Chapter 1509: Emperor Liu's Greatest Problem

In the Chongzheng Hall, Emperor Liu had once conducted state affairs for sixteen or seventeen years. Here, rising before dawn and working late into the night, handling a myriad of matters daily, one after another, major decisions and commands concerning the fate of the nation and carrying far-reaching impact were issued from this hall.

It could be said that the Qianyou era was witnessed by this hall, and every detail of the Great Han's rise under Emperor Liu's leadership was recorded here as well. When Emperor Liu returned to the Eastern Capital, the palace chambers he occupied were naturally also the Chongzheng Hall.

However, things had changed and people were different. After many years had passed, upon revisiting this precious hall, Emperor Liu discovered that he could no longer find that same fervent passion and tireless energy from those days.

While sighs welled up in his heart, even Emperor Liu himself noticed his own transformation. Sometimes, losing one's goal is a very frightening thing, and as an emperor, it was even more serious.

And Emperor Liu showed such a tendency. The loneliness, emptiness, and coldness he occasionally displayed were not merely feigned melancholy but genuine feelings. At the very least, he was no longer that Liu Chengyou of years past with clear goals, keen ambition, and the drive to ride the wind and break the waves. His original enthusiasm, along with the achievement of fame and success, along with the passage of time, had gradually faded.

As for goals, at present, Emperor Liu still had some, but it was difficult to regain that former high-spirited vigor and confident ambition. The Fengshan sacrifices were one, but it was only a small obsession, hardly something he placed great importance on. Unifying the realm had long been accomplished; a peaceful world with clear rivers and calm seas, with all people safe and prosperous, was his most sincere wish, but it was too broad, even hollow, and its specific implementation was overly cumbersome.

And Emperor Liu no longer possessed that former focus, and this focus was being further lost. When his attention became scattered, it was difficult to expect him to rekindle great aspirations and forge ahead.

It could be said that the lack of goals was the most pressing problem Emperor Liu currently faced. If it could not be resolved, then what the future held would become even more unpredictable.

Looking at it from another angle, when the court had many affairs and the nation encountered various problems, it was not necessarily a bad thing. At least it was so for Emperor Liu—it at least made him muster his spirits, summon a certain amount of enthusiasm, to pay attention and to resolve them.

If truly there was peace both within and without, harmony and celebration from top to bottom, and nothing happening in the realm, then Emperor Liu could hardly guarantee he would not lose himself in it. No matter how firm one's will, no matter how positive one's spirit, after prolonged comfort, one might not be able to maintain one's original intentions.

Among the emperors of antiquity, there were indeed those who started well, but those who could both start well and end well were truly rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, was one example—in those days, Emperor Liu had discussed this with ministers such as Xue Juzheng—and Li Longji was an even more negative example. Now, it was Emperor Liu's turn to undergo this test.

Of course, there was one thing Emperor Liu had never changed, and that was his fervor for power. That desire for control, though not as extreme as in the beginning, had always remained.

In his early years, he was eager for imperial authority and political power, seizing power extensively, wishing he could gather all power into his own hands and have all commands originate from his own mind. At that time, perhaps because it concerned the safety of the nation and his own life, he had no choice but to take on everything. Now, over twenty years later, it had become a habit, ingrained into his very marrow, formed into instinct.

"A true man cannot go a single day without power"—this saying was also vividly embodied in Emperor Liu. If there was anything that could truly make Emperor Liu feel a sense of crisis, then imperial authority was bound to be the primary direction.

The bystander sees clearly while the participant is confused. Emperor Liu was the same. He could rule by doing nothing, hiding behind the scenes, silently observing his ministers and discerning their hearts, but regarding himself, he often found it difficult to make an objective and clear assessment.

Even though he frequently engaged in self-reflection, it was only repentance and change after discovering problems. On this point alone, it was already quite commendable. All along, Emperor Liu's sense of vigilance had been very strong, and he often expressed opinions that were thought-provoking and enlightening. However, asking him to maintain this at all times was equally difficult—the longer time went on, the more numb he became, the more weary, the more he wanted to indulge.

And compared to before, Emperor Liu had indeed indulged considerably more now.

Perhaps it was because he was truly getting older—Emperor Liu's sleep had become increasingly light. Again, at a time before dawn had broken, Emperor Liu woke once more from his dreams, and then could not fall back asleep.

Without any intention of self-examination, attended by the palace eunuch, after a simple wash, he changed into a set of training clothes and left the hall. The sky was still early, and within the palace city it was dim and gray, with only the rays of light emanating from the Chongzheng Hall appearing somewhat brighter. Amid the autumn dew and cold mist, Emperor Liu began his daily exercise—running laps around the Chongzheng Hall.

If Emperor Liu had a small goal, then getting fit and shaping his body was certainly one of them, and it had long been underway. As early as several years ago, Emperor Liu had felt his energy was hard to sustain and his body was deficient, and he placed great importance on nourishing his physique.

Especially regarding the most tempting wine and women, Emperor Liu had already been very restrained, and it had indeed achieved some results. But relying solely on nourishment was clearly insufficient—at least it was not enough for maintaining his figure.

In fact, after the age of thirty, Emperor Liu's figure had already begun to change shape. This was caused by long periods of sitting, only it had not been so exaggerated back then.

However, after another ten years, once Emperor Liu crossed into his forties, his figure became somewhat hard to look at. Although he had not yet reached the point of a big belly, his entire person had thoroughly transformed into a greasy middle-aged man, walking further and further down the road of weight gain. To put it nicely, one might call it portly, but in reality, it was just flabby fat.

His waist was like a bucket, ringed with a roll of fat, and the protruding belly could hardly be hidden even by sucking in his breath. Faced with this severe and increasingly worsening situation, Emperor Liu had originally become somewhat numb to it.

Two years ago, the Directorate for the Palace Buildings produced a glass mirror, and Emperor Liu was able to see his own appearance clearly in it. Then he was greatly alarmed—he had known his figure had changed, but he had not expected it had changed so much that he no longer looked like a "person."

The result of this sudden shock was that Emperor Liu could not tolerate it. After all, in those days he had also been a handsome and talented young man, once graceful and elegant as a jade tree in the wind. Thus, the weight-loss plan was once again put on the agenda—and it was Emperor Liu's most serious attempt.

Life lies in movement; exercise brings longevity. Over these two years, Emperor Liu had adopted many methods and engaged in various forms of exercise: horseback riding, archery, cuju, wrestling. However, there were results, but they were not obvious.

Losing weight was hard to achieve, mainly for two reasons: first, it was difficult to persist; second, overly strenuous exercise was no longer something Emperor Liu's body could withstand.

In the end, after many attempts, Emperor Liu chose running. It was energy-saving and low-risk. Although it was somewhat time-consuming, Emperor Liu, having set aside the trivial matters of state, now had clearly more abundant time.

This was the exercise he had persisted in the longest, but the results were likewise not remarkable. His muscles had firmed up somewhat, but he still looked loose and flabby, especially that damned belly—it seemed he could never get rid of it...

Emperor Liu ran for nearly half a shichen, panting heavily and sweating like rain. Night gave way to dawn, the morning bell had already rung, and Zhao Pu had already entered the palace to pay his respects and discuss state affairs. Even in the Eastern Capital, Zhao Pu remained diligent as ever.

"Zhao Qing is still this diligent!" Seeing Zhao Pu, Emperor Liu, in high spirits, greeted him with a smile and simply called him over: "Come, don't go to the Guangzheng Hall yet—accompany me for a few more laps!"

Zhao Pu had some understanding of Emperor Liu's habits. Seeing him in such high spirits, he did not want to dampen his enthusiasm and said: "Your subject is already advanced in years—I fear I cannot keep up with Your Majesty's pace!"

As he spoke, he swiftly removed his robes, jogged over to Emperor Liu's side, fell half a step behind, and joined the morning run. Emperor Liu perhaps took him seriously, or perhaps deliberately ignored his modesty, and said: "The more you cannot run, the more you must run. You toil over state affairs all day long—you need more exercise. Without an iron body to support you, how can you handle government affairs with ease and propriety?"

"Your Majesty speaks truly! Your subject has indeed occasionally felt inadequate—I should learn from Your Majesty and exercise more!" Zhao Pu echoed in agreement.

Only after taking off his clothes could one see what kind of figure he truly had. Amid their conversation, Emperor Liu was in fact also observing Zhao Pu, his peripheral vision falling on that flat belly of his, and he could not help but feel envious.

Both of them sat for long periods handling affairs with no time for anything else, yet Zhao Pu was much older than him—how could he still maintain such a lean and sturdy figure? He could only comfort himself by attributing it to different constitutions...