Chapter 1366: Emperor Liu Is Still the Same Emperor Liu

"Erlang, do you know what is most admirable about you?" The elder Lady Fu's gaze turned very gentle, and she said softly: "In my view, it is not those great achievements admired by the world and recorded forever in history, but that you are always able to remain clear-headed. Though there are times of being too hasty and headstrong, at critical moments you are always wise and calm.

Over more than twenty years, the court and the realm have sung your praises and worshipped you like a deity, yet you have not been intoxicated by those flatteries and compliments. Instead, you constantly look back and never forget self-reflection. For an emperor like you, this is truly rare..."

"Are you not flattering me right now?" Hearing this, Emperor Liu laughed heartily.

"There is certainly an element of compliment, but the words match the truth!" said the elder Lady Fu.

"It is not that I am calm and rational, but that I am a suspicious man!" Emperor Liu mocked himself, speaking his true thoughts without any hesitation before Empress Fu: "I suspect others, and I also suspect myself! When others are conservative, I am radical; when others are excited, I am fearful!

Examining oneself three times daily—that is something only the sages and wise men of old could do. Once I take off the dragon robe, I am but a mortal. After all these years, I have made no few mistakes, and there are many things I regret. At present, I am merely somewhat lost..."

"You must not be confused! Otherwise, how could the state and court, the rivers and mountains of the realm, and the myriad people of the world depend on you?" the elder Lady Fu urged.

"I bear the responsibility for the rivers and mountains of the realm, but the myriad people of the world do not live for my sake!" Emperor Liu shook his head.

After this exchange with the elder Lady Fu, Emperor Liu's mood visibly improved considerably. Gaining some spirit, he sat up, took a pillow to lean against, and gestured for the elder Lady Fu to come onto the couch.

The couple leaned against each other, and Emperor Liu said leisurely: "Counting from the first year of Qianyou, I have been on the throne for twenty-three years now. Such a long time—perhaps it has already made people feel weary!"

Hearing this, the elder Lady Fu suddenly sat up straight, turned her head to look at Emperor Liu: "Why do you say such a thing?"

"If there were a weaker emperor, then for those nobles, generals, and ministers—even the serving palace attendants—everything would be far more comfortable and free. The family, the state, and the realm would not have so much turmoil!" Emperor Liu said with a light laugh: "Let alone the common people—but what of the lords and ministers in the court who see me every day and pay their respects at all hours? Would they not also grow weary?"

"If these words of yours were to spread, how could those inside and outside the palace, and the entire court, feel at ease?" The elder Lady Fu gently shook her head, gazing at Emperor Liu as she spoke.

"I only said this to you—you must not spread it!" said Emperor Liu.

"Erlang, since the beginning of this year, you have borne too heavy a burden, to the point of mental and spiritual exhaustion!" Leaning gently against Emperor Liu, the elder Lady Fu said softly.

"Perhaps I truly am tired!" There was a trace of melancholy in Emperor Liu's tone: "In the past, I often instructed the ministers that I wished to emulate the achievements of the Zhenguan era, and I even compared myself to Emperor Taizong of Tang! Emperor Taizong of Tang reigned for only twenty-three years..."

Seeing Emperor Liu's flagging spirits, the elder Lady Fu said: "You also said you wanted to surpass Emperor Wu of Han in achievements. Emperor Wu of Han reigned for over fifty years—Erlang, you have not yet reached even half of that!"

Emperor Liu immediately said: "I have no intention of competing with anyone over length of reign. What if Liu Che reigned for over fifty years? In his old age he became muddled and plunged the state into peril. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang reigned for no short time, yet one An Lushan Rebellion turned the splendor of the High Tang into ashes. These past two years, I have indeed felt greatly lacking in energy, with a sense of the spirit being willing but the flesh being weak. You have also urged me before, but this feeling of slackness is always hard to avoid..."

Such words could only be spoken from the bottom of his heart before the Empress, and when the elder Lady Fu heard them, her expression shifted slightly, but in the end she did not delve deeper into the matter, only using her gentleness and virtue to soothe him...

After more than twenty years as husband and wife, the elder Lady Fu understood Emperor Liu very well. Although in past years she had repeatedly shown her strong side, it also depended on the matter. In truth, most of the time, the elder Lady Fu still carefully catered to Emperor Liu.

Emperor Liu was, after all, an emperor—the sovereign of the realm, the head of the family. Even if he respected her and doted on her, she never dared to presume upon his favor and become arrogant. When there were concessions between husband and wife, it was mostly the Empress who made them.

And as Emperor Liu grew older, the elder Lady Fu was no longer like before, daring to say anything and offering remonstrance on every opinion. More often, she had to go along with his temperament.

Just like tonight, when the couple poured out their innermost feelings to each other—it had been a long while since the last such occasion. And as for Emperor Liu's talk of being weary in body and mind, and of growing slack after being emperor for so long, she would not take it seriously.

These were merely the result of Emperor Liu having borne increased pressure since the beginning of this year, with a great deal of negative emotion accumulated in his heart. He was just venting his grievances, a form of release.

"By the way, have you met the young lady of the Zhao Kuangyin family?" Emperor Liu, having poured out his feelings and with his mood already improved, asked.

"I summoned her into the palace two days ago and met her. Though she is not of breathtaking beauty, she has excellent family upbringing, is well-read and well-mannered, and will be a virtuous lady!" Hearing this, a look of satisfaction appeared on the elder Lady Fu's face: "I have also spoken with the Crown Princess. Her attitude was very sincere, and she gladly accepted..."

This was where the elder Lady Fu was thorough. Someone like Emperor Liu would not bother to consider the feelings and thoughts of a crown prince. His meaning left no room for disobedience—even Liu Yang's opinion was not taken into consideration.

"Whether she is virtuous or not cannot be seen in a short time!" Emperor Liu said indifferently: "However, if Liu Yang cannot even manage a small household, how can he govern the realm?"

Emperor Liu's assertiveness always showed itself inadvertently: "Since you have already met her, this matter is completely settled. Once this busy period is over, pick a date and carry out the wedding. Also, Liu Yang's marriage—discuss it with the Worthy Consort as well and settle it together!"

"Mm! I will personally handle this matter!" the elder Lady Fu replied. The marriage affairs of the imperial princes were also part of her duty as Empress.

The Emperor's successive activities after returning to the capital had not exhausted the enthusiasm of the Western Capital's scholars and commoners. The hour was still early, and in Luoyang city, cooking smoke was already rising thick and firecrackers were sounding. The turbulent eighth year of Kaibao had truly passed.

The palace was the same, bathed in a festive atmosphere. Palace lanterns were everywhere, colorful silks fluttered, and every corner radiated brilliance. The palace attendants still entered to clean the palace chambers, only with a bit more joy. At the New Year, all those on duty were given certain amounts of money and grain according to rank.

In ordinary times, the entire court would basically be in a state of holiday rest. Except for the few on duty, most people would happily return to their residences to celebrate the New Year, visiting relatives and friends.

For the officials of the Great Han, since the Kaibao era began, Emperor Liu had in fact already shown them considerable favor, nothing like the early days when they were used like oxen and horses, with few holidays and possibly no rest at all throughout the year. But with the improvement of the rest system, rest time had been continuously increased, especially from the beginning of the first month each year to around the Lantern Festival, when it was even more relaxed.

But this year was clearly different. After the grand Northern Expedition of Kaibao, the aftermath required urgent handling that could not be delayed. There were too many matters that needed to be arranged in a timely manner.

Therefore, although it was the New Year, after a night of celebration, most people still had to drag their weary bodies back to their offices the next day to handle official business—especially the clerks and officials of the key departments such as the Hall of State Affairs, the Bureau of Military Affairs, the Finance Commission, and the Ministry of War.

And just as Empress Fu understood, Emperor Liu's being off was merely a momentary bad mood. After finding a listener and venting, the next day it was as if nothing had happened—he wore a smile, his spirits restored, with no trace of gloom.

"Your ministers pay respects to Your Majesty!" Though full of fatigue, the ministers of the Hall of State Affairs still displayed very spirited appearances when paying respects to the Emperor.

"All of you, dispense with the formalities!" Emperor Liu raised his hand and said to the group of ministers who maintained reverent postures.

As the center of power of the Great Han, it held no mystery whatsoever for Emperor Liu. He looked around, entered the inner chamber, lifted his robe and sat down, then extended his hand toward Zhao Pu, Song Qi, and Li Ye, saying: "All of you, sit! Sit and speak!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"It is only the second day of the new year, yet I see all the staff of the Hall of State Affairs are present. During the festival, why must you work so hard!" Emperor Liu said somewhat insincerely.

Zhao Pu replied: "At present, the affairs of the court are heavy and numerous. State affairs must take priority, and thus none of the officials above and below wish to leave their posts! If state affairs are not handled well, even if we celebrated the festival, we could not feel at ease!"

Emperor Liu smiled, quite satisfied with Zhao Pu's attitude. And without even needing to investigate, he knew that Zhao Pu had certainly exerted some pressure on the officials under him.

"You have all worked hard! Once this busy period is over, I will give you all a long holiday!" Emperor Liu said: "I have already ordered the palace to prepare some money and goods, which will be delivered to your residences in due course—consider it a token of my appreciation!"

"Thank you for Your Majesty's concern!" Hearing this, Zhao Pu and the others immediately bowed in gratitude.

Seeing Emperor Liu's affable and cordial manner, Zhao Pu's mood relaxed somewhat. At yesterday's banquet, he had naturally noticed the change in Emperor Liu's mood.