Chapter 9

This meal was utterly uninteresting for Liu De.

It wasn't just because he had a quarrel with Su Ji; more importantly, the food was really not that good!

During the national mourning period, one could not even think about wine and meat. A bowl of millet rice, two dishes of pickled vegetables, and some seasonal fruits—that was all there was to this family banquet.

"If only there was a bowl of beef noodles, with a sprinkle of chili oil, tsk tsk... the taste would be indescribable..." Liu De put down his chopsticks, sighed, and reminisced about the delicious food from his past life.

However, Liu De also knew that a meal like this could be considered a delicacy in this era.

An ordinary well-off family might not even have meat a few times a year.

Even the three meals of a merchant rich enough to rival a country were just a few repetitive dishes, only slightly more refined than what commoners ate.

So it was no wonder that later, his uncle, the King of Huainan, Liu An, gave up his position as a ruler to invent tofu.

In any case, the family banquet gradually came to an end amidst Liu De's endless resentment.

Empress Dowager Dou, seated at the head of the table, had already put down her chopsticks and, supported by two maids, retreated to the rear hall.

Liu De saw his stepfather give a subtle nod to the eunuchs on either side.

One eunuch nodded and walked down the steps, heading toward the seats of Liu De and the other princes.

"The Emperor has decreed that Princes Liu Rong, Liu De, and Liu E are to enter the rear hall to receive the Empress Dowager's instructions!" The eunuch first conveyed the Emperor's decree to Liu Rong, Liu De, and Liu E.

Liu De, Liu Rong, and Liu E quickly stood up and headed to the rear hall.

Upon entering the sleeping chamber of the Xuan Room Hall, another eunuch came to convey Empress Dowager Dou's decree to the three brothers: "The Empress Dowager has ordered that the three princes wait here!"

The three brothers waited for a while, and then another person entered the sleeping chamber.

It was the fourth brother, Liu Yu.

"Liu... Liu... Yu... greets... greets... the three..." Liu Yu hurriedly greeted his three elder brothers, but he spoke with a stutter.

Seeing how difficult it was for him to speak, Liu De quickly held his hand and said, "Your Majesty, we understand your meaning..."

"El... El... Elder... Brother..." Liu Yu struggled to ask, "Do you know... why Father... called us... here?"

Liu De nodded and said, "It's probably to test our studies..."

Liu Rong also said, "That's likely the case..." Being older, he knew more and explained, "During the reign of the late Emperor, whenever feudal lords came to court, the late Emperor would summon the princes who had not yet been enfeoffed to test their studies and ask them about state affairs!"

This was probably a fine tradition of the Liu royal family. The Emperor, busy with state affairs, had little time to supervise the princes' studies, so he used these tests to spur them on and prevent them from becoming too incompetent.

"Liu Rong is right..." Empress Dowager Dou, leaning on a cane and supported by two maids, walked out from the inner hall and said, "But this time is a bit different..."

"Your subjects greet the Empress Dowager!" Seeing Empress Dowager Dou, Liu Rong led the four brothers to kneel and greet her.

"Rise..." Empress Dowager Dou, supported by the maids, felt her way to the main seat at the head of the table and ordered, "Come, give the four princes seats!"

Soon, maids brought in seats and tables, allowing Liu De and the others to sit down.

After the four were seated and the maids reported back, Empress Dowager Dou continued, "This time, the Emperor specially instructed me to inform you four that this test is extraordinary. You must all show your true abilities and serve the state!"

"Understood!" The four naturally responded in unison.

However, after responding, they couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled.

As the eldest brother, Liu Rong stood up and asked, "May the Empress Dowager enlighten us!"

Empress Dowager Dou pondered for a moment and then said, "The rumors of the Emperor's plan to reduce the power of the feudal lords must have reached your ears!"

"Reducing the power of the feudal lords will surely cause discontent among the strong eastern lords. King Wu of Wu, relying on his seniority, dared to defy Chang'an even during the late Emperor's reign. When the Emperor's reduction plan is implemented, I believe King Wu will definitely rebel..." Empress Dowager Dou continued, "Let him rebel. The Liu family's empire won't be shaken by just one King Wu. However, the other feudal lords must be stabilized. The Emperor will deal with Wu and Chu first!"

Liu De sighed deeply. He now understood why the entire Chang'an was in chaos when the Wu and Chu seven states rebelled in his past life.

From Empress Dowager Dou's words, it was clear that his stepfather and Chao Cuo had anticipated the rebellion of Wu and Chu, but they had clearly underestimated the scale of the rebellion.

Chao Cuo, as the main proponent of the reduction plan, would certainly use various arguments and methods to minimize the potential harm of the reduction.

It seemed that his stepfather had believed Chao Cuo's words, thinking that at most, only Wu and Chu would rebel, or perhaps only Wu would rise up.

As someone who had lived through it, Liu De couldn't help but shake his head.

His stepfather had only been Emperor for a little over a year and was far less experienced than the late Emperor.

In fact, Liu De remembered clearly that the rebellion of the Wu and Chu seven states involved not only these seven states but also many other lords who were preparing to rise up, and even more who were waiting to see which side would win.

For example, King Liu An of Huainan had actually participated in the rebellion, but as a literary man, he failed to gather support. His rebellion was leaked, and he was placed under house arrest by his prime minister.

King Liu Jianglu of Qi, while sending loyalty oaths to Chang'an, was also flirting with the states of Jiaoxi and Jiyang. Fortunately, the military power of Qi was held by pro-court officials, or the rebellion would have involved eight states.

Throughout the entire process of quelling the rebellion, only King Liu Wu of Liang truly remained loyal to the central government.

However...

If not for this, how could the brilliance of my recommendation for the Enfeoffment Decree be shown?

Liu De chuckled inwardly.

On the surface, he listened solemnly to Empress Dowager Dou's instructions.

"This time, with the passing of the Grand Empress Dowager, King Liu Jianglu of Qi came to Chang'an to mourn. At least he still remembers the grace of the late Emperor and the Grand Empress Dowager!" Empress Dowager Dou continued, "Since he has come, the Emperor's intention is to show him the means of the Han royal family, so that he won't be swayed by Wu and Chu when he returns to Linzi!"

With Empress Dowager Dou speaking to this extent, the four brothers dared not refuse and responded in unison, "Understood, we will follow the Empress Dowager's instructions!"

"Alright, I am tired. Prepare yourselves for the Emperor's questioning later..." After saying this, Empress Dowager Dou stood up and, supported by two maids, headed to the bedroom.

As soon as Empress Dowager Dou left, Liu Yu stood up, looking anxiously at his three elder brothers, scratching his head and ears, clearly worried about the upcoming event.

Seeing this, Liu De, unable to bear his anxiety, consoled him, "Don't panic, Father knows about your condition. He won't make things difficult for you. At most, he'll ask you to write some policy essays. It will be tough for the three of us..."

Liu Yu finally calmed down.

Liu De then saw Liu Rong, who was closing his eyes to rest. A thought crossed his mind, and he deliberately asked, "Elder Brother, you seem very confident?"

Liu Rong chuckled and said somewhat coldly, "I've read some books these days, so I'm somewhat prepared!"

"Ha ha..." Liu De laughed. He knew very well that Liu Rong was well-prepared. Perhaps his stepfather had given him a heads-up days in advance.

After all, he was the eldest son and the focus of attention.

However...

Liu De lowered his head, a slight smile curling the corners of his mouth.

To snatch the position of Crown Prince, tonight's test was undoubtedly crucial.

………………………………

Thank you, Brother ETET, for your correction. Yes, I was indeed confused. The Empress cannot refer to herself as 'I' (哀家). I will definitely correct this in the future. However, is it reasonable to address the Empress as 'Your Majesty'?

There are no records of this in the literature of the Han dynasty. Most of the time, the Empress refers to herself as 'I' (吾), 'me' (我), or 'your servant' (臣妾), and others directly refer to her as 'Empress X'.

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