On the way into the palace, Shen Tujia heard Wang Deyi say that the eldest princess had already gone to pick up the Crown Prince back to the East Palace.
Shen Tujia smiled bitterly in his heart, and he immediately understood what the emperor meant. It seemed that the emperor's meaning this time was very obvious. He was going to let His Highness go as a pretense, and then this mess was going to be left to He's here to handle it.
For a moment, this really made Shen Tujia a little hesitant. If there was a choice between the emperor and King Wu, of course he would choose the emperor. There is no doubt about this, but the question is whether King Wu Liu Bi is easy to offend.
He has collected a lot of illegal money from Liu Bi over the years. Who knows if this old guy has left anything ulterior?
Although he is now very old, in the position of prime minister of the Han Dynasty, he really can't let go of this position for a while.
You must know that it is the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, and the prime minister is the real master of all officials.
Except for high-ranking officials with an income of more than 2,000 dan, who need the emperor's approval, the appointment and dismissal of the remaining middle- and lower-level officials can all be done at the prime minister's whim.
Moreover, according to the etiquette regulations of the Han Dynasty, the prime minister must meet the emperor in the main hall, that is, the Xuanshi Hall, wearing the crown of the emperor.
After the prime minister has finished his speech and resigned, the emperor will stand up and escort him to the palace gate.
This shows the high status of the Prime Minister!
People are always like this. After tasting the sweetness of power, how could they be willing to give up so early?
If possible, Shen Tujia certainly wanted to be able to sit in this position for a long time.
If he wanted to sit in this position for a long time, the first problem he had to solve was naturally the emperor's trust.
Now that this matter is before him, it is indeed a difficult problem. But it is undeniable that if this problem is solved, he can gain the trust of the two generations of emperors at once.
Although trust is usually invisible and intangible, you only need to look at Zhou Yafu's current treatment to understand how valuable this thing is.
Taiwei Zhou Bo has been dead for so many years, and Zhou Bo's eldest son was finally deprived of his position as marquis because of murder.
According to common sense, the Zhou family would have completely declined if it reached its current situation. However, Shen Tujia only mentioned it briefly, and the emperor immediately gave Zhou Yafu the position of prefect.
He also made it clear to Shentu Jia directly that as long as Zhou Yafu was worthy of development, he could even consider returning the position of marquis to him.
It is no longer the time when the Han Dynasty was founded. The imperial court is actually very cautious about granting titles. The system of nobility without military merit has been implemented for many years.
But just because of the blessings of his ancestors, the emperor was able to make up his mind to give the Zhou family another chance.
In this Xiongnu invasion, Zhou Yafu's choice was not wrong, but the final result really made everyone heartbroken.
But what about in the end?
Beidi County has been beaten like that. If it were another person, he would have been taken away from his position and his house confiscated by now. But what happened to Zhou Yafu in the end?
He was actually thrown directly by the emperor to Xiliu Camp for military training without making any noise. From this incident, many people could already tell that Zhou Yafu was someone the emperor wanted to use.
As the first person to recommend Zhou Yafu, Shen Tujia felt really mixed emotions.
He has been the prime minister of the Han Dynasty for so many years, but until now, the emperor has continued to favor him openly.
But the emperor has some favors for him. If outsiders can't see this kind of thing, how can he not understand it himself?
It's just that many times, he chooses to deceive himself.
However, after thinking about this, Shen Tujia suddenly felt that this matter could actually be an opportunity for him.
This matter has reached this point, and it is already obvious how to deal with it.
The final result is nothing more than one, give Liu Xian a favor, and then give the prince a painless punishment.
In the end, this matter was settled. Judging from the emperor's health, His Highness the Crown Prince will still ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor in another three to five years at most. Changing the Crown Prince in the Kingdom of Wu may not necessarily be a good thing for the court. A bad thing.
After all, King Wu Liu Bi is already old, and among his sons, except Liu Xian, who is still pretty good, the rest are all incompetent.
Among the princes and kings of the Han Dynasty, there was Liu Deng, the acting king, and Liu Wu, the king of Liang, which was enough!
For the remaining princes, it is better to be mediocre. If every one of them had great talent and strategy, the world would really be in great danger!
Over the years, the Kingdom of Wu has gradually become a strong leader. Now, the crown prince of the Kingdom of Wu has died, and the position of a crown prince has suddenly been vacated. The opportunity for the remaining princes of the Kingdom of Wu will not come all at once. Yet?
When they fight for it one by one and have a fun time, maybe it will give the court a breakthrough to open up the situation!
"Veteran Shen Tujia, see your Majesty!"
"Prime Minister, get up quickly. I heard that the Prime Minister is ill. Is this the case?"
Seeing Shen Tujia coming, Liu Heng quickly stood up and came to Shen Tujia's side, patted his shoulder and then said this.
"Your Majesty is worried about my illness. In fact, it is 30% true and 70% false! It's really because people have been coming to my door recently, but I can't shirk it. I have no choice but to take this step. Your Majesty is laughing!"
Now that he has made up his mind to support the emperor, Shen Tujia must now find ways to get closer to the emperor.
Smile is actually the most contagious expression!
Seeing the self-deprecating smile on Shen Tujia's face, the emperor couldn't help but smile.
"People say it's difficult to be a householder without being deaf or mute, even in a small family, let alone a prime minister like you!"
"Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty. I really have no choice. If I don't pretend to be sick, I'm afraid Chen will really be sick..."
Seeing that the emperor was joking with him, Shen Tujia naturally wanted to continue.
"Hahahaha, then I have nothing to do with it, but Prime Minister, you have to take care of yourself. If you get sick, who can you leave to the affairs of the court?"
Seeing Liu Heng change the topic and turn the matter to the court, Shen Tujia suddenly understood in his heart that it seemed that the topic was about to come.
"I must apologize to His Majesty for the matter concerning His Royal Highness..."
Anyway, there was no way to escape this matter today, so Shen Tujia simply rose to the challenge and brought the topic up on his own initiative.
