Chapter 323: Return to the Capital

On the fourth day of the second month (wuyin), the imperial carriage departed from Changshe, and amid the reverent worship of the local gentry and commoners, returned to the capital.

The extra day's stay had been spent observing the common folk of Xuzhou's reaction to the verdict in Liu Xin's case, and the feedback was favorable. The imperial edict had been issued—heavy punishment for the ringleaders, strict penalties for the accomplices—and combined with Liu Chengyou's sincere and earnest edict of self-reproach, the people's spirits were greatly lifted.

Most importantly, the remedial measures Liu Chengyou had ordered brought tangible benefits to the gentry and commoners of Xuzhou. Executing the wicked vented their anger, dismissing the corrupt soothed their resentment, and reducing taxes brought them profit. Under such circumstances, Liu Xin's life or death was not what the lowly masses cared about. Moreover, Liu Chengyou's handling of him had shown genuine sincerity.

After all, the people of this era were accustomed to suffering, accustomed to being exploited, and their expectations were not high. Compared to the turmoil and precariousness of wartime, that vicious flood-dragon Liu Xin had not yet pushed them to the point of being unable to survive—though of course, had it continued another year or two, that might no longer have been the case.

A young accompanying censor, seeking to distinguish himself, suggested that Liu Chengyou return to the people the money and goods seized from Liu Xin and his cohorts. Liu Chengyou brushed it off with a chuckle.

Liu Chengyou could see many things clearly. For ordinary folk, when it came to those who robbed them, cowed by power and force, there would not likely be great upheaval for a time. Punish the chief culprits, return their lands, give them hope, and their resentment would dissipate.

But if he were to return wealth that could not be verified in detail, one could imagine the chaos it would cause would be worse than the robbery itself. On one hand, human hearts are never satisfied and hard to pacify; on the other, it would be utterly impossible to compensate each household according to what had been plundered. Depositing it into the government treasury was the most appropriate, effective, and trouble-free approach.

The trip to Xuzhou had yielded Liu Chengyou no small gains—his basic objectives had been achieved. Not to mention the other hidden benefits, just looking at the confiscated assets from Liu Xin's estate: the most tangible things—cash, silk, satin, porcelain, gold, silver, jade... valued at over one hundred seventy thousand strings of cash. Given Liu Xin's method of amassing wealth, having such a vast fortune was hardly surprising.

Unlike the route taken on the way there, they did not return the same way. A different path was chosen—traveling east from Changshe, passing through Yanling, through Fugou, crossing the Yu River, then following the old course of the Cai River north back to the Eastern Capital. Since the Later Liang, the jurisdiction of Kaifeng Prefecture had continuously expanded; the three counties of Yanling, Fugou, and Xiangyi, originally belonging to Xu, Chen, and Song prefectures, within two hundred li south of the Eastern Capital, had all been carved out and placed under Kaifeng Prefecture.

Thus, the imperial procession, upon leaving Xuzhou, was already in Kaifeng territory. They traveled slowly, observing the people's livelihood and local customs. Of course, with such a large entourage, it was impossible for Liu Chengyou's inspection to be very thorough—merely summoning and questioning the officials of the counties and towns they passed through.

Even so, there was something to be gained. At least on the surface, the lower-level officials of Kaifeng Prefecture's counties and towns, after a full year of personnel replacement and replenishment, were of acceptable quality. Had time truly permitted, Liu Chengyou would have been inclined to travel further south and east.

The imperial procession stretched for several li front to back, dust undisturbed, the sounds of people, beasts, carriages, and banners mingling together—yet the entire marching column exuded the orderly discipline Liu Chengyou so appreciated.

Empress Fu attended at his side, chatting casually with Liu Chengyou. It was probably because, when he had encountered that "extraordinary matter" earlier, Liu Chengyou had gone to Noble Consort Gao for a "heart-to-heart talk," and then somehow it had inadvertently leaked to the Empress—and so this was the situation on the return journey.

The scene inside the carriage was thus: Liu Chengyou's head rested on the elder Lady Fu's thighs, feeling the soft flesh, breathing in the fragrance emanating from her body. The elder Lady Fu's waist was slightly curved; when he opened his eyes, he could see the soft mound nearly touching his forehead...

"This trip to Xuzhou has resolved a burden on my heart!" Liu Chengyou said with eyes closed, pressing his head deeper into the elder Lady Fu's embrace, as if trying to burrow into the depths, muttering softly.

The Empress seemed to have been touched in a sensitive spot; a flush of red spread across her pretty face, and she simply pulled Liu Chengyou closer.

Hearing his words, the elder Lady Fu did not shy away—after all, Liu Chengyou had brought it up himself. She thought for a moment, then asked: "Second Lang is still thinking about the Imperial Uncle's matter?"

During the return journey, the elder Lady Fu had gradually changed her form of address for Liu Chengyou, becoming more intimate, the change coming naturally. Liu Chengyou, for his part, accepted it with equanimity.

"Do you think the people of the realm will see me?"

The elder Lady Fu thought it over, then chose to speak pleasantly: "Your Majesty is just and impartial, righteous and noble..."

Hearing this, Liu Chengyou immediately smiled.

"Why does Second Lang laugh?"

Holding the elder Lady Fu's hand—more delicate and soft than Noble Consort Gao's—Liu Chengyou said softly: "If it benefits the state and the altars of the realm, why would I care about the opinions of the world?"

Liu Chengyou's words were somewhat disingenuous, and somewhat arrogant. But falling upon the elder Lady Fu's ears, they sounded bold and heroic.

"Your Majesty, Wang Qiwu, the Hanlin Academician, requests an audience!" Zhang Dejun announced from outside.

The carriage continued forward as Liu Chengyou lifted the curtain and looked out: "What is it?"

Wang Qiwu held a sealed envelope in his hand and reported to Liu Chengyou: "Your Majesty, a special memorial has arrived from Taiyuan, forwarded to Your Majesty by the Secretariat!"

Hearing this, the languor on Liu Chengyou's face vanished instantly, his back straightened, and he extended his hand: "Present it!"

Sensing the tone of Liu Chengyou's voice, Zhang Dejun hastened to deliver it, moving with considerably more alacrity than usual.

The special memorial from Liu Chong—he briefly flipped through the envelope, saw no signs of tampering, and opened it. The letter was a simple two pages; Liu Chengyou read it quickly, and a restrained smile gradually crept to the corners of his mouth.

"What is it?" With the elder Lady Fu's intelligence, she naturally sensed something amiss and asked in a gentle voice.

"Nothing. It's just that the Imperial Uncle, long stationed at Jinyang, misses the Empress Dowager and me, and has written me a family letter!" Liu Chengyou's upturned lips slowly returned to normal, speaking simply and lightly—though his hands carefully folded the letter and placed it on a small table inside the carriage.

It lay right there; the elder Lady Fu gave it only a brief glance and did not look again. In her heart, she knew well that things were not so simple.

Liu Chong's letter, though containing some words of concern, conveyed its core meaning very clearly: having heard of the upheaval in Xuzhou, he requested that Liu Chengyou spare Liu Xin—otherwise...

Liu Chengyou calling it a family letter was not wrong. If Liu Chengyou granted it, it was a family letter; if not, then it was a threat!

Displeasure naturally brewed in Liu Chengyou's heart—no monarch could tolerate threats from a subject. Still, he felt a slight relief: fortunately, he had spared Liu Xin's life, even if only barely.

Liu Chengyou was aware of Liu Xin's sending a letter to Jinyang, so receiving Liu Chong's special memorial came as no great surprise.

As for how to reply to Liu Chong's letter, how to respond, Liu Chengyou had few options. Having just resolved the harm of one imperial uncle in the south, he could hardly turn around and move against the imperial uncle in the north, provoking another calamity. Liu Chong—he was a true paternal imperial uncle, and he guarded Hedong; he was not something to be compared with a mere Xuzhou.

"Where are we now? How far to the Eastern Capital?" Liu Chengyou asked after steadying his emotions.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, we have reached Chenliu territory, still nearly a hundred li from the Eastern Capital!"

"Pass the order: increase speed, arrive at the capital tomorrow!"