Chapter 036 The Future Is Yours
Liu Chang was secretly carried in by the soldiers.
This was an order issued by Empress Lü.
Just when Liu Chang was struggling to get up, Liu Ying came hurriedly, so Liu Chang placed his only hope on Liu Ying. His second brother was the crown prince, and now that his father was away, he was already the second most important person in the court. Maybe his words could play a role, right?
As for Han Xin, he was currently inside the imperial palace, sitting in a pavilion, chatting and laughing while eating with Xiao He.
There was a sword placed beside him, but Xiao He was not afraid at all.
Hundreds of soldiers stood around them, almost surrounding the pavilion so tightly that not even a fly could fly out. But Empress Lü herself was not here. She had already sent Lü Shizhi to capture and kill Han Xin's followers and servants.
Obviously, she was so confident of winning that she didn't worry at all about what Han Xin might do.
While the two were eating and drinking, there was a commotion among the soldiers in the distance. Xiao He noticed this, but Han Xin ignored it. A moment later, a man parted the waves of soldiers and walked over from among them.
The visitor was none other than the Crown Prince of the Han Dynasty, Liu Ying.
Xiao He slowly stood up and bowed to greet him.
However, Han Xin ignored the prince. To be fair, he even looked down on Emperor Liu Bang, let alone Liu Bang's son.
Liu Ying politely returned the greeting to Xiao He, and then saluted Han Xin with the same courtesy as that shown to the princes.
"Why is Your Highness the Crown Prince in such a hurry?"
Xiao He asked with some confusion.
Liu Ying knew that he had misunderstood him, so he shook his head and said, "I am asking for the life of Marquis Huaiyin on behalf of my eldest brother."
Han Xin was delighted and said, "This boy is honest."
A trace of desolation flashed across Xiao He's face. He shook his head and said, "The Crown Prince is merciful, but... this is the order of Her Majesty the Queen."
Liu Ying heard this and hesitated for a moment before saying, "I promised my elder brother that I must keep my word. Prime Minister, you once told me that a person without credibility cannot survive in this world."
Xiao He didn't know what to say, and pondered for a moment, "Then the prince can go to the Queen. Whether he can persuade her or not, he has not broken his promise."
Liu Ying nodded and left.
"Why did you lie to him?"
"The prince has a kind heart. If I hadn't said so, he wouldn't have left."
Han Xin shook his head and said disdainfully: "How could he appoint such a prince?"
"No, such a prince is good. When all the wars are over, he will definitely become a better emperor than his father."
Xiao He looked very confident. "He has a kind heart. From the ministers to the common people, everyone loves him. All the brothers respect him. It is because of this prince that we old ministers can rest assured."
Han Xin sneered. He did not agree with what Xiao He said. Xiao He was indeed very good at judging people, and this kid did have many advantages. However, he just lacked a little courage. If he had half of Liu Chang's courage, he would definitely be a hero far superior to Liu Bang. What a pity.
Looking at his timid look, Empress Lü was still so young and so powerful. When Liu Bang was gone, it would be a question whether Liu Ying had the final say on the affairs of the court.
Han Xin looked at Xiao He's confident look in front of him and felt very confused. Could it be that he couldn't see through something that even he could easily see through?
Or, is there a way for him to stop this?
Maybe, I'm just comforting myself?
Han Xin was just about to taunt Xiao He and tell him about the possible chaos in the future, but he suddenly froze.
If such a day really came... all the affairs of the court were under the jurisdiction of Empress Lu, and a huge conflict arose between the emperor and Empress Lu... the Lu family and the Liu family were competing for the throne... He suddenly remembered that Liu Chang had sat in front of him and complained to him about how difficult it was to be an emperor.
Xiao He saw Han Xin in front of him suddenly in a daze, motionless, and sniffed the wine glass in his hand with some surprise, "Are you okay?"
Han Xin suddenly came to his senses and stood up quickly. As he stood there, the soldiers around him suddenly put down their spears, and "swish", a chill ran cold.
"I want to see Empress Lu one last time. I have something very important to tell her!"
Xiao He frowned and sat quietly for a long time.
"This is about the war. Please believe me."
"Oh...Okay...After this, please go on your way and save some dignity for yourself."
When Han Xin appeared in front of Empress Lu again, she was really surprised. She looked at Xiao He in astonishment, as if asking, how could this guy still be alive?
Xiao He said helplessly: "Before leaving, the Marquis of Huaiyin said that he had something important to report to Her Majesty the Queen."
Lu Zhi had a look of disdain on her face. She and Han Xin were actually the same type of people, extremely confident and not looking down on others.
Han Xin said, "Please leave a few trusted maids behind and have the soldiers tie me up, and then have everyone else leave the palace."
Although Empress Lu didn't know what he wanted to do, she did it anyway.
Only Han Xin and Empress Lu were left in the hall.
"Tell me, what's important to you?"
"I am willing to serve Her Majesty the Queen."
“Hahahaha~~~~”
Empress Lu laughed out loud.
"You were acting so righteous just now, but now you come to me to beg for mercy and say some ridiculous things. What's the reason? Liu Ying came to plead for you just now, and I sent someone to send him back to the storage hall to let him reflect behind closed doors... Now, are you going to come and beg for mercy in person again?"
"Your Highness has misunderstood. I am not begging for mercy. What I mean is that I am willing to serve Your Highness."
Han Xin did not feel anything ashamed about this. He had experienced even more humiliating things when he was young.
Empress Lü understood what he said. She realized that he was not serving the Han Dynasty, but the Empress.
Empress Lü narrowed her eyes and asked disdainfully, "What can you do to help me? When the world is at peace, what use are you to?"
"Even when the emperor is alive, the princes of various places are still making trouble. Not to mention what will happen to various places when the emperor is gone. How can we say that the world is peaceful?"
"Besides, whether I am useful or not is your own business. It all depends on how you plan to use me. If you use me properly, my talents can help you accomplish anything. If you don't know how to use me, even if you have ten Han Xins in your hands, they won't be of any use."
This time, Empress Lu was really hesitant.
…
Soon, news came from Chang'an that Han Xin, Marquis of Huaiyin, had failed in his rebellion and had been arrested and imprisoned.
To this, the officials in the court simply found it incredible.
How could the Marquis of Huaiyin rebel? He was under house arrest in Chang'an, far away from his fiefdom, with less than ten people around him. How could he dare to rebel? What was his basis for rebellion?
Since the rebellion failed, why was he only imprisoned? Why not executed?
Don't think that only the Qin Dynasty had strict laws. The Han Dynasty also had them, which were just as complete and covered all aspects. According to the Han laws, not to mention treason, even if you were forced to follow the enemy, your entire family would be executed. When Han Xin was caught for the first time, Liu Bang did not kill him. Many ministers advised him against it, believing that shielding a rebel would cause more people to rebel, and they would no longer hesitate as before, since the cost of rebellion was so low anyway.
This was Han Xin's second rebellion, but he was not executed? Is there justice? Is there any law?
When Liu Chang woke up, seven or eight strong palace maids were standing in front of him. After his last escape, Empress Lu was very angry and directly ordered that he be confined to his room and was not allowed to leave the Pepper Palace or even go to the Tianlu Pavilion.
Liu Ying was also implicated. He had been assisting Empress Lu in governing the country, but now he was also under house arrest. It is said that because he refuted Empress Lu, she almost beat him.
For a time, there was panic in the harem, and the princes were confined in the palace by their mother and were not allowed to go out.
"I want to see my eldest brother. They say he is seriously ill..."
"You're still going to see him? What are you going to see! He escaped this time and he's fine, but he's caused you a lot of trouble. He was riding your horse! How could I have a stupid son like you?! He and Lu Zhi are in cahoots and want to harm you together! From now on, you are not allowed to see him again! Stay away from him! Do you understand?!"
Madam Qi put her hands on her hips and scolded Liu Ruyi loudly. Liu Ruyi looked unconvinced.
On the other side, Bo Ji took out the meat porridge she had just made and handed it to Liu Heng carefully, saying, "I made this myself. Give it to your eldest brother to try. He has suffered so much. Spend more time with him and don't scold him... Got it?"
"Um."
In the dark cell, Han Xin was wearing prison clothes, with shackles on his hands and feet, his hair disheveled, his back against the wall, and his body covered with bruises.
Despite falling into such a situation, Han Xin's eyes were still bright.
If it were him in the past, he might have committed suicide because he could not bear such humiliation, but he did not do that now.
"still have a chance……"
"But that's not my chance...it's yours..."
“Hahahaha~~~~”
Han Xin laughed loudly, picked up the steamed bun that was thrown on the ground and started eating it voraciously.
