The tenth day of the twelfth lunar month in the twenty-fourth year of Zhaohua.

The first snowfall since the beginning of winter fell in Dongxu City, Kyoto of Wu State.

Today is the sixtieth birthday of Emperor Wu.

This was supposed to be a happy day, but news had already come from the palace that the emperor did not want to do anything extravagant and wasteful, so there was no grand celebration for this birthday.

This is the emperor's frugality.

The emperor has been in power for thirty-nine years, and he has always been frugal!

Under his hard work, Wu's national strength reached a new level.

The lives of the people of Wu State are also getting better and better like sesame seeds blooming.

Therefore, the old emperor was deeply loved by the people, and he also had high prestige among civil and military officials.

But as a prince, he cannot let his father's sixtieth birthday seem too deserted.

Therefore, at the instruction of His Highness the Crown Prince, colorful banners were hung on the streets and alleys of Dongxu City, and the palace was also rearranged. Red lanterns were hung everywhere, making the atmosphere more festive.

.

Royal study room.

The old emperor Wu Di put down the memorial in his hand, looked up at the snow outside the door, stood up, lifted up his clothes and walked to the door, looked up again, turned around and walked back, sitting on the chair next to the tea table.

.

"Jing Zhong,"

An old eunuch beside the door came over quickly: "Your Majesty, this old slave is here!"

"Unknowingly, it snowed again... Why do I feel that this winter is a bit cold?"

"Your Majesty, today is your sixtieth birthday!"

Emperor Wu opened his mouth, and after a moment he said "Oh...", "Yes, I am already in my old age...It's not that it's cold this winter, it's that I'm getting old!"

Zhang Jingzhong, the old eunuch Zhang quickly bowed again and said: "But the emperor is still strong and vigorous, but the old slave grew up with the emperor. If it were someone else, I'm afraid he would think that the emperor is only in his forties!"

Emperor Wu grinned.

He shook his head: "You old guy has such a mouth, you are still so sweet even when you are old!"

“You’re just old when you’re old, it’s no big deal!”

"I'm not a god. I'm just a mortal. I'm going to die eventually. I don't mind it!"

"Those red lanterns with red stripes outside... didn't I say I won't engage in these nihilistic things?"

Zhang Jingzhong quickly replied: "Your Majesty, you are the Emperor!"

"Of course you don't care about these formalities if you are rich all over the world, but please think about it, Your Majesty, as your son, if His Highness the Prince does nothing, this will fall in the eyes of the courtiers... Of course the ministers dare not say a word about the Emperor.

Yours is not!”

"But what will those ministers think of the prince?"

"Do you think the prince is unfilial?"

"As the old slave said, you may not do it, but the prince cannot do it!"

Wu Di curled his lips, "Then what else did the prince do?"

"This... originally the prince wanted to give you a surprise. Since the emperor asked about it, I will let you know everything about it first."

"The prince has invited a few veterans... Originally the prince wanted to invite all the sixty-year-olds in Dongxu City, saying that he wanted to hold a banquet for the Thousand Old Man for you, the emperor."

"From the old slave's point of view, this is actually quite good. The emperor loves the people like his own son. After hosting this banquet, the emperor's reputation among the people will be even higher!"

"It's just that the old slave understands your thoughts, so the old slave gave the prince a suggestion... There are too many Qiansou, so why not invite a dozen of them to join the table, which will not only satisfy the prince's filial piety, but also the emperor's.

wish."

Emperor Wu immediately laughed, and he raised his finger and pointed at Zhang Jingzhong:

"You old guy still likes to figure out my thoughts, but this time you really figured it out wrong."

Zhang Jingzhong was shocked when he heard this. He quickly bowed and said: "Then... I will organize a Thousand-Senior Banquet again!"

"never mind!"

Emperor Wu waved his hand, "Did the prince invite those old people?"

"Back to the emperor, there are the great scholar Yun Shuxian, Gu Nianxi, and Xian You, the old prime minister Hong Chenfan, the general Gou Zhong who has returned to Kyoto to report on his duties, and..."

"Wait a minute, Gou Zhong, I remember he is only forty years old, how can he become an old man?"

"This... Your Majesty, didn't you say that you would make His Highness the Crown Prince a Crown Princess at the birthday banquet? This is a big event. Since the General has returned to Kyoto, he has appointed his daughter Gou Yunniang as the Crown Princess. This is the Emperor's response to the Gou Mansion.

What a great gift!”

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince means that with Gou Zhong present, he should be able to better understand the emperor's intentions and lead the Condor Army to defend the border for the Kingdom of Wu."

Emperor Wu pondered for three breaths, "Well, it seems that the prince has put some thought into it. Who are the others?"

"There are still five ministers. Of course, they are not sixty years old, but the old slave thinks that age is not too important. These five ministers are all ministers of Wu State. His Highness the Crown Prince thinks that they can participate

The emperor's birthday banquet is their supreme glory."

"In the future, they will work even harder for the imperial court in their respective positions."

Emperor Wu frowned slightly, "Isn't there six ministers? Why did you invite five? Who is missing?"

"Back to the Emperor, Xia Liu, the Minister of War, is missing!"

"Why is he missing alone?"

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said...this name is not nice!"

Emperor Wu was startled and looked up at Zhang Jingzhong. He didn't say another word, but Zhang Jingzhong felt a huge pressure!

As an old man who has been with Emperor Wu since childhood, he knew the meaning of this look very well.

He bent even lower and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, this matter... I have personally gone to understand this matter. It is said that there are two main reasons why the prince does not like the Duke of Xia's mansion."

"First, Xia Liu had a daughter named Xia Hua. The emperor probably still has some memory of her. Ten years ago, she went to Tianyin Pavilion and became a disciple of the eldest princess. She became her close disciple."

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Xia Hua are childhood sweethearts... His Highness has always liked Miss Xia. His Highness has been waiting for Miss Xia for ten years, but he did not expect that Miss Xia would fall in love with Li Chen'an, the poet fairy from Ningguo!"

"This is the first displeasure for His Royal Highness."

"Secondly, His Highness the Crown Prince believes that Xia Li has been guarding Xia Yuanzhou for nearly twenty years. Although he has built a strong defense line like Qichengzhai, he ultimately failed to capture Wuyaguan."

"The prince believes that Xia Li can only defend the city and has no ability to attack the city. Therefore, the prince recalled Xia Li and replaced the head coach of Xia Yuanzhou with Gou Zhong's eldest son Gou Kuo... The prince said that he has asked you for instructions on this matter.

"

"The prince doesn't like the entire Duke Xia's palace, so he didn't invite Xia Li, the Minister of War. That's more or less the case."

Emperor Wu frowned. The prince did mention the matter of changing generals at Wuya Pass, but he only said one sentence at that time to conclude that this person needed more training...

He is going to send Gou Kuo to Wuyaguan for training?

The old man Xia Guogong is as smart as a monkey. Xia Li was dismissed from his post and Xia Liu was not welcomed by the prince... This old man made great achievements with me in the wars in the south and north. The prince would be embarrassed if he did this.

Heart!

He is not a resigned person!

The news of the vassal reduction has been released, will he use this matter to create some trouble?

Emperor Wu sat up straight and did not blame the prince.

"I am a nostalgic person. There are not many of my old brothers who were close friends in the past. Old Man Qiu left early, and Old Man Xia is also in his sixties and I am afraid he will not live for many years."

"In this case, you go to Duke Xia's mansion and tell me that I want to meet him."

"By the way, I also have a few words for the prince."

"As a king, you should be able to accommodate others! Even if you can't accommodate...the prince is still young, and those who cannot tolerate him will always die in front of him."

"You have to be able to keep your composure, you have to be able to hide things, and you also have to..."

Emperor Wu picked up the tea cup and looked at the snow outside the door.
Chapter completed!