Chapter 1965: It Had to Be Wang Yucheng

"Wang Yucheng! Kou Zhun!" Emperor Liu's voice, tinged with emotion, echoed through Chuigong Hall.

One middle-aged and one young minister stood solemnly and respectfully before the imperial presence, receiving Emperor Liu's scrutiny. Their etiquette was impeccable, yet their bearing gave off an air of unhurried composure.

Wang Yucheng and Kou Zhun had both returned to court from the provinces this time. Wang Yucheng had been recalled by imperial decree, while Kou Zhun had come back to the capital to report on his duties. Both had then been summoned together to Chuigong Hall for questioning.

The age difference between Wang and Kou was no more than seven or eight years, but from their appearances, they might have belonged to two different generations. Wang Yucheng was only thirty-six, yet his face was weathered and mottled, his whole body rough and worn, and even his hair was already streaked with white. He had clearly endured too much hardship and trial in this world. In comparison, Kou Zhun, not yet thirty, appeared far more spirited and vigorous.

"We have heard a saying in court that when it comes to loyalty and outspokenness, none surpass Wang and Kou—both are upright and cannot be deceived!" From behind the tall imperial desk, Emperor Liu continued with a sigh: "We are most curious about such remarks. Is it that in today's court, only you two remain who dare to speak the truth and offer loyal counsel?"

"Your servant does not deserve such undeserved praise!" After Emperor Liu finished speaking, Wang Yucheng pondered briefly, then immediately clasped his hands and replied: "Your Majesty is wise and brilliant, and worthy ministers fill the court. How could such a great court have only one Wang Yucheng? It is merely that compared to the many worthies, your servant's words and deeds are somewhat reckless and presumptuous, not knowing the weight of matters, nor knowing restraint, earning a reputation for courting attention."

"Haha!" Emperor Liu was genuinely surprised to hear Wang Yucheng speak this way. He examined him carefully for a moment, then said with a light laugh: "Since when did Wang Yucheng gain such self-awareness? That doesn't sound like something you would say."

Emperor Liu's manner of speaking was becoming increasingly casual, his words carrying obvious teasing, so much so that one could not tell whether his intent was good or ill. If a man lacked sufficient mental fortitude, he would surely have been stricken with fear by now.

Wang Yucheng's heart stirred slightly at this, for Emperor Liu's way of speaking was hardly comfortable to hear, and it left one uncertain how to respond. After a moment of deliberation, Wang Yucheng said with a solemn expression: "A man values self-knowledge. To receive such praise from Your Majesty is your servant's honor!"

"Different! Truly different!" Noting Wang Yucheng's expression, Emperor Liu praised repeatedly, yet deep in his eyes flashed a barely perceptible trace of disappointment.

Was a Wang Yucheng whose edges had been worn smooth still Wang Yucheng? And to think that he himself had thought of him from time to time, specifically recalling him back to Luoyang.

In more than ten years of official service, apart from the two unremarkable years he had spent quietly in the capital, Wang Yucheng's career could be described, from the moment he received Emperor Liu's praise and promotion, as a cycle of rising and falling.

If he was not already demoted, he was on the road to demotion. Wang Yucheng had become a regular visitor to the far northwest—Shengzhou, Lingzhou, Lanzhou—these northwestern prefectures had all borne the footprints and writings of Wang Yucheng.

And this time, Wang Yucheng had been transferred to the capital from his position as Prefectural Administrator of Shanzhou. The wind and sand of the northwest were not to be trifled with, and combined with the frequent transfers and upheavals, this was the reason Wang Yucheng had aged so rapidly.

Every one of Wang Yucheng's demotions was essentially inseparable from his mouth. A man who could not tolerate a single grain of sand in his eye, Wang Yucheng was too daring in speech and too eloquent. Disaster springing from the mouth was the truest portrayal of his years in office.

By all rights, Emperor Liu was not a ruler who could not tolerate others. Ministers speaking a few words or voicing a few complaints were not major problems. But it so happened that the problems Wang Yucheng pointed out each time struck precisely at Emperor Liu's "hidden ailments," leaving him feeling as if a fishbone were stuck in his throat.

When a person has done wrong, they subconsciously look for excuses, even deliberately covering it up. Emperor Liu was the same—even if he knew the truth in his heart, he would use self-deceiving means. But Wang Yucheng was tactless; he insisted on lifting the lid. Every time he provoked Emperor Liu into a towering rage, that was when his demotion arrived.

It must be said that Emperor Liu had harbored murderous intent toward Wang Yucheng—and more than once. This man was simply too oblivious and too irritating. In earlier years, he could still laugh it off and mete out light punishment, but when Emperor Liu's old age arrived and his patience ran thin, Wang Yucheng truly dangled at death's door every single time.

At the height of his suspicion toward Wang Yucheng, Emperor Liu had come to view him as one of those petty men who "sell their outspokenness to buy loyalty," seeking fame by fleecing Emperor Liu's "wool" to play the role of a modern-day Wei Zheng. At that time, Emperor Liu genuinely wanted to order someone to send Wang Yucheng a bottle of poisoned wine.

That Wang Yucheng managed to keep his life was largely thanks to the deep impression he had left on Emperor Liu in his early years: Wang Yucheng was a loyal minister—just the sort of man who liked to speak the truth but did not know how to speak it well.

Thus, his life could be preserved, but every bout of "running his mouth" would be followed by demotion. Yet people always have a self-demeaning side—every so often, Emperor Liu would think of Wang Yucheng again, and the older he grew, the more this was so.

It was not that Emperor Liu valued Wang Yucheng so highly, but rather that Wang Yucheng had long become the symbol of Emperor Liu's "opening wide the channels of remonstrance and gathering diverse opinions." If even Wang Yucheng were killed, then who else would dare to speak?

On the other hand, it was the old emperor's common ailment—he always felt that people were taking advantage of his age, belittling his authority, even deceiving their sovereign. And while Wang Yucheng's words were unpleasant to hear, at least he would never deceive his sovereign.

Therefore, when he saw Wang Yucheng in this meek and submissive manner, Emperor Liu felt a sense of loss in his heart—even sadness.

If even Wang Yucheng had changed, then in the entire court above and below, who could he still trust?

No matter how complicated his feelings, Emperor Liu's face showed no change at all, and his tone remained steady as he said: "We have heard that you, like that Liu Kai, are advocating some kind of literary reform, harshly criticizing those florid writing styles, vigorously promoting Han Yu and Bai Juyi, hoping that poetry and prose might pay more attention to the suffering of the common people and reflect the ills of the times."

Hearing Emperor Liu mention the cause he had upheld for over ten years, Wang Yucheng nodded and replied with a still-serious expression: "To answer Your Majesty, this is indeed so! There are a thousand ways to write, and literary styles are endlessly changing. Your servant and Liu of Liuzhou have merely found the style that suits us."

The "Liu of Liuzhou" Wang Yucheng referred to was naturally not Liu Zongyuan of the Tang dynasty, but rather Liu Kai, the current Prefectural Administrator of Liuzhou. He too was a Jinshi of the Kaibao era, and had advocated literary reform even earlier than Wang Yucheng. Of course, his temperament was not as overly rigid as Wang Yucheng's, but he also delighted in criticizing current ills, offending quite a few people, and his official career was likewise bumpy. He had now been in his post at Liuzhou for three years.

Wang Yucheng and Liu Kai were also kindred spirits. Though thousands of li apart, they still exchanged letters every year, celebrating each other with poetry and prose, entrusting their feelings and aspirations to their writings.

Hearing Wang Yucheng say this, Emperor Liu smiled and said in a calm tone: "Talk of literary reform and reversing literary trends—We know full well that you literati simply write your political views and ideals into those works of yours.

We have read some of your poetry and prose. We are most curious—is Our Great Han truly so deplorable in your eyes? Are the common people of the Great Han truly living in dire straits? Is the Kaibao golden age merely a joke?"

By the end, Emperor Liu's voice had risen extremely high, thundering like a boom, striking fear into all who heard it. Even Kou Zhun could not help but glance at Wang Yucheng, his eyes carrying a trace of worry. He still held great admiration for Wang Yucheng.

Unexpectedly, Emperor Liu's words seemed to jolt Wang Yucheng awake, and his face no longer had that "deathly dull" look from before. After a moment of deliberation, Wang Yucheng said to Emperor Liu: "What Your Majesty says is most true. Your servant's fervent ambition to serve the country and his concern for the people have indeed all been poured into his poetry and prose. Over the past decade or more, though your servant has risen and fallen repeatedly, he has also witnessed the myriad faces of the human world. The livelihoods of the realm's common folk, the toil of the black-haired masses—this is by no means the scene of a golden age."

"So, this is the origin of the 'Western Expedition Rhapsody'?" Emperor Liu suddenly interrupted Wang Yucheng, speaking coldly. For some reason, Emperor Liu at this moment gave people a feeling of excitement, like a hunter who had spotted his prey.

Wang Yucheng had indeed written a "Western Expedition Rhapsody," but though the title was the same, the content and meaning were vastly different. What Wang Yucheng described in the rhapsody was the hardship of the people's livelihoods in the He-Long region under the western expedition—the emptying of the treasuries, the exhaustion of the people's strength. In Wang Yucheng's eyes, if the He-Long region had a health indicator, it would already be flashing red with alarm.

Facing Emperor Liu's aggressive interrogation, Wang Yucheng seemed like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, suddenly regaining his fighting spirit. He clasped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, your servant spent two years in Shanzhou. Throughout the entire prefecture, from your servant on down, tens of thousands of people—what kept them busy day and month was not food and clothing, but the court's 'four levies.' Shanzhou is a poor prefecture; its agricultural and pastoral output is meager, yet nearly seventy percent of what it produces each year must be turned over to supply the Anxi army. The remaining thirty percent must sustain the livelihoods of the entire prefecture's people.

Fortunately, these two years have seen no disasters, and the people, gritting their teeth, have managed to hold on through bitter struggle. Of the prefecture's able-bodied men, over two thousand have died in Gaochang and Anxi, and half of them had traveled far to the Western Regions to escort grain and fodder."

Speaking with deep emotion, Wang Yucheng's eyes had already welled up with tears, and he choked: "Your Majesty, the people of Shanzhou suffer! The soldiers and people of the northwest suffer!"

After hearing Wang Yucheng's account, Emperor Liu's brows knit together, and he said with some skepticism: "How could it come to this? The court's requisition of grain and fodder follows established rules. How could it be so unrestrained? If Shanzhou is abusing its people's labor like this, what have you, as Prefectural Administrator, been doing?"

"The circuit's commands—how would your servant dare to disobey? If one could resist once, could one resist every time?" Wang Yucheng said in a deep voice: "Your servant has also submitted several memorials to the court, stating the difficulties and pleading the hardships, yet there has never been any response."

At this point, Wang Yucheng drew a deep breath, suddenly raised his head, and asked Emperor Liu in a loud voice: "Forgive your servant for daring to ask—how many years has Your Majesty gone without touring the provinces, without witnessing with your own eyes what kind of world exists today?"

Wang Yucheng's question was truly weighty and thunderous, enough to shake the deaf and awaken the dull. It could even be taken directly as an accusation. Everyone in the hall was astonished at Wang Yucheng's audacity, but at the same time, that familiar Wang Yucheng had returned.

As for Emperor Liu, his face had already turned as gloomy as water. He said coldly to Yan Tuo at his side: "Go, investigate this for Us. Bring Me Wang Yucheng's memorials to the court!"

"You, continue speaking! Today, you—say whatever you want to say!" Emperor Liu, with a feeling of shame turning to anger, turned his head and barked at Wang Yucheng.

Emperor Liu felt he ought to be angry, because he had never even seen Wang Yucheng's memorials.