Late Han Zhao Tang

"Heroes throughout the world are as numerous as the stars in the sky. Those who have been able to establish Your Majesty's great cause throughout history are now no more than a handful!"

Looking at the civil and military officials who came forward to offer him a toast, Wang Ji said with a smile.

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "It won't be too late for you to say this when the world is unified!"

Wang Ji's beautiful eyes sparkled with admiration as she said, "Once the world is unified, perhaps only Emperor Gaozu can compare to Your Majesty!"

Although they had many conflicts during their more than ten years of marriage, Wang Ji always put Zhang Yu first when it came to matters of honor and disgrace, and greatly admired Zhang Yu for establishing a foundation that would shake the ages.

Zhang Yu gently patted Wang Ji's soft hand, implying his agreement.

"Your subject Gibbon pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

Yoshimoto stood holding a wine cup and bowed to Zhang Yu.

"Are you well?"

Ji Ben was a native of Chiyang in Fengyi. Zhang Yu had little contact with him. He was able to serve as an official in the Tang Dynasty because he had previously served as the Assistant Imperial Physician in the Han Dynasty. Later, due to the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, Ji Ben was promoted to the position of Imperial Physician Director.

Yoshimoto, with a serious expression, said, "I am restless day and night and dare not speak well of you!"

Seeing Zhang Yu's surprised expression, Ji Ben became even more indignant and said, "The Duke of Shanyang is the Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty, who entrusted His Majesty with this special duty. However, His Majesty invaded the Central Plains and rescued the Emperor from dire straits, which should have been a commendable act. But His Majesty does not recognize the Emperor as the legitimate ruler, but instead covets the sacred treasures of China. Does this not violate loyalty and righteousness?"

"Mi Heng and Kong Rong were both righteous men, yet Your Majesty is narrow-minded and sought to kill them, even sending Mi Heng to Liaodong. How dare you compare your magnanimity to that of Emperor Gaozu?"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone was shocked.

Fearing that Gibbon might do something improper, the attendants hurriedly restrained him along with their colleagues.

"Be bold!"

Wang Ji's smiling expression suddenly changed, and he scolded, "How dare this madman deceive the emperor and commit treason! Take him away and execute him along with his entire family!"

Zhang Yu suppressed his anger, waved to stop Ji Ben, and asked, "Since you know that I have acted unjustly, why didn't you help Yuan Shu when he plundered the Duke of Shanyang?"

Gibbon, undaunted, replied, “It is not that I dare not, but that I am frustrated by the lack of manpower to save the world. I am already content to be able to rebuke you on New Year’s Day and to show the might of the Han Dynasty. Do not forget that the Han Dynasty still exists in Jiangnan. This southern expedition will surely be defeated by Cao Cao!”

After a barrage of attacks, Wang Ji's face turned green with rage, his chest heaving violently, eager to kill him.

Ignoring his overstepping authority, Wang Ji slammed his fist on the table in fury and ordered his men to immediately take Gibbon away.

"Yoshimoto has deceived the emperor and is committing a treacherous act. Your Majesty, please issue an edict to punish him!"

Guo Tu cupped his hands and said, "You are permitted to bring men to his residence to punish his relatives and confidants. Interrogate his trusted followers to see if any of them have any accomplices plotting rebellion."

"allow!"

Zhang Yu's words were filled with murderous intent, which frightened the surrounding officials, who were especially afraid of being implicated by Yoshimoto.

"Your Majesty, I, Zhang Zecha, have been unreliable and now beg for forgiveness!"

When Zhang Ze, the superior of the Imperial Physician, saw that Ji Benru had gone mad, even though he was known as the Crouching Tiger, he was so frightened that his face turned pale, fearing that Zhang Yu would take his anger out on him.

Zhang Yu's good mood vanished instantly, and he said coldly, "This was Yoshimoto's doing, and has nothing to do with the rest of you."

"Lü Fan?"

"Chen is here!"

Zhang Yu said, "You are the Commandant of the Capital Region, and you will be in charge of investigating this matter together with Guo Tu."

"promise"

Lü Fan strode out of the hall, his expression grim.

He hadn't expected that during the New Year's celebrations, Gibbon would speak disrespectfully to Zhang Yu in an attempt to vent his anger. Now, in front of so many people, Gibbon's rebuke of Zhang Yu was undoubtedly also a rebuke of them.

"His Majesty!"

Seeing that something had gone wrong during the New Year's Day court ceremony, Zhong Yao braced himself and asked, "On this joyous day of the New Year, when everyone is celebrating and offering congratulations, what is Your Majesty's intention?"

Zhang Yu took a deep breath, calming his agitated mood, and said, "Why bother with a clown? How can we let a clown disturb our peace on this auspicious day?"

"Proceed as planned!"

"promise!"

How could Zhang Yu not be angry when faced with Yoshimoto's direct rebuke?
But what's the point of getting angry?

We can't kill Gibbon and then kill Liu Xie, can we?
Yoshimoto's purpose is to disgust him. If he ends the New Year's Day celebrations, wouldn't that be exactly what Yoshimoto wanted? And there's a high probability that some people will sensationalize it, saying that he left in anger and resentment after being humiliated.

Therefore, what the enemy does not desire is what I desire!
The court ceremony continued, and despite the incident with Yoshimoto, the atmosphere at the banquet eventually eased over time. "Your Majesty, according to the rites of the Later Han Dynasty's Yuanhui ceremony, the ministers should be allowed to debate the classics. Should we revert to the old system?" Ying Shao whispered to Zhang Yu.

There were many New Year's court activities, and the programs varied depending on the emperor's interests. For example, Emperor Liu Xiu of the Eastern Han Dynasty was fond of Confucian classics, so he had his subordinates debate on Confucian classics, with the winners receiving a seat from the losers. During the reign of Emperor Guangwu, Dai Ping, a court attendant, set a historical record by winning more than fifty seats with his profound knowledge of Confucian classics, thus becoming famous in the capital.

Liu Xiu's penchant for classical texts was inherited by successive emperors of the Eastern Han Dynasty, hence the Eastern Han court's celebrations primarily revolved around debates on Confucian classics. Consequently, the Eastern Han court, both internally and externally, despised those who were ignorant of the classics, especially warriors from humble backgrounds who had risen through the ranks of warfare.

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "It is merely a scholar's pleasure to debate the classics among civil officials. To bring joy to the masses, we can have military generals compete in archery."

"promise!"

Ying Shao stepped back and led the people to arrange the program.

Seeing that Zhang Yu seemed unaffected, Wang Ji said dejectedly, "Why wasn't my husband angry about what Ji Ben said? If my husband hadn't been here, I would have already returned to the palace!"

Zhang Yu smiled, but did not answer Wang Ji. Instead, he beckoned to several children who had come to the banquet.

"Yoshimoto just confronted you directly. How would you have reacted if you were in his shoes?" Zhang Yu asked.

Zhang Luo, Zhang Bi, and Zhang Zhang looked at each other, unsure of how to respond.

After giving the three a moment to consider, Zhang Yu called out, "Your Highness is the eldest brother, so you will answer first."

Zhang Luo glanced at his mother, Wang Ji, and hesitated before saying, "Your subject will tell Ji Ben that the reason our Tang Dynasty has the world is not because it was taken from the Han Dynasty, but because it was built by my father through hard work. If he still does not listen, I will follow my father's example and execute him to deter the world."

Zhang Bi, quick-tempered, said, "If anyone dares to insult me ​​in this way, why bother with further words? Just kill them. Send their head to the capital region as a warning to others!"

"Reporting to Father Emperor!"

Zhang Zhang scratched his head and said, "Ji Ben is a stubborn and incorrigible man. I think it's acceptable to kill him, but it's also acceptable not to kill him. When Emperor Gaozu took the throne, the Confucian scholars of Qi were not convinced. However, after four hundred years, there were still righteous men like Mi Heng, Kong Rong, and Ji Ben. Therefore, if our Tang Dynasty can last for another hundred years, the whole world will be Tang citizens!"

Upon hearing this, a look of surprise flashed in Zhang Yu's eyes. Despite his young age, Zhang Zhang was quite intelligent and could see through the essence of things.

The loyalty to the Han dynasty held by figures like Jiben, Mi Heng, and Kong Rong could not be changed; therefore, only by eliminating their physical bodies could their loyalty be eradicated. There were two ways to achieve this: killing or time.

The passage of time is Zhang Zhang's point: if the Tang dynasty could maintain its rule for more than a hundred years, there would be no one loyal to the Han dynasty, only those so-called loyal to the Tang.

"good!"

Zhang Yu patted Zhang Zhang's head and smiled, "The three sons each have their own strategies, and I think they are all feasible."

The indiscriminate remarks left Wang Ji bewildered, but Xun You, who was attending Zhang Yu nearby, understood them perfectly.

“Wenhe, the King of the North is intelligent. I wonder how he compares to the King of the East Sea?” Xun You said in a low voice.

The title "King of the North" was bestowed upon Zhang Zhang, while "King of the East Sea" carried a deeper meaning.

Since there was no title of King of Donghai in the Tang Dynasty, the King of Donghai can only be found in the Han Dynasty, among which the King of Donghai in the Eastern Han Dynasty has the most interesting story. For example, Emperor Ming of Han, Liu Zhuang, was titled King of Donghai before he ascended the throne. After Liu Zhuang was made crown prince, the former crown prince Liu Jiang was restored to the title of King of Donghai.

Xun You's comparison of the two kings is clearly a comparison of Liu Zhuang and Zhang Zhang.

Jia Xu took a sip of wine and reminded him, "The crown prince has been established, Gongda, be careful with your words!"

Even without Jia Xu's reminder, Xun You already knew he had spoken inappropriately. After all, the meaning behind the title "King of Donghai" was too profound; if Empress Wang Ji were to hear it, who knows how much trouble it would cause.

"Eat vegetables!"

Xun You used a piece of food to stop him from saying too much and making a mistake.

While Xun You and Jia Xu were whispering to each other, the civil and military officials in the palace were already playing around.

For example, Ying Shao personally debated the classics, his opponent being Wang Can, and the debate between the old and the young attracted many onlookers; or Zhang Liao and Lü Bu competed in archery, attracting the attention of officers and soldiers who watched and cheered.

Therefore, for a time, the courtiers were in high spirits, some making a ruckus and answering questions, some drinking and discussing matters, and others watching and wanting to try their hand at something. The hall was filled with noise, a scene of joy for the emperor and his ministers in their courtly celebration.

"Would Your Majesty like to shoot an arrow?"

Xun You and Jia Xu had no interest in debating the classics, so they went to Zhang Yu and Wang Ji's table to offer them wine.

"No!"

Zhang Yu waved his hand and laughed, "If I were to participate in the merriment of the courtiers, it would spoil the fun. Why don't you two join in the debate?"

Jia Xu shook his head and smiled, saying, "I have only a superficial understanding of the classics and am not good at debate."

“I share the same view as Wenhe, and have no interest in debating the classics!” Xun You said.

"If you two gentlemen do not mind, I would like to offer you a cup of wine on behalf of His Majesty to express my gratitude for your helpful advice!" Wang Ji poured wine for the two gentlemen and said, "The Crown Prince is dull-witted, so please feel free to offer him your guidance!"

The two glanced at Zhang Yu before daring to accept his greeting with trepidation. (End of Chapter)