"As the saying goes, once a son of heaven is a courtier, the emperor will always only believe in the person he has pulled up, the first emperor or something, in the eyes of the new emperor, it is more or less an obstacle and needs to be removed, and such a person is easy to deal with if he is just a courtier.

The problem is that such people are not only courtiers, but also the army, and the people who maintain the prestige of the Han court and the existence of the Han State are mainly this army, and the existence of this army is a crucial thing.

And if this army cannot gain the trust of the Son of Heaven, the result will be a disaster, and the minister is certain that if the Son of Heaven is in power, it will be difficult for this army to gain the trust of the Son of Heaven.

If they cannot be trusted by the Son of Heaven, they will inevitably be constrained by all kinds of constraints from the Son of Heaven, either by relatives or eunuchs, and by the Son of Heaven who will tie their hands and feet, and they will also be indignant.

When the time comes, whether the Son of Heaven wins or the army wins, that result will be the worst for the Han, of course, the minister thinks that the possibility of the army winning is very high, then the association may not be able to save his life. ”

Liu Bei organized the most high-sounding words and said them to the old lady, hoping that the old lady could understand.

And the old lady just opened her mouth and looked at Liu Bei in a daze, as if she didn't understand.

So Liu Bei sighed.

"The Empress Dowager, say a thousand ways and ten thousand, the minister is the emperor, can stabilize the throne, stabilize the Han, stabilize the world, of course, can also preserve the blood of the first emperor, after the abdication, do not worry about food, do not worry about clothing, a lifetime of pleasure, boundless joy.

But if the minister is not the emperor, he can't control the court, can't control the army, can't serve the people, the slightest carelessness, even his life is difficult to keep, and the Han will collapse, you say, to this point, how should I choose? ”

The old lady didn't speak for a long time, and seemed to have forgotten even the pain she was suffering from, and without saying a word, the whole person was stunned.

After a while, the old lady closed her mouth.

"Xuande, you're not kidding, are you? Are you serious? ”

"The Empress Dowager, how can the minister joke now? Things have come to this point, no matter how unwilling the minister is, he must accept the reality. ”

Liu Bei shook his head and said: "The first emperor is as kind to the minister as a mountain, and it is precisely because of this that the minister will think about preserving the blood and blood of the first emperor, if not, the minister will not be willing to do this kind of thing that will be questioned by future generations, the queen mother, the minister is really helpless." ”

"But...... This...... This you ...... Xuande...... This ......"

The old lady's mind seemed to be in a state of confusion and couldn't extricate herself, and the old lady didn't seem to be able to accept many things, her body shook unconsciously, and she wanted to sit up with her upper body.

Liu Bei stepped forward, helped the old lady up, and let the old lady lean on his arms.

The old lady thought about it for a while, and seemed to think of something.

So she asked Liu Bei.

"Xuande, don't you want to be the emperor yourself?"

Liu Bei shook his head again and again.

"The first emperor was as kind to the minister, before, the minister did not plan to be the emperor, but wanted to use other methods to stabilize the Han family, but because of Zheng Tai's stupid behavior, everything was advanced, and the minister had no time to make arrangements."

Liu Bei sighed: "The most difficult thing in the world to grasp is the people's heart, people's minds change, the situation is weird, the minister is like a flame, the minister doesn't know what this means, if the will of heaven is like this, to the minister, to the emperor, to you, it is too cruel." ”

The old lady was silent for a while when she heard this, raised her eyes and looked at Liu Bei, thinking about it left and right, and always felt that these things were too difficult to accept.

"Xuande, this matter, you call me an old woman a little unbelievable."

"The Empress Dowager, so far, what else is there to believe or not?"

"Are you really just here to preserve the blood of the first emperor?"

The old lady turned her head sideways and looked at Liu Bei: "Are you really not a little selfish?" Or is there really no other way? ”

"What do you think can be done?"

Liu Bei helped the old lady and asked the old lady.

The old lady was stunned for a moment, then shook her head.

"The only person in the world who can think of a way is you Liu Xuande, if you can't think of it, or you don't want to think about it, then the old woman will definitely not be able to think of it."

"Previously, the minister had ideas and preparations, so he made the General's Mansion so perfect, thinking that if he could, maybe he could really make the Han Dynasty a lineage, so as to avoid the suffering of changing the dynasty and changing the generations."

Liu Bei said softly: "But now, no, the doubts of the people of the world, especially those subordinates of the ministers, have all been aroused, if there is no result in this matter, there is no result that conforms to their ideas, they may even force the ministers to become emperors, so that they can rest assured."

Such people are not one or two, not even 120,000, that is hundreds of thousands, millions, the heart of one person, the heart of tens of millions, the heart of tens of millions of people, and the heart of one person, the Queen Mother, so far, it is irreparable. ”

The old lady didn't speak for a while.

There was a long silence in the palace full of medicinal smells, and then a long sigh.

The old lady sighed heavily.

"Dong Chong came to me before and said to me, I want you to make a promise, saying that you will always assist the association, so that you can be completely relieved, I thought that this is not necessary, because you Liu Xuande is absolutely reliable, but now it seems that there is really no need for this, the most reliable person is gone."

Liu Bei blinked his eyes and smiled slightly.

"The Empress Dowager, the minister is incompetent and cannot continue to assist the first emperor's blood, but the minister can protect the first emperor's blood forever and let the first emperor's bloodline remain, this can be sworn by the minister."

"Really?"

"Really."

"If you can't swear that if you really plan to be against the association, the old woman will fight for her life, and she will also slash you here."

Empress Dowager Dong glanced at Liu Bei, shook her hand, and threw out a hairpin with a sharp tip.

The hairpin fell to the ground, made a crisp sound, rolled a few times, and fell into Liu Bei's eyes.

This hairpin, I don't know when it was held in her hand, Liu Bei didn't notice it at all, and if this thing really stuck a guy in his neck, his life would be gone.

So Liu Bei's heart raced for a moment.

He had never been so worried about the many enemies who wanted his life in so many years, because he always had the guards by his side, and he wore the tightest armor, and his survival rate was the highest in the whole army.

But this time it was different, he didn't wear anything, he didn't prepare anything for this terminally ill old lady, he slacked off, he completely slacked off.

And at that moment, the old lady had the power to kill him.

As long as the hairpin is inserted into his neck, he will become a tragic figure, and he will be laughed at by future generations, and the Shura battlefield has survived, and he actually died at the hands of a terminally ill old lady.

But soon, he stabilized his mood.

He smiled.

"You won't do this, because you know better than anyone else that except for the ministers, no one can stabilize the Han Dynasty, and no one can protect the blood of the first emperor, if not, how can you be so dissatisfied with Dong Chong?

You told the minister what Dong Chong did, or twice, once through Liu Yu's mouth, just now, you yourself said it once, as if you were afraid that the minister would not notice, Dong Chong, but your own nephew. ”

The old lady "ouch" for a while, stroked her chest, and looked very uncomfortable.

"My nephew can't kiss my son or grandson, my wife is incompetent, I can't save my son's life, this is a lifelong regret, no matter what, I have to save my grandson's life, right?

Otherwise, when I see Hiro after I die, Hiroshi asks me how I'm doing, and how should I answer him? Do you want me to tell Hong in person, I'm useless as a big mother, I can't protect him, and let him be bullied by you? ”

As she spoke, the old lady glanced at Liu Bei.

"Xuande, if you become an emperor and see Hong after you die, Hong asks you why you want to be an emperor and why you want to bully Xie, how should you answer him?"

Liu Bei thought for a moment.

"Minister...... There should be no one who can see the first emperor, if a person dies, he is dead, if he dies, his soul will be destroyed, and the corpse will soon decay, and there will be no trace of it in the world, it will disappear completely, and there will be no possibility of existence again.

The Empress Dowager, the minister does not believe that people die and have spirits, the body is dead, and keeping the soul is purely a more painful thing, it is better to destroy together, disappear forever, and never exist again, so, isn't it beautiful? ”

"You don't believe that man dies and has a spirit?"

The old lady was surprised: "This is a strange thing, the big guys are busy setting up tablets for their ancestors, begging their ancestors to bless their descendants in the sky, you don't believe it?" ”

"The funniest thing in the world is to ask the dead to bless the living."

Liu Bei chuckled and said, "If the dead can bless the living, how can there be dead people?" People will eventually die, this is a natural principle, it will not change for anything, birth, old age, sickness and death, everyone will experience, the first emperor is like this, so am I, dead is dead, why care so much? ”

"No wonder, if you believed this, you probably wouldn't dare to do this."

The old lady sighed with emotion: "But no matter what, Xuande, if you become the emperor, there will always be people who say that you are usurping the throne, or usurping the throne of a child, this is not good, right?" ”

"Zen Rang isn't a usurper, right?"

Liu Bei shook his head and smiled: "No matter how you say it, the minister is also a member of the Han family and a descendant of Gaozu, it should be regarded as a Zen concession between the clansmen, not a usurper with a different surname, but if someone insists on saying that this is a usurpation, the minister is helpless."

In this kind of thing, everyone's thoughts are different, the ministers are in charge of heaven and earth, and they can't control what people say, how to say what they like, as long as the Han can be maintained, as long as peace and stability can be maintained, it doesn't matter whether they usurp the throne or not. ”

"You're really not an emperor for yourself?"

The old lady observed Liu Bei's expression and found that when it came to the throne, there was always a hint of resistance and dissatisfaction on his face.

"I didn't want to take this road, but I was forced to be helpless, how can it be regarded as for myself?"

Liu Bei smiled bitterly; "The minister became the emperor, and the people below who benefited the most were those who would get a higher status and greater power, not the minister himself, which was clearly for others, for everyone, but not for the minister himself, so it would be strange to be happy."

The old lady stopped talking, thought about it, and only sighed.

Then, she reached out and stroked her chest.

"It's starting to feel uncomfortable again, call the healer, it's uncomfortable."

"Yui."

Liu Bei asked the old lady to lie down and got up to find a doctor.

After walking a few steps, the old lady's voice rang out.

"Xuande, when are you going to be the emperor?"

Liu Bei stopped.

"It's better sooner rather than later, sooner rather than later, it's better to let those who have done stupid things not react, and then, sentence them to death as the emperor, and kill them all as the emperor, so that it is more justifiable."

"Are you going to kill people when you first come to power?"

The old lady sighed: "But if you are too fast, the old woman will not be able to breathe by then, how do you plan to arrange the old woman?" ”

"Of course I hope you're healed."

Liu Bei said with a smile: "The matter of replacing the emperor still needs your cooperation, and your will, that is the most justifiable, so you will always be the empress dowager of the Han Dynasty." ”

"Before you die, you want to toss my old woman?"

The old lady smiled bitterly: "Are you planning to ask my old woman to give you a hand before she dies?" Help you explain why you want to be emperor? You let the old woman do this thing, how can the old woman be able to deal with Hong? ”

"The Empress Dowager, since the ascension to the throne, the ministers have always sent you the best treasures and the most gorgeous objects, serving you wholeheartedly, without merit and hard work, after so many years, it is quite appropriate for you to do a favor at the end, isn't it?"

Liu Bei looked at the old lady with a smile.

The old lady stared at Liu Bei, and after a long while, she nodded slowly.

"Without you, the old woman might have been killed by the He family a long time ago, it's not impossible to do you a favor, but this matter is a matter for the entire Liu clan, whether the old woman is surnamed Liu or not, if you want to convince the world clan, why do you have to have someone who can speak in the clan to help you, right?"

Liu Bei smiled.

"Situ Gong Liu Yu is willing to help the minister."

The old lady looked shocked.

"Huh? Liu Yu's ...... Did he promise to help you? Did he admit you? He cares so much about an orthodox person, and he actually admits you? ”

"Yes."

Liu Bei opened his eyes and said nonsense: "Situ Gong is already old, he just wants to be Situ, he just wants to retire with peace of mind, whoever can do it, he will help whomever he can, this point, he is very similar to you." ”

"At this point, you still have to tease my old woman, ouch......"

Empress Dowager Dong nodded, then closed her eyes and sighed.

"That's it, that's it, Liu Yu has helped you, what else do I have to say? You can do whatever you want, the old woman doesn't care, the affairs of your old Liu family, the old woman can't take care of it, go, go. ”

The old lady sighed resignedly, waved her hand, and no longer bothered Liu Bei.

Liu Bei slowly walked out of the palace, looked at the clear sky in the sky, and slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

"In the end, it has come to this point, Shiya? Fate? ”

Then Liu Bei walked a few more steps, and when he was about to walk to the door of the palace store, he suddenly stopped.

"This time, it is estimated that it will not be Emperor Zhaolie, but this nickname is quite good, it is very suitable for Uncle Liu Huang, but it is not very suitable for me."

Liu Bei shook his head with a smile, took another step, and continued to walk forward.

It's all come to this, where can we stop?

For the sake of the Han, for the subordinates, for the ethereal dreams, and for the ...... That little bit of thought.

It's time to prepare for the events before and after the emperor's reign.

After leaving the palace, Liu Bei came to Situ's Mansion and visited Liu Yu in person.

Liu Yu hurriedly received Liu Bei and inquired about the communication between Liu Bei and the Empress Dowager Dong.

Liu Bei didn't go around in circles, he got straight to the point, and told Liu Yu his plans and the old lady's meaning.

Liu Yu was immediately so shocked that he couldn't hold the cup in his hand and splashed water.

"Xuande...... You...... What are you...... It's ......"

"Situ Gong, we are all surnamed Liu, we are all relatives of the Han family, and we are descendants of Gaozu, we can't be considered usurping, we can only be regarded as the transfer of the throne between different branches, and it should be regarded as a Zen position."

Liu Bei emphasized the background of this matter, and said with a smile: "Moreover, the Empress Dowager has agreed and is willing to give an order to cooperate with me, what else do you have to say?" ”

"The Empress Dowager...... Did she really agree? You...... You're not going to force her, are you? ”

Liu Yu looked at Liu Bei with a suspicious face: "Xuande, is there really no other solution to this matter?" It's not appropriate for you to do that, right? ”

"So what do you think is the solution?"

Liu Bei looked at Liu Yu with a smile: "If you can find a suitable way to deal with it, I am willing to use it, I just can't find a suitable way to choose this path, this is not a good thing for me, how much criticism do I have to bear for this?" ”

"This ......"

Liu Yu looked at Liu Bei, and really didn't know what to say about this for a while.

This kind of major matter involving people's hearts, if it is really so easy to solve, it will not make Liu Bei take such a stimulating solution, Liu Yu can't get a conclusion after thinking about it.

In the end, he could only look at Liu Bei worriedly.

"Did the Empress Dowager really agree?"

"How could I force her to be old? Is that necessary? ”

Liu Bei said helplessly: "In this case, if I want to preserve the blood of the first emperor, what other way do I have besides ascending the throne and becoming the emperor?" The Empress Dowager also knows that this is the only way to preserve the blood and blood of the first emperor, only I can suppress those arrogant generals, the Empress Dowager understands the righteousness and understands it very well! ”

Liu Yu swallowed his saliva, sat there with his head propped up and frowned, and was quiet for a while.

"I really didn't expect that I would encounter such a thing alive......"

"You should live a long life, Situ Gong."

Liu Bei smiled and said: "By the way, when the Son of Heaven ceremonies the ceremony, the Empress Dowager means to let you preside over it." ”

(End of chapter)