It was already autumn, and the weather suddenly turned colder. Emperor Liu had to wear an extra robe on weekdays.
In the Chui Gong Hall, two figures, an old man and a young man, were sitting across from each other. On the case was a chessboard with red and black chess pieces intertwined. The chess game had come to an end. Recently, Emperor Liu has become more and more fond of calling his grandchildren into the palace to accompany him, especially the two grandsons in the East Palace. The one who plays chess with Emperor Liu at this time is the eldest son of the prince, Liu Wenhuan.
Naturally, he plays chess. In recent years, chess has gradually become popular all over the country. The main reason is that Emperor Liu likes to play. If you are good at playing, you will be better at playing.
As a result, even the national quintessence of Go has been suppressed. For most people, including Emperor Liu, the game of Go is elegant enough, but it is too complicated and profound. It is difficult to understand the method without hard work. It is nothing like chess. , it is simple to get started and easy to use. Even ordinary people can learn it with a little effort.
Therefore, with decades of development, chess has become a common practice in the Han Dynasty, from the government to the private sector. Chess games can often be seen on the streets and under the trees in front of the cities of Han Dynasty.
In the palace, Emperor Liu had a relaxed smile on his lips, stroking his gray beard. Suddenly his eyes lit up. He picked up the red horse and slapped it on the chessboard: "General! You have no way out, I win!"
Emperor Liu was enjoying himself, even a little secretly happy, but Liu Wenhuan hesitated and called out: "Grandpa."
"What's wrong?"
Liu Wenhuan pointed to "that horse" and said: "The horse moves on the sun, you moved one more square with this move!"
"Huh?" Emperor Liu was stunned for a moment, immersed himself in observing the chessboard, couldn't help but rub his eyes, and recalled in his mind, and then realized that he seemed to have really made a mistake.
However, Emperor Liu was not embarrassed at all, he nodded calmly and said: "I did make the wrong step in this step!"
After saying that, Emperor Liu picked up the horse again, but did not put it back to its original position. Instead, he played with it in his hand and said to Liu Wenhuan: "But you are wrong! I am the emperor, how can the emperor make mistakes? If there is really something wrong, it will be the rules of chess that are wrong!"
After saying this, Emperor Liu used the red horse to capture the black general, and then announced the end of the chess game.
Liu Wenhuan stared blankly at Emperor Liu's movements, unable to react for a moment. Seeing this, Emperor Liu slowly picked up the tea cup and took a sip, but looking at his expression, he was somewhat embarrassed.
Liu Wenhuan didn't worry about the outcome of the chess game. He was just entertaining his grandfather. After thinking about it, he couldn't help but ask in a consultative manner: "If the emperor makes a mistake, shouldn't he, as a minister, correct him?"
After hearing this, Emperor Liu couldn't help but laugh twice and said: "This is also a good statement!"
"What's wrong with that?"
"It doesn't matter whether it's right or wrong!" Emperor Liu waved his hand: "Let's have another round!"
While the chessboard was being rearranged, Emperor Liu's expression returned to his usual calmness, even indifference. He only raised his eyelids from time to time to observe his grandson.
Liu Wenhuan, who had given birth to Yu Kaibao for ten years, is now almost sixteen years old. He has basically grown up, has good genes, and has outstanding appearance. His face already has a faint sense of heroism. Emperor Liu still likes this prince's eldest son.
Whether as the emperor of the empire or as a grandfather, you should pay special attention to the sons of the prince. Now the prince already has three sons. Just this spring, the prince's concubine Murong finally gave birth to a son for Liu Yang with great difficulty.
According to the court etiquette, the successor of the fourth generation of the Han Dynasty has appeared, and the provisions of the direct line succession law are clearly laid out. It's just that that's normal. This "normal" includes relatively mysterious factors such as age, political environment, and ability. Normal conditions are almost harsh.
The rules were formulated by Emperor Liu. He often restrained his ministers and asked them to strictly abide by the rules and not to go beyond the rules. No matter how effective it is, at least one thing is that Emperor Liu himself is not a rule-abiding person. During his forty years of rule, Emperor Liu did not only do one or two things that broke the rules, but many of them were made by himself. Yes, full practice has proven that rules are used to break this iron law.
When it comes to the matter of skipping heirs, Emperor Liu will certainly not be willful, and because of this, his considerations are more realistic. Naturally, he would not have any prejudice against Liu Yang's eldest son, and even blessed him with a healthy and smooth growth, but if he had any special expectations, it was obviously impossible.
Compared to Liu Wenhuan and Liu Wenji, the two grandsons whom Emperor Liu had watched grow up, the little guy who was still suckling in his infancy had too many uncertainties. Emperor Liu believed that he could not wait until he grew up. .
Let’s talk about a more realistic issue. If Prince Liu Yang unfortunately dies at this moment, Emperor Liu would rather choose his successor from among other scholars than place his hopes on the “first in line” stipulated by etiquette and law. On the heir.
From time to time, Emperor Liu called the two brothers Liu Wenhuan and Liu Wenji to accompany him in the palace. There was a hidden meaning in it that many people understood, including Prince Liu Yang.
Of course, the birth of the crown prince's legitimate son inevitably had a certain impact. First of all, there are martyrs and moral defenders in any era. There is such a group of people who have already determined that the newly born little emperor is the successor of the next generation. Of course, these people do not have much say in the court, and they do not There are few opportunities for voices to reach the ears of those in power, and even if they do, they will not be taken seriously.
The real impact occurred within the palace, especially the East Palace. For Prince Liu Yang, he was naturally happy to have another son, but besides his joy, his mood was inevitably complicated.
Regarding the issue of heirs, of course he had only been torn between his two sons in the past ten years or so, but now, with the addition of such a legitimate son, he was inevitably confused for a while.
When it comes to supporting the eldest son inheritance system, there is probably no one in the world who is more determined than Liu Yang. After all, this involves personal interests, and this is an important guarantee for his position as prince.
Without this halo, how could it have been easy for him to completely suppress those brothers who were like dragons and tigers when Empress Fu collapsed and Emperor Liu was old? Liu Yang could even stay in the position of Prince. In this position, the hard work put in is not easy.
After all, Liu Yang is close to his forties. In contemporary terms, this age is not too young. There are many people who are grandfathers, and the issue of heirs has indeed reached the point where Liu Yang needs to consider it. Got it
Apart from the tangled prince, the situation inside the East Palace was turbulent and the changes were significant, involving entanglements between various forces. The first one who was nervous was undoubtedly Concubine Zhao. Previously, his biggest advantage over the Crown Princess was her son Liu Wenhuan, and even forced the Murong family to adopt Liu Wenji, the son of Concubine Xiao. However, Concubine Zhao did not really regard this as a threat. , how could someone of Khitan origin be qualified?
But Concubine Murong's "old tree blossomed" and she gave birth to a baby with a baby. This problem is serious. It can't be seen now, but what about ten years from now? Legally speaking, time is always on the side of Concubine Murong and her son. As long as the little grandson grows up healthy and smoothly, he will be able to gain a steady stream of political support.
For Concubine Murong, it was also a bit awkward. At least when she heard Liu Wenji call her mother again, she couldn't contain the strange feeling in her heart. There is no difference between what others have given birth to and what she has given birth to. And the more she sees it, the less happy Concubine Murong becomes.
There was even a situation where Liu Wenji respectfully paid his respects, but Concubine Murong's thoughts were only on her beloved son, as if she didn't see or hear her, and didn't pay any attention to the fact that there was certainly a deliberate element in this.
Therefore, after Concubine Xiao learned about the situation, she told Liu Wenji that the Crown Princess would still go there, and no matter what Concubine Murong's attitude was, she should remain respectful and respectful as before. Of course, in order to take care of the Crown Princess's mood, we must pay attention to keep a distance and be measured in the future.
Concubine Xiao's instructions were somewhat difficult for Liu Wenji, but the purpose was clear: try to make the princess feel comfortable and not bore her. The response was very appropriate, but the relationship between the Crown Princess and the mother and son gradually became estranged in a short period of time.
For the Xiao mother and son, the birth of the little emperor's grandson has a big impact, but it is not necessarily a blessing or a blessing. At least in Concubine Xiao's view, they can temporarily keep their mother and son away from the center of the whirlpool of struggle in the East Palace. You must know that before, their mother and son, as well as the entire Xiao family, had to face all kinds of open and secret arrows inside and outside the palace. Among them, the dangers and pressures faced by outsiders were It's hard to know.
Now, the struggle in the East Palace seems to be back on the "right track", and the Xiao mother and son can use this to hide and protect themselves...
