Chapter 167: This Crown Prince Is Not Easy to Be (2)

Su Fengji was a man of greed and treachery, devoid of moral conduct, skilled at twisting the law and fond of killing, with a heavy aura of malice. When it came to bloodthirst, even Shi Hongzhao could not match him. Shi Hongzhao was a military brute—his ferocity was all on the surface, a cruelty that bred fear and dread. Su Fengji was different. His ruthlessness was the kind that made one's scalp tingle and one's heart run cold.

Back in the days at Jinyang, when Liu Zhiyuan's birthday came around, he wished to "empty the prisons" to pray for blessings, and dispatched Su Fengji to sort through the prison inmates. Su Fengji then reviewed every prisoner in the jails, and regardless of the severity of their crimes or the rightness of their cases, killed them all. Afterwards, he reported: the prisons are empty.

That incident made all the civil and military officials of Hedong aware of how vicious and murderous this man surnamed Su was, and many feared him. As for Liu Zhiyuan, though displeased with his fondness for slaughter, in the end it had been done on his orders, so a verbal reprimand sufficed, and that was that.

Thus now, when Su Fengji uttered such vicious words, Yang Bin, Wang Zhang, and other old Hedong officials showed little surprise. But newcomers like Dou Zhengu could not help but be stunned, and asked urgently: "With such harsh laws, how many people would have to be killed?"

Immediately, he cupped his hands toward Liu Chengyou and earnestly pleaded: "Your Highness, Chancellor Su's method absolutely cannot be implemented. Executing entire clans for banditry is already beyond the king's law—how much more so implicating neighbors? If this is done, the realm will surely descend into chaos!"

Though Dou Zhengu had old ties with Liu Zhiyuan and enjoyed immense prestige, he still did not amount to much in Su Fengji's eyes. Seeing that the man dared to directly refute him, Su Fengji angrily retorted: "In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures must be used. If we do not use swift punishments and stern laws to intimidate the base rabble, when will the bandits of the realm ever be cleared? How can the Great Han's rivers and mountains ever know peace?"

"With such indiscriminate killing, is Chancellor Su trying to make all the people of the realm cut down trees for weapons and raise bamboo poles for banners? Are you afraid there won't be enough people in the realm to resist the court?" Dou Zhengu, though normally composed, could not help but let anger surge up, blowing his whiskers as he argued with this favored minister.

"The base rabble gather as bandits, harassing the villages, wreaking havoc on public order—they have already violated the king's law. Killing them—how is that indiscriminate?" Su Fengji slapped the armrest of his chair and retorted, quietly beginning to twist the argument.

Watching the two of them argue, Liu Chengyou's expression turned somewhat dark. These ministers truly did not seem to put this Crown Prince in their eyes—slapping tables, raising voices, utterly without restraint. Including this Su Fengji—though he had been speaking up against Yang Bin on his behalf all along, perhaps because he counted himself one of "their own," he was now acting spoiled on imperial favor!

"Your Highness!" Seeing Liu Chengyou silent, Dou Zhengu spoke with a grave face: "The bandits of the realm are mostly common folk who could no longer survive due to war and misrule, forced to gather in the mountains. If they could live in peace, who would willingly become bandits and outlaws, despised by all and hunted by the authorities? The Great Han's situation has already stabilized. We need only lighten governance and simplify punishments, issue edicts to the prefectures and circuits for their officials to summon the displaced people down from the mountains, return them to their homes, let them till their fields—the realm will naturally settle. Why resort to indiscriminate slaughter?"

Su Fengji sneered from the side, but Liu Chengyou raised a hand to stop him.

From Liu Chengyou's perspective, Su Fengji's suggestion was naturally unworkable. If his method were followed, would it end without rivers of blood? Moreover, after so many years of war, the population had plummeted. Liu Chengyou already felt the Great Han did not have enough hands—not enough people to till the fields and perform corvée labor. How could he possibly engage in mass slaughter and invite chaos upon himself? As for collective punishment of clans and neighbors, that was pure nonsense.

"The two of you need not argue further!" Liu Chengyou tapped the table, swept his gaze over both men, and said coldly: "That the common people cannot live in their homes, till their fields, and ply their trades is itself a failure of the court's strength. The Great Han was founded to turn chaos into order. As for the bandits of the realm, considering their lowliness and poverty, the court may grant appropriate leniency!"

"My judgment is this: follow Minister Dou's view, and issue an edict to all circuits and prefectures to summon and pacify the bandit folk, restoring them to farming and weaving!" Liu Chengyou's voice was calm to an excessive degree: "However, given that banditry is severe in many prefectures, for the sake of local order and the stability of the people, the authorities cannot tolerate bandits indefinitely. An edict may be issued to the realm: before dawn on the first day of the third month of the first year of Qianyou, any bandit of the realm who has not come down from the mountains to register with the authorities and be entered into the rolls shall be put to death! As for the policy of collective punishment, it shall not be adopted for now!"

"What do all the chancellors think?" Liu Chengyou asked, looking around the room.

The first to voice support was Su Yugui: "Your Highness's proposal is well-considered, most appropriate, and workable!" He had watched Dou and Su argue themselves red in the face, and even watching the show had made him somewhat tense.

Next came Dou Zhengu, nodding in approval: "Your Highness's proposal is a method that satisfies both sides!"

Su Fengji, though unwilling, saw Liu Chengyou's gaze growing colder and decided to give the Crown Prince face. He cupped his hands and said: "Your Highness's consideration is most proper—workable!"

"Your servant has no objection." Even Yang Bin offered his assent unprompted.

"Since all the chancellors have no objections, then draft the edict and issue it as soon as possible!" Liu Chengyou made the final decision.

"Yes!"

"......"

Next, he discussed with the ministers the matter of officials in the prefectures of Xing, Ming, Ci, and Xiang. The two military governorships of Anguo Army and Zhangde Army had been left vacant for quite some time. Naturally, this sparked another fierce round of debate, with each man having his own candidates. Liu Chengyou found it rather tiresome.

Stepping out of the Hall of State Affairs, he glanced back, then could not help but raise both hands and rub his face vigorously to relieve his fatigue. Working with men like Yang Bin was truly no easy task. After that argument just now, Liu Chengyou genuinely felt like sweeping all of them out of the court in one go.

These men, to varying degrees, all had too much selfishness in their hearts. Especially Yang Bin and Su Fengji—one was domineering and clung to power, the other greedy and fond of profit. Most importantly, when facing Liu Chengyou as Crown Prince, they had not yet adjusted their attitudes properly. Especially Yang Bin—perhaps because their earlier "falling out" had cut too deep, that stern face of his was as ugly as it could possibly be before Liu Chengyou!

He could not help but look toward the direction of Wansui Hall. Liu Chengyou's expression twisted bitterly. He had no idea how Liu Zhiyuan was doing. His heart was weighed down by a heavy pressure, pressed solid.

There was hardly any time to rest. Liu Chengyou still had to go to the Guest Reception Hall, preparing to personally meet the military governors who had come to the capital.

Because of the first great court assembly of the first year of Qianyou, along with the Crown Prince's investiture ceremony, military governors from all prefectures of the realm had made their gestures—either sending prefectural officials to the capital to present memorials, or coming personally to the capital for an audience.

The governors who dared come personally to the Eastern Capital were basically all trustworthy ones. Chang Si, Military Governor of Zhaoyi Army (Luzhou); Wu Xingde, Military Governor of Heyang (Mengzhou); Zhao Hui, Military Governor of Baoyi Army (Shanzhou); and, with the greatest reputation of all, Fu Yanqing, Military Governor of Taining Army (Yanzhou). There should also have been Wang Zhou, Military Governor of Wuning Army (Xuzhou), but being old and frequently ill, he had fallen sick before he could set out.

Toward these governors of the outer garrisons, Liu Chengyou naturally treated them with all sincerity, conveying on behalf of Emperor Liu Zhiyuan his greetings, and bestowing upon them saddles and bridles, sets of robes, jade belts, and gold vessels. Everyone knew military men were arrogant and unruly, yet these governors were far more respectful toward Liu Chengyou as Crown Prince than those chancellors in the court—humble, courteous, without the slightest breach of propriety. Of course, perhaps having come personally to the Eastern Capital, they knew to keep a low profile and had sheathed the "fangs" they wore in their own territories.

Among these men, the one Liu Chengyou was most interested in was naturally Fu Yanqing, Military Governor of Yanzhou. The Fu family was a renowned military clan of the Five Dynasties, and in the original history, they had been especially illustrious from the late Five Dynasties into the early Song.

Fu Yanqing would only just pass his fiftieth birthday this year. Though somewhat stout, he was a very handsome man—a dashing old fellow with extraordinary bearing. Among the other governors, he stood out like a crane among chickens.

That description was not to say the other governors were all mediocrities. Take Zhao Hui of Shanzhou, for instance—back before Liu Zhiyuan had even ascended the throne, it was he, together with Hou Zhang and Wang Yan, who had slain the Khitan officers and officials in Shanzhou, being the first in the realm to take the lead in supporting Liu Zhiyuan as emperor. For that courage and foresight alone, this old general was beyond the reach of ordinary men. Add to that his personal journey to the capital, showing his loyalty all the more—this was a general of talent who could be entrusted with great matters.

It was just that, in Liu Chengyou's eyes, Fu Yanqing's reputation was simply too great. Since he had "descended" into this world, if not for the names he had heard and grown familiar with afterward, Fu Yanqing was the only one of these men he had ever heard of.

Of course, the reason Liu Chengyou valued Fu Yanqing so highly, besides the Fu family's deep influence in military and political affairs, was more importantly his three famously renowned daughters. If the sisters all bloomed together, ahem...

After all, these were three women destined for the fate of empress!

Fu Yanqing himself was probably somewhat curious as to why this Crown Prince regarded him with such special favor.

Receiving this one, receiving that one, discussing state affairs, handling military matters—having just begun to oversee the government, Liu Chengyou was busy from dawn till dusk, yet when he counted up his accomplishments, he truly had not gotten much done. The state was truly not something one man could manage alone. Liu Chengyou was already harboring the idea of establishing a "cabinet" to assist him in handling military and civil affairs.

Though it had not yet reached the point of "a new emperor, new ministers," those old officials in the Hall of State Affairs truly had a "generation gap" with him. In reality, it was simply a matter of closeness and distance, likes and dislikes—they were just not convenient to use.

It was not until evening that Liu Chengyou went to Wansui Hall to pay his respects to Liu Zhiyuan, with the Empress attending at his side. Though Liu Zhiyuan's energy was flagging, he had clearly recovered somewhat. Father and son exchanged a few idle words, and then Liu Chengyou took his leave.

But Liu Chengyou knew in his heart that his imperial father did not have much time left. Seeing him now was much like when he had seen Liu Chengxun in his final illness—the feeling it gave him was not much different.

Dragging his weary body back to the "Prince of Zhou's Mansion," the night was already deep.

"Your Highness." Hearing of his return, Gao Huaijin took the initiative to welcome him into the residence.

In the hall, several rows of gifts were neatly arranged. Liu Chengyou frowned: "What is this?"

"These are tokens of esteem from officials congratulating Your Highness on becoming Crown Prince!" Gao Huaijin explained.

Before Liu Chengyou could reply, Lady Gao had someone present a ledger, saying: "I have already ordered that the positions and names of all officials who sent gifts be recorded."

Slightly surprised, Liu Chengyou opened it and skimmed a few pages—there were indeed quite a few people. He turned his head to look at Gao Huaijin, seeing her face serene and composed. This woman was not simple.

"Should these gifts be returned?" Lady Gao asked in a low voice.

"No need! If we did that, it would make me seem cold and unfeeling!" Liu Chengyou set down the ledger, waved his hand, and instructed: "Distribute them to the poor households within the Eastern Capital!"

"Your Highness is benevolent and virtuous!" Lady Gao immediately smiled warmly.

"Have the residence packed up—prepare to move into the palace!" Liu Chengyou took a deep breath and instructed.

After all, he was the Crown Prince now. Even if the Prince of Zhou's Mansion was spacious, it was no longer a suitable place to reside.

Lady Geng's belly was growing bigger and bigger. Liu Chengyou went to take a look at her, then went to Gao Huaijin's quarters.

In the deep quiet of the night, after bathing together, the two tangled onto the bed. With Lady Gao's full and firm figure, her allure for Liu Chengyou had never been slight. But he was truly exhausted today, and in the end, without much deep interaction, he fell asleep sprawled on Gao Huaijin's chest.

The night deepened further, and much of the amorous atmosphere in the room dissipated. Gao Huaijin's jade-like arm wrapped around Liu Chengyou's head. Feeling the pressure against her chest, she did not mind it in the least.

Though Liu Chengyou's eyes were closed, the fatigue between his brows was fully released. Soon he began to snore. Noticing this, Lady Gao could not help but reach out, gently stroking Liu Chengyou's cheek with pity. She shifted her body, adjusting him into a more comfortable position, and continued to serve as his soft cushion......