nashuaworldcup Chapter 399 Nothing about this meeting went right!
Chapter 399 Nothing about this meeting went right!
"His Majesty!"
Chen Tai almost knelt down in gratitude.
Is this an appointment for the King of Han?
They clearly want the heads of his entire family!
Even if the truth is as Liu Bang said, what General Sima Shi wanted was not to be made a king, but the throne.
But no matter what, he's still just a general for now!
If Liu Bang were to actually grant him the title of king, he would be the King of Han!
It is conceivable that the general would have to carry out a campaign to eliminate dissidents before accepting the abdication.
Among the dissidents to be eliminated, Chen Tai, and even the entire Yingchuan Chen clan, would likely be among the top!
"Isn't the King of Han enough?"
"Does my dear minister desire the King of Qin? Or the King of Wei?"
"Yes, my dear minister, you are my Han Xin, you shall be enfeoffed as the King of Qi!"
Liu Bang struggled to write the imperial edict himself, and with each word he spoke, Chen Tai's pupils would contract.
King of Qin? King of Wei?
Your Majesty, are you really afraid that I won't die fast enough?
"Your Majesty, just say what you want to do. Why make things so difficult for me?"
Chen Tai finally understood.
The young emperor before us is far more complex than he appears.
Today's meeting is a trap set for him.
He also knew that he had no right not to come.
Otherwise, the imperial edict bestowing the title of King of Han would have been quietly revealed to the world within two days.
Even if the current emperor is just a puppet in the eyes of these aristocratic families, he is still the emperor in the eyes of the people!
Once this imperial edict is issued, the Chen family of Yingchuan will be thrust into the eye of the storm.
"Why do you say this, my dear?"
“Every word I just said came from the bottom of my heart, and there was not a single falsehood in it.”
"Including, granting you the title of King of Han."
Liu Bang's face remained sincere, but he stopped struggling.
"I will write this imperial edict for you, but I will not make it public. You can keep it at home."
"If one day I am able to defeat the Grand General and eliminate the Sima clan, you may take out this imperial edict and go to Yongzhou to assume your fiefdom."
"If I lose in the end, then you should burn it to prevent any future trouble."
Upon hearing this, Chen Tai knew that the young emperor had revealed his true intentions.
If the emperor wins, Chen Tai will receive the imperial decree and be enfeoffed as the Prince of Han, taking up his fief in Yongzhou. From then on, the Chen family will stand out among the gentry.
The Sima family burned the imperial edict, while the Chen family of Yingchuan suffered no loss whatsoever.
With such favorable terms, neither Chen Tai nor the Chen family of Yingchuan behind him had any reason to refuse.
Sensing the wavering in Chen Tai's expression, Liu Bang gently exerted force and broke free from his grasp.
An imperial edict was quickly written under Chen Tai's watchful eye.
His excitement was palpable as he affixed the seal.
“Minister Chen, based on your outstanding military achievements for our Great Wei, you deserve the title of King of Han.”
"Today I entrust it to you. If I win in the future, I hope that you and the Chen family of Yingchuan behind you will continue to guard the borders for the Great Wei!"
A few words, an imperial edict.
He was granted the title of king, fiefdom, and military power.
When Chen Tai knelt down and received the imperial edict with both hands, his entire arm was trembling uncontrollably.
He knew perfectly well that this was the emperor's conspiracy.
This imperial edict is highly poisonous and could potentially kill everyone in the entire Chen family of Yingchuan.
But he couldn't refuse.
Even when he received the imperial edict, he could only utter words of gratitude to the emperor.
"If there is nothing else, you may leave, my dear minister."
"Remember, hide well. You are the pillar of our Great Wei. You must not be harmed by that traitor Sima clan!"
"what?"
In Chen Tai's view, now that the emperor has received these jujubes, he will most likely make some demands next.
He had even thought that as long as it wasn't excessive, he would be willing to offer some insignificant support on behalf of the Chen family.
But I never expected it to end like this!
Did he really misunderstand?
Could it be that His Majesty truly values Chen Tai's meritorious service to the Great Wei, which is why he bestowed this imperial edict?
impossible!
"My dear minister, is there anything else you wish to say?"
Seeing that he did not move, Liu Bang asked, feigning confusion.
"No, it's nothing."
Chen Tai shook his head repeatedly.
What happened today is of great importance. He needs to go back and discuss it with the elders of his clan before he can decide what to do next.
"Then you may return to the palace now, my dear minister. You will need to visit the palace often in the future."
"Li Zhao is a trusted confidant of mine. Whenever you wish to come to the palace, just let him know, and he will arrange the time for you."
"My dear minister, you need not fear the eyes and ears in the palace. The Empress Dowager has already decided to support me. As long as I make arrangements in advance, the Grand General will not know anything about what is happening in the palace."
Liu Bang's confident expression made Chen Tai even more certain.
This seemingly young emperor is definitely not as simple as he appears!
The Guo family were truly the Sima family's lackeys.
The two sides are even related by marriage.
Even under these circumstances, he managed to get Empress Dowager Guo to stand behind him.
At least Chen Tai couldn't imagine how this was done!
"Understood. I will hide the imperial edict when I return, and after handing over the clan affairs to the elders, I will come to the palace to pay my respects to Your Majesty whenever I have free time."
"Then you must come often, my dear minister. I have many questions about my studies these past few days, and I look forward to your help in resolving them."
Amidst the joyful laughter and merriment of the emperor and his minister, Liu Bang personally saw Chen Tai off.
Following behind the two, Guo Gonggong, who was watching this harmonious scene with his own eyes, was already drenched in cold sweat.
The Empress Dowager instructed him to keep a close eye on the Emperor.
If anything seems amiss, or if the emperor does anything out of line, it must be reported truthfully.
But this...
After the meeting, he couldn't sense that anything was amiss!
How did Chen Tai get granted the title of king after only a few words?
The fiefdom, the imperial edict—everything was provided!
How could someone with such skills be a puppet!
"Eunuch Guo, Minister Chen has already left. Shouldn't you go back and report to the Empress Dowager?"
After Chen Tai had walked away, Liu Bang's expression suddenly calmed down.
The speed at which he changed his expression left even Eunuch Guo in awe.
Faced with Liu Bang's indifferent gaze, he didn't even dare to look him in the eye.
"This old servant dares not. Today, this old servant is on duty serving His Majesty. It would be improper for me to leave now."
"Oh?"
"But the Empress Dowager should be waiting for your report, right? I don't have anything else to do here. Is it alright if I'm delayed?"
"The Empress Dowager sent this old servant here today to serve His Majesty. If I were to return now, she would truly reprimand me."
As he spoke, Eunuch Guo didn't dare to look up.
"I see. Do you know how to report today's events to the Empress Dowager?"
Again!
As Liu Bang's expression grew increasingly serious, Eunuch Guo became more and more apprehensive.
How should he respond to that?
He wished he could turn into an ostrich and bury his head in the sand.
Such skillful manipulation of the emperor's hand made him no longer dare to treat the person in front of him as a puppet emperor.
But if he weren't a puppet, people could die if the emperor got angry!
Heaven knows how many people have already pledged their loyalty to the emperor under such tactics.
He had no doubt that if he didn't answer well, someone would immediately rush out and capture him, making him one of the missing persons in the harem.
Will the Empress Dowager stand up for him?
Absolutely impossible!