Chapter 2056: Return to the Capital

As for the death of Jin Prince Liu Xi, beyond the boundless grief, what he found hardest to let go of was the cause of Liu Xi's death—illness. As for the cause of the illness, there was no doubt it was closely tied to that year of political and military life among the Tibetans. The snow-covered plateau was magnificent, mysterious, and remote, but for Liu Xi, who had long lived on the plains, it was also fraught with unfathomable dangers. Everyone reacted differently to the high plateau.

And tracing it to its root, the one who had sent Liu Xi to the Tibetans, placing him in that extreme climate, was none other than the old Emperor himself. The gray-haired burying the black-haired was not something the old Emperor had experienced once or twice, but no matter how he restrained himself, each time felt like tearing open a scar anew.

After all, this was Jin Prince Liu Xi—one of the sons the old Emperor valued most, one in whom he had invested tremendous effort and placed great hopes. And yet now, at not yet forty-three, he had died in his prime.

Noble Consort Gao and her son had always held a certain place in the old Emperor's heart. Now both mother and son had gone before him, and the boundless desolation within him had no one to confide in.

In the past, the old Emperor had always appeared iron-hearted, as if nothing in the world could strike him down. But this time, he somewhat collapsed—from spirit to body, he could barely hold on. When Liu Xu had died, he could still persevere, but the blow of Liu Xi's death had directly confined him to bed with illness.

Lying on his sickbed, the old Emperor could not help but weakly wonder: if he had not sent his sons to those extremely perilous places, how could there be such grief today?

Whether Liu Xu, Liu Xi, or even the sickly Liu Xiao—if they had stayed safely in the Central Plains, how could they have passed away before him? They could have served the court and the state just as well from the capital.

Over the past decades, there had been many things that made the old Emperor feel regret and remorse, but never had any weighed on him as heavily as the deaths of his sons. Everything could have had a better ending, but due to various factors, it had come to this.

And among them, the old Emperor's own choices and decisions were clearly the main cause. In deep reflection, the old Emperor could not help but blame himself—for the sake of so-called expansion and enterprise, for the sake of the so-called century-spanning plan, he had thrown his sons into the fray, making these scions of the imperial house the nourishment of a thousand-year imperial dream as illusory as flowers in a mirror or the moon's reflection on water.

But no matter what, it was too late for regret. At the same time, harboring such regret at this stage was an utterly agonizing affair for the old Emperor. His excessive self-reproach drove him into a dead end, and a stifling knot of anguish accumulated in his chest, almost robbing him of breath.

The Jinling traveling palace, just like Panyu, had been well preserved and maintained—carved railings and jade steps gleaming in the sunlight. Summer was somewhat hot, yet the people within the palace, whether imperial guard soldiers or eunuchs and palace maids, all felt a chill—the cold sorrow the old Emperor had brought with him.

An old man in a brocade robe—stooped, white-haired, and bearing a dignified countenance—walked slowly forward, ascended the imperial steps, and waited outside the bedchamber for the imperial summons.

Upon receiving word, Hu De came out, and seeing the visitor, immediately showed a respectful expression, stepping forward to greet him: "This humble one pays respects to Duke Shou!"

The visitor was none other than Shou Duke Li Shaoyou, the current Administration Commissioner of the Jiangnan Circuit—a relative of the imperial house, an old follower of the old Emperor, and the sole surviving member of the Twenty-Four Ministers of Qianyou. Glancing at Hu De, Li Shaoyou gestured with his hand and asked: "Is His Majesty present?"

Hu De hurriedly nodded and ushered Li Shaoyou inside: "His Majesty is awaiting Duke Shou!"

Without further ado, Li Shaoyou followed him in for an audience. Inside the hall, the old Emperor, wearing only a single garment, leaned against a soft couch, fine sweat seeping from his brow, eyes slightly closed, the whole man shrouded in a suffocating atmosphere that made the hearts of all present sink involuntarily.

Stepping forward quickly, Li Shaoyou bowed softly: "Your Majesty, your old minister has come for an audience as summoned!"

The old Emperor slowly opened his eyes, glanced at Li Shaoyou, then instructed the two imperial grandsons who had been attending him these past days: "You may withdraw!"

"Yes!" Both of them could not help but size up Li Shaoyou before respectfully withdrawing.

"Sit!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Li Shaoyou sat down slowly, and seeing the old Emperor in such a weakened state, his vitality and spirit far worse than when he had first arrived in Jinling, felt a pang of sorrow in his heart. He spoke with difficulty: "I beg Your Majesty to restrain your grief and take care of the imperial person!"

"Enough, I know my own condition!" The old Emperor waved his hand weakly, turned his head to look at Li Shaoyou, the usual aggression gone from his gaze, and said softly: "Old friends fall one after another, and I have grown numb. But my beloved sons leaving this world one by one still cuts my heart like a knife. In the end, I am still merely a mortal, unable to escape the seven emotions and six desires of this human world."

"Your Majesty, Jin Prince was gifted with extraordinary talent, and this old minister watched him grow up. His death in his prime is truly a cause for deep lament!" Li Shaoyou could not help but sigh: "The pain of losing a son—this old minister has experienced it too. I will not speak hollow words, but I still earnestly beg Your Majesty to put your health first and not sink into despair, lest the realm be thrown into turmoil! The hearts of men are hard to fathom."

The old Emperor studied Li Shaoyou for a moment, but seeing his candid expression, the sharpness that had just gathered quickly dissipated. He leaned back against the soft pillow, gazing somewhat listlessly at the bed canopy, and said unhurriedly: "The hardest thing to fathom is the human heart, but at this point, why should I fear the hearts of the multitude? Rest assured, this realm will not fall into chaos! There are already those who see me as the root of the realm's calamity—if I were to die, who knows how many would secretly cheer and rejoice."

Hearing the old Emperor say this, Li Shaoyou immediately stood up, his face stern, and declared: "If there is any such traitor who deceives the sovereign, betrays his lord, and forgets kindness, I will grind his bones to dust and scatter his ashes!"

"Heh heh heh." The old Emperor chuckled and said: "Brother You, you need not do that. Your loyalty to me, I have never doubted. If I were to die, I cannot be certain how others would react, but you would surely be the one most steadfast in defending me!"

"Thank you for Your Majesty's trust!"

"At this point, the people worthy of my unreserved trust can be counted on the fingers of one hand."

The old Emperor's spirits were low, and Li Shaoyou was also deeply moved, calling out with some emotion: "Your Majesty!"

The old Emperor let out a long breath and said to Li Shaoyou: "Brother You, draft an edict for me!" Li Shaoyou was briefly startled at the words, but clearly something occurred to him. He bowed to the old Emperor, then walked with a solemn face to the small desk at the side, sat down properly, spread out a blank edict sheet, and picked up his brush to dip it in ink.

The old Emperor, for his part, spoke slowly: "Have the Ministry of Rites handle Jin Prince's funeral according to protocol! Let Imperial Grandson Wenhai inherit the title of Jin Prince, and additionally enfeoff him as King of Linhai!"

Hearing that it concerned Liu Xi's funeral arrangements rather than what he had imagined, Li Shaoyou inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief. He wrote swiftly, drafting the edict according to the imperial will. As a minister with rich experience in office, even if his literary talent was not exceptional, Li Shaoyou's fundamental skills in such documentary matters were quite strong.

After finishing, Li Shaoyou read it aloud once for the old Emperor, who only needed to confirm that the edict's intent was correctly conveyed.

Seeing the old Emperor nod, Li Shaoyou further requested: "Your Majesty, where exactly shall the state of Linhai be located?"

The old Emperor said in a calm tone: "South of Yunnan, in the lands of Pagan and Thaton (Burma)."

At this, Li Shaoyou expressed slight doubt: "Your Majesty, as this minister understands it, south of Yunnan there are many states standing side by side, with various peoples in conflict, and it has not been brought under the control of the Great Han!"

The old Emperor's tone remained steady: "Wenhai has been drilling troops in southern Yunnan for some years now. That army belongs to him, and I have given him the fief as well. Let him take it as he will—the court will provide a measure of support! Some things must be fought for by themselves!"

Hearing the old Emperor's explanation, Li Shaoyou's brow furrowed slightly, but he raised no further objection and simply continued writing.

The old Emperor mused to himself: "Initially, I had intended to enfeoff Liu Xi's line in Tibetans, but upon deeper reflection, I shall take the latter option instead."

Once the edict was drafted and shown to the old Emperor for his personal confirmation, he instructed again: "Write another one!"

"I await Your Majesty's command!"

"Establish the state of Beiting, with Zhao Prince as King of Beiting; establish the state of Anxi, enfeoffing Wei Prince Liu Min as King of Anxi; establish the state of Kangju, enfeoffing Liang Duke Liu Ye as King of Kangju!" The old Emperor said steadily. At last, he had reached a decision regarding the Anxi fiefs.

At this, Li Shaoyou clearly thought of something again, but as if knowing what he was about to say, the old Emperor added: "The boundary demarcation of the three Anxi states has already been settled by me. The maps are by the desk—they will be sent to Suyab together with the edicts. Also, summon Zhao Prince back to the capital."

After Li Shaoyou had carefully and cautiously worded the document, and the old Emperor had reviewed it without error, he said: "Apply the seal!"

"Yes!"

After Li Shaoyou finished organizing everything, the old Emperor's spirits seemed to improve somewhat. Then, in a teasing tone, he said to him: "Brother You, you weren't thinking just now that I was going to have you write an abdication edict, were you..."

Even Li Shaoyou could not bear such a "joke" from the old Emperor. He rose swiftly, hurried to before the old Emperor, and kowtowed: "This old minister would not dare!"

"Not daring doesn't mean not thinking!" The old Emperor said with a smile, then beckoned to him and said gently: "Rise, then. All this kneeling and rising does no good for your old bones!

Between you and me, there is nothing that cannot be said. Even if you had thought such a thing, it would be no great matter. Think on it—it truly is time to leave behind a testamentary edict!"

"I beg Your Majesty! Speak no more of this!" Li Shaoyou was somewhat agitated, and tears squeezed from his aged eyes.

The old Emperor, however, appeared magnanimous and said with a laugh: "It's no matter! I won't hide it from you—last night I personally drafted an abdication edict, but after much deliberation, I committed it to the flames!

The Crown Prince was chosen by me personally, carefully nurtured for many years, and has gained experience governing at court for many years. Over thirty years as heir apparent—deeply rooted, fully legitimate. If anything should happen to me, who else but him?

He does not need an abdication edict. On the contrary, if I, away from the capital, were to write one, and men of the likes of Zhao Gao or Li Si should appear at my side with sinister designs, that would be ill-advised indeed. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Your Majesty's words fill this minister with trepidation!" Hearing the old Emperor ramble on so, Li Shaoyou could not help but kneel once more before the throne!

"I have nothing particular to instruct the Crown Prince. I know that being suppressed by me all these years has not been easy for him! He has his own ideas and has formed his own philosophy of governance, only he has not found it convenient to defy my will! After I am gone, if he cannot control the situation or govern the state well, then what can I do about it?"

The old Emperor said unhurriedly: "Brother You, there is no need for lengthy words between us either. You have done well in the Jiangnan Circuit these years. This time, accompany me back to the capital!

Consider it seeing me off on the final leg of the journey."