Chapter 1043: Kind Treatment

In the process of the Great Han pacifying the realm, the people of the Eastern Capital had already witnessed no small number of fallen sovereigns and surrendering ministers. From Gao Baorong to Zhou Xingfeng, from Meng Chang to Liu Chang, by the time Li Yu, sovereign of Jiangnan, was "escorted" to Kaifeng, it caused no great stir.

It was also because Liu Chang had come not long before, so the scholars and commoners of the Eastern Capital were somewhat suffering from aesthetic fatigue—everyone had grown accustomed to it. Of course, talk still abounded in the streets and markets; the people of the Eastern Capital had truly seen the court's achievements in pacifying the south, and all felt that the unification of the realm was only right and proper.

The younger generation was immersed in praise and longing for the court's accomplishments, while the older generation—especially those who had personally lived through the chaos of previous dynasties and witnessed with their own eyes the process from the founding of the Great Han to the unification of the realm—felt all the more deeply. They rejoiced at the nation's unification, yet also looked forward to the realm truly attaining lasting peace, yearning for a new era of great tranquility.

Compared to Liu Chang, Li Yu was clearly more fortunate, and the treatment he received was more generous. He was not locked in a prisoner's cart like a criminal, paraded through the streets for public display—this could be said to have preserved his last shred of dignity.

A warm and comfortable ornate carriage brought him to the Han palace, where Dong Chun, Bureau Director of the Ministry of Rites, received him by imperial decree, with a humble and courteous manner. At the same time, Li Yu passively learned of some of the circumstances regarding Liu Chang.

The disposition of Liu Chang took only a single day to reach a conclusion. Though many participated in the discussion and voiced opinions, the efficiency was remarkably high. Among the officials, most expressed contempt for Liu Chang, feeling he should not be treated generously; likewise, no one directly said he should be executed.

Most people felt that the sorcerer-eunuchs and treacherous sycophants who had disordered governance and harmed the people had already been brought to justice, which sufficed to vent the people's grievances. Liu Chang was at bottom a mediocre man, so there was no need to treat him too harshly—simply keeping him in the Eastern Capital would do.

A small minority even made excuses for Liu Chang, saying that the chaos of Lingnan's governance had its roots corrupted and its atmosphere ruined from his father Liu Sheng's time onward. Liu Chang, young and ignorant of the world and human affairs, had been manipulated by a crowd of petty men. From this, they extended the argument to advise Emperor Liu to take this as a warning, set an example for the realm, strengthen the patriarchal system, establish immutable institutions to last ten thousand generations, and pass them down to posterity to avoid future calamities.

Though this was the pedantic argument of a small minority, when it fell upon Emperor Liu's ears, it still provoked his contemplation—not that he intended to establish any immutable institutions lasting ten thousand generations, but rather to consider why these people had offered such counsel.

In the final analysis, what Liu Chang was most condemned and criticized for was his slaughter of his own flesh-and-blood brothers—like his father, killing them all to the last. Liu Sheng at least found excuses and gradually pruned them away over more than a decade. Liu Chang was more direct: the moment he took power, he explicitly declared he would emulate his late father and kill all his brothers. Though he shifted the blame onto eunuchs like Gong Chengshu, and indeed it was those men who had suggested it, being able to harden one's heart to such a degree could never be explained away by mere "youth and inexperience."

During his conversation with Liu Fang, Liu Chengyou also asked his opinion on disposing of Liu Chang. Liu Fang's stance was unequivocal: he deserved death. The reasons were those three: first, he murdered his brothers; second, he threw his state into chaos; third, he killed the worthy.

Interestingly, some people selected from among the scholars and commoners of Lingnan held largely the same view—they felt that since the treacherous sycophants who had harmed the state and people had all been executed, Lingnan had returned to the court's governance, and Liu Chang was already a captive who acknowledged his errors, there was no need to pursue the matter further.

Later, Liu Chengyou learned that someone had taught these people to speak thus, or rather constrained them to say so. The man behind the scenes was none other than Gao Fang, the Governor of Kaifeng, who had been tasked with arranging the matter. There was no conspiracy involved—rather, Gao Fang frankly told Liu Chengyou that there were distinctions of rank and gradations of status, and how could a pack of commoners be allowed to debate the life and death of a sovereign? He directly admonished that Emperor Liu's practice of having ministers and commoners deliberate on such matters was improper.

Emperor Liu had always trusted Gao Fang, and his ability to speak frankly without giving offense was met not with anger but with appreciation. He even admitted to Gao Fang that he had been remiss in consideration. Well, this too depended on the person—over the years, quite a few censors had been dismissed from office. Emperor Liu's opening of avenues for speech and humble acceptance of remonstrance had its limits; enlightenment did not mean indulgence.

Synthesizing opinions from all sides, the conclusion reached was to spare Liu Chang's life and keep him in the capital. Since he had said beforehand that he would accept the outcome, Liu Chengyou went along with it.

In truth, in Liu Chengyou's heart, Liu Chang's life or death truly carried little weight, but at his core, he still had no intention of killing him. The simplest consideration was Emperor Liu's vanity at work.

Decades of turmoil had finally come to an end, and the houses of emperors and princes had all been captured by him, submitting at his feet. In Kaifeng, there was a street of great renown, famous for the identities of its residents. Let me list a few names: Shi Chonggui, Li Congyi, Gao Jichong, Meng Chang.

Could it be said that when these people were gathered together, was it not precisely a display of Emperor Liu's achievements?

When Li Yu learned of Liu Chang's circumstances, he was silent for a long time. On his pale countenance, besides a touch of mournful sympathy for a fellow sufferer, there was even more lingering fear. He dared not imagine—if he himself had to endure such an ordeal, could he bear it? Li Yu was, after all, merely a literatus, and could not avoid a certain sentimentality. Someone like Liu Chang, thick-skinned and shameless, lived easily and carefree—and indeed that was exactly the case. After receiving forgiveness, Liu Chang expressed a thousand thanks and ten thousand gratitudes, then cheerfully moved into the residence prepared by the court. By his demeanor, as long as he had food and drink, amusement and pleasure, what did it matter to be a bird in a cage? It was far more carefree than being sovereign of a state.

As for how the Emperor would treat Li Yu and his wife, there were precedents to be found—judging by the hospitality shown along the way, it was courteous and generous. After entering the Han palace, Li Yu was summoned to Wansui Hall for an audience with the Emperor, while Lady Diao was invited to Kunming Hall to receive Empress Fu's condolences. The Emperor and Empress receiving them together was enough to show the importance placed upon them. And from the fact that Emperor Liu received Li Yu in Wansui Hall, it was also clear that he regarded him with special favor.

"Your subject Li Yu, guilty of crimes, pays respects to Your Majesty!" Standing alone in Wansui Hall, Li Yu's voice was somewhat low and deep as he bowed his head and knelt to the ground.

"Rise! No need for ceremony!" Surveying Li Yu, Liu Chengyou's tone was very gentle.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Li Yu rose calmly.

Seeing this ci-poet laureate of a thousand ages prostrating himself at his feet, Emperor Liu's heart stirred with rare ripples. He was not a man of culture, yet he had "read" Li Yu's ci-poetry—too many famous lines remained etched in his memory, and he held great esteem for Li Yu's mastery of the art. Though in this life, the one who had likely pushed Li Yu toward becoming the "Ci Emperor" was none other than Liu Chengyou himself.

With a different identity and a different perspective, one's feelings toward this matter and this man were naturally different as well.

With foundational goodwill, setting aside political factors, Emperor Liu's feelings toward Li Yu were complex. In his previous life, viewing from the perspective of an ordinary man, he had read Li Yu's poetry and pitied the man. Now, Emperor Liu truly had the ability and the qualification to show compassion for him, to sympathize with him. Even as he had brought about Li Yu's tragic life, he could not help but wonder whether Li Yu might still write those masterpieces that would be passed down through the ages. He thought it should be possible—after all, his talent was genuine and real.

While Emperor Liu was appraising the man and letting his thoughts wander, Li Yu also cautiously stole a glance at Emperor Liu. But a single fleeting look could not reveal the complex meaning behind the gentle expression on Emperor Liu's face.

"I have long heard of your fame, Qing. I invited you several times but never saw you. To meet today counts as fulfilling a long-cherished wish!" After a long moment, Liu Chengyou spoke, and a faint smile even appeared at the corners of his mouth.

These words fell upon Li Yu's ears, and he felt that Emperor Liu was bringing up his repeated polite refusals of the invitations to come to the capital. His heart sank slightly, but he still chose to lower his head and respond: "To have kept Your Majesty waiting is this guilty subject's great offense. I humbly beg for punishment!"

Seeing that he had misunderstood, Emperor Liu smiled and waved his hand, saying: "Thanks to your efforts, Qing, Jinling was spared the calamity of war. This is a great merit. I have already pardoned your crimes—there is no need to call yourself a criminal!"

"The journey was arduous. I have specially prepared some modest wine to welcome you, Qing. Please, take a seat!" Liu Chengyou pointed to a food table and said to Li Yu.

Raising his eyes to meet Emperor Liu's placid gaze and sensing his humble tone, Li Yu was momentarily stunned. A wave of confusion surged into his heart. From what he knew, the Son of Heaven of the Great Han was a forceful, overbearing, supremely egotistical figure of power—yet he seemed to be treating him with particular courtesy?