To princes like Liu Chang, Lu Wan was probably closer to them than their uncle Liu Jiao.
Whether Lu Wan was the Marquis of Chang'an or the King of Yan, he could enter and leave the palace at will, and even enter the Pepper Palace. He was treated as one of Liu Bang's family's own, and Liu Bang's sons also treated him as their own uncle. This uncle was different from those who were called just uncles verbally.
When Liu Chang raised his head and walked into the mansion, Lu Wan almost didn't recognize the boy in front of him.
He stared at the silly-smiling Liu Chang with his eyes wide open for a moment before hesitantly asking, "Chang?"
"Hahaha, Master Zhong!"
Liu Chang laughed loudly and threw himself into Lu Wan's arms. Lu Wan was almost pushed down by him. Lu Wan found that he couldn't hold him at all. He had to bend down and hold Liu Chang, and exclaimed in surprise: "How come you have grown so tall in just a few years?"
"You are only eight years old, right? He is only four years older than you, and you are almost as tall as him!"
Lu Tazhi is the grandson of Lu Wan. He is much older than Liu Chang and is probably about the same age as the fourth brother.
"I usually practice martial arts with Mr. Gai and others, so naturally I am much taller."
"Okay, okay..."
Lu Wan gently stroked Liu Chang's face, her eyes red, "Are your brothers all right? Is your mother all right?"
"They are all fine, why don't you come to see us?"
"Alas... a sinner dares not enter and leave the palace at will... you don't understand..."
"Father forgave your sins because of the friendship between you and him. Now you want to deliberately avoid him and distance yourself from him. This is really wrong!"
Hearing Elder Liu's angry words, Lu Wan was startled. He asked in surprise, "Who taught you this?"
"Father Zhong, do I need someone to teach me this simple truth? Father Zhong, you don't know that I have been traveling around to study, visiting famous teachers, and associating with many wise men. Duke Gai of Qi was my mentor. Marquis Huaiyin and I hit it off right away and taught me the Art of War. A famous scholar named Zhang Cang heard of my reputation and came here to recommend himself as the king's tutor. You probably know Zhang Cang. His master is Xunzi, my great master."
"Prime Minister Xiao treated me as a close friend, General Xiahou drove for me, Marquis Chen once knelt down to beg me, and Marquis Jiancheng seized my brother's carriage. I led the people of Chang'an, rushed into the palace, and forced him to retreat with crossbows!"
"Uncle Zhong is far away in Yan State, so it's normal that he doesn't know about these things..."
Lu Wan was stunned when he heard this.
"Yeah ... so similar..."
Lu Wan murmured.
"Like what?"
"It's okay, come, sit down..."
Although Lu Wan was demoted to a commoner, he was treated just as he should be. He still lived in the same mansion as the Marquis of Chang'an, and his former subordinates were still there. Lu Wan's eldest grandson, Lu Tazhi, was a very shy boy who dared not speak to strangers. He was the exact opposite of Liu Chang.
Liu Chang could chat with anyone he met. He was familiar with all the attendants in the palace. He knew everyone's name, what they did and where they lived. Even if he was caught by patrolling soldiers, he would chat with them all the way. By the way, he even got to know these patrolling soldiers.
Normally, if there were no officials around, these soldiers would turn a blind eye to Liu Chang's affairs, and Liu Chang even gave them wine and meat. If Zhou Shengzhi and his men acted alone, the soldiers would not give them face at all.
Lu Tazhi hid behind his grandfather, concealing his face, and did not dare to see Liu Chang.
"Alas... my grandson... has always been well-behaved and obedient, but... he is a little shy."
Lu Wan shook his head helplessly. Liu Chang laughed loudly, looked at Lu Tazhi, patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, I will take him out to play more often in the future, and he will soon be familiar with Chang'an!"
They chatted for a long time, and when Liu Chang was about to say goodbye and leave, Lu Wan just remembered the important business.
He hurriedly called Liu Chang and asked the servants to leave. Then he whispered, "When I came to Chang'an, I met the Marquis of Huaiyin in prison."
Liu Chang was shocked and hurriedly held Lu Wan's hand, "Master, how is he?"
"Master?" Lu Wan was stunned, then he said, "Marquis Huaiyin... well, he is no longer in human form. Before I left, he held my hand and insisted that I tell you something..."
"Bring it to me? What did Master say?"
"What he said was very strange, and I didn't understand what he meant. He said: Shangdang connects to Henei, Hedong controls Shangjun, the clouds and geese look out over the vastness, and the world is at peace."
"Shangdang connects to Hanoi...Hedong controls Taiyuan?"
Liu Chang frowned, pondered for a moment, and then bowed to Lu Wan carefully, "Thank you, Zhongfu! If you have anything in the future, just come to me, I will never refuse!"
"Oh, it's okay. I couldn't bear to see the Marquis of Huaiyin like that... The former King of Chu... Oh... Please don't tell anyone about this."
"I know."
Liu Chang said goodbye to Lu Wan, got in the car, and headed towards the palace.
" What ?"
Luan Bu, who was driving, suddenly asked.
"Luan Bu, what do you think if I were to be crowned the King of Jin?"
"King Jin?"
Luan Bu shook his head. "Now that Zhao, Dai, and Liang have all been enfeoffed as states, how can we still enfeoff the King of Jin?"
"You think I can't be the King of Jin?"
"This is not a question of whether you are qualified or not. It's that there is no King Jin in our Han Dynasty..."
"Oh, our Han Dynasty didn't even have a prime minister before!"
After returning to the palace, Liu Chang sent someone to find Zhang Cang. Liu Chang waited for a long time, and Zhang Cang walked into the pavilion , "Sir, why are you like this... Aren't today's classes over? Alas... How can you spoil my mood?"
"Hey, Master, please sit down quickly. I have something very important to tell you!"
Liu Chang held Zhang Cang's hand and asked him to sit down. Then he said excitedly: "Today, the King of Yan sent someone to find me and said that he saw another teacher of mine in prison..."
"Marquis Huaiyin?"
"Yes, he sent a message to me from the King of Yan, saying, 'Shangdang is connected to Henei, Hedong controls Shangjun, the clouds and geese look out over the vastness , and the world is at peace.'"
The corner of Zhang Cang's eye twitched, "What a big tone... He wants me to be crowned the King of Jin."
"What do you think, Master?"
"If Henei, Shangdang, Hedong, Shangjun, Yunzhong, and Yanmen are the Jin State, then it will be the largest country, surpassing Huainan... From Shangjun, we can conquer the Western Regions, from Yunyan, we can attack the Xiongnu... From Henei, we can guard the gate of Chang'an, and from Hedong, we can take it directly... cough."
Zhang Cang shook his head, "Of course not."
"This fiefdom is too strategic. Of course, His Majesty and the Queen trust you, but you will have descendants in the future. It is impossible for His Majesty to grant this country away. It is completely above the imperial court. The terrain is strategic, the land is vast, the population is not small, and there are also the benefits of iron ore... It is impossible. Even if His Majesty and the Queen love you very much, they will not grant you away..."
"What if I want a few fewer counties?"
"That's impossible. If Jin is sealed off, all of Hebei will become sealed off states. Will the government have to settle for the south?"
Liu Chang narrowed his eyes and stopped dwelling on this question. He asked, "Then Master, can you find a way to rescue my other master?"
"This is even more difficult... Marquis Huaiyin has rebelled twice, but Your Majesty has not killed him until now. This is already a great favor..."
Liu Chang sat in front of Zhang Cang very rudely and said, "I know Master must have a way... If Master doesn't tell me today, I will go to my mother later and ask her to make me the King of Jin and say that it was you who taught me!"
Seeing this rogue look, Zhang Cang was not angry. He took out a piece of cake from his arms, took a bite, and said while eating: "Then go and tell me now. I'll wait for you here."
"you!"
Seeing this rogue look, Liu Chang could no longer play rogue. He changed his strategy, smiled and stepped forward, gently patting Zhang Cang's shoulder, "Master, Zhou Shengzhi has an aunt. Although she was married once, she is still very beautiful..."
…
Inside the Xuanshi Hall, Liu Bang and Lu Wan clinked their wine cups and got drunk.
Lu Wan probably took Liu Chang's words to heart and stopped avoiding him. He went straight into the palace to drink with Liu Bang. Liu Bang was overjoyed and hurriedly called Fan Kuai, Xiahou Ying, Chen Ping, Zhou Bo, Xiao He, Guan Ying, Wang Ling and others to set up a banquet.
Liu Bang used to like holding banquets very much, but since the death of Liu Taigong, he had not held a banquet again. This was the first time since then.
When everyone arrived, Liu Bang drank and loudly recounted the past, "When I went to Wei, I wanted to help Xinling Jun. Xinling Jun treated me with special respect. If I hadn't missed you guys so much, I would have stayed. When I left, Xinling Jun was reluctant to leave!"
Xiao He joked: "Your Majesty is a god, and you can actually meet Lord Xinling in your dream!"
“Hahahaha~~”
Everyone burst into laughter. Liu Bang drank the wine in big gulps and couldn't help but start singing.
Liu Chang, who was originally listening carefully to Zhang Cang's advice in the pavilion, trembled at this moment, squinted his eyes, and listened carefully to the faint howling.
Zhang Cang widened his eyes and looked at the distance in surprise, "There are also pig slaughtering places in the imperial palace?"
"It's okay, it's my father who is singing!"
"It will pass if you bear with it. Please continue talking... Can this really save Master?"