Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 287: Year 287: Liu Xin
In February of the fifth year of the Han Dynasty,
Liu Bang proclaimed himself emperor in Dingtao and held a grand banquet for his ministers.

After the banquet,

He also said with nostalgia:
"Dingtao is the place where Xiang Liang died."

"When I first heard this news, I thought that the cause of destroying Qin would be interrupted by Meng Tian."

"Who would have thought that after this, not only did it not decline, but it became even more and more serious, so that the once arrogant Qin people lost the world!"

Speaking of which,

Liu Bang put down the wine glass in his hand, a little dazed, "Rise and fall, it's really hard to predict!"

Who could have thought that the First Emperor, who traveled the world and deterred evildoers, would lose the worship of the descendants of Qin three years after his death?
Who could have thought that Liu Laosan, who was a village head in Sishui and was always scolded by his father as a "scoundrel", would conquer the world in less than eight years?
One of the ministers sensed that the emperor was worried, so he consoled him by saying, "Your Majesty started the uprising at Mount Mangdang, and in seven years you have taken control of the world. Isn't this destiny?"

"Moreover, the prince is kind and intelligent. He is a very good successor. The foundation of the Han Dynasty will surely be continued and carried forward in his hands!"

"he?"

When Liu Bang heard this, he raised his eyebrows, put down his wine glass, and showed a helpless look, "My prince is kind and virtuous, but is Fusu not kind and virtuous?"

Kindness cannot make a living.

It can't make money either.

The country must perish when it deserves to!

"Let's wait and see!"

……

"Your Majesty, do you really say that?"

In the harem, when Lu Zhi heard that Liu Bang showed some dissatisfaction with Liu Ying at the banquet, she suddenly became nervous.

She said, "This old man must have been fooled by Madam Qi's pillow talk again!"

"Go and invite Marquis Heyang to come!"

Marquis of Heyang,
He was Emperor Liu Bang’s nephew Liu Xin.

When he was in his hometown Fengyi, he studied with his uncle Liu Jiao. When he grew up, he devoted himself to serving his mother and grandfather, and in accordance with his mother's wishes, he took good care of Lu Zhi and her son.

After Liu Bang returned to Fengyi from Mangdang Mountain, he did not stay in his hometown for too long. Instead, he went to join Chen Sheng who was in Chenjun and joined the vigorous wave of overthrowing Qin.

Three years later,

It was not until he withdrew from Guanzhong and was named King of Han by Xiang Yu that he had the manpower and time to return to his hometown to welcome his wife and parents to his side.

Because of the chaos at that time,

Even the Fengpei land could not escape the storm. As Liu Bang was a leader among the rebels, his family was also noticed by many people, some of whom were flattered and some were restricted.

It is really hard to live like this, with ups and downs and lack of physical and mental freedom.

During these difficult times,

Liu Taigong was old and weak, and could not control the people in his village by his virtue.

The second son, Liu Zhong, inherited his father's honest ability. He only knew how to farm and felt helpless when facing the wind and waves.

His youngest son Liu Jiao followed his third brother Liu Bang out of Fengyi and fought for the lost Mandate of Heaven of Qin.

therefore,

The one who supported the Liu family in Fengyi was the eldest grandson Liu Xin.

This is also the main reason why he did not choose to follow his third uncle to conquer the world.

"My fourth uncle is more talented and knowledgeable than me. It is a good thing for him to assist my third uncle."

"My talent is mediocre. If I were to forcibly get involved in such a major event as the fight for destiny, I'm afraid it would only become a burden to my Third Uncle!"

"In this case, it is better to stay at home and take care of the elders at home so that the relatives outside can be free from worries."

When faced with questions from others, Liu Xin replied like this.

So others praised him, "You recognize your own abilities, do not take risks just for the sake of wealth and honor, and do not abandon your elderly relatives just because of a momentary rage to seek wealth and honor. You are also a virtuous person!"

When Liu Bang became the King of Han and sent people back to welcome his parents and wife, the people of Fengyi said, "What a blessing!"

"The people outside are capable, and the people at home are virtuous. If the destiny does not fall on the Liu family, where else can it fall?"

Because of Liu Xin's help during those three years, Lu Zhi also trusted and relied on Liu Xin very much.

When Liu Bang proclaimed himself emperor and conferred titles on his ministers, she even complained on behalf of Liu Xin:
"Liu Zhong has no ability, and Liu Jia is just your distant cousin. Why can they become princes, but Liu Xin, as your eldest nephew, can only be called a marquis?"

Liu Bang said, "Liu Zhong and Liu Jia are my brothers. The former is my relative and the latter has military merit. Why can't they be kings?"

"Liu Xin is only a nephew, so it is only natural that his title cannot be compared to that of his elders!"

"But Liu Xin also has military merits!"

After being received by Liu Bang,

Because my grandparents were taking care of me,

My aunt and brothers also returned to their family's pillars.
Liu Xin complied with his mother's expectation of being a real man and followed his third uncle to participate in the Chu-Han Contention.

He acted properly, never took risks without certainty, and carried out orders strictly. Therefore, although he did not have great achievements, he could not be said to have lacked merit.

He can be king.

Lu Zhi suspected that Liu Bang did this in order to suppress her.

Liu Xin has a very good relationship with me.

During the years when Liu Bang was away, Liu Xin practiced the saying "an elder brother is like a father" and took good care of Liu Fei, Liu Le and Liu Ying.

Now that Liu Bang had a more favored wife, Concubine Qi, and her son, he not only had to distance himself from Lu Zhi, but also from Liu Xin.

This made Lu Zhi feel even more guilty towards her nephew.

but now,
Now is not the time to express my apologies to him.

"I'm really worried about Ying'er!"

When Liu Xin rushed over, Lu Zhi cried in front of him.

Liu Xin also knew that Lady Qi was competing for favor with Empress Lu and that her son was Liu Ying's rival.

When he was at home,
His mother, Mrs. Li, often complained about her third uncle.

First, it was said that Liu Bang did not take care of his relatives and did not even make his nephew a king. Then it was said that men are naturally chaste and forget their loyalty when they see a beautiful woman. After becoming rich and having a beautiful wife and young children, he despised his original wife who worked hard at home to take care of the children and the elderly.

Liu Xin could only remain silent.

Apart from the fact that discussing elders is against etiquette, Liu Bang is still his monarch.

As a minister,

You cannot criticize your own monarch.

But in my heart,

Liu Xin actually felt that what Liu Bang did was not good.

Lu Zhi was a competent wife and mother.
Liu Ying was a very obedient and sensible child.

They are not at fault.
How could he abandon them just because he loved another young and beautiful concubine?

Now, he was called to the palace by Lu Zhi, and after hearing her crying, he understood what she meant.

He kowtowed respectfully and said, "Prince, you are the heir apparent of the country and the second person to whom destiny rests."

"The Han Dynasty has just been established. Your Majesty will not do such a thing out of concern for the country."

"Please don't worry, Queen!"

"But Madam Qi is pressing me step by step. How can I feel at ease?"

Lü Zhi was still crying and said, "You, as a younger generation, have seen how I lived after I married into Fengyi."

"Your mother is very close to me and often tells you about me."

"Now I won't hide it from you—"

Lu Zhi wiped her eyes and told Liu Xin sadly, "I no longer have any feelings for your majesty, and I no longer expect your love and care."

As she spoke, she looked down at her hands.

After becoming a wife and a mother,
She often worked, weaving and farming, and had to endure the contempt and raise Liu Bang's illegitimate son.

Therefore,
Lu Zhi's hands were early covered with calluses, and her face was sad, no longer as youthful and tender as when she was in the boudoir.

At her age,

Such appearance,
Indeed, an emperor who owns the whole world will never be able to show his love and care to her again.

As for Lu Zhi, all she needed was Liu Le and Liu Ying!
"Ying'er is the only one I can rely on in my life!"

"Your mother raised you to be a talented person, so you can get rid of the hardship and have a peaceful old age."

"But Ying'er is still young now, what can he understand?"

"If I don't fight for him, if I can't guarantee him a bright future...what will happen to him? What will happen to me?"

"How dare I bet on your majesty's feelings, or whether a man will get tired of the old and fall in love with the new?"

hearing these words,
Liu Xin could only sigh.

He recalled the past in Fengyi.

Liu Le, Liu Ying and others really like to follow him and accept his teachings.

They are very close.

“…People are divided into close and distant.”

"For the stability of the Han Dynasty and the safety of the Crown Prince, how dare I not do my best?"

"But please, Queen, please be more generous and allow me to interact more with the prince, and allow me to take him out of the palace to see the world."

Liu Xin thought of Lu Zhi's attitude towards Liu Ying and felt a little distressed.

Maybe I lost hope in my husband.
Lu Zhi then placed all her focus on Liu Ying, wishing that this child could move in her hands at all times.

Liu Xin thinks that

This is not a good thing for children's growth.

Because he remembered that when he was young and studying, he once asked teacher He Bo about teaching children.

He Bo was very surprised at that time.

"Why would you care about such a problem?"

He smiled and waved the palm-leaf fan in his hand to blow away the scorching summer heat, sipped the cool well water that had just been drawn, and asked questions to Liu Xin.

"Because my father died very early!"

Liu Xin, an orphan, spoke directly, his young face full of curiosity and hope.

"I haven't experienced my father's teachings, but I will have to give birth to children in the future to continue my bloodline, so I hope to learn some experience in advance and become a good father."

If he can do it,
Then his future wife can relax a lot.

So He Bo pointed at him and laughed, "You haven't even grown all your hair yet, and you want to get married and have kids!"

“It’s really hard to understand what children think!”

However, he still answered Liu Xin's question seriously and did not follow the current thinking of the world:
They believe that a man who pays attention to his wife at home is acting like a weak daughter, is not broad-minded enough, and will have no future.

Liu Xin listened to the teacher quietly, and then wondered, "Why should we let children experience some setbacks?"

"Because without storms, there will be no rainbow!"

He Bo smiled, pointed to the history books piled up in front of the two men and said, "Everything in the world must follow this principle."

"What about people?"

Liu Xin thought deeply about this.

Until now, when he already has a wife and becomes someone else's husband and father, he has a new understanding and knowledge of these words.

"If the queen really wants to plan for the prince, she should follow the example of Queen Mother Zhao, and not just dote on him and control him."

Lu Zhi was somewhat repulsive and didn't want Liu Ying to leave her side.

But she didn't refuse after all.

(End of this chapter)