Chapter 36 Chapter Thirty-Six The Emperor Ill

——The problem of the prince and the crusade against Lu Wan.After the triumphant return to Chang'an, these are two things that must be resolved immediately.The current situation is different from the past. Due to the limited time, it must be resolved as soon as possible. According to the report, Yan Wang Lu Wan colluded with Chen Xi, but the truth of this matter is still unclear.Although Lu Wan was ordered to come to the capital for questioning, Lu Wan claimed that she was not sick.Because of the precedents of Han Xin and Peng Yue, he did not dare to come rashly. In fact, Yan Wang Lu Wan and Chen Xi did have contact.However, this is not for rebellion, but for self-preservation.It is only natural that he pursues the strategy of protecting himself.Han Xin, Peng Yue, Ying Bu and other kings outside the royal family have been eliminated successively.The only ones left are Changsha King Wu Chen and Yan King Lu Wan.The king of Changsha was able to keep his throne by murdering his sister-in-law Yingbu.

Yan Wang Lu Wan was already in a state of extreme fear.His throne was safe and peaceful because the central army was busy fighting against the rebel Chen Xi and was unable to attack Yan for a while.Therefore, King Yan of course hoped that Chen Xi would be powerful, and the longer the crusade should be delayed, the better.Therefore, Lu Wan's crusade was only hypocritical and submissive.Not only that, he also sent his retainer Zhang Sheng to the Huns to try to get the Huns to assist Chen Xi. In the crusade, he was merciful, and he also mediated the third force to give aid to the enemy. Lu Wan, who had such behaviors, was accused of "rebellion", and it was really difficult to defend herself.

Since Lu Wan didn't show up, Liu Bang sent the emissary to Yan to examine him.The task of the envoy is to urge Lu Wan to go to Beijing, and also to investigate the affairs around Lu Wan in Yandi.Lu Wan still refused to go to Beijing because of illness. Examining the results of his investigation in Yandi, he found a lot of suspicious things.One of them is that Lu Wan not only colluded with Chen Xi, but also seemed to have contact with the Huns.He then returned to Chang'an to report—— King Yan did show signs of rebellion. At the same time, a Hun captive made the following confession——

Zhang Sheng, who went into exile to the Huns, was actually the secret envoy of King Yan. Lu Wan rebelled, so far the evidence is conclusive. Liu Bang then ordered Fan Kuai to attack Lu Wan.Lu Wan's throne was of course deprived, and the newly crowned King Yan was Liu Bang's son Jian. "Defend directly to His Majesty, and you will definitely get forgiveness. The situation has evolved to such an extent that it is entirely because people around His Majesty are jealous of me... If you find an opportunity to apologize to Your Majesty in person, Your Majesty will definitely forgive me..." Lu Wan said Tell your retainers, and firmly believe in it.The one who is most jealous of herself is Empress Lu.Communicate face-to-face with the emperor while Empress Lu is not present, so that the emperor's doubts will be cleared.He and the emperor were childhood friends, and their fathers were also close friends.What's more, Liu Bang and Lu Wan were born on the same day in the same year.

——This pair of children is destined to be good friends for life, because they were born on the same day. Therefore, the villagers once gave mutton and wine to the families of both parties. Liu Bang in the age of rogues used to hide for a period of time because of crimes. At that time, although his best friend Lu Wan had not committed any crimes, she was worried that Liu Bang would be lonely, so she accompanied him from beginning to end.Therefore, Lu Wan is confident that Liu Bang will forgive him as long as he has the opportunity to talk alone.Lu Wan was not called to Beijing because she heard that Liu Bang was lying on the sickbed, so she thought that she would have no chance to talk to Liu Bang alone.

"I have to wait patiently until the emperor recovers..." Lu Wan then led his family, retainers and thousands of cavalry to retreat to the Great Wall.Fan Kuai, the commander of the Crusade Army, compared his heart to his heart and understood Lu Wan's intentions. He deliberately marched in the opposite direction of the Great Wall, and called this operation "searching for the enemy".Lu Wan and Fan Kui were born in Feng County and Pei County respectively, and they were also childhood friends. During the "Hongmen Banquet", Fan Kuai once protected Liu Bang with his body.As the captain of the imperial guards, he gained the absolute trust of Liu Bang, and Fan Kuai's wife, Lu Xu, was Queen Lu's younger sister. Of course, the emperor and queen trusted him 100%.Therefore, even if the crusade is delayed a little, there is absolutely no danger of being impeached-he has full confidence in this.

But Liu Bang is lying on the sickbed at the moment, and the situation is not the same as usual.After falling ill, Liu Bang was only worried about his beloved Madam Qi and her son Ruyi.Next to Liu Bang's sick bed, there were eunuchs sent by Mrs. Qi to plan secretly. They kept suggesting that Liu Bang abolish the crown prince as soon as possible. Because of his simplicity, Fan Kui never doubted that his own safety would be a problem.But in the eyes of Mrs. Qi's faction, he who married Empress Lu's sister was the enemy.People in Madam Qi's faction are more afraid of Fan Kuai than anyone else, and have long regarded him as a thorn in their side that must be removed.

"Your Majesty, don't you think Prince Ruyi is cute? And Mrs. Qi..." The eunuch who waited on the sick bed often whispered to Liu Bang like this. "Of course I love him. Ruyi is the person I love the most in the world... I will definitely find a chance to make him the crown prince..." Liu Bang replied. "But Prince Ruyi's situation is very dangerous!" "Who said that?" "As long as His Majesty's dragon body is healthy and healthy, of course he will be fine..." "You mean after my death..." "Empress Lu regards Madam Qi and Prince Ruyi like thorns on her back!"

"What else can a woman do! After Ruyi is formally established as the crown prince, all the officials will naturally support him, so there is no need to worry about this." "Really? Empress Lu's brother-in-law, General Fan Kuai, is leading an army of 200,000 troops on the northern journey. If General Fan raises a rebellious intention, it will be a breeze to kill Madam Qi and Prince Ruyi's family with this army... As long as Lu Then issue the order..." "Oh……" Liu Bang had to think about it.Empress Lu is a woman who dares to issue such orders decisively.Didn't Peng Yue, whom Liu Bang was going to let go in the past, die because of her persistence?

"According to the message from the businessman from Yandi, General Fan had no intention of conquering Lu Wan, but pushed the army in the opposite direction so that the soldiers could rest!" the eunuch lowered his voice, biting Liu Bang's ear. Liu Bang got up immediately and ordered: "Call Chen Ping and Zhou Bo!" After the two arrived, Liu Bang, whose eyes were bloodshot, panted, and said, "You two go to Yandi immediately. Zhou Bo will command the crusade army on behalf of Fan Kui, while Chen Ping will arrest Fan Kui and ask him to be executed in the army. The matter cannot be delayed. The stagecoach is in the form of exchanging stages for horses, hurry up!"

"Obey! I'll leave now!" After the two exited, they looked at each other and shook their heads. "The appearance of the emperor is really different from usual..." Chen Ping said. "Yes, the emperor is physically and mentally exhausted due to illness... In this case, should we accept all the orders just now?" "This is indeed a problem... After beheading Fan Kuai, it is very possible that the emperor will regret it in the future." "Brother-in-law is beheaded, will Empress Lu remain silent?...At this time, we must not act recklessly." "However, the imperial order is an imperial order after all... No matter what, we should arrest Fan Kui first and send him to Chang'an. If the emperor has regrets at that time, he will naturally release Fan Kui. Anyway, let the emperor punish Fan Kui himself. " "Maybe that's the best way?" After the two agreed, they set off for Yandi. The highest official position in the central government is "Xiangguo", and Xiao He is in this position at this time.On top of this, there is a "Taifu" who has nothing to do with the government system.The Taifu is the teacher of the emperor, that is, the person who gives opinions on the world's major affairs.When appointing a Tai Tuo, people who are more tough and picky about things are generally selected.The Grand Tutor at that time was Shusun Tong.Shusun Tong desperately opposed the abolition of the crown prince. "Understood, I will not abolish the prince." Regarding the abolition of the crown prince, Liu Bang said this sentence on the surface, and used it to perfunctorily quote ancient and modern examples, emphasizing that this must not be the case, and his stubborn temper.However, Liu Bang still had the idea of ​​abolishing the prince Ying and changing Li Ruyi in his heart, and planned to wait for the opportunity to act. Liu Bang, who likes banquets, often invites his ministers to hold banquets when he is ill.One day, during a banquet, Prince Ying came with four old men. These four people are all in their eighties, and their hair, eyebrows, and beards are all white.They are well-dressed and their character is unparalleled. "Four old gentlemen, please report your names." Liu Bang said. "Old Yu's name is Dongyuan Gong." "People call me Mr. Kakuri." "The people are named Qiliji." "My name is Xia Huanggong." Liu Bang was taken aback when he heard the names of the four old men.Aren't these four people the same as the four sages who wanted to be hired but couldn't get it in the past, and who were famous all over the world! "I want to invite you all, but I have been searching for a long time, but I have not been able to achieve my goal. Why are you following the prince now?" "The four of us look forward to being able to serve as a benevolent, filial and respectful Mingjun." Dong Yuangong replied. "You mean, I don't deserve you to follow me?" Liu Bang asked. "Your Majesty, please ask yourself this question. Has Your Majesty ever despised scholar-bureaucrats? Has His Majesty ever acted like this when he yelled at someone who made a mistake due to a momentary oversight?" Mr. Jiaoli asked. Liu Bang was silent.He knew he was often like this. "We don't want to be insulted after we reach this age, so we hid when we heard the emperor's invitation to hire." Qi Liji said, stroking his beard. "But..." Xia Huanggong continued, "It is said that Prince Ying is a noble character and has a deep love for his followers. The people of the world are not willing to sacrifice themselves for him, so the four of us have the feeling that 'this is the wise king worthy of serving' Consensus, so come out from the hermitage to follow the prince." After Liu Bang stared at the four of them for a while, he bowed and said, "I hope you four will always assist the prince and enlighten him well." At this moment, Liu Bang decided to cancel the matter of abolishing the crown prince.After the four old men withdrew, Liu Bang called Mrs. Qi and said to her: "I originally wanted to follow your wishes and make Ruyi the crown prince, but now that Ying has those four sages by his side, it can be said that he has already grown feathers, so I also There's nothing you can do. You'd better give up your heart!" Madam Qi cried on the spot. "Don't cry anymore, I hope you will get up and dance a Chu dance for me. Come, let me sing a Chu song for you!" Liu Bang then sang the following song: The swan flies high and flies a thousand miles in one fell swoop. Yuhe is already there, across the world. Across the world, what can I do! Although there is a quilt, how can it be safe ("矰pay" is an arrow with a string)! The general idea is: Prince Ying can soar in the sky, and he can't shoot it with any strong crossbow.This is a helpless thing.Liu Bang sang it several times, but Mrs. Qi had no interest in dancing, sobbing all the time. After that, Liu Bang's condition deteriorated rapidly.Although the famous doctors invited by Empress Lu frequently used the words "The emperor's illness will be cured", Liu Bang, who was lying on the hospital bed, shook his head weakly and said, "My life is under the control of God. Fate. No matter how great a famous doctor is, there is nothing he can do before fate. It is fate for a person of humble origin to win the world with a three-foot sword, and similarly, death due to illness is also fate. You don’t need to treat me anymore.” Liu Bang gave the doctor fifty catties of gold and asked him to go back. Seeing Empress Lu weeping, Liu Bang laughed and said, "What makes you sad? After I die, I have Ying as the successor, and doesn't Ying also have Xiao He, who can rely on her as an assistant?" "However, Xiao Xiangguo is old. If Xiao Xiangguo dies, what should we do?" "Cao Shen can take over for him!" Both Xiao He and Cao Can were born in Pei County. "Cao Shen is not young either. Once he is not around, what should we do?" Queen Lu asked. "You can use Wang Ling. Although this person is a bit stupid, there should be no problem if he has a good helper. Chen Ping is the most ideal helper. Chen Ping's intelligence is indeed outstanding, but he alone cannot provoke this big task. Zhou Bo He is a rude soldier, but if he is appointed Taiwei (Minister of Defense), Liu's world will be safe." "What about people like Wang Ling, Chen Ping, and Zhou Bo?" When Lu asked again, Liu Bang showed a bored expression, closed his eyes and replied, "You can probably ignore the things at that time, right?" By that time, you, an old woman, should have already raised your hair. How long do you want to live, a greedy woman? If it wasn't on the sick bed, Liu Bang would probably answer like this, right?