On the day the meeting ended, everyone filed out with different expressions. When he walked to the corridor, Chen Chong called Zhong Yao loudly and smiled at him: "Yuan Chang, are you free today? Speaking of which, we haven't chatted together for a long time. I really miss the time when I was a doctor and you were the one offering wine. It’s the days of Shang Shulang!”
Chen Chong's posture was very low, but Zhong Yao shook his head slightly and said with a smile: "Ting Jian doesn't have to beat around the bush, there are some things that you and I both know very well. I couldn't reach an agreement with you on today's big things, so naturally it will be decided by someone who can." I came to talk to you. This is all for the sake of the country and the country. I hope you won’t hold any grudges.” After that, he didn’t say much to Chen Chong and left quickly.
Chen Chong watched his back go away, feeling deeply lonely for a moment. Only when Guan Yu patted his shoulder did he smile again. The two rode out of the palace together and walked for a while. Guan Yu speeded up slightly and rode alongside Chen Chong. Guan Yu said softly: "It seems that these people have been colluding with each other for a long time. Even you and me are excluded. Even if Today is not going well, I think something big will happen later."
After a moment of silence, Chen Chong replied: "This is a big matter, how can we rebel? To put it bluntly, we are just dissatisfied with His Majesty and want to take advantage of the opportunity to seize power. The one who can really shake the foundation is not them, but the palace." Seeing that Guan Yu was in a heavy mood, he immediately smiled in a relaxed manner and said: "There is nothing to worry about. Li Rong is the queen mother of the Han Dynasty and my adopted sister. She is a sensible person. I promised Zhong Yao to establish a heir before, so I guess We don’t know the situation at the moment, but as long as we use emotion and reason, we can still take care of the overall situation.”
Chen Chong finally said: "Besides, with Yuan Chang's intention just now, I will have to enter the palace again soon."
Sure enough, in the morning three days later, someone from the palace came to the palace to deliver an edict, saying that the Queen Mother Liu Jia asked the Prime Minister to come to the palace. Chen Chong knew that this meeting was no small matter, but the more serious it was, the more he had to appear indifferent. So he put on a black uniform with narrow sleeves, combed it briefly, and planned to go to the banquet. But Dong Bai saw something was wrong. Before leaving, she pulled Chen Chong and asked in a low voice: "Are we going to discuss something big?" Seeing Chen Chong's silence, Dong Bai understood immediately, and she asked again He said: "If it's not necessary, don't say something too bluntly." This made Chen Chong smile bitterly, but he still nodded in agreement, and then rode into the palace with his guards.
When she saw Liu Jia, she was still worshiping the Buddha statue in the palace, just like what she had seen when Chen Chong entered the palace before, but her mood had changed a lot. The last time the two met was very harmonious, but this time, they both felt the coldness between them before they even opened their mouths.
Fortunately, the friendship is still there. Chen Chong first exchanged greetings and said, "How is your Majesty's condition? Has it improved?"
Liu Jia then said, "Brother, don't worry. Although it's still the same, it's not much better, but it's not much worse either."
In the past, Chen Chong might have thought this was normal, but now, he could not help but detect Liu Jia's preference. It was also at this time that Chen Chongcai realized belatedly that Liu Xie's long stay in Guanzhong and being taught and studied by himself had resulted in weak relationships with many family members, not only between brothers, but also between mother and son. Recalling that he had gone to the palace several times to meet Liu Jia, it was not that there were no signs. However, he had been away from the court for a long time and failed to find any clues. This was really a huge dereliction of duty on his part.
This forced Chen Chong to speak more cautiously, and the two chatted for a while before gradually bringing the topic to the point. Liu Jia obviously didn't have much patience. She talked about the last internal resolution and asked Chen Chong directly: "Brother, why do you have to make the matter of establishing a crown prince so complicated? I have already talked with Ajian. Lord Kunyori, in the On the grasslands, it is a normal tradition for brothers to marry younger brothers. Erlang is also a talented person, no less than his brother. What's more, Erlang is better than Ajian in one way, that is, he is more popular. Making him the crown prince is good for the country. It’s beneficial and harmless.”
Chen Chong frowned when he heard this. He didn't expect Liu Xie to be such an image in his mother's heart. At this time, he had to defend himself and said: "Li Rong, national affairs are not as simple as you think. I, the Han Dynasty, have been in the country for four hundred years. There has never been a tradition of brotherhood ending with brotherhood. Even if the emperor has no heirs, the decision will always be made within the dynasty after the emperor has ascended to the throne. Why? Because the master of the divine weapon has unfathomable power, power that cannot be increased, and he can never Let other people spy on you, otherwise it will be a big disaster!"
Liu Jia didn't expect Chen Chong's attitude to be so determined.
He didn't understand what he said, so he retorted: "Brother, why are you alarmist? Isn't it possible that if we don't establish a prince now, there will be no big disaster? In recent years, Ajian has been very impatient, which has led to a lot of discussion in the court. It's just that Erlang is needed. The benevolent brother shared his worries, that's how it was. Could it be that these great principles that my brother said could stop the discussion between the government and the opposition?"
Hearing this, Chen Chong sneered and said, "This is another aspect that worries me. After Your Majesty ascended the throne, King Pingyang and King Zhao were supposed to be vassals, but they stayed in the capital for several years. King Zhao was fine, but King Pingyang and Bai Bai What is the purpose of secretly making friends with officials and gaining a reputation of pure kindness? Li Rong, you don’t know the history of the Han family. When Emperor Xiaoxuan trained his sons, he took Emperor Xiaoyuan’s pure kindness as a crime. The emperor is in charge of government, and he should be good and evil. , How can it be an act of pure kindness? King Pingyang can be harmonious with all the officials, which is a harm to the country. I think it will only corrupt the government and indulge women in abuse. "
These words were said without any mercy, and Liu Jia was stunned for a moment. When she came to her senses, she was trembling with anger, but due to her kindness and difficulty in getting angry, she could only barely maintain her trembling voice, He slowly said: "Brother, what are you talking about? As my brother said, he is not in his position and does not seek political affairs. Erlang is just accompanying me in the capital. He can do no big things. Brother is too harsh."
Seeing that Liu Jia was so protective of his shortcomings, Chen Chong could not hide his anger and disappointment. In his eyes, Liu Jia had always been a woman who knew etiquette and integrity, and dared to love and hate. Now she had such a hypocritical side, which he could not bear. He simply put aside the previous doubts in his mind and asked directly to Liu Jia: "Li Rong, I take the liberty to ask, why did you send a message to His Majesty? The war is about to begin, and as soon as Your Majesty leaves, the army's morale is shaken. You have also seen blood." Yes, don’t you know this truth?”
However, this also angered Liu Jia, and she directly asked: "Brother, why are you talking nonsense? We have already reached Huainan at that time, so we should be content and retreat. Why should we be greedy for crossing the river? The government and the public discussed that everyone would fail to cross the river, and the result turned out to be like this. Isn't it true? My fault? You didn’t try to persuade me, but you blamed me?”
Speaking of this, Liu Jia couldn't hide his excitement, his whole body was trembling, and tears flowed down his cheeks. Liu Jia knew he had lost his composure and quickly wiped the tears with his hands, but the tears flowed more and more, and the grievances he had suffered for many years were also shed. He burst out: "My brother always spoke easily, but Xuande went on expeditions every year. He was injured in more than thirty places and eight penetrated. Every rainy night, he tossed and turned and couldn't sleep, which made me scared. I couldn't believe anything I said back then. After a great victory, I thought the war was about to end, so I told the Bodhisattva to fulfill my vow. But when I saw him again, he could not get up! I was already a widow, but my brother took it for granted, and asked Ajian to feed the river again like his father. Fish and shrimp at the bottom?"
It was the first time that Chen Chong saw Liu Jia crying in front of him. He was shocked to find that he had never truly understood this powerful empress dowager. But these words gave him a familiar feeling, as if he had heard them somewhere. When he looked through his cobwebs repeatedly, he finally remembered that these were also words that his late wife Cai Yan often said. Chen Chong tried to recall the appearance of his deceased wife, but soon found that it was a futile effort. Time had passed too long. He only remembered a pair of eyes filled with sadness, but he could see these eyes in the eyes of every wife. see. In the end, all I can remember is the small green tomb in Chang'an. Under the green tomb, perhaps only the hair and fingernails cut from my purse are left. This made Chen Chong fall into a long silence.
When Liu Jia calmed down, he slowly said: "Li Rong, as a heavenly family, this is a last resort. We are not gods or Bodhisattvas, but if we want to achieve great things that ordinary people cannot achieve, then we must You have to make sacrifices that exceed ordinary people. Neither you nor I can convince each other about recalling Ajian, so there is no need to say more, but I hope you will not interfere in the following political affairs."
Liu Jia's mood gradually stabilized at this time. After calming down, although she was still dissatisfied with Chen Chong's words, on the other hand, Liu Jia was also well aware of Chen Chong's influence in the government and the public, so she still chose to give in and said: "Since my brother says so, then I'll do what he says. But since I'm choosing a son for Ajian, I think I'd better choose from his nephews, otherwise where would I be?"
Chen Chong did not object anymore. He also knew that this was probably the limit that Liu Dan, Zhong Yao and others could give in. It was said that they were selected from among them, but in fact there was no suspense about the candidates. King Pingyang Liu Dan had two sons and one daughter, and King Zhao Liu Cheng had one son. Taking into account ethics, Liu Dan's second son Liu Yi could only be adopted by Liu Xie. Speaking of which, the child named Liu is also the right age, just four years old.
, it is the age when one is just sensible but not yet enlightened.
When Chen Chong informed Liu Xie of the results, Liu Xie was very grateful. He said to Chen Chong, "I'm afraid the only one in the world who can think about me like this is my uncle." Chen Chong just smiled at this and told Liu Xie Xie takes peace of mind and recuperates. During this period of game, he suddenly understood the fact: Chen Zhang was right. Compared with his two children, Liu Xie was more like his own blood and flesh and blood.
But the end of the matter of establishing the crown prince is not the end of the political struggle in the court, but more like the beginning. Chen Chong now fully understands that some battles are endless and will definitely continue.
