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

Chapter 210 The Supreme Emperor

Nanyang Prefecture, Wolonggang.

Officials from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs arrived one after another.

Unbeknownst to him, Emperor Liu Che of the Han Dynasty was in tears, repeatedly muttering the same sentence, "Hong'er was murdered."

Dong Zhongshu and Wuqiu Shouwang, who were standing nearby, were speechless.

The medical record clearly states that His Highness Prince Qi died of shock and illness.

But to say that it was killed by someone else is also true; the struggle between His Majesty and the Supreme Ruler frightened the innocent "little deer" to death.

Clearly, that's not what His Majesty meant.

With a new prince born and the old Prince Qi dying suddenly, the already suspicious emperor, intentionally or unintentionally downplayed his role as one of the "murderers" in his second son's death. Therefore, there is only one real culprit: His Highness the Crown Prince of the Great Han Dynasty.

In His Majesty's mind, it was the Emperor who, upon seeing the birth of the new dragon prince and hearing the rumor that "the crown prince will not live long, you should strive to help him," ruthlessly killed King Qi Shang.

The medical records state that the physicians who treated the King of Qi and the eunuchs who served him medicine were all regarded by His Majesty as the Crown Prince's people.

Of all the concubines His Majesty has had over the decades, his feelings for Lady Wang are the deepest and most sincere, unlike those for the deposed Empress Chen and Empress Wei.

Empress Chen was too arrogant, and Empress Wei was too proper; neither was a suitable wife in His Majesty's eyes.

Only Lady Wang, with her exquisite beauty, received the Emperor's "exclusive favor."

Because of the saying "love me, love my dog," when the Marquis of Champion led the petition to be enfeoffed as a king, His Majesty rejected Lady Wang's suggestion to have her son enfeoffed in Luoyang, but immediately granted Liu Hong the wealthy land of Qi, while using himself as an example to show that "the world is not yet settled."

The subsequent developments in the court were unexpected by everyone, but in order to ensure that Lady Wang recovered as soon as possible, His Majesty did not take Lady Wang and Prince Qi with him on his southern tour.

Unfortunately, none of them could be kept.

When King Qi died, before the funeral procession had ended, Lady Qi also died from excessive grief. The court posthumously honored her as the Queen Dowager of Qi. Both mother and son died young.

His Majesty blamed everything on the Supreme Ruler, claiming that the Supreme Ruler killed his own brother and caused the death of Lady Wang. Dong Zhongshu and his disciple Wuqiu Shouwang could understand this logic, but they could not find a way to resolve it.

How could the emperor be wrong?

Both are correct.

Liu Che felt increasingly humiliated. He had failed to return power to the court, and he had not even been able to protect his beloved concubine and son. After more than 20 years on the throne, the only commendable achievements in military prowess and virtue had been taken by the crown prince.

He overthrew the Ten Thousand Mountains, and the two battles in Hexi and Dai dealt a heavy blow to the Han Hai tribe. The vassal kings withdrew their kingdoms and entered Han. The great unification of foreign wars and domestic affairs was all his!

The crown prince stole his martial prowess and virtue, and even killed his concubines and children... Liu Che made up his mind.

"Dong Zhongshu".

"The minister is here."

"We are looking for a sorcerer to perform a ritual for the lady."

"Yes... Your Majesty, the Emperor has issued an edict banning all alchemists in the land."

Have alchemists disappeared?

"No, as long as people's desires persist, the belief in gods and ghosts cannot be eradicated." "Can you find it?"

"can."

Dong Zhongshu noticed the Emperor's change in demeanor and tentatively asked, "The problem is, His Majesty has decreed that supernatural arts must not be displayed in public..."

"The problem is, the problem is, Your Majesty has issued an edict, but can I issue an edict? I ask you, can I issue an edict? Can I issue an edict?" Liu Che's face gradually turned ferocious.

To maintain the dignity of the imperial authority, for a long period of time, as the Emperor of the Han Dynasty, he did not issue any edicts or decrees that contradicted the Crown Prince or the court.

And what would be the result?
The unfilial crown prince and disloyal courtiers "imprisoned" him in Nanyang County, depriving him of almost all his hobbies, scolding him, and forcing him to study. In this great Han Dynasty, who is the real emperor? Who is the Son of Heaven?

Between him and the crown prince, who is the father? Who is the son?
As the Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty, he was not without oppression. It can be said that at the beginning of his reign, he was bullied in various ways by his grandmother, Empress Dowager Dou, his mother, Empress Dowager Wang, and his maternal relatives, the Dou and Tian families. But this bullying had an end.

Because his grandmother is old and his mother's authority is not strong enough, as long as he waits patiently, there will be a day when he can truly take power. Then, he can take action against the Dou and Tian families.

The Crown Prince is different!
In the absence of illness or disaster, it is rare for a father to outlive his son. The Crown Prince's power grows stronger day by day, as does the influence of the Crown Prince's ministers. In a few more years, the Crown Prince will get married, and the Han Dynasty will have three generations. At that time, even if he does not abdicate or become the Retired Emperor, even if the Crown Prince dies, he will still be alive. Even if the rebellious ministers of the Han Dynasty allow the Crown Prince's grandson to ascend the throne directly, they will not let him regain power.

The Han Dynasty had an Emperor Emeritus from the very beginning of its founding. Did it really need another "Supreme Emperor" of an even higher dimension?
His incompetence and absurdity are so extreme that he is destined to become a laughingstock for all eternity.
As the grandson of Emperor Wen and the son of Emperor Jing, and the successor to the prosperous reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing, Liu Che could not accept these events.

I would rather die than accept this!

If that's the case, why should he follow the rules and regulations and return power to the emperor in an orderly manner? Did the crown prince tell the emperor this when he entered Weiyang Palace?

If the crown prince can do it, why can't he?

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will immediately send someone to find a sorcerer to perform a ritual for Lady Wang," Dong Zhongshu said, barely suppressing his excitement.

finally come!

Your Majesty is going to have a showdown with the Supreme Ruler.

Although Your Majesty is very likely to fail, the strange story of "the emperor rebelling against the crown prince" is enough to destroy the image of the sovereign as a "wise and virtuous ruler" and permanently nail him to the pillar of "filial piety and shame".

Finding alchemists is not difficult. After the emperor issued an edict to eradicate alchemists, most of them fled into the Zhongnan Mountains to avoid disaster. The area is less than a hundred miles from here. As long as the emperor's edict is spread, there will surely be bold alchemists who come.

His Majesty's rebellion has officially begun.

Liu Che's bloodshot eyes stared at Dong Zhongshu, who was trembling with uncontrollable excitement. No matter how much he tried to hide it, Liu Che could tell, but now he didn't care anymore.

"Dong Zhongshu".

"Your subject is here." Dong Zhongshu sensed the emperor's tone and knew that at this moment, there were no secrets between the ruler and his subject, nor did they care about anything else, so he responded.

Today, the Confucian school is gone, the capital is no more, the sage family has perished, the Confucian scholars who have contributed to the nation have become the permanent system of the Han Dynasty, and all Confucian scholars are living like rats in the street, barely surviving. His grand vision of a Confucian empire has also been shattered by the emperor himself. He and the Confucian school have nothing left to lose.

A close alliance was thus established.

"I know you still have ways to overthrow the Crown Prince. Even if there are innocent people involved, you are allowed to use them. I will spare your life. You may do as you please," Liu Che said resolutely.

The scene of the first meeting between the emperor and his minister is still vivid in his mind. Dong Zhongshu, who was able to answer questions with the "Three Strategies of Heaven and Man", had far more means of checking the power of the emperor than that. He did not care about the future and could not worry about so much.

Dong Zhongshu's eyes lit up, and he said in a deep voice, "Before any other plans, I request that Gongsun Hong be killed first!"

(End of this chapter)