Han Shizu

Chapter 2029 The Last Journey 1
The sun was scorching hot, but the old emperor didn't look afraid at all. He was lying so calmly on the stage of Taikang Hall, with a soft chair and a light shirt. The belt of the robe was not fastened, with his breasts exposed and sunken. The fat is vaguely visible, no shoes or socks are worn, and a pair of slightly deformed feet are dangling in the air...

What was even more incompatible with the old emperor's temperament was that he was holding a simple cattail leaf fan in his hand, and he was actually fanning it himself. The force was slightly light, and not even his hair moved.

"Guan family, His Highness King Yong wants to see you!"

"Xuan!" Hearing this, the old emperor had an obvious reaction. He paused slightly and ordered: "Bring a recliner to King Yong as well!"

"Yes!"

As the old emperor's dearest and most beloved brother, in a good place like Taikang Palace, it was naturally impossible for the old emperor to forget Liu Chengxun.Not long after, Liu Chengxun came to pay homage: "I see your Majesty!"

Liu Chengxun was probably the person with the most unadulterated attitude towards the old emperor. He tilted his head, smiled at him, and pointed with his hand: "Sit!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Soon, two old men lay down in front of the Taikang Palace. One was slovenly and the other was obviously more reserved.The cattail leaf fan was still flapping, and the old emperor asked you in an easy-going tone: "Sanlang, you are here after all!"

"Your Majesty is not feeling well. It is natural for me to come to visit you." Liu Chengxun's voice was obviously much older.

"There are rumors spreading outside again!" the old emperor said coldly: "Even though we are far away from the imperial city and palaces, there are still so many right and wrongs, so many unfathomable people's hearts, and there is no peace! Some of those who requested an audience are Those who really care about my body are those with ulterior motives!"

Hearing the old emperor's unkind words, Liu Chengxun just remained silent for a moment, and then sighed softly: "How do you feel now, Your Majesty?"

"It's just that I feel a little depressed, but it has been reported as a big deal by some people, stirring up trouble and disturbing people's hearts. If I didn't have a hidden ambition, how could I be jumping up and down like that?"

Listening to the old emperor talking here again, without concealing his suspicion of his ministers, Liu Chengxun finally frowned, glanced at him without any trace, and thought to himself: Second brother, are you really unaware of this and are looking after yourself? The biggest problem?

However, even King Yong did not express such doubts openly.Liu Chengxun obviously spoke less during this audience. The old emperor also felt strange and asked: "Why don't you talk? What are you thinking about?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Chengxun sighed slightly and said in a comforting tone: "They are just some dirty officials who are tyrannical and cruel to the people. Now that you have encountered them, you can just deal with them. Why should your Majesty be so worried about them?"

Hearing what Liu Chengxun said, the old emperor turned around and said calmly: "Sanlang, based on your knowledge, will this trivial matter linger in my heart and be difficult to let go of?"

"Why is that?" Liu Chengxun asked softly.

The old emperor fell silent for a while, but instead of answering, he asked a question that surprised Liu Chengxun: "Sanlang, how many years do you think the Han Dynasty can be passed down?"

Regarding this, Liu Chengxun couldn't hide the astonishment on his face. When he met the old emperor's gaze, he found that it was so deep and focused.After suppressing the turmoil in his heart, Liu Chengxun replied with extra firmness: "Of course it will last forever!"

"Thousands of generations? Haha!" After hearing this, the old emperor smiled immediately: "Sanlang, these four words, ask yourself, do you believe it?"

Of course Liu Chengxun couldn't say he didn't believe it, otherwise wouldn't he be bullying the emperor in person?Moreover, the old emperor's current state is obviously not normal, and the look in the old emperor's eyes, as if he wants to hear the truth, is really embarrassing.

After pondering for a while, Liu Chengxun avoided talking and asked instead: "Your Majesty, why are you worried about such issues?"

The old emperor said in a sad tone: "Maybe it's because I'm too idle! Or maybe, in recent years, I've been too lazy and degenerate, and I've become less confident!"

"His Majesty."

Liu Chengxun obviously wanted to persuade him to prevent the old emperor from being too immersed in such negative emotions and thoughts, which would be bad for everyone.

However, although the old emperor was in such a deep and depressing atmosphere, his mind was very calm and his thoughts were very clear. He did not have the faintness and confusion that he had shown before. This sense of contradiction was particularly prominent in the old emperor at this time.

"Well, there are some things that can't be solved or changed by you and me just having a chat! Children and grandchildren will have their own blessings. Now that I have chewed on this statement again and again, it makes more sense!" The old emperor murmured, Looking at his state, it is better to say that he is compromised and numb than that he has a calm mind and looks away.

"You come to see me, even if it is a little late, I will always be happy!" The old emperor continued: "I once promised your sister-in-law that I would take her to travel around the world, but I broke my promise; I also promised in the early years that I would travel all over the country. Even if you look at the great rivers and mountains in the four realms, you haven't done it at all!" "Take the southern Daozhou for example. Nowadays, its importance to the imperial court is increasing year by year, and its financial contribution accounts for more than half of the world. But I am the furthest away. One inspection was only in Jinling, just across the Yangtze River!" The old emperor muttered: "Oh, my mother suddenly left during that southern inspection tour."

As he spoke, the old emperor felt so sad that his words were choked with sobs. He raised his hand to wipe the corners of his eyes, and said to Liu Chengxun: "Remember, in the early years, whether I was going on an expedition or on inspection, I would always choose to keep you to guard the capital, or to sit here. I still miss those days when I think about them.

The achievements I have achieved are also due to you, King Yong. You go back and clean up, and then walk with me for a while to see the rivers and lands of the Han Dynasty.

I always feel that time is running out.This trip is all in the name of the southern patrol. While I can still move, let’s do another serious patrol.”

The old emperor became more and more emotional as he spoke. When Liu Chengxun heard this, his eyes filled with tears. Instead, he asked the old emperor to comfort him.

The two brothers chatted intimately. They were both very young. They rarely talked about the present, but more about reminiscing about the past. They laughed about happy things and held back tears about sad things. They talked happily for more than an hour. Just ended.

Leaving Taikang Hall, his pace was very slow. It wasn't until he had gone further that Liu Chengxun turned around. His eyes were a little bloodshot, his eyes were particularly complex, and he softly called out in his heart: Second brother.
To continue the southern tour, the old emperor did not decide on a whim, but after careful consideration, he really wanted to have some snacks and go for a walk like he did in the early years.

However, the implementation of the emperor's inspection tour is not as simple as one sentence. It is not realistic to think of traveling as lightly as a private visit to Luoshan County. After all, the target is the entire southern country.

First of all, there is a question of time. It is midsummer, so it is naturally not suitable to travel. You have to wait at least until autumn, or even longer after the autumn coolness. Of course, the free time is used to prepare.

The number of people accompanying him will also need to be reduced. They are no longer going to travel around the mountains and rivers, or to escape the summer heat. The old emperor only plans to bring the Ouchi army with him, plus some of the palace attendants, civil servants and generals, and the total number of people will be reduced as much as possible. to less than five thousand.

As for the others, they have gone back wherever they came from. They have played and seen Taikang Palace, and the scorching summer has passed. They cannot be allowed to stay in Shenzhou "on orders" and cause chaos to the place.Among the concubines, the old emperor only allowed Concubines Xian and Yi to accompany him, while the others were all driven back to the capital.From a series of arrangements, it can be seen that the old emperor really wanted to be more careful this time, but it was inevitably too late.

It was delayed until mid-July, when all matters were finalized and the inspection route was studied and determined. The old emperor officially issued an edict to start the southern inspection tour again, with the first target being Ezhou, Jinghu North Road.

However, just one night before departure, the old emperor suffered another blow. Liu Chengxun, the Yongwang of the Han Dynasty, died of illness in Taikang Palace.When he first heard the bad news, the old emperor didn't believe it. His first reaction was to behead the eunuch who had lied about it. King Yong died. How could this be possible? He was younger than himself. He rarely got sick and was prepared to die. As he continued his southern tour, how could he suddenly disappear?

However, things always happened in a way that caught people off guard. King Yong suddenly developed gangrene, and his condition took a turn for the worse. He died suddenly within three days. He did not even let the old emperor see him for the last time, and he did not even leave a last word. Down.

According to reports, King Yong's disease is very similar to the common miasma in Southeast Asia. It may be that he contracted the disease when he went to Southeast Asia.
The death of King Yong shocked the government and the public, but for the old emperor, it cannot be described in any serious words.The old emperor has long been accustomed to the death of his old friends. At this moment, if someone reports to him again which prince has passed away or which hero has died, I am afraid that he will have to grieve for a while. At most, he will express one or two sighs and let the court follow. A memorial ceremony was held, nothing more.

However, there are still a few people in this world who can make the old emperor break his heart.When the sad news of King Yong's death was confirmed, the old emperor almost fainted, followed by hysteria and crying. The sadness was even more serious than when King Qin Liu Xu died.

The last time was when Empress Fu passed away. Normally, they might only know that the old emperor was very fond of King Yong, but what may have surprised many people was that Liu Chengxun's status in the old emperor's mind was so high. To the point where I can disregard my image, burst into tears, and even curse the sky.

Of course, this may also be related to the old emperor's current mental state. There are really more people who can make the old emperor trust him than he can count on one hand.

Liu Chengxun died suddenly, and the old emperor's southern tour plan was naturally delayed. A grand memorial ceremony was held at Jigong Mountain, where hundreds of Taoist priests and monks were invited to perform rituals, and almost all the surrounding monks were wiped out. , after seven days and nights, King Xu was asked to escort the coffin back to Luoyang, and the prince Liu Yang presided over the burial.

King Yong's status in the Han Dynasty can be seen from one point, that is, among the clan, he is the only one who built a mausoleum during his lifetime. It is a mausoleum!It was built according to the decree of the old emperor, and the site was also selected in Mang Mountain as one of the tombs accompanying the old emperor.

As for the old emperor who was hit again, he continued his southern tour as planned with a heavy heart.Going south from Jigong Mountain, passing through Anzhou and arriving at Ezhou, it took a full twelve days before arriving at Ezhou. Instead of doing any frivolous private visit in private, he put on a show of formality, passed Hanyang, and entered the prefecture to govern Jiangxia.

The old emperor's southern tour was not a random one. He had a very clear goal. It was the first time in his more than [-]-year imperial career that he would travel to the southern country.

At the same time, he also briefly inspected the political and public sentiments of the southern states, comforted the southern scholars and people with the dignity of the emperor, lectured the bureaucrats, encouraged the officials, provided peace of mind to the people, and expanded the royal family's influence as much as possible. Southern influence.

The old emperor thought to himself that this might be the last major thing he did for the Han Dynasty and the Liu family.If you think about it carefully, you need to go through such a journey. Even if you are not an old emperor, you should be the king of future generations.

After all, although half of the country in the Southern Kingdom has been ruled by the Han Dynasty for nearly 30 years, nearly two generations, this is the first time that the supreme ruler has personally taken care of everything.The old emperor's early southern tour was too short, did not go deep, and had limited influence.

(End of this chapter)