Chapter 129: Uncle

With thorough preparation and orderly coordination, the crossing south went smoothly without any mishaps, taking nearly two hours as over four thousand troops and horses all crossed the river.

Originally, Liu Chengyou had only the Third Army, the personal guard battalion, and most of the cavalry at his side—no more than three thousand men. However, at Xingzhou he had absorbed Xue Huairang's retainers, conscripting the strong among them into the army and dismissing the rest, and along the way back he had also taken in scattered soldiers and brave men who came to join him, which brought him to this number.

Liu Chengyou was among the later groups to cross the river, and with a refreshed spirit, he set foot on the soil of Henan for the first time. Behind him, soldiers and laborers were still loading warhorses, weapons, and valuables onto the ferry landing.

At the ferry landing stood a stone stele, likely a boundary marker, inscribed with characters, of which "Baima Ford" was the most conspicuous. Those who have read the *Three Kingdoms* should have some impression of the place called Baima.

Not far from the ferry was a small town, and while his men were reorganizing their ranks, Liu Chengyou was invited into the town.

In the town stood the Baima Post Station, before which an impressive reception had been arranged—officials and officers from Huazhou were already lined up in welcome, heads bowed and eyes lowered, visibly ill at ease. Liu Chengyou stood at the station entrance, taking in the scene, his gaze reaching inside.

Then a commotion came from within—before a person appeared, a voice arrived, accompanied by a somewhat unrestrained burst of laughter: "Second Brother, you've finally returned!"

Two figures appeared side by side at the entrance of Baima Post Station—two middle-aged men with thick beards and whiskers. Liu Chengyou recognized them at a glance: they were his uncle Liu Xin. After entering Kaifeng, Liu Xin had been appointed Chief Commander of the Imperial Guard Cavalry and concurrently Military Governor of Yicheng Army, ordered to lead a portion of the Xingjie imperial troops stationed at Huazhou.

He could clearly sense that the moment Liu Xin appeared, those Huazhou officers and officials instinctively shrank a few inches lower. It was evident that this uncle of his wielded great authority, and these men were terrified of him. Liu Chengyou was not surprised by this—back in Jinyang, this uncle had already earned a fearsome reputation, delighting in killing, meting out cruel punishments, and taking pleasure in tormenting criminals. Presumably, Liu Xin had committed some new atrocities here in Huazhou.

Gazing at Liu Xin, Liu Chengyou clasped his hands in a reserved salute: "How could I trouble Uncle to welcome me in person?"

"You truly haven't changed a bit!" Seeing Liu Chengyou's reaction, Liu Xin paid it no mind and patted his shoulder familiarly: "We're family—saying such things makes it sound distant."

Liu Chengyou's brows rose slightly. Liu Xin's warmth made him somewhat uncomfortable—after all, back then, though he and his uncle had acquaintance, there hadn't been much affection between them. Still, he nodded in agreement: "Uncle speaks truly."

He briefly observed Liu Xin. Compared to his time in Jinyang, Liu Xin's expression now radiated only four words: riding high on success. A hint of joy, a hint of arrogance. He wore a brocade robe of the finest satin, the lapels trimmed with gold thread, a belt inlaid with fine jade, and his cap was set with several pearls arranged according to some rule—green ones, glinting green in the sunlight.

Judging by this outfit, Liu Xin had clearly profited handsomely during this period.

"Hearing you were coming south, His Majesty ordered me to keep watch for news and welcome you." Liu Xin said with a beaming smile.

"Then I must thank His Majesty my father for his concern." Liu Chengyou raised his hand in a bow toward the southwest.

His peripheral gaze fell on the burly middle-aged man beside Liu Xin—his face was extremely dark, dotted with a dense patch of pockmarks, the kind of face one could never forget after a single glance. Noticing Liu Chengyou's look, the big man laughed heartily: "What, have you forgotten your uncle Yanchao?"

Liu Chengyou frowned slightly—he truly had no recollection. Only after Liu Xin introduced him did he learn that this middle-aged man was Liu Zhiyuan's younger half-brother through their mother, Murong Yanchao.

"Uncle." Regardless of anything else, he was an elder, so Liu Chengyou bowed properly.

Back then, Murong Yanchao had come north from Fangzhou, and after entering Kaifeng, at a time when men of ability were needed and the dynasty was newly founded—one's own family being the most reassuring to employ—Liu Zhiyuan had appointed Murong Yanchao as Military Governor of Zhenning Army, leading troops to guard the strategic location of Chanzhou.

Chanzhou, as it happened, was a neighbor to Huazhou—the prefectural seat of Puyang was only eighty or ninety li from Baima. He had come specifically to visit Liu Xin, and happened to coincide with Liu Chengyou's arrival from the south.

Learning these things, Liu Chengyou casually observed Murong Yanchao, paying particular attention to that black, pockmarked face. The image of Liu Zhiyuan's own dark face surfaced in his mind—one could believe they were born of the same mother. This led him to think that he, his elder brother Liu Chengxun, and his younger brother Liu Chenghsun had all turned out fairly fair-skinned, for which they had their mother Lady Li's genes to thank—otherwise, wouldn't the whole family be dark?

Amid the pleasantries, Liu Chengyou was invited by Liu Xin into Baima Post Station. Liu Xin showed off the knowledge he had prepared in advance: "I've already prepared a banquet to wash the dust from your journey. This place—I chose it specially. This Baima Post Station has some history to it. Over forty years ago, Emperor Taizu of Liang had all those old ministers of the Li-Tang dynasty put to death right here, clearing away obstacles so he could smoothly replace Tang and found Liang..."

Speaking of that massacre, Liu Xin seemed somewhat excited, boasting without shame: "Today we uncle and nephew drink together here—fitting that we should celebrate the founding of our Great Han with that affair."

Hearing Liu Xin frame the "Disaster of Baima Post Station" that way, and even spouting nonsense about tying it to the founding of the Great Han, Liu Chengyou couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.

Seeing his smug demeanor, Liu Chengyou offered a faint compliment: "Uncle is truly knowledgeable and broad-minded."

Liu Xin grew even more pleased: "Though I'm a military man who knows nothing of letters, having been by His Majesty's side for so long, I've made some progress after all..."

In his heart, Liu Chengyou didn't think much of these two uncles—contempt would be the more accurate word. Liu Zhiyuan had entrusted them with guarding vital strategic passes, yet they behaved so carelessly.

Liu Xin went without saying—he had always been like this. And this Murong Yanchao was the same—holding the post at Chanzhou, yet abandoning his duties without leave, all just to come to Baima for drinking and socializing. What kind of place was Chanzhou? It commanded the throat of the northern bank of the Yellow River, a key point of river defense. Liu Zhiyuan had stationed him there clearly to guard against Du Chongwei at Yedu.

If Du Chongwei rebelled and marched south, Chanzhou would be the first line of defense against him. Such a vital location, such a responsibility—and they treated matters of state and military like child's play.

Thinking of these things, Liu Chengyou's expression grew ever more placid, but his gaze gradually turned cold and deep.

He could roughly understand Liu Zhiyuan's mindset—after all, one's own family was more worthy of trust, and he needed such men to guard the realm. But countless examples stood right there: in times of crisis, it was often these very "family members" who ruined things. Not to speak of distant cases—just look at what was right before their eyes: Du Chongwei!

After reaching the Eastern Capital, should he offer a suggestion to his father? Liu Xin's voice still droned on in his ear, but this thought had already formed in Liu Chengyou's mind.

His thoughts drifted slightly further—among the Liu clan's imperial relatives, seemingly few had turned out to be talents worthy of entrusting with great matters.

Of Liu Zhiyuan's three brothers, Liu Xin's and Murong Yanchao's performances were plain to see. As for Liu Chong—without Liu Zhiyuan as his elder brother, could he have gotten where he was today?

On Lady Li's side, there were Liu Chengyou's several maternal uncles, but each was more useless than the last. The slightly more impressive one was his second uncle Li Hongwei, though his temperament was too timid, his conduct dilatory, lacking decisiveness.

As far as Liu Chengyou knew, among all his relatives, only his brother-in-law Song Yanwo was a man of talent—unfortunately, their acquaintance was not deep. And there was also his cousin Li Shaoyou.

Liu Xin and Murong Yanchao, naturally, had no idea how much contempt the nephew before them, who was humoring them, held for them in his heart. Both were in high spirits, their conversation flowing enthusiastically.

In the main hall of the post station, a feast had already been laid out, aromas wafting straight to the taste buds. The dishes didn't look particularly refined, but they made up for it in abundance—every kind of meat was present, filling the table, an extravagant display.

As he took his seat, Liu Xin clapped his hands, and several graceful figures stepped elegantly into the hall—barefoot, thinly clad, their charms half-hidden, dancing gracefully to music that began to play from behind a curtain.

Liu Chengyou sighed silently in his heart. So this was how they enjoyed themselves already? What must things be like in the Eastern Capital? Liu Chengyou could not feel optimistic at this moment.

Wine, women, wealth, and temper—few men could remain immune, especially the warriors of this age. Murong Yanchao's gaze was instantly captivated, his bulging eyes nearly sucking the dancing beauties into them, a look of utter lust on his face: "Brother Xin, I've been in Baima for two days—such beauties, and you kept them so well hidden."

"Heh heh." Liu Xin looked rather pleased with himself: "These are courtesans I collected with no small effort after arriving in Baima, skilled in song and dance. If you're interested, shall I gift you two?"

Murong Yanchao was not one to stand on ceremony, accepting directly: "Then I'll thank you in advance."

Before Liu Chengyou, the two showed not the slightest restraint—or rather, they simply didn't care. Liu Chengyou gave the women only a brief once-over before withdrawing his gaze. Seeing his reaction, Liu Xin was slightly surprised, then said with a somewhat lecherous air: "Second Brother, do these beauties please you? You may pick one or two—consider them my gift to you."

This Liu Xin was truly a degenerate, directly thinking of giving Liu Chengyou women.

"No need—your nephew's aspirations lie elsewhere. Besides, how could I presume to take what an elder holds dear?" Liu Chengyou said.

"So young, yet so dull!" Liu Xin waved his hand carelessly: "Don't you have a concubine in your household? By rights you should have tasted the pleasures of it—how is one enough? You've been leading troops in the field for so long, surely you've been pent up for a while. This is exactly when you should find some tender, water-soft beauties to relieve the fatigue of campaigning..."

As Liu Xin spoke his vulgar words, Murong Yanchao also chimed in, speaking in the tone of one who had been there: "The delights of women are endless pleasures, Second Brother—don't spurn your uncle's good intentions."

With that, Liu Xin directly ordered the music and dance to stop, and had several of the dancing girls come forward for Liu Chengyou to choose from.

Unable to refuse such hospitality, Liu Chengyou turned his attention back to the dancing girls. They were all young, with decent looks and decent figures—but merely decent, nothing more.

Compared to Liu Chengyou's indifferent reaction, the dancing girls were somewhat more excited, their eyes eager and hopeful, desperately wishing Liu Chengyou would pick them. The three men's conversation just now had been completely unrestrained, and of course they had heard every word.

Compared to serving a brutal warrior like Liu Xin, or being given to a dark brute like Murong Yanchao, a handsome young lord like Liu Chengyou was naturally far more agreeable to the eye—young, valiant, and of noble status...

Unfortunately, Liu Chengyou disappointed them after all. As if ignoring the rosy skeletons before him, he casually picked up a cup of wine from the table and raised it toward Liu Xin: "I appreciate Uncle's kindness, but having traveled south all this way, I'm weary in body and mind. As for the sentiment in the Eastern Capital... ah. Allow me this cup as an apology."

With that, he drained it in one gulp. Liu Chengyou put on a look of having unspeakable difficulties, and the "clever" Liu Xin immediately caught on, pointing south and saying: "You're worried about the sentiment at court? No need for that—just a pack of jealous, talent-grudging petty men. This time you've won great renown, enough to make those who style themselves founding ministers unable to sit still!"

Under Liu Zhiyuan, factions had always stood in profusion and power struggles never ceased, each minister harboring his own designs. This hadn't been obvious before, but once they entered Kaifeng and the overall situation was settled, things could no longer remain calm—contention for merit and currying of favor occurred repeatedly. Clansmen like Liu Xin formed their own faction, but they thought highly of themselves, and relying on Liu Zhiyuan's favor, they had always looked down on those court ministers and outside generals.

"Uncle's words are too strong."

"You needn't take it too seriously." Liu Xin said carelessly: "So you sent some troops to Zhao Yanshou to fight the Khitan—no big deal. Eldest Brother already explained it to Big Brother. You're Big Brother's son—how could those outsiders drive a wedge between you? Besides, without you, could they have captured those Yan troops?"

Liu Xin clearly saw things very simply. Was the problem really just Liu Chengyou acting on his own authority, overstepping his bounds and being overbearing?

For a founding emperor, having too capable a son was not necessarily a good thing—especially for this newly established dynasty. A brief review would reveal that Liu Zhiyuan's founding of the state had essentially been picking up an easy bargain: gathering troops in Hedong to watch and wait, then marching into the Central Plains and receiving the country as it was handed over.

From start to finish, they had not experienced any hard-fought battles. Originally, Liu Chengyou's fight against Geng Chongmei counted as one battle, and then there was Shi Hongzhao taking Henei, and Guo Congyi descending upon the Central Plains and entering Kaifeng. If it had only been this, although seizing the state would not have carried much persuasiveness or deterrence, it would have all been conducted under the command of Emperor Liu Zhiyuan, everything within his control.

But at Luancheng, Liu Chengyou suddenly struck the Khitan's great army with such a blow—eight thousand troops against several hundred thousand—and utterly defeated them, and it was the Khitan's main force at that. It could truly be said to be earth-shattering, and it naturally had a tremendous positive effect on the founding of the new Han dynasty, intimidating the realm. One could see prefectures and garrisons coming to submit, and the military governors of every region basically put away their rampant schemes, not daring to make any move.

And so, the problem arose—no matter how one looked at the Battle of Luancheng, the only one who shone brightest was Liu Chengyou, the imperial prince. Even the most dull-witted person would not believe that the Battle of Luancheng had been carried out under the will of Emperor Liu Zhiyuan.

For Liu Zhiyuan, the more he thought about this situation, the more it felt wrong, the more it rankled, the more complicated his feelings became. Which founding emperor could truly be magnanimous enough to let it go and see it clearly? Liu Zhiyuan was not a good man, but his bearing was also extraordinary, and moreover Liu Chengyou was still his son, so the development of matters would not become too tense...

Liu Chengyou had originally not thought of any of this; it was only under Tao Gu's probing reminders that Liu Chengyou came to his senses. That fellow Tao Gu—when it came to politics, he was absolutely a talent. And so Liu Chengyou also gained a clearer understanding of those opinions in the court.

Liu Chengyou knew all this, yet had no intention of explaining it to Liu Xin, and merely dealt with him perfunctorily.

"Let's not talk about all that—what matters is that you're back safe. Those people won't dare to be arrogant anymore." Liu Xin picked up his wine cup and poured it straight into his mouth: "Come, let us brothers drink a toast together to the Second Young Lord."

"I wouldn't dare." Liu Chengyou raised his cup in response.

Although he did not care for Liu Xin's extravagance and wastefulness in his heart, Liu Chengyou's body was quite honest—when there was good food and drink to be had, there was no need to put on airs of restraint and suffer as he usually did.

Moreover, he had already declined his uncle's goodwill once; could he really refuse a second time? That would truly be showing his uncle no face at all.

While drinking fine wine and gnawing on big bones, this was exactly what Liu Chengyou was thinking: giving Liu Xin face.