Chapter 315: Two Imperial Uncles

Inside Changshe city, undercurrents surged, gradually building into a storm about to break.

And Liu Xin, at the center of those undercurrents, remained at ease, entertaining Murong Yanchao in his lavish, ornate hall, chatting away. Though it was night, the hall was bright with candlelight, and the atmosphere was growing warm and congenial.

"Since the days when I governed Huazhou and you governed Chanzhou, you and I, brothers—it's been nearly a year and a half since we last met, hasn't it!" Already deep in his cups, Liu Xin, drunk and slurring, began reminiscing with Murong Yanchao: "Who would have thought that back then, when we were nothing but runners at Big Brother's side, we'd end up living such comfortable lives as this!"

As he spoke, Liu Xin patted the slightly protruding belly beneath his brocade robe and laughed heartily.

Glancing at him, Murong Yanchao also remarked: "Xuzhou is a prosperous land in the Central Plains—far better than my Yunzhou."

"No matter how good, can it be better than the Eastern Capital?" Liu Xin snorted coldly, his face full of pent-up resentment: "A pity, ah, that Big Brother left too early, letting that boy take the reins!"

Hearing his complaints, Murong Yanchao furrowed his brow and asked: "Brother Xin, you still harbor grievances!"

"Between you and me, brothers, there's nothing to hide!" Liu Xin, seeming to have drunk too much, raised his hand and pointed at his own heart: "In here, I'm suffocating!"

"Tell me, in this realm of the Great Han, if Big Brother hadn't led us in battle after battle, licking blood from our blades, would that Liu the Second have any place issuing orders from the hall today? You, me, and Second Brother in Taiyuan—we're all his elders, the imperial kin of the Great Han. But Brother Chong—why, he's never even set foot in the Eastern Capital, guarding the realm for him in Jinyang..."

Liu Xin seemed full of grievances, and before Murong Yanchao he held nothing back, his mouth running without pause: "Last year, when Big Brother passed, he ascended the throne as a youth. With all those meritorious ministers and haughty generals in court, if not for me, could he have suppressed those Yang, Wang, Shi, Su, Guo types? And then he turns around and refuses to acknowledge me as his imperial uncle, driving me out of the Eastern Capital—was it just because I killed a few people and skimmed a bit of money? Was that worth making such a fuss over?"

"And before that, that Liu the Third, that snot-nosed brat, with no merit and no achievement, merely by virtue of being the emperor's younger brother, was enfeoffed as Prince of Huaiyang. As for us—we have the status, we have the merit—and he shows us not a single sign of recognition?"

"Heh heh, if only the eldest brother hadn't died young..."

"Brother Xin, you're drunk—how can you speak with such abandon?" Seeing Liu Xin disparage the Emperor so openly before him, Murong Yanchao's expression shifted slightly. He waved his hand at the servants attending in the hall, ordering them to withdraw.

Liu Xin snorted coldly: "Is what I'm saying not the truth?"

Murong Yanchao said: "I think His Majesty has treated us rather well. Promotions and titles haven't been few. Last winter, when I went to the capital for an audience, of all the military governors, I, as his imperial uncle, received the most generous rewards..."

"A bit of gold and silver, and that's enough to buy you off?" Hearing this, Liu Xin's face showed contempt.

But Murong Yanchao showed no embarrassment, taking a sip of wine: "You know I've always loved gold, silver, and wealth. Even if His Majesty was just catering to my tastes, it still shows he has us in mind. Brother Xin, I think you've misjudged His Majesty. We're all one family..."

"One family?" Liu Xin, eyes bleary with drink, pointed in the direction of the imperial procession and said: "That day, when the imperial coffin traveled south and first entered my territory, I led my subordinates and officials dozens of li out to welcome it, offering up all the rare treasures from my storehouses. That was giving him face, showing my loyalty, wasn't it? And what did I get in return? A cold face. If not for Sister-in-law being there, I wouldn't have known how to save the situation!"

Hearing Liu Xin say this, Murong Yanchao fell silent. After a long while, he finally sighed: "Brother Xin, I know you have anger in your heart, but he is after all His Majesty, the Son of Heaven. As an emperor, he's done rather well. We are not only his imperial uncles—we are also his subjects!"

Hearing Murong Yanchao's earnest admonishment, Liu Xin straightened his back, his drunkenness seeming to dissipate somewhat, and stared at him: "Who would have thought—you and I, a pair of rough soldiers—could now speak such reasoned words? You've really improved, haven't you? Who taught you to say that?"

"Doesn't His Majesty encourage us to read more? In my spare time, I have my staff help me—I've learned some characters, listened to some stories..."

"Hmph!" A breath that seemed to shoot straight out of his nostrils, Liu Xin sighed: "It's not that I don't want to fulfill my duties as a subject. It's just that—our His Majesty looks down on me, his imperial uncle. Of course, the two of us—we're sick of the sight of each other!"

"Nowadays, anyone dares to come looking for trouble with me!"

"What's this? Someone dares to provoke you?" Murong Yanchao, hearing this, couldn't help but ponder, and voiced his question.

Liu Xin squeezed his hand, nearly crushing the wine cup he held, and said coldly: "My men report that lately, in the prefectural city and among the common folk, there have been shady characters poking around, asking this and that—plainly out to find fault with me!"

"What sort of people?" Murong Yanchao, though crude and money-loving, had his own shrewdness. Sensing something, he asked gravely.

Swaying unsteadily, his vision blurred by the candlelight, Liu Xin chuckled: "A few censors, those remonstrating officials, not knowing their place. And also..." His tone turned cold: "Those dogs of the Wude Office—that Li Shaoyou, the little bastard—his dog's nose has actually sniffed its way to me."

"You must be careful!" Murong Yanchao remarked with feeling: "The Wude Office goes without saying. And that censor Zhao Li traveling with the procession—he's a man of extraordinary audacity. When I was building my mansion in the Eastern Capital, he submitted an impeachment against me, claiming I'd overstepped the regulations, and I was even summoned by His Majesty and given a dressing-down!"

Liu Xin immediately displayed his contempt for the matter: "Heh heh, this realm has been in chaos for so long that the court's statutes aren't even complete—what's the point of talking about overstepping or not? Ridiculous!"

"Brother Xin, there are rumors that in Xuzhou you..." Murong Yanchao's words trailed off with hesitation.

"That's right, they're not just rumors!" As if knowing what Murong Yanchao wanted to say, Liu Xin said: "What I've done in Xuzhou, I haven't hidden any of it. Every single matter, every single deed, is real and solid. And I should be sneaking around? Am I afraid of his investigation?"

"Ai, you're being foolish!" Murong Yanchao shook his head: "Skimming a bit of money, killing a few people—that's nothing. But why did you have to plunder under the Emperor's banner? You should know that His Majesty has always valued the hearts of the people. How could you not provoke his wrath?"

Liu Xin said disdainfully: "The people's will? A man who's carved his way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood—don't I know whether the people's will can stand against swords and spears?"

"But today!" His expression turning serious for the first time, Liu Xin said: "Word came from the imperial procession that His Majesty has summoned Li Shaoyou and that Zhao Li one after another. I may not be clever, but I'm not stupid either. If I'm not mistaken, those two are probably whispering slander in the Emperor's ear!"

Liu Xin wore a relaxed air, but Murong Yanchao reacted strongly, scrambling up, bracing himself on the food table, and asking urgently: "Do you know what His Majesty's attitude is?"

"Those before the throne—not a single hint of what's going on!" Liu Xin said gloomily, though his bearing remained arrogant: "Who knows—maybe they've already worked out how to deal with me!"

The two of them were, of course, drinking fine wine, and the air was filled with its fragrance—though with each breath, there was also a foul stench mixed in. After a long silence, Murong Yanchao sighed: "If that's truly the case, what do you plan to do?"

"What to do? What do you think I should do?" Liu Xin asked in return.

"After all, you're close kin of the imperial clan. Go to His Majesty in advance and beg forgiveness, admit your mistake to him, and I'll put in a good word for you on the side!" Murong Yanchao suggested.

It was clear that the two had a fairly good relationship—Murong Yanchao was genuinely thinking on his behalf.

Liu Xin waved his hand: "They haven't even made a move yet, and I should rush to confess my crimes? That's asking me to incriminate myself without being pressed? Setting that aside—in these decades past, has there ever been such a spineless military province?"

Seeing Liu Xin reject his advice, Murong Yanchao's expression also turned sour. He turned aside and slapped the table: "Don't think that just because you rely on your status as imperial uncle, His Majesty truly can't touch you! Look at what he's done since taking the throne—he's not someone to be trifled with!"

"I know that. Otherwise, why would I, a dignified imperial uncle and commander of over a hundred thousand imperial troops, have ended up in Xuzhou, living a life of drunken idleness?" Liu Xin's eyes grew clear, and he said softly: "In my Xuzhou, I still have several thousand yabing guards. They..."

Hearing these words, Murong Yanchao's expression changed drastically. Before Liu Xin could finish, he stood up directly, paced a few steps across the hall, and stared down at Liu Xin from above: "Brother Xin, grievances are grievances, but you were in the wrong to begin with. Some things I can help you with, but some things—if you go too far, don't blame me for disregarding our brotherly bond! You know that Big Brother fought for this realm from being a mere horse groom. Though I'm a coarse man, I keep Big Brother's kindness forever in my heart!"

Rebuked so harshly by Murong Yanchao, Liu Xin was stunned for a moment, then chuckled, shaking his head, pouring himself wine and drinking it slowly, his gaze gradually growing unfocused: "Look at you, getting so worked up over nothing. I was just speaking off the cuff. What schemes could I possibly have?"

"His Majesty has brought elite imperial troops with him on this trip. What could the few soldiers in Xuzhou possibly do? As for me, I'll just wait and see what he can do to me, his imperial uncle. Kill me? Heh heh..."

Seeing Liu Xin drift into drunkenness, Murong Yanchao shook his head, angrily called for the servants who had been dismissed, and left with a dark, grim face.