The Great Han Dynasty: From Crown Prince Li to Emperor of All Ages!

"Someone, prepare the car!"

"I must personally go to Ganquan Palace to meet His Majesty!"

Liu Ju waved his hand and gave a loud order.

"promise."

The attendants on either side went to make the arrangements.

"Your Highness."

"His Majesty is at Ganquan Palace. You may go there now..."

Zhang He hesitated, his eyes filled with worry.

Everyone in the court and among the people knew that he disliked the crown prince, and the saying "the son is not like his father" even circulated.

At this time, Crown Prince Liu Ju's rash visit to Ganquan Palace, especially for such a matter, inevitably angered Emperor Wu of Han.

There's a folk saying: "Pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger."

Sometimes, if you play dumb for too long, people will actually start to see you as a fool.

"I am the Crown Prince. Even if I violate the law, it is not up to a mere Imperial Censor to point it out."

"If Jiang Chong, such a despicable man, wants to use me as a stepping stone, then let the world see whether I am a pig or a tiger."

With a deep gaze, Liu Ju uttered a few words.

"Your Highness."

Zhang He sensed a hint of bloodshed in his words, which made him even more terrified.

However, a glimmer of hope arose in the heart of Zhang Tang's eldest son, the cruel official. Compared to the gentle and refined gentleman, he preferred the current crown prince, who possessed both compassion and ruthless methods. This was the wise ruler he wanted to serve.

[Ding, you are binding your account to the check-in system!]

Suddenly, a mechanical notification sounded in Liu Ju's mind, which startled him slightly.

Sure enough, the golden touch may be late, but it will never fail to arrive.

The sign-in system, as the name suggests, allows you to earn rewards by signing in. It is divided into daily sign-in, monthly sign-in, and yearly sign-in, with daily sign-in offering the lowest reward, monthly sign-in offering the next lowest, and yearly sign-in offering the highest.

Check-in!

Liu Ju silently recited it in his heart.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for successfully checking in! Reward: A gold and silver inlaid dragon and phoenix ring sword!]

"Do not collect at this time!"

Considering that Zhang He was still present, Liu Ju did not immediately take out the gold and silver inlaid dragon and phoenix ring horizontal sword.

However, the sign-in reward still made him quite excited.

The Tang Hengdao is the pinnacle of straight swords. Its blade is straight and upright, possessing both the kingly style of a sword and the domineering aura of a saber. With its narrow, straight blade and small guard, it can be wielded with both hands and is suitable for both infantry and cavalry.

Combining techniques such as hundred-refined steel, wrapped steel, sandwiched steel, clay tempering (partial quenching), and cutting edge forging, the forged horizontal sword was extremely sharp, excellent at penetrating armor and piercing. A fine steel horizontal sword sold for at least several thousand coins during the prosperous Tang Dynasty.

"Your Highness, I humbly ask..."

"What is your purpose in going to Ganquan Palace today?"

Zhang He's unexpected remark caught Liu Ju's attention.

"Among Your Majesty's sons, besides myself, there are Liu Hong, the Prince of Qi; Liu Dan, the Prince of Yan; and Liu Xu, the Prince of Guangling."

"All three kings were mediocre and lacked the qualities to inherit the imperial throne."

"The Marquis of Jinghuan, the champion, has passed away, but the Marquis of Changping is still alive. All the generals in the army are from the ranks of these two."

Therefore, no matter how dissatisfied Your Majesty is with me, you cannot shake my position.

"Your Highness, please watch your words!"

Zhang He's face turned pale, and he quickly spoke up to stop him.

If these words were to get out, they would surely cause a huge uproar in the Han Dynasty.

"It's alright."

Liu Ju, completely unconcerned, asked, "Do you know the Commandant of Music?"

"Li Yannian, the Commandant of Music?"

Zhang He said somewhat uncertainly.

Li Yannian was born into a family of musicians and dancers. In his early years, he was castrated for violating the law and was punished by being forced to raise the dogs in the palace.

At the beginning of the year, Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, promoted him to the position of Xie Lü Duwei and gave him a seal with a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of weight).

"His younger sister, Li, was well-versed in music and skilled in singing and dancing, possessing a beauty that could topple kingdoms."

"His elder brother, Li Guangli, was known for his bravery and strength, and was well-versed in military strategy."

"These days, Li Yannian has been frequently visiting Princess Pingyang's residence to deliver gifts."

"Your Highness means..."

Zhang He's pupils contracted sharply.

"My aunt knows Father Emperor's preferences best."

"Right now, her uncle's health is deteriorating day by day, and she is already thinking about how to please the emperor and maintain her power and status."

"If we send Li into the palace, she will naturally gain His Majesty's favor, and the Li family will rise in status."

"Later, Li Guangli led troops in the army and made some merits, which became another good story."

A mocking smile played on Liu Ju's lips, his expression intriguing.

"How could this be?!"

Zhang He was dumbfounded. Princess Pingyang was Wei Qing's wife and the maternal aunt of Crown Prince Liu Ju.

This move undoubtedly weakens the power of Crown Prince Liu Ju and Empress Wei Zifu. Doesn't she know that?

"His branch was under the command of five marquises, whose nobility shook the world."

"Which emperor wouldn't be wary of this?"

Liu Ju glanced at him and said indifferently.

"I see!"

Zhang He immediately understood the key point: the Li family's rise to power was not the main point; the main point was the thoughts of the current emperor, Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che.

After Wei Qing, his sons Wei Kang, Wei Buyi, and Wei Deng were successively enfeoffed as marquises. Similarly, Marquis of Champion Huo Qubing and Huo Shan were regarded as members of the Wei family.

In the first year of Yuanding (116 BC), Wei Kang, the eldest son of Wei Qing, forged an imperial edict and was punished, thus being stripped of his title.

In the fifth year of the Yuanding era (112 BC), Wei Qing's second son, Wei Buyi, and third son, Wei Deng, were stripped of their titles due to the "Zhoujin" case.

Now, only Wei Qing and Huo Shan remain in the Wei family, one old and frail, the other an innocent child.

Eliminating the power of the Wei family was also a way of weakening the Crown Prince's power, thereby reducing the threat he posed to Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che.

"You don't need to go this time."

"Your Highness!"

Zhang He looked puzzled.

"If anything changes, go to the Wei family."

A fierce glint flashed in Liu Ju's eyes. This time, he was going to do many things, things that would undoubtedly challenge Emperor Wu of Han.

As long as Wei Qing is alive, there will be no problem for him as crown prince, because even Emperor Wu of Han could not depose him.

"promise."

Zhang He was startled and turned to leave Bowangyuan.

After he left, a fine steel horizontal sword appeared in Liu Ju's hand. It was about four feet long, with a handle decorated with dragon and phoenix rings, and a scabbard with double hanging rings, inlaid with gold and silver.

"Whoosh!"

When Liu Ju drew his sword, a cold glint of light shone forth, and a silent killing intent spread out.

In his previous life, he started his rebellion too late and was not well prepared, which led to his failure.

In this life, the only path he could choose between himself and Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, was a military coup. With his cheat-like abilities, the advantage was in his hands, so how could he possibly lose?

"Father!"

"What if a son is not like his father?"

"What I want to do is not to be the emperor of the Han dynasty, but the ruler of China."

"Your perspective is too narrow, not broad enough!"

Liu Ju gave a cold laugh.

Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, was indeed worthy of being called one of the greatest emperors in history. However, as he grew older, he became incompetent in his later years. He was ambitious, believed in magic arts, indulged in excessive luxury, and engaged in endless wars, causing immense suffering to the people.

Moreover, Liu Che's blind faith in treacherous officials and suspicion of his relatives ultimately led to the witchcraft scandal, causing father and son to turn against each other, relatives to suffer, and the Han dynasty to the brink of collapse.

At the age of 18, he was in the prime of his life. With the Wei and Huo dynasties gone, he, the crown prince with the blood of the Liu and Wei families flowing in his veins, naturally had to take on the heavy responsibility of stabilizing the country, comforting the people, and step by step pushing the territory of the Han Dynasty further, laying a vast and boundless living space for his descendants.

PS：汉朝一尺是汉代基本度量单位，其长度约合现代 23.1厘米，度制遵循 1引=10丈、1丈=10尺、1尺=10寸的十进位规则。