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

Chapter 309 Deceiving the Saint
Liu Che couldn't sleep.

Following the example of the virtuous scholar, I stretched my long arms upwards, took a deep breath, hugged myself in a circle, brought my arms back to my chest, and then exhaled the breath in a long exhale. Finally, I felt a little more refreshed.

"I want to go out for a walk."

"Now?"

Chun Tuo was startled.

Recently, His Majesty's health has been declining. It is already night, and the spring chill is still in the air. If he were to fall ill again, his passing would not be impossible.

"I can't go too far, I can only walk around the area near the Divine Dragon Palace, what's there to worry about?"

Liu Che said with a self-deprecating laugh, but Chun Tuo still shook his head, "That won't do either, Your Majesty, please take care of your health!"

When the servant refused, Liu Che was not angry at all. Instead, he acted like a child and said unhappily, "I want to go."

Chun Tuo felt a pang of sadness. Without answering, she turned away and began to sob.

Liu Che immediately became anxious, "Why are you crying? If others hear this, they'll think I've passed away."

Chun Tuo slowly fell silent, still choking back sobs.

Weiyang Palace and Changle Palace are large, but now, the master and servant seem like "outsiders".

The so-called Dragon Palace is more like a Dragon Prisoner Palace; such a magnificent place is isolated from the world.

Chuntuo knew that the information he was able to obtain was actually what others wanted him to know, and was being passed on to His Majesty through his mouth.

The master and servant are practically inseparable, yet His Majesty still acts willfully and disregards his health. How can he possibly bear it?

"Wear something warmer."

Liu Che softened his tone and added, "Take out the fur robe and cloak from the box again."

Spring Tuo Xi Sheng.

He hurriedly found the fur robe, lifted the shoulders of the cloak, and had Liu Che put his hands into the sleeves. He pulled them out from behind for him, then knelt down in front of him and fastened his belt.

After fastening his belt, Chun Tuo touched Liu Che's hand again, then rushed back, took out a pair of arm warmers, and put them on him.

Finally, a hat was used to cover the dragon's head.

Liu Che had never dressed so bulky before, and he felt somewhat helpless. With Chun Tuo's help, he walked towards the outside of the palace.

The cold wind had not yet subsided, and the azure night sky was filled with stars. The Big Dipper, known as the chariot of the Heavenly Emperor, had already shifted slightly to the west. Except for the indistinct Tian Shu star, the other six stars were shining brightly. The one in the pivot was dim and yellowish, while the rest were all in the four directions of the Dipper.

Although Liu Che did not understand celestial phenomena, perhaps it was true that "phenomena arise from the mind," because he saw the Big Dipper constellation very clearly tonight.

"One star is dim while six stars shine brightly"—isn't this clearly a reflection of the Han Dynasty's power?

That's just too much of a bullying tactic.

Liu Che, oh Liu Che, how did you end up like this?
Thinking back to when he first ascended the throne, how spirited and majestic he was! How did he gradually rise to the position he is today?
The person was in a daze.

"Chuntuo".

"The servant is here."

"What achievements have I made?"

"Your Majesty's divine powers and sanctification, your civil and military achievements will be immortal."

"You're just saying nice things." Liu Che was unusually excited at this moment. "For example?"

"His Majesty, through the 'Decree of Grace,' enfeoffed the princes of the vassal states, gradually weakening their power and completely resolving the hidden danger of vassal separatism that had plagued our dynasty since its founding, thus bringing the central authority to an unprecedented level."

"But it cannot compare to the system of princes and ministers participating in government affairs and the academy of princes and grandsons."

A sigh of admiration.

Chun Tuo remained silent for a long time.

The Crown Prince's methods were truly remarkable. He established the Royal Academy in Chang'an, placing all the imperial clan members under his supervision. Even their marriages and friendships required the court's approval, effectively putting them under house arrest.

If Your Majesty has centralized power to a considerable degree, and the Crown Prince has directly centralized power to its peak, and in order to prevent the abilities of the imperial clan from declining and the descendants from becoming mediocre and incompetent, special people have been dispatched to teach them, including even the princes. In order to stimulate their enthusiasm, two ministers have been specially appointed in the court to participate in the great Han Dynasty.

His Majesty, who only knows how to kill, is far from being a worthy successor to the Han Dynasty and the Liu family's dynasty.

"no yet?"

"Of course. During His Majesty's reign, he waged continuous wars against foreign powers, pacifying the Nanyue in the south and attacking the Xiongnu in the north, ensuring the safety of our Han borders. He made it clear to the barbarians that 'those who offend the mighty Han, though far away, shall be punished,' greatly enhancing the prestige of our dynasty and relieving Emperor Gao's worries about Pingcheng. This is unprecedented."

"But then someone came."

"The two battles in Hexi and Daidi completely defeated the Xiongnu army, forcing them to flee to the northern desert. The battle in Nanyue pushed down the Ten Thousand Mountains. The two battles in the Southwest Yi and Dongyue completely pacified the south, and the nine provinces of China were restored."

Chuntuo didn't respond.

The Crown Prince completely outclasses His Majesty. Since His Majesty knows everything, what else is there to say?

"You, you," Liu Che said gently, "You don't need to deceive me anymore."

Chun Tuo was greatly alarmed and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, this servant absolutely did not..."

Liu Che waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to say more.

Those who deceived the emperor were not only Chun Tuo, nor were they only officials of both the Chinese and foreign dynasties; he himself was one of them.

Many things are actually quite simple in essence.

The conflict between him and the crown prince was a clash of two governing philosophies, and behind it lay the opposition between two power groups: ruthless officials who sought personal gain and lenient elders.

As the Crown Prince said, this conflict and antagonism can only be completely resolved by changing the heir apparent. The father and son going to war is just the climax of this conflict and antagonism, and it is only a matter of time.

He never restrained his ambitions, nor did he ever consider entrusting the historical task of shifting from "changing the system and conquering the barbarians" to "preserving the culture" to the crown prince.

Therefore, the crown prince chose to make the first move.

In his own way, he took over the reins of the Han Dynasty, reorganized the entire empire, and also avoided a bloody conflict between father and son.

The prosperous era of Emperor Xiaowen and Emperor Xiaojing was restored and even quickly surpassed, and the restoration wave seemed to have never occurred before it disintegrated.

Liu Che had no regrets, and he remained so until his death.

However, things have come to this point, and many insistences have lost their meaning. Abdication is not something that cannot be done.

But it cannot be done casually.

"Chun Tuo, tell the Crown Prince that as long as he is willing to give me a fair evaluation before and after my death, I am willing to accept the following: the reforms of the central government, the implementation of the recommendation system, the reduction of kingdoms, the reform of the military system, the establishment of governors, and other political reforms; the reforms of the economic system, such as the unification of currency and the monopoly of salt and iron; the successful military system of my campaigns against the four barbarians in the early years of Jianyuan, Yuanguang, Yuanshuo, and Yuanshou; and... my use of generals such as Wei Qing, Huo Qubing, and Cheng Bushi, the training of elite troops in the northern and southern armies, and the preliminary military contributions in the wars against Hexi, Dai, Nanyue, the southwestern barbarians, and Dongyue during the Yuanshou era. I acknowledge that the Han dynasty was in its infancy, and with the four barbarians invading China, if I do not change the system, future generations will have no way to govern; if I do not wage war, the world will be in turmoil. For this, I have to exhaust the people and waste resources. I am willing to hand over the throne of the Han emperor to him." Liu Che said, looking up at the sky with his hands behind his back.

(End of this chapter)