novelAbuy Chapter 22: Under Imperial Power, Even Fathers and Sons Can Be Killed!
Chapter 22: Under Imperial Power, Even Fathers and Sons Can Be Killed!
At noon, the sun was high in the sky.
"Sister and Zong'er, let's have dinner at Bowang Garden today."
Liu Ju released his grip on Cao Zong and said with a smile.
"Someone come here."
"Prepare the meal."
Shi Liangdi immediately gave the order.
"promise."
The palace maids gave instructions to make the arrangements.
"Zong'er."
"Your aunt will take you to try some newly made pastries."
With great foresight, Consort Shi carried Cao Zong away, and the palace maids and eunuchs serving in the hall withdrew one by one.
Soon, only Princess Wei Chang and Crown Prince Liu Ju remained in the empty hall.
"Little brother."
"You specifically asked me to stay today."
"But is there anything you need to say?"
Princess Wei Chang was as clear-headed as a mirror and saw through Liu Ju's thoughts at a glance.
"Has my elder sister visited the General's Mansion these days?"
Liu Ju said calmly.
'Thump!'
Princess Wei Chang's beautiful eyes narrowed. The General's Mansion was not only Wei Qing's residence, but also Princess Pingyang's living quarters.
Princess Wei Chang's first husband, Cao Xiang, was the son of Princess Pingyang and Cao Shou. Therefore, Princess Pingyang was not only her maternal aunt, but also her paternal aunt.
"Previously, when I cleaned up the Crown Prince's Palace, I discovered quite a few intermittent works."
"Among them were those from the General's Mansion."
What?
Princess Wei Chang's face showed surprise, and she said in a trembling voice, "How dare she?"
Marquis Changping, Wei Qing, has been ill at home all along, and as the maternal uncle of Crown Prince Liu Ju, how could he possibly do such a thing? Therefore, this matter could only have been done by Princess Pingyang. If this were to get out, it would surely cause a huge uproar.
The emperor's own sister, the wife of Marquis Changping Wei Qing, and the Princess Pingyang of the Great Han Dynasty, actually planted a spy in the Crown Prince's palace.
Not to mention her, even Princess Lu Yuan, the elder sister of Emperor Hui of Han, and Princess Guantao, the eldest daughter of Emperor Wen of Han, would not dare to do such a thing.
This is not a provocation against the crown prince, but a provocation against imperial power. For a princess to take this step is to covet, or rather, to interfere with the succession of emperors.
"Our aunt is very smart."
"Sometimes, intelligent people are blinded by immediate gains."
"The three cousins of the Wei family have already entered the Crown Prince's palace and applied to be the Crown Prince's left and right guards."
"So you're having Zong'er come to be Jin'er's study companion?"
Princess Wei immediately thought of Liu Ju's suggestion earlier.
"Yes."
Liu Ju did not dodge or avoid the question, and stated bluntly: "I now suspect that my cousin's death is related to Princess Pingyang."
"Or rather, she knew a lot of things, but she didn't tell her uncle, allowing all of this to happen."
"How is this possible?!"
Princess Wei Chang paled. Of course, she knew who Liu Ju's cousin was. He was the most outstanding genius of the Han Empire, the late Marquis Jingheng, Grand Marshal Huo Qubing, who was still a spiritual totem in the army, known to everyone.
If Princess Pingyang really got involved in this matter, then it will be impossible to resolve it peacefully.
Why not?
Liu Ju countered, "My uncle was originally the only Grand General of the Han Dynasty."
"After my cousin appeared, my father established the position of General of the Cavalry, bestowing upon him a gold seal and purple ribbon, making him equal in rank to the Three Dukes and of the same rank as the Grand General."
"My uncle received no reward for his service in the northern desert battle, and no reward for his service in the southern desert battle."
"And my cousin? One after another, his subordinates have been ennobled, practically monopolizing the middle and high-ranking generals of the Han army."
"Who is this aunt of ours?"
Princess Pingyang married three husbands in her lifetime.
"The first one was Cao Shou, the Marquis of Pingyang, who was the great-grandson of Cao Can, a founding hero."
"The second one was Xiahou Po, the Marquis of Ruyin, who was the great-grandson of Xiahou Ying, a founding hero."
"The last one was my maternal uncle. In the fifth year of Yuanshuo (124 BC), my maternal uncle was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Changping for his military achievements. He was ranked as a Grand General and held a noble position. He married Princess Pingyang. Instead of establishing a Marquis of Changping's residence or a princess's residence, he established a Grand General's residence."
Throughout Princess Pingyang's life, she never left the center of power and wealth; she married her uncle simply to enjoy honor and privilege.
"Her cousin's arrival greatly diminished her uncle's standing in the army and at court; how could she accept this?"
"Perhaps because of her uncle and mother, she won't directly intervene, but that doesn't mean she's unwilling to do so."
Historically, the witchcraft scandal broke out, and the entire Wei family was executed, including Marquis Cao Zong of Pingyang, who lost his title of marquis.
Only Princess Pingyang remained uninvolved, and even after her death, she was able to be buried with Wei Qing, which clearly demonstrates her wisdom in protecting herself.
"call!"
Princess Wei Chang couldn't utter a single word to refute Liu Ju, because she understood her "aunt"/"maternal aunt" better than Liu Ju did.
"I have allowed Zong'er to be raised together with Huo Shan and Shi Xuan in the Crown Prince's Palace."
"This is to warn her not to make the same mistake again."
"If she stops in time, I might be able to let her off the hook."
"If she does not repent, then don't blame me for disregarding our kinship."
With a cold and sharp gaze, a chilling murderous intent flashed across Liu Ju's face.
Before imperial power, let alone just Princess Pingyang, even Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, could not save anyone who stood in his way.
"I see."
Princess Wei looked at her younger brother and couldn't help but feel a little unfamiliar with him.
But the image of Liu Ju now gradually overlapped with the figure deep in her mind—that of Emperor Wu of Han in his youth.
"Ha ha!"
Liu Ju's previously stern face changed, and he said with a smile, "It's rare for my elder sister to come all this way."
"Let's stay in the palace a little longer and let Jie'er accompany us to walk around and explore."
"I have other matters to attend to and cannot stay any longer."
"Um."
With a slight nod, Princess Wei watched Liu Ju leave the main hall of the inner garden.
She knew that Liu Ju's last words had two meanings. The first was that she should play in Bowang Garden a little longer, and the second was that Cao Zong would be raised and educated in the Crown Prince's Palace in the future, and as his mother, she could not and should not come again.
The Crown Prince's Palace has become the center of the vortex. Marquis Pingyang, Cao Zong, is still young and no one cares about him. But it's different for her. Countless people and countless eyes are watching her. The identity of Princess Wei Chang is both an honor and contains countless dangers.
...............
At this moment, the contest between twenty people outside the main hall of Bowang Garden was coming to an end.
"Your Highness!"
When everyone saw Liu Ju, they all bowed in greeting.
"That's interesting."
Liu Ju glanced at them and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
The original twenty people have been divided into four teams, with Zhao Anguo and Shi Gao at the head, followed by Zhou Xing, Fan Wu, Xiahou Zheng, and Guan Min.
Wei Kang, Wei Buyi, Wei Deng, Fu Ping, Jin Xu, Wang Xiang, Chai Yi, and Xue Rang ranked third, and Xiao Shoucheng, Wang Chongguo, Zhou Ming, Zhang Hu, Xi Guang, and Zhang Bingyuan were last.
Among these people, Zhao Anguo and Shi Gao were calm and composed, Zhou Xing and the other three had happy expressions, Wei Kang and the other two looked indignant, and among the rest, Xiao Shoucheng was the most disheveled, obviously his riding and archery skills and martial arts were not outstanding.