In early December, snow began to fall rustlingly in Luoyang.
White snowflakes covered the bluestone streets and row upon row of houses, turning every neighborhood into a world covered in silver.
The vast mountains in the distance are shrouded in thick fog, and Mang Mountain outside Beicheng looks like a silver dragon lying on its back, with strands of light gauze hanging on it.
A group of princes and kings came from the north, with armored knights clearing the way and mighty tiger generals guarding them. Just by looking at the flag embroidered with the dragon logo, you can tell that this is a clan member of the Han Dynasty.
The convoy passed through Luoyang East City, where business did not stop. In winter, firewood and coal became in short supply, and merchants were everywhere doing business.
When they heard that a big shot was passing by, many people raised their eyes to look around. Many people recognized Liu Bei at a glance.
Nowadays, there are many princes who have been crowned kings in the world. For example, there are seven or eight princes in Jizhou alone, such as Pingyuan King, Anping King, Hejian King, Zhao King, Changshan King, Zhongshan King, Qinghe King and so on.
But even the most ignorant people know who this is, because these princes and kings have no troops and can do nothing except eat in their fiefdoms and wait to die.
But the only one with an army is a hot man.
"Everyone, come and see, King Qi is back, King Qi is back."
"It's really King Qi. King Qi saved my life and brought me back from Chang'an. I have to go and see him."
"Brother, I am a foreigner. I have just arrived in Luoyang not long ago. I am not as well-informed as the people in the capital. I would like to ask, how do you know that this is the King of Qi?"
"It's very simple. Look at the flag. Look at the big flag. There is a dragon pattern embroidered on the side. Ordinary clans are not qualified to embroider dragon patterns. Only the princes and kings can. And in this world, except for the King of Qi, the other princes and kings have no army."
"I see, I've learned a lot."
The people were talking a lot, and some merchants from outside the country who didn't know the situation were curious and asked.
The princes and kings of the Han Dynasty basically had no power and could not leave their fiefdoms, so during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, many princes and kings were killed. After the Cao Wei regime came to power, all the princes and kings surnamed Liu were abolished and replaced by Cao Wei.
Family clan.
In today's world, only Liu Bei is the king of Qi, and he has led the Qingzhou Shepherd Guard General. He is the king with real power. With so many guards around him, who else can be there besides Liu Bei?
When the people learned about the situation, they came in large numbers and crowded at the intersection to watch. Some people even went to call their friends and call more people.
It seems to be like this every time Liu Bei returns to Beijing. It was also like this the last time he came back and was granted the title of King of Qi. Countless people came out to watch, and even a large number of people worshiped him. There was no way, Liu Bei had saved their lives. In the hearts of Luoyang people, his
His reputation is not much lower than that of Liu Yu.
In fact, this time it was rumored that Liu Yu was going to pass the throne to Liu Bei. The people of Luoyang had heard about it a long time ago and expressed their approval one after another. Except for Kong Rong and that group of royalist die-hards, who in Luoyang would not say "I support King Qi's ascension to the throne?"
Now that Liu Bei is back, many people think that he has come back to accept the throne. Someone immediately shouted: "The King of Qi is back. Your Majesty must be passing the throne to the King of Qi. Our good days are coming."
"The King of Qi is a benevolent and righteous man. He distributed food to us in Chang'an and saved our lives. If the King of Qi ascends the throne, he will be a benevolent and righteous man."
"I recently heard that many people in the court are against King Qi, and the memorial desk is almost full of official documents."
"Damn it, who are they?"
The people were still chatting, and the convoy over there had slowly arrived at Dongshi.
Last time Liu Bei led few soldiers, but this time there were many more. The guards separated the people. When the first car passed by, the people along the way knelt down and kowtowed to thank them for saving their lives.
Liu Bei didn't want to hide in the car too coldly, so he got out of the car, stood on the carriage, supported the carriage, and waved to both sides.
After a while, the convoy passed through the East City and entered the inner city. Liu Bei got back into the carriage and said to Chen Mu who was sitting inside with a red face: "Fourth brother, the people are still a little too enthusiastic, and the carriages and horses are making a fuss.
Go slow."
Chen Mu rolled his eyes: "Brother, are you showing off your high reputation among the people of Luoyang?"
"That's not the case."
Liu Bei said no, but his smug expression betrayed him, and he said: "It's just that there are so many people coming, so I'm afraid they will be too crowded and a stampede will happen."
Chen Mu rolled his eyes non-stop. Star chasing in ancient times was no worse than in modern times. With his large number of fans, he was indeed a bit like Versailles.
Soon the convoy passed through Buguangli. Chen Mu had actually been living in Luoyang recently. He was ordered to go out of the city to meet Liu Bei this time. After receiving Liu Bei at Long Live Pavilion in the east of the city, he followed Liu Bei back.
In addition to him, there were also Yang Biao and others. The standard of receiving a prince and king all depended on the emperor's mood, but the reception of several princes and nine ministers already showed Liu Bei's status.
Passing by Buguangli, Liu Bei caught a glimpse of a house not far away that had a stinky doorway, piles of vegetable leaves, rotten eggs, and even feces. He was surprised and said: "Whose official residence is this? It's so unkempt.
How can filth be left at the door?”
As mentioned before, the outer city of Luoyang is where common people and middle- and low-level officials live, while hundreds of middle- and high-level officials live in Yonghe and Buguangli in the inner city. So Liu Bei, who once served as the Yin of Henan Province, knew that this was an official residence.
, but I haven’t stayed in Luoyang for a long time, so I don’t know whose mansion it is.
Chen Mu smiled and said: "This is the home of Kong Wenju, the Taizhong doctor. When the people of Luoyang heard that His Majesty was going to be the eldest brother, they clapped their hands and celebrated. Only Kong Wenju, Ni Zhengping, Bian Yuanli and others wrote a letter to object. After the people of Luoyang learned about it, they
They came in droves, threw and smashed them every day, and accumulated a lot."
When Liu Bei saw the evil smile on Chen Mu's face, he immediately knew that this matter probably had something to do with his fourth brother, so he smiled and said: "Although Kong Wenju and others are strict, they will not make the whole court enemies. This matter,
I’m afraid you, fourth brother, are also adding to the flames."
"I just spread the news. Who would have thought that the people would react so loudly? This shows that in the hearts of the people of Luoyang, the eldest brother can be a good emperor. The people trust the eldest brother so much. This destiny cannot be violated."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Chen Mu shrugged. After Kong Rong and others learned that Liu Yu was going to pass the throne, they wrote letters of opposition every day like a cat whose tail was stepped on, and issued various messages every day.
According to this argument, if you don't find something to do for them, they will have nothing to do.
Liu Bei smiled and said nothing. Although he admired those people for their integrity, they were still a group of people who caused trouble for him, so he naturally didn't bother to pay attention to them and let his fourth brother deal with them.
The convoy passed through the East Gate Complex Road, entered Canglong Gate, passed through several palaces along the way, and arrived at Jiade Gate.
You can take a carriage in the palace, and you can also bring your own weapons, but when you arrive at the gate of Jiade Gate, you must get off the carriage and hand over your weapons. When General He Jin entered at Jiade Gate, he asked the guards to wait outside and handed over his weapons.
He entered the palace with weapons, but was ambushed by the Shichang attendants and chopped into pieces.
Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Chen Mu and others got off the carriage and handed over their swords. The guards could not go in. The large group of people could only be stationed outside the city. The small group of guards could accompany them into the palace, but they could only wait outside the Jiade Gate.
, only many ministers can enter the palace.
Speaking of which, Dian and Wei Jushou had come to Luoyang before. When they first attacked Dong Zhuo, what they saw when they came was a piece of ruins. But this was the first time they met the emperor, so they walked nervously and did not dare to look around.
On the contrary, Zhao Yun was more familiar with it, and it was he who fished the jade seal out of the well. He had been the prefect of Hanoi for four or five years, and occasionally went to Luoyang with Guan Yu to meet the emperor.
The group, including Yang Biao, Zhao Wen and more than ten people, passed the Jiade Gate and soon arrived at the gate of the West Palace. The gate opened and many officials entered one after another.
The emperor was not in the main hall. There were more than a dozen officials gathered at the door of the palace next to him. They were all senior officials such as the Sangong Jiuqing and the Three Duzui Henan Yin. Someone shouted: "The King of Qi is here, the King of Qi is here."
Seeing Liu Bei coming, everyone quickly stepped forward to salute.
"I've met King Qi."
"I've seen you all, how is your Majesty?"
Some people knew Liu Bei and some didn't, so they all bowed in return and asked about Liu Yu's situation.
Qi Zhou, the servant who was originally going to be sent to Jizhou to be the shepherd of Jizhou, could not hide the sadness on his face and said bitterly: "Your Majesty almost lost his breath last night. The imperial doctor used acupuncture to prick the acupuncture points and managed to breathe a sigh of relief. Now he is waiting.
Here is King Qi, come in quickly."
Liu Bei quickly shouted "Your Majesty", passed through the crowd, and entered the palace. He saw the queen in the palace crying bitterly at her desk. Liu Yu was lying on the hospital bed, his face was pale, and it seemed that he could only breathe out, not in.
At this age, every winter is like going through the gate of hell. After seven or eight years, Liu Yu finally couldn't stand the weather and was on his deathbed.
At this time, Liu Yu's consciousness was already a little blurry. The imperial doctor next to him used acupuncture again to help him regain some consciousness. He opened his eyes in a daze and saw Liu Bei, Chen Mu and others coming over, kneeling down in front of him, filled with grief.
Weeping, he called softly: "Is it Xuande?"
"His Majesty."
Liu Bei quickly used his hands and feet to crawl to Liu Yu's bedside and touched Liu Yu's cold hand.
Liu Yu's originally cloudy eyes began to become clear, as if he had come back to life. His face gradually became rosy, and he said to Liu Bei: "Thank you for your hard work, Xuande."
"I am a Miao descendant of the great ancestor, and my ancestors were hereditary marquises of Ting. I have lived in Han Dynasty for generations, and it is natural for me to serve the country."
Liu Bei responded quickly.
Liu Yu held his hand tightly and said: "My life is approaching, but the world is full of holes and bandits are everywhere. I am afraid to go under the Nine Netherworld to meet the great ancestors and many ancestors without words."
Liu Bei immediately said: "Your Majesty only needs to rest in peace, and I will sacrifice my life and forget my life to wipe out the princes in the world, kill the thieves and the ugly ones, and give my man a bright future."
"But I can't wait any longer."
Liu Yu forced a smile and said to Liu Bei: "My death is approaching. In order to protect the Han Dynasty forever, I want to pass it on to you. What does Xuande think?"
Liu Bei knelt on the ground, kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, please think twice. You are prepared to be ashamed."
"The world is in such chaos. If someone else is to be the emperor, who has the talent? I am afraid that if the country is not protected, the country will be unsafe."
Liu Yu sighed: "Among the clan, only Xuande is a man of great ability and worthy of a great responsibility. Only by entrusting the country to you can I save our Han country from danger. Xuande, for the sake of the great Han Dynasty, you should take over."
"His Majesty!"
Liu Bei cried and shouted.
"You go out first, I'm... tired and want to sleep for a while."
Liu Yu's breath became weaker and weaker, and the little radiance he had just now seemed to be completely exhausted at this moment, and he slowly closed his eyes.
"His Majesty!"
Liu Bei and others thought Liu Yu was dead, so they kowtowed and cried.
The imperial doctor touched Liu Yu's pulse with his hand and found that the pulse was very weak. Although he was not dead yet, he could not hold on for long.
"King Qi, your majesty is not dead yet, please go out first and let your majesty rest. Maybe you can live one more day."
The imperial doctor came over and whispered in Liu Bei's ear.
Everyone had no choice but to exit the palace and wait at the door with many ministers.
About half an hour later, the imperial doctor came out and announced with a sad face: "His Majesty passed away after a long funeral."
"His Majesty!"
At this time, it was confirmed that Liu Yu was really dead. The three princes and nine ministers sat alone, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Chen Mu, Dian, Wei, Zhao Yun, Ju, Xu Chu and dozens of other ministers crowded in, knelt down in front of Liu Yu's bed and began to
Weeping and crying.
The palace maids and eunuchs seemed to be used to such scenes. While secretly weeping, they began to clean up in an orderly manner. They took the mats they had prepared earlier, sprinkled them with various flowers and spices, and then moved Liu Yu's body away.
, after wiping it with warm water, it should be placed on the mat for everyone to worship.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the eunuchs began to distribute white mourning clothes to the courtiers. Countless people came in and out of the palace, some went to deliver news, some went to get funeral objects, some wanted to decorate the house, and some called for a band.
, getting ready to start playing drums, singing music and singing lamentations.
There is a unified process for the death of an emperor. When Emperor Kang died, it was even more lively than now. After his death, his courtiers had to pay homage, and the body had to be left to rest for a month or two, waiting for the princes and kings from all over the country to come.
In an orderly manner, Liu Yu's body was quickly wiped clean and placed in the main hall of the West Palace. As a mourning hall, it was very large and allowed everyone to kneel and worship.
Burning incense was burned in the furnaces, and many ministers lined up. Liu Bei stood at the front and knelt down and kowtowed to Liu Yu in a funeral ceremony.
There were senior officials in the palace. There were hundreds of officials in Luoyang who were eligible to enter the palace. After hearing the news, they gathered outside the Jiade Gate. After the etiquette of the ministers was over, these middle- and senior-level officials were allowed to enter the West Palace, kowtow to the emperor, and then
Retreat outside the palace.
Countless officials lined up to go in and out, and soon the palace was filled with people. Everyone was busy until it was almost dark, and then today's ceremony ended. Hundreds of officials stood inside and outside the palace, giving a final ceremony, as if
The meeting will be the same.
After everyone stood up, Lu Qiang stood up and said: "Your Majesty's last edict!"
Hundreds of people knelt down again.
"In the third year of the Yonghan Dynasty, Emperor Liu Yu of the Han Dynasty issued an edict: Today there are strife, unrest in the world, and gangs of thieves. It is difficult for the Han Dynasty to be in peace. I am originally a member of the royal family. After Guangwu, the courtiers elected me as the emperor and placed high hopes on me.
However, I am unable to pacify the world above, and cannot appease the people below. I am ashamed of my ancestors and the people. Today, the clan has Xuande, a talented person who can rejuvenate the Han Dynasty. I am determined to pass it on to the King of Qi. I hope that my ancestors will protect me and Xuande will be able to prosper the Han Dynasty.