Chapter 141: Feminine Authority

With the edict enfeoffing Liu Zhiyuan's sons, the succession debate came to an abrupt halt, as if a conclusion had been reached. And in fact, that was exactly the case — Prince of Wei plus Governor of Kaifeng was essentially the standard configuration for an heir. The title of Prince of Wei carried enormous weight in this era, and as for Governor of Kaifeng, that was even less a position just anyone could hold. One could even speculate that Liu Zhiyuan had deliberately left that office vacant all this time precisely to weigh who the "suitable" candidate might be.

As for Liu Chengyou's enfeoffment and promotion, it was more of a consolation — on top of his existing posts of Director of the Secretariat and Deputy Commissioner of Military Affairs, he was given the additional title of Patrol Inspector of the Capital. But the Capital Patrol Inspector was hardly an ordinary position either.

Thus, from Liu Zhiyuan's arrangement, it was clear he had left room for maneuver — there was still hesitation in his heart. But judging by the outcome, Liu Chengxun had gained the upper hand. In the original course of history, after entering Bian, only the eldest son Liu Chengxun was enfeoffed as Prince of Wei and Governor of Kaifeng — none of the other sons were involved at all. So at that time, Liu Chengxun, though without the title of Crown Prince, held the substance of one.

However, now that this anomaly named Liu Chengyou had arrived, the same enfeoffment no longer carried the effect of settling the matter. Compared to the varied reactions of others, as the party directly concerned, Liu Chengyou behaved with great composure — receiving the edict, thanking for the grace, as if utterly unaffected. But in private, he did offer his own assessment of Liu Zhiyuan's decision: not decisive enough, hesitating and wavering, and in the end it would ruin things.

Perhaps because she had not spoken up for Liu Chengyou, Lady Li harbored some sense of guilt. Afterwards, she summoned Liu Chengyou to the palace, comforted him with gentle words, and explained things at length with great earnestness. She also cited the examples of the Liang, Tang, and Jin dynasties, admonishing Liu Chengyou to get along well with his father and elder brother, to jointly revive the Great Han, and to preserve the dynasty's mandate.

As for Liu Chengyou, facing his mother's earnest counsel, what could he do? He merely assured Lady Li with calm composure that for the sake of family and country, he would put the greater good first, and that in the future he would wholeheartedly assist his father and elder brother, daring not to harbor any excessive ambitions, and so on and so forth.

Liu Chengyou's magnanimity actually surprised Lady Li. Looking at his face, which seemed to be "bearing up" under strain, she felt he was being wronged, and her pity for him grew even deeper. When Liu Chengyou's statement spread, quite a few people praised him for his wisdom and broad-mindedness. Even Liu Zhiyuan was somewhat puzzled, though there were ultimately some who did not believe his words — Yang Bin, for instance.

As for Liu Chengxun, the elder brother, he felt somewhat embarrassed when facing Liu Chengyou.

As autumn deepened, the branches and leaves throughout the Eastern Capital turned yellow in a quiet, imperceptible way. The gardens of Liu Chengyou's residence were the same — in silence, they were dyed in a swath of gold.

The plaque on the residence had long since been changed. The three vigorous characters "Prince Zhou's Mansion," though simple and archaic, carried a weight of dignity and status.

During this period, the Han court had fallen into a brief calm. At court, aside from quietly participating in military deliberations, Liu Chengyou's main focus was on rectifying public security in Kaifeng, with emphasis on cracking down on crimes such as murder, theft, and robbery. After more than half a month, the results were remarkable. Though crime could not be completely eradicated, a new order built upon the framework of institutions was re-established throughout the markets and neighborhoods. In this process, Liu Chengyou brought a portion of the patrol imperial army in Kaifeng under his control...

On a rare day of rest, under the gradually cooling autumn sun, Liu Chengyou sat fishing by the "Still Lake" in the rear garden of his princely residence. Wrapped in a large black robe, with a straw hat worn properly on his head, he held a fishing rod in his hand. Though it was called fishing, in truth he was just staring blankly at the lake surface — the rippling autumn waves and layered water patterns were quite beautiful in their own way.

"Second Young Master! Your Highness! My Prince Zhou!" With hurried footsteps, Li Shaoyou walked to Liu Chengyou's side. After a single glance, he called out with some agitation.

"Tsk!" Liu Chengyou clicked his tongue, set down the fishing rod, and turned to complain to him: "I finally had a fish on the hook, and you scared it away!"

Li Shaoyou was taken aback. He looked at the calm lake surface, then glanced at the empty fish basket, raised an eyebrow, and sat down cross-legged, saying: "The fire is already licking our eyebrows, and you still have the leisure to fish here?"

"What's got you in such a frantic hurry?" Liu Chengyou looked at him with some surprise, then said with calm ease: "Heard some wind again?"

"What's the matter!" Li Shaoyou raised his voice: "You're about to be sent out to govern a garrison!"

Hearing this, Liu Chengyou's brows furrowed: "What's going on?"

"Today His Majesty again raised the question of the succession. Yang Bin suggested to His Majesty that, to avoid a situation of two dragons contending for the throne, you should be sent out to a post in the provinces, cutting off the possibility of two sons fighting and brothers harming each other!" Li Shaoyou replied.

Liu Chengyou's brows furrowed even tighter. He had received not a whisper of such news. Turning to look at him: "Where did you hear this?"

Knowing what Liu Chengyou was puzzled about, Li Shaoyou explained: "It happened not long ago. My father went to the palace for an audience and overheard it. The moment I got word, I rushed over to tell you."

"Oh!" Liu Chengyou acknowledged, his brows gradually relaxing. He said calmly: "This Yang Bin — he dares to say anything, doesn't he? Could it be he's grown arrogant from favor?"

Seeing his unhurried reaction, and finding himself the one getting anxious for no good reason, Li Shaoyou couldn't help but say: "Aren't you the least bit worried?"

"What use is worrying?" Liu Chengyou countered, a faint look of contemplation on his face: "Where are they planning to send me?"

"Chengde Military Governorship! According to Yang Bin's reasoning, since war is about to break out in Youyan, it's the perfect opportunity to send you north — a place where you can put your talents to use and display your abilities."

Not long ago, after settling domestic affairs and stabilizing his position, taking advantage of the high autumn skies and fat horses, the Liao sovereign Yelu Ruan mustered troops from all the tribes and drove south, his sword pointed at Youyan. An army of over a hundred thousand marched straight for Ji City.

On the Yan Prince Zhao Yanshou's side, for reasons unknown, he found the courage to send troops to engage. His three-thousand-man vanguard was wiped out by more than half, and he decisively withdrew back into Youzhou, shutting the gates to defend. While turtling up in defense, he hurriedly sent men south to request aid. The envoy rode south at full speed, all the way to the Eastern Capital.

As for the current Great Han, Guanzhong, the Central Plains, and Weibo had yet to be fully pacified — where was the strength to deal with matters in Youyan? But the northern border defenses could not be completely ignored either. The court could only offer soothing words of comfort, while simultaneously issuing an edict to Zhang Yanwei of Chengde, instructing the various armies along the border to provide timely support and offer limited assistance to Youyan.

Now, with Yang Bin putting forward this proposal, combined with the situation at court, it did to a certain extent suit Liu Zhiyuan's wishes quite well.

"What a fine suggestion indeed!" Liu Chengyou commented: "After all, the Youyan affair was stirred up by me in the first place. Having me go clean it up — truly killing two birds with one stone, reaping multiple benefits at once!"

Seeing that Liu Chengyou still had the mood to be making such observations, Li Shaoyou couldn't help but fret on his behalf: "You're not actually planning to go north, are you!"

His expression gradually turning serious, Liu Chengyou crossed his fingers and sank into thought. Since entering the Eastern Capital, Liu Chengyou had maintained a low profile — not stirring up trouble, not making waves, letting the situation change as it would while he remained unmoved. But being sent out to a garrison, far from the center of power — that was absolutely not permissible.

Being sent out at this time was hardly a case of "the sea is wide for fish to leap, the sky is high for birds to fly." In the Eastern Capital, there was the court, there were over a hundred thousand imperial troops — these were the true foundation of the state, and absolutely not to be given up.

Never mind that from Li Siyuan and Li Congke to Shi Jingtang, including Liu Zhiyuan himself, all had used regional garrison troops to overturn the central government, seize power, and ascend the throne. But the difficulty, risk, and luck involved — how could those be ordinary? Even in this era, though regional military governors might be powerful, under normal circumstances, as long as the central government did not have problems, it was extremely difficult for them to contend with the center. From the Later Tang to the Later Jin, regional rebellions had occurred more than once, but aside from those few who had successfully overturned the center, others such as Zhu Shouyin, Fan Yanguang, An Zhongrong, Yang Guangyuan, and the like — those who vainly attempted to use a single garrison to oppose the central government — all ended in failure.

From the end of the Tang to now, the realm had been in chaos for decades, with central dynasties changing in rapid succession. But this was in truth also a process of strengthening the trunk and weakening the branches, of centralizing power — albeit an extremely slow one. By now, though regional military governors still held enormous power in their hands, compared to the might of the central government, they were more than a notch weaker.

The foundation of the center's strength lay in the imperial army. In the original history, after the Later Han, what truly determined the fate of the state, the throne, and imperial authority was the imperial army. The Zhou replacing the Han, the Song replacing the Zhou — these were all power transitions within the imperial army itself, with no involvement from regional garrisons whatsoever. Even Zhao Kuangyin's "relieving generals of their commands over a cup of wine" was about stripping power from the senior commanders of the imperial army. As for eliminating the threat of regional military governors, taking their elite troops, controlling their grain supplies, and such — those were matters of secondary importance that came later.

Liu Chengyou's mind was very clear. So if they wanted him to leave the Eastern Capital for a regional garrison, he would absolutely not submit. With him in the Eastern Capital, Liu Chengyou could rest easy. If the situation developed to an irrecoverable point, he could still act through his contingencies within the imperial army. If he were squeezed out, then the situation would completely slip beyond his expectations and control.

He had to admit — if Yang Bin managed to pull this off, it would be like striking a snake at its seven inches, hitting the vital spot dead on. It would absolutely drive pain deep into Liu Chengyou's very marrow.

Liu Chengyou was thinking hard, and Li Shaoyou dared not disturb him. Only when he saw Liu Chengyou snap back to attention did he ask: "How do you plan to respond? From what my father said, His Majesty is quite taken with the idea!"

"I wonder if Mother knows about this." Liu Chengyou murmured, then turned to look directly at Li Shaoyou: "How long has it been since you went to the palace to pay your respects to the Empress?"

Hearing Liu Chengyou suddenly say this, Li Shaoyou was briefly stunned, then quickly caught on: "You mean, use Aunt—"

Liu Chengyou shot him a fierce glare and scolded: "That's terribly put. What do you mean, 'use'? Hm?"

With an embarrassed smile, Li Shaoyou lightly slapped himself on the mouth and chuckled: "I misspoke. I'll go to the palace right away and pay my respects to Aunt."

In the palace, Liu Zhiyuan stood before a map, staring at it in a daze. Guanzhong, Hedong, the Central Plains, Hebei — the territories nominally belonging to his Great Han dynasty were by no means small, and all of them were lands where imperial enterprise had flourished. Unfortunately, gazing at the various prefectures and garrisons scattered across it, Liu Zhiyuan's heart stirred with the ambition and impulse to sweep everything clean and return all power to the center. He estimated that since the Liang dynasty, every emperor — wise or foolish — had harbored such a desire.

But that was all he could do — think about it in his heart. At his age, he already felt a sense of the spirit being willing but the flesh being weak. Just in this period alone, governing and administering affairs had worn him out considerably.

As of today, of these territories, barely half were truly under the control of the Great Han court: Hedong, Chengde, Heyang, the two capitals and their surrounding areas, along with some scattered prefectures and towns.

"Your Majesty, the Empress has arrived!" The palace eunuch's announcement brought Liu Zhiyuan back to his senses.

Somewhat surprised — Lady Li was scrupulous about propriety and had never once set foot in this place of governance — he waved his hand and ordered: "Invite her in."

Soon, Lady Li walked in. Seeing Liu Zhiyuan, she directly performed a grand bow: "Your concubine pays respects to Your Majesty!"

On Lady Li's face at this moment, there was none of her usual gentleness and grace. Her expression was cold, her phoenix brows frequently furrowed, carrying an aura of feminine authority leaking out. It was rare to see Lady Li in such a state, and it made Liu Zhiyuan's heart churn with unease.

With a smile, he personally helped Lady Li up and asked: "Rise quickly. What do you seek from me? Your expression looks troubled — has someone angered you? Tell me, and I will surely punish them severely!"

Rising, Lady Li fixed Liu Zhiyuan with a pressing gaze, her voice slightly taut, and asked directly: "Does Your Majesty wish to separate me from my son?"

Liu Zhiyuan was taken aback and blurted out: "Third Lady, what do you mean by this?"

"Does Your Majesty still intend to deceive me?" Lady Li demanded: "I hear you plan to send Second Son away from the capital. Were you going to wait until he had gone far off to the north before telling me, his mother?"

Lady Li rarely grew angry, but when she did, her glaring, teeth-gritting appearance stunned Liu Zhiyuan. Of course Liu Zhiyuan knew exactly what Lady Li was referring to, but hearing her state it plainly, a trace of embarrassment surfaced on his face, and he feigned ignorance: "How could there be such a thing? Surely some villain is spreading wild rumors. Do not be so quick to believe them."

Lady Li was not buying Liu Zhiyuan's act. She met his gaze and said forcefully: "For the sake of family and country, Second Son has already willingly stepped back, and still there are those who would press him further? I care not what those outside ministers say. If anyone wishes to separate me from my son across a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers, I will not agree!"

Hearing her words, a barely perceptible bitter smile tugged at the corner of Liu Zhiyuan's mouth, and he immediately denied it outright: "There is absolutely no such thing! Second Son is my son as well. Whoever wishes to separate me from my flesh and blood — I will not spare them either!"

"Does Your Majesty mean what you say?" Lady Li stared straight at Liu Zhiyuan.

Liu Zhiyuan said with weight and finality: "An emperor's word is not to be taken lightly!"

Having obtained Liu Zhiyuan's assurance, Lady Li finally reined in her imposing manner. She showed him a smile as warm as spring, bowed, and offered her apology: "Your concubine was rash and flustered, and my words were improper. I beg His Majesty's forgiveness."

Seeing Lady Li resume this humble posture, Liu Zhiyuan, even if he felt somewhat annoyed, could hardly bring himself to blame her. He sighed, supported Lady Li by the shoulder, and said gently: "We are husband and wife—why must you be like this?"

Her phoenix eyes swept around the room once. Lady Li remained the virtuous and sensible Empress. She stepped back and took her leave: "His Majesty is busy with state affairs; I should not disturb you further. I shall take my leave now."

"Mm, go on then."

After Lady Li withdrew, Liu Zhiyuan unconsciously let out a sigh of relief. He shook his head and sighed again. Having been pressed by the Empress in this manner, he no longer had to agonize over the decision. In fact, deep down, he too had been hesitant about sending Liu Chengyou out to govern a region.

And so the matter of Liu Chengyou being sent out to govern came to nothing. Upon learning of what had happened in the palace, he breathed a sigh of relief—at least he would not have to expend more thought and energy on it. Originally, he had been prepared: if Lady Li could not persuade his father, he would feign illness. Liu Chengxun was already sick; surely he was allowed a headache or a fever now and then. However, he seemed to have somewhat underestimated Lady Li's influence over Liu Zhiyuan.

Though he had dodged the matter with ease, Liu Chengyou's hatred for Yang Bin in his heart only grew deeper. From an objective standpoint, Yang Bin had merely acted from a different position—there was no great fault in it, nor had he tried to destroy Liu Chengyou utterly. But how could Liu Chengyou ever put himself in Yang Bin's shoes to consider the matter?

As for Yang Bin, upon learning of this outcome, he secretly lamented the missed opportunity. At the same time, he could not help but mutter twice: "A woman's view—a hen crowing at dawn." Of course, what depressed him even more was that Liu Chengxun had also held a dissenting opinion on the matter.