A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

In the twenty-third year of Emperor Wen of Han, Empress Dou Yifang asked the emperor to issue an edict to allow the Prince of Liang to return to the capital and stay there for a few years to ease his longing for his son, on the grounds that a prince of a vassal state should not stay in the capital for an extended period of time after reaching adulthood. The emperor refused on the grounds that a prince of a vassal state should not stay in the capital for an extended period of time.

On his birthday, the Crown Prince presented 99 statues of his mother in different poses, carved from Lantian jade. The jade blanks alone were priceless, made from the finest Lantian jade. The Empress merely glanced at them and said:

"Your Highness is very kind. The Han Dynasty is currently recuperating and should not be so extravagant. As the Crown Prince, you should set an example."

The King of Liang then sent over a jade hairpin, which was crystal clear and without any impurities. Although it was not as precious as the 99 pieces of Lantian jade, it was still a rare treasure in the world.

When the Empress received the jade hairpin from the Prince of Liang, she couldn't wait to put it on her head and kept asking the people around her if it looked good, completely forgetting about the simplicity she had just mentioned.

After being flattered by everyone, she sighed, "King Liang is a filial son, but it's a pity we can't meet."

The Empress was overjoyed when she looked up and saw the lifelike jade statue that the Crown Prince had given her.

"Someone, send all 99 statues to King Liang to ease his longing."

"Send another thousand catties of gold, a thousand bolts of Shu brocade, and a million copper coins to the King of Liang."

She then summoned the King of Liang's messenger and asked him all sorts of questions. When she heard that the King of Liang was so heartbroken because he missed her so much, she was filled with anguish.

This scene chilled the Crown Prince to the bone. He was also the Empress's own son, and he paid his respects to her every day, yet the Empress clearly favored her youngest son.

This is extreme favoritism!

Even last time, he was asked to write a letter to the Prince of Liang, asking him to return to the capital, saying that he was lonely in the palace and wanted his son to keep him company.

Isn't he the Empress's son?!

From childhood to adulthood, all the good things in Empress Dou Yifang's house belonged to Liu Wu.

The priceless treasures he painstakingly found for Dou Yifang were not as valuable as a hairpin given to him by Liu Wu.

What's even more infuriating is that, in order to commend Liu Wu's hairpin, Dou Yifang bestowed the birthday gift from Liu Qi upon the King of Liang in front of many ministers.

The Crown Prince's effort in preparing gifts was seen as extravagant, while the Prince of Liang's act of presenting a precious jade was considered commendable filial piety. This double standard thoroughly disheartened the Crown Prince.

The Empress Dowager did not consider at all how much trouble her behavior would bring to the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince could imagine that tomorrow he would become the laughing stock of the entire city of Chang'an.

Even his political standing will be shaken.

Didn't the Empress consider this?

Time passed slowly, and under the coordination of the King of Wu, the various feudal lords were secretly plotting their moves.

In the thirty-first year of Emperor Wen of Han's reign, Emperor Wen, Liu Heng, fell seriously ill, his entire body oozing pus, and he suffered greatly.

Deng Tong, a favorite minister of Emperor Wen of Han, would suck the pus from the wound with his mouth to relieve the emperor's discomfort.

Liu Heng was greatly impressed, "When it comes to loyalty and filial piety, no one can compare to you."

Seeing that Emperor Wen of Han was getting old and the Crown Prince was about to succeed to the throne, Deng Tong wanted to curry favor with the Crown Prince, so he flattered him, saying, "In terms of loyalty and filial piety, of course the Crown Prince is the most loyal and filial to Your Majesty."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Wen merely smiled and said nothing, secretly keeping the matter in mind.

Empress Dou Yifang, under the pretext that the emperor was seriously ill and the Prince of Liang wanted to show his filial piety, allowed the Prince of Liang to enter the capital. The princes praised the Prince of Liang for his benevolence and filial piety, putting Emperor Wen of Han in a difficult position, and he had no choice but to allow the Prince of Liang to enter the capital.

One day, when the Crown Prince and the Prince of Liang came to visit Emperor Wen of Han, the emperor's boils flared up and he was in excruciating pain.

Emperor Wen of Han remembered Deng Tong's words from before, so he pointed to the abscess and said, "When Father Emperor was ill before, Deng Tong would suck the abscess out of my body with his mouth. Now that Deng Tong is not here, Crown Prince, Prince of Liang, which of you will suck the abscess out?"

The crown prince looked troubled. When he was born, Liu Heng was already the emperor. In order to stabilize the court, Liu Heng made Liu Qi the crown prince as soon as he ascended the throne.

Having lived a life of luxury, when have I ever suffered such injustice?

Needless to say, the Prince of Liang, Liu Qi, as the crown prince, was subjected to extremely strict demands from both the court officials and the emperor. He had never experienced great hardship, but he had never stopped suffering minor hardships.

He was different. Since he didn't have to be the crown prince, no one cared about him. If anyone tried to discipline him, he would cry and the empress would severely reprimand them. Over time, no one in the entire capital dared to give him a hard time.

They had never experienced any hardship.

Not to mention the hardships, he often dined at the Empress's residence. Once, because the food did not suit his taste, the Empress directly ordered someone to execute the imperial chef.

In those years, all the imperial chefs were skilled at cooking the dishes he liked.

To make him suck the pus? Impossible, absolutely impossible!

Both men harbored resentment towards Deng Tong. If Deng Tong hadn't been so eager to show off, how could they have been asked by Emperor Wen of Han to do such things?

Looking at the yellowish-brown pustules, Liu Qi reluctantly climbed up to help Liu Heng suck them.

If the King of Liang weren't here, he wouldn't have to put himself through this. But now the King of Liang is right beside him. Although he doesn't think the King of Liang would do such a thing, what if he does?

Emperor Wen of Han has now been emperor for thirty-one years and his time is drawing near. He does not want to ruin his career because of this. The Prince of Liang already has the support of the Empress. If he moves Emperor Wen of Han by sucking the pus from the sore, then his position as crown prince will be in jeopardy.

Besides Deng Tong, Liu Qi also harbored even greater resentment towards Liu Wu.

Seeing the Crown Prince bending down to suck the pus from his sores, while the King of Liang remained motionless, Liu Heng thought to himself that his choice was indeed correct; the Crown Prince was more benevolent and filial than the King of Liang.

His health is deteriorating day by day, and keeping the Prince of Liang in the capital is not a good thing for the Crown Prince.

Thus, the Prince of Liang, who had only been in the capital for a few days, was once again driven out of the capital.

Empress Dou often complained to Emperor Wen of Han about this, and later repeatedly suggested that the Prince of Liang be allowed to enter the capital, which resulted in a severe reprimand from Emperor Wen.

In the thirty-third year of Emperor Wen of Han's reign, Liu Heng's boils became infected repeatedly, and he suffered from persistent high fever, accompanied by various complications.

He realized that his days were numbered.

Before his death, Liu Heng summoned the Crown Prince, the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers to his bedside.

"After my death, the Crown Prince will succeed to the throne."

"Prime Minister, you have served as prime minister for many years. I beg you to assist Qi'er as you have assisted me."

Liu Heng invited Wei Ping, who was over seventy years old, to come forward and pleaded with him.

"Your Majesty, I will serve the Han Dynasty with all my heart and soul until my dying breath."

Wei Ping said tremblingly.

"Since the Battle of Baideng, Marquis Yan has accumulated military merits in rescuing the emperor, destroying a country, and serving the king. Emperor Taizu Gao has repeatedly wanted to invite Marquis Yan to be king. In order to prevent there being no one left to bestow a title upon, he deliberately suppressed your kingship. Please do not hold a grudge, Marquis Yan."

Liu Heng's voice was very soft, but it sounded very heavy to everyone.

Everyone looked as if they wanted to puncture their eardrums, heads bowed, eyes downcast, as if there were some rare treasure on the ground.

"After my passing, the Crown Prince may bestow upon the Marquis of Yan the title of King of Yan, in recognition of the King of Yan's contributions to the court and the Han Dynasty."

"Your Majesty, you must not! We swore an oath with Emperor Gaozu that we would not be enfeoffed without merit, nor would we be kings without being of the Liu family."

"This oath is etched in my heart; I must never be one to break my word!"