Chapter 329: The Southern Tang Envoy (1)

Though it was daytime, the palace halls and towers were scarcely livelier than at night, surrounded by tranquility—solemn but not oppressive. Inside the recently renamed Chongzheng Hall, Liu Chengyou leaned against the food table, eating, with his favorite tofu before him.

In his arms, he held his eldest son, Liu Xu, a baby of nearly nine months, light enough to lift with one hand, though he had grown and felt solid and weighty. Still in swaddling, the child had inherited his parents' fine genes and was quite adorable.

Liu Chengyou was not skilled at holding children, but in his father's arms, little Nong'er was very quiet—no fussing, no crying, no struggling, entirely at ease. His dark, glossy eyes were lively and alert, fixed on Liu Chengyou's chin.

Suddenly he let out two giggles. Liu Chengyou looked down at the child's fair, smiling face and could not help but reveal a relaxed smile: "What, you want some too?"

With that, he brought the small piece of soft tofu still held between his chopsticks toward the child's mouth. Interestingly, little Nong'er actually cooperated by opening his mouth, revealing pink gums. The old woman Li, attending nearby, was startled at the sight and hurried forward to stop him: "Your Majesty, wait! You mustn't give Nong'er random things to eat!"

Her sharp tone and stern expression startled Liu Chengyou slightly, and the tofu between his chopsticks nearly dropped. He popped the piece into his own mouth, chewed a couple of times, and said: "No harm done—I was merely playing with the little one!"

"This old woman has offended Your Majesty; please forgive me!" Seeing this, the old woman recovered her wits and spoke cautiously.

"What offense is there!" Liu Chengyou waved his hand: "Old Li, you care for Nong'er with exceptional diligence—you deserve a reward!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Though joy showed on the old woman's face, her tone and movements remained steady and composed.

"Alright, I've seen enough!" Liu Chengyou handed the child to her and instructed: "Take Nong'er back to Renming Hall!"

"Yes!"

After the old woman withdrew with the child, Liu Chengyou quickly collected himself, shoveled food into his mouth in a few quick bites, and only after finishing his meal picked up a memorial to read—one from Xuzhou.

"Your Majesty!" Kneeling before the hall were Guo Wei and Wei Renpu.

"Both of you, sit!" Liu Chengyou instructed, his gaze lingering briefly on their two deferential expressions before he asked: "Why hasn't Commissioner Wang come?"

The two exchanged a glance, and Guo Wei spoke: "To report to Your Majesty, Commissioner Wang has gone to verify the weapons and roster registers of the imperial army at Huazhou and has not yet returned to the capital!"

"Oh!" Liu Chengyou acknowledged, unconcerned. He reached out and picked up a memorial set apart on the imperial desk, saying to the two: "Commissioner Wang's proposal on reorganizing the imperial army outside the capital—you've both read it, haven't you?"

"Minister Wei, I imagine, has it even more thoroughly in mind!" Liu Chengyou deliberately glanced at Wei Renpu.

The two replied in unison: "Yes!"

Guo Wei wore a composed expression and answered calmly: "Commissioner Wang's memorial is thoroughly considered, with no omissions. We believe it is most fitting!"

"I think so too!" Liu Chengyou said leisurely: "I have already given my endorsement—proceed with the reorganization accordingly, starting with the garrison at Huazhou. Coordinate well with the Imperial Guard Command and draw up the troops for rotation and redeployment."

Transferring imperial army garrisons outward naturally required drawing from the cavalry and infantry under the Imperial Guard Command—no other reason than that they had the numbers.

"Hmm..." After a pause, Liu Chengyou added: "This time, I'll ask Minister Wei to put in extra effort and care!"

Wei Renpu was momentarily at a loss for words upon hearing this, but his strong mental fortitude kept him calm enough to answer with a simple "Yes."

Liu Chengyou intended to elevate Wei Renpu—Guo Wei, watching from the side, saw this clearly. He thought to himself that the Bureau of Military Affairs already had him and Wang Jun; surely the Son of Heaven would not add more fuel to that fire...

Under the bright open sky, the markets of the Eastern Capital, though not packed shoulder-to-shoulder with surging crowds, were still lively. One establishment, situated in a bustling commercial area, was decorated with considerable taste, and customers came and went—business was thriving.

"The owner behind this tavern must have solid backing!" Inside an elegant room, a handsome middle-aged man in brocade robes, bearing an extraordinary air, toyed with a celadon wine cup and scanned the scene in the hall outside the window.

"How can you tell, Lord Han?" The young man with a short beard seated across from him asked curiously.

"The patrons coming through the door are all too well-behaved!" The middle-aged man surnamed Han replied casually, his gaze seemingly profound, a hint of pride at the corner of his mouth.

This middle-aged man surnamed Han was Han Xizai, who had been appointed envoy by the Tang sovereign Li Jing from his post as Judge of Xuanzhou, sent north to the Eastern Capital to visit the Great Han.

It had been over a year since the Southern Tang and the Great Han had fallen out, with friction never ceasing. When Liu Zhiyuan was in power, he had little concern for the south, allowing the Southern Tang to gain some advantages—they even dared to clamor about advancing into the Central Plains and restoring their old capital. But after Liu Chengyou succeeded the throne, though they bullied him as a young ruler and made repeated moves, they never gained any real advantage.

Especially after Liu Chengyou pacified Hezhong—far from gaining advantages, they only suffered losses. Along the Huai River front, it had originally been the Tang army constantly harassing, but as the Great Han's court gradually stabilized and the realm grew peaceful, the tables turned. Now it was the Han army north of the Huai that had freed up their hands and frequently crossed south to plunder. Huainan was a wealthy region—grabbing a little something was enough to keep the impoverished Han garrison troops comfortable for a while.

Not long ago, Wang Wangan, Prefect of Mizhou of the Great Han, and Guo Qiong, Prefect of Yizhou, requested an imperial edict to march south against the Tang bandits. They captured, plundered, and burned, returning fully loaded. Seeing that the situation was turning unfavorable, the Southern Tang's tendency toward appeasement surfaced. Since they could gain nothing, Li Jing planned to make peace. Knowing that Han Xizai was familiar with northern affairs, he sent him north with the intent of repairing relations between the two states.

Han Xizai had been demoted three years earlier in the factional struggle with Song Qiqiu and Feng Yansi. Now entrusted with this important mission to the Han, his keen mind told him that if he succeeded smoothly and negotiated well, he could return to court and be restored to the Secretariat.

Thinking of this, Han Xizai's brow furrowed as he recalled the court situation in Jinling. Though he had been in Xuanzhou, he had never stopped worrying about the political situation at court. The Song-Feng faction had also been demoted, but recently many of their members had been reinstated and appointed. Song Qiqiu and Feng Yansi remained in the provinces, but their partisans still held great power. Li Jing evidently wanted to use him, Han, to balance the forces at court again.

"Sigh..." A long, leisurely sigh.

"Why does Lord Han sigh?" The young man in the slanted-collar brocade robe beside him was the deputy envoy accompanying him north.

He certainly would not voice his inner concerns. Han Xizai smiled faintly, picked up his chopsticks, and took a slice of spring bamboo shoot, chewing it—it seemed to taste quite good. Yet he still appeared proud, changing the subject in a critical tone: "This tavern has good wine and good food, but it is too shallow and lacking in elegance!"

"Lord Han's talent is extraordinary and your tastes lofty—such establishments naturally cannot meet your standards!" The deputy envoy curled his lip, a hint of mockery in his tone.

This deputy envoy belonged to the Song faction. Li Jing's way with people—he never forgot to balance and smooth things over, no matter what he did.

"But considering the duties of this northern mission, bearing the sovereign's command, I dare not forget my worries!" Han Xizai glanced at the deputy envoy with pride and said flatly.

At this mention, the deputy envoy's face showed displeasure: "The Han emperor truly is a northern barbarian, ignorant of propriety. We've been in Kaifeng this long, and they still leave us hanging!"

"I hear the Han emperor is diligent in governance. Perhaps he is busy with matters of state and war—how could he have time to receive us? Should we go knocking on his door, humbling ourselves?" Han Xizai said with studied indifference.

The deputy envoy was displeased at this: "The mission is by His Majesty's decree—surely Lord Han harbors some resentment!"

"How dare I?" Seeing this man of the opposing faction casually pinning a label on him, Han Xizai paid it no mind, merely showing disdain.

"Are we just going to wait idly in Kaifeng?" The deputy envoy's tone grew impatient.

"What else?" Han Xizai's tone remained unaccommodating: "What use is haste?"

"Hmph!" The deputy envoy gave a light snort: "Lord Han is certainly not anxious—otherwise, how would you have the leisure to wander these Kaifeng streets every day!"