually had a plan for the matter of opposing the crown prince, but was disturbed by the court officials and was worried that I would be troubled by the rumors against Zheng'er, so he used this matter to test my attitude. After I finished speaking, Your Majesty clearly breathed a sigh of relief, although it was fleeting, but how could it be hidden from me?"

"This..." Liu He was a little embarrassed, and then he laughed heartily.

"Yu'er is the only one who understands my heart the best in the whole world. To be honest, ever since my father-in-law came to me a few days ago to ask for a job and insisted on taking several carts of fruit tree seeds and seedlings to the Yumen Pass area to open up wasteland and plant trees, I have felt a little sad."

Zhang Yu also knew about this. A few days ago, the father-in-law, Zhang Tong and his wife, who had been living a life of luxury in Luoyang for many years, suddenly went to Liu He to ask for a job. Liu He naturally refused, after all, they were both old, and Liu He naturally wanted them to live a good life in Luoyang.

But finally, unable to resist their constant nagging, Liu He exchanged the "Manual of Fruit Varieties and Cultivation" from the system and gave it to them, asking them to follow the army after the spring to the Yumen Pass and Yangguan areas that were about to be built to cultivate fruit trees.

Liu He and Zhang Yu both knew very well that the old couple were not "working hard all their lives and never having a break" as they said. Rather, it was because their grandson Liu Zheng, after surviving a disaster and returning to the palace, was criticized by Wang Yun and others, as well as many private schools and Confucian scholars among the people. This made them anxious and they wanted to do their part to keep their grandson's position as crown prince.

Zhang Yu combed Liu He's temples. "Father and mother don't understand state affairs. They just protect their children. Now they have gone to Yumen Pass, far away from the capital, and also far away from the right and wrong in the court. Although Yumen Pass is a cold and desolate place, it is a good thing for the two elders. Your Majesty does not need to worry about them."

"I have actually made preparations long ago, and I can catch all those who harbor ulterior motives in one fell swoop. But I am worried that I will hurt my father-in-law and the queen, so I have not made a decision yet. I have been a soldier for half my life, killing countless people, and I have never hesitated. But now my third brother has died in the war, and my mother has left me. I am really afraid... I am afraid of losing even a little bit of family affection... After all, I am also a human being..."

Zhang Yu said softly, "As a woman, it is a great blessing for me to marry Your Majesty. I have no other wishes in my life, but to do my best to support Your Majesty in all his actions. As for Zheng'er, he has a pure heart and is concerned about the country and the people. At least for now, he has no intention of fighting for power. I will enlighten him from time to time, and it will be fine. Since Your Majesty is ready, just go ahead and do it."

Liu He held her hand and his eyes became unusually determined.

Just at this moment, Gong Saner's voice came from outside the door.

"Your Majesty, Dean Lu of the Imperial Academy is outside the palace gates asking to see you."

Liu He's eyes flashed: "Finally here..."

He stood up suddenly, and there was no trace of the tenderness he had just shown on his body, he became extremely majestic.

"Summon Lu Zhi to the imperial study. Summon the court judge Zhong Yao and the court judge Zheng Man Chong to come to the palace immediately."

(End of this chapter)