Chapter 273: The Warm Embrace

"The army returns in triumph," "The Son of Heaven has returned"—since the Mid-Autumn Festival, topics like these had been hotly discussed in the streets of the Eastern Capital. The news of the successful suppression of the rebellion was, without doubt, an injection of a strong dose of confidence into Kaifeng, and the people's hearts were steadied.

The most direct manifestation was that the constables and patrol guards of the two offices—the Kaifeng Prefecture and the Patrol Inspectorate—had visibly relaxed their control over the city. In the early days when Liu Chengyou led the army out of the capital, any talk concerning "rebellion suppression" had been forbidden.

The imperial army soldiers who had been on patrol and guard duty also withdrew to their barracks under the restraining orders of the Imperial Guard Command, and Kaifeng basically returned to its pre-rebellion state. Moreover, as autumn grain shipments arrived in batch after batch from various regions, grain prices stabilized once again, and even plummeted at once to two hundred ten cash per dou of rice. Though still somewhat high, for most of the poor, even if they could not eat their fill, they could at least barely sustain themselves in the imperial capital.

Add to that the seasonal fruits, vegetables, and aquatic products coming to market—for the first time this year, the Eastern Capital basically escaped the predicament of scarce goods.

Originally, given Liu Chengyou's consistently frugal nature, an ordinary return to the capital would have warranted merely an edict. But after persuasion from Feng Dao, Fan Zhi, and others, he decided instead to issue a proclamation to the civil and military officials, generals, clerks, and commoners of the Eastern Capital, and hold a triumphal procession for his entry into the city. The rebellion in Hezhong had been extinguished quickly, and its impact was not as great as imagined, but for Liu Chengyou, and for the Great Han of the Qianyou era, its significance was profound.

The effect was quite good. The imperial army led the way, receiving cheers and encouragement from the people of the Eastern Capital in turn, the atmosphere fervent, reaching its climax as the imperial palanquin entered the city.

Taking a bit of a risk, Liu Chengyou leaned out of the carriage and waved to the people on both sides of the long avenue, drawing the highly vigilant guard of the attending imperial guards. The noise was deafening, the crowds surging like a tide—fortunately, no clichéd assassination attempt on the emperor occurred.

Liu Chengyou had merely been moved in the moment; once he came to his senses, he withdrew back into the carriage. Safety first. Compared with his return from the western inspection tour last time, Liu Chengyou could hear genuine joy in the cheers of the Eastern Capital's people this time. To Liu Chengyou, this mattered more than the tidal waves of "Long live" cries.

The imperial army soldiers who had accompanied the campaign each returned to their own camps; subsequent arrangements and management were left to the Imperial Guard Command to handle, requiring no further worry from Liu Chengyou. The imperial palanquin went straight into the Bian Palace, arriving at Chongyuan Hall, where he ascended the hall and received the court's homage from civil and military officials.

Seated on the golden throne, looking down from on high, sweeping his gaze over the assembled courtiers, Liu Chengyou saw the reverent bearing of Wang Zhang, Guo Wei, and other ministers—both familiar and strange. It seemed that compared with before his personal campaign, the court of the Eastern Capital had not changed much.

He shot a glance at the palace eunuch Zhang Dejun, who immediately unrolled the edict prepared in advance and proclaimed it before the court. Its contents were rich: it reviewed the Hezhong rebellion and its suppression, commended the merit of the generals, soldiers, and ministers at the front and rear who had devoted themselves to their duties, lamented the wounds the rebellion had inflicted on the state and its people, and emphasized the subsequent handling of matters, ordering all officials and offices to attend to their respective duties—only then did it conclude.

Only upon the dismissal of court did Liu Chengyou speak a few words, his expression stern throughout, displaying his imperial "majesty" to the fullest.

"So tiring!"

Returning to Chuigong Hall, Liu Chengyou collapsed directly onto the imperial seat, utterly lacking in dignity, and had the two beautiful palace maids attending the hall massage his shoulders and pound his legs.

Since ascending the throne, this was the first time Liu Chengyou had uttered the word "tired," his body and mind both exhausted. During Liu Chengyou's absence, the upkeep of Chuigong Hall had clearly been meticulous; everything followed his habits, the furnishings and arrangements unchanged, even the placement of the candlesticks exuding meticulous care. Though the palace maids serving within were few, the female attendants permitted to serve before the emperor were carefully selected, skilled in all manner of service, with capable technique.

Slender, soft hands, fragrance wafting to the face—if one observed with a composed mind, the temptations within this palace chamber were truly too great...

"Your Majesty, His Majesty the Empress and Noble Consort Gao request an audience!"

"They came together?"

"Yes!"

"Summon them in!" Liu Chengyou did not change his posture, directly giving the order.

Soon, the two women, Fu and Gao, entered with lotus steps, dressed in splendid robes. Young in years, yet their noble lady's bearing grew ever more pronounced.

"Your Majesty." They greeted in unison, softly and gracefully.

His gaze lingered briefly on the two women's voluptuous figures before shifting away, and he waved his hand: "Rise!"

Soon, the attending palace maids were dismissed, and the empress and consort took over the duties of attendance. His head pillowed between the elder Lady Fu's firm thighs, his legs resting in Lady Gao's embrace, the Empress massaging his head, the Noble Consort kneading his feet—Liu Chengyou rarely enjoyed such comfort.

When it came to temptation, ordinary palace maids could hardly compare to the allure of consorts.

Having not seen each other for nearly two months, conversation could not avoid the matter of the rebellion's suppression.

"Congratulations to Your Majesty on your victorious return." The elder Lady Fu's tone carried joy, her gentle breath softly brushing Liu Chengyou's forehead, stirring an itch in his heart: "While Your Majesty was away on campaign, your mother and we were deeply worried."

"That mere Li Shouzhen was hardly worth mentioning." As the victor, Liu Chengyou could freely express his contempt for the rebel.

"With Your Majesty's heroic strategy and talent, capturing him was naturally as easy as reaching into one's pocket!" Noble Consort Gao glanced at Empress Fu, a smile at the corner of her lips, following up in agreement.

The elder Lady Fu's delicate brows rose slightly; she too looked at Lady Gao, and without changing expression, lowered her body slightly, drawing Liu Chengyou closer.

Lady Gao's beautiful eyes moved downward; she was about to act further when she noticed the barely concealed exhaustion on Liu Chengyou's handsome features, and could not help but speak with concern: "Since returning from the campaign, Your Majesty has visibly grown thinner. Back then, you should have brought me along, to make attending to you more convenient."

"When it comes to going to war, we women should remain deep in the palace, tending to the inner chambers, so that Your Majesty has no worries from behind." The elder Lady Fu said.

"The Empress is also the daughter of a military family, spirited and proud—surely you do not also belittle women, and say they cannot accompany a campaign?" Lady Gao's beautiful eyes brightened, her gaze meaningful as she looked at Empress Fu.

The elder Lady Fu met Lady Gao's gaze, drew a breath, and said: "If it would not benefit the state, and would harm military morale, how could I add to Your Majesty's troubles?"

"Enough!" Liu Chengyou suddenly inhaled deeply the fragrance from the elder Lady Fu's body, interrupting the two: "Let me have some peace and quiet!"

Seeing these two women actually sparring with each other right before him, Liu Chengyou could not help but speak up to interrupt.

"Yes!" Both women fell silent at the same time.

After a moment of silence, Liu Chengyou closed his eyes and spoke slowly: "Since the founding of the Great Han, we have stumbled along the way, beset by turmoil, natural disasters without end, man-made calamities ceaseless, bad governance hard to eliminate, all matters in disarray. Since I ascended the throne, I have been diligent and sincere, toiling day and night in worry. Only today do I have the confidence to say: the rivers and mountains of the Great Han face no immediate danger of collapse..."

Hearing these words, the elder Lady Fu felt a pang of bitterness. Her beautiful features softened, and she raised a hand to stroke Liu Chengyou's considerably roughened cheek, saying with concern: "The rebels are subdued, the upheaval gradually stilled, the realm settled—Your Majesty should rest well in the palace for a while."

"The realm settled? That is still far off..." Liu Chengyou sighed in a muffled voice: "I am merely stealing a moment of leisure for now."

The Empress and the Noble Consort, two beauties, kept him company. Unfortunately, his eyelids were too heavy, barely able to stay open, and Liu Chengyou's consciousness gradually drifted away...

Just as he was about to fall asleep, he suddenly started awake, pulling himself out of the warm embrace, startling the elder Lady Fu and Lady Gao.

"Your Majesty, what is it? Was I too forceful?" Lady Gao stepped forward to support Liu Chengyou.

Shaking his head, Liu Chengyou asked: "While I was away, was the palace peaceful?"

The elder Lady Fu said: "With the Empress Dowager in charge, all is stable and as usual."

Nodding, Liu Chengyou rose directly, having the two help him put on the outer robe he had removed, fasten his belt, and instructed: "Since returning to the capital, I have not yet paid my respects to my mother. You two, accompany me to Renming Hall!"

"Yes!"