I am not Yuan Shu

Chapter 151 The King is More Qualified to Become the Emperor
Liu Kui liked drinking, especially wine, but it was difficult to get. Even if he could get it, the price was extremely expensive. Even as a prince, he could not enjoy wine freedom.

In other words, only a small group of top people in the ruling class can achieve wine freedom in this era.

For example, the Runan Yuan family, the most powerful family in the entire Han Empire.

But even in the Runan Yuan family, most people could only enjoy a relatively small amount of wine on certain holidays, and only a few people at the top of the family were qualified to achieve wine freedom.

This was also thanks to Yuan Shu's control of the wine procurement channels after he went to Guanzhong to develop, which helped family leaders such as Yuan Feng and Yuan Wei to gain wine freedom.

Others may not know, but Yuan Shu knows that his father Yuan Feng no longer drinks wine.

For the outside world, the price of wine varies with the distance.

In Liangzhou, wine is an expensive product.

In the Sanfu area, wine is a luxury.

In Luoyang, wine is worth more than gold.

Further east beyond Hulao Pass, the price of wine is no longer as cheap as gold.

This was the case in Nanpi County of Bohai State in Jizhou where Liu Kui lived.

Wine is a legendary item. Many people have heard of it, but only a few have seen it, and even fewer have tasted it.

The last time Liu Kui tasted wine was before he was deposed from the throne, which was five or six years ago. The sweet taste lingered in his dreams and made him unforgettable for a long time, but he could only savor it in his dreams.

When I wake up from the dream, there is only endless emptiness and loss.

Now, when he heard that someone was going to offer him wine, he was overjoyed. Then he realized that this merchant was of extraordinary status and probably had a strong background. He didn't know where he came from, so he didn't dare to neglect him. He immediately sent someone to lead Yuan Shu to the guest hall and met Yuan Shu.

When he first met Liu Kui, Yuan Shu felt that Liu Kui did not look like a man in his thirties, but rather like he was fifty years old.

He had a pale face, sunken eye sockets, a fat body, and even some gray hair at his temples. He did not look like a healthy person.

He didn't know how Liu Kui, who was in his thirties, managed to live like a man in his fifties.

But this is not a very important thing.

He presented three large jars of wine, which made Liu Kui's eyes light up. He stepped forward to open the wine seal, took a deep breath, and his face was full of intoxication. He felt that his saliva was about to flow out.

But since he was in front of Yuan Shu, he couldn't act like a drunkard and managed to maintain his demeanor.

He knew that these three jars of wine were not something he could just accept casually. As the saying goes, one should not accept gifts without merit. The merchant in front of him not only had an extraordinary background, but also had ulterior motives.

What is he doing?
Liu Kui felt a little alert.

"Wine is a good thing. It is shipped from Liangzhou to Jizhou, a distance of thousands of miles, and its value is higher than gold. You said you are a merchant, but I think you must be asking for something big. Tell me, who sent you? What do you want? You actually want me to support you?"

Yuan Shu smiled and looked at the guards standing behind Liu Kui.

"My lord, may I have a word with you?"

Yuan Shu had been searched before entering the mansion, and he was the only one there. Liu Kui thought about it, then looked down at the three large jars of wine, nodded, looked at the two guards behind him, winked, and asked them to leave.

The two guards retreated outside the hall, but did not leave completely. Instead, they watched them from a long distance, so they could not hear what they said.

Liu Kui looked at Yuan Shu.

"Can you speak now?"

Yuan Shu didn't care, so he whispered, "Your Majesty, you don't know my name yet, right?"

"Huh? Who are you?"

"My surname is Yuan, my given name is Shu, and I am from Ruyang County, Runan Prefecture."

"Yuan..."

Liu Qi seemed to have thought of something, and his expression, which was originally slightly alert, suddenly became extremely solemn.

He frowned and looked at Yuan Shu in surprise.

"Ru'nan County? From Ruyang County?"

"Yes."

"You...are you from the Yuan family of Runan?"

"Yes."

"Who sent you?"

"My father is Yuan Feng, the Imperial Household Minister."

"Yuan Feng...you...Yuan Shu...are you Yuan Feng's son?" Liu Qi was shocked. He looked at Yuan Shu in astonishment and asked hurriedly, "Why did you come to me? You...and gave me something? I have no dealings with your Yuan family. You..."

Seeing Liu Kui like this, Yuan Shu put away his smile and bowed to Liu Kui with a serious expression.

"I am here on my father's orders to inform the king that Queen Mother Dou has passed away and the king is in danger. Yuan hopes to protect the king's safety and prevent him from being framed by traitors."

Liu Qi's pupils shrank and he was shocked.

"Empress Dowager Dou... passed away? Someone wants to harm me? Who? Who wants to harm me?"

"Your Majesty, are you aware that there is a rumor in Bohai that you are coveting the throne?"

Yuan Shu whispered, "I have heard news about the king coveting the throne in the Bohai Kingdom. I wonder if the king has heard of this?"

"I……"

Liu Qi looked embarrassed. He looked at the two guards in the distance, lowered his throat, and whispered, "I have heard something, but it is all false, just rumors spread by fools and women. It is not worth mentioning at all. I am the brother of the late emperor and a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty. How could I covet the throne? This is clearly a frame-up!"

"This is about the throne, not to mention that the king is the late emperor's brother. If such news gets out, wouldn't it be fatal for the king?"

Yuan Shu said slowly: "The emperor is only fifteen years old. Although he has already come of age, he is still a teenager. As the saying goes, a young ruler makes the country suspicious. Moreover, the emperor and the late emperor are only from the same clan. The late emperor still has a younger brother, and there are rumors that the younger brother covets the throne. My king, you are not worried, but I am worried for you in private!"

Liu Li looked a little flustered.

"Isn't this... an exaggeration? I am just an idle prince. How can I have the chance to become an emperor?"

Yuan Shu shook his head.

"The man is innocent, but he is guilty of possessing a treasure. Whether the king wants to do it or not is not the most important thing. The most important thing is that the king is actually more qualified to be the emperor than the current emperor, isn't it?"

Liu Kui's heart trembled, and he looked at Yuan Shu hurriedly, with a hint of...

Excited?
"Do you really think so?"

Seeing Liu Kui's expression, Yuan Shu was secretly happy, but he did not show it.

"Don't you think this is a good thing, Your Majesty?"

"This……"

"Is this a good thing for the emperor and the eunuchs who helped him seize power?"

"I……"

"Your Majesty, Queen Mother Dou has passed away!"

Yuan Shu immediately said: "When Empress Dowager Dou was alive, although the emperor was young, with the Empress Dowager by his side, the throne of the emperor would be temporarily stable. If Empress Dowager Dou lived longer, the emperor would be over 20 years old now, and the throne of the emperor would also be stable. Unfortunately, Empress Dowager Dou has passed away, and the emperor is only 15 years old. The Han Dynasty has become a situation where the ruler is young and the country is in doubt!
At this time, the Bohai Kingdom, the fiefdom of the late emperor's younger brother, had spread the news that the King of Bohai coveted the throne, and that the King of Bohai had a good relationship with the eunuchs Zheng Sa and Dong Teng in the palace. Your Majesty, what do you think the emperor would think? What would the eunuchs think? What would the people of the world think? "

Liu Kui was stunned for a moment, and then he turned pale with horror.

"You...how do you know that I have any contact with Zheng Sa and the others...No! No! I have no contact with them!"

Liu Kui accidentally let the cat out of the bag, then immediately tried to make up for it and hastily denied it.

But it doesn't make any sense.

"Your Majesty, Yuan She, a member of the Yuan family, is serving as a palace attendant."

Yuan Shu shook his head and smiled, "Your Majesty, you don't think that the Yuan family is out of touch with the news and knows nothing, right? If so, why did Yuan Taifu send me to meet the king?"

"…………"

Liu Kui was speechless for a moment, then he approached Yuan Shu and whispered, "So why did Yuan Feng ask you to come here? Is he trying to threaten me? Blackmail me?"

Yuan Shu burst out laughing.

"Your Majesty, the Yuan family doesn't care about the wine that is worth more than gold, so how can they blackmail you? I came here to inform you that there will be a big change in the capital. Your Majesty is in a very dangerous situation. I suggest you make plans early."

"You mean, the emperor today...will kill me?"

Liu Que's expression was uncertain, and he whispered, "I am the brother of the late emperor, and I have not violated any law or discipline. Why do you want to kill me? Just because there are rumors that I covet the throne? How can you believe rumors? Even if I have had dealings with eunuchs, that... that cannot be considered as evidence of seeking the throne! I am a prince, if you want to punish me, how can you not have real evidence?"

"Your Majesty, if the eunuchs wanted to harm you, why would they limit themselves to this matter?"

Yuan Shu sighed, "Back then, Duke Hui of Jin wanted to kill the powerful minister Rik. Rik was the meritorious minister who welcomed Duke Hui of Jin back to the throne, but Duke Hui wanted to kill him. He refused to accept it, so Duke Hui told him that since he could welcome him, he could also harm him in the future. He felt uneasy day and night because of this, so he had no choice but to kill Rik.

Rick was speechless and sighed. Before his execution, he said, "If you want to accuse someone, you can always find a pretext. Duke Hui just wanted Rick to die. Since he had made up his mind, why would he stop because there was no real crime? If there was no real crime, he could just make one up. Moreover, the king was on good terms with the eunuchs in the palace. Isn't this enough as evidence of his guilt?"

Since ancient times, foreign officials are not supposed to make friends with court eunuchs. This is a big taboo. Once they do it, no matter what the purpose is, it will arouse the emperor's suspicion. What's more, the king's identity and what he did in the past, all these things put together, it will lead to a result that is unfavorable to the king. Isn't it difficult?
In the first year of Jianning, the emperor was only twelve years old, but he was able to personally hold a sword and fight with the eunuchs, force Dou Wu to commit suicide, put Empress Dowager Dou under house arrest, seize the emperor's seal and seal, and seize the imperial power. The emperor cares so much about the throne that he can even kill those who support him. What can't he do? What's more, the emperor is surrounded by such a group of treacherous people! "

(End of this chapter)