Chapter 1668: Father and Son

"Perhaps I really am getting old, unable to keep people in check?" Emperor Liu muttered softly to himself.

Emperor Liu murmured to himself, sighing that he was growing old, yet he gave no sense of dejection whatsoever—clearly his words did not match his heart. However, seeing this, Liu Yang still consoled him considerately: "Father is in the prime of life, revered by all under heaven. Yulin is merely a sudden minor ailment, nothing that harms the whole. Root it out with medicine and it will be done—there is truly no need to dwell on it!"

Hearing this, Emperor Liu looked at his Crown Prince, and for a moment set aside his outward coldness and hardness, his gaze softening considerably. He said to Liu Yang: "You speak truly. It is but a minor ailment. If I were to take it too seriously, would I not be overrating those villains and inviting the world's laughter for nothing?"

As he spoke, Emperor Liu raised his hand, paused it in mid-air, then gave his instructions: "I am entrusting this matter entirely to you—whether it be pacifying the rebellion in the northwest, rectifying the personnel involved, or handling the Tuoba Li clan, all of it is your responsibility. Your authority to make decisions, I shall not interfere with for the time being!"

Hearing Emperor Liu's instructions, Liu Yang was somewhat surprised. After hesitating a moment, he clasped his hands and said: "Father places such trust in me, and I am deeply grateful. I only fear that my talents are shallow and my virtue thin, and that I may fail the trust placed in me!"

Emperor Liu disliked hearing such somewhat insincere modest words, and immediately rebuked: "Whether you do well or not is another matter. If you hesitate and cower before you have even begun, then how will you govern so vast a realm in the future, how will you handle all those complex and tangled affairs!"

Seeing Emperor Liu had spoken to this extent, Liu Yang immediately changed his attitude. He clasped both fists, his expression solemn, his tone resolute: "I will not fail your expectations!"

Seeing this, Emperor Liu finally revealed a hint of a smile: "This is the bearing and responsibility befitting the Crown Prince of the Great Han! Do not cower, do not fear chaos, and do not fear killing! If you wish to safeguard this inheritance, benevolence and kindness alone are far from enough!"

"Father's teachings, I will keep firmly in mind!" Liu Yang declared.

Judging from his performance in recent years, although the Crown Prince occasionally displayed views inconsistent with Emperor Liu's principles, he had clearly become more low-key, more conservative, and more cautious.

Emperor Liu was not unaware of these changes. Thus, he too felt somewhat uncertain in his heart—not dissatisfied with Liu Yang, but rather feeling that this Crown Prince seemed to be gradually developing a deeper sense of scheming.

Emperor Liu did not know whether this change was a good thing. On one hand, he was somewhat displeased with this feeling of seeing flowers through a mist; on the other hand, he believed Liu Yang needed some depth of scheming.

Under this contradictory state of mind, Emperor Liu's gaze toward the Crown Prince naturally carried a bit more scrutiny, and he could only probe him through various personnel matters, while also continuing to temper him.

At this moment, seeing Liu Yang make such a declaration, he gave him a meaningful look and said: "Your ability to handle state affairs has been honed through experience. The entire court recognizes it, and I am quite satisfied as well.

What you currently lack is precisely the ability to adapt in emergencies. While I am still here, the realm already has so many troubles; if I were gone, the situations you would face would only be more complex. You must be fully aware of this!"

"Yes!" Emperor Liu's words had already been quite candid and open, and thus Liu Yang's expression revealed a touch of emotion. No matter how cold and suspicious Emperor Liu had become in recent years, he still treated him, the Crown Prince, with sincerity—this, Liu Yang could feel.

"Father, Yulin is unstable, and the northwest has grown increasingly restless these years. As for the western expedition, should we not postpone it? That way we can free up energy to pacify the Tangut threat, and also give Sixth Brother and the others more time to prepare!" With his emotions stirred, Liu Yang, after some hesitation, took the initiative to propose.

Although the edict for the western expedition had already been issued, in fact, due to climate and transportation issues, the Han army had still not advanced west in force. Over the past month or more, they had only established the command structure for the expedition, while methodically carrying out preparations in military affairs, military orders, logistics, training, and other areas.

Even Hexi, serving as the main support base, had not yet been fully mobilized. If they were to truly dispatch troops against the Kara-Khanids, it would likely have to wait until after the spring thaw next year—or even be delayed into early summer, which was not impossible.

The western expedition against the Kara-Khanids had the strategic goal of destroying their state, and from the very beginning, the court had no intention of a swift assault. They were prepared for a prolonged campaign.

Therefore, Liu Yang's proposal for stability was quite timely. However, after pondering it, Emperor Liu still shook his head and said somewhat stubbornly: "As long as we suppress the Tangut people, Li Jiqian won't amount to anything. The Yulin matter will be resolved through the Yulin route—it has nothing to do with the western expedition. A strategy already decided must not be rashly altered. Proceed according to the established plan—otherwise, how could we not make things difficult for the generals and soldiers?"

Seeing Emperor Liu's firm attitude, Liu Yang did not insist. He had long grown accustomed to this situation—some things truly could not be argued out of Emperor Liu.

Over the years, in dealing with disagreements with Emperor Liu's governing philosophy, Liu Yang had found an appropriate positioning. The words that needed to be said and the stances that needed to be taken, he would always present—and this was also what Emperor Liu was pleased to see.

Emperor Liu did not want to see a Crown Prince who was obsequious and silent. Although he had never explicitly expressed such a wish, Liu Yang himself had discerned it.

And when the imperial father was determined to do something and could not be dissuaded, Liu Yang could only devote himself wholeheartedly to carrying it out, overseeing it well, doing his best to resolve problems that arose during execution, and avoiding unnecessary troubles.

On many major decisions, Liu Yang truly did not have much say now. Therefore, he could only strive hard at the execution level, at least showing Emperor Liu that he was a man capable of getting things done.

He had gradually figured out the proper measure of this balance over the years. Of course, this also created another problem—he was, after all, the Crown Prince, the future Emperor. What Emperor Liu needed was by no means merely a heir apparent who only knew how to execute tasks.

No matter how well one did things, one was still a minister. If one formed the habit of bringing a minister's mindset into that of a sovereign, that would cause major problems. An emperor could not have problems in his very way of thinking.

Therefore, regarding various state affairs, Emperor Liu continually asked for Liu Yang's views, requiring him to form his own thoughts and opinions at the decision-making level.

But the contradiction lay precisely here—that some ideas did not match Emperor Liu's wishes was a secondary matter; the key was that whenever Liu Yang made proposals, most were rejected by Emperor Liu. Suffering repeated setbacks inevitably gave Liu Yang a sense of frustration.

On one hand, he was told to propose boldly and decide boldly; on the other hand, he had no actual decision-making power. How could Liu Yang's heart be at ease? Before succeeding to the throne, Liu Yang was still a minister. Asking him to fully view problems from the identity and perspective of an emperor was truly difficult for him—and worse, if he came across as too assertive, he might well invite Emperor Liu's suspicion.

In fact, having persisted to this day, Liu Yang as Crown Prince had truly endured no small hardship. Were it not for the forbearance in Liu Yang's nature and Empress Fu's occasional words of comfort, he would have long since been unable to bear it.

Take this rebellion of Li Jiqian for example—his suggestions had been selectively accepted by Emperor Liu, but most were rejected. Emperor Liu's forceful personality and distinctive style of conduct had predetermined this outcome.

At the same time, although he was given full authority to handle the matter, it was still within the framework defined by Emperor Liu's guiding opinions. No matter how he subsequently decided and executed, he still had to follow Emperor Liu's line of thinking, with little room for free expression.

Liu Yang actually saw this point very clearly. Yet precisely because he saw it so clearly, he felt powerless and bitter. Beyond helplessness, there was truly no more he could do—he could only endure.

And it was not only he, the Crown Prince, who was enduring through all this...

"What are you thinking about?" Emperor Liu's sudden voice pulled Liu Yang back to his senses.

Meeting Emperor Liu's curious gaze, Liu Yang hurriedly said: "I was thinking about how to implement Father's wishes, how to quickly eliminate the impact of the Yinchuan rebellion, and restore stability to Yulin!"

Hearing this, Emperor Liu smiled, did not probe further, and after a brief pause for thought, gave further instructions: "There are two more matters you can also ponder. First, based on the various disturbances in the northwest this year, as well as reports from the imperial city, the two bureaus of Military Virtue, and various local governments, it seems problems have indeed arisen in the northwest that require a major cleanup—comb through everything from top to bottom and drag out those treacherous, scheming rebels and conspirators.

Second, Lu Duoxun has been executed, and Wang Qiwu is gravely ill. The Hall of State Affairs needs new additions. Zhao Pu has also mentioned this to me—I see that he too seems aged and overwhelmed by the burden, and needs someone to share some of the load. As for candidates, you can start considering them as well!"

Hearing Emperor Liu's instructions, Liu Yang was immediately hesitant, and his mind quickly turned to discerning Emperor Liu's purpose. The first matter was easy to understand—first the Mingsha bandits attacked the Kara-Khanid division, then Li Jiqian rose up in Yinchuan, and with all the chaos and turmoil, these factors drove Emperor Liu to take heavy-handed measures. Even Liu Yang himself felt the northwest needed rectification and policies needed adjustment.

The second matter, however, made Liu Yang grow somewhat wary. It was simply that in recent years, although Emperor Liu had delegated much authority and ruled through non-interference, the decision-making power over senior officials, as well as matters of sacrifice and military campaigns, remained firmly in his own hands—no one dared to overstep him.

As for the appointment of chancellors, there was even less question—it could only be decided by the Emperor. But Emperor Liu was asking for his opinion, which could not help but make Liu Yang ponder further. Was this a test, or something else...?