The Great Han Dynasty's Forty-Eight Oaths (10700 Additions)

  "Your Majesty," Jian Cheng Hou Lü Shi's slightly raised voice echoed in the Pepper Chamber, "Brother thought that letting Ninth Sister marry Ying'er was a consensus between us siblings for many years."

  "Jiuniang is very good." Lü Yu did not move, and said lightly, "She is my biological niece, don't I want our Lü family to produce another empress, continuing the honor of the Lü family?"

  She clenched her fists and said, "But the current situation is that even Rong'er's position as heir may not be so secure. As elders, we should think about helping him keep his position, rather than sacrificing it for the sake of the Lu family's future glory. You know that Qu Ni Hou is a trusted minister of the Emperor, always cautious and never making mistakes. But if he becomes Rong'er's father-in-law, will he still be able to tolerate it?"

  "Brother, rest assured that if one day Rong Er ascends to the throne, Jiu Niang is my legitimate niece and grew up with Rong Er. In the Han palace, she will not be treated unfairly."

  In the tenth year of the Han Dynasty, in the fourth month of summer, Empress Lü Zhi petitioned Emperor Gao, wanting to choose a relative for Crown Prince Ying. She chose the second daughter of Marquis Hou, Hou Shu, who was gentle and wise, with a quiet and good demeanor, suitable to be the crown prince's wife.

  In the Temple of Gods, High Emperor sat on a couch with his legs crossed, his eyebrows furrowed in worry, and he stared blankly into space.

  "Your Majesty," Ji Yi, who had already changed into a summer shirt, thin and beautiful, sat beside Liu Bang and said lazily, "She loves to marry the crown prince to whatever family she wants, is it worth your trouble?"

  The Emperor was stunned for a moment, and then sighed, "Ai Ji, if you didn't have your sights set on Ruyi becoming the Crown Prince one day, it would be easy to say such things. But now...Ruyi's path ahead is increasingly precarious."

  "Your Majesty, what do you mean by this?" asked Qi Yi with a puzzled expression.

  Emperor Gao rose to his feet, "Chen Ping is a great meritorious minister of the Han Dynasty, with wisdom and strategy that surpasses others. If he were to become the father-in-law of Ying'er, would he not do his utmost to secure her position as heir?"

  "Then," Qi Yi panicked, "Your Majesty, quickly issue an edict, forbidding this marriage."

  "What's the reason?" Emperor Gao shrugged helplessly, "When a man grows up, he should get married, and when a woman grows up, she should be married off. Now that they are in love with each other, and it was proposed by the Crown Prince's mother, while the Lü family has retreated, I still have to consider the dignity of the Marquis of Chang'an. How can I refuse without any reason? ——Unfortunately, Yu is not old enough yet, and neither Zhang Liang nor Xiao He has a daughter of suitable age; otherwise, it would be better to arrange a marriage for Yu first."

  "I don't care about these things." Qi Yi pouted and coquettishly said, "Your Majesty, you promised me that you would depose the Crown Prince and establish my Ruyi as the new heir. You can't go back on your word, or people will laugh at you."

  "Alright, alright." The Emperor reluctantly agreed, "There's no other choice, we'll have to put this matter on hold for now and take care of it ahead of time."

  Deep in the night, a crystal peach blossom lamp was lit under the corridor of the Fairy Temple.

  Lü Zhi did not sleep all night, and heard the sound of horseshoes outside the palace. The emperor's carriage came out of the Temple of the Immortals and went straight to the Front Palace, causing her to smile bitterly.

  "Your Majesty." Su Mo called out cautiously.

  "I'm fine, I'm fine." Lv Wei muttered to herself, gazing at the sky light that was slowly seeping into the palace from outside. "Over the years, I've gotten used to it too."

  "Sumo, bring me the imperial mourning attire."

  She wore a solemn and majestic queen's attire, with her hair styled in a high bun, and stepped into the front hall east wing amidst the flowing palace attendants paying their respects. "Your Majesty," the eunuch said softly, bowing his head, "the Emperor is currently holding court in the grand hall."

  On the other side of the wall, Liu Bang's voice came over clearly, "The crown prince is not virtuous, I want to depose him and establish Zhao Wang instead."

  For many years, he has been cold to the queen and favored King Zhao, seemingly with the intention of changing the heir. However, this is the first time it has been formally mentioned in court discussions. The court was in an uproar, and several officials immediately stood up to memorialize, "Your Majesty, this cannot be done."

  In the grand hall, Emperor Gao and his ministers were engaged in a heated debate. The atmosphere was tense and the voices were loud. Marquis Chen Ping of Chang'an observed quietly, sighed secretly, and rose to speak. However, Liu Bang shook his head coldly and said, "Marquis Chen, there's no need for you to say anything more. I know that you will soon become the father-in-law of the crown prince and want to speak on his behalf, which is understandable. Nevertheless, the selection of the crown prince is a matter of state, and it cannot be abandoned due to family matters."

  Before he had finished speaking, a voice rang out clearly, "Your Majesty, I have no relation to the Crown Prince. I also think that this matter... is absolutely impermissible and must not be carried out."

  He is Grand Master of Remonstrance Zhou Chang.

  "Why?" the Emperor asked angrily.

  The emperor was furious, but Zhou Chang was also not calm at this time. He was naturally not good at speaking, and when he was excited, his words were unclear. At this moment, under the anger, he stuttered even more, stiffly saying: "I am unable to speak, yet I know it is unfeasible. Your Majesty may want to depose the Crown Prince, but I will not obey the edict."

  The Emperor saw that public opinion was impossible to violate, sighed and smiled with a pleased expression, and temporarily did not mention the matter of changing the heir again.

  The court conference having ended, Empress Lü thanked Zhou Chang and said, "Without Minister Zhou, the Crown Prince would almost have been deposed by Your Majesty."

  Zhou Chang hastily returned the courtesy, saying, "This is what I should do as a minister, I dare not accept this courtesy from Your Majesty the Empress."

  "What about the Crown Prince now?" Lü Zhi stepped into the Eastern Palace.

  "See the Empress." The eunuchs in the palace all knelt down and said, "The prince has locked himself in his bedroom and refuses to come out." Chang Ji anxiously knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, please comfort the prince."

  Lü Hou pushed open the bronze door of the bedroom and stepped inside. She walked up to her son and called out, "Ying'er."

  "Mother." Liu Ying finally saw her mother, feeling a bit more at ease, pulled on Lü Zhi's sleeve, with tears in her eyes, and asked, "Was I really that disappointing to Father?"

  "Look at you, so useless." Lü Yu's voice was choked with anger as she scolded, "No wonder your father always said that you're not like him. Things don't fall from the sky, you have to work hard to get them. If someone wants to take what's yours," her eyes suddenly flashed with a fierce glint, "then kill them."

  Liu Ying slightly stiffened and loosened her grip on her mother's hand.

  "Your mother often told you that you never believed," Lü Zhi said loudly, "but instead recognized that little rabbit as your younger brother. If he really took you as his elder brother, would he covet your position? Ying'er," she slowed down her voice and comforted Liu Ying's cheek, "your mother will not harm you, in this vast Chang Le Palace, except for your mother, no one truly cares about you."

  "The empress dowager will arrange for you to marry the daughter of Duke Qu Yin as your crown princess, and when you become emperor next year, she'll give birth to a big fat grandson. Our whole family will be happy, isn't that great?"

  "Hu'er?" Liu Ying was taken aback for a moment and smiled wryly, "Indeed, every move I make is clear to the Empress Dowager."

  "The empress dowager is doing it for your own good. The Marquis of Quniu is a high-ranking official of the Han Dynasty, and you married his daughter. Naturally, he will help you on the court."

  "But," Liu Ying said with a deep sigh, "if I were to marry Chen Hu, it would only be because I want to marry her."

  "What's the difference?" Lü Cuī said indifferently. "In the end, it's still marrying the same woman."

  Although it's two hours late, I'll still count it as the third update.