Chapter 1773: The Prince of Xiangyang

Countless past facts and cases had proven that the empire's center of gravity was not in the capital, but in that imperial carriage. Wherever Emperor Liu was, that was the absolute center of power of the Great Han.

In comparison, where the capital was located became secondary. Even with Luoyang's grandeur, because the imperial carriage had been absent for so long, it had lost some of its luster.

At the time, countless manpower and resources had been expended before the new Luoyang was completed, yet the time it was actually used was not long. Whatever the reason, it was ultimately a pity.

Emperor Liu had made Luoyang the capital because of its strategic mountain-and-river advantages, but if one truly asked where it was more comfortable to live, it was clearly Kaifeng.

And if one asked the nobles and ministers of the Great Han, they also preferred the Eastern Capital. Its prosperity could be said to have reached the peak of this era, and it was also closer to Hebei, the Central Plains, and the Southeast—the regions where the Great Han's economy was most developed. Apart from military matters, its advantages in politics, economy, and transportation were too great.

In this era, with the threat of the Yellow River floods not yet having erupted, although Luoyang was a thousand-year ancient capital, compared to Kaifeng, at the present moment, it was indeed not so popular.

More critical was habit. Taiyuan was the place of the dragon's rise, Kaifeng was the place of the founding, so what was Luoyang? Emperor Liu had always refused to greatly renovate the Kaifeng imperial palace, perhaps harboring a subtle concern—if Kaifeng were completely perfected and became a complete cozy nest, he feared he truly would not be willing to move, and then renovating Luoyang would be meaningless.

Back then, when they moved west to Luoyang, they had stayed for less than ten years in total. Since the Fengshan sacrifices at Mount Tai, when returning west, they passed through Kaifeng and stopped to stay—a stop that lasted years, until the twenty-second year of Kaibao.

Therefore, in these past years, Luoyang had inevitably been in an awkward position. Although it was the Great Han's legitimate imperial capital, the emperor was absent year-round, the court institutions were desolate, and their functions had once again been replaced by Kaifeng.

Yet whether in historical depth, city size, or palace grandeur, Luoyang surpassed Kaifeng. It could be foreseen that the rivalry between the two capitals would be long-term.

It had to be said that Empress Fu's death from illness was an opportunity for Luoyang—an opportunity to welcome back the emperor and the court. And indeed, that was what happened. After many years, Emperor Liu once again visited the Western Capital.

Because it was during the period of national mourning, the welcome ceremony was naturally not so lively, but it gained a few more degrees of solemnity and reverence.

The imperial carriage came from the north, circling the city, until outside the Dingding Gate. The officials of the Luoyang Prefecture and the Liaison Bureau had long since prepared the welcome arrangements, being especially careful, not daring the slightest negligence. If any error occurred, or if it provoked Emperor Liu's displeasure, the consequences would be unpredictable.

Before the Dingding Gate, the imperial carriage stopped under the driver's operation, and immediately after, the entire procession was released from marching formation. Amid the curious and awed gazes of all the onlookers, the curtain was lifted, and following the steps, Emperor Liu slowly descended.

Although he strove to display his vigor, not needing anyone's support, intending to disguise a hard outer shell, that air of decline still leaked out inadvertently. Empress Fu's death had indeed been a tremendous blow to him.

Previously, Emperor Liu's hair at the temples had been mixed with a little gray, but now it was a stretch of pure white... yet though the tiger was old, its majesty remained. The more so, the more awe-inspiring he became.

A bleak wind struck his face. Emperor Liu raised his head to gaze at Luoyang's tall and imposing city walls, stared for a while, then murmured: "Luoyang, if I remember correctly, it's been ten years since I last saw it..."

"Your Majesty, it has been exactly eleven years!" Yan Tuo said softly upon hearing this.

"That's truly not short!" Emperor Liu sighed: "Still as magnificent as ever!"

"Only with Your Majesty present does it live up to the name of the Western Capital. Otherwise, no matter how magnificent, it is as if nothing!" Yan Tuo flattered carefully.

"Where is An Shouzhong?" Emperor Liu asked.

The current Governor of the Western Capital was An Shouzhong, the Prince of Xiangyang. After stepping down from the Andong Governor-General's office and resting for a few months, he had been appointed and served as Governor of Luoyang.

Among the many meritorious nobles and prominent clans of the Great Han, the An clan was considered relatively low-key. They had no faults, but also no achievements worth showing off. Among the twenty-four meritorious minister families with hereditary transmission, the one with such a low presence was probably only the An clan.

However, the An clan happened to be one of the few non-imperial princes of the Great Han. The Great Han had many dukes and marquises, but in the granting of princely titles, it could be said to be stingy. Even for the imperial clan, strict restrictions were imposed—even imperial princes had to pass assessments—let alone those of other surnames.

Up to now, the non-imperial princes of the Great Han were only the four families of Fu, Zhao, An, and Qian, and each family had extremely deep historical origins. Among them, the An clan's weight, no matter how one looked at it or compared it, appeared light and thin.

The Fu clan needed no further mention—it was the evergreen tree of three generations, a great family with immense influence in the military and political spheres. From Liu Zhiyuan's time onward, they had been courted and cultivated, not to mention the relationship between Empress Fu and the Crown Prince. The Zhao Kuangzan family had the merit of guarding Youyan and shielding Hebei. The Prince of Huaihai, Qian Hongchu, had presented Liangzhe completely to the court.

Compared with these three, the An clan's princely title had come too easily. It was all because An Shenqi had held the mountain south, suppressed the two lakes, and had the merit of shielding the Central Plains. But this point, as it now appeared, was not very convincing. In many people's eyes, An Shenqi's role back then could have been fulfilled by any capable regional official.

In fact, because An Shenqi held Xiangyang, the Great Han had several years without worry from the Jiang-Han region. When the court freed its hands and recovered the two lakes, it was like a skilled butcher dissecting an ox—it came naturally, and all of this was built on the foundation An Shenqi had laid. Of course, few people looked at the problem in light of the situation at the founding of the state, or acknowledged An Shenqi's influence and contributions to the court at that time.

In most people's eyes, An Shenqi had merely started early, had high prestige, and when the Later Jin collapsed, had obtained a good piece of territory—full of good fortune. If their evaluation of An Shenqi was like this, their evaluation of An Shouzhong, who inherited his title and emoluments, was even lower—he just had a good father.

In comparison, the Gao clan, which had lost its princely title, seemed somewhat regrettable, inevitably arousing sympathy. One should know that Gao Xingzhou had once been enfeoffed as the Prince of Linqing, and had the concrete merit of pacifying Weibo. And compared to the Jiang-Han threat, the Weibo rebellion at the founding of the state had directly endangered the Great Han dynasty, which had just been established.

Even so, after Gao Xingzhou's death, the princely title was not inherited. Although nominally Gao Huaide had voluntarily declined it, without Emperor Liu's will behind the scenes, no matter how humble Gao Huaide was, he would not have actively pushed away a princely title.

Because of those criticisms and rumors, An Shouzhong had even proactively submitted a memorial requesting to resign his princely title. Emperor Liu had indeed been tempted, but in the end, he did not agree, and sent back an edict to reassure him. Titles and honors, emoluments and glory—these were granted by the state; how could one lightly resign them?

Of course, Emperor Liu's considerations were not only about An Shouzhong alone. If he approved this request, where would that leave the other princes? Besides, Emperor Liu's pettiness was not always so small...

"Your ministers welcome Your Majesty back to the capital!" Soon, An Shouzhong and a host of Western Capital's important officials hurried over and saluted respectfully.

"Rise!"

For a moment, there was no speech. Emperor Liu carefully examined An Shouzhong. It had to be said, An Shouzhong had taken good care of himself. He was about the same age as Emperor Liu, but clearly much more spirited—like fine wine, the older the more fragrant. In the autumn wind, his long beard and robes moved together. This elegant bearing completely outshone Emperor Liu.

"Long time no see, Minister An, your bearing is as fine as ever!" Emperor Liu praised softly.

Upon hearing this, An Shouzhong hurriedly said: "Your servant is old and muddled, I am unworthy of such praise! Your Majesty's dragon-like bearing and phoenix-like demeanor, the light of sagely wisdom, is admirable. Your servant, from dozens of steps away, does not dare to look up..."

"I heard Luoyang has been governed well by you!" Emperor Liu said again, his tone almost unchanged.

"To avoid failing the trust of Your Majesty and the court, your servant merely did his duty, not daring to slack off—that is all!" An Shouzhong responded.

It was probably precisely because of this long-maintained low-key and humble demeanor that An Shouzhong appeared so unremarkable. Yet in fact, reviewing the process of the Great Han Empire's founding and establishment, his figure could be seen in many major events—whether the Huainan campaign, the southern pacification campaign, or the northern expedition...

Of course, being low-key was not without benefits. Among so many nobles and aristocrats, An Shouzhong was one of the very few who did not incur Emperor Liu's suspicion. It was probably also because the An family had no ties with the palace and did not covet power.

"These are all the resident officials of the Western Capital, right?" Emperor Liu pointed again at those behind An Shouzhong. There were quite a few—over thirty people had followed to kowtow before the carriage.

"Indeed!"

At An Shouzhong's signal, the group once again saluted with fear and trepidation. Many people's nervousness was so obvious it even seemed somewhat unsightly, completely lacking the bearing of high-ranking Great Han officials.

Emperor Liu merely swept his gaze over them lightly. Everyone seemed to be suppressed, instinctively lowering their heads, not daring to look sideways.

"I have seen you, and you have seen me. I will not hold another separate audience!" Emperor Liu said indifferently.

"Yes!"

If the Emperor Liu of the past was deep and restrained, inspiring unfathomable awe, then the Emperor Liu of now, cold to the point of near purity, could make people fear him to the bone.

In his early years, Emperor Liu's cold and hard demeanor had been somewhat too deliberate to create majesty, showing in his bearing. Now, there was almost no trace of performance, but the more so, the more it chilled people's hearts.

"Enter the city!"

Only when Emperor Liu returned to the carriage did everyone present feel relieved.

An official, still shaken, called out to An Shouzhong in a trembling voice: "Governor! Did we subordinates make any mistakes? What does His Majesty mean by this?"

An Shouzhong did not answer, only furrowing his brows and gazing in the direction of the imperial carriage. After a long while, he finally let out a heavy sigh: "Say no more. From now on, when doing things, be sure to be more careful..."