Chapter 161: Second Brother, I Fear My Time Is Short!

The first thing Liu Chengyou did upon returning to the Eastern Capital was to enter the palace and pay his respects to Empress Li, letting her see him with his own eyes—this had always been his practice, one he could never change. Then, from Lady Li, he learned that his elder brother Liu Chengxun had fallen ill, and at her behest, he went to the Prince of Wei's residence to visit.

Of course, regarding Liu Chengxun's condition, Liu Chengyou had in fact already known for some time; he simply could not show it. When he had first learned of the situation, his feelings had been unavoidably complicated, hard to put into words.

"Find the best imperial physicians, use the best medicines, and cure the Prince of Wei for me, or I'll have your heads!" As Liu Chengyou arrived at the door and reached the outside of the warm pavilion where Liu Chengxun was recuperating, he heard Liu Zhiyuan's furious voice.

Liu Chengyou stopped in his tracks.

Accompanied by several coughs, Liu Chengxun's weak voice came through: "The imperial physicians and servants have all devoted themselves to serving the medicine, never once leaving their posts. Father need not be harsh with them..."

Stepping into the warm pavilion, a wave of bitter medicinal smell assailed his nose; the deeper he went, the stronger the odor grew. On the couch, Liu Chengxun lay wrapped in a soft quilt, his face sickly, his condition extremely poor. Yet when he saw Liu Chengyou, a pale smile did appear on his face: "Second Brother has come."

"Elder Brother." Liu Chengyou did not know what emotion he should face Liu Chengxun's smile with, and answered in a low voice.

He asked the imperial physicians about his condition; they said they feared the cold poison had invaded his lungs and viscera, and that he needed careful recuperation and must avoid taxing his mind. The physicians spoke euphemistically, but the situation was clearly not optimistic. After briefly greeting his elder brother and seeing that his strength was failing, and that it truly was not convenient to disturb him further, Liu Chengyou was called away by Liu Zhiyuan.

"Sister-in-law, take good care of Elder Brother." Liu Chengyou sighed and instructed the Princess of Wei.

There was a hint of moisture in his elder sister-in-law's eyes, and she could only nod slightly, with a sorrowful grace.

As he walked out of the warm pavilion, Liu Zhiyuan stood beneath the corridor eaves, head raised, letting the cold wind blow on him for a while, his expression revealing grief, his face looking ever more aged. Liu Chengyou stood at his side and said softly in comfort: "So long as he is properly nursed back to health, Elder Brother will recover. Father need not worry overmuch."

Hearing this, Liu Zhiyuan turned his head to look at his second son, his gaze also extraordinarily complex. He summoned a eunuch—one of the palace eunuchs at his side—and gave stern orders: "Whatever the Prince of Wei's residence requires, supply it all in full. There must be no delay or procrastination whatsoever!"

"Yes!"

"You must be tired from the journey back as well. Return to your residence and rest well; I grant you a few days of leave. Mm, the cold is biting like this—mind your health..." Having finished his orders, Liu Zhiyuan, in a rare display, spoke to Liu Chengyou in a tone of warmth, which rather made him feel unaccustomed.

"Yes!" Liu Chengyou bowed respectfully.

"Back to the palace!" With a listless command, Liu Zhiyuan walked away slowly.

"Respectfully seeing off His Majesty!"

Watching from behind, Liu Chengyou could clearly perceive that Liu Zhiyuan's steps were faltering and heavy.

By the time Liu Chengyou returned to the Prince of Zhou's residence, he found the atmosphere in the mansion somewhat amiss. The sky had already darkened, and the lamps lit in the rear hall shone unusually brightly. The two women, Lady Gao and Lady Geng, sat facing each other...

Lady Gao came from a noble family of generals; she was beautiful and gracious. Though this was her second marriage, she harbored no secret self-contempt. Sitting there, her beautiful eyes calm as still water, she directly overpowered Lady Geng in presence.

Lady Geng, by contrast, wore a delicate, fragile expression, her head lowered with a lack of confidence, yet tilted slightly with a touch of stubbornness, her teeth biting her tender lip. Only when her hand touched her belly did a hint of reassurance finally appear on her face...

"Second Brother!"

"Your Highness!"

Seeing Liu Chengyou, the two women rose and bowed in turn. Lady Geng was a bit hasty, her steps unsteady as she hurried to the front of the hall. His brow slightly furrowed, Liu Chengyou reached out to support her arm and looked at her belly—it was already slightly protruding, though Lady Geng was so thin that the bulge was not very obvious.

Taking a slow, deep breath, Liu Chengyou said softly: "The weather is cold—mind you don't catch a chill!"

"Mm." She answered with equal gentleness, while her peripheral vision unconsciously glanced at Gao Huaijin behind and to the side.

As for that "rivalry" between the two women, Liu Chengyou had no mind to pay it attention, or rather, he simply did not care. He ordered someone to prepare a courtyard pavilion to settle Lady Gao in, then went off to the study by himself. Disappointed that she could not share a tender moment with Liu Chengyou, Lady Geng was crestfallen, but she knew Liu Chengyou's temperament and dared not make a fuss.

As soon as Li Chongju returned to the capital, he organized the intelligence reports submitted by his undercover agents. Upon hearing that Liu Chengyou had summoned him, he prepared a thorough briefing, especially regarding the changes at court after Liu Chengxun had fallen ill.

To sum it up in one sentence: Yang Bin was seizing power on a grand scale—all military and governmental affairs, great or small, passed through his hands and before his eyes before being implemented...

Though the hour was still early, the sky was already pitch black. A guard reported that Li Shaoyou, the Director of the Palace Administration, had come to call. This cousin of his had been promoted again, and now held some real authority, overseeing the ceremonial affairs of the court assemblies.

"Second Brother, you've been to see the Prince of Wei, haven't you?" As soon as he sat down, Li Shaoyou asked Liu Chengyou with great familiarity.

"Mm." Liu Chengyou nodded.

Then Li Shaoyou said with visible excitement: "Now that he's fallen ill, your opportunity has come!"

After saying this, Li Shaoyou glanced at Liu Chengyou and saw that his face was expressionless, his demeanor solemn and grave. A smile curling at the corner of his mouth, Li Shaoyou said: "A sickly wretch—how could he inherit the great mandate? After this affair, the Emperor's heart will likely lean toward you. His Majesty cannot be careless about the rivers and mountains of the realm. If word of the Prince of Wei's grave illness spreads, I fear all the officials will be unable to sit still."

"Tell me, shouldn't we seize the opportunity, and take advantage of..."

Li Shaoyou's fingers traced circles in the air, playing the scheming adviser offering Liu Chengyou counsel, but before he could finish, Liu Chengyou cut him off: "Take advantage to do what?"

Liu Chengyou stared at Li Shaoyou with a cold face, making his cousin feel somewhat guilty. Taking a deep breath, he said heavily: "Right now, we must do nothing at all! Moreover, we must pray for Elder Brother, hoping he recovers soon!"

Hearing this, Li Shaoyou pondered for a moment, nodding thoughtfully, then glanced at Liu Chengyou and said instinctively: "As I see it, if the Prince of Wei should pass away this time, then—"

"Shut up!" Liu Chengyou slammed the table with a "bang," rebuking him with a fierce expression, startling Li Shaoyou.

The atmosphere in the room grew somewhat oppressive. His expression stiffening slightly, Li Shaoyou looked seriously at Liu Chengyou. In his heart he muttered—could it be that the Prince of Zhou still harbors scruples about brotherly affection?

But after thinking it over carefully for a while longer, Li Shaoyou could not help but feel a chill—he seemed to have overstepped a taboo. Recalling Liu Chengyou's words, he quickly rose and bowed: "Your subject understands."

Seeing this reaction, Liu Chengyou was rather surprised instead—what exactly do you understand?

"To do nothing is to do everything! At a time like this, one truly must not act rashly, or else I fear the assembled ministers will criticize..." Li Shaoyou wore the look of one who had guessed Liu Chengyou's thoughts.

Liu Zhiyuan had also fallen ill, without the energy to govern, entrusting all court affairs entirely to the hands of chief ministers like Yang Bin. And after Du Chongwei had been pacified, the situation of the Great Han finally entered a period of stability.

Due to the weather, the Meng Shu ultimately dared not truly invade Fengxiang and the capital region; upon learning that the Central Plains had been settled, they decisively pulled back.

As for Gao Conghui in the south, he dispatched twenty thousand Jingnan troops to attack Yingzhou from the north, only to be routed by Military Governor An Shenqi of the Shannan East Circuit leading several thousand provincial troops, defeating a larger force with a smaller one and sending them fleeing in utter disarray. When he then heard that Liu Zhiyuan had returned to court victorious from his personal campaign, the "Gao Scoundrel" was so frightened he fell ill, and hastily sent envoys to the Southern Tang, submitting to Li Jing as a vassal to seek protection...

As for Liu Chengxun's illness, it showed no sign of improvement; dragged into the eleventh month, it instead grew worse. At this, Emperor Liu Zhiyuan was deeply worried.

On the sixteenth day of the eleventh month, Liu Chengyou suddenly received an invitation from Liu Chengxun, asking him to come to the residence for a talk.

With some puzzlement in his heart, Liu Chengyou arrived at the door. To his surprise, Liu Chengxun did not receive him in that "medicine pavilion," but rather, fully dressed, in an octagonal pavilion in the garden of the Prince of Wei's residence.

A table was set up, wine being heated, meat being roasted.

Sitting across the table, Liu Chengyou noted Liu Chengxun's complexion—pale as if powdered, with a strange flush showing through the whiteness, his movements feeble, giving one entirely the impression of a man beyond cure.

"The wind is strong here; Elder Brother should not remain in this place. Better to go inside."

Liu Chengxun shook his head; his breath was weak, yet his voice carried a leisurely air: "Having lain ill in the house for over a month, it truly is not as refreshing as this outdoors..."

Seeing Liu Chengyou's grave expression, Liu Chengxun revealed a smile, as gentle and jade-like as he always was in daily life: "Second Brother, I fear my time is short!"