"Congratulations on your return to the capital!"
Outside Xiangfu Inn, the prince's car stopped on the road. In front of the road, a young man who was elegant and seemed to be very well-educated came forward and bowed to greet him.
The curtain opened, and Prince Liu Yang poked half of his head out. When he saw the visitor, a warm smile suddenly appeared on his face: "My uncle, please welcome me, no need to be polite!"
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
The young man who greeted him was only in his twenties, but he had a handsome demeanor. Just from the title and attitude of the prince, we could tell who he was. Fu Zhaoyuan, the second son of Fu Yanqing, the head of the state and King of Chenliu, the second in line to Queen Fu, and Liu Yang's uncle.
Since the untimely death of Fu Yanqing's eldest son Fu Zhaoxin, the young Fu Zhaoyuan has undoubtedly become the future successor of the Fu family and has received intensive training. Over the years, he has gained a good reputation among the distinguished disciples in Tokyo. He is a very upright person, gentle and courteous to others.
Two years ago, he was assigned to the East Palace as an attendant to study with Prince Liu Yang. Obviously, the Fu family doesn't have to hide their support for the prince at all. Where the relationship is, it can't be hidden.
Although they are uncle and nephew, the age difference between Liu Yang and Fu Zhaoyuan is not big, and the relationship between the two has always been close. Therefore, Liu Yang also seemed affectionate towards Fu Zhaoyuan and asked: "I'm just returning to Beijing, why bother to welcome him in person?"
Fu Zhaoyuan replied: "I am here under the orders of the young master!"
Nowadays, the officials of the East Palace have gone through another round of adjustments. Except for the fact that there is no independent palace guard to lead the palace, all subordinate officials are fully equipped. Prime Minister Wei Renpu held the title of Crown Prince and Tutor, while Li Fang was the Crown Prince's Young Tutor and became the general manager of the affairs of the East Palace. Of course, as Liu Yang grew older, his weight also increased, and he needed to assist the Crown Prince in handling palace affairs and government affairs.
This spring, as the crown prince, Liu Yang took the place of Emperor Liu on his western tour, inspecting the administration of officials and advising on farming and mulberry farming. Moreover, Emperor Liu ordered Liu Yang to go on patrol independently, and Li Fang and other important officials in the East Palace were not allowed to accompany him.
This time, it was the first time that Liu Yang went on a tour with only his own head. Emperor Liu had taken great pains to train him. Now, nearly half a year later, I finally returned to Beijing.
The Prince Lu's record is here, and the officials of Xiangfu Post are actively arranging the order in the post and making preparations for welcoming him. Facing the attentive Yi Cheng, he looked at the sky and noticed the occupied roads and the cleared pedestrians. Liu Yang said, "It's not late now, so I won't stay here for the night!"
"Send the order and drive! Don't occupy the main road and disturb pedestrians!" Liu Yang ordered again softly.
"Yes!" The officer in charge of the ceremonial guard immediately went to make arrangements.
The prince did not want to stay overnight, so Yi Cheng was naturally disappointed, but he did not dare to say anything more, not even to complain. He could only retreat obediently and watch the car drive away.
"Uncle, please get in the car and ride with me!" He invited Fu Zhaoyuan again.
"Thank you, Your Highness!" Fu Zhaoyuan did not refuse, thanked him, and got into the car calmly.
The two nephews and uncles feel much more natural in the relatively private space inside the carriage, and they don't have to hold up in front of outsiders. Looking at Liu Yang, Fu Zhaoyuan said: "My sister has been thinking about His Highness closely these past few months when he has been on tour, and several major events have happened in the court!"
"This trip is indeed not short, I worry my mother!" Liu Yang sighed, and then asked Fu Zhaoyuan: "I heard that Duke Wei died of illness!"
"Exactly! The mourning period has just passed!" Fu Zhaoyuan said: "Your Majesty is very sad about the death of Duke Wei!"
"What a pity! Duke Wei was a meritorious official of the Han Dynasty and his Majesty's brother. Heaven was so ruthless that he took his life..." Liu Yang also felt sorry for this and said, "After returning to Beijing, I Let’s go and pay homage now!”
"This is what it should be!" Fu Zhaoyuan said, with a smile on his face, and said to Liu Yang: "It has been spread in the palace that Your Majesty and the Queen have decided to accept the Murong family's young lady as the Crown Princess. Your Highness will reply this time Jing, it’s time to prepare for the wedding!”
Upon hearing this, Liu Yang was a little stunned, and his face finally showed a little shyness, but he recovered quickly. As the heir carefully cultivated by Emperor Liu, Liu Yang had no objection to arranged marriages. After just thinking about it, he realized the help and benefits that marrying into the Murong family would bring to him.
"If I remember correctly, Duke Wei has no daughter!" Liu Yang asked: "Which Murong wife is she?"
Fu Zhaoyuan said: "Murong Yue, the eldest daughter of Murong Yanqing, is the commander of the capital of Gyeonggi!"
Liu Yang nodded, pondered for a while, then suddenly raised his head and said, "Uncle, what is the appearance and character of this Murong wife?"
Noticing Liu Yang's somewhat nervous expression, Fu Zhaoyuan couldn't help but laugh and laughed: "Your Highness, don't worry, your Majesty and your sister will naturally choose a person with both talent and appearance for you, and a pure and good character, rather than an ordinary vulgar fan. He is not worthy of the Crown Prince either."
Hearing this, Liu Yang couldn't help but feel happy: "When my eldest brother got married, I just watched it from the sidelines and found it interesting. But now when it's my turn, I can't help but lose my bearings!"
Speaking of Liu Xu, Fu Zhaoyuan said: "Qin Gong has also been transferred from the Ministry of Rites."
"Oh? What mission has father arranged for eldest brother again?" Liu Yang was a little curious.
"Go to the Lifan Court and serve as Zuo Shilang, responsible for the affairs of the four barbarians!"
"These Rongdi barbarians are not easy to manage! In the past few years, problems have occurred frequently in the northwest, and it is the barbarians who cause trouble!" Liu Yang thought for a while and said.
"Perhaps because of this, His Majesty has decided to use troops in the northwest to completely solve the problem of the trouble-making army and the party members!" Fu Zhaoyuan was beaming.
"I've heard about this too!" Liu Yang said: "For a long time, Li Shi, the Dingnan Army, has been like a fish bone stuck in the throat. My father has long been interested in digesting it. It really shouldn't have been delayed for so many years. Let him stay outside the Han military and political system again!"
"With General Yang leading the army, we will be able to succeed immediately and annihilate the Dingnan Army. This time, there are some noble sons in the capital who have been selected and followed to the west, which is enviable!" Fu Zhaoyuan said.
"Who is there?" Liu Yang was very interested.
"Yang Yanzhao, Li Jilong, Guo Yi, Xiang Deming, Sun Yun..." Fu Zhaoyuan said a long list of names.
Hearing this, Liu Yang couldn't help but frown. He was indeed a noble son of the right age. He was not surprised by this. He just sighed in his heart that his emperor had begun to focus on cultivating a new generation of generals. He was familiar with this situation, because Emperor Liu had tempered him in this way.
"Guo Yi and Li Jilong are only sixteen or seventeen years old now. Are Xing Gong and Li Shu willing to let them go to the northwest to take risks?" Liu Yang asked casually.
"With His Majesty's edict, how can the Second Duke dare to object? Besides, the Second Duke is not a spoiled person. You can learn a lot from Yang Dushuai..."
After listening to Fu Zhaoyuan's words, Liu Yang couldn't help but look at him: "Uncle, I see my father's intentions clearly!"
Upon hearing this, Fu Zhaoyuan hurriedly shook his head and waved his hands, saying: "Your Majesty's power is unpredictable. It is beyond the reach of a boy like me. It's just a test."
"Young Master's official position may be changed!" Fu Zhaoyuan said again.
Liu Yang immediately cheered up and asked, "What did Young Master tell you?"
Fu Zhaoyuan shook his head: "I didn't say it clearly, but I think that's what it revealed. Not long ago, His Majesty also summoned the young master to the palace to serve as a lecturer..."
Li Fang was a good teacher and friend to Liu Yang. When Liu Yang suddenly heard such news, he couldn't let go. However, he still showed a smile: "Young Master taught me that time is not long. With his talents and conduct, he should be high up in the temple. If he stays in the East Palace for a long time, his talents will be buried. With his qualifications, if he changes his position, he should Become the head of a department!"
"Where are the important positions in the government now lacking?" Liu Yang asked.
Fu Zhaoyuan shook his head. There were many high-ranking officials and important positions in the imperial court. It would be difficult for them to guess out of thin air. Of course, with Li Fang's qualifications and talents, he will definitely not be a small department.
"By the way, sister-in-law is about to give birth!" Liu Yang suddenly said.
"Calculating the time, it won't be long!" Fu Zhaoyuan replied.
"So, I want to be an uncle too!" Liu Yang said, which seemed to be unreal. After all, he is only seventeen years old now.
