Chapter 1610: The Crown Prince's Role

Inside Guangzheng Hall, Liu Yang stood before a propped-open window lattice, gazing up at the scenery beyond the hall. Though it was winter, the sky was blue and the breeze clear, yet Liu Yang's face wore an expression of melancholy tinged with worry.

Time slipped by silently, and before he knew it, Liu Yang had already crossed the threshold of thirty. Compared to a few years ago, there was no great change in his appearance or bearing—he had long since matured.

It was only his beard that had grown thicker, while at the same time, the man as a whole had acquired more troubles and anxieties. Not just because of the contradictions within the Eastern Palace, but also for the sake of the rivers and mountains of the state.

In recent years, Emperor Liu's trust in him had remained unwavering, and he had once again delegated authority to him. The greatest sign of this was that he had also handed over the power to execute punishments and to appoint officials below the fifth rank.

This trust both moved Liu Yang and brought him immense pressure. Looking at the past two years, the power in his hands had become infinitely close to that of the Emperor—something no previous Crown Prince could compare to.

Of course, the relationship between father and son, between Emperor and heir apparent, was also rare. If it could be maintained from beginning to end, it would become a fine tale in the transmission of imperial power.

And Liu Yang's pressure largely stemmed from this—both a feeling of gratitude for this nearly unreserved trust, and a sentiment of concern for the country and its people.

Liu Yang had never been quick-witted since childhood; he was even somewhat slow. In the past, when facing Emperor Liu, he would often carry a small notebook with him to record the Emperor's guidance and instructions, so as not to forget them or make omissions in the process of relaying them.

This was a good habit, as it demonstrated both his earnestness and his respect for Emperor Liu. By now, this habit had changed, for he could not forever remain a model student, forever an echo of Emperor Liu's words—he needed to have his own dignity and prestige. Moreover, after all these years, his ability to receive and process information had long been honed.

But in truth, he kept this good habit close to his heart, and he would often review Emperor Liu's various instructions and sayings, using them to verify and reflect upon himself.

Liu Yang was clearly a clever man, and even more so a clever Crown Prince. Therefore, he had not become arrogant from favor or presumptuous with power because of Emperor Liu's trust and delegation in recent years, nor did he take everything for granted.

Influenced by Emperor Liu, Liu Yang was also fond of reading history and often used history as a mirror. He knew all too well in his heart that Emperor Liu's trust was hard-won and extremely rare.

But as Crown Prince, if he lost his original intention and became self-important and arrogant, then danger would not be far off. To be sure, a Crown Prince of over twenty years had already accumulated a formidable political force in the court. To speak of a taboo possibility—if Emperor Liu were to suddenly pass away one day, Liu Yang could very smoothly ascend the throne under the acclamation of the assembled ministers, receive the reins of power, and govern the great Han Empire.

But before Emperor Liu, those so-called strengths and foundations seemed utterly insignificant. Liu Yang knew clearly in his heart that everything he had now came from Emperor Liu, from the four characters "held dear in the Emperor's heart." If he ever lost that, then everything would become empty illusion.

Therefore, even as the most powerful Crown Prince in history, Liu Yang never dared to be ostentatious or unrestrained. He always maintained humility, always maintained respect and loyalty toward Emperor Liu.

To be fair, in the Great Han Empire's current stable governance and "harmonious" imperial household, the role and contribution of Crown Prince Liu Yang far exceeded that of Emperor Liu.

Without a Crown Prince like Liu Yang, relying only on Emperor Liu's stubborn and overbearing character and style, who knew what kind of situation would have emerged within?

From this perspective, Emperor Liu was fortunate. In the harem, he had an Empress Fu whose wisdom surpassed even the legendary Zhangsun; in the court, he had a diligent and gentle Crown Prince; and in the Hall of State Affairs, he had a master of governance in Zhao Pu.

With the assistance of these three, in the nearly two decades of the Great Han's march toward the Kaibao golden age, it was able to stand firm as Mount Tai and ride the waves forward. In playing power games and waging struggles, Emperor Liu was a skilled hand, but this was built upon his identity as Emperor and the imperial authority he wielded. Without these two things, he could not have been "invincible in all endeavors."

In Emperor Liu's more than thirty years as Emperor, including the time when he was still in the Hedong Prince's residence, countless examples could be found to prove that Emperor Liu was not skilled at handling interpersonal relationships.

In his early years, he might still have suppressed his nature, maintaining feigned humility before those he trusted and valued, releasing warmth and goodwill, and putting on the act of a sage sovereign and enlightened ruler.

But after being Emperor for so long, with the country at peace and the realm settled, accustomed to being above all and accustomed to wielding sole authority, that past humility was continually receding into the distance.

For Emperor Liu, anyone and anything required a foundation of trust, but now, those who could earn his trust were actually fewer and fewer.

If even Wei Renpu could be suspected, then who could he open his heart to completely? In the past, the relationships between Emperor Liu and civil and military ministers such as Wei Renpu, Wang Pu, Murong Yanzhao, and Guo Rong were considered exemplary—models of ruler and minister as one, working together in harmony.

But these men had all passed away one after another. At the same time, were these men unreservedly respectful and loyal to Emperor Liu? Emperor Liu himself did not believe it. The key point was that Emperor Liu sat in that position, and these men needed to rely on Emperor Liu to realize their life's values and ideals—it was a mutually beneficial relationship.

Even Yang Ye's attitude toward Emperor Liu was a state combining loyalty and awe. Setting aside the past, if one were to probe Yang Ye's inner world today, awe would occupy the vast majority of his feelings toward Emperor Liu.

This was Emperor Liu—an emperor gradually becoming a solitary despot, a man alone at the top, a political creature utterly assimilated by power.

It was easy to imagine that without Empress Fu and without the Crown Prince, Emperor Liu's later years would likely see little brilliance; what would accompany him might only be loneliness and coldness.

Even the young Consort Zhou Yi, who had remained favored all these years, had never truly entered Emperor Liu's inner heart behind all that affectionate cooing. No matter how favored she was, she was merely one of Emperor Liu's consorts. If she one day fell out of favor, her ending would perhaps be no different in essence from that of Pure Consort Zhou.

For Emperor Liu, Liu Yang's role was already quite special, and for the overall situation of the court, it was even more important. Take, for example, the Zhao-Lu factional strife that had persisted in the court for several years. Emperor Liu rarely entered the fray personally, but for the harmony and stability of the court, the role Crown Prince Liu Yang played in it was little known.

Although he did not care for Lu Duoxun, in the court Liu Yang still strove to maintain a balanced situation, coordinating relations. The "lawsuits" between Zhao and Lu were often settled by Liu Yang.

Take Zhao Pu, for instance—he had been chancellor for fifteen or sixteen years now. Under Emperor Liu's rule, this was truly astonishing. Setting aside other matters, one only needed to look at how the chancellors of the Great Han during the Qianyou era had fared to understand.

But what virtues and abilities did Zhao Pu possess to earn such trust from Emperor Liu, who was willing and daring to keep him in the position of Chief Chancellor for so long? Was it merely because of his outstanding governing abilities, because he knew how to cater to Emperor Liu?

Clearly that was impossible. The world would not stop turning for lack of a Zhao Pu, and the court was not short of chancellor talent. Liu Yang, a Crown Prince capable of shouldering great responsibilities, was also a guarantee for Emperor Liu.

In Emperor Liu's eyes, with Liu Yang in place, he need not fear that Zhao Pu's chancellor power would threaten his imperial authority; with Zhao Pu in place, he likewise need not fear that Crown Prince Liu Yang would overstep his bounds. This was also a form of checks and balances.

Of course, the reason such a situation had come about was also because Emperor Liu was increasingly inclined toward stability and security, and unless necessary, he was unwilling to make changes lightly.

But one undeniable point was the role Crown Prince Liu Yang played in all of this. Over the past twenty years, while the Great Han had steadily advanced, the upper echelons had begun to solidify, forming fixed classes and interest groups. The root of this perhaps also originated from the solidification of Emperor Liu's own thinking.