bookrandom Chapter 1217 The Han Emperor Refuses to See You!
Chapter 1217 The Han Emperor Refuses to See You!
Deng Hongwen stood in front of the Chang'an city gate, looking at the towering city walls, with mixed feelings in his heart.
The early autumn wind was still a little chilly, blowing the sleeves of his official uniform. Behind him, the delegation's carriage slowly stopped and the entourage began to pack their luggage.
"Master Deng, I have long admired your name."
A clear voice was heard, and Deng Hongwen turned around, only to see a middle-aged man in purple official uniform standing there with a smile on his face, followed by a team of ceremonial guards.
"Lord Zou."
Deng Hongwen bowed in return and his eyes lingered on the other person's face for a moment.
Zou Huaian had a ruddy complexion, clear eyes, and was calm in his every move.
Deng Hongwen thought to himself, "I heard that Zou Huaian is deeply trusted by the Han Emperor, and all matters concerning the sacrifices of the Han Dynasty are entrusted to him. If I want this trip to go smoothly, I need to get along well with him."
While thinking, Zou Huaian suddenly frowned and said, "His Majesty heard that Lord Deng was coming, and specifically instructed us to entertain him well, but..."
Zou Huaian looked embarrassed, "Your Majesty has caught a cold recently. The imperial physician said he needs to rest for a few days. I'm afraid he won't be able to meet Lord Deng for the time being."
Deng Hongwen's heart sank.
He noticed that when Zou Huaian spoke, his right hand unconsciously rubbed the jade pendant around his waist, which was a sign of guilty conscience.
Looking at the accompanying guards, they were all in high spirits and showed no signs of worry. If the emperor was really ill, how could these people be so calm?
"I wonder what kind of cold His Majesty the Emperor of the Han Dynasty has contracted?"
Deng Hongwen pretended to be concerned and asked, "The chief physician of the Chu State is proficient in the art of medicine. If you need him, you can send someone here immediately."
Zou Huaian's smile froze for a moment, then returned to normal: "It's just a common cold. The imperial physician said that it will be fine after a few days of rest. Lord Deng has come from afar, so why don't you rest in the inn first? I will summon you when your majesty is better."
Deng Hongwen sneered secretly: "This is clearly a show of force for me. The Han Emperor Liu Che has always been shrewd. The last time the Chu-Han coalition attacked the Wei Kingdom, the Chu army was deliberately late, which led to the defeat of the Han army.
The Han Emperor must be holding a grudge against this matter. I am afraid he will not easily agree to send troops this time."
He remembered the instructions given by Crown Prince Chu Ning before he left: "This time, you must convince the Han Emperor to send troops. Sima Yi of Wei is ambitious. If he is not curbed in time, he will become a great threat."
"In that case, I'd better obey your command." Deng Hongwen suppressed his unhappiness and still had a decent smile on his face.
Zou Huaian personally sent Deng Hongwen to the post station.
This is a three-courtyard house. Although it is not luxurious, it is neat and elegant.
Deng Hongwen noticed that there were many more guards outside the courtyard, claiming to be protecting the delegation's safety, but in fact they were monitoring them.
After Zou Huaian left, Deng Hongwen stood in front of the window, looking at the flower buds in the yard, his brows furrowed.
He knew that this mission would not go smoothly.
The last time the Chu-Han coalition attacked the Wei State, the Chu army deliberately arrived late, resulting in a great defeat for the Han army. The Han Emperor Liu Che must have been resentful about this incident.
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince sent me here this time to persuade the Emperor of Han to send troops to fight against Sima Yi of Wei. But the Emperor of Han will obviously not agree easily. I must find a way to break the deadlock, otherwise this trip will be in vain." Deng Hongwen thought to himself.
Half an hour later, in the Han Imperial Palace.
Liu Che was practicing swordplay in the martial arts arena. He was wearing a bright yellow outfit and holding a sword that was shining with cold light. His sword moves were sharp and every move was powerful.
Sweat trickled down his cheeks, but it did not diminish his majesty at all.
"Your Majesty, Deng Hongwen has been settled in the post house." Zou Huaian reported respectfully.
Liu Che put away his sword and stood up, a sneer on his face: "Has he ever doubted anything?"
"From his expression, I think he must have noticed something, but due to courtesy, I didn't say much."
Liu Che thought to himself, "That kid Chu Ning caused me to lose many soldiers and generals last time, but he gained a state of Wei.
This time, you sent a Minister of Rites to ask me to send troops? What wishful thinking! I want to see how long he can endure. "
He walked to the weapons rack, took down a bow, put an arrow on the bowstring, and shot an arrow right into the center of the bull's eye a hundred steps away.
"Send the order and tell them that my condition has worsened and I need to rest. Have the imperial physician go to the post house every day to pay respects. On the surface, this is to show concern for Deng Hongwen's health, but in reality, it is to tell Deng Hongwen that I am still sick!"
Zou Huaian hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, if it takes too long, I'm afraid..."
"What are you afraid of?"
Liu Che interrupted, "Although Wei's Sima Yi is powerful, he can't threaten our Han Dynasty for a while. But Chu got the upper hand last time, and now it wants to use me as a pawn?"
Liu Che thought to himself, "Last time, Chu Ning betrayed me and caused me to lose many soldiers and generals. How can I swallow this anger if I don't make him pay the price this time?
Deng Hongwen must have come with Chu Ning's sincerity, but this time, I want him to understand that the Han Dynasty is not so easy to use."
Zou Huaian bowed and retreated.
Liu Che looked at the bull's eye in the distance, and a gleam of light flashed in his eyes.
He knew that Deng Hongwen came here to ask him to send troops to attack Sima Yi.
But this time, he would make the State of Chu pay a sufficient price.
As night fell, Deng Hongwen stood in the courtyard of the inn, gazing at the starry sky.
He knew that this game had just begun, and what he had to do was to find a breakthrough in the Han emperor's delaying tactics.
"Han Emperor Liu Che has always been shrewd. This time he deliberately delayed just to make my Chu State pay a higher price. I must find a way to break the deadlock, otherwise this trip will be in vain." Deng Hongwen thought to himself.
He recalled the instructions given by Crown Prince Chu Ning before he left: "On this mission, you must convince the Han Emperor to send troops. Otherwise, once Qin, Chu, and Zhou start fighting, the Han will definitely take the opportunity to send troops to capture the cities of the Zhou Dynasty."
Deng Hongwen took a deep breath and made up his mind: "No matter what, I will complete the instructions of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
Although Emperor Liu Che of Han is shrewd, he is not invulnerable. I must find his weakness to break the deadlock. "
Deng Hongwen paced back and forth in the inn, unable to fall asleep.
He knew that Emperor Han Liu Che would not receive him easily, and he had to find a way to break the deadlock, otherwise this trip would be in vain.
Now Liu Che refused to meet him on the grounds of illness. Unless he could expose Liu Che's lies, he would be helpless as Liu Che would remain in the palace.
Thinking of this, Deng Hongwen narrowed his eyes and a gleam of light flashed.
Since you are sick, you must summon the imperial physician.
Perhaps we can start with the imperial physician to solve this matter.
If he can’t see the Emperor of Han, can he see the Imperial Physician of Han?
While he was deep in thought, a Jinyiwei dressed in black came to report: "Sir Deng, this is the news about the Han imperial physician Gu Siyuan."
Deng Hongwen's eyes lit up, he took the letter handed over by Jinyiwei, took a look at it, and then laughed:
"I'm really sleepy, someone brought me a pillow!"