Chapter 1952: Prince of Liang

Inside the Autumn Splendor Hall, even the scorching summer could not be kept out. Worthy Consort Zhe, also dressed in plain white, sat slumped in a chair, her face haggard, her eyes mournful and tearful. Emperor Liu arrived, his expression heavy and solemn, gently patting her back.

It was hard to say how many years had passed since Emperor Liu and Worthy Consort Zhe had last shared such gentle, intimate contact. Looking down at Worthy Consort Zhe, the pain of losing a son was clearly more deeply etched into her than into Emperor Liu.

For Emperor Liu, he would rather see her wail and sob openly than face this kind of suppressed grief bleeding from the heart. After a while, his legs growing weary from standing, Emperor Liu sighed softly and said, "Liu Xiao has passed. I bear responsibility—my oversight cost him his life in his prime. Whatever you ask, name it freely; I will not refuse!"

Hearing Emperor Liu say this, Worthy Consort Zhe did not even raise her head, merely wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes and speaking softly: "His Majesty need not blame himself. Going out to sea was Liu Xiao's own choice. I have no requests, only that you bring him back whole and handle his funeral rites in the capital."

"He is already on the way!" Emperor Liu said.

"Liu Xiao was frail since childhood!" Worthy Consort Zhe finally looked up, casting a glance at Emperor Liu, and said: "He leaves behind only a daughter. If it is feasible, select a son from among the imperial clan to be adopted into his line, to carry on his legacy!"

Hearing this, a glimmer of light flashed through Emperor Liu's eyes. He had indeed somewhat overlooked this matter. Almost without thinking, he immediately agreed: "That is only right!"

However, the awkward part was that in this matter, he truly did not know whom to choose. After all, even Liu Xiao he had never paid much attention to. In earlier years, he had felt some pity for the boy's frail constitution, but as his descendants multiplied and he grew older, that attention had long since worn away.

This was also why Emperor Liu had been so surprised when Liu Xiao willingly volunteered to go out to sea—after all, Liu Xiao had never been on Emperor Liu's expected list. The grief Emperor Liu displayed over Liu Xiao's death was more an instinctive emotional outburst born of blood ties; after all, he was still his own son, even if he had never been favored in daily life.

If this was how it was for Liu Xiao, then how much more so for the multitude of imperial grandsons and granddaughters? By now, Emperor Liu found it genuinely difficult to directly name a candidate to adopt out to Liu Xiao's line.

Seemingly aware of Emperor Liu's predicament, Worthy Consort Zhe spoke up on her own: "Of the four sons I bore, Liu Ai has the most children. His third son, Wenfeng, is born of the legitimate wife and has a temperament like his father—honest and steady."

Hearing her say this, Emperor Liu understood and nodded: "Him, then!"

"Rest well, and do not grieve too deeply!" There was little else to say between emperor and consort. Feeling the awkwardness himself, Emperor Liu left behind a nearly perfunctory word of concern and turned to go.

The Worthy Consort never failed to live up to her worthy name—sensible, principled, always making Emperor Liu feel at ease. This time was no different. Yet, though the Worthy Consort remained the same, Emperor Liu felt a growing sense of distance between them.

Outside the Autumn Splendor Hall, Crown Prince Liu Yang, Duke of Lu Liu Ai, and Princess Jincheng Liu Lei stood together, silently waiting. Seeing Emperor Liu emerge, they hurriedly bowed. Emperor Liu looked at Liu Yang and said with some displeasure: "What are you doing here? Have you no state affairs to attend to?"

Chastised, Liu Yang dared not argue or explain. Seeing that Emperor Liu's spirits were already much improved, he felt considerably relieved, offered another steady bow, and turned to leave.

Watching Liu Yang's retreating figure, then glancing at Liu Ai beside him, Emperor Liu's heart suddenly felt uneasy. The talented elder princes had all been sent out to the provinces; now, in the court, there was almost no one left who could threaten Liu Yang.

In this way, the Crown Prince's position was secure—but were his influence and authority becoming too great? And his own health had been failing repeatedly. This was not a good omen. If left unchecked...

Lost in thought, Emperor Liu's gaze grew deep and distant. Feeling Emperor Liu's eyes on him, Liu Ai involuntarily shuddered and asked nervously: "Your Majesty, is Mother all right?"

Looking at this son who had always been the most mediocre of them all, Emperor Liu suddenly felt that mediocrity was a blessing. Of course, Liu Ai's life had indeed been good—over thirty years, no illness, no disaster, no toil, no hardship, wealth and honor, carefree and at ease. Moreover, he had the most children of all Emperor Liu's sons; Liu Ai now had six sons and five daughters, having truly inherited Emperor Liu's knack for procreation.

"That third son of yours, Wenfeng—find time to bring him into the palace for me to see. Your mother and I intend to have him adopted into Liu Xiao's line. What do you think?" After a moment's deliberation, Emperor Liu spoke.

Hearing the question, Liu Ai secretly relaxed, then promptly replied: "This is his honor. Your subject fully supports it without the slightest objection. Consider it a small contribution to Eleventh Brother's legacy!"

Seeing this, Emperor Liu nodded and, for the first time with an approving attitude, gently patted Liu Ai on the shoulder.

"Take good care of your mother!" He then gave a brief instruction to Princess Jincheng Liu Lei beside him. Saying no more, Emperor Liu hunched his back and slowly departed.

As he left, Emperor Liu's heart was filled with sighs and reflections. Of the children Worthy Consort Zhe had borne, four sons and one daughter had grown to adulthood. Now, of those still in the capital, only the siblings Liu Ai and Liu Lei remained—and that was only because Liu Lei had not married far away.

Prince of Zhao Liu Fang had gone to Anxi, and Prince of Qi Liu Yun was in Guangzhou preparing logistics for the South Seas expedition. Liu Xiao had gone to the South Seas and died halfway. Thinking it all over, Emperor Liu felt he had somehow wronged the Worthy Consort.

His mood already gloomy, upon returning to Chuigong Hall he received a report that filled him with fury.

Wang Ji'en had come with another tattletale report. The cause was still the overseas expansion enterprise. After news of Liu Xiao's death from illness spread, it caused quite a stir among the powerful families in the capital, especially those who had been forced to go overseas.

What Wang Ji'en reported were some of the remarks being made—full of strange talk, veiled mockery, and pointed insinuations. The most excessive of all came from Earl the Yan Mountains Gao Shaoji.

In the earlier Kang clan rebellion case, Gao Shaoji's family had also been implicated. In the subsequent handling, they could be said to have "suffered heavy losses"—not only were they forced to repay three thousand strings of cash, but for the sake of that paltry three thousand strings, they had to send two sons and two grandsons out of the capital, off to suffer in the barbaric lands of the South Seas. Among them was a grandson Gao Shaoji loved most dearly. The separation from flesh and blood filled Gao Shaoji with bitter resentment.

Of course, Gao Shaoji had plenty to resent. He was the son of Gao Yunquan, the former Military Governor of Yanzhou. After Gao Yunquan died, Gao Shaoji had usurped his father's position and declared himself, enjoying a stint as a "feudal lord." Later, when the court launched its great campaign into the northwest, he was forced by circumstances to honestly hand over his authority. In the first year of Kaibao, he was enfeoffed as Earl of the Yan Mountains—a second-rank earl.

Gao Shaoji was clearly most dissatisfied with such treatment. After all, in his view, he held the same status as military governors like An Shenqi and Zhao Kuangzan. Even if he was a notch lower and could not be made a prince, surely being made a duke was not too much to ask?

Even Zhang and Quan prefectures had produced the two marquis houses of Liu and Chen—mere surrenderers of territory! Yet he, who had weathered wind and rain defending the northwest as a meritorious official, received only a paltry second-rank earldom. How unjust was the Son of Heaven...

Of course, Gao Shaoji did not usually dare to be too arrogant—after all, he lacked the capital for it, and he knew this well in his heart. This time he had failed to hold back, merely complaining a few words at home. After drinking a few bowls of wine, emboldened by the drink, he said that Emperor Liu was forcing them all to go overseas, even sending out imperial princes—and now he had gotten his retribution.

Under normal circumstances, such words would never have spread. But as luck would have it, a household servant who had once been punished by Gao Shaoji and harbored a grudge secretly reported him to the Palace City Office.

Thus, merely a day later, an edict issued from the palace: Gao Shaoji was stripped of his title of Earl of the Yan Mountains, and his entire clan was to be exiled to Liangping Island. Since he could not bear to part with his sons and grandsons, the whole clan would go together—complete, whole, and reunited. And even this was already extraordinary leniency from Emperor Liu...

In mid-autumn of the twenty-seventh year of Kaibao, after more than two months of drifting at sea, the coffin of Duke of Liang Liu Xiao finally arrived in the capital. The emperor and consort personally viewed his remains and wept aloud. Liu Xiao's body had been "preserved"...

The Emperor issued an edict, posthumously enfeoffing him as Prince of Liang, with the posthumous title of Xiao (Filial).