Chapter 2007: Zhao Kuangyi Stays at the Eastern Capital as the Dragon Funeral Bell Rings

Hearing Liu Yang's proposal, Zhao Kuangyi, who had been "calm as still water," was slightly taken aback. His eyes blinked rapidly several times at a higher frequency than usual, and naturally, his mind was racing along with it.

Go to the Eastern Capital to take charge? That seemed like a good choice. The atmosphere in Luoyang was too oppressive—with the old Emperor there, with the Crown Prince and Zhao Pu there, his political maneuvering space was extremely limited.

The Eastern Capital was different. Even though its direct jurisdiction over Henan and the two Huai circuits had been taken back under Zhao Pu's push, it was still the Great Han's true imperial capital. In terms of time served as the capital, it far exceeded Luoyang. In terms of prosperity, Luoyang only managed to barely match it even with the imperial court in residence.

The longer the court stayed in Luoyang, the more the Eastern Capital's status did not decline—instead, it stirred more people's longing for Kaifeng. To be fair, since Empress Fu passed away and her spirit was escorted west, several years had already gone by. Shouldn't the Emperor go back for a visit?

Of course, Zhao Kuangyi was not among the "return-to-capital faction." Having served as Governor of Luoyang for many years, his foundation ran much deeper here. Among all the successive Governors of Luoyang, none could match Zhao Kuangyi in urban economic development, institutional construction, and care for the people's livelihood. Many of Luoyang's current features were laid down during Zhao Kuangyi's tenure.

If not for the Huazhou corruption case—in which his younger brother Zhao Kuangmei was implicated along with those criminal scions of the nobility—a few more years would have bound Zhao Kuangyi and Luoyang even more tightly together.

Even so, a large number of officials in Luoyang Prefecture and its surrounding prefectures and counties had been promoted during Zhao Kuangyi's administration. Over more than a decade, many of them had risen to high positions in the capital's officialdom, becoming an important pillar of Zhao Kuangyi's power and influence.

However, for Zhao Kuangyi as he was now, looking upward, his attention was more focused on the center of power.

His protégés and former subordinates below held greater value when power was descending—there needed to be a group of people to wave the flags, shout support, and handle affairs. In high-level struggles, they wouldn't play much of a role—or could even be counterproductive. The word "faction" was forever a sword hanging over the head of any powerful minister.

Under such circumstances, when the Crown Prince proposed sending him to the Eastern Capital to take charge, Zhao Kuangyi, after a quick weighing of options, was tempted. Compared to "wasting away" in Luoyang, going to the Eastern Capital would both escape the shadow of the Emperor and the chancellor, and open a new path for his own power and prospects.

During the period when the imperial capital was in Luoyang, in order to strengthen centralization, the status of the Eastern Capital's resident office had been steadily weakening. In recent years, its staffing had been reduced and the rank of its chief officer lowered—but it had never been abolished. Once he went there, wouldn't the situation change?

He, Zhao Kuangyi, was after all one of the top three chancellors in the Hall of State Affairs. If he took overall charge of the Eastern Capital's resident office, its significance would immediately be different—at the very least, its standing could be restored to its former level.

Among the several chancellors in the Hall of State Affairs now, only Zhao Pu and Lu Liu'ai ranked ahead of Zhao Kuangyi. No matter how formidable Zhao Pu was, he was old and decrepit—his decline over the past two years was visible to the naked eye. As for Liu'ai, he was merely someone the old Emperor had temporarily found to fill the slot when no suitable imperial clansman was available.

Logically speaking, staying in Luoyang was most advantageous for Zhao Kuangyi. If old Zhao Pu stumbled, who else but him—"Young Chancellor Zhao"—would be the successor?

If it were ten years ago, Zhao Kuangyi would indeed have thought this way and planned accordingly. But now, with other options available, he could make a decisive choice. The reason was that Zhao Kuangyi had "awakened"—as long as the old Emperor lived, he, Zhao Kuangyi, could never "reach the summit."

Therefore, Zhao Kuangyi had long since set his sights beyond the old Emperor's reign, waiting for the day the Crown Prince ascended the throne. This was also why, in recent years, Zhao Kuangyi had maintained a low-key and affable demeanor—no longer stirring up trouble, single-mindedly striving to be a good minister and worthy chancellor of the Great Han.

If he could go to the Eastern Capital, though temporarily leaving the court, he could also distance himself from the old Emperor—the one who posed the greatest threat to him and was completely unpredictable and uncontrollable—while continuing to cultivate and build in the Eastern Capital. The best-case expectation was that one day, the two capitals would join forces to jointly support the current dynasty.

Though he had formed an idea in his mind, his face showed hesitation. Zhao Kuangyi looked at Liu Yang with a hesitant expression and said: "Your Highness, the flood disaster has not yet materialized. It shouldn't be necessary for me to go to the Eastern Capital to take charge yet. Moreover, for a chancellor to remain at the resident office, we must still request the Emperor's approval!"

"Just preparing for a rainy day!" Liu Yang said crisply, glancing around the room. "As for His Majesty, once the Hall of State Affairs makes a resolution and submits it for approval, I imagine he won't veto it. However, do Chancellor Zhao and Chancellor Lü have any objections to this matter?"

Upon hearing the question, Lü Duan pondered for a moment, looked at the Crown Prince and Zhao Kuangyi, then cupped his hands and said: "Preparedness ensures safety. With the Earl of Guangyang going personally to coordinate on-site, there should be no concern! I second the motion!"

After Lü Duan finished speaking, old Zhao Pu also opened his hazy old eyes and said softly: "This old minister has no objections!"

With Chancellors Zhao and Lü both in agreement, it could basically be handled according to the unanimous resolution of the Hall of State Affairs. Under normal circumstances, given the old Emperor's stubbornness, he rarely overturned such decisions. It could be said that Zhao Kuangyi's remaining at the Eastern Capital was settled.

It had to be said that at this moment, Zhao Kuangyi genuinely hoped this rainfall would brew into a major disaster—otherwise, his justification for going to the Eastern Capital would be lacking.

Just as Zhao Kuangyi was speculating about the reason Liu Yang wanted him to go to the Eastern Capital, the Duke of Lu, Liu Ai, walked in. Scanning the room, he fixed his gaze on Liu Yang, stepped forward, and handed over an official document: "Your Highness the Crown Prince, the Anxi Protectorate General has submitted a memorial. The matter is of great importance—please review it!"

Liu Ai had succeeded Duke Wu Liu Hui's position as chancellor, but having been an invisible nobody his whole life, how could he bear the responsibilities of the Hall of State Affairs? In this regard, he couldn't even compare to Liu Hui.

Thus, this legitimate imperial prince, Duke, and chancellor had spent these past few months in the Hall of State Affairs more like an errand-running clerk. He couldn't do technical work, and he had no insightful proposals to offer. But likewise, compared to Liu Hui with his endless scheming and frequent tricks, Liu Ai's mediocre performance actually earned extremely high praise.

After all, no matter how mediocre, he was still the old Emperor's son—who would dare to look down on him? At the same time, with a well-behaved and harmless prince sitting in the Hall of State Affairs, was it so hard to give him a bit more respect?

Toward this always well-behaved younger brother, Liu Yang's attitude was naturally cordial. Gesturing for him to sit down, he began reading the memorial from Anxi. The content of the memorial needed no detailed recounting—it was nothing more than Liu Min's plan to implement new policies in Anxi, and these things made Liu Yang's brows furrow deeply.

Seeing the ministers watching him with great curiosity, Liu Yang let out a soft breath and raised the memorial in his hand: "This memorial from Anxi is rather interesting. Gentlemen, please pass it around and take a look."

The sound of rain outside the hall gradually lessened. As the memorial on Anxi's reform request was shared, the atmosphere in the hall gradually became delicate. The expressions of the assembled dignitaries of the Hall of State Affairs were truly worth pondering.

Song Zhun, the most junior in seniority, was the last to read it, yet also the first to voice his opinion—even appearing somewhat indignant. With a solemn face, he said: "What is Prince Wei trying to do? Your Highness, you absolutely must not agree to this memorial, or the Great Han's established order will surely be destroyed!"

"Minister Song, don't be hasty—" Seeing Song Zhun's agitated manner, Liu Yang couldn't help but try to soothe him. However, he had barely begun speaking when he was interrupted by the sound of bells.

Including Liu Yang, everyone in the hall's faces changed dramatically—some, like Song Zhun, even stood up. The bell sound came from the inner palace. Its timbre and frequency were unique within the imperial city. Ring after ring, it seemed to strike at everyone's hearts.

Silently counting, it rang a total of seven times before stopping. At the same time, everyone's mood inexplicably relaxed. The lingering echoes seemed to still reverberate in their ears. Official business could no longer be discussed for now. Liu Yang was the first to move, heading to Chuigong Hall for an audience with the Emperor.

The last time this "Dragon Funeral Bell" had rung was when the death notice of Prince of Qin Liu Xu arrived at the capital—also seven rings. Clearly, another noble person had passed away within the palace.

Seeing the Crown Prince set off, the others followed closely behind. As for the various strange reactions each had shown when the bell first began ringing, they all tacitly chose to ignore them.