In front of the hall, Liu Chengyou, a man with a golden sword, was sitting on a Taishi chair. He was wearing a tight military uniform that slightly highlighted his belly. He was holding a teacup in his hand and sipping lightly.
In the middle of the field, four princes were practicing martial arts, waving wooden swords in their hands, fighting in pairs, one against the other. Of course, the main purpose is to perform martial arts and demonstrate what they have learned, but it seems that the fourth child is the most calm and the most skillful and powerful in his movements. The youngest among them is Liu Yun, who is now almost ten years old.
Among the weapons racks, there was an old man standing, but he was no longer Yao Yuanfu. Duke Fen died in the summer of last year at the age of seventy-nine, which was already a very old man. The successor was the veteran British Duke Guo Congyi, who was transferred from Hedong Capital to Tokyo to serve as a teacher for the princes. This was a very high honor.
Guo Congyi was a military general who had a deep connection with Zhuang Zong and was also a founding father. After the rise of the Han Dynasty, he had been a big boss in the army and a powerful force in the Forbidden Army.
In the early days of the country, he was the leader of an army and the leader of the military festival. For more than ten years, he has guarded four states, all at key points. Although he was basically absent from the military wars of the Han Dynasty in recent years except for the destruction of Du Chongwei, his status has not been reduced over the years.
Just because he always had a place in the Forbidden Army's many reorganizations, even if many young people climbed on top of him. Moreover, he had been in charge of Daming Mansion for many years, and most of the imperial troops stationed were his subordinates, which shows Liu Chengyou's trust in him.
Guo Congyi is also a wonderful man. In addition to his military ability, he is also much more elegant. He is a very interesting person and is by no means an ordinary martial artist. Therefore, during the teaching process, he was very popular with the prince, especially his versatility and Confucian general's demeanor. Yao Yuanfu was a good teacher, strict and upright. Most of the princes respected and feared him, but few had Guo Congyi's infectious ability.
Prince Liu Yang stood beside Liu Chengyou. After several years of being a prince, he had become more stable. At this time, he respectfully reported some government affairs to Liu Chengyou. As he gets older and observes political affairs for a long time, Liu Chengyou has been trying to let him participate in the handling and decision-making of government affairs since this spring. He specially asked the Political Affairs Hall to assign some appropriate affairs to the East Palace for handling. .
Although they are just trivial things that have nothing to do with the overall situation, they are enough to serve as a test. According to observations, Liu Yang did a pretty good job. Of course, it was also because he was assisted by subordinates of the East Palace like Li Fang.
"What's going on with Sri Buddha's kingdom? Where is it?" Liu Chengyou suddenly asked Liu Yang.
After hearing the question, Liu Yang recalled a little and said: "It is reported that it is a country south of Annan. It has a large territory and controls the key points of various waterways in the South China Sea. Many of its merchants go to Lingnan to engage in value trade. This This is the first time this country has sent envoys to Tokyo to pay tribute. This shows that the majesty of the Han Dynasty has spread."
Nodding, Liu Chengyou ordered: "When the envoy arrives in Tokyo, go and meet him and learn about the situation in Nanfan over the years!"
"yes!"
"Dad!" At this time, the fifth son Liu Yun ran up, sweating profusely, and his military uniform was a little dirty. He put the wooden sword in his hand, panting, and looked at Liu Chengyou with his smart eyes full of hope.
"What, are you tired?" Liu Chengyou smiled.
"Yeah!" Liu Yun nodded quickly.
This son was born to Concubine Zhe, and he had "strange" behavior since he was a child. For example, he was forcibly weaned at the age of six. He was extremely lazy on weekdays. He never showed any effort in words or deeds. Reading and practicing martial arts seemed like he was just coping with a task. Asked to recite a passage, he never refused to read a single word more. As he was asked, Zhang Zhao once lamented to Liu Chengyou that the fifth prince was smart, and left the last half of the sentence unsaid, letting Liu Chengyou understand it for himself.
In comparison, the third prince Liu Xi was also famous for his laziness. However, Liu Chengyou was also well aware of Liu Xi's hard work behind his back. Liu Yun, on the other hand, gives people a sense of chicness. He seems to have had a few words engraved on his forehead since he was a child: I don't want to work hard.
It can be said that compared with his fourth brother from the same mother, Liu Yun is at the other extreme. Liu Fang is heroic and has little ambition, but Liu Yun is just a salty fish. Even if he is young, if he is forced, he will easily cause some ridiculous things.
Looking at his son who was giving him a headache and noticing his wandering eyes, Liu Chengyou knew that he wanted to be lazy again. Therefore, with a straight face, he said seriously: "How long has it been? Have you completed the task?"
Liu Yun hurriedly said: "I have practiced everything the master taught me!"
"Wu Lang is young and lacks strength. Let him rest for a while!" Liu Yang said from the side. Hearing this, Liu Yun quickly winked at the prince's brother and cast a grateful look.
"Guo Qing, what do you think?" Liu Chengyou glared at Liu Yun and asked Guo Congyi, who was approaching with Liu Xu, Liu Xi, and Liu Fang.
The older Guo Congyi gets, the more graceful he becomes. He has an enviable naturalness and calmness that no one else can imitate. After bowing to Liu Chengyou, Guo Congyi said: "His Royal Highnesses are all high-ranking nobles, rich in gold and precious bodies. Practicing martial arts is only for physical fitness, not for killing. It is enough to have a training effect. Today is your Majesty's inspection of the results. , if your Majesty feels it is not enough, you can practice again!"
After Guo Congyi finished speaking, Liu Fang also spoke and said: "If you want to test it, you still need to see the real results in battle. Such a drill is quite boring!"
"You kid with a bad mouth, you're talking too much!" Liu Chengyou scolded him immediately. Although he liked Liu Fang, he didn't like an arrogant character, so he would scold him even if he said it unintentionally.
Liu Fang didn't take it seriously at all, he just smiled. Looking at his sons, except for Liu Yun, they are all growing like crazy. He waved his hand and ordered: "Freedom to move around, everyone disperses!"
The command from the king elicited a burst of cheers. Liu Fang pulled Liu Yun and ran outside: "Come on, I will take you to ride a horse!"
Liu Xi took his time, saluted Liu Chengyou, sat aside, drank water and ate fruit slowly.
Looking at Guo Congyi, Liu Chengyou said: "Guo Qing, I asked you to train my sons, but I'm sorry to bother you!"
Guo Congyi stroked his beard and said with a smile: "This is my honor!"
"What's wrong with you?" Liu Chengyou asked, looking at Liu Xu who was waiting there politely.
Liu Xu cupped his hands and said, "In a few days, my cousin will get married. I want to go to the house and have a banquet to congratulate you!"
Hearing this, Liu Chengyou was slightly surprised, but seeing this gentle and gentle eldest son, he almost said without thinking: "This is what it should be! I will ask someone to prepare a gift, and you will bring it with you when the time comes!"
"Thank you, daddy!"
The late Concubine Geng Chen had an older brother named Geng Chong'en. Because of his sister, he also got an official position, but he was much more low-key than other royal relatives. In the fifteenth year of Qianyou's reign, he was only a young eunuch. .
Even now, thinking about Concubine Geng Chen, Liu Chengyou will have some ripples in his heart, and he feels pity for Liu Xu.
However, suddenly, Liu Chengyou realized that his sons seemed to have really grown up. After looking at the eldest son and then the prince, his mood gradually became complicated.
When children grow up, problems will inevitably begin to arise. For the royal family, the most realistic thing is the struggle for throne and power. In terms of Liu Chengyou's character, although he had established a crown prince, he never wanted Liu Yang to feel that his position was stable and unshakable, lose his vigilance, and become a happy prince.
Therefore, the pressure that should be there will definitely be given. The greatest pressure was on the other princes, but Liu Chengyou did not want the resulting infighting in the palace and the feud between brothers.
In the past, when the princes were still young, his mentality was not obvious. However, as the prince was established and the other princes gradually grew up, Liu Chengyou's inner conflicts began to deepen.
Of course, so far, it is far from that point, but Emperor Liu inevitably has this sense of worry.
Leisure is rare for a powerful emperor, and even more so for Liu Chengyou. After a rare few days of rest, the peace and leisure were broken. There are some things that he can delegate to others, but there are other things that are beyond his control.
Sun Yanyun came in a hurry and said with a serious expression: "Let me report to the official family, there is news from the palace that a messenger is coming from Youzhou!"
