When you feel irritable, taking a walk is a good way to relax and relieve stress. Under the scorching blue sky, Liu Chengyou wandered aimlessly among the solemn palaces of the inner court.
He was wandering in a leisurely manner, and the servants and guards who accompanied him were careful not to disturb the emperor's thoughts. In the Han Palace, there were many people to go, but before he knew it, Liu Chengyou walked to Kunming Hall.
In the harem, there are quite a few concubines and beauties, but over the years, only a few or two have truly entered Liu Chengyou's heart. Whenever he feels depressed and exhausted physically and mentally, this side of Fuhou is his favorite haven.
In the Kunming Hall, the atmosphere was very harmonious, with laughter and laughter from time to time. Empress Fu was holding the Queen of Wei to talk there, talking and laughing, while King Liu Min of Wei was running around the pillars, playing with the gauze curtain, not knowing what the fun was.
When Liu Chengyou saw Liu Chengyou, Liu Min's eyes lit up and he immediately stepped forward, calling "Daddy". Although according to etiquette, he had to call him king and uncle, there were no affairs within the family that were kept open to the public. People advised and admonished this matter.
"Sister-in-law is here too!" He picked up Liu Min and walked to the inner hall. Looking at the two beautiful women saluting, Liu Chengyou chuckled and said to Princess Wei.
Princess Wei's voice was as smooth and moving as hers, and she replied: "I haven't been to the palace for a long time, so I brought Liu Min to the palace for a visit!"
Nodding, Liu Chengyou said: "Sister-in-law is interested. Now that she has entered the palace, she should go to Ciming Palace to see the Queen Mother!"
"Yes! I have this intention!" Princess Wei said.
Probably seeing that the emperor was specifically looking for the queen, Princess Wei took the initiative to resign, leaving space for the couple, and took Liu Min to Ciming Palace.
Empress Fu's pregnancy was already showing. Yes, after recovering from the illness, through Liu Chengyou's hard work, the empress became pregnant again, and at the same time, the concubine Xian Zheshi became pregnant again. In terms of fertility, Liu Chengyou is becoming more and more confident.
"Come here, serve tea to the officials!" Queen Fu ordered.
"No need!" Waving his hand, Liu Chengyou said casually: "Liu Min is four years old too!"
Da Fu nodded and looked at Liu Chengyou curiously. After many years of tacit understanding, as soon as he opened his mouth, you knew that he still didn't finish his words. Liu Chengyou said: "In Prince Wei's Mansion, he has his sister-in-law taking care of him, so he can rest assured, but after all, he is outside the palace. Now that he is almost old, he can start his enlightenment. Do you want to find him a tutor?"
Both the emperor and the empress felt a certain amount of guilt and reluctance towards the sixth son adopted to their eldest brother, so they doted on them much more than the other sons. After listening to what he said, Dafu said: "In the official family, Liu Lang is still young. In my opinion, there is no need to rush to find a tutor for him. Mo Ruo also allows him to go to the Cultural Hall and follow Bachelor Zhang, so that he can study and gain enlightenment. , and it can also enhance the relationship between brothers!”
"Yeah! Kill two birds with one stone, let's do it like this!" Liu Chengyou nodded.
So far, Liu Chengyou's first five sons have studied literature and martial arts with Zhang Zhao and Yao Yuanfu in Wenhua Hall. Of course, the ones he values the most are his four older sons who have traveled with him on tours.
"Erlang has been busy with state affairs recently and the military situation is tense. Why do you think of coming to the harem?" Dafu asked softly.
"I feel depressed, come to your place to take a look!" Liu Chengyou responded, and then lay down on a recliner in the hall.
Noticing the rare look of exhaustion on Liu Chengyou's expression, he ordered someone to get a soft bandage, sit behind him, and gently massage Liu Chengyou's forehead with his hand, as if to help him soothe his sadness. Liu Chengyou didn't react at all, just quietly enjoying the queen's care.
"Are you still worried about the Liao Kingdom?" Da Fu asked.
Liu Chengyou said: "You have heard about it too!"
"The dispute between the North and the South has been very raging recently. Although I am in the palace, I have certainly heard about it!" Dafu sighed: "On my side, I haven't seen you so entangled in a long time, and it is difficult to decide the matter!"
"I naturally hope that there will be as few hesitations as possible!" Liu Chengyou said: "After all, it is a matter of national policy, so I have to think carefully! There are two voices in my head now, pulling me north together. , all together tempting me to go south, each has its own reasons, each has its own pros and cons, so it’s not too disturbing!”
Hearing what he said, Da Fu smiled: "This just shows that Erlang is a wise king, cautious and prudent, and does not take military and national affairs as a trivial matter. This is a blessing for the Han subjects!"
Hearing this, Liu Chengyou also laughed: "In this way, I brought this trouble on myself. It is not easy to be a wise king! Sometimes, I wonder, what if I become a foolish king? I am not happy and relaxed. What a pity, I am afraid of the country’s subjugation!”
Only in front of Da Fu could Liu Chengyou speak so freely.
Da Fu said: "Back then, when you ordered the literary scholars to write "On the Difficulties of Being a King", didn't you already have this realization at that time? After so many years, you have come through step by step, and there is nothing you can't do. If you can’t face it, there is no problem that you can’t solve!”
Fu Hou cheered Liu Chengyou, and Liu Chengyou suddenly asked: "What do you think I should do when I go to the north to go south?"
Upon hearing this, Da Fu shook his head: "How do I know about military and national affairs? Even if they exist, it is only a woman's opinion, and Erlang is not worth it!"
Liu Chengyou immediately said: "Why do you need to belittle yourself? There are many officials in the capital with different military strategies. They are not just talking loudly and talking. If you were a man, I would make you a high official!"
"I came to Kunming Hall because I wanted to hear your opinions on women!"
Liu Chengyou's tone was relaxed, but Da Fu did not take it seriously. Instead, he thought about it seriously and said, "The advice I can give you is to think more about how you made choices and decisions when faced with such major issues in the past. In these years, you have made no mistakes in any major decisions, so the Han Dynasty is getting stronger and stronger, and all the states and counties are safe!"
Da Fu said this in a very calm tone, but there was no lack of praise for Liu Chengyou. It was very comfortable to hear it in his ears. Sometimes, listening to good words can indeed relieve stress and relieve stress.
However, Da Fu's words did serve as a reminder to Liu Chengyou. Although in the past, the final decision on such major decisions rested with him, he often listened to group discussions.
During the last strategic dispute between the North and the South, he personally visited Guo Wei before making up his mind, and then there was the matter of the southern expedition. Now, Guo Wei is receiving blessings from Yaoshan. Who else in the DPRK can help him make up his mind?
Soon, Liu Chengyou thought of someone.
"I'm going back to the Long Live Hall first!" Liu Chengyou opened his eyes, said something to Da Fu, and left happily without letting her see him off.
In the Long Live Hall, Liu Chengyou met alone with Duke Lu, the Minister of War, and the prime minister Wei Renpu. He always maintained a respect for this important minister who had been with him for a long time, so he was always close to him in private.
The meeting asked him to sit down, he seemed very relaxed, and said directly without any nonsense: "Wei Qing, now the dispute between the north and the south is before me and the Han Dynasty. There are a lot of discussions in the government and the public, and there are constant disputes in the temple.
In the Chongzheng Hall, you rarely speak. The previous discussion was ambiguous. It concerns the safety of the Han Dynasty and the national strategy. I still want to hear your opinion! "
Wei Renpu is probably the most candid minister he has dealt with in this period of time. Facing the emperor's inquiry, Wei Renpu was still not in a hurry to express his position. There was still a hint of deep thinking on his decent face. After a while, he looked up at Liu Chengyou and said suddenly: "Your Majesty is already leaning towards the Northern Expedition!"
Liu Chengyou heard this and asked, "Why do you see this?"
"Based on the decisiveness of His Majesty's decision-making, if he had not intended the Northern Expedition, he would not have asked officials of the fifth rank or above to discuss the matter in a group, and it would just be carried out in accordance with the existing Pingnan strategy!" Wei Renpu said.
Liu Chengyou thought about it, but it made some sense, and asked again: "What do you think?"
"The pros and cons of the north-south strategy have been fully stated in the past two days. I think your majesty knows it well, so I won't go into details!" Wei Renpu said with his hand: "The Liao Kingdom in the north is no longer hostile and threatening to the Han Dynasty. Doubtless, as Privy Chai said, the Khitans must not want to see the Han successfully pacify the south of the Yangtze River, conquer the world, and then go north to attack it.
The Battle of Yanmen and the Youzhou plot have already proved that the Khitans definitely have the idea of using troops against the Han Dynasty. I can be sure that as long as the Han Dynasty crosses the Yangtze River and Pingnan, the Liao army in the north will surely move upon hearing the news. At worst, they will also attack our border and disturb our soldiers and civilians. At that time, the Han Dynasty will inevitably fall into a situation of fighting on two fronts! "
"This is exactly what I have been worried about after the border situation changed!" Liu Chengyou sighed.
Looking at Liu Chengyou, Wei Renpu said: "As Prime Minister Fan said, if the north is strong and the south is weak, there is no problem in moving first from south to north, first easy and then difficult. However, if the imperial court makes a big move to pacify the south and the Liao army goes south, then the northern defense will pay the price. It will definitely be high, and may even result in the collapse of Youji. And the imperial court's northern expedition, the Han Dynasty's attack on the Liao defenders, and the countries south of the Yangtze River may move north to pose a threat to the imperial court?"
As soon as Wei Renpu said this, Liu Chengyou suddenly felt like he was enlightened. His eyes were bright and he stared at Wei Renpu and said: "As you said, we are fighting on two sides, but the burdens and risks on the defensive side are very different. Furthermore, if the Han Dynasty makes an expedition to the north, only the troops from the south who are concerned about Jiangbiao will threaten Huainan. However, based on my understanding of the Li family, they will most likely be happy, singing and dancing, and watch from the sidelines the fierce battle between us and the Khitans!"
"Your Majesty is gifted and extraordinary, I bow to you!" Wei Renpu responded.
Hearing this, Liu Chengyou smiled heartily, and his whole body relaxed, and his eyes burst out with high aspirations: "I have long had the idea of fighting the Khitan. To this day, the battle between Han and Liao is inevitable, so then Go north and crack this hard nut!"
After saying that, Liu Chengyou looked at Wei Renpu again, with emotion unavoidable in his tone, and said: "The Duke has followed me for many years, and has repeatedly given advice and suggestions. He has always been diligent, and his achievements are rare. With his talents and functions, he should be the leader of the dynasty. Kill it!"
After hearing what the emperor said, Wei Renpu immediately showed an attitude of humility and said: "Your Majesty is so complimentary, how dare I accept it! I have been favored by the emperor and have always been treated well. I can only repay it with my whole heart, no matter how high my position is." The Prime Minister has always been honest and upright, and he is the chief minister, and all officials obey him. Your Majesty, please be careful with what you say!"
Hearing this, Liu Chengyou sighed again: "I'm afraid there are no more people in the court who are better in character and talent than you!"
