Chapter 7 This Love Will Never End 4. Frame-up
The deceased emperor's body was suspended and the whole country mourned for three days. The Minister of Agriculture allocated money from the national treasury to subsidize each household with six zhang of coarse cloth, and the whole country mourned. After receiving the imperial seals, the kings Liu Fu, Liu Ying, Liu Kang, Liu Yan and others went to the capital to pay their respects.
The court officials drafted the late emperor's posthumous title and temple name, and after a long discussion, they finally submitted them. Liu Zhuang asked me for instructions: "The Book of Zhou says that those who can inherit the past are called Guang, and those who can stop the chaos are called Wu. Therefore, the late emperor should be honored with the posthumous title of 'Emperor Guangwu' and the temple name of 'Shizu'! Does your mother have any objection?"
The one who can carry on the past achievements is called Guang, and the one who can overcome disasters and chaos is called Wu - Emperor Guangwu - Guangwu Restoration!
We have been married for more than 30 years, and I have watched with my own eyes him rebuild the country from being divided into two parts to being unified and complete, and I have watched him stop the people from wandering and let them live and work in peace and contentment. Although I have no way of knowing whether what is happening now is completely consistent with the history of the era when I existed, and whether the track of history has been subverted or deviated because of my existence... But I know for sure that Emperor Guangwu, Guangwu Zhongxing, no matter in which time and space, only he can deserve the word "Guangwu"!
"Emperor Guangwu of Han..." I stroked the words on the silk, tears falling one by one.
Due to different distances, the princes arrived in the capital at different times, but each of them cried all the way from outside the city gate to the palace .
During mourning, the palace gates were open only in the morning and at night, and the kings were strictly ordered to return to their respective residences to rest and were not allowed to stay in the palace without reason. During the mourning period, all entertainment activities were prohibited.
I was sitting alone in the palace in a daze that day when Liu Zhuang suddenly came. I had no chance to meet him in the past ten days since he was placed in front of the coffin. He was busy attending the funeral and taking over government affairs.
"Mother!" Liu Zhuang had lost weight and had stubble on his face. Although he looked shabby, his eyes were sharp and his every move added a bit of domineering.
He is finally no longer the little kid who acts coquettishly and playfully in my arms!
"Is there something wrong?" If it wasn't a big deal, he could have discussed it with Zhao Xi. Besides, he had originally raised a group of confidants in the Prince's Palace, and now they had all been promoted. If something hadn't happened and required my intervention, he wouldn't have needed to come to me.
"I have something that I would like to ask my mother to take a look at." He sat opposite me and dismissed everyone, even Shannan. Then he took out a green silk square-bottomed bag and handed it to me carefully.
Inside the bag was a neatly folded handkerchief with incense on it, and it was obvious that it was not something that ordinary people would use. It had a light grey background and small black official script characters densely written all over the surface.
"The king was innocent, but was dismissed, and his brothers were even imprisoned. The queen mother failed to do her duty and guarded the northern palace separately. When she was old, she was banished to the border. The whole country was deeply saddened, and those who watched were heartbroken. When the queen mother's coffin was in the hall, the Luoyang officials arrested and executed the guests one by one. There was even a family with three corpses lying in the hall. It was very painful! Today, there is a funeral in the world, and the bows and arrows are already on edge. Liang Song ordered the tiger guards to say: "Officials should find faults at their own convenience. Don't be restrained. It will be difficult to get a title again." The officials secretly felt sad, and the king was chilled and exhausted. Today, the world is competing to kill the thief king to seek merit, but is there any measure! If the people of the two countries are united, they can gather a million, and the king will be the leader. The drums will march forward without a trace. The merit is easier than breaking a chicken egg at Mount Tai, and easier than four horses carrying a feather. This is the army of Tang and Wu. This year, there is white gas in the Xuanyuan star, and the astrologers and those who are happy about the event all say white. The one who is in a bad mood is the queen of Xuanyuan. Also, Taibai appears in the west, and at noon, the army should rise. Also, the color of the prince star is black, and it turns red on the day of Chen. Black means illness, and red means war. The king works hard to complete the work. Gaozu started as a pavilion chief, and your majesty started Baishui. What's more, your majesty's eldest son is the deputy lord! The upper part is to seek the world's affairs and must be done, and the lower part is to wipe out the shame of sinking and avenge the death of the mother. With sincerity, metal and stone will be broken. Be like autumn frost, not like a sheep in a cage. Even if you want to be a sheep in a cage, how can you get it! I have heard that the ministers say that the king is noble, which is the way of the emperor. When the ruler dies, the people in the streets and alleys still become thieves. If you want to have something to hope for, how much more can the king do! The king who receives the mandate is appointed by heaven, and it cannot be planned. Now the new emperor has appointed the strong to the right. I hope the king will do what Gaozu and your majesty want, and not be like Fusu and Jianglu who cry out to heaven and earth."
I took a quick glance and was so angry that my limbs were cold and my hands and feet were shaking. When I saw the sentence "The emperor must do what he wants, and the people below must avenge the shame of sinking and the death of their mother", I was so angry that I slammed my hand on the table and said, "What nonsense - who wrote this to Liu Qiang?" Liu Zhuang said nothing. I was so angry that I held the handkerchief in my hand and almost crumpled it into a ball, "Guo Kuang?"
Liu Zhuang still didn't say anything. I knew my guess was right, and I became even more angry and trembled all over: "They are courting their own death!"
Liu Zhuang then spoke slowly: "The King of Donghai is waiting outside the palace..."
"He still has the nerve to come? This kind of traitor deserves the death of all his clans!"
"Mother, please calm down!" Liu Zhuang comforted her while summoning Liu Qiang into the palace.
Liu Qiang crawled into the door crying, using his hands and feet, looking extremely miserable. Fortunately, Liu Zhuang had the foresight to send all the outsiders away, otherwise anyone would have been scared to death seeing my crazy look.
As soon as I saw Liu Qiang crying, all the self-restraint I had cultivated over the years was shattered. I was furious and pointed at him and cursed, "So all these years, you have been repaying kindness with resentment! What are you saying, 'The king is innocent, but he was dismissed', 'The queen mother failed in her duty, so she should not guard the North Palace, and when she is old, she will be banished to the border, which will cause great pain to the whole country and make the people who watch feel sad'. If I had known that you bastards would turn into ungrateful wolves no matter how you raise them, I should have been ruthless and executed the entire Guo family, leaving no one alive! It would have been better than leaving behind a few ungrateful wolf cubs and letting you nephews and uncles unite to plot a rebellion and anger me to death!"
Liu Qiang burst into tears, his speech was incoherent, and he kept kowtowing on the ground: "No... No... Your son dare not..."
Seeing that I was very angry, Liu Zhuang came over to support me and shouted helplessly: "Mother, please don't be angry first, listen to what the King of Donghai has to say."
I just felt a knot in my chest, and it ached. I covered my chest and gasped, "What good words can this damned evil creature utter?"
Liu Qiang cried, "No... I dare not... I am loyal to Your Majesty and have no ulterior motives!" He pointed to the sky and cursed, his face pale and covered with tears.
"Mother, this book was given to me by the King of Donghai. I believe this matter has nothing to do with the King of Donghai!" Liu Zhuang's tone was indifferent, neither sad nor happy.
Although I was angry, I still had some sense. After hearing what Liu Zhuang said, I immediately asked, "Is this written to you by your uncle?"
Liu Qiang was stunned for a moment, then burst into tears and said, "I really don't know the whole story, it's anonymous and unsigned. I was not very frightened after receiving the letter, and immediately caught the messenger. I am willing to listen to your holy decision... The late emperor passed away, and I did not show filial piety to you, and instead made you angry. It is a sin and I cannot escape the blame! Please punish me..." As he said this, he took off his mourning clothes, bared his body to plead guilty, knelt on the ground trembling, and kowtowed heavily.
Seeing him weeping so much, I calmed down. I looked up at Liu Zhuang beside me and asked, "What is your majesty going to do?"
"Respected Mother, please give me your instructions!"
I sighed, "Don't publicize this matter first. Even if you want to investigate, you have to do it secretly. Emperor Guangwu's body is still warm. If you brothers really commit such a crime of disobedience, it may cause your brothers to turn against each other and fight each other, causing great suffering to the people. How can the deceased rest in peace?"
I was so sad that I couldn't help crying again. Liu Zhuang and Liu Qiang just apologized. I was tired of crying and scolding, so I let Liu Zhuang lead Liu Qiang out.
I climbed onto the bed and lay there for a while, leaning against the pillow and thinking of Liu Xiu's last words. Despite the pain, I felt a surge of courage again. I struggled to get up from the bed and called Shanan in.
I mentioned the letter instigating rebellion. Although Shanan was surprised, she looked calm. This calm attitude has been deeply rooted in her blood. I will never be as good as her in this aspect.
"What does the Queen Mother want this servant to investigate?"
"The messenger who delivered the letter was caught on the spot. No matter how he was tortured, he insisted that he was sent by the Grand Herald. Regardless of whether the letter was forged or not, although it was anonymous, the tone was indeed from Guo Kuang. Your Majesty questioned the Grand Herald, but he denied it flatly, claiming that he did not know this person and was willing to die to prove his innocence. For so many years, we have seen the Guo and Yin families' relatives fighting with each other. On the surface, it is the Guo family that brings glory, but in fact, the Guo family is far less than the Yin family in understanding the mind of the late emperor. Relatives are relatives, the emperor is the monarch, and relatives are ministers. Even if they are the most respected and close relatives, the bottom line between monarch and minister must never be crossed. Although Guo has always been arrogant, I don't believe Guo Kuang would act so foolishly. When the late emperor was alive, although he was gentle and sentimental, , but as mentioned in the letter, the imperial power is sacred and cannot be bullied. Once it crosses the line, it must be severely punished and there will be no mercy. Similarly, after the Fengshan ceremony, Liu Qiang, as the former crown prince, was detained in the capital. The late emperor did not want to see the brothers turn against each other, so he kept this precaution, which was also a warning to the Guo family. The late emperor passed away and left Taiwei Zhao Xi to preside over the funeral. Liu Qiang must have learned a lesson from Zhao Xi's character. There are differences in the etiquette between the monarch and his subjects. At this moment, the new emperor has been established and the military power is in his hands. If Guo Kuang cannot see through this and wants to pull teeth out of the tiger's mouth, he will have neither soldiers nor people. Wouldn't he be courting death and sending the lives of his entire family in vain? "Shanan did not interrupt, and listened to my analysis quietly.
I paused, my eyes sharp, and issued an order to ward off evil: "This matter is strange. No matter what the truth is, I firmly believe that there is no smoke without fire. Follow this line to dig for me! I don't care who is behind this. As long as someone threatens the emperor, I will not tolerate evil!"
I promised Liu Xiu that I would protect this beautiful land and pass it to my son intact! To achieve this goal, I will personally clear all obstacles for Liuzhuang!
Whoever dares to covet it, I will destroy him!
"Pa!" A slap hit his face, causing him to stagger and almost fall to the ground. I was still not satisfied, so I raised my leg and kicked him in the chest, "You evil creature——"
Liu Jing knelt on the ground, not dodging or evading, and was kicked directly by me, but he still held his head high with a stubborn expression. His face was red from the five finger marks I scratched, and his cheekbones were bruised and swollen.
Growing up, I have never touched them except when they were too naughty when I would whip their palms with a rattan stick. Although I scolded them, I never beat them as hard as I do now. What's more, Liu Jing is already an adult and has his own children.
I was so angry that I felt dizzy and pointed my finger at him, poking his forehead: "You... is your mind filled with tofu dregs? What do you want to do? Writing anonymous letters to frame others, the King of the East Sea is still your eldest brother after all. Although he is not born of the same mother, he is still your brother. Are you going to kill him?"
I beat and scolded Liu Jing, but Liu Zhuang neither tried to persuade me nor to stop me. He just stood there and watched quietly, his face solemn and his eyes deep, his emotions hard to tell. The results of the investigation by the film officer certainly made me heartbroken, but I really didn't want to see my sons killing each other, so even though I hated them to the extreme, I still defended them in my words.
I really hoped that he would repent, make the best of his mistakes, and admit his faults to his brother, the emperor. But I didn't expect that he would not appreciate my kindness at all. Instead, he raised his head and sneered, "We are both sons of the emperor and the queen. Why can the fourth brother be the emperor? In terms of appearance, I look the most like the emperor among all the sons. How am I inferior to the fourth brother? Why can I only be a minister, but he can inherit the mantle of the emperor and become the ruler?"
My head exploded, blood flowed backwards, and my hands and feet felt cold.
I tried every possible way to cover up for him. While deceiving Liu Zhuang, I was also deceiving myself. I always hoped to fabricate an excuse to explain Liu Jing's going against his will, an excuse that would not allow me to despair and be heartbroken.
But... why must it be said so cruelly? Why must I face such a cruel truth in person?
I was wary of Guo Shengtong's sons and Guo's in-laws. I had been cautiously on guard for more than ten years, trying to prevent them from harboring ulterior motives, from becoming more powerful, and from making a comeback under the name of the former crown prince... I was on guard against this and that, east and west, but I forgot to guard against my own son!
He raised his right hand, then dropped it weakly, his whole body trembling.
Liu Jing's arrogant and totally unrepentant expression pierced my heart again.
I felt completely hopeless and heartbroken. I stumbled and collapsed to the ground.
"If I had known that giving birth to you would be so unfilial, I would rather not have given birth to you..." I burst into tears, feeling despair in my heart.
Although Liu Jing was stubborn and proud, he was moved when he saw me crying. Liu Zhuang walked slowly to me, knelt down and said, "Mother, it's useless to be sad now."
He spoke calmly, without any emotion. I shuddered involuntarily and looked up suddenly: "What do you want to do?"
Liu Zhuang took a deep breath and glanced at Liu Jing. His expression was no longer as cold as before, but he was inevitably tired and melancholy: "What can I do? What is mother worried about? He is my brother. He is wrong. I, as his elder brother, also have responsibilities..." He helped me stand up from the ground, "Mother, don't worry. I know what to do. I will handle this matter."
I was shocked and confused. I hated Liu Jing for his treason, but I was also worried that Liu Zhuang would treat his brother impartially. I felt conflicted and like I was being tortured by fire.
Liu Zhuang kept the matter secret, but Liu Jing's crime was so serious that although he did not pursue it out of consideration for their brotherly love, he still transferred him out of the palace and ordered him to live in Henan Palace, with people strictly guarding him when he went in and out.
The fifth day of the third lunar month was the day for the funeral. At 20 o'clock in the night, the craftsmen of the East Garden carried the emperor's coffin onto the hearse, which was driven by the Imperial Coachman, and beside him stood the Prime Minister wearing a golden mask. A banner with the words "The Emperor's Coffin" was placed on the hearse.
The hearse was tied with six white silk ropes, about thirty feet long, and each rope was pulled by fifty people. The emperor and his procession left the city and headed all the way to the original mausoleum. That day, the whole city was sobbing, wailing filled the sky, and it was drizzling in the sky, as if even the sky was crying.
The Dongyuan craftsmen carried the coffin into the underground palace and placed the burial objects one by one. The burial objects were varied, including food, clothing, and daily necessities. Everything was arranged according to the needs of the deceased during his lifetime. Although there were many, they were not expensive. There was not a single luxurious item. When I put them to the end, I waved my hand and signaled the dozens of carts at the end of the ceremonial procession to move forward. The Dongyuan craftsmen and dozens of accompanying warriors worked together, and under the confused gaze of everyone, they moved all the more than a thousand copies of "Xun Han Ji" loaded on the carts into the underground palace.
Emperor Guangwu finally rested forever in Yuanling, which is located on a mountain and lies on a river. When the tomb passage was closed, I did not shed tears, but just murmured my promise to Yuanling.
"See you later..."
