Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 120 The real palace fight that killed the emperor and made him extinct!
Changqiu Palace, main hall

Liu Bian took two steps at a time and walked to Empress He. Then he bowed and said, "How is your mother?"

"Why is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, who never bows in court, running like this?" When Empress He saw her beloved son, who was usually busy with official duties, coming to accompany her, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes. The corners of her mouth could not help but rise, revealing a doting smile, and she couldn't help but joked.

"Son, don't you miss your mother?"

Liu Bian smiled and sat down politely.

The palace maids and eunuchs had already placed a seat next to Empress He. Although it was against etiquette, after a serious illness, for some reason, he became more and more fond of ignoring these trivial etiquette in front of people close to him.

Listening to her beloved son's sweet words, Empress He's smile grew brighter, and her eyes narrowed into crescents.

She didn't know whether it was the sweet taste of the preserved fruit in her mouth or the sweeter words of her beloved son, but she extended her index finger and gently tapped Liu Bian's forehead. She pretended to be angry, but her eyes were full of smiles as she said, "Where did you learn this? You are becoming more and more like your father, the emperor. You are so unruly all day long. If others saw this, they would think I didn't teach you well."

Liu Bian didn't care about these things. He stared straight at the plate of cakes on Empress He's desk, reached out and picked up a piece of apricot blossom cake and put it into his mouth.

The sweet taste spread in his mouth. Liu Bian narrowed his eyes in satisfaction and enjoyment. He ignored the cake crumbs on his hands and reached out to hug Empress He's arm, rubbing his head against hers. He said, "My son is the product of my mother's ten months of pregnancy and the desperate struggle to give birth to him. Naturally, I should be close to her. This is the natural love between mother and child. What does it have to do with etiquette?"

Empress He shook her head slightly with a faint smile on her face. She raised her hand and touched Liu Bian's hair, her eyes full of helplessness and indulgence.

In the past, she also felt that the rigid filial piety advocated by Confucian scholars could only demonstrate the love between mother and son, but her own beloved son was also right. This filial piety and mother-son love that came from the heart far surpassed those so-called "filial piety".

How could those pedantic scholars understand such family happiness?

After mother and son chatted for a while, Empress He's relaxed expression suddenly froze, as if she suddenly remembered something. She asked abruptly, "My son, are you really going to follow the one chosen by the Crown Prince's tutor?"

Liu Bian was holding a piece of pale pink peach blossom cake in his hand. Upon hearing this, his movements faltered slightly, a hint of doubt flashed across his face. He asked, "Mother, what do you think is wrong with the word 'Yuanzhi'?"

Empress He placed her index finger on her chin, pursed her lips slightly, and said, "I still think what the Minister of Rites and the Imperial Clan Director said is reasonable. This courtesy name is too grand and may not be good for my son."

Liu Bian couldn't help but smile bitterly, with a hint of helplessness on his face.

He did not believe in such stories about gods and ghosts, but Empress He believed them because of her deep love for him. This was exactly what Liu Yan and Liu Yu, two relatives of the Han Dynasty, took advantage of and used as a breakthrough.

The idea of ​​giving children humble names so that they are easier to raise is not something that only appeared in later generations. This custom existed as early as the pre-Qin period. The original purpose of creating courtesy names was to replace "humble names" in formal occasions.

After all, when a minister goes to court or submits a memorial, he cannot claim that "I, General Liu Goudan, have a memorial", right?

Later, as the times changed, people gradually developed the habit of giving children nicknames.

In order to help children survive the years when they are prone to premature death, they would simply give them a vulgar name as a nickname. Emperor Xiaowu, whose nickname was "Zhu", is a typical example.

Compared with "Yuanzhi" which shows lofty ambitions and aspirations, Empress He hoped that Liu Bian could take a courtesy name with a better meaning, preferably one with the meaning of longevity.

She was not a qualified queen. Compared with the stability of the Han Dynasty, she hoped that her children could live a happy and healthy life.

However, Taichang Liu Yan and Zongzheng Liu Yu both believed that a courtesy name with too grand a meaning might reduce the Crown Prince's fortune and even his lifespan, which would be disadvantageous to him.

But Liu Bian knew clearly that these two people were deliberately opposing Lu Zhi because Lu Zhi had taken away their power to choose their own names.

However, just as Liu Bian was about to appease Empress He, Grand Chamberlain Zhao Zhong stepped into the hall with small, respectful steps and bowed to the Crown Prince and Empress, saying, "Your Highness, Crown Prince, Princess Yang'an has arrived outside the palace gate."

When Liu Bian heard this, he was obviously stunned and his eyebrows raised slightly.

He was the eldest son, and he had only one younger brother and one younger sister. His younger brother was sent by him to seek the true scriptures, and his younger sister, Princess Wannian, was only six years old. So where did Princess Yang'an come from?
Empress He noticed the confusion on Liu Bian's face and gently patted his hand before explaining, "Princess Yang'an is the eldest daughter of the late emperor. I often visit her, and today I have arranged for her to come into the palace for a chat."

Liu Bian nodded slightly. The so-called former emperor was Emperor Xiaohuan.

Emperor Xiaohuan had three daughters. The eldest daughter, Liu Hua, was the Princess of Yang'an; the second daughter, Liu Jian, was the Princess of Yingyin; and the third daughter, Liu Xiu, was the Princess of Yangdi. However, Emperor Xiaohuan had no sons, and the throne was passed to this branch of their family. Therefore, although the titles of Tangmu and Yi of these three princesses still remained, they no longer had much presence in the new dynasty.

To be precise, Emperor Xiaohuan was not without offspring.

Strictly speaking, he had many sons, but they were all killed along with their mothers when they were just born by his queen Liang Nvying, who relied on the power of her brother Liang Ji. Emperor Xiaohuan dared not say anything about this, and did not even dare to fart.

And this is the real palace fight during the Later Han Dynasty!

Things like fawning on the emperor to win his favor, secretly putting obstacles in his way, and framing others were all petty tricks that were not acceptable in the Later Han Dynasty.

Palace fights during the Later Han Dynasty were often filled with swords and spears.

Taking advantage of the power of the maternal relatives and the status of the queen, she bestowed poisoned wine and white silk, or even forced other concubines to drink poisoned wine or use white silk to make them "decent", which was only child's play.

Many empresses of the Later Han Dynasty would kill the princes just born by other concubines with one knife, and then kill the concubines who had just given birth with another knife.

If they were still not satisfied, they would kill the clans of the executed concubines as well. Some even attacked the emperor directly at a banquet in anger because the emperor favored other concubines!
Even Empress Hexi Deng Sui was threatened with family extermination by Empress Yin when she was young. This frightened the seriously ill Emperor Xiaohe so much that he recovered instantly. She was hailed as a "miracle doctor."

There were seven such queens in the Later Han Dynasty, and his mother, Queen He, was one of them.

Liu Xie's mother, Concubine Wang, was so afraid of Empress He that she took abortion pills on her own as soon as she was found to be pregnant. However, she failed to have an abortion after taking the pills four times.

This is the real reason why many emperors of the Later Han Dynasty had few offspring and even had to give the throne to other branches due to their own extinction.

Compared with the cruel methods of these murderous queens, Queen He's method of killing the mother and leaving the son can be described as merciful. The reason why she mercifully left Liu Xie behind was because the power of the Nanyang He family, an in-law family, was not strong enough.

Thinking of this, Liu Bian couldn't help but feel a little wary.
He would rather see the concubines in the harem engaging in intrigue all day long than live in such an environment of swords and blood.

Not long after, Princess Yang'an Liu Hua, who was over thirty years old but still looked fair-skinned and beautiful, walked into the hall in response to Zhao Zhong's announcement.

The graceful Liu Hua had a faint smile on her face, and her every move revealed a sense of nobility. Beside her was a girl who seemed to be of marriageable age.

Her three thousand strands of black and beautiful hair were carefully tied up and pinned with a hairpin. The beads on the hairpin swayed gently with her movements.

She was wearing a rouge-colored dress, and her fair skin was slightly pink, like the petals of peach blossoms blooming in spring. The faint fragrance of peach blossoms emanated from the sachet around her waist, which was small enough to be held in one hand, exuding an alluring scent.

Liu Bian's eyes fell on the girl the moment she stepped into the hall, and he sniffed slightly.

This alluring fragrance should be the scent of peach blossoms in the sachet, and not some other scent, right?

Thinking of this, Liu Bian blushed slightly and quietly looked away, but he did not see Empress He and Princess Yang'an Liu Hua looking at each other with a knowing and cunning smile.

(2560 words)
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PS: It seems that no one guessed the appearance of this female character. Previously, the comment section guessed that it was a female from the modern literary school. I guess no one thought of this famous but unpopular female character.

(End of this chapter)