Among the "Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms" in the original history, the one with the lowest sense of existence, excluding the fallen states of Fujian and former Shu, was the Southern Han Dynasty that ruled Lingnan. Anyone who has a little knowledge of this history knows that this is a "weird" country, and the one who impresses the most is the "Eunuch Dynasty".
Of course, for now, the Southern Han Dynasty's leader Liu Sheng began to reuse eunuchs, causing eunuchs to disrupt the government. However, it has not reached the point of being crazy. According to the official history, it was not until Liu Sheng died and his son Liu Yuan succeeded to the throne that the Southern Han Dynasty officially evolved towards "wonder".
At that time, it was well known to many people that in the Southern Han Dynasty, if you wanted to be an official, you had to be castrated first. The reason is also ridiculous, that is, the ministers have families and care about their children and grandchildren, so they cannot be loyal to the royal family.
Of course, on the other hand, corresponding to the disasters of eunuchs are the disadvantages of witchcraft. Starting from Liu Sheng, there were trusted witches who intervened in politics and decided state affairs.
Liu Chengyou had some impressions, but they were a little vague. But now after Zhao Pu's explanation, it has gradually become clearer and he has a deeper understanding.
"As you said, if the puppet government's bad government is like this, there is nothing to worry about, and the miasma of the mountains is not enough to protect it. Sooner or later, it will be taken away!" Showing confidence and domineering in his attitude, Liu Chengyou ordered Zhao Pu: "Send the envoy ! I want to hear it, what’s your purpose?”
"yes!"
After a while, Chen Yanshou, the envoy of the Southern Han Dynasty, entered the Chongzheng Hall under the guidance of the chamberlain. He scanned the majestic hall and the case was high. He only caught a glimpse of the bright yellow figure behind the case. He subconsciously prostrated: "Little Chen Yanshou, See Your Majesty!"
This is not the demeanor of an envoy from a country, and his embarrassment is almost like that of a domestic slave. Liu Chengyou was on the table, eating cakes and drinking porridge. The rich porridge was still steaming.
He raised his eyes and looked at Chen Yanshou. He was dressed in rich clothes, gold and jade, jewels, a well-groomed beard, and a well-groomed body. However, compared with it, his performance was in great contrast. In Liu Chengyou's opinion, it was different from that of the Han Palace. There is not much difference between the eunuchs and eunuchs.
"Where did the envoy come from?" Liu Chengyou asked casually as he continued to eat the cake slowly without letting him get up.
Chen Yanshou seemed a little nervous and blurted out: "The young one comes from Panyu."
His answer could only be described as "sincerity". Liu Chengyou said in a condescending manner: "What's the matter here?"
"Return to your majesty, my emperor—"
As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he was stopped by Zhao Pu who was standing beside him: "How dare you! The Emperor of Han is here, how dare you, the leader of your country, to claim arrogance? Don't you know that this is one of the ten evil crimes of genocide? Where are the guards in front of the palace? Are you going to do this?" Take the lock out of the palace..."
Liu Chengyou sat there calmly and did not express his position. He allowed Zhao Pu to do what he wanted and did not care about his overstepping.
Being scolded by Zhao Pu, Chen Yanshou was stunned for a moment, and then his face became frightened. He quickly kowtowed to Liu Chengyou and said, "You are guilty! Your Majesty, please forgive me!"
After waving his hand and removing the guards who had entered, Liu Chengyou looked at Chen Yanshou with a somewhat cold gaze: "Since ancient times, there have been no two days in the sky and no two masters in the country. The great Han Dynasty has stood in the Central Plains, and I have lived here to control the world. Over the years, I have With conquests in the east and west, Southern Tang and Western Shu vying to surrender, Liu Sheng still dares to usurp the throne and want to fight against the Han Dynasty?"
"This..." Chen Yanshou felt a little aggrieved when he heard what the Han Emperor said. He was just an internal servant and had nothing to do with him.
Seeing his embarrassment, Liu Chengyou said calmly: "Tell me, why did Liu Sheng send you here?"
"Your Majesty, the Lord of our country has sent a young man here. One is to celebrate Your Majesty's civil and military achievements and to take over Jingnan and Hunan; the other is to explain the conflict at Guiyang Pass and ask for Your Majesty's understanding; the third is to pay tribute and make a good relationship with Your Majesty, and I want to be forever married to Your Majesty. We are like brothers, we are a country of brothers..." This time, Chen Yanshou answered more skillfully, obviously he had memorized it.
However, after Liu Chengyou was so shocked, he still followed the script, which shows that he is stupid or too nervous.
"Hehe, hehe..." Liu Chengyou couldn't help but laugh. The laughter floated in the hall, hitting Chen Yanshou's heart and making him panic.
"Zhao Qing, did you hear clearly? Then Liu Sheng actually wants to call us brothers!"
Looking back, Liu Chengyou's eyes were cold and he looked directly at Chen Yanshou: "I ask you, it has been nine years since the founding of the Han Dynasty. Why did you only send you north to pay tribute now after so many years?"
"The Lord of the country has long had the intention of repairing things, but the mountains are high and the roads are far away, making it difficult to travel. He was at odds with Hunan in the past and was hindered by Zhou Ni, so he was slow to do so. Fortunately, His Majesty was wise and powerful, and captured Jinghu in one fell swoop, eliminating the rebellion. , to connect Lingnan with the Central Plains. The king has been longing for several years to finally send an envoy to the court to express his sincerity!" Chen Yanshou responded, probably slowly adapting to the emperor's aura and the atmosphere in the palace, so he answered appropriately. Much more calm.
Paying attention to the obvious flattery on this person's face, Liu Chengyou couldn't say that he was disgusted or had any emotions in his heart. In fact, the fluctuations on his face were more of a show.
"So, I misunderstood Liu Sheng and failed to understand his difficulties?" Liu Chengyou said leisurely.
"Your Majesty is serious! How dare the Lord of my country dare?" Chen Yanshou bowed and said, "I am just uneasy after not coming to court for a long time. If I can gain His Majesty's understanding, it would be an honor for our country. I can pay homage to Your Majesty on behalf of the Lord. Hearing the holy sound is also a blessing that I have gained in several lifetimes!"
This eunuch is quite talkative. Is this how he flattered Liu Sheng all day long in the Southern Han Dynasty?
"That's it!" After hearing what he said, Liu Chengyou waved his hand.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"Don't be too busy yet!" Liu Chengyou interrupted him, gradually put away all his emotions, stared at Chen Yanshou, and said seriously: "I heard your purpose clearly! Liu Sheng congratulated me, and I took it heartily. I don’t care about the conflict at Guiyang Mountain.”
"As for the two countries being friends and paying tribute, I also agree, but!" There was an obvious pause in Liu Chengyou's words: "There are two prerequisites. First, if the country's name is changed, there will be only one big man in the world; second, if the emperor's name is removed, Lingnan will be the world leader. As a subject of the country, this cannot be changed. As for the details of the annual tribute, I will send someone to revise it, and you can bring it back at that time!"
"Do you understand?" Liu Chengyou raised his voice, causing Chen Yanshou's body to tremble.
"I understand, little one!" he responded quickly.
"Just understand. Go back and tell Liu Sheng that if you want to fix it, you have to show sincerity!" Liu Chengyou said indifferently.
"yes!"
After saying that, Liu Chengyou's stern look faded, and his expression became gentle again. He looked at Chen Yanshou with a smile in his tone: "My legs are sore after kneeling for so long. Please get back on your feet!"
After hearing this, Chen Yanshou realized that after entering the palace, he had been kneeling down to ask questions, which was really unbecoming of an envoy of a country. However, suddenly facing the gentle tone of Han Emperor, I was a little flattered for a moment: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"You came from Panyu to Beijing and braved the summer heat. It's been a hard journey. You can have a good rest in Tokyo these few days and see the scenery of Kaifeng!" Liu Chengyou added.
"yes!"
When Chen Yanshou retreated, Liu Chengyou couldn't help shaking his head: "With people like this, we can see the shortcomings of Liu Sheng's employment and governance!"
"Your Majesty agreed to make peace with the puppet dynasty, which is really a strategy that kills three birds with one stone!" Zhao Puze complimented Liu Chengyou.
"Really? Tell me!" Liu Chengyou seemed a little surprised.
Zhao Pu said: "Firstly, it can calm the minds of the puppet dynasty; secondly, no matter how much the annual tribute is, it can supplement the financial resources; thirdly, taking advantage of the time for repairs, our dynasty can reorganize the army and cultivate martial arts, both for the southward advance Make preparations and send troops to capture Sichuan and Shu at the same time!"
"As for me, I only care about the small annual tribute, just because I have no intention to continue going south in a short period of time. As for the other things, it does not affect the overall situation. The world situation is like this, so who and how powerful it is, Can it prevent me from achieving unification?" Liu Chengyou said calmly.
"Your Majesty's arrogant attitude is so admirable!" Zhao Pu said.
Liu Chengyou smiled. Every time he heard Zhao Pu say flattering words, he felt strange. Famous ministers throughout the ages are also capable of flattery, and he has become more and more aware of this.
"This is the tribute list for the puppet dynasty. Please read it for your Majesty's Majesty!" Zhao Pu presented a seal.
After reading it for a while, I found 2,000 kilograms of gold, 5,000 kilograms of silver, 1,000 kilograms of various medicinal materials, 3,000 bolts of silk, and other valuables such as pearls, agates, and jade.
"It seems that Liu Sheng has indeed accumulated a lot of money, so he is generous in his spending!" Liu Chengyou said.
After putting away the gift list, Liu Chengyou's reaction was rather dull. If it had been a time of poverty in the early days of the country, it might have made him feel a little disturbed. After handing it to Zhang Dejun, Liu Chengyou ordered: "Put it into the internal funds. In addition, let the concubines in the harem pick out those valuable things, and give them two pieces per person. This can be regarded as my reward!"
"yes!"
"What do you think of Chen Yanshou?" Liu Chengyou suddenly asked Zhang Dejun.
Zhang Dejun was a little confused as to why the emperor would ask him, but he still answered cautiously: "I have never been in contact with him, so I don't dare to speak nonsense."
Liu Chengyou said: "Then you take the time to go to the hotel and make contact for me. This person is an eunuch and can be sent by Liu Sheng as an envoy. He should have some influence in Lingnan Palace. He may be useful in the future!"
"Yes!" Zhang Dejun immediately understood what Liu Chengyou meant, and he was secretly instigating rebellion again. As for why Zhang Dejun was sent there, they were both eunuchs, so they might have more common topics.
