Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 537 Zhao and Liu

When Zhao Sheng returned to the State of Qi with Princess Xinping, who had sparked the war...

He Bo glanced at the two getting along well, then found Liu Jing, who had died, and asked him:
"Actually, I'm a little curious about what you guys are thinking."

He could have lived a good life.

Why insist on courting death?

Liu Jing, who had always wanted to do bad things in his life but failed because of his poor execution, said that he didn't even get to enjoy a private room in hell after death:
"There's no major grudge, I just simply don't like the look of him!"

The current emperor is Liu Zhuang.

She is a precocious, rational person with a strong desire for control.

This made him an excellent monarch, and he was loved by his father and mother.

Naturally,
Liu Zhuang's younger brothers, born to the same parents, also received much attention from their parents.

Emperor Guangwu hoped that his brothers would get along well, and that his younger brothers would wholeheartedly assist their elder brother who was destined to create a prosperous era, thus creating a beautiful story of brotherhood within the royal family.

For this,

Excluding Liu Heng, the fourth son of Yin Lihua who died in childhood,

Her second son, Liu Cang, and fifth son, Liu Jing, both performed well and fulfilled their parents' expectations.

Liu Cang was learned and talented, and was meticulous and measured in his conduct. He made many contributions to his elder brother's rule in the court.

Although Liu Jing enjoyed luxury, he was not as unrestrained as he was in the late Former Han Dynasty, and he also possessed remarkable talent in classical texts and poetry.

Thus,
As Yin Lihua's third son, Liu Jing, caught in the middle no matter what, found himself in a very awkward situation.

He had no special talents or gifts; he was born only to be a prince who knew how to eat, drink, and enjoy life.

If we're talking about children seeking their parents' love, they also have two younger brothers as competitors.

Especially Liu Heng!
He was only one year younger than Liu Jing, and was born weak and sickly. His parents inevitably paid more attention to him, thus neglecting Liu Jing.

When Liu Heng died young,

Empress Guangwu, filled with sadness and a desire to make amends, began to dote on her youngest son, Liu Jing, while neglecting Liu Jing altogether.

all in all,
If parents have many children, the child in the middle of the birth order will inevitably have a weaker sense of presence than their siblings.

Liu Jing complained about this, and his voice reached the ears of his elder brother Liu Zhuang, which attracted the latter's large, tangible hand.

Feeling like nobody's paying attention to you?

Then, as your older brother, I will devise a strict life plan for you!

This made Liu Jing truly understand what it means to be "the eldest brother is like a father".

"He wants to control everything and insists on rules for everything!"

"I've really had enough of him!"

Perhaps because he rarely had the opportunity to express his true feelings before his death, Liu Jing launched a scathing attack on his elder brother, who was still the emperor, in front of He Bo.

of course,

He didn't forget to take the opportunity to elevate himself.

"Anyway, I'm very good to my children!"

He Bo, recalling his daughter who was sent away for a political marriage but managed to escape, possessing agility so great she seemed to be a descendant of the Qin dynasty, raised an eyebrow and said:
"So you never discipline your children, you just spoil them?"

Liu Jing said with his hands behind his back, "Love is always feeling indebted!"

"I cannot let my child continue with what I have not experienced!"

So He Bo said "Oh".

"I understand why you've become friends with Liu He and the others!"

"So, will you be the host on the day we become sworn brothers?" Liu Jing asked He Bo.

After his death, he became fast friends with Liu He, the King of Changyi, and their friendship has now deepened to the point of being inseparable.

After thinking about it for a while, the two decided to choose an auspicious day to become sworn brothers and invite many dead ghosts to participate in the grand ceremony.

He Bo, of course, wouldn't miss out on such fun.

"do not worry!"

"Leave this to me!"

After all,

He then turned to leave.

Then Liu Jing stopped him again, hesitated for a while, and made a request to God:
"...Please keep a close eye on my daughter for me!"

"You won't go yourself, but you want me to go instead?" He Bo leaned back, looking down at the dead man in front of him.

"The underworld won't approve my request!" Liu Jing said angrily. "Why are the rules so rigid?"

"I even wrote a complaint to Lark about this before! Did you receive it?"

He Bo said confidently, "No, I didn't open that container at all after it was packed!"

Liu Jing became even angrier, "How come you're even less useful than me!"

He Bo also got angry and warned Liu Jing, "If you're disrespectful to me, I'll have Liu Zhuang appear in your dreams!"

So Liu Jing stopped breathing on him.

He led the white dog, which he had somehow abducted, away from He Bo, intending to deal with the sworn brotherhood matter first.

He Bo, on the other hand, came to the mortal world and found Zhao Sheng, who had been kicked out of his home by his father.

Because his actions offended Jiao Nan and could potentially affect the family's future business, Zhao's father, in a fit of anger, kept this rebellious son away from him.

but,

As his only son, Zhao Sheng was not good enough, so he couldn't bring himself to be cruel to him.

"Let him learn a lesson so he won't do something so offensive again!"

Although they lived in the State of Qi, which was very far from the Central Plains.

But the Han Dynasty was the central state, and its emperor was the ruler of all the Chinese states.

The State of Qi has been Sinicized for three generations and recently defeated its poor relatives in the north, so it is now inflated with pride.

I've heard that the nobleman above intends to take advantage of this opportunity to travel to the Central Plains and seek investiture from the Emperor.

Yes,

So many years have passed,

Although the State of Qi had long been locked in a bloody battle with the State of Sui, fighting tooth and nail for legitimacy, the Book of Sima Qian, which had been read by many, was nominally a forbidden book in the Han Dynasty.

The State of Qi did not send anyone directly to the Central Plains with this book to recount its "since ancient times" to the Han emperor.

After all, the Central Kingdom was far too authoritative and powerful.
His status as the Son of Heaven was recognized by various states during the centuries-long rule of the Han Dynasty.

Now that the Han dynasty's old rival, the Qin dynasty, has been outlived by them...
Countless barbarian leaders and rulers of small states crawled to the Central Plains, kneeling before the supreme emperor, hoping to gain his permission through meekness and have the opportunity to integrate into the Chinese civilization and become assimilated.

in this way,

The State of Qi was not confident enough and dared not act recklessly.

The Heavenly Soldiers of the Great Han Dynasty
There have been instances of crossing the Western Regions to conduct precision strikes in the distant New Xia.

The localization is almost complete now.
The country's strength is indeed formidable.
Even though the Sui Dynasty, which had recently revived through reforms, gave the Qi State a chilling feeling, it did not diminish their confidence.

Zhao's father was somewhat worried that if the Qi Kingdom's envoy arrived in the Central Plains and questioned the matter of "the princess running away with his son," it might incur the Qi King's wrath.

Even though Zhao Sheng had already said it,

As he was leaving the Western Regions, news arrived from Jiaonan that "the Han envoy, because the King of Jiaonan assassinated the princess and disobeyed the emperor, engaged in a horse-riding brawl in the city." He reassured his father that the Han dynasty had officially confirmed the princess's death.
But Zhao's father still had some worries.

"Furthermore, she is a princess of the Han Dynasty, the emperor's niece... My husband, though somewhat handsome, is truly unworthy of her."

His family were well-known wealthy merchants in the State of Qi; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to amass enough caravans to travel to the Western Regions.

But money and power can never be equated.

Having money but no power, all they can do is oppress ordinary people.
Powerful but penniless...

what!
With power, how could one not have money?
Even influenced by Confucian ideals and the recommendation system, officials could still project an image of integrity and self-discipline.

But this does not mean that,

Officials who live in the capital, residing in small houses and wearing old clothes, are not allowed to acquire estates or farmland in their hometowns or keep slaves.

If the land of the world were divided into neat plots according to the standards of capital cities and wards,
Some seemingly ordinary officials might actually be able to produce a stack of land deeds weighed by the kilogram!

Father Zhao knew the true nature of those who wielded power, and he worried that one day the princess might find his child too old and unattractive, and kick him away, leaving him no chance of finding someone else.

Even if the other party eloped here,
But the Han Dynasty and Jiaonan both waged wars for her, and some people could always find the truth by following the clues. And even a princess far from home is still a princess, and is indeed noble in name only.

more importantly,
She really does have a powerful country behind her!

"She needs to know how much my son has suffered for her, so that when our love fades in the future, we won't cause any more trouble."

As Zhao's father spoke, he touched his head, which had recently become quite bald, and felt that he was thinking too much about future generations.

Ugh,
Raising a child means worrying about him!

……

"Actually, I understand the adults' good intentions."

When Zhao Sheng met He Bo again, he sat in a small roadside tavern and smiled helplessly at him, saying, "I only feel gratitude in my heart."

He Bo winked at him, then asked directly, "So why did you fall for a woman like that?"

After seeing this old friend

He Bo then read through all his experiences from childhood to adulthood.

In conclusion:
Zhao Sheng is indeed a good boy.

He was quiet and gentle, and loved reading.

If it weren't for his ancestors' legacy, he would have wanted to go to the Sui Dynasty to study and learn.

No matter how you look at it,
They were not a good match for Princess Liu Yirong, who loved excitement and was as lively as the white dog her father led.

He Bo had seen it before.
The scene shows Liu Yirong riding a horse with Zhao Sheng on his back during their escape.

This woman is even more capable than Lu Jiao, the Pirate King of Kanto!
"...Feelings are something that can't really be explained."

Zhao Sheng became awkward when asked the question. After thinking for a long time, he still couldn't describe his feelings, so he could only respond with a smile.

He Bo laughed along with him, his voice so loud it made the wine in front of him ripple.

When Zhao Sheng returned to his temporary residence
Liu Yirong, who looked even healthier and more dashing than her husband and was taller than the average woman, was standing in the courtyard, waiting for him with her arms crossed.

She said, "When will your father let you come home?"

Zhao Sheng replied, "...I was just kicked out today."

Liu Yirong immediately snorted, "He's deliberately trying to provoke you in front of me! Isn't it because he's afraid I'll get tired of you and throw you away?"

"But if I didn't have a sincere heart, why would I have followed you all the way to the State of Qi?"

Jiaonan's control over the Western Regions was not as strict as that of the Han Dynasty.

Furthermore, Liu Yirong was also aware of this.
The emperor arranged for her to marry a foreign ruler, harboring the idea of ​​"courtesy before force."

The act of marriage alliance itself is not important.
The princess is not important.

But it is very important to find a reason to attack Jiaonan and to rightfully regain control of the Western Regions!

otherwise,

Why didn't they even bother to find the body, and instead used "murdering the princess" as a pretext to draw their swords and fight with Jiao Nan?
therefore,

Liu Yirong could have found a place to hide first and then made further plans.

Why bother going to the State of Qi?
This place is even further away from the Central Plains.

While in the Western Regions, you can also meet many Han Chinese who come to do business, as well as envoys from the imperial court.

Could it be the Kingdom of Qi?
Let's first gain the emperor's approval and obtain the precious tripod that belongs to all the Chinese people.

Zhao Sheng simply smiled at the princess's suggestion and said, "Let's wait a couple more days."

"Otherwise, my father wouldn't feel at ease."

Some processes are certainly boring,

But after you've been through it, you'll always feel a little more at ease.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yirong stopped trying to persuade him and instead grabbed Zhao Sheng's belt, pulling him up.
"go!"

"Come into the house with me!"

Zhao Sheng immediately blushed, glancing at the bright sunlight overhead:
"It's broad daylight...isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

"What's wrong with that?" Liu Yirong stared at his shy expression, and finally laughed out loud. "Can't you even calculate the money you brought from home and plan the day you go home?"

"You look so refined, how come your thoughts are even more filthy than mine?"

"……Oh."

Zhao Sheng then lost her blush and revealed a hint of disappointment.

Liu Yirong smiled even more broadly.

She pulled Zhao Sheng into the house, and after finishing her own procedures, she satisfied this guy who appeared gentle but actually had some wild ideas about certain things.

This prompted He Bo to ask Zhao Sheng later, "Do you need any help?"

Zhao Sheng quickly waved his hand and said, "No need, no need, I'm fine!"

So God, who intended to promote the new summer elixir, had to regretfully withdraw his hand.

Shortly thereafter,

Zhao Sheng took Liu Yirong back home.

He hasn't run out of money yet.
Even with the help of his wife, Liu Yirong, who was bold and decisive, some improvements were made.

Work hard during the day,

Try your best tonight.

The two were living a very comfortable life.

But no way,

Thanks to her efforts, Liu Yirong soon became pregnant and could no longer indulge in her wanderings.

Zhao Sheng's parents, no longer as angry as before, showed genuine joy as they welcomed the arrival of the new family member.

After October,

On a night in late spring of the following year,
Zhao Sheng had his first child.

He held the swaddled baby and laughed so hard he was dizzy, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

Liu Yirong, who had recovered somewhat, said to him, "What's the use of just laughing? Hurry up and name the child!"

Zhao Sheng then realized that he had been too happy for too long.

He pondered for a long time, but his mind, which had been washed away by joy, was empty. None of the classic words and phrases he had read with their beautiful meanings came to mind.

At last,
Zhao Sheng simply said, "The family is very wealthy. I hope that when this child grows up, he will be able to enjoy enough blessings and become a calm and open-minded person who is not bothered by trivial matters."

"So, let's call him 'Yu'!"

Liu Yirong was very satisfied with the name.

just,

Even with his parents' careful upbringing, little Zhao Yu still encountered some accidents.

He was always sick, and the soft flesh on his face always had a faint red tinge from illness.

His grandfather tried many methods, and finally said to his son:
"I've heard from folk customs that if a child is born with great fortune, it can easily attract the jealousy of ghosts and spirits, causing them to be constantly uneasy."

"In that case, why not give Yu'er a humble name to avoid these things?"

Zhao Sheng agreed to the suggestion and gave his son the nickname "Ji Nu" in order to prevent the invisible ghost from being jealous of the child's good fortune.

Perhaps there's a reason behind the custom.

After being given a nickname, Zhao Yu quickly recovered his health and grew up happily.

Zhao's father later received the good news and told his family:
"The connections with the West Sea have been established."

"We can do some business there in the future."

Although the chaos in the Western Sea has not yet subsided, trade has never stopped.

The State of Qi was locked in a standoff with the State of Sui to the east, but its westward expansion did not stop.

Moreover, wealth and honor are always sought amidst danger.
In this era when the Great Han Protectorate was being rebuilt in the Western Regions, merchants who pursued profit and craved wealth did not cease their adventures.

Instead of taking advantage of the strength of the Qi Kingdom to extend trade routes to the Western Sea,
Are we supposed to wait until the State of Qi declines before going there to be slaughtered like fat sheep?
"Anyway, I have no hope for you. I only hope that Ji Nu will grow up strong and brave, be able to expand the family business, and bring glory to our ancestors."

Holding his chubby grandson, who was less than a year old, Mr. Zhao smiled and said to his son.

(End of this chapter)