Chapter 1901: Comforting Visit = Seeing Off

Emperor Liu's old legs were increasingly failing him; before long, he could no longer stand, and slowly bent to sit down, his right elbow lightly propped on the ground, reclining sideways against the imperial steps.

"Your Majesty!" As he was lost in thought, Yan Tuo's voice sounded by his ear.

Turning his head and looking up, he saw Yan Tuo's usual humble and careful bowing posture. After a moment of daze, Emperor Liu resumed his reclining position, and asked softly: "How is Xiang Xingmin? Is his illness serious?"

Upon hearing the question, Yan Tuo hurriedly clasped his hands and replied: "Duke Wen's condition is grave; he cannot rise from his bed. According to the imperial physicians, it may be only a matter of these two days..."

"Oh..." Emperor Liu was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then slowly responded, asking: "I cannot quite recall—how old is Xiang Xingmin this year?"

Yan Tuo could not help but shoot Emperor Liu a surprised glance. After all, just last year, Emperor Liu had personally left the palace to attend Xiang Xun's seventy-fifth birthday celebration. Surprise flickered deep in his eyes, but Yan Tuo spoke in a steady tone: "To answer Your Majesty, Duke Wen is seventy-six this year!"

"Nearly eighty—that counts as a ripe old age!" Emperor Liu sighed deeply: "I still remember, before the raising of troops in Taiyuan, Xiang Xun traveled several hundred li to join the army. Not being employed by the late emperor, he was taken into my ranks, and from then on became a right-hand aid—decades in and out of the imperial retinue, devoting himself utterly, following me through life and death. I still remember this landlubber, whom I pushed onto the deck to command the Jingjiang Army—he nearly drowned learning to swim. In the great Huainan campaign, with a weak naval force, he protected the rear of the imperial army and rendered repeated outstanding service. I still remember the detached force attacking Shu, sweeping flat the sixty prefectures of Chuanshu in one stroke, and the southwest has been settled ever since...

In the blink of an eye, it's been nearly thirty years since Shu was pacified. Why do I feel as if it happened only yesterday?

Old companions are withering away! This world grows lonelier and lonelier for me..."

Emperor Liu's emotional reminiscence left even his dim old eyes somewhat reddened. Yet what was slightly odd was that Xiang Xun had not yet passed, and Emperor Liu had already sunk into the grief of losing an old friend, recalling the past like reading a eulogy, recounting those glorious years—and the emotion Emperor Liu displayed seemed extraordinarily sincere, not at all feigned...

Yan Tuo naturally did not wish to see Emperor Liu immersed in such negative emotions, and could not help but offer words of comfort: "Your Majesty, heaven protects the virtuous. Duke Wen is a founding meritorious minister, a pillar of the Great Han—heaven will surely grant him extra protection. Perhaps in a few days he will improve and personally come to the palace to pay his respects to Your Majesty..."

Emperor Liu made no comment on this, instead asking: "Did Xiang Xingmin have any message for me to deliver?"

A trace of embarrassment flickered across Yan Tuo's face, but he dared not deceive Emperor Liu, and lowered his head to answer honestly: "Duke Wen can no longer speak..."

That answer said it all. After a moment's deliberation, Emperor Liu sat up, gazed at the blue-tinged sky overhead, let out a long sigh, and instructed: "Make arrangements—tomorrow... no, tonight I will personally go to his residence to see this old minister. Consider it... seeing him off...

I have not had a private conversation with him in a long time. If he cannot speak, perhaps I will simply have to do the talking.

I wonder what his ailing state looks like now. A hero in his twilight years—the thought is truly sorrowful..."

"Your Majesty!" As Emperor Liu muttered to himself, slipping into the state Yan Tuo had worried about and even feared, he softly called out, his tone caring, but more than anything wanting to pull Emperor Liu out of that negative mood.

"I am fine!" Emperor Liu was, after all, not a fragile man. He quickly changed his expression, his face turning indifferent, and waved Yan Tuo off.

"Where are the twenty-four ministers now? If Xiang Xingmin goes, I shall be even more alone..." Emperor Liu shook his head gently, a hint of complex emotion still leaking into his tone.

Xiang Xun was, after all, different from others—he was among the earliest to follow Emperor Liu, of the same batch as Zhang Yanwei, Guo Rong, Murong Yanzhao, Ma Quanyi, Han Tong, and Yang Ye. In the early years he had been a core general of the imperial faction. With such deep seniority and such outstanding achievements, as one meritorious minister after another passed away, no one in the current court could compare to him.

Although over the past twenty years Xiang Xun, like most founding generals, had relinquished his post and authority and retreated to the second line, he remained a great banner among the nobility and the military—only not as conspicuous as Zhao Kuangyin, which also spared him Emperor Liu's suspicion. As for closeness, whether in the early and middle periods or now, in Emperor Liu's heart, only Yang Ye could compare.

But now, this banner was about to fall as well. Given Emperor Liu's state of mind at this moment, how could he not feel something?

Yet even Xiang Xun could not make Emperor Liu sink too deep into sorrow; he soon recovered some composure.

Perhaps his thoughts were too deep and too tangled, and now he felt somewhat empty instead. Wanting to change his mood, Emperor Liu fixed his gaze on the carefully attending Yan Tuo and asked with interest: "Yan Tuo, I hear you've also adopted a son?"

Yan Tuo was slightly startled—how had the conversation jumped to this? His mind raced with speculation: could His Majesty have objections to this matter? Or had the boy committed some offense and been reported to His Majesty? If so, who—that old dog Wang Ji'en? Or some other minister, a censor or remonstrance official?

As his thoughts churned, Yan Tuo kept his face as calm as possible and replied: "To answer Your Majesty, this humble one is a rootless man, devoted solely to serving Your Majesty, with no other desires. However, a few years ago, an elder of my clan came from the countryside and introduced a younger kinsman to me. I found him quite clever and took a liking to him, and unable to resist the elder's persuasion, not wishing to disappoint the old man's wishes, I adopted him as a son..."

"Why so long-winded!" Hearing Yan Tuo prattle on as if reporting official business, Emperor Liu's old brows furrowed slightly: "What of your adopted son—what does he do now?"

At this, Yan Tuo grew even more cautious, and some unpleasant thoughts arose in his heart—could the boy really have gotten into trouble?

"I have placed him in Anyang, purchased a residence and a few mu of thin farmland for him, and let him devote himself to study..." Yan Tuo said.

"How old is he?"

"Nineteen."

"The same age as Liu Xuan!" Emperor Liu muttered, then asked Yan Tuo meaningfully: "Anyang—I had forgotten that you too are from your old home in Anyang! Since he is your only adopted son, why not place him in the capital to fulfill filial duty at your bedside? At nineteen, he could be given a post. With your position today, Grand Eunuch Yan, arranging a seventh-rank office for him should be a matter of a single word..."

Emperor Liu said this lightly, even with a hint of teasing, but Yan Tuo broke out in cold sweat upon hearing it. Not daring to be negligent, he hastily declared: "Your Majesty, allow me to explain. For a eunuch to adopt a son is itself a matter that invites criticism. I did this only to preserve a thread of lineage for myself, and so I placed him in Anyang, far from controversy.

I have benefited from Your Majesty's favor and do wield some influence, but state offices are public instruments—how would I dare to grant them privately and betray Your Majesty's great kindness?

I hold no great expectations for my adopted son, and naturally need not, like the Commissioner of the Palace City, place all four of his adopted sons in positions, drawing them in as wings and aids..."

By the end of his plea, Yan Tuo did not forget to slip in a jab at Commissioner of the Palace City Wang Ji'en before Emperor Liu.

However, Emperor Liu did not seem particularly concerned about the open and covert struggles between these two great eunuchs. His attention remained on Yan Tuo's adopted son.

After thinking for a moment, Emperor Liu asked blandly: "You were present at the discussion of enfeoffments on the night of the Lantern Festival. I intend to enfeoff Liu Xuan to the South Seas. Your adopted son is of similar age—how would you feel about having him accompany Liu Xuan across the sea to his fief?"

Yan Tuo was stunned, never having imagined Emperor Liu harbored such an idea. For a moment he did not know what to do.

But after a brief hesitation, he still bowed and said: "This humble one's entire life is devoted to serving Your Majesty. If my son is fortunate enough to serve the Fifteenth Prince, that would be his honor. Spread abroad, it would not fail to become a fine tale. If Your Majesty issues the decree, this humble one has no reluctance..."

Hearing Yan Tuo's declaration, Emperor Liu laughed aloud: "Seeing your hesitation, it's clear your words are insincere! If you cannot bear to part with an adopted son, how much more with flesh and blood?"

With that, Emperor Liu sank into his own thoughts, saying no more and offering no further conclusion on the matter, leaving Yan Tuo, who was deeply concerned, hanging in suspense and quite uneasy.

That night, at the residence of Duke Wen, lanterns blazed brightly before the gate, several shadows cast upon the ground. Emperor Liu slowly walked out of the mansion—he had already seen Xiang Xun. Yan Tuo had not deceived him in the least; Xiang Xun was indeed beyond help—emaciated, breath faint, at death's door. He could not speak, but his old eyes showed agitation upon seeing Emperor Liu arrive in person.

Facing the departing old man, Emperor Liu behaved like an old man himself, forgetting the roles of sovereign and subject. Holding Xiang Xun's hand, he spoke intimate words, once again recalling the glorious years and Qianyou-era memories connected to Xiang Xun, calmly seeing him off until he fell asleep. Such treatment—even Empress Fu had never enjoyed it in her time...

However, after tonight, Emperor Liu would likely never shake off the title of "Old Minister Slayer." Of course, those worthy of his personally leaving the palace to visit and comfort were also few and far between.