Chapter 1792: Anxious Toil

Emperor Liu's performance in the Zichen Hall was like a magical mirror for his ministers to examine themselves against—each person felt something different, and each took away something different.

Worry might be shared, but its weight differed, and reactions differed. Crown Prince Liu Yang was no exception. After the court session ended, his mind was entirely occupied with Emperor Liu's talk of Emperor Wu of Han, and because it touched upon matters of deep concern to him, he was profoundly affected.

The Emperor Liu of today spoke as his heart dictated, no longer putting on airs from time to time as in the past, making people guess at his words and deeds. But precisely because he had "returned to simplicity," it made people all the more earnestly attentive in their speculation and deliberation—after all, that often reflected Emperor Liu's true state of mind and thoughts.

Compared to Kaifeng, the Guangzheng Hall in the Ziwei Palace was clearly more luxurious and imposing, with a grander layout and more complete facilities—naturally, it was also more comfortable to work in. In fact, in the hearts of many central ministers, the ideal would have been to combine the Western Capital's facilities with the Eastern Capital's environment—that would have been the most comfortable. Unfortunately, Emperor Liu simply would not allow it.

Liu Yang naturally had his own office in the Guangzheng Hall, a separate hall of its own. After returning to the Guangzheng Hall, Liu Yang threw himself into handling the various matters of the court deliberations. What Emperor Liu had arranged was naturally of the utmost urgency and could not be postponed—such as the preparations for the palace examination.

This matter was not difficult to handle. After all, so many years had passed and there were long-established precedents; it could be done step by step. It was only that Zhang Quhua was a newly appointed Minister and chief examiner without experience, and many things needed to be communicated and implemented—moreover, it was mostly Liu Yang who was offering reminders and instructions.

In addition, time was rather tight. It was already the third month, and Emperor Liu's Jiaqing Festival was also approaching. The first Jiaqing since returning to Luoyang needed to be properly arranged to dispel the grief, and the time left in between was truly not much.

At the same time, after the palace examination, arrangements for this batch of scholars also needed to be prepared in advance, so as not to be caught flustered at the last moment. Things were not like the early days now—the Great Han was not short of people to serve as officials at all. From the central government to the localities, although there were tens of thousands of positions, after decades, they had reached a state of saturation.

Moreover, this year's enrollment numbers for the medicine, agriculture, and engineering disciplines had nearly set a precedent for all previous sessions. How to cultivate and employ them was still in the exploratory stage and also required discussion. By comparison, the military examination side did not require much worry—one only needed to do a good job of supervision.

For this year's metropolitan examination matters, Liu Yang discussed with Lü Duan, Zhang Quhua, and other involved ministers for nearly an hour, all the way until the wei hour, even missing lunch, before everything was settled.

And the busy work served to alleviate his anxiety. After finishing lunch and waking from a brief nap, Liu Yang had already fully recovered to his usual state.

Thinking it over carefully, when Emperor Liu spoke of Emperor Wu of Han in the hall, his intent was perhaps to warn the assembled ministers, and also to warn himself—this was a sign of calm wisdom. Moreover, if Emperor Liu truly had some opinion of him, what could he do about it? Could he resist? On this point, Liu Yang had never thought about it, and never dared to think about it.

Once he thought it through, it seemed ordinary enough. As always, just doing his own job well was enough—this was also what Liu Yang was good at. Frightening himself was truly unnecessary.

Just as Liu Yang suppressed his doubts and devoted his attention to the pile of official documents on his desk, Murong Defeng arrived gracefully to pay his respects. Murong Defeng had been promoted again, from Chief Academician of the Bureau of Military Affairs to Deputy Commissioner of Military Affairs. Thanks to his service experience in Monan and Shanyang, he was now in charge of northern military and political affairs. At thirty-seven, Murong Defeng was gradually stepping into the prime of his life, with his official career running smoothly.

There was no way it could be otherwise. Born into a distinguished family, backed by the Crown Prince, appreciated by Emperor Liu, and having received Murong Yanzhao's praise in his early years—all of this made Murong Defeng's reputation spread far and wide, and he had always been the object of others' attention. In the court, if one spoke only of reputation, even Murong Deye, who had inherited the title of Duke of Wey, was not the equal of this younger brother.

"Rixin has come—sit!" Just as usual, seeing Murong Defeng, Liu Yang's attitude was extremely easygoing, as if an old friend had arrived.

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Murong Defeng first presented a memorial and reported: "This is the plan for the rotation and deployment of internal and external troops and militia garrison soldiers in the circuits of Hexi, Yulin, Shanyang, the Yan Mountains, and Liaodong for this year. The Bureau of Military Affairs has already drafted it!"

The garrison and deployment rotations of the Great Han's internal and external armies had long become a regular practice, but they were adjusted almost every year, with the timing fixed at the beginning of the year. This was also one of the more significant matters in the Bureau of Military Affairs' military governance—after all, anything involving the movement and adjustment of troops was always sensitive, and it always required Emperor Liu's personal review and approval before implementation. Military power was also one of the few powers Emperor Liu had never delegated.

"Has His Majesty reviewed it?" Liu Yang took an interest and asked as he received it.

Murong Defeng replied: "His Majesty has already reviewed it personally and asked that Your Highness also look it over to see if there are any problems."

It seemed that even the Emperor had no objections—so what could he, the Crown Prince, possibly find wrong? If he did find some problem, wouldn't that prove Emperor Liu's eyes had problems? Although Emperor Liu's eyes did indeed have some problems now, and he could not see very clearly.

Nevertheless, Liu Yang still examined it carefully and thoroughly. What it involved was only the garrison arrangements for the northern prefectures and circuits, especially the various border regions—precisely within Murong Defeng's scope of responsibility. In fact, the adjustment plans formulated by the experts in the Bureau of Military Affairs were all the product of detailed argumentation and meticulous planning, and generally there would be no problems.

Liu Yang's purpose was not to find fault. After browsing through it, he discovered that the biggest change in this plan compared to previous years lay in the reduction of garrison forces in the northern circuits. Hexi and Yulin were cut the most severely, followed by Liaodong and the northern circuit of the Yan Mountains; only Shanyang received a minor adjustment.

"This year's adjustments seem rather substantial!" After reading, Liu Yang frowned slightly and said: "Was this formulated by you?"

Murong Defeng shook his head and said: "This was personally formulated by Commissioner Pan of the Bureau of Military Affairs; I only participated in an auxiliary capacity. Commissioner Pan has long been immersed in military affairs, is thoroughly familiar with military matters, and has spent many years inspecting the northern borders. The plan he formulated naturally has its reasoning—at the very least, it suits the current circumstances, is sufficient to ensure tranquility on all borders, and can further reduce the court's financial burden of maintaining troops!"

"Everything you say is about how Commissioner Pan is this and that—what is your own view?" Liu Yang detected the slight implication hidden in Murong Defeng's tone.

Upon being asked, Murong Defeng deliberated briefly before clasping his hands and saying: "Your Highness, in my view, the biggest problem with this plan is that it emphasizes the exterior while weakening the interior. Apart from Mobei, the garrison pressure on the eastern and western fronts has all been shifted to the two Protectorates of Anxi and Andong! Meanwhile, the garrison strength of the interior border prefectures and key towns has been greatly reduced."

"Could Commissioner Pan not see this problem?" Liu Yang thought for a moment and asked.

Murong Defeng shook his head and said: "Commissioner Pan could hardly be unaware. It is only that with the two Protectorates of Anxi and Andong guarding the Great Han's two flanks, peace is assured. Under such circumstances, stationing heavy troops in the interior prefectures and circuits would be somewhat wasteful. Appropriate reductions and adjustments are also necessary—I concur with this as well!

What I worry about is not the present, but the future; not the external, but within the walls of the court itself."

"How dare you!" The moment Murong Defeng finished speaking, Liu Yang lost his composure and angrily rebuked him, even rising to his feet.

Noting Liu Yang's furious expression, Murong Defeng remained calm and said: "Your Highness, my attitude has never changed. One cannot be too careful against others. In recent years, the forces in Andong and Anxi have grown ever stronger, while the court's control has continuously weakened. While His Majesty is here, there is naturally nothing to worry about—but one day it may be unavoidable..."

【33】 Liu Yang stared at Murong Defeng, his gaze sharp as a knife, his chest heaving with anger. After a long while, he slowly sat back down, his voice low: "You may leave now. I need to think this over carefully."