Chapter 1479: Emperor Liu Dotes on His Grandson

"... The Emperor was weak and did not enjoy play as a child; he was grave and sparing of words. When he grew older, his face was purple in hue, and the whites of his eyes were prominent. In the beginning he served Emperor Mingzong of Tang, standing in his ranks. When Mingzong faced the Liang men in opposing camps at Desheng, and at that time Gaozu of the Jin was attacked by the Liang men, his horse's armor straps snapped—the Emperor gave up his own mount to Gaozu, took the broken straps for himself, and rode on, calmly bringing up the rear. Gaozu of the Jin was moved and thought him a man of mettle..."

The warm sun shone high, spreading the light of spring. Within the palace gardens, among the flower beds, butterflies were already fluttering and dancing—though it was a pity there were no young lads and lasses chasing them at play, or the atmosphere would have been even more cheerful.

Yet amid the green grass and gentle breeze, the birdsong and flower fragrance, a crisp sound of recitation was especially arresting. A mat and low table had been set upon the grass, and Emperor Liu sat on the ground, his body slightly tilted, his fingers tapping his knee in time with the rhythm of the recitation. Consort Zhou attended at his side, from time to time feeding slices of honeyed peach into his mouth. Emperor Liu wore an expression of utter enjoyment.

"... At that time, when the Emperor and Du Chongwei were both granted favor by the same edict, the Emperor was indignant and displeased, earnestly declining and refusing to accept. Because Du Chongwei had risen from the ranks of the imperial in-laws and had no great merit, the Emperor was ashamed to share the same edict with him, and shut his gates, not emerging for several days..."

Standing before the table, focused on his recitation, was the Great Han's eldest imperial grandson, Liu Wenyuan, only six years old. What he recited was the "Annals of Gaozu," compiled by ministers such as Xue Juzheng.

However, being still young after all, after two or three passages he began to stumble and could no longer recite from memory. His small face scrunched up, slightly flushed, and with a touch of shy embarrassment he murmured: "Your grandson has forgotten what comes after!"

Before Emperor Liu could speak, the Thirteenth Imperial Son, Liu Ye, who was also standing to one side, could not help but pat Liu Wenyuan's thin little shoulder and say: "Not bad at all—your Thirteenth Uncle has been memorizing for this long and only knows a few passages myself..."

Seeing Liu Ye's exaggerated winks and grimaces, Emperor Liu could not help but smile, and shot him a glare: "You have the nerve to say that! You've been memorizing this 'Annals of Gaozu' for over a year now, and your progress is slow. I think it won't be long before Wenyuan truly surpasses you!"

Scolded by Emperor Liu, Liu Ye was not intimidated. He raised a hand and scratched his head, grinning: "Your son is simply not as clever as Wenyuan!"

The "Annals of Gaozu" recorded the life experiences of Liu Zhiyuan, nearly ten thousand words in length, and was a required course of study for imperial princes and grandsons. Emperor Liu did not require them to memorize the whole text, but to read it thoroughly and study it closely, so as to understand the hardship of their ancestors in founding the dynasty.

However, having heard by chance that his grandson Liu Wenyuan had begun reciting it, Emperor Liu grew interested and specially summoned him to test him. The results were quite good—he had indeed applied himself. The key point was that Liu Wenyuan was not yet seven years old and had only just begun his initial education. For such natural talent, Emperor Liu could hardly contain his delight.

As for his thirteenth son Liu Ye, Emperor Liu had recently been paying him considerable attention. This son loved martial arts and disliked letters, but possessed a tenacity that was admirable. Emperor Liu was like a man who had found a new project to nurture—wielding chisel and hammer, carefully carving this rough jade, forging this piece of iron.

"Very good!" For his little grandson, Emperor Liu naturally did not stint on praise, looking at him with a smile: "Just like your father—clever from a young age! But this book is not something you can just memorize by rote. You must know what is so, and even more, you must know why it is so!"

These words of Emperor Liu were not so easy for Liu Wenyuan to fully comprehend, but he still obediently nodded in assent.

"Come!" A loving smile appeared on Emperor Liu's face. He beckoned to Liu Wenyuan, called him to his side, gently stroked his head, and said: "You have done meritorious service in reciting—you deserve a reward. And what shall the reward be? I shall reward you with half a cup of imperial wine..."

So saying, Emperor Liu pushed a small cup of plum wine on the table before his grandson. Liu Wenyuan's clear bright eyes grew bewildered. He looked at the cup glinting in the sunlight, and being probably thirsty as well, smacked his little lips, took the cup in both hands, and poured it into his mouth.

Soon, a strong flavor invaded his taste buds. Though the wine was relatively mild, it still contained alcohol after all, and for this small child, it was not necessarily pleasant.

Emperor Liu watched his grandson's reaction. Seeing him drink down half a cup like water, too quickly to stop him, he could not help but laugh: "You child, how can you be so guileless! This is wine, not water—you must sip it slowly..."

At this moment, Emperor Liu was like an old scoundrel, enjoying the pleasure of teasing his grandson. As for Liu Wenyuan, having drunk half a cup, a flush inevitably spread across his clean fair little face. His pale brows knitted and relaxed by turns, and his eyes grew brighter and brighter. He smacked his lips, then could not help but let out a burp, as if savoring the taste of the plum wine.

Seeing this, Emperor Liu grew even more interested. He had the boy sit beside him and asked: "How does it taste? This is your first time drinking wine, isn't it!"

Liu Wenyuan nodded, then shook his head, and a sheen of sweat had already appeared on his forehead.

"What does that mean?" Emperor Liu asked curiously.

"Is this what wine tastes like? I had only heard of it before, never tasted it. Your grandson thinks it is not good to drink—why do all the elders love to drink?" Liu Wenyuan tilted his head, puzzled.

"There is principle hidden in this wine, and the flavor within is not something you can appreciate. When you grow up a bit, you will understand!" From the side, Liu Ye said to Liu Wenyuan, his equally youthful face wearing an expression of "I've been through this before," which looked quite comical.

Liu Ye still looked innocent, but Emperor Liu detected something amiss. He raised an eyebrow and said casually: "Little Thirteen, just how much wine have you been sneaking?"

Liu Ye was in high spirits and off his guard, blurting out: "Not much—"

His words cut off abruptly. When he came to his senses and noticed Emperor Liu's knowing gaze, Liu Ye's little face fell. He unconsciously rubbed his hands together and answered sheepishly: "It was all those health wines for strengthening the sinews and bones..."

"Oh? So you've been stealing my wine?" Emperor Liu's eyes widened even further, as if trying to intimidate this thirteenth son: "At your young age, you haven't even started growing hair yet—what health do you need to strengthen, what bones do you need to fortify!"

The wines Emperor Liu drank on a daily basis were all fruit wines or health-preserving wines—such as snake gall, tiger penis, deer penis, and the like. The imperial wines tributed from various regions each year were mostly stored in the palace wine cellar for rewarding the ministers. Except on special occasions, he basically did not drink them.

"You little rascal, you've got plenty of nerve!" Emperor Liu scolded Liu Ye with a laugh: "Tell me yourself—how should you be dealt with?"

Liu Ye's face was bitter. He glanced at Emperor Liu, and seeing his serious demeanor, knew he could not escape punishment. So he simply cupped his hands in a frank gesture: "Your son submits to whatever punishment Father decrees!"

"You're decisive enough! Since you accept the punishment, very well—when you return, copy the 'Announcement about Drunkenness' ten times!" Emperor Liu said, then looked at Yan Tuo standing in attendance: "Go convey my order—tell his mother to keep an eye on Liu Ye from now on, and not allow him to sneak drinks again!"

"Yes!" Yan Tuo acknowledged.

Liu Ye, listening from the side, showed nothing but some dejection—no dissatisfaction, no daring to argue, and no haggling. He had tried before: speaking out of turn in such situations could mean far more than just ten copies of the "Announcement about Drunkenness."

"At such a young age, and you've learned to drink!" Emperor Liu scolded.

Then he stroked Liu Wenyuan's head again and said: "Letting you taste the wine was only a jest—from now on, you must not learn from your Thirteenth Uncle!"

Liu Wenyuan nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

"Go investigate further—find out how this boy got the chance to steal the wine. Investigate, investigate thoroughly!" Emperor Liu suddenly realized something and gave another order, his tone growing somewhat severe.

"This servant understands!" Yan Tuo also tensed up—Emperor Liu was always like this, capricious in his moods.

"Your Majesty, Consort Xu has passed away!"