Chapter 037 Who are you? What have you done to my son?
Liu Chang sat very obediently in the Pepper Room, blinking his big eyes with a look of innocence and simplicity.
Empress Lu stood in front of him, slowly tapping her left hand with the bamboo stick in her right hand, staring coldly at Liu Chang in front of her.
"You've grown up, huh? You dare to charge the palace gate on horseback, and you dare to commit murder with a sword?"
After a few days of rest, Liu Chang gradually got better. The initial nausea and fear gradually disappeared, but he did not dare to show that he had improved, because he was afraid that once he got better, he would be beaten by his mother and continue to lie on the sickbed...
Unfortunately, Empress Lü knew him too well. Not only could she see that he had long since gotten rid of his fear, she could even see that he was pretending to be sick in order to avoid being beaten. So she had the palace maids drag Liu Chang up and began to settle the score.
"Mother... I know I was wrong. Lord Gai once told me that the reason for the demise of the Qin Dynasty was that it was too harsh in governing the people. If the punishment had been a little lighter, the demise would not have happened... He told me that the Han Dynasty should be based on benevolent governance... and not punish excessively..."
"Did he tell you that benevolence should be used together with punishment, and that different methods should be used to treat different people?"
"Ah? Mother? Am I the kind of person who can be educated with kindness?"
"no."
Soon, sounds like ghosts howling and wolves howling were heard from the Pepper Room. Those who didn’t know would have thought that Liu Bang had returned victoriously and was singing in the Pepper Room!
This time, probably because Liu Chang went too far, Empress Lu went all out and almost beat Liu Chang's butt to pieces. But Liu Chang had heard from Liu Heng that his master had not been killed, so it can be said that he was in pain and happy.
The way Empress Lü beat children was different from that of Liu Bang. Liu Bang beat them irrationally and let you figure out why you were beaten. Empress Lü taught them while beating them.
During the process of beating Liu Chang, Empress Lü stated one by one the reasons why she beat him.
First, he disregarded the laws of the country. As a prince, he took the lead in breaking the laws of the Han Dynasty and the rules of the palace. His crime is even more serious!
Second, he was reckless and unwise, put himself in danger, and almost killed himself in a moment of impulse!
Third, deceive your parents and siblings and don’t listen to their teachings!
This time, Liu Chang was really lying on the sickbed groaning in pain, which made the brothers who came to visit him feel very distressed.
"From now on, you must learn from your mistakes. If you do this again, it won't be as simple ..."
Liu Heng shook his head helplessly.
Liu Hui also advised: "Listen to your mother and don't make her angry again."
Liu Chang was full of dissatisfaction, "She can only hit me in the past few years!"
"When I am crowned king in the future and go to my own fiefdom, I don't believe she will be able to run from Chang'an to my fiefdom and beat me up!"
"It's hard to say... With your character, if you cause any trouble in your fiefdom, not to mention my mother, my father might get angry and take you to Chang'an in a prison cart to beat you..."
Liu Chang didn't believe it. He thought that as long as he grew up, he could avoid being beaten. Look at his eldest and second brothers, isn't that the case? Even if their parents were angry, they wouldn't hit them.
Liu Chang suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, why didn't my second brother come to see me?"
Normally, when Liu Chang suffered minor injuries, his second brother would come to visit him in person. But why did his second brother disappear this time?
Liu Heng sighed, "You have caused my second brother so much trouble..."
…
In the storage hall, Liu Ying knelt in front of the desk with a sad look on his face.
Four old men sat in front of him, silent.
"As the crown prince of the Han Dynasty, I have never been able to do anything since I was a child... Ruyi is younger than me, but he was able to apologize to my father. Heng is younger than me, but he does things that will not anger my mother. Hui is younger than me, but he treats his brothers well and is loved by everyone. You is younger than me, but he is well-behaved and simple, and he will definitely achieve something. Chang is younger than me, and he can also make a spinning wheel to benefit the world..."
"Only I, who have grown so old in vain, cannot share the worries of my father, cannot make my mother feel at ease, and cannot even fulfill the things I promised my brothers... What kind of prince am I ?"
Looking at the prince who had lost his composure in front of them, the four old men did not scold him harshly for the first time.
Dongyuan Gong Tang Bing shook his head and said, "How can the Crown Prince be so self-deprecating? The Crown Prince cannot share the worries of His Majesty because he wants to reassure the Queen. He cannot reassure the Queen because he wants to fulfill what he promised his brother. He cannot fulfill what he promised his brother because he does not want to anger the Queen..."
"No... that's not it."
Liu Ying slowly raised his head, his face already showing some anger, "If you can't accomplish anything, how can you be called the crown prince? How can you be a human being?"
"This time, I must complete this task! Over the years, I have never made up my mind to do anything. Now I still have my father and mother to help me, but what about the future? Does the world need an emperor who has accomplished nothing and has no ability at all?"
Liu Ying bowed deeply to the four old men in front of him and said, "Please teach me, teachers!"
"Prince, please stand up!!"
Several old men hurriedly helped Liu Ying up.
They were really too old, the youngest of them, Zhou Shu, was already over 70 years old. In this era, they were truly centenarians among centenarians. We still don't know why they came to assist Liu Ying in the first place, but after staying with Liu Ying for such a long time, Liu Ying really moved them and made them willing to assist him with all their strength.
"Since the prince wants to save the Marquis of Huaiyin, there is only one way. The queen has not killed him yet, but has imprisoned him..." Tang Bing stroked his white beard and analyzed calmly.
"I think there is only one reason why the Queen didn't kill him."
Cui Guang continued, "This is because the Queen believes that Marquis Huaiyin is still useful to her, so she imprisoned him and planned to use him when she can..."
"In other words, if the prince wants to keep him, he must let the queen know that the Marquis of Huaiyin is still useful."
"This may not be a bad thing for the prince. Although the Marquis of Huaiyin does not act like a minister, he has a high reputation among the generals. In addition, he is also quite capable."
"The main reason why he and the emperor have a disagreement is that Marquis Huaiyin's thoughts have not changed. He is not used to the current situation where one king rules the country... He is more like a man from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and he does not completely obey the emperor... But if the prince can treat him as a national scholar, he will definitely be able to get his help..."
The four old men analyzed it for a while, this was different from usual. Usually, these four old men were only responsible for watching Liu Ying's every move, and then told him which behaviors were wrong, and never gave him any advice.
Liu Ying was just surprised. He asked in confusion: "Why didn't the teachers tell me this?"
"The prince didn't ask us, so why should we say anything?" Wu Shi replied with a smile.
"In fact , your power is not as weak as you think... If you are willing to fight for it with all your strength... The four of us are already old and of no use, but if you don't mind, we are still willing to give you advice."
"Teachers, please teach me the specific methods!"
…
"Who asked you to come out?"
Empress Lu narrowed her eyes, which were full of coldness. She looked at Liu Ying who was kneeling in front of her to pay his respects. Her anger had reached its peak. These past few days, none of her children had given her peace of mind.
"Mother, I have been reflecting on my mistakes behind closed doors and have fully realized my faults. I have come to confess my sins to you."
Liu Ying was still a little afraid when facing Empress Lu, but this time, he was not scared into going back to the storage hall obediently, but answered seriously.
Seeing Liu Ying's attitude, Empress Lü's expression eased a little. After all, this was her biological son. Although he was so unpromising in Empress Lü's eyes, there was always a thick invisible barrier between him and her. Liu Ying's character destined him to not be as close to Empress Lü as Liu Chang.
Liu Chang could throw himself into Empress Lu's arms and act like a spoiled child, but Liu Ying couldn't. Liu Chang could quarrel with Empress Lu without restraint, making her furious, but Liu Ying couldn't. This has little to do with age, but mainly with personality.
"Why, are you trying to save Marquis Huaiyin's life in another way?"
"That's not the case. I did this not to protect the Marquis of Huaiyin, but because I had my own ideas."
Empress Lu sneered.
"What can you think?"
"Is such that."
"I have great prestige among the people and the ministers, but those generals who followed my father to found the country may not look up to me. Moreover, there are some people in the palace who always want to replace me. My father has also thought of replacing me several times. Therefore, if I can get Han Xin's assistance, I can secure the position of the crown prince, and those unruly generals will listen to me. Most importantly, my father will also re-evaluate my status and ability..."
After Liu Ying told the four old men what they had taught him truthfully, he looked at Empress Lu.
At this moment, Empress Lu was stunned.
Her eyes widened, her mouth unable to close, she was stunned.
