Disciplining Emperor Gaozu of Han

Chapter 7 That Woman

Xiahou Ying's eyes widened as he scanned Liu Ying and his son Liu Bang, watching the spectacle unfold.

To escape his pursuers, Liu Bang disregarded Liu Ying's life and repeatedly kicked him off the chariot to his death. Later, under Liu Ying's guidance, Liu Bang displayed extraordinary prowess, his arrows never missing their mark, successfully thwarting Xiang Yu's pursuit.

This was much more satisfying than successfully escaping Xiang Yu's pursuit; it was a triumphant moment.

Without Liu Ying's guidance, it would have been questionable whether Liu Bang could have escaped, let alone almost killing Zhongli Mo, a general under Xiang Yu.

At this moment, Liu Bang felt that Liu Ying was his beloved son and longed to get close to him.

Unfortunately, Liu Ying holds a grudge and ignores Liu Bang, which is bound to lead to some interesting drama.

"Ying'er, I am your heroic father." Liu Bang was not angry or upset at being rebuked. He patted his chest with his right hand and boasted, "Look at me, your father is really amazing. I single-handedly faced thousands of troops and fought ten times in and out, leaving no one alive in Xiang Yu's army."

"You're really something." Liu Ying rolled her eyes.

"That's right! Otherwise, how could I be your biological father?" Liu Bang said proudly.

"If you're going to brag, you're invincible!" Liu Ying mocked.

"How could this be bragging? Ying'er, you saw it with your own eyes. Your father displayed his divine power and drove back the pursuers led by Zhongli Mo." Liu Bang had no awareness that his trick had been exposed, and he bragged loudly.

"Let me tell you, don't try to get close to me. I have nothing to do with you." Liu Ying firmly refused to acknowledge her father.

"Ying'er, don't say that. I am your biological father. If you don't acknowledge me, you are being unfilial." Liu Bang said shamelessly as he rode up to Liu Ying's side.

"My father is dead!" Liu Ying said coldly.

"You..." Liu Bang's face changed, and he wanted to reprimand her, but he swallowed the words back. He clasped his hands together and bowed on horseback: "Ying'er, I apologize to you. You must forgive me."

"Hmph!" Liu Ying sneered, "You kicked me out of the car to my death, and you think you can just apologize afterwards? There's no such thing as getting away with something so easy."

"This... Ying'er, I had no choice," Liu Bang said with a forced smile, trying to justify himself. "Ying'er, don't you think about it? My Liu family has been commoners for generations. We finally have a chance to seize the world, how could I let it slip by?"

Liu Ying responded with a cold face.

Liu Bang then argued, "That's not just a mountain of gold and silver, it's an entire empire, equivalent to millions of mountains of gold and silver. If I were to seize it, my Liu family would enjoy endless wealth and glory for generations to come. No one would miss such a golden opportunity."

Liu Ying pouted: "You're just sending my sister and me to our deaths?"

"Ying'er, please don't misunderstand. How could your father be so heartless as to send you to your deaths?" Liu Bang hurriedly explained, "I know Xiang Yu better than anyone. As long as I am alive, he won't kill you; he'll use you to blackmail me. As long as I defeat Xiang Yu, I can save you."

"Stop, stop, stop! I don't want to hear your explanation." Liu Ying said dismissively, "An explanation is just a cover-up."

Liu Bang patted the sword at his waist with his left hand: "I'm truly ruthless. If I wanted you dead, I would have just stabbed you to death with one stroke. Why did I have to kick you off the chariot? It was all unnecessary!"

"Hmph." Liu Ying wouldn't believe it.

Liu Bang rode beside Liu Ying, trying his best to persuade him, but Liu Ying showed no sign of relenting.

Liu Bang was very surprised. Why didn't Liu Ying forgive him? According to him, the young Liu Ying had long since stopped caring.

Under normal circumstances, that would certainly be the case. Unfortunately, Liu Ying, with the soul of a modern adult in his small body, was not easily fooled by Liu Bang's lies.

"You unfilial son, disowning me is unfilial!" Liu Bang's mouth was dry from speaking, and he couldn't help but get angry. Pointing at Liu Ying with his right hand, he cursed, "I raised you with my own hands and feet, do you know how hard it was for me?"

"You raised me?" Liu Ying's words were like knives, piercing Liu Bang's heart: "How dare you say you raised me? It was Mother who endured hardship, toiling in the fields to support the family. When have you ever supported the family?"

According to the previous owner's memory, it was Empress Lü, not Liu Bang, who provided for the family.

Liu Bang was born a rogue, idle and unproductive, even when he became a village head. After marrying Empress Lü, it was Empress Lü who took on the heavy responsibility of supporting the family.

One of them is a very famous story.

One day, Empress Lü was working in the fields with Liu Le and Liu Ying when an old man passed by and asked her for water. Empress Lü gave him water, and the old man looked at her with great surprise, saying that Empress Lü's nobility was beyond words.

Empress Lü was just a peasant woman; how could she believe such a thing?

The old man saw Liu Le and thought that Liu Le would also become extremely wealthy and powerful.

Looking at Liu Ying, who was still an infant, he said that it was because of Liu Ying.

The old man finished his water, took his leave, and departed. Not long after, Liu Bang wandered over from who-knows-where, and Empress Lü told him what had happened. Liu Bang hurried after him and actually caught up with him.

The old man looked at Liu Bang, utterly shocked, and said, "I just saw that the mother and her two children were of extraordinary status, all because of you."

From then on, Liu Bang became complacent and neglected his productive work even more.

This incident shows that it was Empress Lü, not Liu Bang, who was truly the breadwinner.

Having received his predecessor's memories, Liu Ying was quite surprised to find that it was Empress Lü supporting the family. He could hardly believe it. However, it was true, and he had no choice but to accept it.

"I..." Liu Bang stammered, then cursed, "Didn't I use my salary to support my family too?"

"You're just a lowly official, how much can your meager salary possibly amount to?" Liu Ying mocked Liu Bang.

"That's still being an official! And you get a salary too," Liu Bang said proudly. "It's better than farming."

Although the position of village head was a minor one, it was still a formally appointed official position in the Qin Dynasty, with a generous salary that was enough to support a family, much better than farming.

"You spend your days indulging in debauchery with your cronies, and your meager salary is far from enough to cover your expenses. You even have to ask your mother for money." Liu Ying exposed Liu Bang's shortcomings: "You still have the nerve to talk about supporting your family?"

Liu Bang had quite a few cronies, and their extravagant lifestyles were inevitable. His meager salary was simply insufficient, forcing him to ask Empress Lü for money.

"That money was given to her by me. I took it back to spend, so what?" Liu Bang said matter-of-factly.

"The most shameful thing is that you even asked your mother for money to give to your illegitimate son." Liu Ying exposed Liu Bang's dirty secrets.

"You unfilial son!" The usually thick-skinned Liu Bang, his face unusually flushed, was furious and pointed at Liu Ying, roaring, "How could I have raised such an unfilial son!"

"Did you ever raise me? You raised your illegitimate child!" Liu Ying retorted.

Liu Ying was not Liu Bang's eldest son. Liu Bang's eldest son was Liu Fei, the same Liu Fei who was enfeoffed as the King of Qi by Liu Bang.

Liu Fei's mother, Lady Cao, was Liu Bang's mistress. The two had an affair and Liu Fei was born. Later, Liu Bang married Empress Lü, and they had a brother and sister, Liu Ying.

According to the former emperor's recollection, Empress Lü had told him that Liu Bang was a scoundrel who gave a considerable portion of his salary to Cao Shi to support his illegitimate son. If the illegitimate son ran out of money, he would shamelessly ask Empress Lü for more.

Empress Lü and Liu Bang argued and even fought over this matter. However, no matter how much they argued, Liu Bang shamelessly asked for money for Liu Feihua's use.

"You..." Liu Bang was furious.

"The most shameful thing is that after you married your mother, you still had an improper relationship with Cao Shi." Liu Ying exposed Liu Bang's true colors.

Liu Fei was enfeoffed by Liu Bang as the King of Qi, ruling over the former territory of the State of Qi. This former territory encompassed the borders of the State of Qi during the Seven Warring States period, a region renowned for its abundant fishing and salt production, making it one of the most fertile lands in the land. Liu Bang's decision to grant Liu Fei the land of Qi demonstrates the extent of his favor towards him.

Therefore, it can be concluded that Liu Bang and Cao, the mother of Liu Fei, definitely did not sever their relationship, and the matter remains unclear.

"What's so great about her? Why are you so eager to speak well of her?" Liu Bang was furious when his secrets were exposed. He pointed at Liu Ying and cursed her, spitting everywhere.

"My sister and I were able to escape and avoid being caught by Zhongli Mo, all thanks to our mother's sacrifice!" Liu Ying said firmly.

It wasn't that Liu Ying was defending Empress Lü, but rather that Empress Lü had risked her life to give the siblings a chance to escape, which deeply moved Liu Ying.

In order to escape, Liu Bang kicked Liu Ying and his sister off the chariot several times, but Empress Lü risked her life to give them a chance to escape. Who should he protect? It goes without saying.

Note:

The Records of the Grand Historian, Annals of Emperor Gaozu, states: "Empress Lü and her two sons were weeding in the fields when an old man came by and asked for a drink, which Empress Lü gave him."

The Book of Han, Annals of Emperor Gaozu, records: "Empress Lü and her two sons were living in the fields when an old man came by and asked for a drink, which Empress Lü then gave him."

This shows that it was Empress Lü who supported the family by farming.