A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 160 Watch
"Nephew, we've come to congratulate you on your victory."

Just as the emperor and his ministers were celebrating, a commotion arose outside the main hall.

The feudal lords have arrived.

Leading the group was Liu Duan, King of Jiaoxi, followed by Liu Pengzu, King of Zhao, Liu Ji, King of Jiaodong, and Liu Shun, King of Changshan.

The other feudal lords followed suit in embarrassment.

Although they were in the forbidden area, it was as if no one was there. Without being summoned, the King of Jiaoxi, the King of Zhao, the King of Jiaodong, and the King of Changshan barged into the main hall.

The princes, including King Liu Zhu of Chu, King Liu Pengli of Chengyang, King Liu Jian of Zichuan, and King Liu Hu of Jibei, tried to pull the four kings back, but they dared not move or exert too much force. Instead of pulling them back, they stumbled and were pulled into the palace.

The scene was somewhat chaotic. These veteran feudal lords had long seen through the ruthlessness of the Han emperor and only wanted to hide in an unnoticed place, living a life of ease and waiting for death, until the day their power was reduced.

While in Chang'an, he was fortunate enough to witness an unprecedented victory since the founding of the Han Dynasty. However, he was bound by the moral obligations of the emperor's own brother and the emperor's uncle, and had no choice but to follow them into the palace to celebrate the victory.

But who celebrates a victory like that?
He swaggered between palaces in front of high-ranking officials, nobles, and members of the imperial family from both the central and foreign dynasties. When he met the emperor, he didn't even bother to greet him or use any respectful titles, addressing him simply as "my nephew."

Following behind, the King of Chu, the King of Chengyang, the King of Zichuan, and the kings of Jibei all felt like they wanted to die.

Upon seeing this, the officials of both dynasties first frowned, then were overjoyed.

This moment is perhaps the happiest time for the ruler.

A great victory in the south.

With his martial prowess and virtuous conduct, he subdued officials throughout the land, established new systems, and set the course of the nation. His imperial might was even greater than that of His Majesty.

At this very moment, the princes stormed into the palace, displaying no respect whatsoever in their words and actions.

Should the ruler take action? Or should he take action?

You must know that during His Majesty's reign, the princes were always extremely cautious and obsequious, whether it was during the New Year's court audience or when His Majesty issued his decrees. They dared not offend His Majesty in the slightest.

The most typical example is in the third year of the Jianyuan era. The nineteen-year-old Emperor still accepted the New Year's tribute from the vassal kings as usual. The vassal kings who paid tribute at that time were Liu Fa, King of Changsha; Liu Sheng, King of Zhongshan; Liu Deng, King of Dai; and Liu Ming, King of Jichuan. The first two were the sons of Emperor Xiaojing and the Emperor's half-brothers. The latter two were the grandsons of Emperor Xiaowen and the Emperor's cousins.

His Majesty hosted a banquet for the four kings. During the banquet, Liu Sheng, the King of Zhongshan, burst into tears upon hearing music. His Majesty quickly asked him what was wrong, and Liu Sheng immediately gave a very eloquent reply, which was roughly as follows: "A person whose heart is filled with sorrow and grief will only feel more sorrowful upon hearing sighs and lamentations. When Gao Jianli bid farewell to Jing Ke at the Yi River, he played the zither with great emotion, and Jing Ke fell silent and refused to eat. When Yongmenzi played the zither to advise Lord Mengchang, Lord Mengchang was moved to tears. My brother's heart is just like theirs. He has been filled with sorrow for a long time, and upon hearing even a slightly sad sound, he cannot help but shed tears."

Why? As we all know, when a group of people breathe together, they can blow away a mountain; when enough mosquitoes flap their wings together, the sound can drown out thunder. Back then, King Wen of Zhou was imprisoned in Youli, and Confucius was trapped between Chen and Cai, precisely because of too many slanderous accusations and framing.

I have heard that even if there are rats in the ancestral temple or at home, they are not caught by pouring water or smoking fire, because they are afraid of damaging the ancestral temple and losing more than they gain.

Although my brother is of lowly status, he is still Your Majesty's elder brother. Although the Prince of Zhongshan is young, he is still considered a bulwark for the court in the east. The ministers have no relation to Your Majesty, yet they form cliques and engage in self-serving activities, sowing discord between Your Majesty and the imperial clan.

My brother is far away in a foreign land, and his loyal words are not heard by the Emperor. Therefore, he is constantly saddened in secret. The Book of Songs says, "My heart is troubled, as if I were suffering from a headache," which describes my brother's current state of mind.

At that time, His Majesty had only been emperor for three years after taking over from Emperor Xiaojing. When the princes came to the capital to pay homage, they not only dared not be arrogant in the slightest, but even out of fear, Liu Sheng, the Prince of Zhongshan, acted as the representative of the princes and put on a grand show of kinship and fear of slander from treacherous officials sowing discord among the imperial clan at the banquet.

The widely circulated phrases such as "Many voices can melt metal," "Accumulated slander can destroy bones," "Many voices can float mountains," "A swarm of mosquitoes can become thunder," and "Ten men can dig a hole" all originated from that banquet.

When it comes to the sovereign, let alone literary talent, the feudal lords are probably just visiting the palace.
Of course, it is also possible that the four kings from that year are no longer alive, and the King of Zhongshan, who was eloquent, committed suicide last year at the execution ground set up by His Majesty on the Wei River. The surviving princes no longer possess such learning.

Ultimately, the feudal lords feared His Majesty but not their superiors.

Jiang Qi had been in Chang'an for some time now, having entered the pass from Nanyang. With the deliberate propaganda, the various sordid affairs of Zhao King Liu Pengzu's family were known to everyone in the world.

The crimes of the other vassal kings were also exposed. They were all wicked and deserved to die, which aroused great turmoil in the Guanzhong region. People petitioned and wrote letters to ask for the execution of the kings.

If it were Your Majesty, the vassal kings would have been stripped of their fiefdoms and their kingdoms long ago. But the sovereign seems oblivious, allowing the vassal kings to continue indulging in pleasure in their royal residences without any punishment or even reprimand.

Jiang Qi, while in Chang'an, secretly slandered the emperor's reputation and accused him of protecting his relatives, which aroused strong dissatisfaction among countless subjects.

Officials from both dynasties privately speculated that the Emperor was afraid that the execution ground at the Wei River would be repeated, with the blood of his relatives staining the imperial court. At that time, he was just a king of Zhongshan, but now all the kings were alive. If all the princes under the reigns of the Emperor Emeritus, Emperor Gao, Emperor Xiaowen, and Emperor Xiaojing were to die, the Emperor Emeritus's reputation for being heartless and ruthless would be passed down for generations. Therefore, he dared not take action.

The feudal lords generally thought the same way: since you dare not touch us, then we will jump in front of you. For decades, countless feudal lords have fallen, and they have finally found a way to "check and balance" the emperor.

As the Imperial Censor, Zhang Tang was about to reprimand the princes, but Prime Minister Gongsun Hong shook his head and stopped him.

If other high-ranking officials, marquises, and members of the royal family didn't know, how could they not know?
The reason why the feudal kings were not touched was that Zhao King Liu Pengzu had colluded with the Xiongnu and plotted to give the Dai land to the Xiongnu. The emperor had instead set a trap to trap the Xiongnu Chanyu's main army and the Left Wise King's main army, fearing that touching Liu Pengzu would alert the enemy.

almost.

General Wei Qing and the old general Cheng Bushi secretly led an army of 100,000 into the Dai region, setting a trap for the Xiongnu army. Meanwhile, reports came from the counties and prefectures of Dai that "refugees" from the Zhao region were causing trouble and wantonly destroying property.

Meanwhile, spies from the empire in the Xiongnu Chanyu tribe and the Zuo Xianwang tribe also sent back news that the Xiongnu elite cavalry had made unusual movements.

To destroy something, first make it mad. The death knell has already tolled; why bother asking for whom it tolls?

It rang out for the feudal lords and kings.

If nothing unexpected happens, the storming of the palace was most likely instigated by Liu Pengzu, but at this time, he hid in the second echelon.

Just like when the princes chose Liu Sheng, the King of Zhongshan, as their representative in the third year of the Jianyuan era, Liu Sheng was His Majesty's own brother, and his wife, the Queen of Zhongshan, was the niece of Empress Dowager Dou. With this dual relationship, he was the most suitable and qualified to test His Majesty's feelings after his ascension to the throne.

What about Liu Duan, the King of Jiaoxi?

He has always been close to His Majesty. Even though he made many mistakes, His Majesty never imposed any real punishment on Liu Duan during His Majesty's reign. At most, he only reduced the number of counties he was allowed to govern.

Furthermore, Liu Duan suffers from impotence. Whenever he comes into contact with a woman, he becomes ill for several months. In Jiaoxi Kingdom, Liu Duan does not even employ guards in the royal palace. He is cruel and ruthless and has no friends.

Such a vassal king, who has no heirs, no soldiers, no friends, and poses no threat to the court, is at the forefront. Once the ruler takes action and the man dies, other vassal kings and those with ulterior motives can falsely claim that he was forced to death by the ruler, causing the ruler to be misunderstood by the world. Once the ruler targets him, he may face annihilation, and slander and defamation of the ruler's magnanimity and breadth of mind.

Gongsun Hong glanced at Liu Pengzu discreetly. As a subject, he could only observe how the sovereign treated a prince from the imperial clan.

The presence of the feudal lords did not evoke a sense of grandeur; instead, it gave the Xuan Room a more "bandit-like" feel.

On the throne.

Looking at these uncles and brothers who were ready to fight if he dared to lay a hand on them, Liu Ju thought to himself, "If it weren't for the need to capture the Xiongnu, I would never have allowed them to live until now. I have dozens of ways to kill these 'kings' without damaging my holy reputation in the slightest."

Dozens of methods!
Therefore, in Liu Ju's eyes, there was no anger at being provoked, only indifference as one looks at a dead man.

Uninvited guests are considered unwelcome.

When friends come, we welcome them with fine wine; when wolves come, we prepare a butcher's knife.

Rising from his throne, Liu Ju descended the steps and walked toward his relatives.

The King of Chu could no longer hold back, bowed low, and loudly congratulated the victory, saying, "Great joy to Your Majesty! Great joy to the Han Dynasty!"

The veteran vassal kings, including the King of Chengyang and the King of Zichuan, immediately bowed and congratulated the victory, saying, "Great joy to Your Majesty! Great joy to the Han Dynasty!"

Liu Duan, Liu Pengzu, Liu Ji, and Liu Shun were somewhat hesitant, but ultimately they couldn't bring themselves to back down. All eight of them stared at Liu Ju, who was approaching, without flinching.

"Nephew, you are better than His Majesty."

Liu Duan praised them, then changed the subject, saying, "In this great victory, the vassal kingdoms and the crown prince all participated. Nephew, you were just rewarding those who contributed, weren't you? You can't be too generous to those outsiders and neglect us, your relatives."

To prevent Emperor Wu of Han from forming alliances with the vassal kings during his southern tour, the soldiers of the vassal kings' garrisons and the crown princes were all transferred to accompany Lu Bode on his southern campaign. They would not receive any credit, but they would have to ask for rewards.

Liu Ju looked at the princes whose eyes lit up at the mention of rewards and chuckled, "How does Your Majesty wish to reward the princes and crown princes?"

Officials of both dynasties turned pale upon hearing this.

The power to bestow rewards and honors should not be entrusted to others. The power to bestow rewards is the power of the state; how can it be left to the feudal lords to decide?

Liu Duan never imagined he would one day be acting as emperor. In an instant, his mind raced. "Since Prince Zhao Yingqi of Nanyue can be granted the title of Marquis of Eight Thousand Households, my royal prince has made unparalleled contributions. At the very least, he deserves to be a king, right?"

"In Lubot's army, there are fourteen crown princes. If they were all made kings, there would be no land left in the country to grant them. Where does the Imperial Uncle think they should be enfeoffed?"

"Nephew, what are your plans for the lands of Nanyue and the southwestern Yi?"

“Nine prefectures in the south and five prefectures in the southwest.”

“That’s perfect, one king per prefecture,” Liu Duan said without hesitation.

The ministers, marquises, and members of the imperial family of the two dynasties could hardly contain their smiles when they thought of the emperor's decree requiring all the people of Nanyue and the southwestern Yi to submit to the emperor.

Is this meant to send the princes and crown princes to a desolate place to see a giant tiger or a ferocious beast baring its teeth?

"A word is settled!"

(End of this chapter)