Three Kingdoms: Li Shimin, dressed as Liu Shan, forcibly abducts Sun Shangxiang.

Chapter 30: Deposing Liu Shan as Crown Prince!

"Alive..."

"A Dou, A Dou is still alive..."

Liu Bei was almost in tears.

This brat is so willful and reckless, committing such a serious act of venturing deep into enemy territory! He had thought that A Dou was doomed this time.

He thought that the Liu imperial lineage would be cut off in his own hands.

So that

He even publicly promised Li Yan that if A Dou did not return, he would allow them to choose one of their remaining two young sons to succeed him.

How could Liu Bei not know the consequences of letting a powerful minister like Li Yan help a young emperor ascend the throne?

But at that time, there was no news of A Dou, and his fate was uncertain. How could I not consider the overall situation of Yizhou?

Currently,

Liu Bei could finally feel a little relieved.

As the eunuch wiped the emperor's face, Liu Bei finally calmed down, and a look of relief appeared on his somber face: "Good, it's good that you're safe..."

"A Dou has grown up."

"Your Highness has grown up more than just a little." Zhuge Liang sighed, but his gaze remained fixed on the bamboo slip.

"The Crown Prince is decisive and brave, with profound strategic acumen..."

"He's only seventeen! Yet he already shows signs of becoming a great ruler. Truly a blessing for the Han Dynasty and for all its people!"

"Although the Crown Prince had previously acted in absurd and outrageous ways, Liu Feng was still alive at that time. He had considerable military achievements and was highly respected in the army, in addition to being His Majesty's adopted son..."

"Now it seems that His Highness the Crown Prince was hiding his true abilities."

The good deeds that Liu Shan has done over the years can be described in more than just the words "absurd and outrageous".

He looks nothing like a ruler!

The result was that this crown prince, who did not look like a ruler at all, suddenly became a decisive, powerful, and far-sighted ruler overnight.

Aside from concealing his true abilities, there is really no other way to explain A Dou's earth-shattering change.

At a time when the Han dynasty was on the verge of collapse, the existence of such a far-sighted and strategically astute crown prince was truly a blessing for the nation!

"Prime Minister..."

"What the Prime Minister says is quite right."

Liu Bei nodded slightly, his words, though halting, revealing undisguised satisfaction: "Two hundred personal guards, a surprise attack on Shimen Mountain..."

"Shoot down Lu Xun..."

"Lead them, lead Guan Yu and Zhang Fei calmly, calmly pass through the army of 100,000..."

"Now, they even know to have Meng Da deliver the message..."

"A Dou has become a great man." Liu Bei was overjoyed: "Seventeen years old. When I was seventeen, I was... not as good as A Dou."

Liu Shan is only seventeen!

What was Liu Bei doing when he was seventeen?

However, having just finished his studies under Lu Zhi, he returned to his hometown of Zhuojun and befriended some heroes... though they were just leaders of a group of wandering knights.

To put it bluntly, when I was seventeen, I was just messing around in my rural hometown.

But at the same age of seventeen, his own eldest son had already shot down the Grand Commander of Jiangdong!

They've completely outmaneuvered the main force of the Eastern Wu's 100,000-strong army!

"I……"

"I must wait for A Dou to return..."

The Han emperor took a deep breath. He had said the same thing to Zhuge Liang when Li Yan first submitted his memorial to establish a new crown prince.

But when Liu Bei said those words back then, he was far less confident than he is now.

It's more like forcing yourself to have something to look forward to.

It's more like desperately grasping at a straw!

But when Liu Bei mentioned these words again, he was more certain than ever before…

Although I am not good at strategy and military tactics, I have never misjudged people.

A Dou infiltrated the camp of 100,000 Wu soldiers, shot down Lu Xun, and escaped unharmed. He even managed to send a message to his father through Meng Da to let him know he was safe!

With such courage and boldness,

With such a strategy,

He will surely be able to return safely to Baidi City!

"I will wait for A Dou to return, and entrust the entire Han dynasty to him, Prime Minister..."

"Your subject is here!"

The Han emperor's hand, already withered and bony, still trembled as it rested on Zhuge Liang's hand: "A Dou, though you have already achieved great things, you are still, after all, young..."

"From now on, we will still have to rely on you for important military and national affairs."

Since the Battle of Yiling, Zhuge Liang had never felt so relaxed and at ease!

Faced with the entrustment of the Han emperor,

He did not refuse.

There was no fear or panic.

He simply nodded solemnly: "Your subject, how dare you not be willing to die for your cause?"

"We will certainly not fail Your Majesty's trust!"

At this moment,

A palace attendant stepped forward and announced, "Your Majesty! Li Yan, the Grand Secretary, requests an audience with the Emperor."

Is Li Yan here again?

Zhuge Liang subconsciously frowned.

Ever since His Majesty promised Li Yan that if the Crown Prince did not return, another heir would be appointed, Li Zhengfang has been submitting memorials every few days, urging the Emperor to appoint another Crown Prince as soon as possible.

I'm afraid he came here today for this very reason.

With this thought in mind,

Kongming subconsciously glanced at the emperor on the couch.

The emperor's face betrayed no emotion; he simply uttered a single word: "Summon."

"Summon Li Yan, the Grand Secretary, to an audience!"

moment,

Then a man in a black robe and a crown knelt down before the emperor's bed.

"Your subject Li Yan pays his respects to Your Majesty the Emperor. May Your Majesty be well!"

No need for formalities.

"His Majesty……"

Li Yan didn't waste any words and went straight to the point: "Now that the Crown Prince has not returned to the country for a long time, and there are rumors that General Huang Quan, the General Who Guards the North, has already surrendered to the Cao family, who are usurping the Han throne!"

"The people of Yizhou are in turmoil, and the military and civilians are filled with anxiety."

"For the sake of stabilizing the situation in Sichuan and for the sake of the nation, I humbly request Your Majesty..."

"Establish a new heir!"

"And execute Huang Quan's son to uphold the proper order between ruler and subject, and to serve as a warning to rebellious ministers and traitors!!"

For a time,

Besides the wisps of smoke rising from the Boshan incense burner...

Inside Yong'an Palace,

There was no further movement.

for a long time,

Finally, the emperor's voice came from the couch: "Even though Huang Quan surrendered to Wei, it was out of necessity."

"I already said that..."

"It is I who have failed Huang Quan. It is not Huang Quan who has failed me."

"Besides..."

At this point,

Liu Xuande's words, which had been hesitant, suddenly changed: "Moreover, Meng Da's son is still alive today."

"If I kill him, if I kill Huang Quan's son, how can I explain myself to the people of the world?"

After Meng Da surrendered to Wei,

The reason Liu Bei did not kill Meng Da's only son was not only because he did not want to implicate an innocent child, but also because Li Yan pleaded for Meng Da's son at the time.

Yes,

Li Yan and Meng Da are good friends.

The two had a very close personal relationship, which was no secret.

Even the story of Li Yan pleading for Meng Da's son became a popular tale in Yizhou.

But right now, Li Yan has proposed to execute Huang Quan's son.

Liu Bei suddenly brought up this old story, instantly silencing Li Yan.

They were all traitors.

You want to protect Meng Da's son, but you recommend killing Huang Quan's son?

Are you, Li Zhengfang, acting for the greater good of Yizhou, or for your own personal gain?

Thinking of this,

Li Yan gritted his teeth and loudly petitioned, "Your Majesty, I beg you to execute Meng Da's son and Huang Quan's son!"

"Establish a new crown prince!"

"To uphold the proper order between ruler and subject, and to stabilize the hearts of the Han people!!"

Li Zhengfang is something else!

To achieve his own goals, he even disregarded the son of his friend?

This person is indeed only after profit!

Liu Bei's eyes gradually turned cold: "Huang Quan, Meng Da, the matter of your families... we'll discuss it later."

"Your Highness, a letter has recently arrived..."

"His letter said that everything was fine."

Has the Crown Prince sent a letter?

Everything is alright?!

This sudden news caught Li Yan completely off guard.

After the Crown Prince left Zigui, there was no further news of him. All that was known was that he had ventured deep into Wu territory and gone to Yiling.

These days

Not only was Zhuge Liang sending out scouts everywhere to investigate the Crown Prince's whereabouts.

He himself sent people to search for the Crown Prince, but still found nothing.

Now Your Majesty is saying that the Crown Prince has sent back a letter to report that everything is alright?

How is that possible?

Putting everything else aside, if the Crown Prince really sent someone from Yiling to deliver a message back to Baidi City, even if he could evade Bu Zhi's scouts on the south bank...

However, no matter what, they could not bypass Zigui, where Lu Xun was stationed.

How could the Crown Prince's messenger possibly deliver the letter to His Majesty's bedside?

This must be the emperor making empty excuses!

Amidst surging thoughts, Li Yan kowtowed once more: "The Crown Prince's safety is truly a blessing for the nation."

"However, Your Majesty's health is not yet fully recovered, and the Han dynasty is as fragile as a pile of eggs!"

"To guard against unforeseen circumstances, I dare to implore Your Majesty to prioritize the survival of the Han Dynasty and to establish an heir apparent as soon as possible, so as to appease the hopes of the people..."

"Li Zhengfang!" Zhuge Liang could no longer contain himself. He shouted angrily, "Are you a subject of the Han Dynasty?"

He had always thought that Li Yan was a military and political genius who could govern the people's livelihood at the local level and establish national policies at the central level.

It wasn't until after the Crown Prince's affair that he realized what had happened...

This person is actually a talented but immoral villain who only cares about his own selfish interests!

"You keep saying His Majesty's health is not yet fully recovered, and the Han dynasty is in grave danger..."

"Within a few days, you have submitted six memorials requesting the establishment of a new crown prince!"

"Now that the Crown Prince is safe and sound, you still blindly spout nonsense about the heir apparent... Li Zhengfang, are you truly determined to emulate Wang Mang and Cao Cao?!"

Wang Mang, Cao Cao!

Last time, Zhuge Liang even called himself Cao Cao, and this time he even compared himself to Wang Mang!

Both of them were traitors to the Han.

Cao Cao was still alive but dared not declare himself emperor, while Wang Mang killed the Han emperor and directly changed the dynasty!

Zhuge Liang compared him to Wang Mang, which was practically an insult accusing him of usurping the throne.

"Kongming! You, you, you, you..."

Li Yan's face was ashen, and he pointed a trembling finger at Kongming, but it took him a long time to speak.

"You're spouting nonsense!"

"His intentions are despicable!"

"Since the Emperor moved his capital to Yizhou, I, Li Yan, have always been cautious and diligent in serving the Emperor, whether in the various prefectures or in the imperial court in Chengdu!"

"I am merely fulfilling my duty as an upright official, speaking the truth as it is!"

"How dare you accuse me of being a traitor to the Han dynasty like Cao Cao and Wang Mang?!"

"Ha, a loyal minister?" Zhuge Liang sneered sarcastically, "A loyal minister without father or ruler?"

Li Yan's face turned pale and then red: "You, you..."

"The emperor's health deteriorates slightly, yet you rush to install a crown prince, eager to claim credit for his ascension!"

"This is clearly a curse upon our lord, written for his own selfish gain!"

Kongming continued his message: "In the past, it was one thing for you to fight for power in the imperial court for your own selfish interests."

"The nation is now in such turmoil, and the emperor is so gravely ill!"

"You're actually disregarding the bigger picture and still fighting for your own selfish interests..."

"If this is not a case of being without father or ruler, then what is?!"

Zhuge Liang was subjected to a barrage of accusations.

Li Yan was already dumbfounded: "Zhuge Kongming, you, you're just making excuses! Making excuses..."

"I wouldn't deign to argue with a scoundrel like you who only cares about profit!"

"Phew~"

Li Yan took a deep breath.

He understood that even ten of himself tied together wouldn't be a match for Zhuge Liang in a verbal battle.

He turned around without hesitation.

He knelt before Liu Bei's sickbed once more: "Your Majesty..."

"A family with a son who speaks frankly will not ruin its family."

"A country with honest and upright ministers will not perish!"

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that your request be granted!"