On the eve of the Lantern Festival, the colorful lanterns in the various palaces and pavilions of Changle Palace were lit one after another, and suddenly a warm spring atmosphere filled the air. Du Shang, the supervisor with a silver seal and blue ribbon, walked out of the Divine Immortal Hall and ordered the palace attendants, "The dragon and phoenix lanterns under the corridor are too dazzling, replace them with peach blossom lanterns."

  "But sir," the eunuch smiled in puzzlement, "Madam Qi loves bustle and excitement, she wouldn't like Peach Blossom Lanterns, would she?"

  Du Shang smiled coldly, and the palace attendant looked at him with a frightened heart, dared not speak again, and lowered his head to change the lamp.

  Pink peach blossom lanterns hang under the eaves of the Temple of Gods, resplendent and dazzling. A gentle breeze blows by, and they rotate slightly, like peach blossoms blooming on the banks of the Wei River in early spring.

  "Bang."

  In the Pepper Chamber, Lü Zhi gazed afar in the direction of the peach blossom lanterns, crushing the white jade cup with a phoenix head in her hand, and flung it out, shattering it into pieces. Gnashing her teeth, she said, "That lowly woman Qi Yi has gone too far."

  Blood dripped from her hand, Su Mo hastily took out a cloth to bandage it. "Impossible?" She bit her lip in doubt. "The crown prince has just achieved great merit and is about to have an heir. It's the most stable time for the position of the crown prince. What can Consort Qi do? Maybe it's because of the Lantern Festival, someone accidentally took the wrong lantern, that's all."

  "Su Mo, you're too naive." Lü Yu sneered, "The more so, the more Qi Yi wants to stir up trouble. You should know that she can only rely on Your Majesty," The flickering candlelight cast an eerie glow on her face, "and Your Majesty is already old."

  On the second day, Qi's wife saw Liu Bang off at the gate of the Temple of the Immortals, tiptoeing to adjust his hat and clothes, her expression as if expecting something.

  Chang Le's front hall, the High Emperor stopped coughing and threw down a volume of memorials. He pointed at the crown prince and scolded, "Someone has reported to me that when you led the army back to the capital, you privately paid respects to your mother and met with female relatives. Is this true?"

  Liu Ying was stunned for half a moment. She nodded her head and bowed, saying "It's true."

  "Do you think the Han army is your personal bodyguard?" The Emperor's nose became even more upturned and his eyes bulged, "Don't you go back to reflect on your mistakes?"

  He remained silent for a moment, then bowed and withdrew.

  "This son is not following the rules," Emperor Gao smiled and said directly to all his ministers, "I want to change the heir, establish Zhao Wang as the crown prince. What do you all think?"

  The princes and ministers looked at each other, and finally understood why the servants of the Lu Mansion had rushed to various mansions overnight to deliver New Year's gifts. The General-in-Chief Zhou Bo and the Crown Prince's Tutor Sun Shu both stepped forward and advised, "We do not know what crime the Crown Prince has committed?"

  The Emperor rubbed his hands and repeated the old tune, "Old Zhou, you also know that this son of mine is too weak and not like me at all. If he becomes the ruler one day, then the world will fall into the hands of palace women."

  "Your Majesty," Zhou Bo said with a solemn bow, "This time the Crown Prince fought bravely in the Huainan war. I observed that although he is not as good as Your Majesty was in your younger years, he is not as weak as you thought. Moreover, Your Majesty," he smiled and said, "We are all getting old, but children will grow up after all. The Crown Prince is only sixteen now, don't be too harsh on him."

  Liu Bang was taken aback, and dryly said, "Then he didn't follow the rules of courtesy." At that time, the Crown Prince had already returned to his post, and Your Majesty had brought Lady Qi along with the army back then?" Sun Shu Tong raised an eyebrow and nodded in response. He stood up straight again and bowed, saying, "In the past, Duke Xian of Jin deposed his crown prince due to the influence of Li Ji and established Xi Qi instead, which led to decades of turmoil in Jin and became a laughingstock for the world. The Qin dynasty didn't establish Fu Su early on, allowing Zhao Gao to deceitfully enthrone Hu Hai, ultimately leading to its downfall. This is a lesson from history. Nowadays, everyone knows that the Crown Prince is benevolent and filial. Empress Lu and Your Majesty are also husband and wife who have shared life and death together. How can you betray her?"

  "This won't do, that won't do." The Emperor finally flew into a rage, glaring and shouting, "This is my family affair, I'll give the throne to whichever son I want, it's none of your business."

  "Your Majesty's words are not right," Sun Shu-t'ung argued without giving an inch, "If Your Majesty were just a common household, then this would be a family matter and I should not interfere. But as the ruler of a nation, the Crown Prince is the foundation of the world. Everyone in the world can discuss it." Speaking to this point, he became excited, waving his arm loudly and saying, "If Your Majesty insists on deposing the eldest son and establishing the younger one, I am willing to be executed first, with my blood spilled on the ground."

  The grand hall fell silent in an instant, and the Emperor scanned the crowd of officials. He saw that the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers either looked straight at him or hung their heads, all with disapproving expressions. Sighing, he finally realized that things couldn't be done, and smiling, he pointed to Sun Shu Tong, "It's okay, Grand Tutor, I was just joking..."

  "Your Majesty must know that the Crown Prince is the foundation of the world. If the foundation shakes, the whole world will tremble. How can Your Majesty make a joke of the world?"

  The Emperor could only smile awkwardly and said, "I will listen to your words."

  Sun Shu Tong and Zhou Bo walked out of the palace together, from a distance they saw Hou Yu on the ground by the wine pool, he bowed his head and said, "Thank you two gentlemen for speaking up for the crown prince."

  In the Eastern Palace, the fragrance wafted gently. Liu Ying played the zither in the hall. The sound of the zither was clear and upright, flowing with a hint of emotional ups and downs.

  Chen Hu stood outside and listened for a while before entering the hall from behind and embracing him. After a while, he sighed in dissatisfaction, "Your Majesty is always partial..."

  Liu Ying remained silent for a moment before saying, "A filial child does not criticize his father."

  Chen Hu's belly had already slightly bulged, nearly four months into her pregnancy. Liu Ying placed her ear on Chen Hu's abdomen, listened for a while, and smiled, "When you're born, your father will personally teach you to read books, write characters, ride horses, and shoot arrows."

  Chen Hu burst out laughing and looked down at the man who was talking to the child in her belly, with a warm expression.

  If there is such a day, if there is such a day

  Even if the crown prince really can't become emperor, she also feels happy.

  She yawned and was drowsy.

  "You seem to be sleeping a lot lately." Liu Ying said with confusion.

  "Yes." She said casually, "I also had the imperial physician take a look, and he just said it was a normal reaction to pregnancy."

  A few days later, in the Crown Prince's Academy, Liu Ying asked Taifu Sun Shu Tong, "Taifu is a person who has established rituals and laws for the great Han. Does Taifu think that these rituals and laws can accommodate human emotions?"

  Sun Shu Tong was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "On that day in the palace, Your Majesty was just using the occasion to express your feelings. But I think that on the day the Crown Prince returned to the capital, there was a small mistake. I know that the Crown Prince is filial to his mother and has a deep relationship with his wife, but since he had already returned to the capital city, it would have been enough to just hold a small gathering at some point, why rush into it all at once?"

  Liu Ying humbly accepted the teachings.

  In the second month of spring, Emperor Gao held a banquet on Changchun Platform.

  The feast had reached its third quarter, when the High Emperor raised his head and suddenly caught sight of four white-browed and hoary-headed old men standing behind the Crown Prince. Their faces were unfamiliar, and he had never seen them before; yet in their every movement there was a natural elegance, a gentle refinement that inspired affection and respect.

  After the banquet, Emperor Gao asked the Crown Prince with a smile, "Who are these four gentlemen?"

  The crown prince smiled and replied, "There are four idle men living on Mount Shang, namely Dongyuan Gong Tang Bing, Li Xiansheng Zhou Shu, Qi Li Ji Wu Shi, and Xia Huang Gong Cui Guang. These are the four gentlemen."

  Liu Bang was astonished, and summoned the Four Whiteheads of Mount Shang to an audience. With a composed expression, he asked them: "In the past when I was competing with Xiang Yu for control of the empire, I also invited you four gentlemen, but you refused to come. Now you are serving my son - what is the reason?"

  Tang Bing said, "In the past, Your Majesty emphasized martial arts and despised Confucianism, which is why we four did not come; now the Crown Prince will be the ruler of Han in the future, and he has a benevolent heart, is filial to his parents, and respects virtuous scholars, which is why I accepted the invitation."

  Liu Bang remained silent for a moment before smiling and saying, "In that case, the four gentlemen will have to advise the crown prince on his mistakes in the future."

  He gazed at the four figures disappearing into the distance, finally realizing that some things were not meant to be. Suddenly, he thought of the beautiful maidens in the Temple of the Gods, and a wave of sorrow washed over him. He raised his cup and sang, "My wings are ready, I'll soar across the four seas." He repeated this twice, then fell silent, waving his hand and saying, "Take it away." His voice was mournful.

  In the 12th year of Han, Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang ordered his most beloved son Ruyi to leave the capital and go to Zhao as king. Chancellor Zhou Chang assisted him.

  When Zhao Wang was 12 years old, before he left, Emperor Gao personally saw him off in front of the palace gate. Ruyi pulled at Emperor Gao's robes and asked, "Father Emperor, can't I not leave Chang'an? Mother Empress has always been fond of me, if I leave, Mother Empress will be sad."

  The Emperor let out a long sigh and waved his sleeve, saying, "Let's go, let's go. A great man should be like a swan, how can he spend his whole life by his parents' side like a sparrow?"

  "As you wish," said Emperor Gao with a heavy heart, "your father had hoped that you would soar to great heights one day."

  Ru Yi felt a sense of heaviness, wiped away her tears and said firmly, "Ru Yi will learn to be a good Princess Zhao. But I hope Father Emperor will take care of Mother Empress for Ru Yi."

  As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Bu mounted his carriage and sped away towards Zhao territory, leaving a cloud of dust behind.

  The Emperor stood still until the imperial carriage disappeared from view beyond the palace gates, then turned back, let out a sigh, and walked alone with his hands behind him back to the inner palace, his figure seeming to show a hint of age.

  The spring of the twelfth year of Han seems to have arrived particularly late.

  The spring arrived, and Liu Bang gradually began to rely heavily on Crown Prince Liu Ying. In national affairs, he would often ask for the crown prince's opinion in advance and occasionally comment on gains and losses. Liu Ying saw his old father's declining health and also had a compassionate heart. Even if there were things he didn't agree with, he absolutely wouldn't insist on arguing about them. The distant relationship between father and son over many years was eased during this brief spring, filled with filial piety and harmony.

  Zhao Wang Ruyi finally left the capital and went to the state, indicating that Emperor Gao's final compromise and concession on the matter of establishing a crown prince in his later years. For a time, the power of the Lü clan reached its peak in Chang'an City, and the members of the Lü clan were arrogant and unrestrained.

  After attending the banquet at Chang Le Palace, Shang Shan Si Hao moved out of Lü Lu's mansion and found several courtyards in the suburbs of Chang'an to live next door. The crown prince often came to visit and ask for advice, and the host and guest got along well.

  The Peach Blossom Lantern appears for the second time.

  Martyr's twilight years, heroic heart remains!

  I also disliked Liu Bang like everyone else at first, but when I wrote these few chapters, for some reason, my mood suddenly calmed down.

  Han Gaozu died in May of the 12th year of Han. Now it's around March. There are less than two months left.

  Honestly, from my point of view, I'm really looking forward to it.

  The end of an era marks the beginning of a new one.

  So, everyone, cast a pink vote for me (I finally couldn't help but ask for votes again).

  Immediately below this paragraph

  Thank you.