Chapter 2: Providing Timely Assistance in Difficult Times

As the saying goes, like father, like son

What a tragedy it would be if one were to encounter a prince on the street one day, only to be struck dead by a chessboard due to a moment of indiscretion

He lowered his head, gazing at the appearance of Consort Su, and softly said: "Mother, our Han family governs the world through filial piety. As a son, I must set an example with my own actions..."

Looking at Su Ji, Liu De sighed deeply in his heart, realizing that some people are beyond redemption.

Having just celebrated his fifteenth birthday, Liu De is naturally not far behind in any regard

More tragically, the death of the Crown Prince of Wu has yet to yield any conclusions from the court

"What are you doing here?" Liu De's inexpensive mother, Su Ji, upon seeing Liu De suddenly appear, pursed her lips and quickly tugged at Liu De's sleeve, admonishing in a lowered voice, "Quickly go back outside and kneel!"

This caused many feudal lords to pause and focus their attention on Liu De for a moment

In fact, almost everyone in the world knows that the current Empress Bo does not have the favor of the Emperor. The reason why Empress Bo's position is secure is due to her grand-aunt, the Empress Dowager. Now that the old lady has passed away, Empress Bo's position is immediately beginning to waver.

yet still remains in the time of nineteen years ago

Countless familiar faces from past lives appeared one by one before Liu De

Liu De had long been prepared in his heart

I silently said sorry in my heart

The magnanimous may choose to laugh it off, but the petty-minded will immediately be filled with resentment, grinding their teeth in anger

This is not because Liu De possesses the aura of a turtle; with a single tremor of his tiger-like physique, one can discern that he is the true dragon among men

Liu De's words were not loud, but they possessed great penetrating power; most importantly, there was no hesitation or stage fright.

Even the Emperor Cheng, who had been drained of his vitality by indulgence in wine and lust, was praised for possessing the demeanor of a virtuous sovereign

"What does it mean?" Liu De heard it clearly; this was the voice of Liu Zhi's mother, Wang Zhi.

As the Son of Heaven has yet to establish an heir to the throne, it can be said in a broad sense that among the ten sons currently under his care, each one has an opportunity.

The intelligent person, Liu Zhi's biological mother, Wang Zhi, upon realizing that her youth was no longer with her, decisively offered her younger sister to the emperor, thereby winning the emperor's favor and gaining an additional ally in the imperial harem

Only the empress, who holds the authority over the harem, is theoretically the common mother of all the princes

More than a hundred years later, Ban Gu stated in the Book of Han: "My aunt serves as a concubine in the imperial harem, and my father and brothers attend to the court. They have often told me: Emperor Cheng is adept at maintaining his appearance, sitting upright in his carriage, not looking inward, speaking softly, not pointing directly, and when he presides over the court, he is dignified like a deity. He can be said to possess the demeanor of a solemn and reverent Son of Heaven!"

When the Bo family is in high spirits, there are naturally those who are not pleased

The first to kneel before the spirit is the still vigorous and strong cheap old father, the current Emperor Liu Qi. To the left of the Emperor, kneeling side by side is the current Empress Dowager Dou. Behind these two, kneeling in a line are King Liang Liu Wu, the Bo family, and the Dou family relatives. Following them are the Emperor's consorts and the various feudal lords.

Although her height is less than 1.6 meters, her features are well-defined, her figure is slender, and her demeanor is quite good, kneeling on the ground like a sculpture

Then, Liu De turned to Su Ji and softly explained, "Mother, please forgive your son for taking matters into his own hands..."

Therefore, Liu Deneng came out to save the situation, and Liu Qi was naturally very pleased, but as the Son of Heaven, he could not show it.

Then, Liu De decisively knelt down and respectfully said: "Unfilial son Liu De pays his respects to the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and all the esteemed relatives and uncles!"

Su Ji lowered her head, her face pale, unwilling to speak.

"What is the matter?" After a while, the silent Emperor Liu Qi finally spoke up.

At this moment, Liu Deneng remembered to visit Empress Bo, which naturally moved the Bo family greatly

Liu De glanced at Su Ji. At this moment, Su Ji had already begun to show signs of fading beauty. From a man's perspective, her figure had become less shapely, and wrinkles had started to appear at her temples. After all, she was already in her thirties, and at this age, even with the cosmetics and makeup techniques of the twenty-first century, it was difficult to conceal the marks left by time.

"Nuo!" Liu De deeply bowed down, only he knew that this was the first step he took towards self-rescue: "I, your son, will faithfully obey your command!"

Those familiar with the inner workings know that, initially, the son most favored and cherished by the late Emperor Xiaowen was not him, but rather the late Prince Huai of Liang, Liu Yi. In order to nurture Liu Yi, the late emperor even sent Jia Yi to serve as Liu Yi's Grand Tutor.

However, Liu De paid no attention, turned around, and walked towards the inner palace.

According to the regulations, there is only one person who can be referred to as "Mother Empress" by the prince in formal occasions, and that is the current Empress, Empress Bo.

"This is only right and proper," the emperor said in a flat tone, then turned and knelt down again facing the Ling Shu. For him, even though he did not particularly like the empress, it was essential to maintain the necessary facade in the face of national mourning. The fact that the empress had fainted and not a single prince stepped forward to express anything had already made him feel somewhat embarrassed.

It is well known that adding flowers to a brocade is easy, but providing timely help in times of need is difficult

At that time, when Liu De's cheap father was still the crown prince, he killed the crown prince of Wu Wang by smashing him with a chessboard on the streets of Chang'an

To embark on the path of usurpation, one must be willing to forsake certain things. Moreover, his emotional connection with Su Ji is not deep, aside from their blood relation. Therefore, he does not harbor any sense of guilt in his heart

When the old lady was alive, the Bo family was naturally a royal relative of the Han dynasty, and even the emperor had to show them some deference. However, as soon as the old lady passed away, the entire world changed overnight, making the Bo family fully aware of what it means to experience the warmth and coldness of human relationships and the fickleness of society

Although Liu De's voice was soft, it could still be heard by the several concubines nearby

Several noble lords of the Bo family, who were relatives by marriage, cast grateful glances towards Liu De

Su Ji's complexion almost instantly turned ashen, and the expressions of several elders from the Dou family were also not very pleasant. However, the Empress Dowager appeared as if nothing had happened, quietly kneeling before the Ling Shu, as if everything was unrelated to her

"I have heard that Your Majesty has fainted, and I am deeply concerned about this. Therefore, I dare to humbly request Your Majesty's permission to visit and express my filial piety," Liu De said gently.

Upon seeing Liu De approach, several puzzled gazes were directly cast upon him

Bending his body, Liu De cautiously walked to the Ling Shu in the center of the main hall

What about the millet princess

Whenever this past event is recalled, the feudal lords naturally become attentive, as it is certainly not a bad thing to clearly remember the appearance, personality, and preferences of each prince

Having spoken, Liu De pressed his forehead firmly against the ground, awaiting his cheap old father to speak

It must be acknowledged that the genetic optimization project of the Lao Liu family has indeed been executed remarkably well, as essentially, each of the princes possesses an admirable appearance

However, that is merely theoretical

However, when he spoke these words, it was akin to dropping a heavy bomb within this palace

However, this branch of the Liu De family does not have a good reputation within the Liu clan

Before Liu Yi fell from his horse and died, his position as crown prince was far from secure. If it had not been for the efforts of the current Empress Bo, who was then the crown prince's consort, in navigating the complexities before the Grand Empress Dowager, he would not have survived until the day of Liu Yi's demise

The "mother" referred to by Liu De is certainly not his inexpensive mother, Su Ji

No one can understand Liu De's actions at this moment

The sudden appearance of Liu De has drawn the attention of many people