Liu Bei didn't know what Dong Zhong wanted to say specifically, but he vaguely guessed Dong Zhong's purpose.
Subsequent developments also proved that Liu Bei's guess was correct.
"Is such that."
Dong Zhong seemed to ask cautiously: "Xuande, Prince Xie is a poor child. Not long after he was born, his mother was killed by the queen. The queen was very ferocious at that time and even wanted to kill Prince Xie. Fortunately, With the blessing of the Queen Mother, the Prince Association was preserved.
Prince Xie had no mother since he was a child, and it was the Queen Mother who single-handedly raised him. Your Majesty saw that Prince Xie was pitiful, and felt pity for him. We thought we could safely protect Prince Xie as he grew up, but we didn’t expect that something like this happened. matter. "
Dong Chong looked back at the palace.
"As a minister, I shouldn't make irresponsible remarks on your Majesty, but His Majesty's condition really does not allow us to be optimistic. It is related to the life and safety of the Prince Association, so we have to make more plans. Xuande, this is the Queen Mother's intention. I hope that no matter what Whatever happens, Xuande can take action to protect the safety of the Prince Association."
Liu Bei was slightly aware of the meaning of Dong Zhong's words, but he did not intend to point it out.
"Mr. Dong, not to mention that your majesty has good fortune and will definitely be able to turn the crisis around. Even if something unpredictable does happen, as the eldest brother of the Prince Association, can't Prince Bian, as the eldest brother of the Prince Association, not protect the safety of the Prince Association? Why bother? What if I take action?"
Dong Chong shook his head repeatedly.
"After the death of Emperor Gaozu, Emperor Hui and Liu Ruyi had a close brotherly relationship. Why didn't they want to save Liu Ruyi? In order to save Liu Ruyi, Emperor Hui even ate and lived with him. Despite this, Liu Ruyi still couldn't escape the murderous hands of Empress Lu. Got killed.
How similar is the situation today to that of then? If something unexpected happens and Prince Ben ascends the throne as emperor, with the cruelty and viciousness of the current queen, can Prince Ben be able to protect the Prince Association? Who can guarantee that? Xuande, can you do it? Can you guarantee that the Prince Association will be safe? "
Liu Bei had no interest in bloody palace stories, but he also knew that if it really went that far, Liu Xie would most likely lose his life, so he could only shake his head.
So Dong Chong continued to speak.
"The Queen Mother raised Prince Xie with one hand and loved him very much. If something happened to Prince Xie, the Queen Mother would probably want to die, so the Queen Mother hopes to save Prince Xie's life no matter what. At the moment, the people who can help the Queen Mother, It’s only you, Xuande.”
Liu Bei pretended to be surprised.
"I am a foreign minister, how can I interfere in the emperor's family affairs? This kind of matter is of great importance and should be decided by the emperor, not me. Mr. Dong should wait until the emperor wakes up before informing him."
"it's useless."
Dong Chong smiled bitterly and said: "You can talk to Xuande about these things. The Queen Mother has mentioned the safety of the Prince Xie to Your Majesty many times, and she also asked the emperor to make the Prince Xie the crown prince, so that both the Prince Xie and the Prince Bian can be preserved, but His Majesty was worried and never relented, even to this day.
The Queen Mother had previously thought that Her Majesty did these things to support Prince Xie to ascend the throne, and she was very happy. However, Her Majesty and the Queen Mother made it clear that they would not allow Prince Xie to ascend the throne. He did this to defend the Prince, which made the Queen Mother very worried. "
"How can I interfere in something that Your Majesty won't do?"
Liu Bei smiled bitterly and said: "I follow your majesty's orders and do things for your majesty. It is difficult for me to do things that your majesty has not asked for. It is related to the future of the country, and it is even more difficult for me to get involved."
"Xuande is wrong."
Dong Chong looked around to make sure that no one could hear their conversation, and then whispered: "Didn't Xuande think about it? Xuande tried his best to suppress the He family for His Majesty, and even wanted to remove the He family. This is very important to the prince. What does it mean to say?
Prince Bian didn't say how much he had deep feelings for the He family. He had the blood of the He family in his body. Xuande was loyal to His Majesty and suppressed the He family. Do you know what Prince Bian felt in his heart? Xuande, Prince Bian and the Queen live together!
The queen is from the He family, so she must hate Xuande very much. This hatred will definitely be mentioned to the prince Bian repeatedly. In this way, when the prince ascends the throne and becomes the emperor, will Xuande be able to ensure his own safety? Can Xuande be sure that Prince Bian will not embarrass Xuande because of this matter? "
When Liu Bei heard this, he looked at Dong Chong and felt that this guy really had some talent and ability as a lobbyist.
If these words are heard by ordinary people, they will indeed feel extremely worried.
If you go against anyone, don't go against the emperor. The emperor is the most unreasonable person in the world. If you go against the emperor or engage in confrontation with the emperor, the end will definitely not be good.
Unless you usurp the throne and seize power, evade the emperor, or even kill the emperor.
But that would involve risking the world's disapproval.
Liu Bei helped Liu Hong deal with the He family, and he might even destroy the He family. Of course, that would be fine. If the He family was wiped out, there wouldn't be many people who would stand up for them. But the problem is that the current queen also has the last name He.
If Liu Bei killed He Jin, could he still kill Queen He?
If the queen is killed, Liu Bian will definitely not let Liu Bei go.
If the queen is not killed, the queen will become the queen mother and speak ill of Liu Bei in Liu Bian's ears every day. There is no guarantee that Liu Bian will not find ways to attack Liu Bei in the future.
Even if Liu Bei cannot be attacked because of his great strength, then when Liu Bei dies, is it not allowed to attack his descendants?
This kind of thing has happened in the past. Prince Bian is more than ten years younger than Liu Bei. This is an age advantage.
When Liu Bei heard this, he showed hesitation.
"Dong Jun, this..."
"Xuande, I am thinking about you."
Seeing that Liu Bei seemed to be making a move, Dong Chong hurriedly took advantage of the victory and pursued him: "You are loyal and a good minister of the Han Dynasty. The Han Dynasty cannot live without you. I really don't want you to be treated unfairly because you are involved in this kind of thing.
You are loyal to His Majesty, but has His Majesty ever considered this matter for you? Has Your Majesty considered that when Prince Bian ascends the throne a hundred years from now, what will he think of you, a member of the Han clan who attacked his uncle?
Xuande, I know you are loyal, but the more loyal you are now, the less beneficial it will be to your future. Now is the time to consider the future. If you don't consider it now, it will be too late! "
Dong Zhong looked like he was thinking about Liu Bei, and he seemed quite sincere.
What he said is indeed true, and it does make sense.
But... I came to Luoyang just for real power.
If it weren't for the purpose of controlling the world, I would stay in Liangzhou or Yizhou, be my local emperor, and wait for the world to be in chaos before going out to pick peaches, wouldn't it be good?
I want to control the real power myself, how can I hand it over to Liu Bian or Liu Xie?
Dong Zhong doesn’t think that I worked so hard and did so much work and preparation just to let Liu Bian or Liu Xie pick up what’s ready-made, right?
Of course Liu Bei couldn't say this. To the outside world, he still had to maintain a high-sounding posture.
"Dong Jun, I understand what you mean, but right now, this is not the time for me to make these considerations. I still listen to your majesty's orders. I believe that your majesty has arrangements for the Prince Association. Now we just need to wait for your majesty to recover." That’s it.”
"What if His Majesty cannot recover?"
Dong Zhong was a little anxious and said disrespectful words: "Xuande, you have to think about this possibility."
"A loyal minister will not consider such a problem."
Liu Bei shook his head: "Dong Jun, the emperor is the emperor, and good people have their own destiny. You have made a mistake."
After saying that, Liu Bei left here, leaving Dong Zhong alone at the gate of the palace, lost in thought.
Zhang Rang followed Liu Bei and asked him what happened just now.
"Dong Zhong and the Queen Mother want to use my power to support the Prince Xie to ascend to the throne and become emperor."
Liu Bei said it very straightforwardly.
Zhang Rang was stunned.
"Did he really say that?"
"Meaning around the bush, that's what it means."
Liu Bei shook his head and said: "The prince will remember my blow to the He family. If he ascends the throne as emperor in the future, he will try every means to retaliate against me. Therefore, I cannot let the prince be the emperor. I want the prince to co-be the emperor. Only in this way can I protect myself." ."
Zhang Rang thought for a while.
"Don't say it, what this person said is really reasonable. If you target the He family and attack the He family, He Jin will die in your hands. The queen will hate you and will never forgive you.
When the time comes when Prince Bian ascends the throne and becomes emperor, the Queen will keep talking about this matter in his ears every day. There is no guarantee that Prince Bian will not attack you. There are too many uncertainties when dealing with a minister with the dignity of an emperor. "
"So you also think it's better to support the prince and become emperor?"
Liu Bei looked at Zhang Rang with a half-smile: "Old Zhang, this is not something you would say. Aren't you the one who never gets involved in these things?"
"Aren't you thinking about it?"
Zhang Rang rolled his eyes at Liu Bei: "I can live only if you live. If you die accidentally, I will definitely be killed immediately, so I hope you can live longer, at least die behind me and let me live in peace." old age!"
"Don't worry, I will definitely let you spend your remaining years peacefully."
Liu Bei smiled and walked straight forward: "No one can threaten me, and no one can kill me. I have my own arrangements and plans for the future."
(End of chapter)
