Chapter 1900: His Resolve Is Firm

"Then we would rather not have this fiefdom or title!" Emperor Liu's words, which he considered righteous and stern, clearly had little effect on Consort Fu. Almost without thinking, she met his gaze and replied, "I beg Your Majesty to withdraw the decree!"

The Consort's tone and demeanor fully conveyed one point: she and her son did not covet the fiefdom Emperor Liu had bestowed. And this point clearly stung Emperor Liu somewhat. His heart felt blocked and heavy, his face darkened, as cold as the cool breeze outside the hall.

"What about Liu Xuan? Why does he not come to see me? If he does not wish to go to his fief, why does he not come to me himself, instead of troubling you, his mother? Is he afraid, or is his conscience uneasy?" Emperor Liu stared at Consort Fu and demanded.

At this, the Consort also displayed a fiery disposition, directly rebutting him: "Would he dare? Your Majesty, ask yourself — you speak repeatedly of the enfeoffment being a matter of free will, but have you truly given the princes any room to choose? Even if they held dissenting views, would they dare raise them with you?"

"So you are speaking on their behalf?" Emperor Liu's expression grew even colder.

However, Consort Fu had come to Chuigong Hall fully prepared to make a scene and would not stop until her goal was achieved. Never mind Emperor Liu's cold face — even if his eyes could truly spit fire, she would not be afraid.

Meeting Emperor Liu's gaze, Consort Fu answered without a trace of fear: "I do not know what others think, nor can I control them, but Liu Xuan does not wish to leave his homeland and parents to go to that barbaric land overseas and be the so-called new King of Han! I cannot bear to part with him either, and I do not agree!"

The Consort's words were spoken with absolute finality, her momentum strong, eyes wide with anger, entirely the picture of one who would never compromise.

Seeing this, Emperor Liu finally fell silent. At this moment, a surge of anger roiled within him. He wished to vent it, yet he could not, for he lacked the confidence. Emperor Liu, too, had moments when his confidence fell short...

After pondering for a long while, Emperor Liu set down the memorial he had unconsciously crumpled in his hands, lowered his head to look at the Consort who still wore a stubborn expression, and shifted into a calmer state. In a level tone, he asked, "Little Fu, it has been decades. In the past, you have thrown small tantrums before me, but to defy me like this — this is the first time, is it not?"

Emperor Liu's words carried a hint of recollection and emotion. Consort Fu's heart stirred slightly at this. She looked up at Emperor Liu and saw that the old emperor's momentum had already subsided. Thus, the Consort no longer glared at him. She lowered her head slightly and asked with a soft sigh: "I would not dare defy Your Majesty. My offense before Your Majesty today, my sharp words, were only born of a mother's love for her son. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!"

When the younger Lady Fu spoke less sharply, Emperor Liu also became more even-tempered. Looking at the Consort, whose face still bore traces of tears, he sighed: "A mother's love for her child — today I have truly come to understand it! But Liu Xuan and the others are also my sons. Do I not love them? Do I not know that the overseas lands are barbaric wastelands with harsh and difficult conditions? How could I bear to part with them in my heart?

It is only that some things must be attempted, or else I will die with regrets! As my sons, they must bear the responsibilities that come with their station. The princes of the Great Han, besides enjoying this supreme honor, must also experience great sorrow and great pain, great hardship and great suffering — this is the responsibility that fine men ought to bear!

For you to shield him like a protective mother, sheltering him under your wings and not letting him weather the storms, how can he grow into a capable man? You are not loving him — you are harming him!"

These words of Emperor Liu were spoken from the heart, and he was being sufficiently patient in trying to persuade the younger Lady Fu. However, upon hearing his words, the Consort's attitude remained firm, though her tone was no longer so fierce. She asked calmly in return: "Your Majesty is a true Son of Heaven, with a sense of responsibility and great ambitions. Must you require every descendant to be a dragon like yourself? Even measures have their short and long, let alone people? Does Your Majesty not think that demanding so much of your descendants is too forced?"

Faced with such words from Consort Fu, Emperor Liu fell silent once more, not speaking for a long time. Clearly, he was somewhat stumped by her question.

With this question, the argument between the two was formally set aside. Emperor Liu thought for a long while, but his mind was somewhat disordered and he could not think it through clearly for the moment. After who knows how long, when the atmosphere in Chuigong Hall had grown cold to the point of awkwardness, Emperor Liu finally spoke. His right hand waved weakly at Consort Fu: "Go back for now. Let me think this over!"

Hearing this, Consort Fu's eyes lit up. When Emperor Liu spoke this way, it revealed that his stance was wavering. Naturally, the Consort wanted to press her advantage and obtain a definitive answer from Emperor Liu's mouth. She immediately said, "Your Majesty..."

Of course, at this moment Emperor Liu had neither the heart nor the inclination to hear anything more from her. He directly waved her away: "Withdraw! I need to think carefully!"

"Yes!" Seeing this, Consort Fu still seemed to want to say more, but with Emperor Liu's stance softening, she could hardly continue to make a fuss. However, before taking her leave, the Consort did not forget to remind him: "If Your Majesty wishes to mete out punishment, I shall await the decree at Chunlan Hall!"

At this, Emperor Liu subconsciously furrowed his brow again but said nothing. Consort Fu did not wait for a response either. She solemnly performed a grand bow and slowly withdrew from the hall.

Emperor Liu remained sitting behind the imperial desk in a daze. It had been who knows how many years since anyone had dared to be so presumptuous before him. But at this moment, Emperor Liu had no mind to dwell on such matters. In his silent contemplation, his back gradually slumped, appearing weary and powerless.

After a long while, he raised his hand to rub his aching head, braced himself against the desk, and rose. Step by step, he slowly walked toward the door of the hall. No matter how loud the clamor of court and public opinion, Emperor Liu could treat it as the buzzing of mosquitoes and flies. No matter how heavy the criticism, Emperor Liu could turn a deaf ear. Going his own way was hardly anything unusual for him.

But when, within the palace itself, his consorts and the sons he had placed great hopes upon also expressed opposition or even resistance, Emperor Liu felt somewhat "wounded" inside.

Emperor Liu's heart had always been hard — but that was toward outsiders and external ministers. Toward his own family, especially his children, there was always a soft place in his heart.

And after the reaction to this matter, that softness would have little room left. Mutual understanding between father and son was ultimately a luxury — and for an emperor, even more illusory.

Emperor Liu was certainly not a weak man. Those voices of opposition and doubt brought him, besides a deep sense of loneliness, a renewed consideration of the matter.

Of course, no matter how he thought about it, the enfeoffment was certain and could not be changed! The reasons and purposes he had tirelessly and repeatedly expounded were not empty words, but a pursuit from the depths of his heart. Though for a thoroughly feudal emperor, speaking of national ideals and the future of the people might seem somewhat unreal, even as he was continuously assimilated by this world, deep in Emperor Liu's heart there remained certain thoughts rooted in his very marrow. Whether ambition or vain hope, they were all things he wished to leave behind — a path never before trodden — for the Great Han and for his descendants, at a time when he felt his days were numbered...

As he pondered, Emperor Liu's expression grew resolute once more. I have so many sons — even if some are weak and amount to nothing, there are still those I can rely upon: Liu Yun, and even Liu Shu. Even if the sons fail, there are grandsons, great-grandsons!

Even if generation after generation fails, among the Great Han's imperial kin and meritorious nobles, and among the countless millions of subjects, heroes and bold figures are bound to emerge!

No matter what, the resolve to enfeoff — this must never change...

Of course, "Consort Fu's great scene at Chuigong Hall" was not entirely without effect. At least Emperor Liu's heart no longer stubbornly demanded that all his sons follow in his footsteps, obey his will, and carve out their own domains.

"Children and grandchildren have their own blessings; one cannot force it. Let them be..." A sigh escaped Emperor Liu's lips, carrying a trace of disappointment and helplessness.

The spring sunlight was faint, shining upon Emperor Liu without even casting a shadow on the ground. He tightened his robe. Beneath the high sky and sparse clouds, Emperor Liu's figure appeared all the more solitary.