Chapter 9 Blood and Water (Five)

Early spring is not a foggy season, but this year's early spring is not known why, the fog is particularly abundant and very thick. From Taiyuan, to Zezhou, and then to Bianliang on the south bank of the Yellow River, it is thousands of miles away and a vast area.

In the Funing Palace, the imperial city of Bianliang, there is also a miserable mist at this moment.

The Privy Councilor Shi Hongzhao, the deputy Privy Councilor Guo Wei, the Minister of the Secretariat and the Minister of Pingzhang, the Minister of Justice Su Fengji, the Minister of Justice of the Ministry of Justice, the Minister of Pingzhang, the Minister of Justice of the Ministry of Justice, Wang Zhang, the Minister of the Three Departments, and many other important civil and military officials. They all looked tragic and had a lot of worries around Liu Zhiyuan's bed.

Emperor Liu Zhiyuan has been awake at night since vomiting blood on the front line last month, and is lingering in sickness. However, this afternoon, his spirit suddenly improved. He first recruited two Privy Councilors and the chief and deputy prime ministers to the bedroom, issued an imperial edict in public, and made his youngest son Liu Chengxun the crown prince and granted the title of King Zhou. Immediately afterwards, he promoted Li Ye, Houzan, Nie Wenjin and other rising stars to the vital position of the Imperial Guard. Finally, he overturned the previous promise and ordered the Imperial Guard to arrest Du Chongwei's whole family and beheaded and displayed in public early tomorrow morning.

Without trust, it is not a virtue for an emperor. Especially when the great cause of unification has not been completed, Du Chongwei's fate can easily arouse the shared hatred of separatists in other places. In the future, if the Han army wants to surrender any hostile force, it will probably be difficult to ascend to the sky.

However, neither the two Privy Councilors nor the three chiefs and deputy prime ministers made any objections. Liu Zhiyuan had already turned his back. Everyone with eyes could see that. If he spoke frankly at this critical moment, it would be like not allowing the emperor to live in peace. Even if he was not ordered to be dragged out to be his companion with Du Chongwei's family on the spot, he would become a thorn in the eyes of the new emperor!

"I was just a big soldier back then. When I went to bed every night, I only wanted to live and see the sun tomorrow morning!" Seeing that the atmosphere in the bedroom was too low, Liu Zhiyuan suddenly shook his head and said with a smile: "Later, fortunately, I was favored by God. As the commander, the governor, and the King of Han, ascended the throne all the way. I have made enough money in this life, and even if I die now, I will not suffer any loss!"

"Your Majesty!" When all the civil and military officials heard this, they felt sore in their hearts. They turned their heads with sobs and wiped the corners of their eyes with their robes.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Liu Zhiyuan saw that, and smiled and patted the bed beneath him. "Over the years, our blood flowed together, and there were only half a bucket of ten liters. Who would still care about these drops of cat urine? I quickly wiped my eyes dry. When I was alive, I couldn't cry. When I was about to die, I couldn't bear to see you old guys acting like a sissy!"

"Your Majesty——, I will obey the order!" Several civil and military ministers who had followed Liu Zhiyuan for a long time shouted softly, turned around, and covered their faces with their hands. The Privy Councilor Shi Hongzhao walked forward half a step forward, bent down, looked at Liu Zhiyuan's eyes and said, "Your Majesty, what are you saying? How many times can we have been in and out? This time we just vomited a few mouthfuls of blood, so why did we talk about life and death? Your Majesty, be at ease to recuperate. From now on, Brother Shi and Brother Guo will stand in front of your bed and be Yuchi Jingde and Qin Qiong for you. No matter how much trouble we are, our brothers will protect you to break through!"

After saying that, he turned around and blinked at Guo Wei a few times, then straightened his chest and pulled his back, making a angrily look like a Vajra.

Guo Wei understood it, and cheered up his spirits, and agreed loudly, "Yes, Your Majesty, when Taizong was sick, it was Qin Shubao and Yuchi Jingde who jointly guarded the gate, which scared away Feng Xie's bad luck. The last general is not talented, and he is willing to hold an iron mace for Your Majesty!"

Liu Zhiyuan was excited when he heard this, and two rays of desire suddenly appeared in his dim eyes. However, soon, these two rays of light dimmed, and replaced by helplessness and melancholy, "Forget it, you two, don't make me happy. You two are indeed not inferior to Yu Yuchi Gong and Qin Qiong, but it's a pity that I don't have the fate of Emperor Taizong of Tang! Alas, I thought that I had made a vow with you Yu Jun that since I was unfortunately born in a chaotic world and suffered from the separation of flesh and blood, this life will end in your hands! I originally thought that I still had enough time to do it, but I really didn't expect that God didn't even leave me the chance to go north to Yanyun!"

"Your Majesty, don't think too much, you will definitely survive this time! The last general, the last general, will lead troops to the war tomorrow morning. First, rob the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun for Your Majesty, and then our brothers will drink the Yangtze River again!" Shi Hongzhao felt as if he was cut by a knife, turned his head again, held the edge of the bed and made a promise loudly.

"Your Majesty, the Khitans' combat power is not as strong as Er'er. You have measured them yourself. The Southern Tang and Nan Chu are even more dry bones in the tomb. As long as you cheer up and take care of yourself, you will be able to see the unification of the nine provinces and peace in the world within ten years!" Guo Wei also added with red eyes and sobbing.

Liu Zhiyuan's oath back then has always been the driving force for him, Shi Hongzhao, Chang Si and others to sacrifice their lives to fight. Although as time goes by and the status of the four people changes, friendship gradually fades and blood gradually turns colder, now when he thinks about his youthfulness and heroism at the time, a warmth will still surge in his heart.

"Leave it for you, I have no time! But I believe there will be a day." Liu Zhiyuan patted Shi Hongzhao's hand a few times and said with a smile. "You and Guo Xiandi are both talented in Sun Wu, so you don't have to hurry up to do anything. Take out ten years to rest and prepare for battle. Ten years later, if I have not yet lost my soul, it will turn into a long wind, blowing the battle flags on both of you. Accompany you two to Yanyun north and cross the Yangtze River south!"

"Your Majesty!" Shi Hongzhao and Guo Wei could no longer hold on, and knelt beside the sickbed, burst into tears.

"Don't cry, don't cry!" Liu Zhiyuan slapped the back of the two of them like his own brother, whispering comfort, "I said, I don't want to see you do a sissy. After I went, you two are Duke Zhou and Duke Zhao of the Han Dynasty. Chengyou was young and ignorant. If you were naughty and nonsense, you two must teach him a lesson for me. Assist him and assist him as a saint, and not Zhou and Jie of Shang and Xia! Huhu, Huhu--" (Note 1)

As he spoke, his heart could not bear the burden on his body, his face quickly began to turn gray, his lips were blue, and his forehead and sideburns were sweating like oil.

"Imperial Doctor, Imperial Doctor!" Shi Hongzhao and Guo Wei jumped up immediately, and each of them grabbed Liu Zhiyuan's arm, moved his bloodline up and down, and shouted loudly at the same time.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty--!" The Imperial Doctor leader Wang Defu rolled and crawled forward, took out the silver needle from the medicine box to stimulate the acupoints on Liu Zhiyuan's body. He was in a hurry for a while, and finally pulled the other party back from the gate of hell.

Unexpectedly, Liu Zhiyuan didn't appreciate it at all. After opening his eyes, he immediately pointed his hand at Wang Defu's forehead and ordered "Come on, push out this treacherous villain and behead him!"

"Unforgive, unforgive-!" The Imperial Doctor leader Wang Defu was so scared that he lay on the ground, his head as if he was pounding garlic. Liu Zhiyuan turned a deaf ear to his crying, turned his head and looked at Li Ye, the commander in front of the palace who had just been restored for a few days, with his eyes as deep as ice.

The commander Li Ye in front of the palace shivered suddenly, rushed forward immediately, picked up the imperial physician leader Wang Defu with his own hands, and dragged him out. After a while, a scream came from a distance. Wang Defu, who was known as the number one national player of the Han Dynasty, completely turned into a confused ghost.

Liu Zhiyuan didn't explain to anyone, and called Yang Bin, Wang Zhang and Su Fengji, gasping for orders, "I have entrusted the rebellion to fight against the south and north, and I have entrusted it to Shi, the two Privy Councillors, Guo. Assist the new king to govern the country and protect the people, but you three will have to work hard. After I go, you five are my five ministers. If Chengyou can assist you, please help me. If Chengyou is not that material, I hope you will leave him a wealthy life first and then establish a new king!"

"The last general (member) dare not!" Shi Hongzhao, Guo Wei, Yang Bin, Wang Zhang, and Su Fengji were so scared that their faces looked like earth. They all knelt down and swore, "We must work together to assist His Highness the Crown Prince. If we violate this oath, I hope that the heaven will hit lightning and will never be reborn!"

"Okay, okay, I'm not testing you, I'm telling the truth!" Liu Zhiyuan smiled with relief and raised his hand gently, "Get up quickly, I have nothing to do, I have no time to delay. Chengyou, come here and salute the five uncles, and thank them for their kindness of devoted themselves to assisting me!"

"Yes!" Prince Liu Chengyou, who was hiding behind the crowd, walked carefully to the bedside, knelt down at Shi Hongzhao and others, and performed the ceremony of his juniors.

How dare the ministers of Wugushi thank him? They all jumped aside and reached out to support him from the side. Liu Zhiyuan refused to let go and forced his son to bow three times with his eyes. Then he signaled the latter to stand beside him and continued to say with difficulty: "They are all friends of life and death for their fathers. The foundation of the Han Dynasty today is that they have a share for you, and they have a share for you. Therefore, whenever you encounter difficulties in the future, you might as well listen to their opinions more. Don't make your own decisions and act casually. Governing the country is not as good as governing the family. If you make a mistake in governing the family, at most you will lose some money and die one or two people. If you make a mistake in governing the country, thousands of people will die innocently and have white bones full of wild bones!"

"Well, the child knows. Don't worry, my father!" Liu Chengyou nodded with tears in his eyes, as gentle as a domestic cat who had just been born.

"It's good that you know, you know, I'll be relieved!" Liu Zhiyuan was exhausted, closed his eyes and tried to accumulate strength. But soon, he opened his eyes again and added intermittently, "It's a pity that the road is long, and your uncle Chang failed to come here in time. Otherwise, otherwise, there should be six ministers in Gushi! But that's fine. He is in Zezhou, not far from Bianliang. If you need to examine the effect of a certain decree among the people in the future, you can just write a letter to ask him."

Speaking of this, he slowly turned his gaze to Guo Wei and asked with some reluctance, "Where has Ke Gong gone? Can I still see him?"

"Kegong sent a letter to Fei Ge this afternoon, saying that he would arrive at the Yellow River Ferry tonight!" Guo Wei thought for a while and reported truthfully, "But the fog suddenly pops up in the evening. I'm afraid that the night boat will not be allowed to travel on the Yellow River."

"Oh!" Liu Zhiyuan sighed and whispered: "I, I'm afraid I won't see him anymore. I was angry at the time and drove him to the deserted land of Zelu. Now when I think about it, I feel very regretful!"

Guo Wei was unwilling to make Liu Zhiyuan too tired, so he shook his head and smiled and comforted: "Your Majesty, don't think too much. If I hadn't sent Kegong to Zelu to serve, my great man wouldn't have had two more places to support the people now. Besides, Kegong never acts according to common sense. If he really entered the court, he would have tied his hands and feet everywhere!"

"If this is the case, I will be considered aware of people and responsibilities!" Liu Zhiyuan felt a little relieved when he heard this. He smiled and raised his hand, and ordered Liu Chengyou, "But after you ascend the throne, remember to compensate him. In the future, I have to let him be a minister of life, but you can give him a high-ranking official title for me!"

"Yes, I've recorded it!" Liu Chengyou felt one hundred and twenty reluctant, but he agreed very happily.

"Okay, you can send me all my uncles to you. I have finished giving what I should explain, and it's time to rest." Liu Zhiyuan gently lowered his arm, closed his eyes, and whispered to the order.

"Your Majesty, please be at ease and be at ease. I will come to see you tomorrow!" The civil and military officials knew that Liu Zhiyuan would definitely have something to say to the prince in private, and they all bowed tactfully and walked backwards.

Liu Chengyou accompanied the smile and sent everyone out of the palace. Seeing that there was no one around, he hurried back. The destination was not his father's sickbed, but the commander in front of the palace, Li Ye, who was on duty, took an opportunity to pull the latter aside and asked anxiously: "Father, why did the father kill Wang Defu! Did he see something? Once he asked, how could I fool me?"

"Oh, my prince's highness!" The uncle Li Ye heard the voice of the king, almost pissed his nose. He pushed Liu Chengyou's shoulder hard and complained in a low voice: "When is it? You still care about the life and death of a chess piece? So what if you guess it, what if you don't guess it? He has issued the imperial edict to enthrone you as the prince, and has passed the subordinates of the Secretariat and the two provinces under the jurisdiction of the two provinces. Can you take it back? Hurry up and accompany him and try to make him feel more comfortable. As long as you survive tonight, the Han Kingdom will be yours in the future. You can do whatever you want!"

"That's right!" Liu Chengyou nodded embarrassedly, "I, I was frightened just now. By the way, Guo Yunming, can you bring him into the palace for me? He is not here, and when I encounter something, I can't even find someone who comes up with ideas!"

"Impossible, even if he goes to clean himself and cut him now, it's too late!" Li Ye glanced at Liu Chengyou and shook his head decisively, "You must bear it yourself tonight, don't expect anyone to help. Go quickly, don't let your father wait too long, so as not to have a good result when he suddenly becomes angry and everyone will not suffer a good result!"

"Then, then I'll go?" Liu Chengyou scratched the back of his head and tried it uneasyly.

"Hurry up, hurry up, unless you don't want to be the emperor anymore!" Li Ye urged repeatedly, stretching out his hands and pushing Liu Chengyou to the door of the bedroom.

In the bedroom, Liu Zhiyuan was facing the ceiling. Hearing footsteps, he opened his eyes with difficulty and asked as much as possible: "Who is it? Is it You'er? Come here, have something to say to you for your father!"

"Father, you are a child! The child is unfilial and cannot share the illness for you. My child is ashamed of inexplicable shame!" Liu Chengyou shivered and walked a few steps to the sickbed, responded carefully.

"Silly words, since ancient times, children have been sick, and fathers have been willing to replace them. How can one be the grandfather and let his son share his illness?" Liu Zhiyuan no longer had the strength to shake his head, smiled, and whispered.

"Father!" Liu Chengyou's nose felt sour, and he lay on the edge of the bed, tears falling down.

"You bastard!" Liu Zhiyuan touched him with his dry palm, sighed and scolded: "You don't do anything cleaner. It would be fine if you collude with the imperial physician to murder your elder brother's life, but you still don't know how to kill someone to silence him!"

"Father--!" Liu Chengyou was so scared that he fell to the ground, his face as if he looked like earth. He finally understood why his father suddenly killed the imperial physician leader before his death. It turned out that his father had already discovered the fact that he colluded with this person to poison his brother, but he just kept trying not to attack.

When he heard his son frightened into mud with his ears, Liu Zhiyuan sighed again and gasped, adding, "You, don't be afraid, I didn't want to kill you. If I wanted to kill you, I would have taken action long ago. I wouldn't wait until now, nor would I make you the crown prince! I, I am just very disappointed in you!"

"Father, please spare my life! Child, she just saw that her brother was too ill. Child, she really couldn't bear to watch him continue to suffer. She made this move and this was the worst!" Liu Chengyou instantly regained his vitality, turned over and got up, lay next to the bed, and kowtowed repeatedly.

"You will say it!" Liu Zhiyuan didn't have the strength to look at him, his eyes looked at the ceiling, and continued to whisper, "I have been hesitating these days. Should I kill you to avenge Chengxun, or pretend to be confused until my death? I, I really can't pretend today, so I'm so reminded you. In my eyes, my old brothers, you are not the same!"

"Yes, no, no, no, no, no, no, just a fart. Father, the child knows that he is wrong, the child really knows that he is wrong!" Liu Chengyou was covered in sweat, lying on the ground, speaking incoherently.

"I killed the Imperial Doctor in front of everyone tonight. I just told them that the prince was murdered, and that's all." Liu Zhiyuan closed his eyes, and tears slowly flowed down the corners of his eyes. "I have wiped your butt clean. In the future, you must take care of yourself."

"Yes, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Liu Chengyou was overjoyed, raised his upper body, grabbed his father's dry arms with both hands, and shook them gently.

This was a spoiled trick he used when he was very young, and he won many trials. Sure enough, this time was no exception. Liu Zhiyuan felt his son's movements, and finally showed a bitter smile on his blue-gray face, "I have no son, I can't lose a second one. When Li Shimin killed his brother and brother, Emperor Gaozu of Tang could not pursue it. I, how could I pursue it?"

The allusion of the Xuanwu Gate mutiny was indeed a bit deep for Liu Chengyou. He was blinded by his eyes and his breathing became extremely heavy in an instant.

Liu Zhiyuan felt the emotional changes of his son again, sighed softly, and added with difficulty: "Remember, Li Shimin killed his brother and brother, but he was a wise monarch for all ages. Yang Guang also killed his brother Yang Yong, but ended up dead and destroyed the country. Therefore, as an emperor, you don't have to care who he had killed, but you must care about every move after seizing the throne. My son, you may understand what his father said?"

"I understand, my son understand, my son must be a wise ruler in the future, I must be a wise ruler, I will swear!" Liu Chengyou raised his head and patted his chest to promise!

"Then you tell me, how can you be a wise monarch for all ages?" Liu Zhiyuan suddenly opened his eyes, his voice sharp and high.

"I, I..." Liu Chengyou's eyes were straightened when asked, his lips were wet, and his palms were trembling and scratching the back of his head, but he couldn't give any answer.

Seeing that his son was incompetent, Liu Zhiyuan suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness. He closed his eyes and accumulated a lot of energy before slowly reminding him: "The so-called governing the country is nothing more than using people. Using military generals to expand territory and quell rebellion. Using civil servants to provide advice and rest. If you use it correctly, even if you don't have any skills, you can ensure that the Han Dynasty is passed down to your son. If you don't know how to use people, maybe, maybe it won't take long to be a father or a father, you can reunite with you in the nine springs!"

"My son, my son, I will definitely appoint wise men. Father, my father, I will leave five ministers with care for me. My son, I will definitely listen to them and use them well!" Liu Chengyou suddenly came to his heart, nodded, and responded loudly.

He thought the answer was extremely correct. However, Liu Zhiyuan did not praise him, but suddenly asked again, "Do you know why there are five ministers in Gushi?"

"Because, because of Chang, Uncle Chang didn't catch up..." Liu Chengyou was stunned and said tentatively.

The answer to him was a long sigh. Liu Zhiyuan closed his eyes again, unwilling to open it for a long time, nor willing to say another word.

Liu Chengyou didn't know where he was wrong again, and his butt rubbed against the heels, rubbing around, as if he was sitting on pins and needles. Until his knees, his legs began to tremble, he finally saw his father's eyelids move again and said slowly: "You, remember one thing about me!"

"Father, listen!" Liu Chengyou took a deep breath and responded patiently.

"I have left you five life-care ministers for you today, among which you certainly don't like." Liu Zhiyuan's chest was up and down, his face became darker, and his lips were as blue as dry plasma. However, his mouth refused to make any pauses, as if he didn't take the time to finish his words, and there would be no chance in the future. "You can dislike them, but don't deal with them without authorization. You, you, you don't have the ability. If you don't deal with them, you may not deal with them in your old love for your father and theirs. They may not deal with you. You are younger than them, as long as you endure it and endure it until they are old and die, you will naturally be able to do whatever you want. But, if you act rashly, you will definitely die without a place to die. My son, remember, remember! Plan and then act, and then act! No matter what you do, you must first weigh your own weight!"

After saying that, he could no longer hold on. He suddenly opened his mouth and spewed out a large mouthful of black plasma, and died of exhaustion.

Note 1: During the Five Dynasties, the status of military generals was higher than that of civil officials. Therefore, the position of Privy Councilor was ranked before the prime minister.
Chapter completed!