Liu De knelt on the ground and reported the opinions of the ministers at the court meeting to his father one by one. Then he paused and said: "The ministers have clear opinions. I am stupid and can't make a decision. Please ask my father for a holy judgment!"
Emperor Liu Qigao was lying on the imperial couch, flipping through the bamboo slips recording the remarks of various ministers.
Whether it is what Liu De said or what is recorded on these bamboo slips.
It all shows that the opinions of the ministers were divided, and what the two divided factions said was quite reasonable to Emperor Liu Qi.
After rubbing his sore temples, Emperor Liu Qi asked: "Liu De, what do you think?"
"Chao Cuo or Yuan Ang, which one do you support?"
When Liu De heard this, he quickly bowed his head.
This question is really difficult for Liu De!
The reason is not because of Yuan Ang, nor is it because of Chao Cuo.
It was the person who asked him the question, his father!
The reason is simple. Various memories from his past life tell Liu De that his cheap dad is notoriously soft-spoken and is basically the kind of person who is easily affected by other people's words and deeds.
For example, in the duel between Yuan Ang and Chao Cuo, whoever takes the initiative first and meets the emperor will win.
but……
What if all of this is false information that his father deliberately gave to the outside world? What if all of his father's decisions have been made in his mind beforehand? This is a very simple operation.
For example, when he wanted to lean towards Yuan An, he would order the palace guards and eunuchs to let Yuan An enter the palace without any obstruction. But he would order others to do everything possible to delay Chao Cuo's actions.
In this way, the situation in front of the courtiers became that because Yuan An met the emperor first, he won.
This further planted the impression in the minds of many thoughtful people that the emperor was soft-eared and easily persuaded.
Liu De recalled the conversation he had with his father in the house.
"The road will be long and the foundation wall will be square!" Liu De recalled his father's instructions. At this moment, he finally understood why people often say that accompanying a king is like accompanying a tiger.
Because you can never know what the emperor is thinking. Especially for an emperor at the level of his father, who can see through his inner world and true thoughts? Liu De knows more clearly. What should be done to be an emperor?
Do.
True and false, false and true, all kinds of smoke bombs. Let the ministers try hard to guess the riddles.
Is this really the case?
Even if a smart person guesses the answer to the riddle, he can still gamble or act rogue according to the situation.
So, for Liu De, now comes the problem!
"Does my father want to hear my opinion?" Liu De raised his head and looked at the emperor sitting on the imperial couch. His father asked: "Or does he want to test me?"
There is a world of difference between the two.
In the former case, Liu De can say whatever he wants, as long as it makes sense, he can pass the test.
And the latter...
It's a new round of guessing.
In the end, is Dad leaning toward Chao Cuo? Or toward Yuan An? Has he made a decision? What are his thoughts? Does he want Liu An to live or die?
This is like Russian roulette for later generations.
There is only one correct answer, and the prize is dad's appreciation, and if you don't guess correctly...
Liu's emperor was notoriously sensitive.
Their strict requirements for successors are also well known.
For example, Liu Che's later crown prince Liu Zhi. Liu Che loved him with all his heart and soul. He even issued an edict to grant amnesty to the world for Liu Zhi's birth. As soon as Liu Zhi was born, he was immediately appointed as the crown prince.
However, when Liu Ju grew up and showed completely different personalities and strategies for dealing with people than Liu Che, problems continued to arise.
Eventually led to the disaster of witchcraft!
Therefore, with this lesson in mind, Liu De had to keep himself on the same page as his father at all times.
To put it simply, before he sat on the throne of the Emperor, Liu De's political stance was that he had no stance and everything was guided by his father's will.
The emperor Liu Qi sat high on the royal couch and looked down at Liu De: "What will you choose? How will you answer?"
This trick was a trick that the late emperor and his father, Emperor Taizong Xiaowen, used on him for twenty years.
What Liu De is now facing is the latest version that has been improved by himself.
Through language, psychological hints and foreshadowing, it constitutes a test.
For Liu Qi, it didn't matter whether Liu De answered correctly or not.
What matters is whether you can see through the mystery.
"It should be..." Emperor Liu Qi looked at his son and speculated in his heart: "Can't he see through it yet..."
I think back then, he was trained n times and scolded countless times by the late emperor before he realized this. Then he spent five years honing his guessing skills before he could barely guess what his father meant.
It was also from that time that he learned how to be an excellent superior and how to control his ministers.
It is no exaggeration to say that if you want to be the emperor, you will not be able to learn this trick. If you can't see through this trick, you should save it...
"How should I punish this boy Liu De?" Emperor Liu Qi thought in his heart.
How did the late emperor punish him back then?
Confinement? It's not appropriate now...it can easily arouse suspicion from outsiders.
Copying books? It doesn’t seem to be that good...
"That's right..." Emperor Liu Qi looked at Liu De, feeling very excited and feeling like his nerves were singing happily: "I'll punish you to be a stepping stone for Chao Cuo..."
Ministers also need authority and prestige to be convinced and to make the people below behave.
Shang Jun reformed the law and had the Prince of Qin and the Tutor under the knife, and immediately ordered all officials in the country to obey orders and abide by the law and not dare to disobey.
That's why he became Zhang Shizhi's reputation machine.
Do you really think he wanted it?
Do you really think he dare not resist?
That is also part of the late emperor’s acting skills!
Without the emperor's permission, how could Zhang Shizhi dare to ride on the prince's head and show off his power?
Of course, it is precisely because of these hardships and lessons that he can now master power so smoothly, making all civil and military officials crawl at his feet.
Otherwise, if you were an ordinary person and had only been on the throne for two years, how would you find the time to cut down the vassals and organize the government affairs?
He must be busy consolidating his authority and cultivating his team.
…………
Liu De's brain was working at full speed at this time, integrating everything he had seen, heard and learned so far about his father's personality and political thoughts.
No matter how much a person hides or hides, there are some things that cannot be covered up or concealed.
That's his character and thinking pattern.
Especially for the emperor, all these things will eventually be reflected in his policies and edicts.
For example, arrogant people like to use falsehoods in their edicts, and their policies are full of unrealism.
A prudent person will be cautious, the writing of the edict will be refined, and the policies will be stable.
So, what kind of person is my father? At this moment, is he leaning towards Chao Cuo or Yuan An?
Liu De raised his head, looked at his father, smiled, and kowtowed. (To be continued...)
ps: Ahem, I was so sleepy last night that I climbed on the table and fell asleep while writing...
