My father is Emperor Wu of Han, how can I be different from him?

Chapter 169: Battle of Words with the Kings
In the last second, the atmosphere in the hall was harmonious and laughter was constant. In the next second, the air was a little stagnant.

The prince asked: Do I look like I’m joking with you?
Not like.

As soon as the prince said that "the court intends to take back the coinage rights of the counties and states", all the princes knew that he was not joking.

But they still laughed, they wanted to treat the prince's serious words as a joke!
Liu Ju’s response was straightforward—the last person who had played tricks on him had been dead for many years.

At this point, the word "death" came up, and the harmonious banquet between uncle and nephew seemed to be unable to continue.

"Oh!"

At this moment, the King of Zhongshan slammed the table and said to the somewhat embarrassed King Zhao in a feigned anger: "Your Highness the Crown Prince has spoken with such authority, how can you make fun of him casually?"

"You are an elder, but you have no shame!"

After scolding his brother, the King of Zhongshan looked at Liu Ju and said with a smile: "Haha, the King of Zhao is used to taking advantage of his age, Your Highness, don't pay any attention to him."

"Uh...hahaha, yes, yes." Prince Guangchuan, Prince Lu and others present joined in, making jokes and laughter broke out again.

King Zhao Liu Pengzu's face changed, but he finally forced a smile, laughed for a while, and then took the opportunity to apologize to Liu Ju.

Liu Ju was very understanding and kept saying it was no problem.

that's it.

The atmosphere at the banquet was back to normal and joyful, but as time went by, some things changed quietly.

Liu Ju no longer called him uncle, but called him king. The princes no longer called him prince, but called him Your Highness. The momentum came to the home side...

After a round of drinking, Liu Ju brought up the old story again, "My father often told me that all my uncles and brothers are officials of the imperial court, and they are the pillars of our Liu family's empire!"

"Whenever we encounter a major event, we need to discuss it carefully with you."

Liu Ju looked around and said earnestly, "Now the court wants to seek some advice on the coinage issue, and we need your advice."

Say it.

The princes looked at each other.

Although the prince spoke modestly, no one would treat him as a little kid at this moment, and no one would fool him casually.

King Zhao Liu Pengzu was a lesson for him, so he kept silent and watched the situation coldly.

"If you don't say anything, I'll come!"

Changshan King Liu Shun looked uneasy and said stiffly, "Since Your Highness asked, I will say a few words. Brother has been on the throne for so many years, and the left official laws and supplementary laws have been enacted one after another."

"Do we have any complaints?"

As he spoke, the King of Changshan actually felt aggrieved, "We won't touch the military power, nor the government affairs, so won't you leave the last bit of money to us?"

"What does the ancestral system of Emperor Gao say? What does the late emperor say about the honor and favor he bestowed on us?" He looked at Liu Ju with an unhappy face.

"Your Highness, I am a member of the royal family. Even if Your Highness meets me, you have to call me Fourteenth Uncle. Your Majesty has already collected salt and iron, and now he wants to collect coins."

"Will you let us, the royal family, beg for a living in the future?"

Not bad.

What he said made sense and the matter was very serious. The princes in the hall nodded and whispered in agreement.

This attitude was naturally shown to the prince.

In fact, they had already guessed that the emperor was behind the withdrawal of the coinage rights, and they also realized why the emperor wanted to keep them after the audience...

There is no good banquet!
The banquet in Weiyang Palace was like this, and the banquet in Prince's Palace was also like this at this time!
The only thing to be thankful for is that the emperor did not bring up the matter himself, but let the prince come forward.

The prince, a junior.

In front of younger people, some things that are difficult to say can now be said, such as military power, government affairs, grievances, etc.

In front of the emperor, Prince Changshan would never dare to mention these words!

The emperor promulgated the Zuoguan Law and the Supplementary Law. Did they have no complaints? No, they dared not to complain!

however.

After all, he is speaking in front of the Crown Prince. As the Crown Prince's fourteenth uncle and the youngest and most favored son of Emperor Jing, Prince Changshan's words are full of emotion!
He was almost in tears. "Yes." Facing Uncle Fourteen's crying, Liu Ju first nodded slightly to show his understanding, then sighed and said:
"I know what the King of Changshan said, but it was not my original intention, nor was it my father's intention, to ban the counties from minting coins. However, many ministers in the court have criticized it."

"The ministers are making numerous petitions, and it is difficult for my father and I to do this. Alas!"

Have the ministers submitted their memorials?

unimportant.

The prince said that they had been there, so that means they had been there. If you don’t believe me, go and ask or check; the ministers will surely agree.

"The court has its own laws. Even my father should not be too partial. Besides, are the princes of the Han Dynasty so embarrassed now?"

Liu Ju changed the subject and said puzzledly: "A few days ago, I went to visit the Guanjun Marquis's mansion and heard that he was going to build a few more treasuries in Guanjun Marquis's country."

"The Marquis of Guanjun is only a marquis of ten thousand households. He already has more money than he can spend. Changshan has 80,000 households. Aren't the taxes enough to support them?"

Ask here.

Liu Ju turned around and asked the King of Zhongshan in confusion: "I heard that the King of Changshan only has four sons, and even 80,000 households cannot support four sons. What about the King of Zhongshan?"

"You have dozens of sons. How are they doing now? Are they hungry? Are they wearing rags? Or are they begging for a living?"

Liu Ju asked very seriously.

"Uh……"

After this long period of embarrassment, the King of Zhongshan did not respond with "Hahaha". He opened his mouth wide and looked at Liu Ju, then at the King of Changshan.

What could he say?

You said that no matter how many sons you have, they will never have to worry about food and clothing, and they will live a life of luxury and debauchery?
The King of Zhongshan kept huffing and puffing for a long while and finally became speechless.

Seeing Liu Ju looking at him seriously, seeking an answer, the King of Changshan's face turned pale and blue. He hurriedly covered his face with his sleeves and coughed continuously.

The princes present received the distress signal. Liu Ju had just pinned his fourteenth uncle to the ground when the King of Changsha came next.

"Your Highness, Uncle Nine and Uncle Fourteen can still live in peace, but we can't. When the country was first established, there were tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of households. How can there be so many now?"

As soon as Changsha King Liu Yong opened his mouth, he immediately resonated with the people around him. His face was bitter, but this time he was really bitter and not pretending.

The contemporary King of Changsha is Liu Ju's cousin and the eldest son of his sixth uncle.

Under the blessing of Extension of Favor.

The original Changsha Kingdom was divided into 17 parts of different sizes after the death of Liu Ju's sixth uncle, including a small Changsha Kingdom and 16 marquisates!
Yes.

The first King of Changsha was also very fertile. The historical Emperor Guangwu of Han, Liu Xiu, was a descendant of the thirteenth son of the first King of Changsha...

The more sons a person has, the more miserable his fiefdom will be divided after his death. Liu Yong, the contemporary King of Changsha, is one of the victims. His personal experience is nothing more than interpreting two words:

Crying poor!

Judging from the size of the feudal state, Changsha State was indeed poorer than Changshan, Zhongshan and other states that had not yet been updated, but Liu Ju still had something to say.

His background check beforehand was not in vain.

"When the late emperor was alive, Prince Ding of Changsha once complained that his fief was too small. The late emperor showed his favor and divided Changsha into three counties."

Liu Ju smiled and looked at the King of Changsha, and asked, "Let's not talk about whether the counties are enough for the sixteen sons to share, let's just talk about the honor and favor of the late emperor!"

That’s all I have to say.

Liu Ju's voice suddenly rose, and his smile became more fierce. "The late emperor favored Changsha and granted it more land. The King of Zhongshan also cried to the current emperor."

"The emperor then increased the courtesy shown to the kings!"

"Cry, cry, all of you come to Chang'an to cry, as long as it is reasonable, will the court reject you?"

When Liu Ju said this, he did not address his elder, the King of Zhongshan, but addressed his peer, the King of Changsha, and asked:

"The kings are the pillars of the Han Dynasty. The imperial court has always been gracious to them. Now that the imperial court is in trouble, shouldn't you share the worries of the imperial court?"

"pillar!?"

Those who only eat and don’t spit out are termites!
(End of this chapter)