Han: The witchcraft disaster begins, I fight against Emperor Wu of Han

Chapter 75: Interpretation of the Imperial Decree, Incognito Inspection

Prime Minister's Mansion!
"Prime Minister, the Crown Prince being deposed is a good thing. Why are you still unhappy?"

As soon as the court was dismissed, Li Guangli hurriedly followed Liu Quti into the mansion.

Today, His Majesty has entrusted him with an important task, to lead the troops and look after the disaster victims who may riot at any time.

This assignment excited him to the extreme.

Although the Northern Army was responsible for guarding the capital area, it also served as a protective barrier for Chang'an.

However, this time, the number of disaster victims from all over the country is huge, and the matter is of great importance. Your Majesty's trust in him by letting him lead the troops at this critical moment can be regarded as trust.

What made him even more excited was the last imperial edict - the edict to depose the crown prince!
It was a good decision to come back to Chang'an this time!
However, what surprised him was that Liu Quti looked depressed along the way. At first he thought that he was scheming and was pretending to be so.

But when he returned to the mansion, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper, and finally he sighed:
“It’s a good thing, but it’s not good either!”

Without waiting for Li Guangli to ask, he said:
"Although it is also an imperial edict to depose the crown prince, the first half of the edict uses harsh words! It says: He raised an army to disobey orders, raised an army to fight, and brought chaos to the world... And this unworthy son... cannot be the ruler of the world!"

Li Guangli said with a smile: "The crown prince is finished now! From now on, the country will be very busy. Your Majesty now has four sons, but who can be as powerful as our King of Changyi?"

"What do you mean it's over? Look at the rest..." Li Guangli held the silk book and frowned, "If you want to depose the crown prince, then depose him. Why not remove him from the clan register and demote him to a commoner? Instead, demote him to the King of Huaide? Your Majesty has far-reaching intentions... Especially these eight words - accept the training and become a useful person!"

"Your Majesty, do you still have any expectations for the Crown Prince?"

As soon as these words came out, Li Guangli, who was grinning just now, immediately stopped smiling and said, "You mean the prince will be reinstated?"

Liu Quti shook his head. "Since the imperial edict states that he cannot be the ruler of the world, it stands to reason that Your Majesty has made up his mind to abolish the crown prince. But King Huaide... King Huaide is an empty title, not a real name of the fiefdom. What does this mean?"

"Today, the ministers asked whether you would confer the title of King Huaide. What was your answer, Your Majesty?"

Li Guangli scratched his head and said, "It is said that Chang'an has changed drastically now. We have to wait until he comes back from outside."

As he spoke, he seemed to remember something that made him angry. "I guess that kid deceived your majesty. He is lucky. With so many things added up, he managed to turn the tables. He even let your majesty go out with him! Your majesty doesn't know if he is confused..."

He didn't dare to say those two words, but Li Guangli had already said angrily: "Your Majesty, if anything happens, they will be courting death!"

Liu Quti did not respond to his words, but instead continued, "King Huaide is not given a title outside the capital, so he is the king who stays in the capital! And I heard that in Weiyang Palace, they all followed Your Majesty into the Penglai Fairyland, and after they came out, Your Majesty's attitude changed!"

"Is there really a Penglai in this world? Or is it that some immortal in the dark gave instructions to His Majesty, Grandson Jing..."

Li Guangli was shocked. He thought of something impossible and was horrified. "You mean... Your Majesty wants to abandon his son and establish his grandson?"

Liu Quti immediately waved his hands, "How is that possible?"

"Alas... Let's wait for the news. Let's see who will handle the government affairs of Chang'an after His Majesty leaves."

"Wait, wait, wait for nothing... Your Majesty listened to that kid so much. He also said that I don't know how to lead troops and killed many soldiers. It's a pity that I didn't find a chance to teach him a lesson!"

Just saying.

Suddenly, a man came running in from outside and said that the Shizhong Pushe wanted to see him.

Liu Quti immediately asked Li Guangli to step aside, and soon after, the Shizhong Pushe Mang Heluo hurried over.

"Prime Minister, according to His Majesty's decree, after His Majesty leaves the city, King Huaide will handle state affairs, and the Prime Minister will assist him. Everything will remain the same as before."

Liu Quti narrowed his eyes, but still expressed gratitude to the other party and watched Mang Heluo leave.

Li Guangli then became anxious and asked, "Your Majesty, what does this mean?"

Liu Quti replied, "Can't you see it yet? Pick it up high, put it down gently, everything is the same as before..."

"Your Majesty, aren't you afraid that King Huaide will come again..." Seeing that Li Guangli was becoming more and more anxious, he was almost confused.

Liu Quti advised: "Prince Huaide is no longer the crown prince and has no real power. Besides, the queen has not been deposed yet! There is no need for you to worry..."

Li Guangli was stunned.

Liu Quti then whispered, "Your Majesty asked you to look after the victims. Don't forget what the grandson of the Emperor Jing is going to do. If he can't make things happen, can he still make things fail?"

Li Guangli's frown finally relaxed.

……

At the same time, Yaomu Palace.

The concubines in the Han Dynasty's harem also had their own titles and ranks.

The highest rank of Zhaoyi can be compared to the prime minister, and her title can be compared to that of a prince, but this was established by Emperor Yuan of Han in later generations.

And now, below the Queen is the Concubine!
Concubines also had their own female officials, official positions, and could recommend talents. In theory, they were all under the management of the empress.

However, in recent years, Empress Wei Zifu fell out of favor and lived in Changle Palace, which was previously where the "Empress Dowager" lived.

Among all the concubines, Lady Gouyi, as the highest rank under the Queen - Jieyushi, naturally had many people who catered to her.

At this moment, the female official Luo Yan came hurriedly.

"Your Majesty, His Majesty is ready to set off."

Madam Gouyi looked back disappointedly in the direction of Weiyang Palace, "Didn't His Majesty ask me to follow him?"

"I heard that someone asked His Majesty before, but His Majesty said that since this is a tour of the country in disguise, it is not appropriate to be extravagant. His Majesty only allowed Huo Guang and a few other court officials to accompany him, and there were no more than a dozen people in the group..."

"Then who will protect Your Majesty?" Madam Gouyi's eyes were slightly cold. "Your Majesty can listen to the words of Grandson Jing, but he is unwilling to listen to Fuling. Fuling cried and begged Your Majesty to take him with you last night..."

The female official did not dare to answer the latter question, but just stated:
"There should be Yu Lin and Qi Men Sui protecting us in secret."

Madam Gouyi wiped her eyes. She was in her prime and full of beauty. "I am just worried about Your Majesty. I really don't understand. Shouldn't Your Majesty despise and hate a lunatic like Grandson Jing? Why do you tolerate him so many times? Your Majesty is tolerant of him, but Grandson Jing has no filial piety..."

"If the grandson of Emperor Jing is on the way... wuwu... what will we do, mother and son?"

Madam Gouyi wiped away her tears and said, "There are fewer and fewer people available in the palace..."

"Slave, let's do it now."

……

Afternoon, outside Chang'an city.

"Big brother!"

In the distance, a young man who still looked childish was riding a horse towards them.

His horsemanship was superb. When he was dozens of steps away from the target, he jumped out, grabbed the reins at the side, made a handsome turn, and landed steadily in front of Liu Jin.

"Where's my second brother? He ran back from the Villa and had me locked up. He just let me out today. I have to settle this account with him."

Liu Yuan was the third son of Liu Ju. He was strong and sturdy, and extremely powerful, similar to Liu Xu, King of Guangling.

"Still in the carriage. This time you are going out with your second brother, remember to keep an eye on him and don't let him offend grandfather again. I wanted to go by myself, but..."

"I know, you have a sister-in-law and a child." Liu Yuan smiled, but he scratched his head again, thinking of something, "But I can't keep an eye on my second brother. He locked me up in the villa this time."

"It's okay. Mr. Shi De will go with you. Just listen to Mr. Shi De on the way."

At this time, Shi De, who was standing by, saw this and quickly analyzed the situation.

"Grandson Jing accidentally helped the Crown Prince's Palace get through this difficult time."

"But I have picked up another troublesome matter. If I follow His Majesty out this time, I am afraid there will be a lot of criticism in the court. Now that the decree to depose the crown prince has been issued, the princes will probably find a chance to come back. Some ministers in the court have also taken sides early on. I estimate that this trip will be full of twists and turns, so we must be on guard against others..."

“So I suggest that you tell Emperor Jing’s grandson later that we can just take a tour around the capital, and never go too deep to give others a chance. I know that Emperor Jing has the heart to save the people, but the victims are like a quagmire and whirlpool, so you can watch them from afar but not get up close…” Liu Yuan nodded like a chicken pecking at rice.

Just at this moment, hearing Shi De's suggestion again, Liu Jing hurriedly got out of the carriage.

He didn't want to bring Shi De with him this time, but Liu Ju insisted on having him accompany him, saying that he could trust Shi De because he was mature and prudent.

Liu Jing was worried, so he simply called his third brother from the other garden to guard the place.

He had just planned the route he was going to take, which he would then hand over to Huo Guang, and they would set off after confirmation.

In fact, Liu Che's troops had already left the capital, but for some reason they said they wanted to take a tour of the Jianzhang Palace.

Liu Jing didn't ask much, but he was a little bolder, which was different from what Shi De had just said about taking a trip around the capital.

He wanted to go west to Liangzhou, north to Shuofang, then make a big circle and go to Bingzhou, and then return to Chang'an from Yuzhou...

Among them, Liangzhou is the place where Huo Qubing led an expedition against the Huns, opened up Hexi, established the four Hexi counties, and opened up the Hexi Corridor, whose historical significance is no less than that of Fenglangjuxu!

Maybe, if you are lucky, you can unlock a lucky coin achievement monument.

But Liu Jing was not sure. After all, it was an unfinished game and he didn't know whether it would work on a real man.

But the prerequisite is that I must make contributions in Hexi...

By the way, Jin Midi who is now in the inner court is the prince of King Xiutu who surrendered at the beginning!

As for Shuofang, there are old soldiers from Mobei who stayed behind to garrison the border after the Great Battle of Mobei. Walking north from Ganquan Palace is Shuofang.

Liu Jing's plan here was to let Liu Che see with his own eyes the old soldiers who had followed Huo Qubing and established unprecedented achievements for the Han Dynasty.

Does their current life conform to Liu Che's goal of strengthening the Han Dynasty...

As for Bingzhou and Yuzhou, they are also two places worst hit by the drought and are on the way back.

Of course, he won't get too involved, as the victims are the most important thing.

After the plan was completed, Liu Jing handed it to Lu Jie beside him in advance and asked him to deliver it to Huo Guang.

……

"Your Majesty, this was sent by Emperor Jing's grandson."

Soon, the map was placed in front of Liu Che.

Liu Che was stunned after just one look. "Oh! Is he reminding me of the war with the Xiongnu? Will he go to comfort the victims?"

"Your Majesty, the place with the most disaster victims right now is the border between the capital and Liangzhou, from Duyang to Yinmi. But it's a bit far to go to Liangzhou first..."

"Far what?"

In fact, Liu Che did not enter the Jianzhang Palace. Instead, he stopped the convoy and looked at the boundless Shanglin Garden, which was flat and vast... At first glance, there seemed to be countless tall towers.

Just a month ago, this place was still a "holy land" for alchemists. Some people sang while beating wood, some singing girls danced to the music, and the alchemists were so happy that it was truly a paradise on earth.

But now, it is cold and quiet, and it looks empty as far as the eye can see.

“Decades ago, this place was also bustling with activity!”

"When I first ascended the throne, this was where I trained and raised my troops!"

Liu Che recalled the past with a little pride on his face, "Wei Qing started his career here, and Huo Qubing also grew up here. Since the two of them set out, they have been successful in everything they do. The nightmare that the Han Dynasty had been worried about for 70 years, that the Xiongnu would march southward and directly enter Ganquan, was wiped out by me!"

"I also had the ambition to swallow up the world and embrace the universe!"

Huo Guang sensed the loneliness in Liu Che's words and quickly said, "Your Majesty also has..."

"Haha, you don't understand!" Liu Che narrowed his eyes, his expression suddenly a little sad, but soon returned to normal, "Only your eldest brother understands, how can you understand..."

"It is precisely because the romantic figures are ephemeral that I...want to live forever."

After Liu Che finished expressing his feelings, he turned around.

"Forget it, let's not go to Jianzhang Palace. Let's get that kid to catch up as soon as possible. Let's go to Duyang first, and then to Liangzhou!"

"I also want to see the Hexi Corridor that I opened up all those years ago! I want to let the people of the world see how important this place is to the Han Dynasty! And let them know why I want to fight!"

Huo Guang immediately said yes...

After Liu Jing got the news, he hurried to follow.

Half a day and a night passed slowly, and only about a day was left to reach Duyang.

It was dawn the next day.

This extremely simple caravan even had only two horse-drawn carts in it, and the others were even ox-drawn carts, pretending to transport some worthless wood...

They were moving slowly, so they still had a day's distance to reach Duyang.

After sitting in the carriage for a long time, Liu Che got off, but found that Liu Jing had already walked on the road.

"Why don't you take a look at both sides..."

At this moment, seeing Liu Che getting off the car, Liu Jing also changed his tone.

This time the way they addressed each other had already changed. After all, when he was touring the country incognito, it was impossible to call them Emperor or Your Majesty.

Upon hearing this, Liu Che looked around.

But the weather was clear and the ground was dry and cracked, because it had rained some time ago.

There was nothing but bare land all around. It was summer, but there was no lush green forest to be seen.

Looking further ahead, there seemed to be a village, but it was sparsely populated...

Liu Che didn't know what he wanted him to see.

He said directly: "There are many prosperous places near the capital. This place is remote and has nothing to see."

He seemed to have predicted what Liu Jing was going to say, and said sarcastically, "I know you want me to meet the victims, and you also want to say that I built a lot of buildings before, and the people are living in misery."

"But unfortunately... I know that my Han Dynasty may have some disaster victims in other places, but I have summoned the rich to move to Chang'an in the capital area. This is the richest place in the world."

"It has only been a short time since we left Chang'an, and we haven't even reached the place where the disaster victims gathered. Do you want me to meet the local disaster victims in the capital? Haha..."

"That's right!" Liu Jing nodded in agreement and then pointed around.

Liu Jing pointed over there again, "Please look over there..."

Liu Che looked around and said, "You want me to see wild grass, cracked land? Or dead trees? These are caused by drought. What's there to see?"

Liu Jing had no choice but to walk closer and pointed at a tree trunk nearby and said, "Your Majesty, please look again."

When Liu Che took a look, he realized that the tree trunk was bare and there was no bark.

It seemed to have been stripped clean.

He suddenly understood and said angrily, "Just look at these trees. How come they are dying in droves?"

"Whose animal is this? Why is it even chewing the bark?"

(End of this chapter)