For the Han court, the first month of the first year of Qianyou was not easy. There were wars outside, famine inside, the emperor was sick, and the previous Lantern Festival was a dull one.
On the 24th, rumors spread again in the palace that the emperor fell into a coma again. After that, the palace doors were closed tightly and the emperor could not see anyone. Immediately afterwards, several palace officials were killed with sticks, and the entire imperial city was in a state of solemnity.
However, the situation above the court was completely unstable. No matter how stupid the person was, they had a premonition that the situation might change for the big man. For a moment, a large number of eyes unconsciously turned to the East Palace.
In the political hall, several ministers, including Shi Hongzhao and Liu Xin of Tongping Zhangshi, were present, and the atmosphere was somewhat depressing. Liu Chengyou was sitting on the main seat with an indifferent expression. Only his eyebrows were slightly wrinkled and his eyes glanced at Yang Bin and Shi Hongzhao from time to time.
"Your Highness, Xuzhou reported that there was a turmoil. The rioters colluded with bandits to storm the official warehouses and rob money and food!" Yang Yan broke the calm and reported to Liu Chengyou.
"The rebels are attacking the city and the government is suppressing them. Where is the Zhongwu Army's Jiedu troops?" Su Fengji said directly.
"Xuzhou has no one in charge and is in control of the overall situation. The group of subordinates are not cooperating and it is difficult to suppress..." Yang Bing said calmly, but his eyes glanced at Liu Xin from time to time.
Although Liu Xin was worshiped as the military governor of the Zhongwu Army, he was not the governor. The military and political affairs of Xuzhou were handled by his advisor and the civil and military officials appointed by the court.
However, Liu Chengyou heard something between the words and asked, "What do you think, Prime Minister?"
Yang Bin seemed to have been prepared for it, and replied directly: "Liu Dushuai is loyal to the military. There is chaos under his rule, and the prefectures and counties are unstable. We should suppress it as soon as possible to suppress the chaos!"
"I won't go!" As soon as Yang Bing finished speaking, Liu Xin said straightforwardly: "A group of untouchables are causing trouble, do you need me to go in person?"
Liu Xin obviously didn't notice anything strange. He didn't go just because he couldn't bear the ease and comfort of Tokyo. Furthermore, Liu Zhiyuan's serious illness also had some impact on him.
Hearing what he said, Yang Ping's eyes widened and he asked in a loud voice: "The commander-in-chief is both a town and a clan. Now the people he governs are in chaos. Don't you know that he is doing it for the country and for the Han Dynasty to calm down the chaos and bring peace to the people?"
With one sentence, Liu Xin was stopped. He didn't know how to answer, but he said arrogantly: "I won't go!"
Yang Bing raised his eyebrows and glanced at Shi Hongzhao. His gaze was forced towards Liu Xin. He was about to use his words again, but was interrupted by Liu Chengyou.
"Prime Minister Yang, there is no need to be so excited!" Liu Chengyou stared at Yang Bin and said in a slow tone: "My uncle is the deputy commander of the bodyguard army and assists in the imperial army. He is just a rioter. Why should he take action? If there is civil turmoil in any county, he needs to be dignified. The commander-in-chief of the imperial army went to pacify the generals, and let the people of the world think of the Han Dynasty. Is there no one in the imperial court?"
"What do you think? Shi Dushuai?" Liu Chengyou suddenly looked at Shi Hongzhao.
Shi Hongzhao seemed to be caught off guard. He hesitated and replied: "What His Highness said is reasonable, but -"
Without letting him say what he said later, Liu Chengyou said directly and forcefully: "Shuai Shi all agrees with Gu's statement, so it's settled. Just send a general from the Forbidden Army. Gu's opinion is that the capital of Xiaodi Army is Yuhou Shi Honglang , how about leading an army of Xiaodi soldiers to quell the chaos?"
"I second the proposal!" Su Fengji immediately expressed his support.
"Shi Honglang is Shi Shuai's younger brother. He has been in the army for many years. I think he also got some true information from Shi Shuai's side. If you want to be a troublemaker, you can be sure of it!" Dou Zhengu, who had been silent, said.
Shi Hongzhao usually liked to be flattered, but at this time, although he was being flattered, he really couldn't laugh.
Liu Chengyou looked at Yang Bin with a bit of amusement in his eyes. But what disappointed him was that Yang Bin seemed to be autistic. He had a sad face and buried his head slightly, but he stopped talking.
"In that case, let's prepare an edict!"
After the discussion was over, Yang Bin stopped working in the political hall and left the palace. After leaving the palace gate, he looked back at the imperial city and sighed, but his eyes could not hide the loneliness.
This time he worked hard, but he never thought that Liu Chengyou would beat him up after just a few words, which in turn caused Shi Hongzhao's brother to be deported from Beijing. A sense of powerlessness filled his heart. What made Yang Bin even more frustrated was that the ministers gradually fell silent, leaving him fighting alone. Under normal circumstances, shouldn't they, the prime ministers, work together to suppress the young master?
Liu Chengyou knew Yang Bin's plan very well, which was to use the turmoil in Xuzhou to support Liu Xin, the guardian of the sky arranged by Liu Zhiyuan for him, to go to Tokyo.
A bit naive, at this critical moment, Yang Bin still didn't seem to see the situation clearly. Liu Chengyou's confidence has never been in Liu Xin, his uncle who had little success.
For some reason, after returning home, Yang Bin wrote a note complaining about his illness, and then closed the door to thank guests, as if he was completely autistic.
Liu Chengyou was surprised when he learned the news. Why? In order to cope with possible changes, Liu Chengyou had made several preparations, but Yang Bin's reaction caught him a little off guard. However, Liu Chengyou was still as stable as Mount Tai and ordered his people to keep an eye on Yang Bin and Shi Hongzhao.
...
"I see His Highness the Crown Prince!"
"Tao Qingping!" Seeing Tao Gu coming to the door, Liu Chengyou put down the pen in his hand.
Recently, Tao Gu has been somewhat publicized in Menxia Province because of his background in the Zhou Palace.
However, in front of Liu Chengyou, he still looked at Liu Chengyou with a low eyebrow and a flattering look in his eyes.
"What's the matter with Xungu? Is there something wrong with the government order?" Liu Chengyou asked.
Hearing this, Tao Gu looked around, then came forward mysteriously and said carefully: "Your Highness, the official is seriously ill."
Isn't this nonsense? Liu Chengyou stared at him with furrowed brows, listening to what was going on.
Seeing this, Tao Gu immediately added: "Your Highness is ordered to supervise the country, so of course he must be diligent in political affairs. But since he is the prince, how can he live up to the expectations of the world if he doesn't serve soup and medicine?"
Listening to his words, Liu Chengyou was stunned at first, but then seemed to gain something. "Serving the world's hope" is not the important point. Serving soup and medicine before His Majesty and staying by Liu Zhiyuan's side are the most important. Tao Gu reminded himself.
"Let's go to Long Live Hall now!"
Soon, Liu Chengyou left all the government affairs to Wang, Su, Dou, Li and other ministers, and went to Long Live Hall to take care of Liu Zhiyuan together with Li.
...
The spring breeze gradually greened the banks of the Bian River, and the weather suddenly turned warm and cold, but the atmosphere in the Han Palace became increasingly heavy. After dragging on for three or two days, the emperor couldn't stand it anymore.
In the evening, the sky is dark. In the Long Live Hall, in front of the imperial couch, a group of people, led by Liu Chengyou, had already knelt down, with their heads buried and their expressions unclear.
Liu Zhiyuan was lying on the couch, looking at the curtain with dark eyes, as if he was terminally ill and on his deathbed. Queen Li was sitting on the side of the couch, holding an empty medicine bowl in her hand. She was a little dazed, not crying, but there was obvious sadness on her graceful face, and her eyes were slightly red.
Shi Hongzhao, Wang Zhang, Er Su, Dou Li, Guo Wei, Bai Wenke, Feng Dao... more and more ministers came after hearing the news. This is clearly a show of entrusting an orphan.
However, this time, not only those foreign ministers, but also relatives of the clan such as Liu Xin, Liu Chengyun, Li Hongjian, Li Hongxin, and Song Yanwo were also included.
Vaguely, some sobbing could be heard, and it slowly spread.
"Why are you crying? I'm not dead yet!" Liu Zhiyuan's hoarse voice contained the last bit of stubbornness before his death.
After saying this, the sobs became the loudest. Interestingly, there was no movement from Li, Liu Chengyou, and Liu Chengxun, the three closest people to Liu Zhiyuan.
"Who's not here?" Liu Zhiyuan asked after a moment of pause.
The chamberlain took a quick glance and replied: "We still need Prime Minister Yang Shu."
"Oh." Liu Zhiyuan seemed to be a little confused, and murmured: "I heard that he is also sick?"
No one answered Liu Zhiyuan, or in other words, no one responded enough to answer his question. After a moment of silence, accompanied by a burst of "heartbreaking" cries, Yang Bin broke in and fell down in front of the bed. It's like it's a step too late.
Unfortunately, Liu Zhiyuan still breathed a sigh of relief and forced himself to let Mrs. Li help him up and sit cross-legged on the couch, still covered with quilts. With blurred eyes, he glanced at the dark crowd in front of the couch, and paused for a moment on Liu Chengyou.
With a hunched body and hunched shoulders, Liu Zhiyuan's breath was unsteady and he said slowly: "With my humble bow and luck, I was able to obtain the artifact and enter the Central Plains. I have an imperial plan. Hulu Pingling Mausoleum, although there is The merit of saving lives, however, has reached the peak of the empire. The times are difficult, and I am eager to stop the killing and have no time to respect benevolence. To destroy the rebel commander, it is very cruel to exploit the people under the rule, and the people under the rule are suffering from war. I have the power to control the world and eliminate conquests. My heart has become seriously ill, and chronic diseases have broken out, and the year has never stopped..."
Intermittently, Liu Zhiyuan said this, and a burst of crying suddenly broke out in front of the bed, shouting "official family". I don't know how many of these people behind him really cried for Liu Zhiyuan. Liu Chengyou, with his eyes red, forced out a few tears, but it was difficult to make him cry hysterically.
At this time, Liu Chengxun couldn't hold it in. He howled out "Wow" and then threw himself in front of the couch.
Liu Zhiyuan had no time to comfort his youngest son. Seeing the commotion in the palace, he gave Mrs. Li a look. Mrs. Li gently wiped the corners of her eyes, took Liu Chengxun into her arms, and said to the ministers in the palace: "Quiet, the officials still have something to say!"
Suddenly, the crying became much quieter.
After slowing down, Liu Zhiyuan raised his trembling hand, pointed at Liu Chengyou, and said with difficulty: "The prince is young. From now on, he depends on the support of all the ministers!"
This can be regarded as a complete entrustment to the funeral.
After explaining this, Liu Zhiyuan seemed to have exhausted all his energy, and asked everyone to step back, leaving Liu Chengyou alone, as if he had his final instructions.
There were only two people left in the hall, father and son. Liu Chengyou stepped forward and was grabbed by Liu Zhiyuan, which was surprisingly strong. Liu Zhiyuan's eyes were extremely dim, and he said to Liu Chengyou: "Erlang, I am not a good emperor. You have great talent, and the great responsibility of the Han Dynasty will be entrusted to you. You can complete the unfinished business for your father!"
Liu Chengyou didn't say much and responded solemnly: "Yes!"
"The edict of succession is with your mother."
"It's a pity that I couldn't see my grandson born."
"I don't know if it's a boy or a girl..."
In the middle of the night, Emperor Liu Hao of the Han Dynasty passed away, and there was a cry of mourning in the imperial city.
