Chapter 018 A New Storm
"Father and mother have reconciled. I heard from my second brother that only when the royal family is harmonious can the rest of the world be harmonious. If the couples in the royal family live well, couples all over the world will not quarrel."
"For the sake of world peace, I have sacrificed my own wish and allowed my father to stay in the Pepper Room for three days..."
"Is this why you want to live with me?"
Han Xin looked at Liu Chang, who was kneeling in front of him with a serious face, with a gloomy face.
"Master, my father said he doesn't want to see me anymore. Where can I go? I can only live with you..."
"But I don't agree."
"If Master doesn't take me in, then I'll have to live outside. Can you bear to see a well-behaved child like me who just sacrificed himself for the people of the world living on the street?"
"I can't bear it."
Although Han Xin was extremely reluctant, Liu Chang still moved in, which made Han Xin very angry. Han Xin made three rules with him: first, he was not allowed to touch his collection of books; second, he was not allowed to bother him; and third, he was not allowed to harm any plants or trees in the mansion, not even poultry.
However, Liu Chang obviously did not have the honesty and simplicity of the old Qin people. No matter how many rules were set, he could not suppress his mischievous temper. It was just temporary tolerance, and he would still make trouble.
That night, Han Xin and Liu Chang had dinner together for the first time. Liu Chang ate voraciously. The food here at Han Xin's place was really good, even better than that in the palace. There was no shortage of meat. Probably to take care of this prince, the dinner this time was richer than before, and there was also a lot of fruit.
Han Xin was eating, looking at Liu Chang who was eating heartily in front of him, and couldn't help but ask: "Don't you regret it at all?"
"What are you regretting?"
"Since His Majesty has promised to fulfill your three wishes in front of everyone, he will not break his promise no matter what you say."
"Yes what's the matter?"
"You could have gained greater benefits from that spinning wheel instead of giving carts and clothes to a bunch of common people, letting a bunch of petty officials go home, and letting His Majesty live in the Pepper House... What good would that do you?"
"Those common people and petty officials will not know that their gifts come from you. They will only be grateful to Your Majesty. As for Empress Lu, she will never value you more because of this matter."
Han Xin sneered and said, "You miscalculated... In the end, you got nothing."
Liu Chang was a little surprised. He shook his head and said, "I don't need anything else. Those craftsmen are really pitiful. Those stones are bigger than they are. I don't know how they can carry them. Those people in Shangfangtai are actually good people. They haven't seen their families for three or four years... As for my mother, although she doesn't say it, she still misses my father very much in her heart."
"You are really..."
Han Xin looked disdainful. He shook his head and said, "You could have gained greater benefits from this machine."
"Ah? What's the benefit?"
"For example... go one step further."
"I will be a prince when I grow up. How can I take the next step? Oh... Master, are you talking about the position of crown prince?"
"Yes, it is the position of the crown prince, or even... that position."
Han Xin suddenly moved closer and asked in a low voice, "Have you never thought about this?"
"I thought about it when I was bored before, but I don't think about it anymore."
Liu Chang answered casually. He bit his meat with a big mouthful and said casually, "Being a prince is not a good thing. You have to attend classes every day and someone is watching your every move. When I look at my second brother, I always feel sorry for him. He can't do what he wants all day long."
"Every day, I visit my mother and father at a fixed time. Even when I eat, someone watches me. If I eat too much, I will be scolded for wasting food. Ha, if the prince eats one more mouthful of rice, will everyone in the world starve to death?"
"My second brother doesn't dare to speak casually. He is very careful with every word he says. My brothers are very friendly to me, but when they see my second brother, they all call him the prince and bow. They don't act like brothers at all. Many people are around him, and everyone speaks the truth. I don't think my second brother is doing better than me."
"I don't know what being an emperor is like, but when I look at my second brother, I feel that being an emperor must be more difficult than being a crown prince."
"Besides, I am very happy now. I can eat whatever I want and do whatever I want. Everyone is very nice to me, except Ruyi...Besides, being a prince or an emperor requires ability. My second brother knows more and has read more books than me. In fact, all my brothers are like this."
"Even Ruyi knows more than me. I don't know how to govern a country, and I'm not interested in it... I just hope I can grow up quickly and go to my own vassal state... I want to invite the best talent to be my prime minister , and leave all the work to him. I can travel around and invent some new machines. How wonderful it is."
"By the way, how about you become my Prime Minister, Master?"
"Master?"
"Master?"
Liu Chang spoke several times and Han Xin finally woke up. He looked a little strange, with his brows furrowed. It was unknown what he was thinking about. His face kept changing and he was restless.
Han Xin slowly raised his head and stared into Liu Chang's eyes, as if trying to determine whether what he said was true or not. Liu Chang also looked at Han Xin in surprise, blinking his big eyes. His eyes were very clear, without any retreat or haze. Han Xin believed it.
"You know... Actually, you are quite suitable to be the emperor."
"ah??"
Liu Chang was stunned. "Master? You can't drink very well?"
"You are not greedy for power, you can delegate power, and you will trust your ministers. You will not make random guesses! You will not put them into the prison car without any investigation! Like treating wild beasts!!" Han Xin's face turned red and he roared angrily.
But in an instant, he calmed down again and whispered: "Moreover, you are very kind. You can help a stranger who has no use to you without expecting anything in return..."
"Master... please don't scare me..."
Han Xin stood up suddenly and shouted, "What are you still eating! Come with me to the study! Let's continue studying the art of war!"
"Ah? But the study time has passed..."
"Learn when I say so! Get up! I'll teach you from the beginning!"
"I don't want to learn! I'm going back to the palace! Master! I'm going back to the palace now~~~~"
…
Liu Chang didn't know what stimulated his teacher, but from that night on, Han Xin began to teach frantically. This time, it was no longer a simple questioning. Han Xin took out a thick bamboo slip from the inner room, blew off the dust on it, and began to teach according to the contents on the bamboo slip.
The first lesson was about mobile warfare. Han Xin used Bai Qi as an example and talked about the many wars that Bai Qi had launched. He also asked Liu Chang to stand in the perspective of Bai Qi's enemy and find a way to crack Bai Qi's mobile warfare. In response, Liu Chang said, "Is this really the basis of the art of war that you mentioned?"
Han Xin said firmly: "This is the most basic and simplest thing. Every general in the Han Dynasty, even the middle and lower-level generals, know this. If you can't even learn this, you can only be a soldier! !"
Liu Chang had no choice but to grit his teeth and begin to learn these "basic" military tactics. It was many, many years later when he discovered that his teacher had lied to him.
If it weren't for the bad news from the palace, Liu Chang's nightmare would have continued. Although the bad news liberated Liu Chang, it did not make him happy, because his grandfather had passed away.
In the middle of the night on an ordinary autumn day, my grandmother suddenly woke up, and after waking up, she burst into tears.
Because she didn't hear her husband's thunderous snoring.
She had listened to this snoring for a long, long time, from being disgusted when she first got married to being accustomed to it, to the point where she couldn't fall asleep without it. But just when she had become completely familiar with the snoring, the snoring disappeared.
Liu Bang was awakened by the eunuchs. It was the first time that the eunuchs saw this majestic, free-spirited, and seemingly careless emperor of the Han Dynasty fall off the bed and cry out of the palace. Liu Bang hugged the old man and cried loudly. Empress Lu and a group of concubines stood not far away. Empress Lu cried silently, while the other concubines seemed to be holding a crying competition, one voice covering the other, and they were all trying to make their cries louder.
Of course, the princes also cried, even though they were not close to their grandfather on weekdays.
Liu Chang, the only one who was particularly close to his grandfather, felt as if he had experienced a nightmare.
Of course, the person who suffered the most should be the old lady who had lived with the old man for her entire life. However, the old lady's pain did not last too long. On the third day after the old man's death, the old lady curled up alone on the bed and slept forever.
The death of the old man was like dropping a huge rock into the already unsettled water, causing ripples.
Princes and important officials from all over the country received Liu Bang's order: to come to Chang'an in person to see off the retired emperor.
