Chen Cheng sighed faintly and said, "Compared to becoming an emperor, I would still prefer to establish a large family."
"A family that lasts for a thousand years."
Liu Bang was momentarily stunned by Chen Cheng's "grand ambition." He didn't know what to say, only looking at Chen Cheng strangely, "Le Zhi, are you alright?"
For Liu Bang, to give up his current vested interests for the sake of his descendants? To even give up the position of emperor?
Nonsense! And it was an unbearable stench!
He scratched his head and sat there, all the imposing aura on his face and body dissipated, asking like an ordinary ruffian, "Are you really willing to give up your current power just for this goal?"
Liu Bang probed, "What if it means giving up your title as Wei King?"
Chen Cheng's expression remained unchanged. He knew this was the emperor testing him, and also the emperor's condition for exchange.
He said without the slightest hesitation, "I can."
Liu Bang was even more surprised. He didn't know where he found the strength, but he suddenly stood up and walked around Chen Cheng a few times, "Le Zhi, I really can't figure out what you're thinking."
He rubbed his chin, "But then again, perhaps this is simply the difference between people."
What to do about things one can't understand?
Perhaps some people would become troubled by it, but Liu Bang was clearly not such a person. For things he couldn't figure out, Liu Bang simply and decisively stopped thinking about them.
He looked directly at Chen Cheng and said, "You can have this wish. In fact, I can even leave an ancestral instruction in the name of Emperor Gaozu: as long as the Chen clan does not commit treason in the future, the Liu clan will never abandon them!"
Liu Bang looked into Chen Cheng's eyes and said, "I understand that no empire lasts forever, but I hope to establish a covenant with you."
"How about it?"
A covenant?
Chen Cheng roughly knew what kind of covenant Liu Bang wanted to establish. He just looked at Liu Bang, agreeing without objection, but still asked first, "What kind of covenant does Your Majesty wish to establish with your subject?"
Liu Bang grinned, "It's just as I said earlier."
"But with a slight difference."
A glimmer of wisdom flashed in Liu Bang's eyes.
"I will swear a blood oath with all the ministers and lords, making a vow: anyone not of the Liu clan who claims to be king shall be jointly attacked by all under heaven!"
"And the Chen clan shall be the witness!"
An unprecedented light burst forth from his eyes: "This is the golden knife prophecy!"
"As long as the Chen clan does not rebel, the Liu clan will not abandon the Chen clan! If the Liu clan ever abandons the Chen clan, then the Chen clan may act on its own and no longer abide by this oath."
"But if the Liu clan has not violated the oath, then whenever anyone in the world dares to claim kingship, the Chen clan must assist the Liu clan in executing them!"
"Le Zhi, are you willing to make such an oath with me?"
What Liu Bang said was actually an advanced version of the "golden knife prophecy." The former golden knife prophecy was merely an oath directed at all under heaven, and it didn't really have a "leading executor." But now, it was different.
The Chen clan became the leading executor of the "golden knife prophecy."
This was a rather troublesome matter, but... it was also an opportunity.
After all, the great ship of Han had only just begun its voyage. This empire could sail for at least four hundred years, and even in the late Eastern Han, with a slight push, perhaps the Han could be extended for many more years.
Of course, one could board such a great ship at this time.
To establish a millennium-old aristocratic family, one naturally needed to "ride the wind and borrow strength."
Thus, Chen Cheng smiled slightly, raised the wine cup in his hand, and drained it, "Your subject is willing to make such an oath with Your Majesty!"
Liu Bang watched Chen Cheng's actions and couldn't help but burst into laughter, all the worries he had harbored over these days completely dissipated.
In Liu Bang's view, since Chen Cheng had agreed to this matter, he truly had no intention of rebelling; he merely wanted to perpetuate his family and become a powerful clan.
What was wrong with that?
What did it matter who became the so-called aristocratic powerful clan?
An emperor always had to grant enfeoffments and divide interests below him—rather than giving benefits to those who were ungrateful or even harbored ambitions of becoming emperor, it was better to give them to someone like Chen Cheng who "knew when to advance and when to retreat."
.... .....
A long time passed.
Xiao He and others had already arrived outside Weiyang Palace and saw Lü Zhi and others waiting there, their faces filled with confusion.
At this hour, the Empress and others were still here?
Before they could even open their mouths to inquire, a voice came from Weiyang Palace: "You've arrived? Come in, all of you!"
Everyone entered in a disorderly fashion. As soon as they stepped inside, they saw Liu Bang lying on the bed and Chen Cheng sitting not far away.
Liu Bang beckoned, inviting all the ministers and former meritorious officials to come forward, and then ordered the surrounding attendants to bring out the already prepared golden cups of wine.
He looked at everyone, his face pale and weary, yet no one dared to underestimate Liu Bang at this moment.
Xiao He stepped forward and softly asked, "What is Your Majesty doing?"
Liu Bang smiled slightly, ordered an attendant to bring a golden-hilted white-bladed sword, and looked at everyone, smiling as he said, "All of you were meritorious officials who followed me to establish the Great Han. After I became emperor, I never treated you unfairly."
"Now I, the Son of the Red Emperor, am about to return to heaven, but I cannot bear to leave you, my brothers."
Liu Bang's voice carried a strong sense of threat. Just as everyone thought Liu Bang wanted them to be buried with him, Liu Bang's voice slowly came again.
"But matters of life and death, how can they be forced?"
"I just had a pleasant conversation with Le Zhi, and all the knots in my heart have unraveled. I can only trouble you to labor a few more years in the mortal world."
The meaning of these words was also very simple: Liu Bang almost told everyone in a blunt tone that they were all meritorious officials, and he was afraid that his son wouldn't be able to control them, so he had originally planned to have them buried with him, but after a few words with the Wei King, he gave up that idea and could let them live a few more years.
He bestowed a lifelong favor upon Chen Cheng.
Liu Bang looked at everyone: "In the past, when the First Emperor collapsed, the land was divided, and chaos erupted throughout the world. I now have similar worries, fearing that after I die, the common people of this world will suffer again."
Amidst everyone's terrified gazes, Liu Bang continued, "Therefore, I wish to make an oath and covenant with all of you, a blood oath. What do you think?"
At this moment, who dared to object?
They had arrived trembling with fear, all afraid that the emperor would unleash a big move before his death and take them all with him.
Now it was just a sworn oath; what was there to fear?
So they all spoke up, "Your subjects are willing!"
Only then did Liu Bang use the white blade to cut his hand, letting the blood fall into the wine. The fresh blood dripped into the golden cup, and then the attendants brought the golden cup and white blade before everyone. He looked around at them and said.
"Today, we drink from the golden cup together, swearing a blood oath."
"Any not of the Liu clan who claims to be king shall be jointly attacked by all under heaven!"
"If in the future there are such presumptuous individuals, the white blade shall show no mercy!"
His words were resonant and forceful, yet no one dared to look up. They subconsciously looked towards Chen Cheng.
Anyone not of the Liu clan who claims to be king shall be jointly attacked by all under heaven? Then this Wei King...
Liu Bang saw their gazes and smiled contentedly, "Le Zhi just now requested, stating that he voluntarily relinquishes the title of Wei King, and I have already granted it."
He looked at Liu Ying, his voice solemn, "And I have established a covenant with Le Zhi, to be passed down as ancestral instruction. In the future, if the Chen clan does not rebel, the Liu clan shall not abandon the Chen clan, Ying'er, this word shall be passed down through generations of the Liu clan, never to be forgotten!"
Liu Ying stepped forward, his eyes filled with a gentle expression.
"Your son has remembered."
Only then did Liu Bang look at everyone. At this point, they had no other choice but to pick up the white blade, cut their palms, and let their fresh blood drip into the golden cup. Then the attendants divided the wine in the cups among them.
They drank it all.
Liu Bang looked at Chen Cheng, "Le Zhi! Remember our covenant!"
"The covenant just now is witnessed by the Chen clan!"
"In the future, if anyone violates the covenant, the Chen clan shall lead the charge, gathering the strength of all under heaven to slay them!"
Seeing Chen Cheng nod, he then looked at Liu Ying, "After I die, the throne shall be passed to Crown Prince Liu Ying."
"The world is currently suffering, and the common people must not be exhausted further. All funeral arrangements shall be simple, without extravagance or waste."
"Ying'er, did you hear?"
Liu Ying was already affected by the atmosphere, tears in his eyes, "Your son understands!"
Liu Bang said no more, only lying on the bed, looking at the canopy above, his expression somewhat dazed.
Decades of time!
In his life, he ventured out when young, idled away his middle years, but in his later years, he was able to contend with many heroes for the ownership of this empire.
How legendary was this life?
He closed his eyes.
At that moment, Taizu Gao Emperor, Liu Bang, passed away.
The following month, Crown Prince Liu Ying ascended the throne and granted a general amnesty to all under heaven.
———————————————
"Records of the Grand Historian, Annals of Taizu Gao Emperor": "In the eleventh year of Taizu, Emperor Gaozu was gravely ill and bedridden. The Tai Yi Ling all said his days were numbered. Emperor Gaozu heard this and was quite relieved, saying to his attendants, 'The number of life and death, how can it be controlled?' So he ordered the Tai Yi Ling to take gold and leave. He also summoned the Wei King into the palace. At that time, the Empress and Emperor Hui arrived and asked about it. Taizu said, 'I am the Son of the Red Emperor, my merits are complete, and I shall ascend to heaven. There is no need to blame the Tai Yi Ling.'"
"Not long after, the Wei King entered the palace and appeared, his demeanor ordinary."
"Taizu and the Wei King drank wine. Afterwards, Taizu asked, 'Your merit in saving the emperor, and fighting in troubled times, for what purpose was it?'"
"The Wei King answered ordinarily, and then asked Taizu how long the Han dynasty would last. Taizu hesitated and said, 'The Zhou dynasty lasted no more than eight hundred years, and Qin perished in its second generation. The Han dynasty will not exceed the number of the Zhou dynasty.' The Wei King nodded and praised, 'Dynasties last at most eight hundred years, but how many years have the aristocratic families of old lasted?'"
"He then cited the Kong clan of Qufu as an example, saying, 'This is what I strive for.'"
"Taizu was pleased, and so he swore an oath with the Wei King: the Chen clan shall not abandon, the Liu clan shall not forsake. He also swore a blood oath with all the ministers, saying: 'Anyone not of the Liu clan who presumes to be king, all under heaven shall attack him!'"
"This is the golden knife prophecy."
"In the late winter of the eleventh year of Emperor Gaozu, Taizu Gao Emperor passed away. The mountains and ridges all darkened. Before his death, he said: 'The common people of the world are suffering, and must not be overly burdened, so that they cannot rest.'"
"He also said: 'The throne shall be passed to the Crown Prince, ordering Crown Prince Liu Ying to ascend the throne, who is Emperor Hui.'"
———————————————
The first year of Emperor Hui.
After Liu Ying ascended the throne, he bestowed honors upon his ministers. In accordance with what Liu Bang had said before his death, Chen Cheng's peerage was changed to "Guandu Marquis," still at the head of the Marquis of Distinction, with an additional thirty thousand households as his fief.
This was also the reward Liu Bang had originally wanted to bestow upon Chen Cheng when he first made the meritorious act of saving the emperor.
At this point, things had returned to normal. Thus, apart from the kings of the Liu surname, there were no longer any kings of other surnames in the world.
And before Liu Ying ascended the throne, he had already obeyed another decree from Liu Bang, ordering his third brother, Liu Ruyi, to quickly depart for his enfeoffment in the state of Zhao, not even participating in Emperor Gaozu's funeral.
This also greatly enraged Lü Zhi.
But after her rage, Lü Zhi discovered another matter: Liu Bang had not dealt with, or rather, had not protected, Consort Qi, the mother of the King of Zhao, who had been greatly favored in the palace in the past.
This also gave her an opportunity, and she prepared to seize it for revenge.
.... .....
In Weiyang Palace
Liu Ying's expression was filled with terror and fear. He looked at Chen Cheng and said, "Guandu Marquis, please persuade my mother!"
"My mother... she intends to turn my brother Ruyi's mother into a human swine!"
This was what Liu Ying heard from someone in Lü Zhi's palace when he went to find Lü Zhi earlier, regarding Lü Zhi's plan. In his utter helplessness, he could only seek out Chen Cheng.
Faced with this problem, Chen Cheng felt helpless.
He pressed his forehead.
What kind of situation is this?! My former boss's wife wants to turn my former boss's beloved concubine into a human swine after my former boss dies, and my former boss's son, who is now my current boss, comes to me for advice???
How could he persuade her?