Chapter 1592: Emperor Liu's Suspicion

The carriage, plain and solemn in its decorative style, slowly came to a halt before the Duke of Yuguo's residence in the Eastern Capital. The driver gently reined in the reins, and the attending guards took a low stool from behind the carriage and set it beside the door. Yan Tuo dismounted, hurried forward with swift steps, opened the carriage door, and carefully helped Emperor Liu alight.

Once on solid ground, Emperor Liu looked up at the gate of the Duke of Yuguo's residence. Apart from the high-hanging plaque reading "Duke of Yuguo's Residence, Built by Imperial Decree," there was little to catch the eye.

"This is probably the plainest ducal mansion I have ever visited. Whether in the Western Capital or the Eastern Capital, it is always the same sight!" Emperor Liu remarked softly.

In winter, the climate of Kaifeng was still bitterly cold. The sky was overcast, the light dim, and a faint haze permeated the air. The accumulated chill pressed in relentlessly; even though Emperor Liu was dressed especially warmly, he could not help but shiver.

This trip out of the palace to visit the Duke of Yuguo's residence was something of a surprise raid, prompted by word that the Duke of Yuguo, Wei Renpu, was growing increasingly ill and failing day by day—hence the decision to personally pay a visit.

In truth, Emperor Liu had harbored some hesitation about this outing. Having experienced much over the years, beyond taking things lightly, he could not help but entertain certain misgivings. Some metaphysics one could not help but believe; Emperor Liu also worried that his personal visit might be the very thing that hastened Wei Renpu's death...

Over so many years, whether from illness or old age, so many old ministers and longtime associates had died. There were always some people Emperor Liu did not wish to see pass away, and the Duke of Yuguo, Wei Renpu, was clearly one of them.

As the most important minister of the Qianyou era, relied upon by Emperor Liu as a trusted confidant and regarded as a good teacher and helpful friend, his merit, virtue, and prestige had not faded with the passage of time—indeed, they had only grown richer with age. Even though Wei Renpu had not spoken out within the court for many years, it was certain that if he were willing to step forward, he would still receive the response and support of many.

Without question, during the nearly thirty years of Emperor Liu's reign, in the process of the Great Han moving from division to unification, and the realm from chaos to peace, Wei Renpu was the chancellor most revered by both high and low.

During the period when Wei Renpu presided over government affairs, the court was harmonious, with few disputes between high and low. Even when disputes arose, they were settled under Wei Renpu's mediation. In that era, the entire court manifested a state of vigor, enterprise, and striving ambition. Everyone devoted themselves wholeheartedly to their own duties, and Wei Renpu was the finest example.

It could be said that among all the chancellors Emperor Liu had experienced, in terms of clean governance and harmony between high and low, the foremost was the "Wei Renpu era." And that height, whether before or after, no chancellor had been able to reach.

Unlike the present day, where undercurrents surged within the court, and struggles for power and profit were common occurrences. The state was unified, the realm was at peace, but people's hearts had also scattered and loosened, no longer as cohesive as before. With the Great Han unbeatable across the land, the elite ruling class of the Great Han had also begun to set their minds on chasing fame and profit, on internal friction.

Emperor Liu saw through this situation clearly, yet could not truly change anything. The prevailing mood could be turned around for a time, but there was always relapse. After all, the overall environment was not what it had been; the might of his single person was evidently not enough to truly suppress the ambitions of all.

Moreover, the open and covert struggles among the ministers were, in fact, something he was pleased to see. If the ministers did not contend, how could he, as emperor, sit securely? The only thing he could do was, at best, to perfectly play the role of an off-field referee, keeping all disputes within a certain scope. As for anything more, it could only be described as having the will but not the strength—he was, after all, not a deity.

And whenever he thought of this, Emperor Liu could not help but yearn for the scene of Wei Renpu's days of governance. Of course, it was merely nostalgia. He knew full well in his heart that even if Wei Renpu were reinstated and entrusted with governance again, the situation in the Great Han court would not undergo a fundamental transformation. Even Emperor Liu could not manage it—how much less a single Wei Renpu?

Indeed, the gentleman-chancellor Wei Renpu might not necessarily do as well as Zhao Pu, who could remain as steadfast as a rock amidst the endless stream of disputes.

That said, why was it that a worthy and capable chancellor like Wei Renpu, who had made a name for himself in the Qianyou era, gradually declined upon entering the Kaibao era, gradually fading until he completely disappeared from the Great Han's center of power, receding from people's view?

The root cause lay with Emperor Liu himself. Roughly after the pacification of the south, Emperor Liu had begun to distance himself from Wei Renpu—it was almost a subconscious act.

Facing Emperor Liu's estrangement, Wei Renpu naturally sensed it. Well-versed in the art of self-preservation, he too grew low-key at the peak of his career and power, even voluntarily requesting to resign—though Emperor Liu refused.

Even so, in the redistribution of central power in the early Kaibao years, Wei Renpu still "successfully" retreated while at the flood, stepping down from the position of chancellor, and was shelved high by Emperor Liu with the title of Grand Academician of the Inner Cabinet.

The Great Han's Inner Cabinet, born from the early Chongzheng Academician system, had originally been used by Emperor Liu to divide the chancellor's power, counterbalance the Hall of State Affairs, and assist himself in handling military affairs.

But its eventual development did not meet expectations. Though its status was high, it truly had no real power. Especially since Emperor Liu himself had set aside the actual handling of military and state affairs, the Inner Cabinet, which existed by virtue of its reliance on the emperor, naturally became an honorary sinecure—a position for retirement.

Even to this day, Wei Renpu still bore the title of Grand Academician of the Inner Cabinet, but aside from attending upon the sovereign in the early Kaibao years to be available for consultation, in later times Wei Renpu did not even need to report for duty at the palace, and Emperor Liu rarely summoned him.

Even when summoned, it was not to inquire about state affairs, but merely to treat him as an ordinary meritorious noble, chatting about poetry and romance, showing concern for Wei Renpu's living conditions.

It must be said that Emperor Liu's respect for these old ministers was respect enough—he was not stingy with treatment, honor, or status. But the estrangement and suspicion hidden behind such prominence was truly terrifying, even chilling to the heart.

But there was no help for it—thunder and rain, both are the sovereign's grace. Regardless of one's inner feelings, one had to obediently endure it. This was the universal value of the age. If one deviated from this basic principle, one would be abandoning one's faith and would be utterly abandoned by Emperor Liu. No matter how venerable or meritorious, one would only meet a bleak end.

By all reason, toward a worthy chancellor like Wei Renpu, Emperor Liu ought not to have harbored suspicion. Add to that more than a decade of shared trials in founding the state, and he should not have suspected Wei Renpu even if he suspected anyone.

And given Wei Renpu's character and conduct, it was impossible for him to betray Emperor Liu. However, the problem was not what Wei Renpu did, but what Emperor Liu thought.

Chancellor Wei Renpu's reputation was simply too good—praised by high and low, revered by court and country, his fame spreading far across the realm. Reviewing his record, over more than twenty years, there was not a single blemish on him. In his early years, he had once been accused of favoritism, but it was later proven to be a misunderstanding. Toward the officials who had impeached him, he showed no retaliation whatsoever—indeed, recognizing their abilities, he promoted them, creating a celebrated tale of repaying injury with kindness.

A chancellor who was too perfect was evidently not what Emperor Liu needed—or rather, no emperor would wish to see such a chancellor.

Wei Renpu was as pure as an unstained, untainted white lotus—outstanding in ability, noble in character, praised by all. In Emperor Liu's eyes, such a minister was either a great sage of ultimate goodness, or a great villain feigning loyalty.

Of course, Emperor Liu himself knew very well that Wei Renpu was a loyal minister. But many times, creatures like emperors did not merely consider whether someone was loyal; they could not help but wonder where the upper and lower limits of that loyalty lay.

Emperor Liu did not view the realm from a god's-eye perspective. Looking at Wei Renpu from his angle, the more perfect you were, the more uncomfortable he felt.

Without question, Emperor Liu was a suspicious emperor, forged from an interweaving of occasional inferiority and absolute arrogance. In the early years, when the state was still unstable and the Great Han's future prospects still uncertain, he could not help but be suspicious and wary, both to maintain his rule and to safeguard the security of imperial power.

But as he grew older, that suspicion had evolved. If in the past it could be said to be half benefit and half harm, then now, the negative influence weighed more heavily.

Through the long tempering of his imperial career, he had also developed a mentality of "there are always treacherous subjects plotting against the emperor," ever vigilant and on guard. Wei Renpu's reputation before had been too resounding—Emperor Liu found it uncomfortable both to see and to hear—and so the former good teacher and helpful friend was naturally estranged.

Emperor Liu was not petty; indeed, in many matters he was quite generous and magnanimous enough. But he was truly an extremely contradictory individual—so contradictory that if he felt there was a problem, even an arm he would resolutely cut off, even a trusted confidant he would pierce through with a sharp blade.

And the end of Wei Renpu's political career was merely a product of this mental and psychological state.

In the early years, the Great Han's chancellors changed like a revolving lantern. Within fifteen years, the Chief Chancellor alone had been replaced five times in succession. As for the assisting chancellors and the ministers of the various departments, they changed even more frequently. In many people's eyes, this was a manifestation of Emperor Liu centralizing and consolidating power, and it also implicitly indicated that he did not trust his chancellors.

But upon entering the Kaibao era, this speculation was evidently shattered. Take Zhao Pu for example—he had remained in the position of Chief Chancellor for over ten years. There may have been hesitation in between, but he was still allowed to sit there securely and steadily.

Setting aside a worthy chancellor like Wei Renpu while trusting Zhao Pu for the long term—this too reflected the changes in Emperor Liu and the Great Han's political environment during the Kaibao era.