Chapter 192: The Bold Youth

Golden stoves, pearl curtains, imperial incense drifted faintly.

The Son of Heaven idly set the policy essay aside, sipped his tea, and said coolly, "This essay is decent. Who wrote it?"

Liu Liu Liu Shilong:???

Just decent?

This reaction...

"Wang Yang, a student of the Nanjun Academy, said to be a collateral branch of the Wang clan of Langya, descendant of Wang Wang Xizhi."

The Son of Heaven's expression remained calm, showing no flicker of interest, no intention to inquire further.

Liu Liu Liu Shilong asked, "Has His Majesty heard of this man?"

"No."

"He is exceptionally talented. The book recently circulating in the capital, 'Annotations on the Modern and Ancient Texts of the Book of Documents,' was dictated by him and transcribed by the Academy's Sacrificial Wine Officer, Liu Zhao."

The Son of Heaven nodded. "He is a talent. But pacifying the barbarians involves myriad complexities—no single essay can contain it all..."

What's wrong with His Majesty? Such an excellent essay, and he shows so little interest—could it be because the ideas are too radical, too bold, and thus displeasing?

As Liu Liu Liu Shilong puzzled over this, the Son of Heaven shifted tone slightly:

"Still, testing one or two of these proposals among the barbarians first is feasible. The idea of opening trade routes to exchange for the release of the Fourth Prince is viable. But two conditions: First, imperial edicts to the barbarians must not mention this. The message must be conveyed orally by a special envoy. Second, the barbarians must release the captives first—only after they voluntarily request submission and offer tribute shall I grant permission."

Liu Liu Liu Shilong frowned. "The barbarians are foolish and short-sighted. Without a treaty or immediate gain, empty words about releasing captives will likely..."

"Then official and private efforts must work in tandem. Official channels have little flexibility—these two points are my bottom lines. First, it concerns the state's dignity; second, it sets a precedent for all barbarian tribes: it is not the court seeking trade with them, but they seeking trade with the court. This foundation must be laid firmly. Third, the matter is complex and must proceed step by step; leaks will only invite controversy. Aside from you, who else has seen this essay? After you read it, whom did you speak to?" 【66】 Past dynasties blindly followed these flaws, never looking ahead; generations inherited these bad habits, never sparking new thought..."

"Director Liu Tan Tan delivered it to me on Wang Yang's behalf. I have told no one."

"Good. This matter must remain secret. Tell Director Liu Tan Tan not to speak of it to anyone. But you need not say it is my order. Simply convey my instructions on my behalf."

Liu Liu Liu Shilong was puzzled. The emperor seemed to dismiss the proposal, merely saying it could be "tested in a small way," yet also insisted it was complex and must proceed gradually. Was he referring to the entire barbarian pacification strategy—or merely the trade experiment with the Wenyang barbarians? And why forbid mentioning it as imperial will?

The Son of Heaven's mind is unfathomable...

"Your Majesty, if you are to send an envoy to the barbarians, may I recommend a candidate?"

The Son of Heaven paused slightly. "This matter is too grave for me to decide alone. It must be submitted for public deliberation. As for the candidate, do not concern yourself."

???

Liu Liu Liu Shilong had asked, "May I recommend?"—but he never imagined refusal. With his status, his closeness to the emperor, and his personal stake in the matter, how could his recommendation be denied? The final decision rested with His Majesty. He hadn't even had time to recommend before being turned down?

Liu Liu Liu Shilong was always measured in conduct. Normally, he would have accepted such a reply without protest. But now, to save his son, he could not care for propriety.

"Your Majesty, since Wang Yang is the originator of this proposal, let him be the envoy to the barbarians—"

The Son of Heaven cut him off. "He is but a student of a prefectural academy, with no official rank. How can he serve as an envoy?"

"Your Majesty, hear me out. He is truly gifted and of noble lineage. Why bind him by official rank? In Han times, when opening the Western Regions, officials and commoners alike were recruited without regard to origin—"

The Son of Heaven interrupted again. "The envoy must uphold the dignity of the court, pacify and instruct the barbarians, and speak with authority. A lowly student lacks the stature to command trust."

Liu Liu Liu Shilong pressed on: "Your Majesty! Even if not as chief envoy, appoint him as deputy or attendant. Wang Yang has broad vision and quick adaptability—he cannot be dismissed as an ordinary student..."

The Son of Heaven decisively rejected: "Enough! I am sending someone to Jingzhou for more than just the barbarians. My decision is final. Do not speak of this again."

Liu Liu Liu Shilong fell silent.

He had not argued with the emperor in so long. According to His Majesty's two conditions, the chance of success was slim. If the envoy sent were arrogant and incompetent, he might even worsen things. Wang Yang, who penned such an essay, clearly understood the barbarians—he was clever, resourceful, a true talent. With him, the odds might rise. Yet for some reason, the emperor refused.

The Son of Heaven's tone softened slightly: "To save your son, you must rely not only on official channels but also on private efforts. Have your second son seek solutions. If he encounters difficulties, he may turn to Seeing Yu Yi."

Liu Liu Liu Shilong had no choice but to bow in thanks, then asked, "Still no word from Yu Yu Youjian about taking office?"

"He still cherishes the late deposed emperor's favor. He will never serve as my official." The emperor shook his head.

Liu Liu Liu Shilong sighed:

"Yu Yu Youjian is rigid, obstinate, blind to the bigger picture. Only a ruler as broad-minded as Your Majesty could tolerate what others could not. Had he served under any narrow-minded sovereign, ten Yu Youjians would have been executed."

The Son of Heaven laughed sharply:

"Don't try to trap me with words. Yu Yu Youjian may still cherish the old dynasty, but he has shown no treasonous act. He dwells among the rivers and lakes, yet his heart remains beneath the imperial court. I pity him, and I respect him. I still discuss state affairs with him, letting him apply his learning. In ancient times, great sovereigns always had ministers who came unsummoned. Yu Yu Yu Youjian is my unsummoned minister. Not only Yu Yu Yu Youjian—anyone who still clings to the old dynasty, so long as they show no treason, I shall tolerate them!"

"At the moment of abdication, Lady Lady Lady Lady Lady Lady Xie Fei refused to hand over the seals, refused to stand in attendance, lay on his pillow, and walked out the eastern gate in court robes. Rumors spread that I begged my father to kill him—falsehoods, slanders against me, beneath my notice.

"If I truly wished to kill him, would I have needed to consult my father? Wang Zhan of Taiyuan Wang clan, then General of the Champion and Governor of Yongjia—I summoned him to the Donggong and handed him to the Ministry of Justice for execution. Even if I had spared him then, after my ascension, had I wished to kill him, could Lady Lady Lady Lady Lady Lady Xie Fei have lived? What of the Chen clan Lady Lady Lady Lady Lady Lady Xie? Did you not see Lady Lady Lady Lady Lady Lady Xie Chao Sect?"

"If I truly meant to kill, he would be dead. But I did not kill Lady Lady Lady Lady Lady Lady Xie Fei. Not only did I spare him—I made him Minister of the Secretariat! If one day I break the northern barbarians, reclaim the two capitals, and capture the false emperor, I will not kill the Tuoba boy—I will give him an office and allow him to preserve his ancestral sacrifices!"

"Those scholar-officials who served the false court—if they possess talent and virtue, I will not abandon a single one. I want them to serve me willingly. Even if unwilling, so long as they serve the state and commit no treason, I will tolerate them!"

The scholar-officials who served in the false regime—so long as they possess talent and virtue, I shall not abandon a single one. I will make them serve me willingly! Even if they do not serve willingly, as long as they serve the state and commit no acts of rebellion, I shall tolerate them!

He had always known the emperor's magnanimity, yet also knew his ruthless decisiveness—his magnanimity could not be judged by ordinary standards. Lady Lady Lady Lady Lady Lady Xie Chao Sect was executed for ten words: "Last year killed Han Xin, this year killed Peng Yue." River River Jiang Mi died for saying, "The Son of Heaven is not ill, and the Crown Prince is not capable." By these two cases, one might say the emperor was suspicious and cruel. But by Seeing Yu Yi and Lady Lady Lady Lady Lady Lady Xie Fei, one saw his vast, open spirit.

Xiao Ze's words were bold, heroic, flowing from his true convictions—but also stirred by circumstance, bursting forth with passion and grand ambition!

Though the spark had been lit by Liu Liu Liu Shilong himself, Liu Liu Liu Shilong still could not guess the true reason for the emperor's sudden surge of grandeur.

"Your Majesty is a true hero—I cannot match you!"

Liu Liu Liu Shilong bowed deeply.

It was his honest thought. In literary scholarship, the emperor fell short of him. But in heroic spirit, he could never catch up. Otherwise, he would not have retired now.

"I am about to dine. Will you join me?"

"Thank Your Majesty, I have already eaten. I shall beg for your imperial meal another time."

"Hmm. Return home and plan carefully. If you need my cooperation, tell me anytime. Do everything you can to bring back your Fourth Son."

Liu Liu Liu Shilong bowed in gratitude and took his leave.

No sooner had Liu Liu Liu Shilong left than the eunuch ordered the meal brought in.

The Son of Heaven frowned. "Bring no meal. Everyone out. Close the doors."

The eunuch dared not ask why. He and the attendants withdrew, and one after another, the palace doors shut with a series of creaks, ending in a heavy, final thud that echoed through the empty hall.

Soon, the entire hall fell into utter silence.

The Son of Heaven snatched up the policy essay he had idly set aside on the tea table and devoured it with ravenous intensity:

"Barbarian pacification strategies rise and fall with the times; state security must adapt to circumstances.

Some tactics are expedient, useful in emergencies, yet grow obsolete with time; others are profound, worthy as laws for ten thousand generations, growing brighter with age!

I believe that since Qin and Han, barbarian pacification has relied on expedient measures, never on enduring strategy!

Though occasionally yielding temporary results, the root causes remain unhealed, the chronic illness unremoved—thus disasters recur, chaos flares anew.

Past dynasties blindly followed these flaws, never looking ahead; generations inherited these bad habits, never sparking new ideas...

The Son of Heaven leapt to his feet, his expression alight, pacing back and forth, then rushed to the imperial desk, seized a rhinoceros-horn scepter, and struck the gilded palace pillar three sharp blows—bang! bang! bang!

The Son of Heaven leapt to his feet upon reading this, his expression agitated; he paced back and forth several steps, then strode to the imperial desk, seized a rhinoceros-horn scepter, and smashed it three times against the gilded palace pillar—crack, crack, crack!

"The governance of the realm must have fixed principles!

The sovereign's grand design must be built for the long haul!

The present sage emperor reigns at the end of a hundred dynasties, at the dawn of a thousand-year era—how can he lack a law for ten thousand generations?

This bold youth dares to propose a lasting law, to serve as the eternal strategy for Your Majesty!"

This humble one is bold and unrefined, yet dares to propose a law for ten thousand generations, as a lasting strategy for Your Majesty!

With a final forceful blow, the scepter shattered in his hand!

The Son of Heaven struck hard—his scepter shattered on impact!

Note: "Records of the Southern Qi · Biography of Wang Zhan": "Emperor Emperor Shizu summoned Wang Zhan to the Donggong and delivered him to the Ministry of Justice for execution. He sent a eunuch to inform the emperor: 'A father's disgrace demands the son's death. Wang Zhan insulted the court—I have arrested him.' The Grand Emperor replied: 'Tell the prince, this is not worth worrying about.' When he learned Wang Zhan was already dead, he fell silent." Emperor Shizu refers to Emperor Wu of Qi, Xiao Ze, who as crown prince executed ministers without permission; Emperor Gao of Qi "fell silent."

Note: The Book of Southern Qi, Biography of Wang Zhan: "The World Ancestor summoned Zhan to the Donggong and then delivered him to the Ministry of Justice to be executed. He sent an attendant to personally report to the Emperor: 'A father's disgrace demands the son's death; Wang Zhan showed arrogance toward the court, so I had him arrested and punished.' The Grand Ancestor replied: 'Tell the prince, this is not worth considering!' But when he learned Zhan was already dead, he fell silent." The World Ancestor refers to Emperor Wu of Qi, Xiao Ze, who, while crown prince, executed a minister without authorization; the Grand Ancestor of Qi remained silent.