Chapter 5: Promoting Kindness (Part 1)

However, Liu Yan ... ...

In the past two years, with the Cheap Old Man becoming the emperor, the temper of the Cheap Old Lady, Su Ji, has been increasing day by day. Coupled with the effects of menopause, she often erupts in anger for no apparent reason, only to calm down just as inexplicably.

This is indeed a fact

Compared to the other ten brothers, Liu De's feelings towards Liu Yan are the most complex

Three years later, Liu Yan fell ill and died, posthumously titled King Ai of Linjiang. Two years after that, Crown Prince Liu Rong was deposed and became King of Linjiang. Another two years later, Liu Rong committed suicide

After that, Liu De never returned to that small nest again

Liu De knelt down for more than half an hour.

During the days when Liu De was under house arrest in the palace awaiting trial, Liu Yan would find opportunities every day to talk and chat with him

It has been at least ten years, to say the least

The reason is...

A clay Buddha crossing the river cannot protect itself

If we were to follow his last wishes and imitate the late emperor's funeral, it would be somewhat unreasonable

Therefore, it is entirely normal that he does not remember which direction his home is in

One can ascertain from the number of feudal lords present at the funeral that, apart from King Liang Liu Wu, who is a biological brother of the late father, and King Dai Liu Gong, who is a cousin of Liu De, only a few feudal lords personally came to Chang'an to pay their respects. Among the powerful feudal lords from the south, only King Qi Liu Jianglu attended.

The Kingdom of Linjiang was likely located in what is now the Jingmen area of Hubei Province. At that time, Huguang was not yet the fertile land known in later generations, as it had hardly been developed. The weather was humid and sultry, and a pampered prince going to such a place would certainly struggle to avoid contracting some illness due to the poor conditions.

"Royal Brother, what is the matter with you?" Liu De was suddenly pulled by the sleeve while lost in thought, and a soft voice asked, "Mother is very angry!"

After traversing from a previous life, bearing the label of "unfilial," for a period of time, almost everyone avoided Liu De, and even Liu Rong hardly paid him any attention

The most powerful King of Wu, Liu Bi, King of Chu, Liu Wu, and King of Zhao, Liu Sui, all merely sent a representative to attend

Turning around, he grasped Liu Yan's hand. Liu De patted his shoulder and replied, somewhat off-topic: "It's nothing, don't you know the temperament of the Empress Mother? It will be fine once she calms down..."

In his previous life, after Liu De traversed to another world, he was accused of being "unfilial" and subsequently placed under house arrest

This year, the Empress Dowager passed away

Chao Cuo aimed to reduce the power of the feudal lords, and naturally, the various vassal states across the realm, especially those in the south, were unwilling to comply

In the history of the Han dynasty, there were two taboo vassal states, one of which was Linjiang, where two monarchs successively died, both of whom passed away at a young age

Just as I finally emerged from the small dark room, before I could even warm my seat, I was conferred the title of King of Hejian

In fact, if we were to follow the late Empress Dowager's decree, scenes like the current one should not occur.

Of course, there is another reason—Liu De has forgotten how to get home

At this moment, the emperor, who had been kneeling in front of the spirit hall, finally stood up, wiped away his tears, and said: "The Empress Dowager, before her passing, held my hand and entrusted me with her last wishes: all subsequent matters shall follow the edicts of the late emperor. The subjects of the realm shall not be forbidden to marry, to give their daughters in marriage, to conduct ancestral worship, to drink alcohol, or to eat meat. Those who are in mourning shall wear appropriate attire, and there shall be no display of carriages or weapons, nor shall men and women be allowed to weep in front of the palace, except during the designated mourning period, and no one shall weep without permission... I am unfilial, unable to follow the edicts and carry them out, and I cannot control my grief; this is my fault!"

Thus, he was sealed in the Kingdom of Linjiang

However, the late emperor passed away two years ago, and according to his will, the scale of the funeral was even less than that of an ordinary small kingdom's feudal lord. Even common families had their traditional mourning rituals and the period of mourning strictly limited and reduced.

This is how the mourning ceremony of today came to be

Even a year later, the fuse for the rebellion of the Seven States of Wu and Chu was lit when someone reported that King Liu Wu of Chu was indulging in drinking and merriment during the funeral of the Empress Dowager. This led to the overjoyed Chao Cuo seizing the opportunity to reduce Liu Wu's fiefdom. Consequently, King Liu Wu of Chu and King Liu Bi of Wu raised the banner of purging the court, initiating a rebellion. Following this, King Liu Sui of Zhao, King Liu Mao of Jiaoxi, King Liu Piguang of Jinan, King Liu Xian of Zichuan, King Liu Xiongqu of Jiaodong, and others rose in response, and within a single night, smoke signals of war erupted across much of China.

At that time, because it was the imperial edict of the Son of Heaven, the old man had no choice but to carry it out

Another one is the State of Yan, where those who were conferred the title of King of Yan rarely met with a good end

Liu De turned around and saw that it was his younger brother Liu Yan, which left him momentarily stunned

No!

Ultimately, everything that occurs today is merely a performance put on for the lords of the world to see

In a previous life, Liu De was being pinned down and violently beaten by others under the accusation of being "unfilial".

"Younger brother, how about going to visit your elder brother?" Liu De suggested after a moment of thought

It is worth noting that even Liu De, who was initially burdened with the label of "unfilial," was confined in Hejian, while the amusing Liu Duan managed to secure the state of Jiaodong

At present, Chao Cuo, the Minister of Internal Affairs, is actively maneuvering in the court, preparing to diminish the power of the feudal lords

As for Su Ji and Liu Rong, Liu De has already done his utmost and devoted himself in his previous life, thus he does not care how they perceive him

It is amusing to mention, yet it is also quite easy to understand

Liu De let out a long sigh upon hearing these words

Most of the Yan kings brought about their own demise

Among the many princes of the royal family, these two individuals have little presence

If Liu De remembers correctly, at this time, the Han dynasty's realm has already entered a period of turmoil and instability

Liu De also knew that his younger brother's abilities could only be described as average, and therefore, he was not favored by their father.

By my decree, from this moment forth, all funeral rites shall be conducted in accordance with the last wishes of the Empress Dowager. No official shall dare to contravene this order

Your Majesty, please accept my condolences ... ... The civil and military officials, along with the lords present, quickly knelt in reverence

Regardless of whether Liu Yan's fate will change ... Liu De thought to himself: "At the very least, I will make an effort to see if I can prevent him from being sent to Huguang ... "

With the command of Cheap Old Man, the days of hardship in this funeral have come to an end

Unfortunately

Is it now

Therefore, even though he was aware of the impending Wu-Chu Rebellion, he was unable to leverage it to gain any advantages for himself

Among the many brothers, the ones with the worst conditions for their fiefdoms are Liu Yan's Linjiang Kingdom and Liu Fa's Changsha Kingdom

However, there are issues with the soil and water in Linjiang

During this period, he spent a total of only one month living in his prince's palace within the royal palace

Thinking of Liu Yan, who accompanied him during the entanglements of his past life, Liu De could not remain indifferent