Chapter 210: Li Ye Lodges a Complaint

(A short slice-of-life chapter to start with.)

"Your son pays respects to the Empress Dowager!"

After returning to the palace, without holding court or receiving ministers, Liu Chengyou's first order of business was to go to Renming Hall to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager, Lady Li.

"Rise quickly!" Seeing Liu Chengyou performing the rites with such solemn precision, Lady Li hurriedly helped him up, looking at him with feigned reproach. She scanned him from head to toe, then said, "It's good that you're back."

But no sooner had she spoken than she began to scold him: "You have only just succeeded to the throne, and yet, disregarding the objections of all your ministers, you set aside affairs of state to journey west to Luoyang—that was far too willful of you. As the Son of Heaven, you bear the weight of the altars of state upon your shoulders; you must not be so reckless again. While you were away from the capital, your mother here in the palace kept her heart in her throat, worrying about you without cease."

"I have troubled Mother with her concerns." Liu Chengyou personally supported Lady Li as she sat down to talk, and said, "Now that your son is the Son of Heaven, bearing the thoughts of countless millions of subjects, if I govern the realm without observing the conditions of the people, then I am failing in my duties. This western journey yielded much, and will greatly benefit the governance of the state..."

"You have your own opinions, and I cannot argue with you." Seeing that Liu Chengyou seemed about to launch into a lengthy discourse, Lady Li raised a hand to stop him, saying, "I am not in a position to meddle in affairs of state. I know you harbor ambitions to strengthen the country and bring order to governance; I can only remind you—do not be hasty in anything."

His mother's words rang earnestly in his ears. As Liu Chengyou acknowledged them, he could not help but ponder—it seemed Lady Li had also received quite a bit of news from the outer court. That young maternal uncle of his had been running to the inner palace to curry favor with remarkable diligence. But then again, since he had succeeded to the throne, he had already been steady enough—did he really come across as being in a hurry?

Seeing Liu Chengyou's mind wandering, Lady Li gave a slight shake of her head and said gently, "You must be tired after your western journey. No need to keep me company—go rest. Ah... you should also go see the Pure Consort. She is close to giving birth."

"Yes."

Even if Lady Li had not brought it up, Liu Chengyou had intended to go see Lady Geng anyway. He still had some feelings for her—after all, she was the woman who had accompanied him the longest, always obedient and gentle. And moreover, she was carrying his imperial child.

Liu Chengyou's sudden visit to Cuifang Hall filled Lady Geng and the palace maids with delighted surprise. Seeing the attendants bustling about in a flurry, Liu Chengyou quickly spoke up to spare them the formalities of reception.

"Se—... Your Majesty." Seeing Liu Chengyou, Lady Geng called out weakly, tears actually welling in her beautiful eyes, wearing a completely self-conscious, delicate and pitiable expression.

Liu Chengyou looked her over. The woman had put on some weight, her mood seemed somewhat melancholy, and worry was written between her brows. He stared at her belly—it was as big as a winter melon, and she could barely stand. Lady Geng had conceived in the intercalary seventh month of last year; by now it had been nearly nine months.

"You may still call me Second Brother." Liu Chengyou stepped forward, embraced Lady Geng, and sat down with her, speaking softly.

"Your Majesty." Leaning gently against Liu Chengyou, Lady Geng breathed in his scent. The words "Second Brother" ultimately never made it past her lips.

"Your body is frail—you need to take care." The words of comfort that came from Liu Chengyou's mouth sounded rather dry and stiff, but Lady Geng's reaction was plain to see—she pressed herself even more tightly against his chest.

Liu Chengyou took her hand, sighed, and said gently, "These past few months, I have been busy with affairs of state, with no time to attend to the inner palace. I have neglected you."

Hearing this, Lady Geng burst into tears directly: "Your concubine understands. I ask for nothing else—as long as Your Majesty still thinks of me, I am content..."

Seeing this, Liu Chengyou found himself at a loss for a moment. He had always known Lady Geng was as delicate as a flower bud, but he could never have imagined she was this fragile. Watching her tear-streaked face trying to smile, he could only attribute it to the pregnancy. Especially as she neared her delivery date—he had heard that women's emotions were unstable at this stage. But Lady Geng would never dare throw a tantrum at Liu Chengyou.

Liu Chengyou helped her up, reached out with his clumsy technique to wipe the tears from this delicate flower's face, and said, "From now on, I will find time to keep you more company. Don't cry. Take care of yourself, and give me a prince!"

"Mm..." Lady Geng answered in a low voice, and her tears stopped.

After staying with Lady Geng for the better part of an hour, Liu Chengyou finally returned to Chuigong Hall. Outside the hall, a somewhat familiar figure was already waiting.

"Your minister pays respects to Your Majesty!" As he drew near, the man immediately stepped forward to pay his respects, though his attitude and tone were not quite respectful enough.

Liu Chengyou looked at this man with his restless, impatient air with some surprise, and called out flatly, "Uncle."

"What business does Uncle have with me? Why did you not send someone to announce yourself?" Entering the hall one after the other and taking their seats, Liu Chengyou asked.

Li Ye's brows shot up, and he seemed somewhat agitated. He said to Liu Chengyou, "Your Majesty has finally returned. Any later, and I fear the Eastern Capital would have changed hands!"

Li Ye's expression was full of indignation. The moment he opened his mouth, he made the matter sound extremely grave and alarming, trying to provoke Liu Chengyou's vigilance.

"What has happened, to make Uncle so incensed?" Liu Chengyou played along simply, asking.

At the question, Li Ye spoke directly: "While Your Majesty was touring the west, you likely do not know the situation here in the Eastern Capital. While Your Majesty was away, that Yang Bin has been seizing power wildly at court, brooking no dissent from others. At deliberations in Guangzheng Hall, he actually refused to let your minister speak. I serve as Commissioner of Palace Attendants for the Southern Court, overseeing all the inner bureaus, and yet he conspired with the Northern Court Commissioner Hu Yanke to restrict my authority and prevent me from carrying out my duties."

"Arrogant toward his superiors and contemptuous of his subordinates—he does not even put the Empress Dowager in his eyes. When the late emperor was alive, Yang Bin was already autocratic and overbearing, opposing Your Majesty. Now he has only grown worse. Your Majesty must be on guard. Otherwise, if this continues, great power will fall into other hands, and you will be completely controlled by that man..."

Li Ye had clearly come to lodge a complaint, desperately poisoning Liu Chengyou's view of Yang Bin.

Liu Chengyou glanced at Li Ye, his expression cooling in cooperation, his brows knitting together.

In his heart, though, he silently reflected—the original owner of this body had probably been worn down by close ministers like Li Ye whispering in his ear, until he conceived the murderous intent to seize power, and ultimately ended up dead with his state destroyed.

Of what Li Ye said, Liu Chengyou only believed about thirty percent. During the time Liu Chengyou was away, Yang Bin had led the ministers and stabilized the court, working diligently and conscientiously. Though policies came from him and many were flawed, with quite a few decisions open to question, given the current situation of the Great Han court, there was simply no soil for Yang Bin to monopolize power, and he had no reason to be so arrogant.

Most of what Li Ye reported was exaggerated—he had simply been bullied badly by Yang Bin. From the very beginning, Yang Bin had opposed Li Ye being appointed to such a key position before the emperor as Commissioner of Palace Attendants, and after his appointment, Yang Bin had shown him nothing but contempt, finding him disagreeable. While Yang Bin held the reins of government, Li Ye naturally had no choice but to eat humble pie before him, with no chance at all to meddle in state affairs.

And Li Ye, always doted on by the Empress Dowager, could not bear to be wronged, so he complained to Lady Li. But with matters of the outer court, Lady Li was not in a good position to intervene rashly; she merely remained silent, telling Li Ye to keep a low profile. With his greatest backer not coming through, Li Ye could only swallow his frustration and wait until Liu Chengyou returned to the capital.

In fact, on one point Li Ye had misunderstood Yang Bin—the encroachment on his authority had actually been done at Liu Chengyou's secret instruction. Liu Chengyou himself did not trust Li Ye either; appointing him Commissioner of Palace Attendants had only been to give face to Lady Li.

Of course, during the time Liu Chengyou was touring the west, the court in the Eastern Capital had indeed not been very stable. Matters in the Western Capital likewise tugged at the political situation in the Eastern Capital. News kept coming eastward, and especially after Su Fengji was thrown into prison, people's hearts had begun to stir.

And Yang Bin had indeed made moves to concentrate power. He had never gotten along with Su Fengji, and Su Fengji's downfall surprised him but also secretly pleased him. In the Eastern Capital, he had dismissed and investigated a great number of officials—all of them Su Fengji's partisans. Those people, having attached themselves to Su Fengji, were for the most part corrupt officials.

In fact, this was also what Liu Chengyou had planned to clean up. Yang Bin had simply done it ahead of Liu Chengyou, saving him considerable effort and adding some "income" to the state treasury. Su Fengji had previously sold offices, and those who could afford to buy office generally had some family property.

At the same time, it had also attracted a wave of hatred. If Shi Hongzhao and Yang Bin had not had their earlier friction, they really would have been quite good for handling things that drew resentment.

As for Li Ye coming before him to slander others this time, Liu Chengyou's attitude was fairly magnanimous, though he still kept a dark face to placate him: "Uncle has been wronged. Go back and rest for now. As for Yang Bin, I will issue him a reprimand."

"Your Majesty, if you do not deal with Yang Bin, the state will surely cease to be a state! I beg Your Majesty to make plans early." Hearing this, Li Ye was somewhat dissatisfied and pressed on immediately.

Seeing this, Liu Chengyou grew somewhat impatient. He raised a hand to stop him and said in a deep voice, "Uncle. Chancellor Yang is a chief minister of the state—how could I lightly call him to account on the basis of mere words!"

"Su Fengji was also a chief minister, and he was thrown into prison all the same..." Li Ye muttered.

Hearing this, Liu Chengyou's expression darkened, and he stared at him.

The atmosphere in the hall immediately grew heavy. Li Ye looked up at Liu Chengyou, and seeing that sinister, cold gaze, felt a chill in his heart. He finally became somewhat more subdued, lowering his head slightly.

Letting out a slight breath, Liu Chengyou said, "Uncle is my close relative and trusted aide. At court, you should support one another with your fellow ministers, and together look after the altars of state!"

"Yes!"

Having failed to achieve his goal, Li Ye was deeply disappointed. Dejectedly, he took his leave and withdrew—and without a second thought, headed straight for Renming Hall again.

Liu Chengyou, meanwhile, was still pondering the situation at court. When he learned of that news, his expression turned somewhat unnatural.

"That man is always going to the Empress Dowager's place—it's truly irritating." Liu Chengyou muttered to himself, his tone somewhat cold.

Lady Li truly was a wise Empress Dowager and a loving mother, and Liu Chengyou held her in considerable respect. But when he thought of her partiality and favoritism toward Li Ye, he could not help but feel a measure of "apprehension."

He had been cultivating this persona of filial piety for a long time now, and he truly hoped that one day he would not have to see his relationship with his mother damaged because of this worthless uncle of his.