Chapter 2077: Taizong Chronicles 19: Calming the Storm

Under the jailer's attentive and careful guidance, after two turns and passing through several barred gates, they arrived outside a clean and tidy cell that stood in stark contrast to its surroundings. The man sitting cross-legged inside heard the commotion, looked up, and showed a surprised expression: "Fourteenth brother, why have you come here?"

This question showed little self-awareness. Liu Xin glanced at Liu Ye, who was still stubborn but clearly looking rather disheveled, and couldn't help shaking his head. He first waved the jailer away, then teased: "By imperial decree, I've come specifically to ask you—how are the prison conditions?"

"Novel and interesting, naturally! This is my first time in prison in my life, so I ought to experience it carefully!" Liu Ye replied leisurely.

Liu Xin naturally knew Liu Ye was deeply unhappy inside. Seeing his stubborn demeanor, he couldn't help but smile, and finally sighed softly and asked: "Why must you do this?"

Although Liu Ye was in prison, not only had the environment been carefully tidied, but he also had great freedom of movement, and no one dared put shackles or chains on this great Buddha.

Liu Ye clearly sensed the complex emotions in Liu Xin's sigh. After a moment of silence, he didn't hide his feelings and said indignantly: "Father's passing was barely any time ago, and already so much trouble has arisen throughout the court. Starting with the debate over enfeoffment, every single matter has been aggressive and pressing, with the spearhead pointed directly at the princes, directly at us sons of Emperor Shizu!

What is this supposed to accomplish? What has happened to this court? Is this still the world of my Liu family? A mere Administrative Assistant, wielding a set of high-sounding arguments, wants to kill the authority of me, an enfeoffed prince, to make a name for himself!

Such topsy-turvy and rebellious acts actually have many mediocre people supporting them, singing their praises—simply too foolish for words! Those court officials and ministers all harbor treachery in their hearts, deserving of death!

Fourteenth brother, tell me—if it were you, how would you feel? Faced with these storms of controversy, can you remain unmoved?"

Faced with this torrent of indignation from Liu Ye, Liu Xin was momentarily speechless. After a long while, he looked at him and said with melancholy: "Thirteenth brother, times have changed! Father... has ultimately already left us."

Hearing this, Liu Ye's expression shifted several times. His outstretched hand clenched into a fist, and he ground his teeth as he said: "To inherit his position but not carry on his will—how can that convince anyone?"

At these words, Liu Xin's face immediately tightened, and he said sternly: "Thirteenth brother, you have gone too far with this!"

It could be said that the various contradictions that had occurred among the upper nobility of the Great Han Empire over the past half year or more were fundamentally struggles for power and distribution of interests during the transition between two eras. Before the situation reached a new balance and a sufficiently stable order was reestablished, chaos and conflict were perfectly normal.

In this process, some people swiftly and keenly embraced the new dynasty, hoping to obtain benefits in the new era that they could never have gained before. Others, however, had not yet adapted to these changes, still immersed in the influence of Emperor Shizu's era, unable to accept the changes of the new dynasty, and even less able to tolerate others scooping food from their pot.

Princes like Liu Ye were the most representative group among the latter. Unlike ordinary nobles and ministers, he was someone whose everything, from head to toe, originated from Emperor Shizu.

At the same time, this also involved the problem of "weak imperial authority" that every new emperor faces at the start of his reign, especially when the predecessor's halo was too dazzling.

For the princes, they couldn't compete with that second son Liu for the right of succession. Even after he ascended the throne, they had kowtowed in submission, but each of them inevitably harbored varying degrees of resentment. Especially someone with a wild and unruly nature like Liu Ye—asking him to serve the current Emperor Liu Yang the way he had served Emperor Shizu was naturally very difficult.

First of all, psychologically, it required a long and difficult process of transformation. And judging by Liu Yang's many actions and measures during his half year on the throne, he had shown hesitation and vacillation on matters concerning Shizu's policies, which further fueled the dissatisfaction of Liu Ye and others...

Liu Ye's words were a release of the dissatisfaction that had been pent up in his heart for a long time. Of course, this was also highly taboo, and Liu Xin understood this, which was why he sternly spoke out to stop him.

This was probably the first time Liu Ye had seen Liu Xin show such a resolute and formidable side. He was stunned for a moment, then gave a bitter laugh or two, waved his hand, and said: "Enough, why are the two of us arguing about these things here? Tell me, what does our imperial brother, the Emperor, intend by sending you here? Is he planning to heed those treacherous ministers' requests, bow to the pressure of those foolish masses, and deal with me?"

Hearing this, Liu Xin gently shook his head and sighed: "Thirteenth brother, if you think that way, you are underestimating Second Brother too much!"

Pausing briefly, under Liu Ye's curious gaze, Liu Xin stated his purpose: "By order of His Majesty, I am here to take you out!"

"I'm not going out!" Liu Ye said immediately. "Without clarity, what would I go out for? To be mocked by others? Whether it's guilt or punishment, there must be an explanation!"

"His Majesty has said that an explanation will be given to you regarding this matter!" Liu Xin said.

"Then say it!" Liu Ye followed up immediately.

Liu Xin's brows furrowed deeply: "Thirteenth brother, take my advice—being this stubborn will do you no good!"

"Given the situation at court, am I supposed to still hope for the new emperor's grace?" Liu Ye retorted.

Seeing Liu Ye completely impervious to reason, Liu Xin couldn't help but feel helpless. He spread his hands and said: "Fifth Brother has returned to the capital from the South Seas. His Majesty intends to hold a clan banquet in the palace. This is a rare gathering of all us brothers, and there may never be such an opportunity again. If you're unwilling to attend and prefer to remain in this prison cell, I'll return to the palace to report!"

"Where is Fifth Brother?" The stubborn look on Liu Ye's face eased somewhat.

"At the foot of Mang Mountain, paying respects at the imperial mausoleum!"

At this, after only a moment's hesitation, Liu Ye shouted at full volume toward the outside: "Jailer, open the door, I want to get out of prison!"

Hearing this shout, the jailer who had been waiting outside was nearly moved to tears. During the days Liu Ye had been imprisoned, he had been the one suffering the most—not daring to go home day or night, attending to the prison, terrified that something might happen to this lord and bring disaster upon himself.

The rich spring light spilled before the prison gate. Even though he had enjoyed VIP-level treatment inside, truly walking out of the cell and strolling under the blue sky and white clouds still brought a sense of relief. For Liu Ye, the experience of these past few days had indeed been somewhat strange. Liu Xin helped brush off Liu Ye's clothes, muttering about dispelling bad luck.

Outside the prison, Song Bai, Kou Zhun, and a number of Luoyang government officials were present, all seeing him off respectfully. Song Bai wore a fawning smile on his face while inwardly wishing this plague god would leave as quickly as possible.

Liu Ye, however, deliberately did not oblige. From the moment he spotted Kou Zhun, his gaze fixed dead on him. Seeing that serene, unmoved expression of Kou Zhun's, he felt even more disgusted and couldn't help but sneer: "What a fine, impartial, universally praised Administrative Assistant Kou!"

"The Duke of Liang flatters me—I dare not accept such praise. I merely did my duty. I hope the Duke of Liang will forgive any offense!" Kou Zhun remained calm, cupping his hands in salute. During this period since returning to the capital, most officials who met Liu Ye addressed him as the King of Kangju, paying respects as "Your Highness." Only Kou Zhun consistently addressed him as "Duke of Liang." Duke of Liang of the State of Liang was Liu Ye's actual title at court, and deliberately emphasizing this was itself a political statement.

Liu Ye stared coldly at Kou Zhun for a while longer, as if to etch him thoroughly into his memory. Kou Zhun remained solemn-faced, showing not a trace of fear.

In the end, Liu Ye flicked his sleeves and left, but in his heart, he was utterly disgusted with these sanctimonious gentlemen.

From the moment Liu Ye left prison, the two storms that had occurred at the Great Han court at the beginning of the first year of Yongxi began to undergo decisive changes. After full deliberation and multi-faceted consideration, Emperor Liu Yang made his final decision to put an end to the court's debates and criticisms.

That night, Liu Yang hosted a banquet for the imperial clan members in Wansui Hall of the palace. It was a closed family feast—all the dragon sons and grandsons of the Great Han, anyone who could walk, attended. All told, there were over a hundred people, with Emperor Shizu's bloodline accounting for eighty percent.

Such an arrangement clearly could not be explained away as merely a welcome banquet for the Prince of Qi, Liu Yun. In fact, it was an internal meeting to reconcile contradictions within the imperial clan, and at the same time, a meeting for Liu Yang to unify the thinking within the imperial clan, thoroughly establishing his unshakable imperial authority and position.

After a round of "open and sincere" talks, though no blood was sworn, oaths were made.

First, Liu Yang swore that the ancestral enfeoffment policy of Emperor Shizu would forever be upheld, guaranteeing the vested interests of the princes, while once again confirming the princes' right to sub-enfeoffment within their own fiefdoms;

Second, for brothers and imperial princes who had not yet received fiefdoms or titles, they would be granted them in due course. For example, Emperor Shizu's fifteenth son Liu Xuan and sixteenth son Liu Yao still had no titles to this day. Along with Liu Hui, Liu Ai, Liu Zhao and other brothers without fiefdoms, Liu Yang would give them further explanations;

Third, Liu Yang and his descendants would be the eternal imperial line of the Great Han Empire, never to be changed. Should anyone overstep, all would unite to expel them. This clause actually posed no major problem—although everyone had some reservations about Liu Yang's succession, if it had been any other brother, it wouldn't have been mere reservations.

As for this clan meeting, judging by the on-site results, it certainly didn't reach the level of Emperor Shizu's era when every word carried overwhelming weight, but at least internal consensus was reached. Under this consensus, the debates and criticisms at court no longer amounted to much.

After decades of cultivation and development under Emperor Shizu, the imperial clan of the Great Han still held considerable sway within the empire. With clan disputes eliminated and unity achieved, imperial authority could remain stable.

Of course, under the enfeoffment system, hoping for eternal harmony and stability within the imperial clan was also a pipe dream. As the heir to the throne and the controller of the empire, Liu Yang naturally wanted to grasp imperial power completely in his own hands, in name and in reality—and enfeoffment was a good method.

The Great Han's imperial clan policy and enfeoffment system existed in just such a state of contradictory unity. Liu Yang had adopted a compromise stance this time, but at the same time, he had become even more determined to weaken the princes' influence over the court.

Fiefdoms were fiefdoms, and the court was the court—the two could not remain conflated forever.

How future history would unfold remained to be seen, but in the days that followed, Emperor Liu Yang began step by step to fulfill his promises. First, in the direction of the South Seas, the land and naval forces continued to maintain public order, with all military supplies still provided by the court.

On a three-year term, within three years the South Seas garrison would be gradually rotated; after three years, troop strength would be progressively reduced until it could adapt to the situation at the time and the court could achieve fiscal balance in South Seas affairs.

During this process, the South Seas fiefdoms were to establish basic military, administrative, judicial, and economic organizational structures. Officials and troops could be appointed and recruited on their own, exercising direct rule and management over the local areas, with the ultimate goal of weaning them off court support.

Apart from the Northern and Southern Gold Continents and Java Island, the South Sea islands of Nanhai (the Philippines) and Boni (Borneo) would be the next enfeoffment targets for the remaining imperial brothers, with the granting to commence once the situation was further investigated.

The Prince of Linhai, Liu Wenhai, who had inherited the legacy of the Prince of Jin, Liu Xi, possessed considerable strength. The court granted him provisions, clothing, and weapons for ten thousand men for one year to assist his campaign in the "Burma" region, and acceded to his request to allow the South Seas Fleet to dispatch troops to support his attack from the sea, providing rear-area logistical guarantees.

Overall, Liu Yang was perfecting and implementing Emperor Shizu's final enfeoffment edict to win over the hearts of the princes—maintaining those who came first, supporting those who came later, achieving basic balance and fairness.

The princes' requests were not all granted. For example, the "title of Prince of Qin" that the Prince of Andong, Liu Wenyuan, had longed for was ultimately not obtained, and he returned in disappointment.

As for the King of Kangju, Liu Ye, not only did he gain nothing, but he was instead ordered by Liu Yang to be confined at the Imperial Clan Court for one month as punishment. This was the follow-up handling of the incident of killing someone in the street. According to the "investigation," the deceased had ridden his horse recklessly, injuring people and threatening the royal procession—a capital offense. However, Liu Ye had administered private punishment, violating the law and damaging public morals, hence the punishment of confinement. The killer, Zhou Sun, though acting on royal orders, still had to be punished—sentenced to exile in Shule. Liu Ye's royal city—

Of course, this matter merely tied up the loose ends of Liu Ye's problem. Just as many had expected, the Emperor subsequently summoned the Prince of Xu, Liu Chengyun, the Prince of Zhao, Liu Fang, the Prince of Qi, Liu Yun, and the Prince of Wei, Liu Min, to discuss with the princes the handling of crimes committed by imperial clan members.

Riding on the massive public outcry brought by Liu Ye's affair, Liu Yang resolved to push forward the filling of the legal gap regarding crimes committed by imperial clan members, and his reasoning was equally high-sounding.

Over the years, the imperial clan had actively branched out, with more and more members spread ever wider. In the future, they would only grow more numerous and more distant, yet the regulations of the Imperial Clan Court remained sparse and its mechanisms outdated, no longer able to meet the management needs of the current clan members. Reforms and improvements were necessary.

Of course, no matter how pleasant it sounded, the ultimate goal was still Liu Yang's desire to restrain the privileges of the imperial clan. Compared to before, Liu Yang had shed his former timidity and weakness, displaying strength and always seizing the initiative. After careful deliberation with several Princes, a new set of imperial clan management regulations was promulgated.

In the new regulations, the core point was but one: among the sons of the imperial clan, only those who held noble titles possessed "judicial immunity." All others were subject to the same legal constraints of the court as every other noble.

However, to preserve the sanctity of the imperial house, granting no privileges at all was also unrealistic. Therefore, if a clan member committed a crime, after the normal judicial process, the Imperial Clan Court still had to review and re-examine the case. In short, the Imperial Clan Court held the final power of disposition.

It was easy to imagine how great an impact the promulgation of this new set of imperial clan management regulations had. For the ministers, it was the Emperor's compromise, a self-restraint of imperial power. For Liu Yang, however, it was a measure to distinguish himself and strengthen the vitality of imperial authority. Each side gained something.

Facilitating the promulgation of the new imperial clan management regulations was perhaps the positive significance of Liu Ye's killing affair. Although these regulations might not be all that applicable in many situations—after all, a copper pea like Kou Zhun was truly rare—their very existence was their greatest meaning.

At the same time, offending and humiliating an imperial prince of the royal house did not come without a price, however high-sounding the rhetoric. First, Governor of Kaifeng Song Bai lost his position and was demoted to serve as Prefect of Qingzhou. Given his muddle-headed incompetence, although the drop in rank was not great, the fall in political standing could be said to be a plummet to the mortal dust.

As for Kou Zhun, who had stirred up the incident, it was hard to say whether it was good or bad. He was sent out to serve as Prefectural Administrator of Xiangzhou, formally taking charge of a major prefecture—a new step in his official career. But the Emperor simultaneously issued an open edict of reprimand, saying he was arrogant and self-willed, knowing not what he did. The Emperor's impression of him seemed to have soured.

Another minister who received censure was Director of State Affairs Lü Duan, on account of a single erroneous character in a memorial. In the past, Lü Duan had often shown small lapses and minor embarrassments, but this time, it clearly carried a different implication.

And as the affairs of the princes gradually settled, Emperor Liu Yang was finally able to shift his focus to the reform and adjustment of the empire's military and governance, formally ushering in his Yongxi era.