Chapter 499: Stalemate
After the meeting, Liu Fu was in a bad mood.

He was fishing alone in the backyard pond, but the fish wouldn't bite.

He looked around and found that he, the emperor, still lived in a courtyard of almost the same size as before, the only difference was that there were too many people around him.

Two imperial censors followed him at all times to record his words, deeds, and daily experiences, and were responsible for correcting inappropriate etiquette, words, and deeds between the monarch and his subjects.

There were also two imperial censors who provided him with advice on laws and regulations.

It was difficult to count the other court officials as they were all busy, and Liu Fu had no idea what they were busy with.

With Black Bear setting an example in Guanzhong, Liu Fu would be urged to do so even if he wanted to lie down and live a luxurious life for a few days.

The only fun in daily life is fishing.

Even his drinking was restrained and restricted by the censors and court officials, forcing him to be a diligent and wise ruler.

He even wanted to see his son and have some private words about entrusting the family business to his son, but several imperial censors followed him so closely that Liu Fu didn't find any opportunity.

He increasingly felt like neither a father nor a free man.

He needs the help of people around him to receive and release all the information.

It was as if his facial features were disassembled and attached to the faces of the surrounding courtiers, depriving him of all privacy.

Although it has now been confirmed through various evidence that the black bear in Guanzhong has some connection with the Hei family of Liang State, this evidence is not very solid.

Because the poor commoners like the Hei family were not even considered wealthy or a poor family, it was impossible for them to cultivate a great Sima who could sweep across the world.

Based on his own experiences during this period, Liu Fu has concluded that Black Bear is well aware that becoming a king or an emperor will impose great restrictions, so he has always resisted becoming a king.

Only the Liu family would hate rules so much.

And Liu Ba, in his opinion, deserved to be put to death.

Born into a royal family, yet so closely connected with the scholars, what good would it do Liu Ba to force Black Bear?
What are the problems with the Lius in various places?
Keeping this issue vague and unclear will also be beneficial to the Liu family.

Liu Fu was not afraid of Hei Xiong's denial, but was afraid of his active currying favor with the emperor. The more he curried favor with the emperor, the more severe the suppression of the Liu clan would be in the future, and the restrictions on the Liu clan's descendants' participation in officialdom, migration, or business would be imposed.

Only if Black Bear actively denies it will Zhu Liu not be suppressed in the future.

Even under the vague and ambiguous attitude of the new dynasty, the Liu family became the mainstay of the new dynasty.

Therefore, he is not so obsessed with the final victory or defeat.

The black bear can easily release his son, and in the future, he will most likely let his son or grandchildren go.

As he was thinking, suddenly the fishing rod was pulled away from his hand.

Looking at the fishing rod that fell on the pond, Liu Fu was stunned. He then stood up, shook his sleeves, and asked the Imperial Censor Lu Ji who came up to him, "You are good at divination, can you tell me a fortune?"

Lu Ji bowed and asked: "What does the Supreme want to predict?"

Liu Fu watched a Huangmen official go into the water to retrieve his fishing rod, and walked toward the waterside corridor with his hands behind his back. He said to Lu Ji who was following behind him, "I am concerned about the success or failure of Jingzhou. This matter is not easy to predict. Whatever you say is auspicious. I heard that there is a royal aura in the southeast. How many years can this royal aura prosper?"

When Lu Ji passed by a bush, he reached out and casually picked a few leaves. After selecting three, he stopped, closed the door, held his breath, and then scattered them casually.

After observing the front and back of the leaf and its direction after it fell to the ground, he said, "At least three generations, about five generations."

"But from what I heard, it sounds like three years at the least, and five years at the most."

Liu Fu laughed and joked without hesitation. At his current position, he no longer believed in divination. After experiencing the turbulent times, he realized how ridiculous divination was.

Lu Ji just smiled calmly: "I am only answering according to the hexagram."

"I don't ask for five lives, I'll be satisfied with three."

Liu Fu chuckled after saying this, worrying will not solve any problem anyway.

After all, the enemy is Black Bear, not his old boss Cao Cao.

If he were to be an opponent of Cao Cao, he would have lost his appetite long ago.

Lu Ji did not argue, but silently fell a few steps behind, walking in pairs with another Imperial Censor.

Zhang Wen, the Imperial Censor who was traveling with him, was watching this discussion and suddenly smiled. He whispered to several of his colleagues around him, "Guanzhong is strong and sharp, but the Supreme Emperor remains calm. This is a truly auspicious sign."

Everyone suddenly realized that what Zhang Wen said made sense.

At least in terms of momentum, the Supreme is not much inferior to the one in Guanzhong.

Soon, Liu Fu's southeastern court issued the "Order to Conquer the Shanyue". By the time this order was circulated around and reached Guanzhong, it was already midsummer.

The entire Jingzhou battlefield was just as Black Bear had expected. He could not decide the outcome of the battle on the front line, but he could decide whether to fight defensively or abandon the battle.

With him as the chief director, the Jiangdong army successfully occupied Dangyang. After its detachment Huang Gai fought a battle with Huang Zhong in Yicheng, the two sides sent each other victory reports and then retreated together to the south and north.

After Yicheng became vacant, it took some time for Lu Yi to send someone to take over.

Today, the Jing-Yu highway is open to traffic, with Xiangyang at the northern end and Jiangling at the southern end.

As June approached, the heat was oppressive, and the Jiangdong Army rationally stopped the offensive, but intensified the construction of the new city of Jiangling.

Since May, a locust plague has occurred in Hedong, and Black Bear has driven ducks into Hedong to kill the locusts.

He stayed in Hedong throughout early June.

At this time, the "Order to Conquer the Shanyue" from the southeast was passed to him. After reading it, he couldn't help but sigh: "This is a case of changing when one is in trouble. The laws of our ancestors can also be changed. They have come up with a good idea. The war in Jingzhou has also caused people's hearts to waver. Even such a widespread edict has been delayed for how long?"

Fa Zheng thought for a moment and said, "About twenty days. In the past, when a major order was issued in Jianye, it would take at least twenty-five days to arrive in Guanzhong, and at most a month. This order was delayed for a full month and a half."

"Yes, the war in Jingzhou is at a stalemate, and news will be slower in the future."

Black Bear put down the document and said, "The situation in Jingzhou is pressing. Xingba has sent a third letter of challenge. If I don't agree, I'm afraid he will be discouraged. But I would rather have an alliance with Liu Xuande at Yanmen in July, and Xingba will be needed to defend the east during this period. Who can go to Hongnong to comfort Xingba for me?"

Several secretaries looked at each other, and Qin Mi noticed that several of them were looking at him intentionally or unintentionally.

He also wanted to make friends with Gan Ning. After figuring out how to coax Gan Ning, Qin Mi stepped forward and bowed: "Your Majesty, I am willing to go."

"What's your advice, sir?"

"Please allow me to keep this secret. It won't work if I tell you about it."

Qin Mi smiled as he spoke, and Black Bear also laughed: "Then it's up to you, sir. As long as I can appease Xingba, I will make him wait for at least three more months. At the latest in October, I will dispatch troops to help Xingba in aiding Jingxiang."

"Here."

(End of this chapter)