Chapter 302
It was late at night, Han Ruzi sat up quietly and listened carefully. He could vaguely hear Zhang Youcai's breathing and the slight snoring of the loach outside. He put on indoor slippers and a coat, quietly pushed open the bedroom door, and stood up. After a while, he crept towards the front door again.
He pushed the door lightly, and was about to use force when a cough suddenly sounded outside. Han Ruzi was startled, then shook his head helplessly. He simply stopped hiding and pushed out the door.
Pengcheng was heavily guarded, and there was a circle of guards standing under the corridor. What Han Ruzi cared about was not them, but a eunuch at the door.
Supervisor Liu Jie bowed and said, "Your Majesty doesn't sleep late at night, is it disturbed by something?"
Liu Jie was very experienced and guessed that the emperor might be going to visit the female bodyguard, so he stayed outside for most of the night.
"Are assassins found in the city?"
"No, at present, Meng E is the only one."
"Meng E is not an assassin." Han Ruzi affirmed.
Liu Jie sighed, "Meng E may not be an assassin, but it's still not right for His Majesty to trust him so much."
"I can't trust her?"
"Your Majesty cannot trust anyone."
"including you?"
"including me."
Han Ruzi knew what Liu Jie was like, so he was not angry, but felt strange, thought about it, and said, "Please come in and speak."
"It's not dawn yet, Your Majesty should rest a lot."
"Since you're awake, it's useless to sleep again." Han Ruzi turned around and went back to the house, Liu Jie hesitated, and followed.
Liu Jie personally supervised the house set up by the eunuchs. He was very familiar with the decoration. He walked to the table a few steps and skillfully lit a candle. The copper candle table was a gift from the Luoyang Houfu, and it was shaped like three ladies holding up their hands. A small disc is lifelike and quite delicate, and the candle is also a gift, which emits a fragrance after being lit.
All these things were in the palace, but the emperor set off in a hurry, and Liu Jie had no time to carry them, so he had to take some from Luoyang.
Zhang Youcai, who was sleeping, was awakened by the candlelight, looked up, and immediately sat up, ready to serve the emperor.
Han Ruzi waved his hand and let Zhang Youcai continue to sleep.
The loach turned over, turned his back to the candlelight, and continued to sleep.
Han Ruzi sat down and motioned for Liu Jie to sit too, but the supervisor of the middle division strictly obeyed the rules and stood to the side respectfully.
"The emperor can't trust anyone, isn't he really lonely?"
"Your Majesty, the emperor doesn't trust anyone, but he doesn't doubt anyone. If you don't believe it, you will be punished if you are guilty, and you will be rewarded. It is clear at a glance, and you will never let outsiders guess."
Han Ruzi pondered for a while, "Does Duke Liu still have a story about Emperor Wu?"
Liu Jie nodded, "Your Majesty has heard about Emperor Wu's execution of the world's heroes in his later years?"
"The world knows it."
"The incident was caused by a Taishan Fengchan. It was a very large-scale Fengchan. After more than half a year of preparation, the local government deliberately rebuilt the mountaineering road. The Guards surrounded Taishan and searched three times to ensure that there were no idlers and beasts on the mountain. Emperor Wu. Walk up the mountain in the morning, resting nine times on the way..."
Recalling the grand occasion, Liu Jie was so excited that he couldn't help but talk for a while before entering the topic, "In the middle of the night, Emperor Wu sent a worship text to the round altar at the top of Mount Tai, and then the entrance should have been blocked. Die, burn with firewood, and lay stones on the periphery. Everything was ready, but an accident happened, maybe it was a coincidence, maybe it was God's will, maybe Emperor Wu's eyesight was too good, and he saw that there was already a copy in the altar funeral oration."
"Ah?" Han Ruzi was taken aback.
"The entrance to the round altar is no more than a foot wide and no more than six or seven inches high. It was midnight and there were only a few torches in the distance. Emperor Wu could actually see a roll of paper inside..." Liu Jie shook his head, "I can't explain this. why."
"What was written in the sacrificial text that was put in first?"
"No one knows, Emperor Wu didn't let anyone see it, but he said a word, 'Does anyone want to seal an altar on the emperor's head?' So I guess that the sacrificial text probably compared the emperor to Mount Tai, and regarded himself as Mount Tai. The round altar on the top of it, I think it is ten feet taller than the emperor."
"What an arrogant guy, is it the work of the local hero?"
"The memorial is obviously not signed, because Emperor Wu took revenge on all the heroes in the world, instead of tracking down one person alone."
Han Ruzi solved a doubt in his heart, and couldn't help but ask, "Have you ever thought about the sacrificial text that was put in first... Was it actually arranged by Emperor Wu?"
Liu Jie smiled, "Your Majesty has begun to disbelieve, but you must learn to be suspicious. If the sacrificial text was arranged by Emperor Wu, you should leave the sacrificial text and hand it over to Yousi, ordering them to investigate thoroughly. But Emperor Wu was so angry that he tore it up on the spot. In the sacrificial text, a large number of eunuchs and suwei were exchanged afterwards, and their backgrounds were investigated one by one. Those who were related to heroic heroes were all executed. Therefore, I would rather believe that there is indeed an extra sacrificial text, which can be discovered by Emperor Wu, which is too coincidental. What a coincidence."
Han Ruzi was silent for a while, "Emperor Wu killed the world's heroes just because of a little suspicion. Duke Liu wants me to do the same?"
Liu Jie bowed deeply, "Emperor Wu often said, in terms of benevolence and righteousness, the emperor is no better than a saint, in terms of eloquence, the emperor is no better than a lobbyist, in terms of force, the emperor is no better than a general, and in terms of cleverness, the emperor is no better than civil servants, and the emperor can stand above the people. One is to rely on the merits of the ancestors, and the other is to rely on the decision. The great affairs of the world depend on the emperor alone, whether he does not believe it, or decides on the spot. It must not be ambiguous and make the world suspect. No matter what the reason, Emperor Wu decides to kill the hero. Don't be soft-hearted. Emperor Wu hopes that he will not only inherit the merits of his ancestors, but also lay a foundation for future generations."
Liu Jie obviously regarded Emperor Wu as a role model for the emperor, and worshipped him extremely. At the end, his voice trembled slightly.
"Wan Shi Jiye." Han Ruzi smiled. He also admired Emperor Wu, but had other ideas about how to be an emperor. "Does Da Chu seem to have Wan Shi Jiye?"
Liu Jie said sternly: "The Great Chu has internal and external troubles, but once His Majesty ascends the throne, he will have soldiers and generals under his command, grain in the warehouse, horses in the stables, the decree is promulgated, and the world responds. , did not cause trouble to Your Majesty. Your Majesty imagines what it would be like if there were more ministers who love to take care of things in the DPRK?”
Han Ruzi didn't say a word. If the ministers in the DPRK dared to think and act, he might be a real emperor from the beginning, or he might become a victim of the struggles of all parties. The most important thing is that no matter who is the emperor, he will be young because of his youth. Become the puppet of the minister.
"Emperor Wu left a sharp weapon, which may have a little rust. Your Majesty only needs to wipe it from time to time, and it will eventually reveal the appearance of the sword of the Son of Heaven, sweeping the world and being invincible."
Han Ruzi's heart was pounding, but his face remained calm, "The foundation of the world... If it is broken, it will be broken... Liu Gong, please step down."
Liu Jie quietly exited the room.
Han Ruzi sat for a while, stretched out his hand to extinguish the candle, the surroundings suddenly became dark, and the loach was snoring constantly, Zhang Youcai was about to get up again, and Han Ruzi said softly, "Go to sleep, I will sit for a while. "
Zhang Youcai was silent.
The sound of the piano came from outside, which was enthusiastic and generous, and it was obviously instructed by Liu Jie.
Han Ruzi could hear a bit of the meaning of the violin, but he was not deeply touched. It was far inferior to the "Empty Music", which was very plain to outsiders.
It didn't take long for Zhang Youcai to get out of bed and wake up the loach, and serve the emperor to dress and wash together.
Han Ruzi called in Liu Jie, "The capital said that four Hun envoys will be sent to the army, you go and ask if they are there. If they have arrived, bring them to see me."
Liu Jie moved quickly. Han Ruzi had just eaten here. He had already brought the Hun envoy and stayed outside until the emperor had finished his meal and summoned him.
Four Hun envoys knelt on the ground, one of them was Jin Chunzhong.
"Jin Chunzhong, I heard that you are going back to the grassland?"
Among the four, only Jin Chunzhong could speak the Central Plains dialect, and replied: "Yes, Your Majesty, most of the envoys have already embarked on their way back, and the four of us were ordered to meet His Majesty."
"Da Chanyu doesn't want peace talks anymore?"
"The order given by Da Chanyu is to wait until the beginning of spring. If Da Chu has no intention of peace talks, the messenger does not have to wait."
"The peace talks have not ended, Jin Chunzhong, I will send an envoy from the Great Chu later, and you will go on the road together, return to the grasslands together, and continue to negotiate."
"Your Majesty, I am a subject of Great Chu, I am willing to stay, but not willing to return to the grassland." Jin Chunzhong had already expressed this intention, and he insisted even more at this time.
"After the peace talks are successful, you have your own choices, and now is not the time. You will all set off before noon, so hurry up and don't delay."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Jin Chunzhong could only kowtow to thank him.
In the early days, the general Cui Hong expressed his common view with the generals: the former guard Meng E was very suspicious. Even if he was not an assassin, he wanted to divert the Chu army away and reduce the pressure on the rebels, but the Huns had to guard against it. Therefore, he suggested to start the war against the rebels in advance, from ten days to seven days. Once the city of Linzi was conquered, half of the troops should be sent north, and the remaining soldiers would sweep the battlefield.
This is a very sound plan.
Han Ruzi agreed, and then he said: "The Huns will be a big problem in the end, but it is better to start the war later than earlier. I want to send an envoy to negotiate with Da Chanyu to stabilize the situation. Who would you like to go?"
No one said a word, although this was the time to show loyalty and please the emperor, but life was more important. Everyone understood that this was not a real peace talk, it was just used to deceive the Huns. In the future, when the Great Chu sent troops, the first envoy would be killed. landing.
Han Ruzi waited for a while, and said to Liu Zeqin, the servant of the household department: "Liu Shilang is my arm, and it is necessary to send an envoy to the Xiongnu."
"Your Majesty..." Liu Zeqin threw herself down on her knees. She didn't expect that she would be valued so much, but she really didn't want to go, and there was a cry in her voice.
Han Ruzi did not give him a chance to object, "Let's set off before noon, you can now go and choose the people who will accompany you, and prepare a letter for me, saying that I will patrol the world, and I will soon lead my division to the side, and I will be with you. Chan Yu shared a drink in the grasslands."
Liu Zeqin did not dare to oppose face-to-face, so he had to step back and prepare to send an envoy to the Xiongnu.
Throughout the morning, people kept coming to persuade the emperor to withdraw his order, or change to a less important minister to go to the grassland. Even Zhang Youcai said a word, and he was reprimanded by Han Ruzi and retreated.
Before noon, Liu Zeqin and four Hun envoys bid farewell to the emperor, and led fifty entourages on the road.
When the messenger was about to leave, Han Ruzi called the General Cui Hong and the Central Supervisor Liu Jie to dictate an imperial decree and send them back to the capital in a hurry. Shenxiongguan, where following the dispatch of Zhang Yin, Marquis of Piyuan, was divided into different levels, and the Northern Army also sent 50,000 people to go directly to Mayi City.
"The rebels must not stay. General You Lao led the three-way Chu army to pacify the Qi chaos as soon as possible. I want to go to Mayi City in person, and never let the Huns go south."
Han Ruzi chose to trust Meng E, and would act immediately.