AI Model: gemini-2.5-flash
Once this question was asked, Lü Zhi's heart instantly tightened.
She looked at Chen Cheng, whose eyes flickered with a hint of sharpness. Was this Chen Cheng testing her, or something else?
She immediately smiled and said, "In fact, I don't have such power, but His Majesty does—Emperor Xian, due to his merits, bestowed the title of King of Wei upon the Guandu Marquis. This is an undeniable fact."
"Therefore, re-enfeoffing the Guandu Marquis as the King of Qi is but a small matter."
"His Majesty is benevolent and will certainly have no objections to this matter. So, even if I promise the Guandu Marquis now, it's irrelevant."
She poured a cup of tea and said with a smile, "What does the Guandu Marquis think?"
Chen Cheng merely smiled faintly, then with a somewhat indifferent expression on his face, he placed the wine goblet in his hand on the table, and then looked at Lü Zhi with sharp eyes.
"This Marquis thinks it's not good."
His voice was light, but the words he spoke instantly chilled Lü Zhi to the bone.
"Your Majesty's current mourning and remembrance are entirely due to the existence of Emperor Xian and His Majesty. I hope Your Majesty can retain some respect for His Majesty and Emperor Xian."
"Do not make any more reckless moves."
"Otherwise..."
Chen Cheng stood up and glanced at Lü Zhi indifferently: "Otherwise, do not say I did not warn you."
Lü Zhi met Chen Cheng's cold gaze, and her heart suddenly froze. After a moment, she looked at Chen Cheng in disbelief and said, "Aren't you tempted?"
"As long as you are willing, you can be enfeoffed as the King of Qi! In this way, you can establish your own kingdom, and the Lü Clan can also gain some power and establish their own kingdom. This is a win-win situation, why would you refuse?"
Chen Cheng stood there, a hint of coldness in his eyes.
"Why refuse?"
He said very casually, "I was originally a commoner of Guandu. What does the world add to me?"
"So-called King and Marquis titles are nothing but fleeting clouds."
"When a person lives in this world, they should always leave something behind."
After speaking, Chen Cheng got up, no longer looking at the confused and chaotic Lü Zhi behind him, and simply left indifferently.
—
"Records of the Grand Historian, House of the King of Wei": "At this time, Emperor Gaozu died, and Lu Hou presided over the court. Lu Hou most resented Consort Qi and her son, the King of Zhao, so she wanted to imprison Consort Qi in Yongxiang and summon the King of Zhao. At this time, before the order was issued, the Emperor summoned the Guandu Marquis to the palace and spoke with him."
"The Guandu Marquis was furious upon hearing this and went to Changle Palace with his sword."
"He saw Lu Hou, and angrily rebuked her, saying: 'By what right do you bear the title of Empress Dowager, and yet cruelly murder Consort Qi? Where does this power come from?' Lu Hou retreated without speaking, saying: 'This matter is dismissed.'"
"The Guandu Marquis asked again: 'By what right does the Empress Dowager reside in Changle Palace and not move?'"
"Lu Hou said: 'This is due to the passing of Emperor Xian and my sorrow; I promise to move within a few days.'"
"The Guandu Marquis's two questions here embody the principle of Lu Gong's 'first drum for morale, then decline, then exhaustion.' From this story, the reason is probably Lu Hou's interference in politics and her desire to enfeoff various members of the Lü Clan. At that time, Lu Hou enfeoffed various members of the Lü Clan as Marquises of Distinction, granting them ten thousand households, which was an act of political involvement."
"Involvement means taking control. The Guandu Marquis worried that she might seize Emperor Gaozu's empire, so he entered the palace and questioned her."
"At this time, Lu Hou, facing two questions, was already anxious and timid. The Guandu Marquis then asked a third question: 'By what right does the Empress Dowager enfeoff the Marquis of Su? What merit does the Marquis of Su have? And who is he to Emperor Gaozu? Does he have Emperor Gaozu's bloodline?'"
"Lu Hou dared not answer, only pushing the responsibility to His Majesty's enfeoffment."
"The Guandu Marquis smiled and said: 'If that is the case, then I shall hold my sword and question the Marquis of Su myself.'"
"At that moment, he held his sword and intended to leave."
"Lu Hou, timid, made him stay."
"And at that time, she said: 'The Guandu Marquis, for his past merits, was enfeoffed as the King of Wei, which was established by Emperor Xian. Years passed, Emperor Xian died and the title was revoked. Why not re-establish it today?'"
"She said that Emperor Hui intended to grant the Guandu Marquis the title of King of Qi, allowing him to establish his own kingdom in Qi."
"This was a great honor."
"However, the Guandu Marquis refused, saying: 'I swore an oath with Emperor Xian: If anyone other than a Liu becomes King, we shall all attack him!'"
—
After Chen Cheng left Changle Palace, Lü Zhi smashed everything on the ground, then looked angrily into the distance, gritting her teeth and coldly saying, "What a Guandu Marquis!"
"He can even refuse the esteemed position of King of Qi!"
After smashing everything, her emotions recovered slightly, and a hint of composure appeared on her face.
She tidied her clothes and squinted her eyes: "Since this path is blocked, then... let's try other paths!"
How could Lü Zhi give up her power because of a momentary failure?
Her desire for power surpassed her life; even if it meant paying with her life for power, she was willing!
...
In Weiyang Palace.
Upon hearing the good news brought by Chen Cheng, Liu Ying's brows softened slightly.
He looked at Chen Cheng and said, "Many thanks, Guandu Marquis, for this time."
Liu Ying sighed deeply, his brows tinged with sorrow: "Ruyi is currently in the fiefdom of Zhao, and with the protection of the Jianping Marquis, he will not be harmed by my Imperial Mother."
"But Consort Qi..."
At this point, he sighed again, clearly feeling that Lü Zhi's methods against Consort Qi were too cruel.
Chen Cheng, however, did not engage in such trivial talk with Liu Ying. He merely frowned and said to Liu Ying, "Your Majesty is benevolent, but the affairs of the world are before your eyes. Why do you only focus on the matters of one family and one surname?"
In fact, this was the point Chen Cheng was most dissatisfied with Liu Ying.
Liu Ying completely lacked any emperor's demeanor or aura—he didn't even have the mindset of having become emperor, nor was he prepared to be one.
Previously, Chen Cheng only thought that Liu Ying was not adapting well because he had abruptly transitioned from the Crown Prince's status to the Emperor's, but now it seemed...
He pressed his forehead and advised again, "Your Majesty, a so-called emperor bears the burdens of the people. When Emperor Xian was on the throne, he saw the suffering of the common people and governed with non-action, allowing the people to rest and recuperate."
"This is what an emperor should do."
"But what are you doing now? Focusing on your brother, focusing on your mother. But your eyes completely fail to see the suffering common people of this world."
"Is the suffering of the common people less important than the suffering of your own family?"
Chen Cheng was always gentle and tolerant in front of Liu Ying, but this time, both his voice and his words were exceptionally sharp.
He looked at the young emperor before him, somewhat exasperated, and said, "Your Majesty! You are no longer the Crown Prince; you have now ascended the throne and become the Emperor!"
"A Crown Prince can be brotherly and filial, concerned with these family trivialities, because a Crown Prince, besides being the heir apparent, is also an example for many imperial princes, so such actions are not out of line."
"But you are now the Emperor, how can you still act like this?"
"By doing this, where do you place the people of the world?"
Liu Ying's face showed guilt from Chen Cheng's words; he had indeed made a mistake in this regard.
"I know I was wrong."
"I will certainly not do so again in the future."
Chen Cheng nodded slightly. Although he didn't think Liu Ying would truly act as he suggested, Chen Cheng himself felt he had a clear conscience and had done his part.
In fact, Chen Cheng did not believe Emperor Hui was incompetent, or rather—if his character were supported by Chen Cheng, he would be more suitable for this world and more suitable for the Chen Clan than Emperor Wen.
Chen Cheng's character was upright, and Liu Ying's character was benevolent; together, they would essentially be an enhanced version of Emperor Wen.
As long as Lu Hou didn't cause trouble, the empire could continue to develop peacefully—after all, at this time, the empire was in decline, and the most important thing for a ruler was to do nothing.
This was precisely the Huang-Lao philosophy implemented in the early Han Dynasty.
So, even now, Chen Cheng had not decided whether to "conform" to history and let Emperor Wen, who was currently in Dai, ascend the throne.
Emperor Hui, having suffered greatly in his youth, was not in good health at this time.
Even in the original history, he died young, and his children were still in swaddling clothes, naturally unable to become kings—this was not the time of the Eastern Han kindergarten.
How could a child control the vast empire?
Lu Hou's support for the child emperor's ascension was merely to continue controlling the government. With Chen Cheng present, she would not be able to achieve this goal.
After leaving Weiyang Palace, Chen Cheng sighed with a smile, gazing distantly at the palace situated in the Han empire, his expression calm. He was simply taking one step at a time.
There was no need to forcefully make history return to its original trajectory.
...
In Weiyang Palace.
After Chen Cheng left, Liu Ying slowly sighed, sitting there dejectedly, his face showing a hint of sadness: "I... am truly not suited to be emperor."
"My Imperial Mother thinks I'm not doing well, and now even the Guandu Marquis says so... Am I really not suited to be emperor?"
Such doubts lingered in Liu Ying's heart, making his heart even more sorrowful, and this sadness naturally reflected on his body, making him even more... fatigued.
...
In the second year of Emperor Hui's reign, an imperial edict was issued.
The titles of the Lü Clan's sons were abolished, so Lü Tai, who hadn't gone far, was pulled back again.
In this storm of title abolition, only one person was unaffected because he had no title—it was unknown if Lü Zhi had simply overlooked him at the time.
But in the Guandu Marquis Residence, Chen Cheng looked at the imperial edict, and the light in his eyes became clearer.
Before him, Chen Yun's face held a silent smile: "Grandfather, this edict..."
"Is His Majesty too benevolent?"
Chen Cheng slowly sighed, then said, "This is no longer a matter of benevolence or not. His Majesty abolished the titles of the various Lü Clan members, but he did not punish them. He thinks this is his benevolence, but in the eyes of the Lü Clan, this is the Emperor's provocation against them."
He analyzed for the still young Chen Yun: "When the Lü Clan had titles, I heard that Lü Tai was not even satisfied with his position as Marquis of Su, wanting the Empress Dowager to request his enfeoffment as King of Su, to go and establish his own kingdom. They had even made preparations for this."
"It shows that their ambition and greed cannot be satisfied."
"But the Emperor doesn't think so."
Chen Cheng's voice became incredibly weary: "His Majesty's benevolence has precisely given the Lü Clan an opportunity."
He pointed to the copied imperial decree and said, "He stripped the Lü Clan of their titles, making them furious in their madness, yet he left the positions of commander of the Northern and Southern Imperial Guards to Lü Tai and Lü Lu. This is giving them the weapons for rebellion."
Chen Cheng said silently, "I don't know if His Majesty is truly or falsely foolish, but... such an action puts himself in danger, and it's a bit too much."
He had always disapproved of such behavior.
Chen Yun's eyes instantly lit up as he listened to Chen Cheng's analysis, and he was somewhat bewildered: "You mean, this was intentional on His Majesty's part? The result he wanted was the Lü Clan's rebellion?"
Chen Cheng nodded slightly, his expression somewhat strange: "In fact, I'm not sure if His Majesty's actions were deliberate or if this outcome was formed by a series of coincidences."
"The Empress Dowager can currently pressure His Majesty only because she has no stain on her reputation, and she followed Emperor Xian in establishing the Han Dynasty, plus she is His Majesty's birth mother, so His Majesty can only be filial."
"But... what if the Empress Dowager bears the crime of 'rebellion'?"
"The crime of rebellion leads to the extermination of three generations of a family; the Empress Dowager would naturally not be among them, but with such a crime on her... the crime of a maternal family's rebellion is not easy to bear. In the future, will this Empress Dowager still be able to make such demands of His Majesty?"
The more Chen Cheng spoke, the more horrified he became.
But... if Liu Ying was truly such a ruthless, seemingly innocent person... then why did he fall to that extent in the original historical trajectory?
Although the Lü Clan was indeed wiped out completely...
Chen Yun shook his head slightly: "Grandfather, I actually think that this time was not intentional on His Majesty's part. Perhaps he just inadvertently acted this way?"
He looked at the distant sky and whispered, "But... we still need to wait."
"The Lü Clan has been forced to this point; they probably can't hold back any longer."
Chen Cheng nodded: "Have the soldiers prepare."
"Be ready to suppress the rebellion at any time!"
...
Autumn, second year of Emperor Hui's reign.
September 13th.
The sky was covered with gray dust, and distant dark clouds gathered densely. Large raindrops fell to the ground, shattering into pieces.
Purple lightning fell from a corner of the sky, then transformed into a straight and many-branched line, rendering the sky a gloomy purple. Countless raven-gray, even slightly green, eerie lights bloomed in the sky.
Lü Clan Residence.
Lü Tai sat in place, his expression grave.
He looked at Lü Lu beside him and said, "That matter... how are the preparations?"