Chapter 1992: Madness?

He came in high spirits and left in disappointment. Consort Hui not only failed to secure "fair" treatment for her son but was instead severely rebuked by Emperor Liu, and ultimately returned weeping and aggrieved. To be fair, some of Consort Hui's excessive remarks had indeed provoked the old emperor's ire.

The atmosphere in the hall seemed shrouded in dark clouds. The old emperor sat alone at the imperial desk, his face gloomy, his chest heaving visibly. Seeing this, Hu De bowed low and cautiously called out: "Your Majesty..."

The old emperor ignored him, brows furrowed tightly, muttering to himself: "Favoring one and slighting another?"

Of course there was. The old emperor was not a machine, not a program—he had feelings too, and would act with bias based on personal likes and dislikes.

The older one gets, the more one becomes a person, a "pure" person. An emperor is inherently self-centered, and the old emperor had evolved to an extremely "selfish" state. Cross him, and even a biological son would be disciplined without the slightest mercy.

What Consort Hui described was not fabricated, nor even much exaggerated. At least she and her son felt a sense of shame too embarrassing to show others, as if they were the "shame of the imperial clan."

Of the sixteen imperial princes, except for the still-young sixteenth prince Liu Yao, all the others had been granted noble titles. Only Liu Xuan, who had even already married, remained a "commoner." Strictly speaking, even the mansion he resided in was suspect of exceeding regulations in construction grade and usage standards. Emperor Liu had never granted him the right to establish his own household, including the use of the palace eunuchs and palace maids within.

Such treatment could be said to have broken through the bottom line. Even outside officials shook their heads at the sight, feeling the old emperor's actions were excessive. And the reason was merely that Consort Hui and her son had opposed him during the enfeoffment arrangements—which the old emperor viewed as defiance that caused him great loss of face.

It could even be said this was a form of revenge. The old emperor had to make up for it from other angles, like a child sulking: if you don't follow my will and leave me displeased, then don't expect to have it easy... As for why he targeted Liu Xuan specifically, that could only be blamed on the fact that they had jumped the highest back then, making them the perfect example.

And the old emperor's current shame and anger came partly from Consort Hui's verbal provocation, but more from the memories of that psychological state being stirred up. Looking back and facing "that time" directly, Emperor Liu became furious with shame.

Unimaginable, incomprehensible—how could he, Liu, have become like this? Asking himself honestly, with such narrow-mindedness and such conduct, was he still that peerless conqueror, that emperor for the ages? Where had his imperial breadth of mind and magnanimity gone?

He, the emperor, had actually begun to squabble like a petty man, to argue with a woman over trifles. Having sunk to such a level, his lifetime of brilliance could be considered ruined.

Of course, such self-analysis could only be pondered by the old emperor himself. But the deeper he dug into his true inner self, the more ashamed he felt, the more painful, and even panicked.

Suddenly looking back, once the halo of his noble imperial identity was stripped away, he was merely a "mortal"—even merely a "petty man." No one would have imagined that the inscrutable Emperor Liu would fall into a state of severe self-doubt.

With chaotic thoughts swirling, the old emperor's aged face twisted almost into a knot, looking exceptionally ferocious. Hu De, watching from the side, was so alarmed his heart pounded, not even daring to voice his concern.

After a long while, the old emperor finally calmed down—calm to the point of stiffness and numbness. He slowly rose, leaning on his bamboo staff, hunched over, and made his way toward the bedchamber.

Before long, a violent commotion came from within—banging sounds. Hu De dared not show the slightest negligence and summoned two palace eunuchs to go in and check.

The commotion was naturally caused by Emperor Liu. Inside, to everyone's astonishment, the old emperor was "going mad," raising that bamboo staff and striking a large bronze mirror again and again, clattering and crashing.

But no matter how the old emperor struck, aside from producing noise and leaving some marks on the mirror's surface, he could not damage it in the slightest. The Great Han's mirror-making craftsmanship had been improved by now—the smelting formulas and materials had been adjusted, making the mirrors far more durable than those of previous dynasties.

And the mirrors used by the imperial household, besides being beautiful and luxurious, were of even better quality. Thus, the old emperor's "clumsy" destruction contrasted with the bronze mirror's "endurance," making the scene somewhat comical.

But Hu De and the others could not laugh at all—only deep terror. The old emperor was already frightening enough on ordinary days; with such violent loss of composure, wouldn't a single brush with him mean death?

After a long time, whether the old emperor had finished venting or simply exhausted his strength, his movements gradually slowed. He dropped the bamboo staff and leaned against the mirror frame, gasping for breath.

Only then did Hu De dare approach, trembling as he urged: "I beg Your Majesty to calm your anger!"

Emperor Liu was already sitting on the ground, utterly devoid of dignity. He glanced up at Hu De and said flatly: "Help me up and sit me down!"

"Yes!" Hu De breathed a great sigh of relief at these words, acknowledged, and hurried forward to carefully support him to the soft couch nearby.

Sitting down slowly, Emperor Liu hunched his back, propping his hands on his knees. His emotions settled somewhat, and he turned his head to look at the large bronze mirror, muttering: "I can't even deal with a single mirror anymore."

At that thought, Emperor Liu's eyes widened, bloodshot veins clearly visible. Pointing at the mirror with a trembling hand, he said: "Smash this mirror for me! Replace it with a glass one!"

Seeing the old emperor's terrifying state, Hu De dared not show the slightest negligence and immediately arranged for the bronze mirror to be carried out. Back then, because the glass mirror reflected him too clearly, he had it smashed in a fit of rage and replaced with a bronze one. Now, going full circle, he wanted to switch back. Well, convenient for the old emperor to vent his destructive urges.

Of course, the real reason might be that back then, the glass mirror had only reflected the old emperor's aged and ugly face, whereas now what the old emperor saw was his own selfish and ugly heart...

Hu De naturally had no way of knowing the old emperor's inner changes. With sharp eyes, he noticed the bamboo staff thrown on the ground—after that violent display by Emperor Liu, it was already damaged, the gold, silver, pearls, and agate inlaid upon it scattered broken across the floor.

"Your Majesty, should this staff also be disposed of? Shall I have the Court of the Imperial Treasury craft a new one?" Hu De asked softly.

"Bring it here!"

Picking up the bamboo staff, Emperor Liu took it and gently stroked the cracked shaft. A look of "heartache" appeared in his aged eyes as he said softly: "Take it and have someone repair it properly!"

"Yes!"

"All of you, withdraw."

After dismissing the others, he was silent for a moment. Then Emperor Liu suddenly raised his hand and slapped himself hard twice across the face—truly with force, the smacks ringing out, his aged face turning red.

At this moment, Emperor Liu actually hated himself somewhat. Of course, what he hated was his behavior. In his view, his "frenzy" just now was merely an expression of impotent rage—the more violent he became, the more it revealed his guilt and incompetence.

Yet if he did nothing, the pent-up frustration in his chest would torment him unbearably—a feeling almost like suffocation. The more it built up, the more he wanted to vent; the bigger his actions, the more he loathed and despised himself.

The old emperor's psychological state was already somewhat fractured, even twisted. Facing his own heart directly and dissecting himself deeply was truly a terrifying thing.

With thoughts in chaos, Emperor Liu suddenly looked up. From his bloodshot eyes burst a terrifying killing intent. If today's events were to spread, who knew what the ministers inside and outside the court would speculate?

Hu De and the others had witnessed his behavior just now in full. Should they be dealt with?