Chapter 156 Liu Fu's Intentions

Hearing Liu Fu joking here, Liu Laowu's sadness vanished instantly.

The older brothers couldn't help but chuckle when they heard Liu Fu joking like that.

At that moment, Liu Laowu looked at his sons, especially Liu Fu, and began to complain:

"You brat, you still have the nerve to say that? Ever since I came to Liaodong, you haven't entertained me for a single day. Let's not even mention that. You unfilial son, I've been trying to avoid seeing you to keep my eyes open. But you're still making fun of me. Sometimes I really want to give you a good beating to vent my anger."

Liu Fu chuckled; he knew perfectly well why Liu Laowu was angry.

"Father, you're angry because I haven't appeared in front of you for even a single day since we arrived in Liaodong, aren't you?"

Liu Laowu snorted.

Do you think we only get angry over such trivial things?

"What are we really angry about? Don't you know? Damn it, you've already breached the capital of the Later Jin, such a big thing, and you didn't even report it to me. And that time you sent 5 million taels of silver to the capital, you sent the silver in a muddle, and I received it in a muddle too."

Liu Laowu said again, somewhat annoyed:

“That’s 5 million taels of silver, a quarter of the annual tribute of the Later Han Dynasty. And you just casually sent a few soldiers to deliver it to the capital.”

"I just want to ask you, have you grown too big for your britches? Now you don't even tell your father anything. Your mother has been gone for 20 years, and I, as her father, have been a lonely old man all my life. I haven't remarried and I was hoping to talk to my sons more and see them more often, but this is how you treat your old man. You don't even tell me anything, do you?"

Liu Fu probably understood the feelings of his lonely old man.

As people get older, they naturally want their loved ones to be by their side. Now, their sons are all in their own countries, and they can't see them for a while, so they hope that their sons can interact with them often and tell them about themselves. I guess all parents in the world hope that their children are doing well.

However, Liu Fu has been too busy lately, and his brothers are also busy in their own fiefdoms, so they have neglected this part of the matter.

Of course, Liu Fu also had his own considerations.

He immediately asked:

"Father, you traveled all the way to Liaodong, spending half a day incognito and then two days in my palace, talking late into the night with so many talented people. You must have learned a lot about strategies for governing the country."

Liu Laowu nodded. Upon hearing Liu Fu bring up this topic, he immediately bowed deeply to the talented individuals, showing his genuine respect for them.

Upon seeing the emperor bowing to him, everyone else also bowed to Liu Laowu. Such a harmonious relationship between the emperor and his subjects is rare even throughout history.

Liu Laowu sighed:

"It's really good to have such talented people assisting us. It can save us a lot of trouble. Our current prime minister, Jiang Zhengren, is already over 80 years old. There are hardly any capable people left in the entire Later Han court. When you mentioned this, I thought of your imperial examination system. It's a good idea. We must implement it."

"We've learned a lot during our trip to Liaodong. Compared to you all, we're just primary school students. That's no exaggeration. When we return to the Later Han Dynasty, we'll promote the Liaodong model throughout the entire region. We'll develop the situation here in the Later Han, so that our Liu family's empire can last long. Don't you agree?"

Liu Fu nodded, then looked at Changsun Wuji behind Zhuge Liang.

Changsun Wuji was also a prime minister with exceptional talent.

Xiao He was also such a talented person.

In his previous life, Changsun Wuji met a tragic end because he lost the person who could restrain him, and his power gradually expanded.

Xiao He was forced to entice and kill Han Xin by Empress Lü.

Both of them had flaws in the past, but that could not overshadow their talents. Liaodong already has Zhuge Liang and Xun Yu, which is more than enough. It would be better to assign Xiao He and Changsun Wuji to Liu Bei to help him govern the Later Han Dynasty. Firstly, Liu Bei can keep these two in check, and secondly, Liu Bei himself is a future successor to the throne. With him around, there is no need to worry about them causing trouble.

Upon hearing that Liu Laowu was actually going to assign these two talented individuals to him, Liu Laowu's eyes lit up immediately. At this moment, when he saw Xiao He and Changsun Wuji, his eyes even shone with excitement, just like a person who had been starving for 10 days seeing a pile of big chicken legs in front of them. He was so excited that he couldn't take his eyes off them.

Xiao He and Changsun Wuji also agreed with Liu Fu's decision.

After all, in their view, there were simply too many talented people in Liaodong.

There are too many talented people here, and I can't fully utilize my own abilities. Going to the Later Han Dynasty to assist Liu Bei is obviously a better place.

"Your Majesty's words, we are willing to obey."

Seeing that both of them agreed, Liu Fu nodded.

Then he quietly leaned close to Liu Laowu's ear and said to him:

“Father, there’s a reason why I didn’t come to greet you directly this time. It would have been better if you hadn’t.

"Let me give you an example. If on the first day you arrive in Liaodong, I lead all the officials to bow down to you, then all the officials will be in awe of you, and there will be banquets of all sizes, one after another. The officials below will know that you have come to Liaodong, and they will definitely present their best side to you. At that time, what you see may not be the real Liaodong."

“But if I’m not here, even though you are the emperor, you are not pretentious. You can travel incognito, become friends with these ministers, and learn a lot indirectly. These two situations are completely different. That’s why, even though I know you have arrived in Liaodong, I have not shown myself to welcome you. I know you are a studious emperor, an emperor who aspires to be a wise ruler, and the talents in Liaodong can definitely help you.”

Liu Laowu suddenly realized that Liu Fu had this other intention. At this moment, he tightly grasped his son's hand and was extremely excited.

"Old Eight, I knew it! How could our son be so disobedient and unfilial? Sigh, it turns out we were wrong about you. I know you're both busy, but you still need to take care of this lonely old man often. When you're out there, write to me more often so I know you're doing well. That way, I can rest assured."

Afterwards, Liu Laowu, who was already in his fifties, asked Liu Fu about his next plans.

"The Later Jin is in complete chaos now. The Liao emperor sent a letter a few days ago, seemingly wanting to negotiate peace with our Later Han. In your opinion, what should we do next?"