Chapter 330 King Wu
Another crowning!

This time, it's not just about being crowned king. What Jin Mao meant was that he wanted to be the regent.

Liu Xie looked at the figure, wanting to see clearly whether the person under the armor was the imperial uncle in his mind.

There are still some officials who are not afraid of death.

Liu Biao seemed to have reached his climax, and he stood up and rebuked Jin Mao, saying, "Jin Mao! How dare you make such a rebellious request in this palace! The position of regent king cannot be held by anyone other than a man of both virtue and talent, and a man of outstanding merit. You are just a military general, but you want to be above Your Majesty just by virtue of your military exploits. Where do you put the etiquette and laws of the Han Dynasty? Are you taking advantage of the fact that there is no one in our court, and dare to openly challenge the imperial power and despise the hearts of the scholars of the world?"

Liu Biao's words were so powerful that the hall suddenly fell silent, and even the air seemed to freeze. The ministers were either surprised or praised, and their eyes turned to Liu Biao, and then secretly glanced at the armor-clad, majestic and inviolable figure, each thinking in their hearts.

Jin Mao's face turned pale. He had never expected that someone would challenge his authority so directly, especially from Liu Biao, who seemed gentle and polite on weekdays.

But he was a veteran of the battlefield after all, so he quickly calmed down and sneered, "Your Excellency is wrong. Although I, Jin Mao, am a warrior, I have fought hard to expand the territory of the Han Dynasty. Isn't my record of merit stained with blood and tears? Today, there are princes outside and treacherous people inside. We need someone to stand up and unify the world. I, Jin Mao, am willing to take on this important task and protect the Han Dynasty. Why not?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the hall became even more tense. Some people began to whisper and expressed their support for Jin Mao's proposal, while others showed dissatisfaction, believing that this move was tantamount to undermining the imperial power and threatening the emperor's ruling position.

Liu Xie had mixed feelings when he saw this. He knew that Jin Mao had made great military achievements and was aware of the undercurrents in the court, but he did not want to see the Han Dynasty fall into chaos.

Liu Xie then coughed lightly, trying to break the deadlock: "My dear ministers, I know that you all care about the interests of our Han Dynasty, but the matter of enthroning a king as regent is no small matter and requires long-term consideration. I wish to adjourn the court first and discuss this matter later."

After saying that, Liu Xie slowly stood up and swept his complicated gaze over everyone in the hall, finally stopping on the armored figure, as if he was expecting something, yet helpless.

"Wait a minute!" Jin Mao took off his helmet, revealing his young face, and asked, "Your Majesty, do you know how many households there are in Chang'an City? How many households are there now?"

"This..." Liu Xie hesitated and said, "I don't know."

Jin Mao continued to ask: "Your Majesty, do you know which princes in the world are loyal to the Han Dynasty, and which princes have evil intentions?"

Liu Xie looked at Jin Mao with an expression that said something obvious, as if to say, "Aren't you the traitor?"

Finally, Liu Xie shook his head and said, "I don't know."

Jin Mao asked again: "Your Majesty, do you know when to plant crops? What to do in January? What to plant in February? What crops to plant in March?"

Liu Xie was puzzled and said, "I am the Son of Heaven. My main job is to govern the country well. Why do I need to know these things?"

Jin Mao shook his head and laughed, "Your Majesty, if you don't even understand the basics of governance, how can you govern the world well?"

"The world is in such a mess. Seventy percent of the blame lies with the ministers in the court, and thirty percent lies with Your Majesty!"

"Don't be so presumptuous!" Liu Biao became even more presumptuous after he made his position clear. He scolded Jin Mao in person: "General, don't think that there are no more loyal ministers in the court. Even if the sword in your hand is sharp, can it be better than the pen in the hand of the historian?"

Jin Mao said disdainfully: "The merits and demerits will be judged by future generations. If you dare to challenge me again, I will kill you first!"

Liu Biao's expression froze, and he turned to the emperor and pleaded, "Your Majesty, please punish Jin Mao for his disrespect."

Jin Mao was unmoved and continued, "If His Majesty the King of Wu does not confer the title today, someone will ask for it for me in the future. I am not in a hurry."

"Today I only want to let Your Majesty know the way to govern, not the perverted theories taught by these empty talkers."

"The world is in such chaos, they have an unshirkable responsibility!"

Jin Mao said with murderous intent: "Even if we kill them all, we will only miss one or two."

"If the lord humiliates the minister, he must die!" Immediately, several truly loyal ministers jumped out and apologized to Emperor Liu Xie, and then they were killed one after another in the hall.

If nothing else, they want to bring infamy to Jinmao.

Two lines of hot tears rolled down Liu Xie's eyes, and he asked hoarsely: "General! Why is it so?"

Jin Mao ignored him and said firmly: "What I am doing today is not for Your Majesty, not for the Han Dynasty, but to seek justice for the people of this world!"

"Why are all the ministers alive today, while 200,000 people in Chang'an died?"

"In my opinion, they all deserve to die!"

What's the point of the lord humiliating the minister and the minister dying? Weren't the insults from Dong Zhuo enough?

Why should Jin Mao have to endure these disgusting guys when it comes to his turn? Just like he said, they should all die.

But in the eyes of the emperor, Jin Mao's actions were undoubtedly the next Dong Zhuo.

Liu Xie really didn't expect that the great general mentioned by Jin Yang would be such a person. He had been looking forward to it for a long time. Finally, he got the chance, but he turned out to be a more brutal person than Dong Zhuo.

"General."

Liu Xie asked with tears in his eyes: "Do you remember your nephew Jin Yang?"

Jin Mao turned his head away and said stiffly, "I don't remember."

Liu Xie shook his head, pointed at Jin Mao and said, "No! You remember! How could you forget him? He is your favorite nephew!"

"So what?" Jin Mao looked at the roof at a 45-degree angle and said, "The 20 million people south of the Yangtze River depend on me for survival. He's just a nephew. Even if he's my own son..."

Jin Mao couldn't continue speaking, and two tears fell from the corners of his eyes.

Liu Xie saw it carefully and laughed heartily.

"Hahahahahaha!"

"The general is the one who says one thing and means another!"

As he laughed, Liu Xie grabbed the Hu pancake from the plate and started chewing it in big mouthfuls, as if he was not the one who couldn't swallow it before.

Jin Mao just watched Liu Xie wolfing down the food. Seeing him forcing himself to swallow the food even though it seemed difficult to swallow, Jin Mao couldn't help but feel a little soft-hearted.

After all, Liu Xie was just a fourteen-year-old boy, and what he could do was already his limit, but as an emperor he had no choice.

If possible, Jin Mao didn't want to sit in that position, but there were some things that were beyond his control.

There are already some signs below. Even if Liu Xie refuses to give up the throne in the future, the people will push him to the throne, because he is a member of the royal family and his ancestors are also surnamed Liu.

Of course, that’s all later. At the moment, Jinmao still wants to squeeze out the last bit of value from Liu Xie.

At least he should be a functional emperor during his reign.

"Somebody come!"

"Bring the broth!"

Following Jin Mao's order, the soldiers brought a can of chicken soup to the emperor.

At this time, all the officials must be cursing.

Liu Xie was choking, and after taking a mouthful of chicken soup, he groaned in comfort.

"Uncle." Liu Xie no longer addressed him as the general. "Is the world really rotten to the core?"

Jin Mao was stunned at first, and then smiled with relief. Yes, it was petty to be so petty as to be angry with a child.

Jin Mao didn't care about his image, he sat down with a dustpan on the ground and said, "It's not the roots that are rotten, the people are all good, it's these trunks that are rotten."

Jin Mao pointed at the civil and military officials in the court and said, "Your Majesty is like the golden fruit on the tree, and the officials are the trunk. Your Majesty thinks that you cannot absorb nutrients because the roots are rotten, but in fact, it is the trunk that is rotten that has no nutrients." "Trunk... golden fruit..." Liu Xie seemed to understand something and asked carefully, "Does the emperor's uncle have any method to cure the disease?"

Jin Mao asked in return: "How ambitious is your majesty?"

Liu Xie burst out with pride and said: "We should be like Emperor Wu of Han! Emperor Guangwu!"

Jin Mao looked at Liu Xie in surprise, then said, "Then cut off the trunk and let the roots grow a new tree!"

Liu Xie was shocked and stammered, "Then I..."

"The new emperor ascends the throne!"

Jin Mao didn't mention anyone in particular, and the clever Liu Xie understood immediately. His face turned pale and he murmured, "Is this the only way to go?"

Jin Mao replied: "Or we can dig out the rotten tree trunks and survive."

Liu Xie found it hard to accept and had to make a difficult choice between the throne and the Han Dynasty.

Jin Mao seemed to see Liu Xie's difficulty, so he suggested: "If Your Majesty allows me to be regent, Your Majesty can hide your identity and go down to see what this country and those people are like."

"It's better than staying in the palace and ruling by sheer imagination."

Liu Xie hesitated and said, "I have personally provided relief to the people of Chang'an, so I am not ignorant of their sentiments."

"The people in Chang'an?" Jin Mao laughed and said, "Your Majesty, ask all the ministers in the court, are the people in the city the same as those outside the city?"

Liu Xie looked at him inquiringly, but no one in the court dared to look him in the face.

Suddenly, Liu Xie felt a chill in his heart. He realized that although he was the emperor, he was like a lonely bird isolated by high walls and deep courtyards, and he knew very little about the real sufferings of the people in this vast land.

Jin Mao's proposal was like a ray of light that penetrated the long-standing fog and allowed him to see another possibility - to walk out of the palace in person, witness with his own eyes and hear with his own ears the voices blocked by the palace walls.

"Uncle, you are right. As the Son of Heaven, I should take the people into consideration. How can I govern the world based on my own opinion?" Liu Xie said with a firm tone, "But if I leave, how will the affairs of the court be handled? How can I easily entrust the foundation of the Han Dynasty to others?"

Jin Mao was delighted, stood up, bowed, and replied: "Your Majesty, don't worry. Although I am not talented, I am willing to guarantee with my life that I will destroy the rebels and stabilize the government until Your Majesty returns."

Liu Xie felt relieved when he heard this, but he still had some concerns: "My departure will surely cause a stir in the government and the country, and I'm afraid some scoundrels will take the opportunity to cause chaos."

Jin Mao smiled contemptuously and said, "Who dares to cause trouble?"

The confidence and arrogance in his words were fully revealed.

Liu Xie pondered for a moment and finally made up his mind: "Okay! I will follow the advice of my uncle and temporarily leave the throne to go to the people and understand their sentiments. When I return, I will make the Han Dynasty a new place!"

After these words were spoken, although there was astonishment in the court, there was more admiration and expectation for Liu Xie's move. Jin Mao's eyes flashed with a barely perceptible gratification, he knew that this would be an important step in changing the fate of the Han Dynasty.

Having said that, in the end, Liu Xie asked shyly: "Uncle, where should I go?"

Jin Mao had already made a plan in mind, and said, "I have an adopted son named Lu Xun, who is very smart. He will show Your Majesty everything."

Lu Xun?
Liu Xie silently memorized the name.

At this time, Jin Mao's men came to report: "My lord, Yang Feng and Yang Ding were captured alive by Captain Zhang and Captain Sun respectively. What should we do with them?"

"Put him in jail and keep him under guard." Jin Mao ordered, "Wait until the public trial is over before dealing with him."

Now that the position of the regent is secure, everything should be governed by laws and cannot be handled arbitrarily.

"It's getting late." Jin Mao stretched and said, "Your Majesty, please rest early."

After saying this, he left with his men, but the soldiers held the torches and did not leave.

A month later.

In Luoyang, the eastern capital, Liu Xie crowned Jin Mao as King of Wu and took charge of the government.

Liu Xie also issued an edict to himself, saying that he wanted to further his studies and would not appear in the court for the short term.

At this point, the court was controlled by Jin Mao. However, he did not lavishly reward his subordinates. Instead, he rewarded people based on merit, and official promotions were carried out according to the old laws of the Han Dynasty.

Naturally, Jin Mao still has the final say on internal military ranks. Although no generals have appeared, several brigadier generals have emerged. They will be promoted to generals after waiting for the results from Jiaozhou.

the other side.

According to his own wishes, Liu Xie changed his identity and entered the private school run by Jin Mao's family.

I thought I had concealed it very well, but I didn't expect that Lu Xun would find out on the first day.

"How did you know my identity?"

Liu Xie looked at Lu Xun, who was two years younger than him, with great curiosity.

"Your Majesty," said the young and polite Lu Xun, "Your nobleness is unique. I have never seen it even in my father."

When Liu Xie heard that he was more distinguished than Jin Mao, he was very happy and asked, "What else?"

"Your Majesty, please look." Lu Xun pointed at the silks and accessories on Liu Xie, and then pointed at the linen clothes on his own body.

Liu Xie asked curiously, "Didn't the emperor's uncle give you nice clothes to wear?"

"No." Lu Xun explained: "Father always said that we should share the joys of the people. I believe that we should share the sufferings of the people so that we can understand what the people are thinking."

Then, Lu Xun stretched out his calloused hands and said, "See, this is what it means to share happiness with the people."

Liu Xie stretched out his hand and took a look. It was as white and smooth as a girl's. The difference was obvious at a glance.

"I...I also want to have fun with the people." Liu Xie ordered: "Take me there quickly!"

"Your Majesty." Lu Xun bowed and said helplessly: "Your Majesty, sharing happiness with the people is not a matter of a day or a night, nor can you fully experience it by changing into coarse clothes.

What it needs is to go deep into the people, listen to their voices, understand their sufferings and expectations, take actions to alleviate their burdens, and nourish this land with benevolent policies.

If Your Majesty really wants to share happiness with the people, you might as well start with small things, like washing clothes.

As for me, I am just trying my best to put my father's teachings into practice, share the joys and sorrows with the people, and hope to do my part for the country."

“My father often said that governing a big country is like cooking a small fish, which requires carefulness, patience and wisdom.

Your Majesty is the ruler of all people. Every decision you make is related to the safety of the country and the well-being of the people. I implore Your Majesty to think of the people of the world and not to rush for temporary appearances, but to focus on long-term governance.

When the country is prosperous and the people are strong, and the people live and work in peace and contentment, Your Majesty will naturally be able to share the joy of peace with the people. That is the true joy of sharing with the people."

Liu Xie's expression was solemn when he heard this. After thinking for a moment, he slowly nodded: "Uncle Huang and Lu Qing are right. I understand. I will keep it in mind. From now on, I will work harder to govern the country and respond to the people's expectations with practical actions. As for sharing happiness with the people, I will take this as my goal and achieve it step by step."

Seeing that Liu Xie believed him, Lu Xun couldn't help but whisper, "I want you to learn how to wash clothes first, and then go to work in the fields!"

Liu Xie: “囧”.

(End of this chapter)