Chapter 8

Of course, rashly submitting a memorial to discuss state affairs is a risky matter for all princes.

Especially now that the heir has not been established, it is very easy to be implicated and accused of coveting the position of the heir.

Therefore, Liu De needed to have Liu E co-sign the memorial to minimize the criticism from this aspect as much as possible.

However, there was no need to explain these matters to Liu E in too much detail.

Liu De turned his head to look outside and continued, "Your Highness, we princes will all be enfeoffed to establish our own states and serve as the wings of our great Han. If we shrink back in fear of offending court officials, how can we ever rule over our own domains?"

These words were partly true and partly false.

His previous life as a prince for over a decade made Liu De very clear about the weight of the Han princes.

Even after the Wu-Chu Rebellion, the power of the princes was greatly reduced, but ordinary princes still had their own armies and could appoint officials of a certain rank.

At this time, the power of the feudal lords was even greater, not only having their own armies but also vast financial and administrative powers. States like Wu and Chu were, in fact, semi-independent regimes.

Therefore, Liu De's words were recognized by Liu E.

In his previous life, the quality and cultivation of the princes of Liu De's generation were quite good.

For example, Liu Fei was exceptionally talented in military affairs, Liu Duan was first-rate in political strategy and cunning; Liu Pengzu was not far behind, and even Liu Sheng, who enjoyed drinking, eating, and women, had a high literary achievement and wrote some beautiful poetry.

The two brothers chatted for a while about family matters and some things from the past.

At this moment, a eunuch came in to report, "Your servants pay our respects to the two princes. The Emperor has ordered the two princes to go to the Xuan Room Hall for a meal..."

Liu De nodded and said, "Understood..."

Then he turned to Liu E and said, "Let's go, don't keep Father and Mother waiting!"

...

When Liu De and Liu E arrived at the Xuan Room Hall together, the hall was already filled with over a hundred people.

Liu De casually glanced around and found that most of them were members of the imperial clan or relatives, so he knew that this was likely a family banquet.

"I remember in my previous life, when I was under house arrest, I heard that something major happened at a family banquet..." Liu De thought, recalling, "It shouldn't be this time!"

What the imperial family considered a major event naturally had to do with the heir.

Liu De remembered that at the time, there was a rumor in the palace that Empress Dowager Dou wanted her youngest son, King Liang Liu Wu, to succeed the throne after the Emperor's death, and then return it to the Emperor's son after Liu Wu's death. Fortunately, this was thwarted by Empress Dowager Dou's nephew, Dou Ying.

Otherwise, not only Liu De, but also Liu Rong and Liu Che would have had no chance at the throne.

This was because King Liang Liu Wu's state of Liang was too important for the current situation.

If Liu Wu were to become the so-called Crown Prince, with the support of Empress Dowager Dou, it would be almost impossible to remove him.

However...

Thinking of the various versions he had heard in his previous life and the character of his step-father, Liu De chuckled softly, "It's likely that it was my step-father's strategy of feigning retreat to capture the prey..."

If it was as he thought, his step-father was truly devious.

A slip of the tongue after drinking, which made King Liang Liu Wu shed blood and sweat for the reduction of the feudal states.

Thinking deeper, during the Wu-Chu Rebellion in his previous life, when the rebels besieged Liang, causing chaos and bloodshed, Zhou Yafu and Dou Ying's armies remained inactive until both sides were at a stalemate, then they moved to cut off the rebels' retreat and supply lines.

This was both a strategic consideration and, perhaps, a strategy by his step-father to weaken Liu Wu through the rebels.

After all, the state of Liang was too powerful!

If it was as he thought, then his step-father truly put on a good show...

However...

It seemed that since Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang, the Liu family was known for producing great actors.

For example, the late Emperor Xiaowen, Liu Heng, was so impressive that even the so-called "gazing at the stars" in later generations paled in comparison.

"If I want to be an emperor, I need to learn a lot more..." Liu De sighed inwardly, "I should observe my step-father's words and actions more closely..."

His previous life as a prince for over a decade and his twenty-seven years in the Later Han Dynasty made Liu De deeply understand how important it was for a politician, especially a ruler, to be a great actor.

For example, the so-called tyrant Yang Guang in history.

He was actually very talented and capable.

But because he was not a great actor, he ended up dead and his country destroyed, and was cursed in history for a thousand years.

The Mongols, with their minds full of nothing but fighting and killing, were driven back to the desert in less than a hundred years.

The Manchus, on the other hand, were much smarter than the Mongols. They learned from the past in terms of public opinion control and self-promotion, turning even Kangxi into a sage emperor and Qianlong into a perfect man.

With these thoughts, Liu De followed Liu E to their designated seats in the hall.

"Mother! Elder Brother!" There, Liu De saw Su Ji, who still looked unhappy, and Liu Rong, who was lowering his head and ignoring everything.

Liu Rong barely lifted his head to acknowledge Liu De and Liu E.

Su Ji, however, scowled and said in a low voice, "Liu De, do you still have your mother in your eyes?"

Liu De's lips twitched... He was used to his step-mother's attitude from his previous life, and although he was somewhat annoyed, he still maintained his composure and bowed his head, "Son is unfilial and has upset Mother. Please forgive me..."

In fact, Liu De knew that these words were in vain.

His step-mother's eyes were always on her eldest son, Liu Rong, while Liu De and Liu E were always in a dispensable state.

Liu De could understand Su Ji's behavior. As the eldest son, Liu Rong naturally had the qualifications to become the crown prince. In the end, Su Ji was just a somewhat influential noblewoman.

There were many such women in the Later Han Dynasty.

But as a mother, Su Ji's behavior made Liu De very disheartened, and in his previous life, it had deeply hurt him.

If Su Ji had been a little better and less biased, Liu De would not have considered being adopted by Empress Bo.

Liu De was open-minded, but Liu E could not stand it. He looked at Su Ji's stern face and said, "Mother, Elder Brother did nothing wrong, why be so harsh?"

Su Ji's expression improved slightly, and she said, "Sit down!"

The two brothers then knelt and sat behind Su Ji.

After sitting down, Liu E gently said to Liu De, "Elder Brother, don't take it to heart. Mother is always like this, you know..."

Liu De nodded, but a bitter smile appeared on his lips.

Always like this, indeed always like this!

At this moment, he finally confirmed that being adopted by Empress Bo was his best choice.

...

Second update delivered.

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