Chapter 1671: Household Affairs of the Eastern Palace, Losses One After Another

After the official business was concluded, the atmosphere naturally turned congenial—at least that was how Emperor Liu himself saw it. Seized by a sudden whim, he had Li Chongju lead him on a tour of his residence.

In truth, there was nothing much worth seeing at the Duke of Heyang's mansion. Not to mention the bleakness of winter, Li Chongju was hardly a man of extravagant tastes, and his residence held no rare curiosities or beautiful objects. The only thing perhaps worth visiting was the Buddhist hall built at the cost of a hundred in gold, and Emperor Liu went along to receive a baptism of Buddha's incense and sandalwood, even trading a bit of Chan banter with an old monk who resided permanently at the mansion.

The mansion prepared a vegetarian meal, which Emperor Liu did not find too simple. He shared it with Li Chongju, rested briefly, and only after noon leisurely took his leave.

What Emperor Liu did not know was that after his departure, Li Chongju ordered the Buddhist hall sealed shut and, at the same time, gave silver to the several monks supported by the household and sent them back to their monasteries.

On the way out, Emperor Liu sat calmly in his imperial carriage, his body swaying slightly with the motion. His expression was placid, but deep in his eyes lingered a trace of contemplation.

The conversation with Li Chongju had naturally been a mix of truth and falsehood. On the matter of the Wude Office, he had indeed given it serious thought. At this point, it was truly difficult to find anyone he could trust, and the Wude Office was such a sensitive institution. After turning it over and over in his mind and finding no suitable candidate, there was only Li Chongju left.

Of course, as he had said, Emperor Liu truly only intended for Li Chongju to do some transitional work—clean up and reorganize the Wude Office properly—and then return his freedom to him.

Li Chongju was old, but he had the ability and the prestige. What Emperor Liu promised, he would deliver. Thus, Li Chongju's demeanor of sitting on needles and treading on thin ice struck Emperor Liu as somewhat amusing.

As for his devout belief in Buddhism, that was even less worth Emperor Liu's concern. After all, suppressing Buddhism was no longer the court's political orthodoxy. When a man grows old, having some faith and sustenance to seek peace of mind was hardly worthy of blame.

"The feelings of those days—truly hard to revive!" After pondering for a long while, Emperor Liu could not help but sigh softly.

"Your Majesty, shall we return to the palace?" As they traveled, Yan Tuo requested from before the carriage door. Generally, when Emperor Liu left the palace, he liked to spend the entire day out; the hour was still early, hence the question.

"Return!" Emperor Liu answered coolly, then quickly instructed: "Go to the Eastern Palace!"

Due to historical reasons, the Bianliang Palace had never been large in scale, appearing cramped and petty overall. Compared to the fully planned and grandly laid out inner and outer walls of the Eastern Capital, the imperial city was completely mismatched.

The palace chambers, inherited from the Three Dynasties, still bore too many traces of the old era. But likewise, although the Bianliang Palace was not as towering and magnificent as the Ziwei City of the Western Capital, it was only here that Emperor Liu could find the memory of those days of starting from scratch and struggling hard.

Over the years, officials had repeatedly submitted memorials arguing that the current Bianliang Palace was insufficient to display the majesty of the imperial house and recommending the reconstruction of the Kaifeng imperial city, but Emperor Liu had rejected them all.

Reluctance to undertake grand construction projects and expend vast sums on palace buildings was one reason. Using this palace city to recall those years and demonstrate that he had not forgotten his original intentions was another—though somewhat self-deceiving.

And the Eastern Palace in Bianliang, as part of the imperial city, was even smaller in layout. Emperor Liu's carriage drawn by six horses could not even pass through the palace gate; he had to switch to a smaller palanquin to enter.

When Emperor Liu arrived, since the Crown Prince Liu Yang was as usual handling state affairs in Guangzheng Hall, it was the Crown Princess, née Murong, who led the crowd in receiving him. There had clearly been little preparation for the Emperor's arrival, and the welcome was rather hurried.

Within the Eastern Palace, though the personnel were numerous and mixed, those of status were only the three consorts and two imperial grandsons. Emperor Liu's attention was clearly on his two grandsons.

He waved his hand for everyone to rise. Consort Zhao saw this and gently nudged the imperial grandson Liu Wenhuan. Liu Wenhuan, being clever, stepped forward on his own and, with proper form and full respect, performed the great salute: "Grandson pays respects to Grandfather. May Grandfather enjoy everlasting fortune and longevity, and may Your Imperial Body remain hale and healthy!"

"Heh heh! The ground is cold—get up quickly!" Emperor Liu showed a look of fond affection and reached out to help Liu Wenhuan up.

Liu Wenji beside him, seeing this, looked up at his legal mother, née Murong, then at his birth mother, née Xiao. His birth mother showed no reaction, but his legal mother gave him an encouraging look. Only then did he trot forward on his little legs to pay his respects as well—but Emperor Liu directly pulled him up.

Emperor Liu had in fact been keeping an eye on the Crown Prince's three consorts. Even before him, the faint estrangement among them was obvious, especially between the Crown Princess and Consort Zhao, whose gazes carried a hint of aggression.

In contrast, Consort Xiao, standing to the side and rear, maintained her usual low-key reserve. Her expression was serene, and even her positioning was carefully chosen so as not to stand out.

Perhaps because of her historical reputation, even though he had seen her several times before, Emperor Liu still gave Xiao Yanyan a few extra glances, his gaze carrying scrutiny.

Emperor Liu's eyes had always been full of intimidation. Sensing this, Xiao Yanyan instinctively lowered her head, her posture becoming even more humble, as if she wanted to hide herself away.

Soon, Emperor Liu withdrew his gaze. He had little interest in the Crown Prince's household affairs. His consistent attitude was: if one cannot even manage one's own family, how can one govern the state?

"Why don't I see my little granddaughter?" Emperor Liu noticed one person missing.

The Crown Princess spoke with a gentle smile: "Someone came from Kunming Hall—she was summoned into the palace by Her Ladyship!"

Emperor Liu realized: "As it should be. You children and grandchildren and in-laws should visit the Empress in the palace more often!"

"Yes!"

"Your Majesty, it is cold outside. Please sit inside the hall and have some tea!" Seeing this, Murong eagerly invited.

Hearing this, Emperor Liu shook his head and said: "Since Liu Yang is not here, I won't stay long. My main purpose in coming was for my two grandsons. Tell Liu Yang that I am taking Wenhuan and Wenji with me—they will stay in the palace for a few days!"

"Yes!" Murong naturally dared not object and complied obediently.

Having given his instructions, Emperor Liu turned around, took one grandson by each hand, slightly hunched his back, and slowly walked off with the two boys, his face full of tenderness as he chatted intimately with them.

Whether it was Liu Wenhuan or Liu Wenji who said something, it drew several hearty laughs from Emperor Liu.

The three consorts of the Eastern Palace watched the receding figures of Emperor Liu and his two grandsons, exchanging glances with one another. Consort Zhao was the first to bow slightly, and without further words, withdrew.

Consort Xiao was noticeably more respectful, her manner very gentle, and she too took her leave. The Crown Princess, whose brows had been furrowed by Consort Zhao's behavior, saw Consort Xiao's conduct and her expression softened somewhat. She smiled at her and said: "Yanyan, don't rush back to your quarters. Come sit with me for a while and chat!"

"Yes!" Xiao Yanyan naturally did not object. She kept her posture very low, as if she were not the Crown Prince's favored consort but a humble serving woman.

At this, the Crown Princess's mood naturally improved even further. To her, compared to Consort Zhao who was like a hedgehog, Consort Xiao was as docile as a lamb, always putting her in good spirits.

Utterly unconcerned with the internal strife of the Eastern Palace, Emperor Liu, accompanied by his two grandsons, was thoroughly delighted along the way. The gloom in his heart seemed to dissipate greatly under such companionship, and the somber shell around him fell away.

However, upon returning to the palace, Emperor Liu received news that shocked and saddened him: the Duke of Anguo, Gao Huaide, had died of illness...

And the twentieth year of Kaibao seemed destined to be a year of misfortune. While the court was still immersed in grief over Gao Huaide's death, bad news came one after another.

On the second day of the twelfth month, Xue Juzheng, the Duke of Ji, also passed away at his residence at the age of seventy. His death was lamentable—no one knew how he had picked up such a bad habit, but the cause of death was poisoning from taking cinnabar elixir.

By the seventh day, Chancellor Wang Qiwu, who had been ill at home, also passed away suddenly, as if by prior arrangement.

For a time, the entire court was stunned by this string of death notices. The passing of three veteran ministers and old retainers had a tremendous impact on the court. The court had lost three pillars, and the balance of power at the top, already broken after Lu An, was now thoroughly shattered.

At the same time, the deaths of these three meritorious ministers seemed to proclaim one thing: that splendid and glorious history, regardless of human will, was steadily receding into the distance...