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

Chapter 92 Supporting the Dragon
Chang'an changed hands, and a star fell as if by imperial decree.

Upon hearing the news, Liu Che could no longer hold on and collapsed onto his bed, drenched in sweat.

The affairs of the state were in such a state that they could not be concealed. No matter how tactful Dong Zhongshu was in his words, he could not avoid the fact that his schemes had failed miserably and all his efforts had been in vain.

Chun Tuo placed an ice towel on Liu Che's head, which eased the heat in his heart somewhat. His brows were still furrowed, and he spoke, still with a ghostly gait, "Dong Zhongshu."

"The minister is here."

"Tell me the truth: when did you begin working for the Crown Prince? I'm in this state now, so you can speak the truth."

This was obviously sarcastic, and Wuqiu Shouwang couldn't help but secretly give Dong Zhongshu a wink.

Having lost his former brilliance, Dong Zhongshu had now developed a gentle demeanor and a calm, collected air. Even though Liu Che had his eyes closed, he still bowed slightly and replied in a warm tone, "Your Majesty's sincerity is as clear as day. If Your Majesty does not believe me, you may execute me before the palace or send me to Chang'an. The Emperor will surely condemn me to eternal damnation, and both will prove my loyalty!"

Liu Che's eyes snapped open. "Do you really think I won't kill you? Or do you intend to 'assassinate' me with your own death?"

During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, some assassins became widely known. The most famous of them all was Jing Ke, who assassinated the King of Qin. Other notable assassins included Zhuan Zhu, Nie Zheng, and Yao Li. Among these assassins, Yao Li's plan to commit suicide was the most terrifying.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, after Helü killed King Liao of Wu, King Liao's son Qing Ji fled to the State of Wei. Fearing Qing Ji's revenge, Helü sent Yao Li to assassinate Qing Ji. In order to gain Qing Ji's trust, Yao Li used a self-inflicted injury ruse, cutting off his right arm so that Helü would kill his wife and children, and then went to join Qing Ji.

Qing Ji trusted Yao Li and entrusted him with important responsibilities. Later, Yao Li took advantage of Qing Ji's unpreparedness and assassinated him.

However, to suffer the pain of self-inflicted injury to one's wife and children is unkind, and to kill someone on the trust of Qing Ji is unjust. Such an unkind and unjust person ultimately committed suicide.

Under such a suspicious monarch, even death would be suspected of having ulterior motives.

Dong Zhongshu remained silent.

"That's all."

After a long pause, Liu Che finally said, "Since I am going on an inspection tour, where should I go? Luoyang?"

Another test.

Luoyang has the military arsenal of Ao Cang and the grain depot of Di Quan Taicang, and it is also a strategic location. If the Crown Prince were to make the eastern tour, and he could lead His Majesty to Hangu Pass, then the Emperor would be considered blind and incompetent.

It should be noted that in the fifth year of Emperor Gaozu's reign, Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang established the Han Dynasty, with Luoyang as its initial capital before moving it to Chang'an. Going there would not be an official tour; it would be a move aimed at splitting the Han Dynasty.

For twenty years since Your Majesty ascended the throne, the thing you have done most has been to expand the territory. It is absolutely impossible for you to accept a rival, as that would be a betrayal of yourself.

Dong Zhongshu knew perfectly well that if he dared to answer "yes" next, he would be doomed. So he carefully chose his words and said, "Your Majesty, we are now in a prosperous age. We should follow the example of the First Emperor, give thanks to the gods of the mountains and rivers, and show off our military prowess and virtue. The land of Luoyang is not worth taking. I have heard that the Tang Dynasty has the spirit of Emperor Shun. It is appropriate for him to make a southern tour."

Liu Che's expression softened somewhat. "Tell me," he said, "how should the southern tour proceed?"

"First, we went to the prosperous Tang Dynasty to offer sacrifices to Emperor Shun from afar. We climbed Mount Tianzhu in Qian, sailed down the river from Xunyang, and sailed for a thousand miles. We passed through Zongyang, went north to Langya, and went east to the sea. Along the way, we paid homage to the famous mountains and rivers, praying for the forgiveness of Heaven and Earth and for good fortune, so as to restore the emperor's reputation." Dong Zhongshu replied in this way.

The failure of the Yongwu Temple sacrifice and the auspicious omens from heaven has left His Majesty with the blood of the imperial relatives still ingrained in his imperial lineage. The Emperor still has a reason to refuse to return power. He has also realized that the whole system of using sacrifices and auspicious omens to support the emperor in the capital region and Chang'an is simply not going to work, with Prime Minister Gongsun Hong watching over it. So he has to find another place where it will work.

The southern tour is quite long. Allowing His Majesty to offer sacrifices at every mountain and river he encounters will be a good opportunity to show the world His Majesty's repentance. And if auspicious omens are found along the way, it means that Heaven and Earth have forgiven him. When he returns to Chang'an, what reason will the Emperor have to refuse to return power?
This time, there's no fear of the Supreme Ruler stealing the fruits of our labor, since not every mountain and river deity has a sacrificial site near the capital, and there's no need to worry about auspicious omens overlapping again. The nobility of China lies in its vast territory and abundant resources; hence, "where there is vast land, there are auspicious creatures such as Changxiang, Buting, Qimu, Qundi, Tianzhai, and Buzhou; where there are vast mountains, there are tigers, leopards, bears, and maggots; where there are vast waters, there are jiao, dragons, turtles, alligators, snakes, and tuna."

Dong Zhongshu did not believe that the emperor could find all auspicious omens. Even if he could find them, it was impossible for them all to appear in the world; that would be too unbelievable.

If scheming and trickery can't subdue the Supreme Ruler, then let's return to the Great Dao and support the Dragon!

Liu Che removed the frost towel from his forehead and tossed it aside. "Besides going on an inspection tour, is there any other way to return to Chang'an?"

Touring sounds comfortable, but it's really not a comfortable thing. Although the Qin and Han dynasties had straight roads and imperial highways all over the country and the roads were not too bumpy, it was still hard to travel by carriage all the time. In addition, Dong Zhongshu made all sorts of arrangements on the road. Just hearing about it makes one feel exhausted. As the emperor of the Han Dynasty, did he have to be reduced to this?
However, Liu Che had previously considered making tours, just like Qin Shi Huang a hundred years earlier, to travel and inspect the world he possessed, to show off his military prowess and virtue to the gods of heaven and earth and his ancestors, and "incidentally" seek immortality.

But wanting to go and being forced to go are two completely different feelings. If there was still a chance of victory in the capital region, even if it was very small, Liu Che would not want to leave.

Dong Zhongshu stared blankly at Liu Che, but did not reply.

With the political situation in such a state, how could we possibly win?

Before, when Chang'an was still there, and the Southern Army was still there, we didn't have much confidence, but we had some. Now?
Stop it.

Liu Che closed his eyes again.

Dong Zhongshu and Wuqiu Shouwang waited there quietly, and the hall suddenly fell silent.

“My son is just like me.”

Liu Che suddenly sighed, and everyone in the hall almost couldn't hold back. This... at the age of the Emperor, you were still coaxing Empress Chen to depose the Empress. If Your Majesty really had the methods and abilities of the Emperor, why did Emperor Xiaojing have to endure for ten years until he died?

If it's acceptable to say that the emperor resembles Emperor Gaozu or Emperor Xiaowen, but what about resembling his father?
It's rare to see His Majesty still able to make a joke even in this situation.

Liu Che knew that going on tour was the best plan. Dong Zhongshu and Wuqiu Shouwang had done their best, but he was still uneasy. "So be it. After the tour, Heaven should allow me to return power to the court and live a long life."

Dong Zhongshu immediately knelt down, and Wuqiu Shouwang, Chuntuo and others also quickly followed suit.

"Benevolent Lord Tianshou!"

"Your Majesty, please take care of your health, so as to comfort the hearts of all the people!"

The crowd chanted the holy teachings in unison.

Liu Che ignored them and instead stood up from his dragon bed. Chun Tuo hurriedly got up and tried to help him, but Liu Che waved his hand away, saying, "I'm fine!"

Chun Tuo quietly stood close to him, while Dong Zhongshu and Wuqiu Shouwang also got up and nervously watched the emperor, ready to support him at any moment.

Liu Che did not fall. With his eyes closed, he murmured in a bizarre manner, "I will uphold the Han Dynasty for another thirty years!"

(End of this chapter)