Northwest of Kaifeng, on the Bian River, a huge official ship came through the waves. The surrounding civilian boats and merchants were dwarfed by it and almost did not dare to go side by side. There are banners hanging on the mast, and soldiers are rampant, and the defense is very tight.
The people on board were naturally Li Shaoyou and Liu Chong's family. Heading south from Zezhou to Heyang, we turned to the waterway in Mengjin and rode along the river. The speed was naturally much faster.
In the cabin, Li Shaoyou was personally taking care of his little widow. Looking at the beauty's frail and tender look, it was really heartbreaking and released his compassion.
"How could a person who grew up by the Fen River not know the nature of water and be so seasick?" Li Shaoyou said, gently pressing his pale face with the back of his hand.
Meijiao Niang seemed to be weak, but she still kept her smile and said: "Although I am longer than the water, I only live in the shallow water of the river bank and use well spring water. Please forgive me for dragging you down!"
"It's okay!" Li Shaoyou said softly, "You're still lying down. We're almost in Tokyo. We'll recuperate after we return home!"
"Yes!" the beauty said timidly.
Li Shaoyou's wife passed away not long after arriving in Tokyo. She did not share the fate of wealth and wealth, and they did not renew their relationship. The name was to miss his old wife, but in fact it was to avoid trouble. Up to now, he has more than thirty concubines in his Duke's mansion.
But now, he feels a little different about this new favorite. Although she is a young widow, she just likes it. She is not an ordinary concubine, only used to warm the bed, relieve sexual desire, and carry on the family line...
After walking out of the cabin, he summoned an attendant and asked, "How is King Taiyuan?"
"Back to the Duke, after the doctor's diagnosis and treatment, things have improved!" The person replied: "The King of Taiyuan is in his sixties. He has a very urgent journey south. He is tired of traveling and traveling. He caught a cold last night, so he has a branch!"
He nodded, thinking in his heart that the big change might also be the cause of the disease. He directly ordered: "Haosheng is waiting for you. We will arrive in Tokyo soon. Don't make any mistakes!"
"I understand, little one!"
In Li Shaoyou's heart, he silently muttered, even if you die, don't die on the road...
The ports inside and outside Tokyo are always busy, the weather is fine, and the official ship traffic is even more intensive. One of the achievements of Murong Yanchao, governor of Kaifeng, is to strengthen the management of various ports, increase the number of tax collectors, and cooperate with inspections, so that even hundreds of ships and thousands of sails are in good order.
Under the guidance of the patrol boat, they landed on the shore. The dock here was specially reserved. Soldiers were standing guard, flags were raised high, and rituals and music were prepared. Feng Dao and several officials from the Ministry of Rites were waiting.
Under the protection of soldiers, dozens of members of Liu Chong's family stepped off the steps and onto land. Whether it was due to the fatigue of the journey or the fear of being executed in Beijing, most of them had serious expressions on their faces, while the female family members were crying.
However, the festive ceremony and music made the scene less bleak. Li Shaoyou stepped forward to salute him. Feng Dao did not dare to neglect him and respectfully returned the salute: "My lord, you have returned from a mission. Thank you for your hard work!"
"This is Prime Minister Feng?" Li Shaoyou asked, pointing to the formation at the port.
Gently stroking his beard, Feng Dao said: "On your Majesty's order, come to greet King Taiyuan!"
"Oh!" Li Shaoyou had a strange look on his face, thoughtfully.
Casting his eyes on Liu Chong behind him, Feng Dao walked up to him with a smile on his face. Liu Chong was dressed in plain silk, with a flamboyant beard and no care. He was haggard and skinny. He no longer had the arrogant power of sitting in the east of the river. He was just like an ordinary old man who was about to die.
"Who are you?" Liu Chong asked, his voice a little hoarse as he looked at Feng Dao, the "Immortal Wind Daoist".
Feng Dao clasped his hands and saluted: "Old Feng Dao, I have met the king!"
"It turns out that the Prime Minister came forward!" Liu Chong nodded and asked, "Ms. Feng, did you come in person to put the orphan in prison?"
"The king is joking!" The smile on Dao Lao Feng's face did not diminish. He pointed to the pomp behind him and said, "How can one welcome criminals with rituals, music, and colorful flags? Your Majesty heard that the king came south to Tokyo to have an audience, so he specially ordered me to come to welcome him. , to take care of the king’s family!”
"Seriously?" Upon hearing this, Liu Chong's originally gloomy eyes suddenly brightened up a bit, and he subconsciously raised his voice and asked, "Is this what the emperor meant?"
"How dare you, an old man, to falsify your order?" Feng Dao smiled heartily.
"The Ministry of Rites has prepared a guest post and a wine banquet. We are waiting for the king to sit down at the table. After eating and drinking, we will march into the palace to see your majesty!" Feng Dao raised his hand and stretched it back: "Please, your majesty!"
The Binyi in the west of the city was very clean and was dedicated to Liu Chong's family. The food was delicious. I was frightened all the way. I thought that after arriving in Beijing, I would be treated in prison. But at the moment, it seems that the outcome is still undecided, but the signals revealed by the court have given them some hope.
In the elegant room, there was a table of not too rich food and wine, not a single chopstick was touched, only Feng Dao, Li Shaoyou, Liu Chong and Liu Cheng were present. The atmosphere was a bit depressing. Liu Chong sat silently and did not agree to Feng Dao's invitation to drink. He was numb for a long time and looked at Feng Dao: "Prime Minister Feng, can you tell me how the emperor plans to deal with Gu?"
"I am old and foolish, how can I guess the emperor's will?" Feng Dao smiled slightly and raised his glass again: "I am too late for you, so I'd better obey the emperor's wishes. After the banquet, go to the palace to see your majesty!"
Worrying and feeling the same, it was not until Shenshi that he was led into the palace alone. The remaining large family was placed alone.
Kaifeng was not Liu Chong's first visit, but it was Liu Chong's first time seeing the Han Palace bearing the traces of the Liu family. Compared with Jinyang Palace, it is still more grand and grand. This is Liu Chong's most intuitive feeling.
Speaking of which, it had been six years since the founding of the country. As the head of the clan and the best in the world, Liu Chong had never been to the capital. No matter how you looked at it, it was inappropriate. Even if you tell it to ordinary people, they will think that it is counter-intentional.
Under the guidance of the palace servants, he crossed the tall palace gates and headed towards Chongzheng Hall, walking slowly on his feet, each step becoming more stooped.
When he entered the political palace, Liu Chengyou was the only one inside, and all the ministers, chamberlains, and concubines who were serving him were rejected by him. Looking at Liu Chong, an old and decadent aura came to his face. Liu Chong's appearance was already very blurry in Liu Chengyou's mind, but he still didn't expect that Liu Chong would appear in front of him with such an old and pale face.
"Confessor, Liu Chong meets your Majesty!" He lowered his eyebrows and lowered his head, with a trembling voice, kowtowing to Liu Chengyou, the second emperor of the Han Dynasty, for the first time.
He looked so old, and he was his uncle. Anyone else might have softened his heart. Liu Chengyou remained silent and looked at him calmly.
After a while, Liu Chong couldn't bear it anymore, not only mentally, but also with his knees.
"Uncle Emperor, how tall, majestic, wealthy and prosperous is Jinyang now?" Liu Chengyou finally asked.
Liu Chong raised his head, glanced at Liu Chengyou, and said in a low voice: "The people of Jinyang are suffering from the evil officials and bad governance, and they cannot be said to be rich!"
"That's right! Then I have invited the emperor many times to come south to see Tokyo and see the prosperity of our Han Dynasty capital. Why don't you come?" Liu Chengyou asked softly.
Without waiting for an answer, he continued to count slowly in a calm tone: "In the first year of Qianyou, the late emperor passed away and I ascended the throne. The emperor's uncle excused himself by guarding the river. In the second year of Qianyou, I visited the north and invited the emperor's uncle to come here. In the third year of Qianyou's reign, I wanted to enjoy the Mid-Autumn Festival with my uncle, but the emperor's uncle caused trouble by releasing the door, and I couldn't get away. In the fourth year of Qianyou's reign, I celebrated the Jiaqing Festival, and my uncle said that I should beware of the Khitans... ..”
"Your Majesty, stop talking!" Liu Chong couldn't stand it any longer and buried his head on the ground, saying: "I know that my sins are serious and I regret it endlessly. I am about to die, but I still have your Majesty. What I am asking for now is that your Majesty will be in the same clan. Please bypass my descendants!"
Hearing what he said, Liu Chengyou smiled lightly: "Uncle, what do you mean by this? What's your crime?"
Liu Chong straightened up and looked at Liu Chengyou with an eyebrow. A flush appeared on his sickly cheeks, and he said a little excitedly: "Why does your Majesty ask questions knowingly?"
Liu Chengyou waved his hand and said: "As the emperor's uncle, I have guarded the land of Longxing in the east of Hedong for many years, protecting the environment and the people, and consolidating the foundation of the Han Dynasty. I have worked hard and made great achievements. Now I have returned to Beijing with success. I am worried about how to reward him!"
Liu Chengyou said these words solemnly and with a calm expression, which made Liu Chong stunned. He was stunned and speechless for a moment. Deep in the eyes, there was surprise and surprise in the confusion.
Looking calmly at him, Liu Chengyou said: "Let's do this! I have prepared a manor in Xijing for the emperor's uncle and his family to live in. From now on, I will treat my grandchildren with pleasure and take care of myself. My cousins, There are many people who are serving as officials outside and have never met the emperor's uncle. I will transfer them all to Xijing to fulfill their filial piety to the emperor's uncle..."
"Your Majesty, I, I have more than a dozen sons!" Liu Chong looked at the emperor with some resentment in his tone.
"Don't worry, the manor I gave you is enough to house dozens of your family!" Liu Chengyou said with a smile on his face: "In addition, I will order the Luoyang government to set aside a piece of land and distribute grain seeds and farming tools. Living through farming and reading, cultivating one’s sentiments, is a beautiful thing!”
"This, this, this..." Liu Chong stuttered after hearing this.
"That's it!" Liu Chengyou said without even blinking, "By the way, we haven't seen each other for many years. The Queen Mother should also go and say hello to the Emperor's uncle. I want to come to her old man's house. When I see the Emperor's uncle return, I will Very happy!"
