At the end of September, Liu Ying finally woke up from the lustful dogs. Because October was a great court meeting, Liu Fei, the king of Qi, Liu Bifei, the crown prince of Chu, and others arrived in Chang'an two days ahead of schedule. Liu Ying chatted with him for a day and night. The next day, Liu Ying took Qi Wang Fei and Chu Prince Liu Bifei to worship the Empress Dowager of Changxin Palace. When Empress Lu saw Liu Ying talking happily with the Fei and Bifei brothers, she didn't like it in her heart, especially disgusted with Qi Wang Fei. The fief of Qi Wangfei is in the Guandong Qi State, with 73 counties under its jurisdiction, and it is the largest, most economically rich, and most populous country among the children of Liu Bang. Empress Lu knew that Qi Wang Fei was not only the eldest son of the first emperor Liu Bangshu, but also because of the early death of his mother Mrs. Cao, the first emperor was ashamed of his mother, and after becoming the emperor, he tried his best to make up for Liu Fei and gave him the richest country in Kanto; The most disgusting thing in Empress Lu's heart was that Liu Bang moved the Cao family to the burial area of the Changling Tomb before his death, and the Cao family was the first person to enter the Changling Tomb. Empress Lu was therefore benevolent and gave Qi Wang fat, and all kinds of treasures and brocades.

After worshipping Lu, the three brothers got together for another night, drinking and talking. Speaking of the fun, Liu Ying's eyes were red, she stopped the wine bottle and said no more. Liu Fei and Liu Bifei looked at each other, knowing that there were many gaps between the young emperor and Empress Lu, Liu Fei patted him on the shoulder and persuaded, "Brother is young and doesn't understand political affairs. Although the Queen Mother has mistakes, she is all for you. Liu Bifei nodded in agreement. Liu Ying only drank and did not talk. After drinking for a while, Liu Ying asked about the situation in Qi State, and Liu Fei said that Qi State has Cao ginseng, and everything is worry-free; asked about Liu Xiang and Liu Zhang's brothers again, Liu Fei smiled and praised the two brothers for their wisdom. Liu Ying smiled and nodded, turned her head and asked Liu Bifei about the illness of her little uncle Liu Jiao, Liu Bifei looked worried, saying that his father's illness was only bad, and it was even worse when he came to Chang'an, and he was afraid that he would return to Chu soon after the court meeting. Liu Ying comforted Bifei and said that the little uncle would get better.

On the first day of October, the Chang'an court held a grand court meeting, and the liveliness of the court meeting was no less than that of Liu Bang's period, but there was no more Huaiyin Marquis Han Xin, Liang Wang Peng Yue, Huainan Wang Dubu and the like. Liu Ying simply and clearly talked about the 'upper plan' handed over by the vassal states, and especially praised the best of the Qi country; secondly, he listened to the princes and kings' plans for domestic development; and finally, the monarchs and ministers were happy together.

In the afternoon, Liu Ying chatted with her brothers again. After the Marquis of Biyang went to Changxin Palace to meet Lu, he complained about Chen Chaohui's situation, and reiterated that Liu Ying praised the Qi country and rewarded the king of Qi for his fat. Empress Lu was displeased.

On the order of the Empress Dowager Lu, a family banquet was held in Changxin Palace in the evening, where the Liu family belonged to Wang Fei of Qi, Liu Bifei, the prince of Chu, Liu Xin, the Marquis of Tangjie, and Liu Zhong, the Marquis of Heyang; And there are Lu family, Lu Shizhi, Lu Tai, Lu Chan, Lu Lu, Lu Shizhi's young son Lu Chong, Princess Lu Yuan, Xuanping Hou Zhang Ao and his wife, Lu Huan and Fan Hao and other Lu relatives. Lu is sitting in the south, and the first one in the lower right is Liu Ying, and the mother and son talk very little. On the contrary, Liu Ying saw that the eldest brother Liu Fei was far away from him, got up to Liu Fei's side, pulled him to his seat and sat down, and he sat according to Liu Fei's second position. When Empress Lu saw this, she was very displeased. So many people got together, of course, there were too many topics, and they chatted with each other for half an hour, and Liu Ying ordered the people of the eunuch palace to officially hold a banquet, and everyone blocked their mouths with delicacies. In the dining room, Liu Ying asked Princess Lu Yuan, who was sitting opposite, about her recent life, and Princess Lu Yuan said that everything was fine, and said that Zhang Yan had grown up a lot and was much more stable. Liu Ying smiled and said that she hadn't seen Zhang Yan's niece for a long time, so she touched the wine bottle with her sister and drank it all. Lu Shizhi, Lu Tai and others diligently asked Qi Wang Fei about the affairs of Qi State, and there was no trace of flattery, because Qi State was the largest feudal state of Liu Bangshu's eldest son, and the economic power was very strong, Lu Shizhi and others did not dare to despise Liu Fei. He Yanghou and Fan Xu spoke energetically and talked about many things about the first emperor Liu Bangchao, which resonated with everyone present. Empress Lu listened quietly and ate. Between the casual chatter, Empress Lu beckoned Jing Tian, who was serving on the side, whispered something in his ear, and Jing Tian went to the inner room.

Oh, Jing Tian went straight to Qi Wang Fei's side with two glasses of wine. Empress Lu smiled and said to him, "The first emperor regarded you as a treasured jade, and your mother died early, why don't you pay tribute to your deceased parents today?" ”

Liu Fei was stunned for a moment, readily agreed, immediately got up and took the wine bottle, and raised his glass with a solemn face in the direction of Changling, where his parents were located, and was about to drink, but Liu Ying pulled his sleeve, Liu Ying smiled, "It's better to accompany my brother to respect my parents." After that, Liu Ying also took another glass of wine, Lu Hou was shocked, got up and watched his brother and brother tacitly walk out of their seats, and when they were about to drink, Lu Hou stepped up and knocked Liu Ying's wine bottle to the ground, Liu Ying was stunned, Liu Fei was puzzled, and then frightened. Everyone's eyes were attracted by Empress Lu's move, and they were stunned. Empress Lu felt that the atmosphere was solidified, and everyone looked at her, and their eyes were in their hearts. 'Smack-', Lu Hou slapped Jing who was serving wine, and scolded, "Bastard thing! Don't you know if the wine in the brewery is rancid? Change the wine! Jing Tian covered his face and went silently, and re-served the wine to Liu Fei and Liu Ying brothers, Liu Ying took pity on Jing Tian and told her to go back to Weiyang Palace.

There was no sense of harmony at the family banquet, everyone was cautious under the nose of Empress Lu, and everyone had the same idea in their hearts about Empress Lu's move: poisoning Qi Wang Fei, Liu Ying and Liu Fei's cups were poisonous, and Empress Lu hurriedly knocked out Liu Ying's wine bottle. Empress Lu knew that the atmosphere was not good, so she wanted to restore the good atmosphere at the beginning, but you didn't dare to relax again. Liu Fei knew Empress Lu's heart, and was very frightened, pretending to be drunk, and fell on the case, no one could wake up. At the end of the family banquet, Liu Ying specially ordered Shi Zuxun to send Liu Fei back to the Chang'an residence.

Everyone said goodbye to Empress Lu and Liu Ying, only her mother and son were left in the hall, Empress Lu glanced at Liu Ying with a calm face next to the case, and turned around to leave.

"The Empress Dowager—" Liu Ying called out to Empress Lu.

Lu Hou stopped and did not turn around.

"Please stop the Empress Dowager," Liu Ying knelt down and kowtowed to Empress Lu, "Qi Wangfei is my brother and your concubine." ”

Empress Lu's eyes lit up, her face gradually sank, and she didn't answer for a long time. The cool breeze blew into the main hall, like a roar, the candle shadow jumped messy, and Lu Hou went out of the hall in the wind.

King of Qi, the official residence of Chang'an. Liu Fei woke up immediately after arriving at the official residence, and was frightened into a cold sweat by Empress Lu's actions at the banquet, and his legs were weak and difficult to stand. Liu Fei sat on the mat and told Nei Shi Zuxun about Empress Lu's unusual behavior at the banquet, saying that he had the intention of killing himself. Zu Xun didn't dare to say more, only said that he would secretly find out the situation tonight, and asked Liu Fei not to enter the palace to see Empress Lu in the next few days. Two days later, Zu Xun, who had found out the facts, reported to Liu Fei, saying that during the family banquet the day before yesterday, the wine drunk by King Qi and Liu Ying was indeed poisonous, and Lv Hou originally asked Liu Fei to toast to the first emperor Liu Bang and Mrs. Cao, but he didn't expect Liu Ying to toast too, so Lv Hou jumped to Liu Ying and knocked off the wine bottle in his hand. Zu Xun also said that the queen mother was unhappy all day long, and the relationship with the emperor was not good, which seemed to be related to this family banquet, but he was afraid that the queen mother would not easily return to the king of Qi. Liu Fei was terrified, knowing that Empress Lu would not spare him this time, and he was afraid that he would not even be able to get out of Chang'an, and it would be difficult to return to Qi State. Qi Wangfei didn't dare to go out for five days, and no one would see him. On this day, Zuxun came in from the outside, and saw that the king of Qi was still unwilling, and there was no smile in the end, Zuxun went to the king of Qi and bowed his hand and said, "The servant has a plan, I don't know if it is feasible?" ”

"What?" Liu Fei's eyes lit up, and he immediately got up and grabbed Zu Xun's wrist and asked, "Say it quickly." ”

"The Empress Dowager is tired of you, but because the first emperor gave you the seventy-three counties of Qi State, the Empress Dowager only has Her Majesty and Princess Lu Yuan in her life, needless to say, her love for her sisters and brothers. Your Majesty is the co-lord of the world, but Princess Lu Yuan's Tang Muyi only has three counties in Ludi, why don't you give a county to the Queen Mother and ask her to make it the princess Tang Muyi. In this way, the Queen Mother is happy, and you will not be killed. Zu Xun said.

The king of Qi was fattened, and in the afternoon he entered the palace to meet Empress Lü, saying that he was willing to sacrifice the rich Chengyang County to Empress Lü. Empress Lu's eyes lit up, and she immediately stopped drinking tea, and asked solemnly, "Is it true?" ”

"It's true." Liu Fei replied.

Empress Lu narrowed her eyes and looked at the King of Qi in front of her, not knowing what Liu Fei was thinking, but she shook her head after planning for a long time in her abdomen and said, "No, Chengyang belongs to Qi Land, and the seventy-three counties of Qi Land were given by the first emperor." The mourning family has its own Tang Muyi, you don't have to sacrifice the city and the mourning family. ”

Liu Fei frowned and thought carefully, and only blindly remembered Nei Shixun's instructions - if you want to live, you must sacrifice a county to Empress Lu. He also knew that Empress Lu was just pretending to make concessions, and Empress Lu was eager to take the entire Qi State back to the imperial court, remove the genealogical records of Liu Fei's royal family and the titles of princes, Liu Fei knew that the rich and powerful Qi State was the nail in the eyes of Empress Lu, why not take this opportunity to curry favor with the Queen Mother? Liu Fei took a step closer and said loudly, "If the Queen Mother doesn't accept it, you can reward Chengyang County to Princess Lu Yuan." ”

"No, Lu Yuantang Muyi is in Lu, I can't ask you for an inch of the city." Empress Lu pretended to be resolutely unacceptable.

"The minister will dedicate Chengyang to the imperial court, and the queen mother has the right to decide to give it to Princess Lu Yuan," Liu Fei said and took out a silk from the deep sleeves of the wide robe and handed it to Queen Lu, and said resolutely, "Only the queen mother needs to be stamped with a seal." ”

Empress Lu opened the silk, and the number was impressive: the minister fat dedicated to Chengyang and the queen mother, and he had no regrets for the rest of his life. At the bottom right is Liu Fei's signature and seal. Empress Lu tried her best to hide the ecstasy in her heart, and she could still see a slight joy on her face, because the Qi State was given by the first emperor Liu Bang after all, and even if Empress Lu wanted the Qi Kingdom to be a city and a half, she had some concerns. Liu Fei saw that Empress Lu wanted, but hesitated, Liu Fei knew that he was worried about the first emperor, so he had the intention to dispel Empress Lu's concerns, and insisted on requesting, "The country of Qi originally belonged to the Han Dynasty, and the queen mother was the mother of the ministers, so why not give you a city?" Liu Fei knelt down and said again, "If the Queen Mother doesn't accept Chengyang, the ministers can't afford to kneel." Liu Fei seemed to be resolute.

When Empress Lu saw that Liu Fei was really serious and happy, he smiled and immediately asked the palace people to help Liu Fei up, and let him sit at the same table with him, and said with a smile, "Chengyang shouldn't have accepted the mourning family, but you insist on doing so, and the mourning family can't help but accept your affection." For the time being, according to your wishes, the mourning family will add Chengyang County to Lu Yuan Tang Muyi. Liu Fei bowed his hand, bowed deeply to Empress Lu, and took advantage of the situation to request, "Chen Fei has prepared a banquet in the mansion, can I ask the Empress Dowager and Princess Lu Yuan to move to the mansion tonight." Empress Lu was stunned for a moment, and after a little thought, she readily responded.

At night, the official residence of King Qi Fei.

Empress Lu and Princess Lu Yuan arrived ahead of schedule, Princess Lu Yuan saw Liu Fei and also cordially stepped forward to call 'Brother Brother Qi', Liu Fei did not dare to be close to Princess Lu Yuan because of the poison incident a few days ago, Lu Yuan every time he asked about it, Liu Fei always took a step back, bowed his hand and replied respectfully, not daring to go beyond it at all, Lu Yuan didn't quite understand that his brother had become so strange in a few days, but Lu Hou was very happy.

At the banquet, Liu Fei ordered Kabuki to cheer up, and he served Empress Lu diligently for dinner, and when he saw Empress Lu, he was fascinated by singing and dancing, and Liu Fei also accompanied her to watch; Empress Lu wanted to drink tea, and Liu Fei poured it himself; Lv Hou eats snacks, Liu Fei holds a plate for Lv Hou to choose, Liu Fei serves Lv Hou is all thoughtful, and Lv Hou is happy. In the interval, Liu Fei saw that the time was coming, and suddenly bowed down in front of Empress Lu and Lu Yuan, and pleaded solemnly, "Chen Fei is willing to worship the princess as the queen mother, serve diligently, and have no regrets for the rest of his life." Lu Hou and Lu Yuan were both shocked, and Lu Yuan even got up 'Teng' and asked in surprise, "What did my brother say?" Worship me as the Queen Mother? ”

Liu Feishi was unwilling, but he had to say, "Yes, what the minister said is true, and he will serve you for the rest of his life." ”

"I don't agree," Lu Yuan hurriedly walked to Liu Fei's side and asked urgently, "Why is my brother like this, I am my brother's little sister, how can my brother worship me as the queen mother, how can he serve me?" Brother, don't talk like that, get up quickly. Lu Yuan helped Liu Fei, he couldn't afford to be fat, and resolutely kowtowed and begged, "If the princess doesn't want me, I will kneel and die." Lu Yuan helped each other several times, but he couldn't afford to be fat, and Lu Yuan was unhappy. Empress Lu was overjoyed and said, "Why should the King of Qi be like this, Lu Yuan is your sister after all, how can you be your queen mother, and the seniority is different." ”

"The princess is the king, I am the minister, the monarch is the minister, the monarch is the minister, the king is the minister, the minister is willing to be the princess." Liu Fei bowed his head and resolutely requested.

Lu Yuan was displeased and ignored Liu Fei. Empress Lu was overjoyed, secretly comforted the unhappy Lu Yuan, and said to Liu Fei, "It's all up to you, the mourning family has always been used to you, isn't it?" Empress Lu smiled. Liu Fei also smiled embarrassedly, "The minister is at fault." Empress Lu asked Liu Fei to get up, and Liu Fei immediately went to serve Empress Lu in front of Empress Lu's case, saying that Empress Lu was happy and said, "The minister has been in Chang'an for a few days, and the affairs of Qi are complicated, and I am willing to return to the east as soon as possible, I don't know what the Queen Mother means?" Empress Lu smiled and immediately agreed, "It's time to go back, I'll go back when I want to go back, don't use Changxin Palace to look at me." Liu Fei hurriedly bowed deeply to Empress Lu.

At noon the next day, the eunuch entered the palace to report to Lu, "The king of Qi is returning east this morning and is in a hurry." Empress Lu was stunned for a moment, a trace of contempt flashed in her eyes, and a smile flashed on her face.