A few days later, the Xiongnu gifts under the charge of Zhi Su Neishi were almost ready. In addition to a large amount of corn, there were also a hundred catties of gold, a hundred thousand coins, a thousand catties of catkins, and a thousand pieces of brocade and silk. Dang, the gift is very generous.
Liu Ji heard the report and was very satisfied with the large amount of money he had collected in a hurry, so he led Xiao He, Liu Jing and others into the North Palace to see the various gold and silver items that the queen was responsible for.
As soon as everyone stepped into the hall, they were dazzled by the dazzling array of rare treasures. The bright ones were large and small bronze mirrors, the golden ones were gold-decorated hairpins, and the white ones were jade pendants and jade pendants.
All utensils and gadgets were wiped until they were shiny and new.
Liu Jing held up the new festival he had just received and was amazed.
"This is so rich, so rich. I think that Shan Yu will be very happy as he has never seen so many treasures in his life."
Lu Pheasant pointed at the embroidered dark clothes that were piled up like a hill, and paid attention to the instructions,
“These women’s clothing are also specially prepared for you, the Yan family.
I heard that the Chanyu of the Xiongnu and the Yan family of the kings had a very high status. They could often influence the government and control the life and death of ministers. This should not be ignored. "
Liu Jing bowed and said,
"What the Queen said is absolutely true.
It is said that their Yan family often goes out with the army as a routine matter, and will also meet with foreign ministers together with the Shanyu. The ministers will definitely pay attention to it. "
Liu Ji took a quick look at it and felt it was impeccable. Feeling reassured, he asked again,
"Where's Ying'er? I haven't seen Ying'er for a long time."
Lu Pheasant said hurriedly,
"Ying'er was left in the wing by Shu Sun Tong to endorse, but you want to ask him to come?"
"No, you continue to take stock, I'll go see them." Liu Ji walked away.
***
Seeing the emperor's sudden visit, Shusuntong and Liu Ying both hurriedly saluted.
Liu Ji seemed to be very interested. He casually sat down on the couch and asked about Liu Ying's daily homework. Suddenly, he suddenly had a whim and asked,
"Ying'er, you are the prince, and you have studied for so many days, so I am here to test you.
You said, now that I have a strong enemy like the Huns to the north, how should I deal with it? "
Liu Ying stood up hurriedly, bowed respectfully again, shook her little head and said,
"Confucius said, 'Government based on virtue is like Beichen, who lives in his place and is surrounded by stars.'"
As the Son of Heaven, my father is in charge of all directions in the world. If he implements virtuous government, he will be guarded by the stars in the sky like the North Star in the sky.
As the saying goes, "Those who are near are pleased, and those who are far away will come." No matter how far away the Huns are, they will come here with admiration for their virtues. "
"Then what if I have carried out the rule of Yao and Shun, but foreign countries still provoke and invade the border?"
Hearing this set of Confucian theories, Liu Ji's brows gradually knitted, and his tone became a little stern as he continued to ask.
"If this is the case, I believe that my father should review his own moral character and then review his governance strategy to see where he has fallen short.
Mencius once said, "A person in his seventies will be clothed with silk and eat meat, and the people will neither be hungry nor cold. However, there will be no king who is not a king."
If my father could be gentle, kind, respectful, thrifty, and accommodating in everything, he would be able to conquer the people of the four seas without spending a single soldier, and the Huns would also surrender, and there would be no need to send out troops to conquer. "
Liu Ying blinked her big eyes and spoke plausibly.
"you!"
Liu Ji's eyes widened in shock. He opened his mouth to curse and then closed it suddenly. The corners of his mouth twitched. He glared angrily at his son who stood there with an upright look on his face. He was speechless for a long time, but he felt angry, angry and unbelievable, so he had no choice but to use his strength. He slapped the edge of the couch and kept shouting,
"Shusun Tong, Zhang Zifang, you two explain it to me!
One of you is Fengchang, and the other is the Crown Prince and Tutor. Is this the Crown Prince you have worked so hard to teach? ! "
***
Zhang Liangzheng and Liu Jing were carefully inspecting the various palace lanterns, incense burners and gold and silverware together. Suddenly they heard a noise in the side room. When they heard it, they heard that it was the emperor shouting for him, so they hurried there.
Liu Jing didn't know what was going on and wanted to watch the excitement, so he followed Zhang Liang to the side room.
Although they were eager, Zhang Liang was old and frail and could not walk quickly. He was finally dragged into the side room by Liu Jing. Liu Ji was seen sitting on the couch with an angry look on his face. Shusuntong, who was standing in front of the couch, looked slightly embarrassed. , was asking the prince something in a low voice.
The palace attendants had already knelt on the ground, trembling.
They didn't know that Shusun Tong in front of them looked calm, but in fact he was already breaking out in a cold sweat.
Shusun Tong knew that Prince Liu Ying was usually weak in kindness and most honest and loyal, but his mind was really not very bright. He just memorized the Confucian classics that he usually taught without asking for any explanation.
He also thought that when he grew older, he would be able to understand the deeper meaning, but he never expected that this honest child would actually speak freely in front of the emperor.
But after all, Shusun Tong had dealt with many emperors with very different personalities in his life. Whether in front of Qin Shihuang, Prince Fusu, or Qin II Hu Hai, he was able to advance and retreat freely, which can be regarded as a long-term test.
At this moment, he was only surprised for a moment, and then he immediately returned to normal and tried to turn the tide.
"Well, your Majesty, please be patient and calm for a moment. Rong Chen will ask His Royal Highness the Crown Prince a few more questions."
"You ask, ask now, I want to see how he answers."
Liu Ji couldn't sit still anymore. He just stood in front of Liu Ying with his hands behind his back, his head lowered, and he looked down at the prince who was less than ten years old angrily.
Shusun Tong thought for a moment and then asked,
"Your Highness, do you still remember what I said about Duke Ai of Lu asking for troops?"
Liu Ying tilted her head and thought for a moment, nodded and said,
"I remember that Duke Ai of Lu once asked Confucius, 'Is it ominous for those who use military force?'"
"So how did Confucius answer this question?"
Seeing the impatience building up on Liu Ji's face, Shusun Tong's scalp was numb, but he knew very well that for children with solid eyes, he could only teach them gently and not act too hastily, let alone scold them verbally.
"Well... Confucius said, 'Why is Hu so unlucky? The sage uses military force to prohibit cruelty and violence in the world.'"
Although Liu Ying did not react quickly, she worked hard and was a good hand when it came to endorsements.
Even though he was slow, he noticed that his father's face was not kind, but he firmly believed that what he said was correct, so although his voice was a little trembling, the words were still clear.
Shusun Tong led him to recite this question and answer, in fact, he wanted to enlighten him. Confucius also said that war cannot be generalized, and evil violence must be countered with violence.
Seeing Liu Ying carrying her back and thinking thoughtfully, Shusuntong took a deep breath and mustered up the courage to ask,
"Then I dare to ask Your Highness, if the emperor observes propriety and benevolence, but the rebellious ministers and traitors insist on doing such disobedient things?"
"Well, if this is the case, the world is in order, and the conquest of rituals and music comes from the emperor. According to the stories of Tang's defeat of Gebo and King Wu's conquest of You, we can also send troops to fight.
But only by telling the world and being a righteous teacher can we be invincible and invincible. "
"Exactly, exactly. As long as the expedition is in line with benevolence and justice, can relieve the suffering of the people and bring happiness, it is right."
Shusun Tong praised him repeatedly and couldn't help but peek at the emperor's face.
Liu Ji's originally tense face relaxed slightly, his anger gradually disappeared, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. He patted Liu Ying's head and poked his forehead gently.
"Oh, you have such a brain, when will you be like me?"
These words are full of the helplessness of hating iron for not being able to become steel.
Zhang Liang stood silently aside, taking in everything in his sights, knowing that there was no need to take action himself. This small crisis had been resolved calmly by Shusun Tong's guidance and Liu Ying's own honesty.
Liu Ji has entered old age, and the relationship between the old emperor and the prince is the most subtle, very different from ordinary people.
The old emperor not only hoped that the prince would be smart and capable, but he also absolutely did not like to see the prince be too virtuous or too powerful, or have too many wings.
Being surrounded by one or several talented and strategic sons all day long must have been a difficult life for the emperor.
Although Liu Ying is a bit clumsy and weak now, her uncompromising kindness and bright heart are visible to everyone.
The country, the country, and the country are important, but for Liu Ji, a master of heroic guessing, how to ensure that he can die well is also the top priority. The so-called emperor's heart is probably like this.
