Chapter 2131: Kangzong Chronicles 15: The Hidden Dragon in the Deep

The warm chamber felt like spring, fragrant aromas permeating the air. On the bed, the Prince of Linzi—or rather, His Highness the Prince of Jing, Liu Wenji—lay like a patient at death's door, his complexion heavy and dull, his spirits low, his beard and hair disheveled, even his gaze carrying an indescribable natural "sickness."

Liu Wenji had been nursing his illness for years, intermittently, recurring again and again, and the condition had worsened only in the past few months—to be precise, after the Crown Prince Liu Jiye's untimely death. Landing at such a juncture carried more than a hint of significance.

Of course, had it not been for the three subordinates silently attending at the bedside, Liu Wenji's illness might have seemed all the more genuine.

The three men before the couch were Chief Administrator Cao Liyong, Military Advisor Xiao Gong, and Army Commander Xiao Hui—all trusted lieutenants worthy of one's deepest confidence.

Xiao Hui had been mentioned before—a young talent trained by Consort Dowager Xiao, entrusted with heavy responsibilities by Liu Wenji upon arriving in Jiangnan, in charge of the prince's guard training and defense matters.

Xiao Gong was likewise of the Xiao clan, raised in the Central Plains, schooled in Chinese classics from childhood. He placed seventeenth among the jinshi in the tenth year of Yongxi, and had served as County Magistrate of Sanyuan and Administrative Assistant of Yaozhou with considerable merit. Later transferred to serve at Liu Wenji's side, his far-reaching insight won him great esteem from Liu Wenji, who relied heavily on him for counsel on confidential affairs, attending him in and out of private audiences.

As for Cao Liyong, his father Cao Jian had served under Xiao Siwen in the Court of Dependencies, forging a bond of goodwill, and on that basis later pledged his service to Liu Wenji, who accepted him. The man was eloquent and persuasive, generous and ambitious, with conspicuous administrative ability.

Over the past years, quietly and without fanfare, Liu Wenji had built his own core talent base—low-key, unostentatious, small in scale, yet all possessing real ability. And such recruitment of talent and accumulation of strength beneath the surface of the water could obviously not be preparation for crossing the sea to take up his fief. (Liu Wenji's fiefdom was also in the Philippine Islands.)

If at first it had been merely a feeling of unwillingness, or perhaps an unconscious impulse, then after all these years—as the Great Han Empire had reached the sixth year of Pingkang—the goal of this political group centered on Liu Wenji had already become quite clear.

Whether it was the shifting situation at court, or the Emperor's willful neglect of governance, whether it was the structure of the imperial household, or the state of the Emperor's bloodline—too many factors were driving Liu Wenji and his subordinates to think in directions that were impossible, daring, and forbidden to imagine.

Whether Liu Wenji himself, or ministers like Xiao Gong, Cao Liyong, and Xiao Hui, all were men of insight. Over the years, a consensus had long formed: with the Son of Heaven so willful, he could hardly hold the realm.

If the present sovereign lost the realm, then who could gain it? On this question there was no doubt—looking across the world, only the Prince of Linzi.

Therefore, when news of the two-year-old Crown Prince Liu Jiye's death reached Jiangnan, Liu Wenji's illness worsened, while Xiao Gong and the others were greatly invigorated. Men like Cao Liyong even directly told Liu Wenji that this was heaven-granted opportunity for the prince.

At this moment, in this villa by the shores of West Lake, Liu Wenji had already received the edict enfeoffing him as Prince of Jing and appointing him Imperial Inspector of Huguang. The master and his ministers naturally could not avoid discussing the matter.

Yet on careful reflection, for Liu Wenji and the others, there was in fact little room for discussion—because no matter what tricks the Emperor played, what they could do was actually limited. They could only respond to each move as it came, defend indirectly, with frontal confrontation excluded from the options.

And the Emperor's intent, to Liu Wenji who was in the midst of it, was plain as day.

Just as before outsiders, Liu Wenji's face showed no ripple, his pair of focused eyes calm as still water. Holding the edict in hand, he pondered for a long while before raising his head to instruct: "Zijing, draft a letter of thanks for me. At the same time, citing grave illness that makes it difficult to attend to affairs, politely decline the Huguang appointment!"

"Yes!" Xiao Gong, radiating an air of uprightness, replied composedly.

Liu Wenji then looked to Xiao Hui and said: "Boren, gather your men and prepare to head to Huguang. No fanfare—the retinue need not be too large, around a hundred will do! Also, find me a large vessel, specially refitted and decorated, suitable for a gravely ill person to travel in."

At this, Xiao Hui was slightly surprised, unable to help glancing up at Liu Wenji. But seeing his calm expression, his mind turned and comprehension dawned. He clasped his fists: "Yes! Your servant will see to it at once!"

"Yongzhi, you remain in Jiangnan. Notify all the subordinates and former officials: act with care, devote yourselves to scholarship and governance, and serve the court loyally!" Liu Wenji looked toward Cao Liyong, who wore a three-strand beard, and gave his instructions: "Keep a close watch over Loujiang Academy for me. As for the rest, let things take their natural course!"

"Yes!" Cao Liyong, unlike his usual glib self, replied with simple deference.

Under the careful management of Academy Head Wang Xuexin and others, with Liu Wenji's covert support, Loujiang Academy had already found its footing. Though the number of students accepted each year remained small, all were of excellent endowment—and this endowment included both the innate and the acquired.

Meanwhile, as batches of students graduated and were recommended to posts in Su, Xiu, and Shang prefectures and other counties, the "Loujiang Faction" began to rise steadily in the officialdom of the southeast. In all, more than eight hundred men had been successfully recruited by local governments.

Though they were only minor officials, combined with Liu Wenji's identity and influence, they were enough to move the politics of Jiangnan—at least Su, Xiu, and Shang prefectures sufficed. At the same time, this group of "academic faction" officials had become a clean current in Jiangnan politics, highly valued by Liu Wenji, who even relied on them as his foundation.

"Your Highness!" After the discussion concluded, having gauged Liu Wenji's expression and deliberated a moment, Cao Liyong still took the initiative to remind him: "The imperial physician Zhu Hong is a loose end that cannot be ignored. I beg Your Highness to be cautious!"

Hearing this, Liu Wenji's face finally showed a slight ripple. Looking at him, he asked: "What do you suggest?"

A hint of ruthlessness appeared on Cao Liyong's face. Cupping his hands, he said: "Better to eliminate him!"

At these words, Liu Wenji's brow furrowed involuntarily. Burying his head in thought for a moment, he asked Xiao Gong: "What does Zijing think?" Like Cao Liyong's decisiveness, Xiao Gong's stance was equally firm. He replied: "Your servant thinks not! For Your Highness, the most dangerous moment was after Zhu Hong examined you and before he reported. At present, if he dares to waver, he himself cannot escape the crime of deceiving the sovereign.

Moreover, the Consort Dowager has long advised that Your Highness should remain still and steady—and on this matter, all the more so. Any rash move would instead invite suspicion."

Seeing Xiao Gong actually refute him, Cao Liyong was displeased and immediately said: "How can we place Your Highness's safety in the hands of an unpredictable man?"

Xiao Gong was steady, Cao Liyong fiery—the two had clashed before Liu Wenji more than once over differing views.

Seeing the two about to argue again, Liu Wenji this time did not sit and listen. He raised his hand to stop them, pondered a moment, and said in a firm tone: "The world is unpredictable, and hearts are hard to fathom. Yet if you suspect a man, do not employ him; if you employ a man, do not suspect him. If one wishes to accomplish great things, how can one avoid risk?

This matter need not be raised again!"

"Your Highness is wise!" Xiao Gong clasped his hands and bowed. After thinking a moment, he added: "Zhu Hong reported to Your Highness out of gratitude for kindness received. Your Highness should bestow further favor to bind him closer!"

Between the imperial physician Zhu Hong and Liu Wenji, there had originally been no connection. Had the Emperor not sent him to diagnose Liu Wenji's illness this time, the two could never have crossed paths.

And the reason Zhu Hong was willing to cover for Liu Wenji was simple: repaying a debt of gratitude—for the protection Consort Dowager Xiao had once shown him in the palace in his early years. Perhaps to the Consort Dowager it had been a casual act, long forgotten, but Zhu Hong had never ceased to remember it.

And before departing, the Emperor's "special" instructions had alarmed Zhu Hong, but also delighted him that the time to repay his debt had come. Without any hesitation, he firmly chose to protect Liu Wenji and laid out the Emperor's intentions in full.

Heaven helps those who help themselves! With Zhu Hong's cooperation, Liu Wenji was naturally spared a great deal of trouble—and Consort Dowager Xiao's assistance to him was clearly all-encompassing.

"Above there is paradise, below there are Suzhou and Hangzhou." Hangzhou, under the rule of the Great Han Empire, certainly lived up to this reputation. West Lake, not vast, lay embedded outside the city walls like a pearl. Around the city, rivers crisscrossed like silk ribbons, bringing developed irrigation and convenient water transport.

The mountains and forests around the city were not tall—all low hills. Terraced fields in their harvest stage stretched from the foothills to the summits. Everything exuded an air of "abundant goods and prosperous people."

Yet it was precisely such a prosperous and powerful realm that was ruled by a wanton emperor like Liu Wenpeng. As a son of Taizong, Liu Wenji was not only indignant but also grieved. Shizu and Taizong had labored through two generations to build and preserve the enterprise—no matter how wealthy the nation, how long could it withstand such ruin?

Therefore, Liu Wenji sincerely believed that what he pursued was not personal ambition or extravagant hope, but the rivers and mountains of the Great Han Empire, the legacy of his ancestors.

He who would accomplish great things must first deceive even himself!

Even in autumn, the shores of West Lake were thronged with visitors. Liu Wenji sat in a palanquin, his gaze bleak as he observed the somewhat desolate autumn scenery of the lake.

Beside him accompanied a guest of special status: Chen Yaozuo, Administration Commissioner of the Liangzhe Circuit. Sitting calmly, sharing the autumn view, Chen Yaozuo's peripheral vision never ceased observing Liu Wenji, this newly minted Prince of Jing, and he felt inexplicably tense in his heart.

"Governor Chen!"

Hearing himself addressed, Chen Yaozuo immediately clasped his hands: "I dare not presume! What does Your Highness command?"

"Command is too strong a word!" Chen Yaozuo was courteous, and Liu Wenji was equally reserved. After a moment's deliberation, he asked: "Tell me honestly—how much money did the Liangzhe Circuit spend on this imperial reception?"

"This..." Chen Yaozuo's brow furrowed tightly as he regarded Liu Wenji with slight puzzlement.

Sensing Chen Yaozuo's hesitation, Liu Wenji coughed twice and changed his approach: "Would the cost of the reception have been enough to reinforce the Jianggan levee once more, and to dredge and widen the Qiantang dikes again?"

Hearing Liu Wenji's question, an awkward flush crept across Chen Yaozuo's aged face. After a moment's reflection, looking at Liu Wenji's poor complexion, he said with chagrin: "Your Highness's question shames this humble official!"

In the eighth month of autumn in the sixth year of Pingkang, the Prince of Jing, Liu Wenji, departed from Hangzhou by boat, traveling west toward the two lakes region.

Just as expected, the Emperor did not accept Liu Wenji's modest refusal, still entrusting him with the post of Imperial Inspector of Huguang, sending him to Jiangling to recuperate, take up his duties, and serve the nation.

As for the Emperor Liu Wenpeng himself, he remained in the southeast until mid-spring of the seventh year—having toured everywhere and grown weary of play, only then did he set out on his journey back north.