Chapter 215: Liu Xin Demoted

With a "whoosh" that broke the stillness of the night, the carriage came to a steady stop before the mansion gate. Under the protection of his attendants, Li Shaoyou leisurely climbed the steps and ordered the door knocked.

"Where's my father?" Li Shaoyou asked with a somewhat languid air, addressing the household steward who had come to greet him upon hearing the news.

"He is in the eastern hall."

In the hall, brightly lit with lamps, Li Hongxin, the Great Han's Imperial Uncle and Chief Commander of the Imperial Guard Infantry, was embracing his young favorite concubine, drinking wine and dining, looking very comfortable and content.

Stepping into the hall and seeing this scene, Li Shaoyou furrowed his brow slightly and called out: "Father."

"The eldest son has returned." Li Hongxin looked somewhat surprised at the son standing before him. Without any hint of paternal dignity, his hand still rested on the concubine's waist. In matters of lust, father and son were truly a match for each other.

Li Shaoyou casually found a seat and sat down: "I had some free time tonight, so I came back to pay a visit."

His gaze sweeping over the wine, food, and beautiful concubine, Li Shaoyou spoke with displeasure in his tone: "His Majesty advocates frugality, and the court has banned alcohol. Didn't I remind you not to be extravagant and wasteful, and not to violate the prohibitions..."

"You dare to lecture your own father!" Li Hongxin could not stomach this "unfilial son's" tone and immediately snapped angrily: "What, do you intend to report me? Oh, right, aren't you in charge of the Wude Office? Isn't this a fine opportunity for you to earn merit?"

The Wude Office, this secret service agency established less than two months ago, was already beginning to make its name known.

Seeing this, the corner of Li Shaoyou's mouth twitched involuntarily. He said with some helplessness: "Father speaks too gravely. It's just that the state is still strapped for resources, and as relatives of the imperial family, if we act wantonly without restraint, aren't we leading the way in slapping His Majesty in the face? His Majesty detests the extravagant atmosphere of the Eastern Capital and will likely launch a crackdown. If we don't rein ourselves in, we may suffer for it."

In Li Hongxin's view, Li Shaoyou's words finally sounded like something a person would say. He withdrew his hand that had been roaming on the concubine's waist and muttered: "When it comes to imperial relatives, that Liu Xin is far more ostentatious than I am. If a proper Imperial Uncle acts like that, why should I, a mere relative by marriage, be afraid?"

Li Shaoyou felt somewhat helpless. His father was truly a mediocrity with no foresight whatsoever. Were it not for his connection to Empress Dowager Li, he would probably have spent his whole life as a mid-to-low-ranking military officer, never possessing the talent to hold such a high position.

"The reason I came home tonight is precisely because of Imperial Uncle Liu Xin's affair!"

Hearing this, Li Hongxin grew somewhat interested and asked: "What about Liu Xin?"

Li Shaoyou's gaze flicked toward the beautiful concubine at his side. Li Hongxin understood and immediately ordered her back to her room, not forgetting to reassure her: "I'll come to your quarters later tonight..."

"Tell me, what's going on, that you had to come home in person."

After dismissing the two attending servants as well, leaving only father and son, Li Shaoyou finally spoke: "Liu Xin acts with reckless abandon in the army, devoted to torture and execution, cruelly abusing the soldiers. He has already fallen out of favor with His Majesty. Previously, he was still needed to counterbalance Shi Hongzhao, but now Shi Hongzhao is guarding Luoyang, and Liu Xin still doesn't know how to restrain himself..."

"Could it be that His Majesty intends to deal with Liu Xin?" Li Hongxin picked up on something.

Li Shaoyou nodded.

"But he's an Imperial Uncle!" Li Hongxin said in astonishment.

"Father is also in the military—surely you know that if Liu Xin keeps carrying on and stirring up trouble, and the soldiers' resentment erupts into mutiny, that would be no small matter. In the worst case, it could even shake the foundations of the state. With His Majesty's wisdom, even if it's an Imperial Uncle, would he still indulge him?" Li Shaoyou said.

"That's true enough." Li Hongxin nodded slightly.

Seeing that Li Hongxin was following his line of reasoning, Li Shaoyou continued: "Now, Shi Hongzhao holds the post of Chief Commander of the Imperial Guard in absentia as Defender of the Western Capital. Liu Xin wants to replace him and become the legitimate commander of the imperial army."

As he spoke, Li Shaoyou couldn't help but reveal a hint of mockery: "If he stayed in his lane, His Majesty might still have some scruples. But now that he's set his mind on this, I'm afraid he won't just fail to become Chief Commander of the Imperial Guard—he won't even keep his position as deputy commander!"

Hearing this, Li Hongxin subconsciously nodded, pondering for a moment as if he had grasped something, but when he looked up, his eyes still held a trace of confusion: "But what does this have to do with us?"

Seeing his reaction, Li Shaoyou felt somewhat disheartened, privately wondering if he had set his expectations for this father of his too high...

Exercising patience, Li Shaoyou said to Li Hongxin: "Shi Hongzhao's position as Chief Commander should be stripped away. The post of commander of the imperial army naturally cannot be left vacant. If Liu Xin is dismissed, then His Majesty will surely look to a trusted general among his close associates to succeed him."

As he spoke, a strange light gleamed in Li Shaoyou's eyes: "Father is both a Chief General of the imperial army and the Son of Heaven's maternal uncle. Among all the generals, who is more qualified, more trusted, to take the commander's seat?"

After hearing Li Shaoyou's analysis, Li Hongxin was first stunned, then belatedly showed his delight: "If it truly is as you say, then I really might become commander of the imperial army..."

"Therefore, Father, you must restrain your conduct from now on."

Li Hongxin stroked his chin and nodded, his expression reflecting nothing but dull-wittedness.

But seeing his father's performance, Li Shaoyou found he could not muster any joy or sense of accomplishment from scheming on his behalf. Instead, he felt some hesitation—if Li Hongxin truly became the head of the Imperial Guard Command, that might not necessarily be a good thing.

"Your Majesty."

"So Minister Wei has come." Liu Chengyou set down his brush, looking at Wei Renpu who had come for an audience, his manner very cordial, gesturing: "Sit and speak."

Observing proper etiquette, Wei Renpu handed the two memorials he was holding to a waiting palace eunuch to present to Liu Chengyou.

"What is it?"

"These are the proposals from the Bureau of Military Affairs regarding the garrisoning of Sishui and the deployment of officers and troops for bandit suppression. Please grant Your Majesty's imperial approval." Wei Renpu replied.

Liu Chengyou spread open the memorials and read them carefully, while Wei Renpu explained at his side.

Per the Bureau of Military Affairs' deliberation, it was proposed that Chief Inspector Bai Chongzan lead five commands of imperial army troops to garrison Sishui.

As for the bandit-suppression forces, they were to be selected and mobilized from the entire Eastern Capital army, with the intention of dispatching ten thousand young and strong soldiers, divided among the Central Plains, Hebei, and the northern Huai region. The bandit problem was especially severe in the prefectures of Hebei.

Having been discussed by Guo Wei, Wei Renpu, and others, the plan naturally had its merits, and Liu Chengyou himself had no great objections. However, with another ten thousand-plus troops leaving the capital, after the repeated deployments following last year's reorganization, the number of imperial army troops still stationed in the Eastern Capital would drop below eighty thousand. The Great Han had over twenty thousand imperial army troops stationed in Daming Prefecture and the regions of Chan and Hua.

Of course, Liu Chengyou was not worried about the security of the Eastern Capital, but he did have some concerns about the control of the imperial army troops stationed outside—they were essentially all elite forces. There was no helping it; in this era, one couldn't afford not to be vigilant, especially since Hua and Chan were so close to the Eastern Capital. Of course, this was merely the necessary wariness of a ruler. The families of the imperial army were mostly settled in the vicinity of the capital. As long as the court remained stable and Liu Chengyou didn't court disaster, they would hardly rebel easily.

Wei Renpu naturally had no idea that in the time it took to read a memorial, Liu Chengyou's thoughts had drifted so far. Seeing him furrow his brow, he couldn't help asking: "May I ask if Your Majesty has any further instructions?"

"I have no objections to this arrangement!" Liu Chengyou said, his gaze falling on the names of several generals being dispatched: "Li Chongjin and Zhang Yongde are the promising young talents of Chancellor Guo's household, are they not?"

Hearing this sudden remark, Wei Renpu was somewhat taken aback. He looked up cautiously at Liu Chengyou, but could read nothing from his face—it seemed like an offhand comment.

"Indeed. The imperial army's bandit suppression has the intent of training troops. Li Chongjin and Zhang Yongde are both versed in military affairs and are among the outstanding young officers in the army. Sending them out will serve to hone their skills." Perhaps fearing that Liu Chengyou might have other thoughts, Wei Renpu briefly explained on Guo Wei's behalf.

"I have no other intentions. I was merely thinking that the imperial army has many veteran generals, and it is precisely the time to promote capable young talents!" Liu Chengyou replied calmly: "Use the seal and proceed accordingly!"

"Yes!"

Having finished reporting, Wei Renpu had originally intended to take his leave, but Liu Chengyou kept him. After a brief pause, Liu Chengyou looked at him gravely and said: "Since last year, Daoji has followed me at my princely residence, assisting with confidential affairs, and I have always entrusted him with my innermost thoughts. I will not mince words—I believe that my Imperial Uncle Liu Xin lacks the virtue and ability to command the imperial army. I intend to strip him of his authority and remove him from his post, but I fear public criticism. What do you think, and how should I handle this?"

Hearing this, Wei Renpu did not show much surprise. He first thanked the Emperor for his trust, then answered cautiously: "Previously, during the civil unrest in Xuzhou, Chancellor Yang had suggested dispatching the Imperial Uncle to take up a post in the provinces."

Having made his suggestion, Wei Renpu said no more. In truth, he knew well that with the Son of Heaven's wisdom and decisiveness, the decision had likely already been made in his heart.

Sure enough, Liu Chengyou said: "Very well. For the peace of the imperial army and the stability of military morale, I must temporarily ask the Imperial Uncle to condescend to a provincial post. Let it also serve as a time for reflection!"

In all honesty, Liu Chengyou truly did not want to merely banish Liu Xin from the Eastern Capital like this. Given his crimes, how could he be let off so easily? But he had to consider the impact. No matter how mediocre and worthless Liu Xin was, he was still an Imperial Uncle. Of course, that wasn't the main point. The main point was that his own foundation was not yet stable enough—killing an uncle was something he could not do for now. Moreover, in Jinyang, there was another Imperial Uncle surnamed Liu. If he killed this one, what would the one in the north think...

Inside Renming Hall.

"Speak your mind directly—why the hesitation?" Seeing Liu Chengyou, who had come to pay his respects, sitting there with a grave face, Lady Li felt puzzled.

Upon being asked, Liu Chengyou informed the Empress Dowager of Liu Xin's affair.

Learning his purpose, Lady Li's phoenix brows furrowed slightly. After thinking for a moment, she sighed to Liu Chengyou: "I have heard something of the Imperial Uncle's matter as well. For the sake of military morale, court harmony, and the stability of the state, personal feelings must be set aside. Your Majesty may decide as you see fit!"

"Yes!"

That very afternoon, Liu Chengyou issued an edict, removing Imperial Uncle Liu Xin from his post as Deputy Chief Commander of the Imperial Guard Cavalry and Infantry, ordering him to take up a post in Xuzhou, and to depart immediately upon the edict's proclamation.