Chapter 1406: The Court and the Imperial Clan

"I have indeed neglected them and failed them!" Coming back to himself, Emperor Liu rarely showed a faint bitter smile.

His personal energy and stamina were limited; after setting aside his mind for state affairs, he had little time left for the harem, and the same went for his children. Moreover, with so many children, how could he attend to each one in every way? Compared to the energy he invested in his eldest sons and daughters, his care for the other children was indeed very little.

Especially the brothers Liu Ye and Liu Xin—they were young, which was one thing, but more importantly, their mother was of humble birth and hard to value. Liu Ye's mother, Qin Li, had been enfeoffed as Consort Xiang and held some position in the palace, but that was merely a reward for bearing an imperial prince; back then, she had only been a Yao woman presented by Qin Zaixiong.

As for Consort Yelu, due to her Khitan imperial clan identity, she found it even harder to gain Emperor Liu's favor—he even found it awkward to look at her. This mother and son pair were even more ostracized in the palace, especially after the Han–Liao hostility and another brutal great war; they could only keep their heads down and live in precarious peace.

"A child's worth follows its mother's status"—in the Great Han court, this was a true portrayal. The children of Empress Fu, the Noble Consort, and the Worthy Consort received noticeably more attention than others. The later-arriving Consort Hui and Consort Ning, who had once held advantages in age and status, had also enjoyed no small amount of favor, and their children benefited from it as well.

As for the rest, many had nearly been forgotten by Emperor Liu. Including the elder Pure Consort Zhou, who had once been favored—she was no longer so valued now. In the final analysis, the Pure Consort was the artistic type—virtuous in nature, beautiful in appearance, elegant in bearing. She had been able to attract Emperor Liu with these qualities at first, but as time went on, he grew tired of them, and their temperaments and interests were hard to match.

As she aged and her beauty gradually faded, Emperor Liu's interest diminished even further. Unlike the elder Lady Fu and the two ladies Gao and Zhe, she did not share a deep emotional bond with Emperor Liu.

More importantly, when Emperor Liu took Little Zhou into the harem—yes, Emperor Liu had already taken Lady Little Zhou into the harem, and in one step, directly enfeoffed her as Worthy Consort Yi, satisfying his own sense of novelty and curiosity.

Others dared not say anything about this, not even whisper behind his back, but the elder Pure Consort Zhou reacted remarkably strongly. It was also the first time Emperor Liu discovered that beneath her gentle and soft exterior, the Pure Consort also concealed a fierce and unyielding nature.

She directly expressed her displeasure at Emperor Liu taking her own younger sister into the harem. This was also the first time in sixteen or seventeen years of serving Emperor Liu that she dared to defy his wishes, making faces at him and throwing tantrums.

But who was Emperor Liu? How could he tolerate such behavior from her? He had no interest in guessing the Pure Consort's thoughts or sympathizing with her feelings. And so, the elder Pure Consort Zhou completely fell out of favor, and to this day, she could basically only stay in her bedchamber, pitying her own reflection.

This was still out of consideration for Liu Hui that Emperor Liu did not mete out heavier punishment; otherwise, she might well have been cast into the cold palace. For Emperor Liu, not every consort could be allowed to act presumptuously before him—after all, in this world, there was only one Empress Fu.

In the past, the Seventh Prince Liu Hui, because of his extraordinary talent and outstanding literary ability, had been cherished and valued by Emperor Liu, yet because of his mother's sake, he had been somewhat cold-shouldered by Emperor Liu.

The Pure Consort and her son suffered this fate, let alone others. Women like Xu and Li, whom Emperor Liu had forcibly taken into the palace before, had long been forgotten by him to some unknown corner.

The court was never harmonious; it was always filled with all kinds of strife and scheming. Emperor Liu was also a hard-hearted man, and he often showed his ruthlessness inadvertently.

In the past, there might have been a scene of harmony and joy, but it was only a superficial illusion—a harmonious atmosphere jointly created to cater to Emperor Liu or to avoid provoking his anger.

But people's hearts are prone to change. Emperor Liu was gradually getting older, and most importantly, the princes were growing up. With many people came many voices, each with different thoughts, which easily bred conflicts, and their affections grew increasingly distant.

Including the father-son bond between Emperor Liu and his children—some of which even he had to admit were extremely shallow, aside from the unbreakable blood connection. Emperor Liu had not truly fulfilled the duties of a father. Of course, it was also inherently difficult for him to do so; the court was by no means so beautiful, and as an emperor, many things had long become a luxury for him.

There was one thing that could quite directly reflect the relationship between Emperor Liu and his imperial children: the princes ranked later in birth order were gradually growing up, and when facing Emperor Liu, besides awe and reverence, they were filled with a sense of estrangement.

"Spend more time on them from now on!" Seeing Emperor Liu lost in thought, the elder Lady Fu reached out and gently placed her hand on his, speaking softly.

Turning his head to look at her, Emperor Liu smiled slightly: "Fortunately, I still have you. With you as my capable helpmeet, tending to the harem and caring for the children on my behalf, you can also lessen some of the guilt in my heart!"

Hearing this, the elder Lady Fu said: "I am only doing what is within my duty, but some things cannot be replaced by me!"

"Even if it is within your duty, it has already greatly relieved my worries!" Emperor Liu immediately expressed, looking grateful to the Empress.

Emperor Liu's words were not without basis. All along, Empress Fu had displayed the bearing of a chief wife in the Han palace, showing extra care and attention to those consorts and imperial children who were not so favored in the harem. She indeed played the role of stabilizing the harem and serving as the motherly model for the realm.

Of course, this was also where Empress Fu was clever. Toward those consorts who could not threaten her position, she never suppressed them, showing her magnanimity, tolerance, gentleness, and virtue as much as possible. In terms of breadth of vision, bearing, and insight, there was no one in the Han palace other than Empress Fu—this was also the most fundamental reason she could firmly hold the empress position and win Emperor Liu's respect.

"The children are all gradually growing up and are not so easy to discipline anymore. They all respect you. In the future, I will have to trouble you to put in more effort!" Emperor Liu said to Empress Fu.

To this, the elder Lady Fu merely responded with a gentle smile.

"Your Majesty!" As they were speaking, two ministers stepped up onto the terrace and bowed in salute.

"Brother Yun, no need for such formality!" Seeing who had arrived, Emperor Liu smiled warmly.

The one at the front was Liu Chengyun, Prince of Xu and Chief of the Imperial Clan Court.

"Little Fourteen, go find your mother. Don't run around, and be careful!" Gently patting Liu Xin's back, Emperor Liu said.

"Yes!" Glancing at Emperor Liu, Liu Xin jumped down to the ground, saluted the Emperor and Empress, then bowed to the newcomers, and trotted off on his little legs.

Seeing Liu Xin's retreating figure, Liu Chengyun could not help but remark to Emperor Liu: "The Fourteenth Prince is still young, yet so well-versed in etiquette. In the future, he will surely be a refined gentleman. It is all thanks to Your Majesty's excellent teaching!"

At this flattery, Emperor Liu smiled faintly: "Brother Yun is too kind. These boys cannot withstand praise!"

Liu Chengyun smiled along, somewhat deliberately shifting his body to let Emperor Liu notice the man beside him more.

"It's Brother Jun!" Emperor Liu's smile did not diminish, but his gaze was somewhat calm.

"Your Majesty, Chengjun is about to take up his post in Guangnan and has come specially to bid farewell, respectfully awaiting Your Majesty's instructions!" Liu Chengyun took the initiative to say.

The middle-aged man beside Liu Chengyun was Liu Chengjun, the son of the late imperial uncle, Liu Chong, Prince of Taiyuan—and of course, also Liu Chengyun's own brother.

At this time, Liu Chengjun was approaching fifty, but he looked very old. His body did not appear robust either, somewhat puffy and overweight, and his face was full of the traces of hardship.

"Your Majesty!" Facing Emperor Liu, Liu Chengjun was even more restrained, somewhat nervous and timid.

"Brother Jun need not be so formal. We are all one family. If there is anything, you may come directly to find me!" Emperor Liu remained gentle, but Liu Chengjun did not dare take his affable smile at face value at all.

Speaking of it, ever since the Hedong affair back then, Liu Chong's family had been "escorted" into the capital. After Liu Chong died, all his sons were summoned back and kept confined in Luoyang—it had now been nearly nineteen years.

If he had the chance, Liu Chengjun truly wanted to ask Emperor Liu: do you know how we have lived these nineteen years? Saying they were raised like pigs might be somewhat excessive, because pigs only need to squat in their pens and wait to be fed.

But they were gathered in a large manor and still had to work the land like those mud-legged peasants to scrape out a living. With such a large family, the money and grain the government allocated each year was simply not enough for them to live a comfortable and wealthy life.

They were forbidden from engaging in commerce, and even their freedom was restricted—they were not allowed to leave the borders of Luoyang. It was not until the court moved west to Luoyang that the restrictions were somewhat relaxed.

Counting Liu Chengyun, Liu Chong had a total of ten sons, but after all these years, only four were still alive. The others had either died of illness, died of depression, or perished in accidents...

It was not until the past two years that Emperor Liu finally lifted their restrictions completely, allowing them to return to court and granting them official positions. Only then did their lives improve somewhat, gradually restoring their noble treatment. Of course, behind this lay Liu Chengyun's many years of unremitting efforts in pleading on their behalf.

It had to be said that in some people's eyes, Emperor Liu was relatively lenient toward outside ministers, but toward his own family within the imperial clan, he seemed somewhat harsh and ruthless.

One should know that even guilty ministers like Yang Bin and Su Fengji had already returned to court for many years, living out their old age in the capital in peace, and Su Fengji's sons and grandsons had even begun to take up official posts.

Yet it was precisely the descendants of imperial clan elders like Liu Chong and Liu Xin who had not enjoyed the status and honor they deserved for many years. If not for Liu Chengyun's tireless efforts in pleading for them, perhaps nothing would have changed even until Emperor Liu's death.

"Brother Jun won't find Lingnan remote and harsh, will he?" Looking at Liu Chengjun, who wore an expression of awe, Emperor Liu said softly.