Chapter 200: Minister Shi, I Entrust You with a Heavy Task

The night grew deeper, and a few points of light slowly moved toward the Civilized Hall where Liu Chengyou was temporarily residing. From afar, the palace guards on duty had long noticed the situation. Only when they drew closer did they see clearly—it was several maidservants carrying palace lanterns, escorting Empress Fu.

"We pay our respects to His Majesty." The duty guard immediately stepped forward and greeted her in a low voice.

"No need for ceremony!" The elder Lady Fu gestured with poise, reaching out a hand to motion him up. She glanced toward the brightly lit hall and asked, "Is His Majesty inside?"

"This officer will report at once!"

After the announcement and entering the hall, the elder Lady Fu found Liu Chengyou leaning against the imperial desk, pinching the bridge of his nose, looking exceptionally weary.

The two were familiar enough with each other that there was no excessive formality. Liu Chengyou glanced at her—hmm, she hadn't brought any midnight snacks...

"Why have you come?" Taking his empress's hand, he led her to sit beside him, gently playing with it as he let out a sigh and asked.

"This Luoyang palace is austere, and on a cold night, alone on the pillow, sleep would not come. My heart was concerned for Your Majesty, so I came specially to see you." The elder Lady Fu's face was slightly flushed as she replied in a gentle voice.

Her words were quite easy to misinterpret—as if there was a hint of needing comfort...

The elder Lady Fu glanced at the pile of memorials stacked on the imperial desk and asked, "I haven't disturbed Your Majesty's governance of state affairs, have I?"

"Sooner or later, I'll be worn down to the bone in this pile of memorials!" Liu Chengyou couldn't help complaining.

Even during the western tour, important memorials from the Eastern Capital were still delivered by special courier to the imperial presence for Liu Chengyou's review and approval. When Liu Chengyou said this, it was clearly a case of the mouth denying what the heart truly wanted—for without the annoyance of these memorials, he would instead be filled with worry and anxiety, fearing that power might slip from his hands.

But the fatigue between Liu Chengyou's brows was in no way feigned. Seeing this, the elder Lady Fu couldn't help advising: "Your Majesty is a wise ruler, diligent in state affairs, toiling for the nation—but you must also take care of your body!"

"Along the way, you have dealt with so many corrupt officials and tyrannical clerks. The realm is cleansed, and the people's spirits are greatly lifted. Why then does Your Majesty remain so troubled?" Sensing that Liu Chengyou's mood was not good, the elder Lady Fu expressed her concern gently, wishing to ease his mind.

"Only upon arriving in Luoyang did I discover that this entire Western Capital region is not mine at all!" Liu Chengyou's tone carried a hint of pent-up indignation.

The elder Lady Fu was immediately astonished: "All under heaven is the king's land. Why does Your Majesty speak thus?"

"This..." Liu Chengyou opened his mouth, then forcibly swallowed his words and waved his hand: "Never mind! Let's not speak of these troubling matters!"

"I won't read them anymore! As it happens, I'm hungry. Accompany me for a meal." Liu Chengyou rose, stretched, twisted his body, and said to the elder Lady Fu.

"Your Majesty will not review the memorials?" The elder Lady Fu was somewhat surprised.

"Everything requiring my approval has already been handled. The rest has been dealt with by the chancellors. Tonight, I shall allow myself to be lazy!" Liu Chengyou said.

"Yes!" The elder Lady Fu responded at last.

Palace eunuchs naturally prepared the food. Liu Chengyou went to the eastern wing of the hall, his brow furrowing slightly. The two sat facing each other, and it still seemed rather sparse, so he gave an order: "Send someone to see whether the Noble Consort has retired for the night. If she has not yet gone to bed, have her come..."

Of course, since Liu Chengyou had given such an order, even if Gao Huaijin had truly retired, she would have to rise from her bed to attend upon the emperor. However, hearing Liu Chengyou's instruction from the side, the elder Lady Fu's elegant brow furrowed slightly, then quickly returned to normal. There was no displeasure in her expression.

That night, nothing exciting happened.

Because of the prohibition on alcohol, they naturally could not drink. Otherwise, Liu Chengyou might have used the wine to try the flavor of one dragon with two phoenixes.

On Li Shaoyou's side, his efficiency was very high. In only two days' time, he presented Liu Chengyou with a list of names, and behind each name, everything was clearly explained—identity, resume, titles and ranks, landholdings, how many peasants were occupied, crimes committed, and so forth.

Officials from both the Eastern and Western Capitals were included, mainly former court officials from the previous dynasty, prioritizing those with weak influence and little standing, plus those "conditions" that deeply pleased Liu Chengyou. Li Shaoyou had clearly put real thought into it.

In fact, these problems required little effort to investigate—those people had done their deeds with almost no restraint. But selecting these few dozen "chickens" was what truly demanded the most effort.

"Well done!" Liu Chengyou put away the bound list and said to Li Shaoyou.

Li Shaoyou breathed a sigh of relief and immediately humbly expressed that he had not failed the Emperor's trust.

While Liu Chengyou was pondering, Li Shaoyou's eyes rolled around a couple of times, and he proactively clasped his hands and requested: "Your Majesty, shall your servant lead men to arrest people according to the list?"

Hearing this, Liu Chengyou couldn't help glancing at him. Seeing his humble demeanor, and after thinking for a moment, Liu Chengyou set down the list and said flatly: "This matter should not be handled by the Wude Office."

A trace of disappointment flashed deep in his pupils, but Li Shaoyou still respectfully replied: "Yes!"

Since the list had been drawn up, it naturally wasn't meant to gather dust. It had to be strictly executed, and Liu Chengyou had already decided who would be responsible.

A bit later, Liu Chengyou summoned Shi Hongzhao to the palace for an audience.

"Let me ask you—why has His Majesty summoned me?" Outside the Civilized Hall, Shi Hongzhao directly grabbed the palace eunuch's arm and demanded harshly.

Shi Hongzhao's grip was strong, and the eunuch winced in pain but dared not make a loud fuss. Suppressing his "ow" sounds, his face twisted, and he said in a pleading tone: "This servant does not know."

Only then did Shi Hongzhao release this ball-less eunuch. Seeing his pathetic display, his eyes were filled with deep contempt.

"Your servant Shi Hongzhao pays respects to Your Majesty!" Before Liu Chengyou, Shi Hongzhao still maintained his "reserve," putting on airs, and even his bowing motion seemed somewhat forced.

Liu Chengyou glanced at him, set down his brush, rose, and personally helped him up—the motions fluid and seamless, his attitude cordial: "Minister Shi, no need for ceremony."

When Liu Chengyou helped him up, Shi Hongzhao was somewhat surprised. From Liu Chengyou's behavior, he sensed something called "goodwill."

Personally guiding him to take a seat and offering him tea, under Liu Chengyou's deliberate cultivation, the atmosphere between sovereign and minister felt harmonious for the first time. On the contrary, Shi Hongzhao was somewhat unaccustomed to it. Though he was crude, he was not a complete fool—he could naturally sense Liu Chengyou's usual displeasure toward him.

While drinking tea, he secretly pondered but could not figure out the reason, so he could only silently wait for Liu Chengyou to speak.

"Minister Shi is the pillar of the Great Han. Since I ascended the throne, I have never had a deep conversation with you—that has been my oversight." Liu Chengyou first offered words of humility, paused, then looked at Shi Hongzhao and said: "These past few days, I have repeatedly recalled the hardships of the late emperor in founding our dynasty. I remember last year, when Minister Shi and the army's officers and soldiers fought in bloody battle, driving out the barbarian invaders, restoring the altars of state, and jointly establishing the Great Han. Minister Shi, moreover, was the foremost meritorious official in taking the Central Plains—your toils and achievements are great indeed. Thinking of it now, I am filled with boundless emotion..."

Liu Chengyou's flattery made Shi Hongzhao even more puzzled at heart, though his tense expression did relax somewhat. When his achievements were mentioned, a hint of pride unconsciously hung at the corners of his mouth.

But looking at Liu Chengyou's young face, he asked directly: "Why has Your Majesty summoned your servant? Speak plainly!"

Liu Chengyou paid no mind to his attitude and said directly: "I have recently been thinking that the officers and soldiers of the imperial army, who devoted their utmost loyalty and died in service, are the reason we have the Great Han. Though they were previously rewarded and promoted, I still feel it is insufficient. Therefore, I wish to distribute the fertile lands of the two capitals' surrounding regions to reward the soldiers."

Hearing Liu Chengyou say this, Shi Hongzhao immediately became interested and clasped his hands: "Your Majesty is wise!"

"However—" Liu Chengyou signaled a turn at the right moment, his expression revealing anger and helplessness: "After arriving in Luoyang, I sent people to survey the land, and discovered that around the Western Capital, there is not a single inch of land available for reward!"

Hearing this, Shi Hongzhao was even more surprised: "How can that be? The lands of the Yi and Luo rivers are vast—how could there be a shortage of land?"

Liu Chengyou spread his hands, sighed, and somewhat dejectedly explained the situation. His bias was clear, and he played down the important points while emphasizing the trivial, essentially directing the hatred toward those old officials and meritorious ministers.

Sure enough, Shi Hongzhao slapped the armrest of his chair right in front of Liu Chengyou and roared in fury: "The soldiers bled on the battlefield, enduring wounds and pain, yet still cannot receive rewards. What merit do those people have, to dare act so wantonly, seizing land?"

Shi Hongzhao's family also held some property in the Western Capital area, though not much. Hearing clearly from Liu Chengyou's mouth how many benefits those officials and meritorious ministers had obtained, he was naturally dissatisfied.

Speaking up for the soldiers and airing grievances was all empty—the real thing was his own psychological imbalance.

Liu Chengyou was very satisfied with Shi Hongzhao's reaction, and then spoke: "I wish to rectify this matter, but it is difficult and requires a senior minister who can command authority to take charge..."

"What difficulty is there in that?" Shi Hongzhao said directly: "Your Majesty need only entrust it to your servant to handle!"