There was a warm and peaceful atmosphere in Ciming Hall. Empress Fu and Concubine Zhe were all there. Concubine Gao Guifei learned about the situation and came to express her condolences. Together with several princes and princesses, it was very lively.
The main character is naturally Liu Fang. He had his grandmother, aunt, and biological mother check him out. They found that he was in good condition, which made him feel relieved. Liu Fang also took off his armor and vividly told everyone about his experiences in the Southern Expedition. This boy is still Some eloquent ones can even create an atmosphere and describe things vividly and very attractively, especially to the few little princes and princesses who have never been out of the palace.
However, the arrival of Emperor Liu interrupted the internal story of the royal family. The concubines hurriedly saluted, and the children also visited the emperor in a polite manner. They conveniently held Liu Zhao, the tenth son born to Empress Fu, in their arms. Here, I came forward to say hello to the Queen Mother.
Queen Mother Li's old age and frailty are already visible to the naked eye. The gray hair and tight wrinkles all tell the traces of time. Liu Chengyou sighed in his heart and said: "Mother, your grandson has returned safely and triumphantly. You can feel at ease now!"
With a loving smile on her face, Mrs. Li looked at Liu Chengyou and said, "It's a pity that Da Lang and Er Lang are still in Jiangnan. The New Year is about to start..."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Liu immediately said: "Don't worry, we are raising people in the Jiangnan Water Village. The situation there has begun to stabilize, and they can come back before the Lantern Festival next year!"
Seeing this, Mrs. Li hurriedly said: "That's not what I meant. The people of Jiangnan are in the fields. When they first entered the Han Dynasty, they were confused. At the time of harmony and reconciliation, you asked them to represent the royal family as princes and princes to regulate the government and appease the people. Don't delay state affairs because of your own selfish thoughts!"
After so many years, the Queen Mother has always had personal preferences, but when it comes to public affairs, she has always understood justice. This is what Emperor Liu has admired and respected the most about this old mother for a long time.
"What you said is serious. I have made arrangements with the imperial court to deal with the aftermath of Jiangnan, so we can't miss important things! They are still young, so how can they be seriously entrusted with important things? Let them go out this time for the purpose of training. They will go out for a few months. , it’s time to let them come back, not only to comfort their family, but also to give them a test!” Liu Chengyou said with a smile.
"By the way, my uncle has been away for many years, and next year I plan to transfer him back to Tokyo to take up a post!" Liu Chengyou said again, looking at his mother's old face.
After saying this, Mrs. Li looked at Emperor Liu with a little suspicion. Did she know that Liu Chengyou had not liked his uncle Li Ye very much. Feeling the confusion in his mother's eyes, Liu Chengyou took the initiative to explain: "My uncle is out here." He has been in office for more than ten years. He has done a lot of things and achieved some political achievements for my salary. With his current ability, he is enough to go to Beijing from Daozhou and serve in the central government!"
Hearing what he said, Mrs. Li's kind eyes completely relaxed, and she was as gentle as before, and responded: "This is a matter between your monarchs and ministers. If you think it is appropriate, and the ministers have no objections, just make the arrangements yourself. There is no need to ask me, a woman, for advice." people!"
Although she said this, the joy on the Queen Mother's eyebrows was too strong.
Ever since Liu Chengyou dismissed several high-ranking uncles and released them from power, Queen Mother Li has never taken the initiative to gain honor for her younger brothers or the Li family over the years. Basically, it was Liu Chengyou himself who, from time to time, Take the initiative to show concern about this.
Qianyou got up early, and his uncles like Li Hongxin, Li Hongyin, and Li Hongwei played a large role in the Forbidden Army. Later, they all became Jiezhen one after another, and were promoted to powerful people as relatives, and their status was prominent. However, these uncles, Except for Li Hongwei, his talents and personal ethics are all lacking, and his official reputation is not good.
Therefore, Liu Chengyou's removal of the power of his maternal relatives certainly had power considerations, but more importantly, it was because they really did not have enough ability to hold high-level positions in the court. On the other hand, he continued to reverse the military and political affairs of the court through this kind of move. some bad practices among them.
The Queen Mother is not a saint, but she actually cares about her brothers. Although she doesn't say it, she feels depressed in her heart. Fortunately, Li Hongxin and Li Hongyin live a happy life in Luoyang, and they can go to Kaifeng to visit and greet them from time to time. Li Hongwei is still in important positions. Now he is the commander of Hedong Capital.
The one who received the most concern and love from Empress Dowager Li was her younger brother Li Ye. Because in his early years, he was unwilling to be lonely in the court and made trouble by trying to express himself, which violated Emperor Liu's taboo, so Liu Chengyou directly sent Li Ye to Yuanzhou as the governor.
In the following ten years, Li Ye successively served as Zhengzhou, Jinzhou, Heyang, and now Huaibei Chief Envoy. For such a long time, he could only meet each other and talk about his siblings when he went to Beijing to report on his duties. Feelings.
Of course, in the process of transferring to Zhudaozhou, Uncle Li Guo also made some achievements. His political achievements were definitely good. In all previous evaluations, he was overall above average. But he was obviously a troublesome person. Every time you take office, there will always be some problems.
When he was in Wonju, he cracked down on smuggling, but his network made a lot of profits from it; when he was in Zhengzhou, he was regulating rivers and embankments, building roads and dredging canals, and serving too many people; while in Jinzhou, there were no major problems, but Because Duke Li Shaoyou of the State of Shou was worshiped as the chief envoy of Guanzhong, he expressed some complaints. In his remarks to others, he expressed that as an uncle, his title and official position were not as good as that of a nephew...
Although this brother-in-law has various problems, in general, after more than ten years of local service experience, he has been trained and has the ability to do things. Compared with his early years, he was ambitious and talented, and was quick to speak but slow to act. It is much stronger. Otherwise, he would never be given authority no matter what.
Of course, Emperor Liu's decision to transfer Li Ye back to serve in the central government cannot be ruled out as a reason to please his mother. The elderly Queen Mother's health is getting worse every year, and there is no telling when the country will be mourned. Although she is unwilling to go I think about that, but I have to be prepared. At least, I can understand my mother as much as I can and open up her heart.
"By the way, I have ordered people to go to Huashan and invite Taoist Chen Tuan to come to Beijing to teach my mother about scriptures and Taoism..." Liu Chengyou said again.
From Emperor Liu's words and demeanor, the Queen Mother could feel the filial piety, and Mrs. Li couldn't help but said with relief: "You are thoughtful!"
After leaving Ciming Hall, Liu Chengyou called Liu Fang, and the father and son walked among the palace rooms in the ice and frost. As they strolled, looking at Liu Fang, who was about the same size as him, Liu Chengyou chuckled and said: "Sure enough, you are as good as the other three. Uncle Zhiyan is more energetic and more condensed!"
In front of the emperor's father, Liu Fang seemed to be a little bit reluctant to let go. He had a sense of seriousness as a soldier facing the commander-in-chief, probably because of his experience in the army. Seeing this, Liu Chengyou couldn't help but said: "Why, you are so reserved in front of me?" Already?"
Hearing this, Liu Fang chuckled and responded: "Once you go to Lingnan, you should grow and gain something!"