Chapter 1092: Emperor Liu Disciplines His Son

In the imperial gardens of the Eastern Capital, sturdy horses raced with the wind, hooves treading through frost, as over a hundred riders galloped freely through the royal park. The horses were fine steeds, the men all stalwart warriors, and the cries of command mingled with neighing in a harmony that added no small vitality to the tranquil gardens.

The Jurchen had once again presented a batch of fine horses, and Emperor Liu Chengyou, taking an interest, personally led his men to test them, also taking the opportunity to relax in the palace grounds. Accompanying him were all officers of the Fengchen Guard, and additionally the Emperor's third son, Duke Jin Liu Xi, had been summoned to attend, managing the imperial horses in the Flying Dragon Stables and testing them together. Also present was Duke Zhao, Liu Fang.

After more than ten li of continuous high-speed riding, they finally slowed, reining in their horses, both men and steeds exhaling white vapor. As he galloped freely, Emperor Liu could not help but recall those scenes of riding to conquer the realm, and a surge of bold pride rose in his heart, prompting him to exclaim a hearty "What exhilaration!"

However, feeling his heated back and the soreness between his thighs, he decided that such unrestrained galloping should be done sparingly in the future. Even if his riding skill was passable, maintaining such high speed for long stretches was still dangerous...

"All of you, go hunting!" Emperor Liu raised his horsewhip and said with a light laugh to the Fengchen guards following at his side: "In winter, prey hides and is hard to track, making the hunt no easy task. I'll say this now—whoever bags the most, I shall reward handsomely!"

At these words, the guards around him immediately showed excited expressions and spurred their horses away—though only half of them went; the rest remained to fulfill their duty of protecting the Emperor.

The Fengchen Guard was reorganized this year from the Fengchen Camp, and as its name suggests, it belonged to the palace guard system, protecting the Emperor and the imperial palace. The newly reorganized palace guard consisted of three units: the Inner Palace, the Konghe, and the Fengchen. By the first year of Kaibao, the Konghe Army was responsible for guarding the imperial city, the Inner Palace Army for the palace proper, while the Fengchen Guard was more special—stationed north of the palace in peacetime, it bore no specific duties but flexibly awaited the Emperor's summons, such as for outings and hunts like this.

Of course, the most distinctive aspect of the Fengchen Guard lay in its composition: its members were chosen from among the sons of meritorious nobles for outstanding aptitude, as well as young officers selected from the various armies for talent and good conduct. Those with exceptional achievements could also be admitted. It could be said that the current Fengchen Guard was a gathering place of elites. Having abandoned his idea of creating a "special forces" unit, Liu Chengyou had decided to make the Fengchen Guard into a military academy, a cradle for cultivating the Great Han's generals and officers.

Over the years, results had begun to show. Now, those transferred out of the Fengchen Guard started at minimum as squad leaders in the three yamen imperial army, and when posted outside, at least as centurions of a hundred. Its establishment had also been gradually reduced—by the first year of Kaibao, its full strength was only five hundred men. The decline in numbers represented stricter selection and rising quality.

This time, the man leading the escort for the Emperor's outing was Li Shoujie, son of Chenyang Marquis Li Yun—a standard second-generation military scion. Li Shoujie was only twenty-five now, but his seniority in the palace guard was considerable, having been selected for palace service before he was twenty. Over the years, he had served in the imperial bodyguard before the throne and held posts in all three guard armies, and had even participated in the northern expedition. Yet compared to his father's pride, he remained very low-key.

No outstanding achievements, no brilliant performances—always proper, handling matters meticulously, living up to his name: dutiful and principled. At this moment, looking at this young officer who appeared steady and honest, Liu Chengyou asked: "Dechen, you've served in the palace for quite a few years now, haven't you?"

Li Shoujie had just finished arranging the guard formation when the sudden question came. Unclear of its intent, he nevertheless answered promptly: "To answer Your Majesty, your servant has guarded the palace for six years now!"

"Such a long time—have you ever thought of serving outside as an official?" Emperor Liu asked with a smile.

Li Shoujie was momentarily taken aback, then answered with an honest expression: "Your servant is but a mediocre man, fortunate to have been selected for the palace guard. I know only to fulfill my duty; beyond that, I have no other thoughts!"

Hearing this, Emperor Liu could not help but laugh. Without further preamble, he stated his intention directly: "I intend to post you to the provinces in a military position. Do you have any thoughts on that?"

"Your servant obeys Your Majesty's arrangements!" Li Shoujie blinked and replied.

"Have you no preferred destination?" Emperor Liu could not help but ask.

After thinking a moment, Li Shoujie clasped his hands and said: "Whatever Your Majesty dispatches, your servant has no reason to decline!"

Having said this, he dutifully fell in beside them again, projecting an air of quiet composure. Seeing this attitude of going with the flow, Liu Chengyou remarked with feeling: "Your father has a fiery temperament, yet you are as mild as water—the two of you are complete opposites!"

Hearing the Emperor mention Li Yun, Li Shoujie accompanied it with a smile and replied respectfully: "Your servant naturally cannot compare with my father..."

"Go to Jiannan!" Liu Chengyou said. "Serve as a deputy general under Wang Quanbin. The southwest is just implementing the tusi system—a place of many affairs. Your father once rendered meritorious service pacifying the Chu tribesmen in western Hunan. I hope you can perform well in the southwest too!"

"Yes!" At the Emperor's encouragement, Li Shoujie felt honored and finally showed a bit of excitement.

"Father, I want to go out too—can you give me an assignment?" On the side, Liu Fang also grew interested, looking at his imperial father with expectation.

Ever since he had once accompanied a campaign to pacify Guangdong, Liu Fang's heart seemed to have gone wild. He found the imperial city dull, felt that even the vast Eastern Capital could not contain him, and believed the outside world was where he could spread his wings and realize his ambitions.

Hearing this, Emperor Liu gave Liu Fang a stern look. His eagerness, in the Emperor's view, seemed somewhat rash. Looking at Liu Fang, Emperor Liu directly rebuked him: "At such a young age, so restless and impetuous—do you think that just because you took one trip to Lingnan, the whole realm is yours to roam?"

Facing the Emperor's reprimand, Liu Fang was momentarily slow to react. Meeting his gaze, the youth said stubbornly: "That's not what I meant. I only wish to share your burdens, Father, and do things for the state!"

"Do you think that with your current abilities, knowledge, and talent, you can share any burden of mine or do anything for the court? Do you consider yourself ready to be entrusted with great matters and bear heavy responsibilities?" Emperor Liu questioned him directly.

"I..." Facing this question, Liu Fang instinctively wanted to say yes, but as he opened his mouth, he found himself lacking confidence. After all, he was merely a boy of thirteen or fourteen. Even if he had been groomed as an elite since childhood and possessed considerable knowledge, his frame and shoulders were not yet enough to bear true responsibility.

All along, Emperor Liu had been rather fond of this fourth son, appreciating the bold spirit he had shown since childhood. It was precisely for this reason that upon noticing signs of pride and impetuosity in him, he suppressed it without hesitation.

Liu Xi, seeing this from the side, let his gaze shift between Liu Chengyou and Liu Fang a few times, then advised: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Fourth Brother has always been sharp-edged, but his intentions are good. There's no need to be overly harsh."

Giving his third son a glare, then turning to look at Liu Fang, who still wore a tense face, Emperor Liu's tone finally softened somewhat: "The Empress Dowager has always doted on you, and now she is unwell. Would you bear to travel far away?"

"I..."

"How are your studies coming along? Surely you don't think military texts and strategy are truly useless? Do you believe the Great Han's generals are all unlettered brutes ignorant of tactics?" Emperor Liu continued to press.

Liu Fang finally lowered his head, his spirits unusually deflated. Looking at this son, Emperor Liu sighed inwardly—truly, the older children grew, the less "adorable" and the harder to educate they became.

Liu Fang clearly still needed much polishing. It was far too early for him to gallop wildly or spread his wings and soar.

"Didn't you ask me for an assignment? I agree!" Emperor Liu suddenly said.

Hearing this, Liu Fang raised his head, his expression somewhat bewildered. Seeing him like this, Liu Chengyou said with a light smile: "The Three Halls now house over a hundred thousand volumes of collected books. The assignment I give you is to go borrow and read them—for every volume you read, write a reading note..."

"Will you accept this assignment?" Emperor Liu asked.

A hint of distress immediately appeared on his still-youthful face, but meeting his imperial father's gaze, Liu Fang still clasped his hands and answered: "Yes!"

Afterward, Liu Fang's expression remained sour. He had been so eager and proactive, only to end up with such an "assignment"—he rather regretted it.

Having disciplined his beloved son, Emperor Liu did not forget the main purpose of the outing. Stroking the fine horse beneath him, he said: "Truly fine horses—famous breeds! Sanlang, do you remember how many times the Jurchen have presented horses to the court now?"