Chapter 019: Different Opinions
"Let them all come over~~"
Liu Bang sat in the hall, his eyes red, and roared loudly in a hoarse voice.
Several eunuchs stood in front of him, trembling.
Xiao He, who was sitting not far away, waved his hand and signaled the eunuchs to leave. Since the death of Liu Taigong, Liu Bang's mood has become very unstable. In the past, although he had abused and even beaten his attendants, no one was afraid.
Because Liu Bang would not kill people. Even if he beat and scolded you today, he would still smile and joke with you tomorrow. He did not bear grudges. His beatings and scoldings were not punishments from a monarch to his servants, but more like jokes between friends. He was not an easy-going person, but he was indeed someone who made you happy to get along with.
Once, an eunuch broke one of Liu Bang's favorite jade articles and was trembling with fear. Liu Bang was very angry and kicked him. Then he helped him up and said: We are even now!
But now, the situation is a little different. Liu Bang is very angry. He has been very harsh to his attendants these days. Especially after receiving memorials from princes from all over the place, his mood has become even worse. It is no longer a joke like before. The attendants were naturally very frightened when they saw for the first time that the emperor wanted to kill someone.
"Your Majesty... don't embarrass these people. They have nothing to do with this matter."
Xiao He began to persuade.
At the moment when the attendants left, Liu Bang suddenly became very calm, and there was no more anger and ferocity on his face. He looked at Xiao He calmly, "I trusted the wrong person... They really didn't want to come. First it was Zhang Ao, Zang Tu, and Han Xin, and now, even they are ready to do the same."
"That is not entirely true, Your Majesty."
Liu Bang shook his head, stood up, and patted the dust off his body. "Look, if they are willing to come, I will never make things difficult for them. If they are not willing to come , then I will have to trouble you to prepare enough food for me to go on the expedition."
Xiao He sighed helplessly.
…
Inside the Pepper Room, Liu Chang sat on the bed with his head drooping on his arms, not saying a word.
Maybe it was because Liu Chang was the youngest, or maybe it was because Liu Chang never followed any etiquette and dared to play around in front of them. His grandfather and mother doted on him very much. In memory, the elderly grandfather once carried Liu Chang on his back and walked around the palace again and again, while his mother followed him, holding a toy in her hand and coaxing Liu Chang.
Every time little Liu Chang saw his grandparents, he would tell them about the grievances he had suffered during that period and denounce the bullying by his father and brothers. His grandfather would always stand up for Liu Chang and call the emperor of the empire over to scold him.
The reason why Liu Chang developed such a lawless character was, on the one hand, because of Empress Lu's status in the palace, and on the other hand, because of the doting of these two old men on him. Whenever Liu Bang tactfully told his father that if he continued like this, the child would be useless, the old man would always scold him: I raised you like this, are you useless?
Every time the two old people came to the palace, their only purpose was to see their little grandson.
Their successive deaths dealt a huge blow to the young Liu Chang. This was the first time that this new soul experienced the death of a loved one. If it was the original Liu Chang, he might not understand what death really meant. If it was the original Liu Chang, he might have been accustomed to life and death and would not have been so deeply touched. But for Liu Chang today, this kind of pain cannot be easily eliminated.
Empress Lu frowned, watching the lively and cheerful child suddenly become silent. She sat next to Liu Chang several times and asked in a low voice: "Do you want the palace maid to bring you some beef?"
Liu Chang shook his head.
"Then I'll take you to see the spinning wheel? And take a walk outside the palace?"
Liu Chang still shook his head.
Empress Lu was helpless. After pondering for a moment, she left the Pepper Room.
Not long after, a group of princes appeared in the Pepper Palace, from Liu Ying to Liu You, Liu Chang's six brothers all came. They surrounded little Liu Chang and tried every way to make him happy. Liu Ying comforted him, saying that his grandfather and mother were over the age of retirement and had no illness or pain. According to etiquette, this could be considered a happy burial. Everyone will die one day, so one should not be so depressed.
Liu Ruyi took off his favorite sword and asked Liu Chang if he wanted to play a horse-riding war game in which he could be the horse.
Liu Hui gave Liu Chang a warm hug, and even Liu You stammered a few words.
Liu Heng said seriously, "We are all very sad about the death of our great grandfather and great grandmother. As children and grandchildren, this is what we should and must do, because we love them very much. However, there are still many people in this world who love you. When the queen mother saw you like this, she was very anxious. She even sent someone to find us and asked us to play with you."
"Grandparents are gone. We will not forget them, but we cannot always be immersed in this sadness. Live well with their love for you and the love of the living for you."
Perhaps Liu Heng's words worked, or perhaps Liu Ruyi's sword really had such great magic. Liu Chang finally came out of that haze, and his brothers accompanied him to play alone, and the prince even dropped what he was doing to accompany him, which was really rare.
When the retired emperor passed away, princes from all over the country came to pay their respects.
Just when Liu Chang was playing with his brothers, Liu Fei returned to Chang'an City first.
Upon hearing the news, Liu Chang and several of his brothers hurried to greet them. However, after Liu Fei came back, he first went to worship his grandparents, then paid a visit to Liu Bang and Empress Lu, and finally prepared to visit the prince again. He and his brothers were waiting for Liu Fei in the prince's storage hall.
When Liu Fei walked into the storage hall respectfully, he looked up and was shocked to see a group of his younger brothers crowded around.
Although Liu Fei's name contains the word "fat", he was actually very thin. He was very tall, taller than Liu Bang, but very thin, like a bamboo pole. It is said that he was not like this when he was a child, perhaps because the pressure of being a king was too great, or perhaps because he was reveling every night in his fiefdom, and unknowingly he became like this.
"Greetings, Prince!"
Liu Fei was not a child. As a vassal of the Han Dynasty, his every move had to be in accordance with etiquette. He saluted his brother Liu Ying very respectfully, and Liu Ying also returned the salute very politely, "Greetings, brother."
The two of us greeted each other, you called me Prince and I called you brother, and we each talked about our own things.
Under their influence, several princes also saluted him one by one.
Only Liu Ying was qualified to pay respect to his elder brother, and the other little brats who had not been crowned kings could only call Liu Fei by his title. But this solemn atmosphere was broken at Liu Chang.
"Greetings, King Qi!"
"Greetings, King Qi."
"Greetings, King Qi."
"Brother~~~~"
Liu Chang howled loudly and pounced on Liu Fei. He jumped onto Liu Fei's body, put his arms around his neck, and couldn't help crying. Liu Fei was shocked, but quickly hugged him, "How did you become so heavy, little brat? Come down, come down, I can't hold you anymore!"
When Liu Chang was still very young, Liu Fei often carried him out to play. Of course, except for Liu Ying, he basically watched the rest of his brothers grow up. But now Liu Chang is really a little bit too heavy to hold. He half-knelt on the ground helplessly, holding Liu Chang with both hands, and patting his back gently.
"Don't cry, don't cry, they just went to a better place..."
"You're so old now, why are you still as crybaby as before?"
When it comes to coaxing children, Liu Fei is still better. He quickly calmed Liu Chang down and took out some snacks from his arms. These were the dried fruits that Liu Chang loved to eat when he was a child. Seeing Liu Fei and Liu Chang being so intimate, the brothers looked at them with a hint of envy and yearning in their eyes.
Once upon a time, the eldest brother had taken care of them like this, but they really couldn't shout "Brother" like Liu Chang and then rush into the eldest brother's arms.
However, after Liu Chang made such a fuss, the brothers were no longer as restrained as before. They gathered around Liu Fei and started chattering and asking questions.
"Your Majesty, what do the people of Qi eat ? Do they always take a boat when they go out?"
"My king, how many people are under your rule? Are they all very excited to see you?"
Liu Fei held Liu Chang's hand and answered their questions with a smile.
"The affairs of Qi are all managed by Prime Minister Cao. I just do my own things every day and rarely leave the palace..."
"The King of Chu and the King of Jing should be back soon... You can ask them about the specifics... They should know."
