Chapter 539: The Commandery Duke of Shouyang's Sense of Unease

On the tenth day of the fourth month in the fifth year of Qianyou, south of Jinyang city.

Yongli Post Station had already been restored to its former state—sword marks and blade scars had been erased, damaged doors, windows, and buildings had been repaired, and after a summer rain, the smell of blood had been washed away completely. Moreover, with newly appointed postal officials arriving, reception services had resumed, providing lodging for traveling officials and merchants.

Outside the station, along the left side of the road, more than twenty horse-drawn carriages were lined up in a row, loaded with the entire family of Liu Chong, the Prince of Taiyuan, along with large quantities of gold, silver, and fine valuables.

All around were a considerable number of soldiers serving as guards—imperial army troops and soldiers of the Wude Battalion combined, totaling over two hundred men. By decree of the Son of Heaven, Liu Chengyou, the Commissioner of the Wude Office was "escorting" the Prince of Taiyuan, Liu Chong, south to the capital.

Beneath a canvas awning in front of the station, Li Shaoyou, Fan Zhi, and Zhao Kuangyin sat facing one another in a relaxed manner. On the wooden table sat a pot of wine and three cups, with a newly acquired beauty of Li Shaoyou's attending to pour the wine.

"You two—I'm heading south to report on my duties and will leave first, shedding all burdens. The heavy responsibility of Hedong falls on your shoulders now!" Li Shaoyou said with a smile, his demeanor free and easy as he clasped his hands toward Fan Zhi and Zhao Kuangyin.

"The Commandery Duke is carefree and unrestrained—this humble officer is both envious and admiring!" Zhao Kuangyin chuckled lightly.

Fan Zhi, however, maintained a solemn expression, pointing toward Liu Chong's party and admonishing: "Commandery Duke, as you head south, you must be cautious. Protect the Prince of Taiyuan well, and may your journey be safe!"

"Let us finish this cup, and part ways here!" Li Shaoyou smiled slightly.

"Please!"

In the lead carriage sat Liu Chong himself—unlike his descendants and family members, he was permitted to ride alone. By now, Liu Chong's hair and beard were already snow-white. He was nearly sixty, already advanced in years, and having suffered great upheaval, his emotions had risen and fallen violently, wounding both his spirit and heart.

His appearance was haggard, and the age spots on his face had become noticeably more prominent. Leaning against the carriage wall, he gazed outward through the curtain with murky eyes. After a moment of daze, he spotted Li Shaoyou's figure, strolling closer with the bearing of a carefree playboy.

Li Shaoyou only glanced inside through the carriage curtain opening, exchanged a look with Liu Chong, said nothing more, then simply waved his hand and called out loudly: "Move out!"

Li Shaoyou had ultimately broken his word—he had not engaged Liu Chong in a thorough conversation to resolve his confusion. In fact, ever since Liu Chong had been taken into custody, he had not had any private communication with him.

A trusted subordinate, following beside Li Shaoyou, pointed at the several carriages at the rear loaded with gold, silver, and jewels, and asked curiously: "Commandery Duke, they are all prisoners now—why allow them to keep so much wealth?"

Upon hearing the question, Li Shaoyou said: "His Majesty's decree only instructs us to escort Liu Chong's family intact to the Eastern Capital!"

"But what they committed is the great crime of rebellion!" the subordinate said, puzzled.

"Before the fact, it is rebellion; after the fact, it may not be..." Li Shaoyou said in a low, measured tone: "How to convict them, how to dispose of them—all will be decided by His Majesty's single word. It is not for us to consider; we need only do our work!"

The subordinate lowered his voice and said: "This subordinate merely worries that if the Commandery Duke treats the Prince of Taiyuan with leniency and kindness, it may fall into the eyes of those with ulterior motives, and you could be branded as 'sympathizing' with rebels..."

"Those with ulterior motives you speak of—who exactly do you mean?" Li Shaoyou's lips curled into a faintly contemptuous arc as he said calmly: "Regardless, the Prince of Taiyuan is my elder, the Emperor's own paternal uncle. Leaving him that money—once we reach the Eastern Capital, it may allow him to pull some strings, and perhaps he can be exonerated?"

From Li Shaoyou's tone, one could tell that he seemed to have been moved by compassion.

"Pass the order down—everything concerning Hedong, all of you keep your mouths shut!" Li Shaoyou suddenly instructed his subordinate sternly: "Remember, the Wude Office investigates the words and deeds of others, so you must also discipline your own words and deeds. I watch people; inevitably, people watch me!"

"Yes!"

This Hedong coup, seizing Liu Chong, had drawn blood and killed several hundred soldiers, but as to how the matter should be characterized, at least in Li Shaoyou's eyes, there was still some uncertainty.

If Liu Chong had formally raised the banner of rebellion and mobilized troops in revolt, then there would be no question—the court would issue an edict of condemnation, brand him a rebel, dispatch troops to suppress him, and grind his bones to dust. But ultimately, the matter had been resolved before the upheaval could occur.

Liu Chong had the substance of plotting rebellion, and the Hedong army had shown rebellious movements—many in the Eastern Capital court and among Hedong's military and civil officials knew this. But that was where it ended. Led by Fan Zhi and Zhao Kuangyin, who were handling the aftermath, there was a deliberate effort to downplay the "rebellion"—clearly, they had received secret instructions.

As for Li Shaoyou, he could roughly guess some of the Son of Heaven's considerations. As long as things had not exceeded control, then for the current Great Han dynasty, there should no longer exist any talk of "rebellion"—especially internal strife within the imperial house, which most easily invited criticism and ridicule from the realm, and was also detrimental to political stability.

Boarding his comfortable carriage, Li Shaoyou drew his beauty into his arms, laughing and playing with her, fully enjoying her tenderness. Yet in his bearing, a hint of unease had already crept in—he was considering, after returning to court, how to handle the aftermath—the aftermath concerning himself.

Over the years, Li Shaoyou's other abilities had not improved, but his sensitivity to politics and to the sovereign's mind had risen sharply. What did the current Son of Heaven care about most? Nothing else—first, imperial power; second, the military.

This time, he, the Commandery Duke, had truly manipulated a very large game of chess in Hedong. Capturing Liu Chong, dissolving the upheaval before it took form, preserving Hedong intact, and paving the way for the court to reclaim military authority and control.

A merit of the highest order!

But Li Shaoyou, though usually unrestrained and carefree, was fond of pondering things. Thinking it over carefully, in order to accomplish his mission, he had done quite a few taboo things in Hedong this time.

His entanglement with Hedong's subordinate officials, military officers, and administrators ran too deep. Taiyuan, Fenliao, Kelan, Xindai—the Wude Office's penetration had been too thorough. From another angle, lurking in the shadows, he had silently turned Hedong upside down.

It could be said that from the moment Liu Chong was captured, Li Shaoyou had become the most powerful man in all of Hedong—even if it was only because he held the authorization of the Son of Heaven, Liu Chengyou.

But what if he, the Commandery Duke, also harbored treacherous intentions? Then the consequences would be unimaginable. Today, he could follow the sovereign's decree in Hedong, commanding civil and military officials, controlling generals and soldiers—what if another day, in another place, he forged edicts and issued chaotic orders?

Li Shaoyou did not consider these concerns to be crying wolf. Moreover, knowing the Son of Heaven as he did, he believed the Son of Heaven would certainly consider them. Even if not now, then afterward, certainly.

The more he thought, the more frightened Li Shaoyou himself became...

This time, between Hedong's military and civil administration, the Wude Office had become too deeply entangled—it had already crossed the line. Those officials, officers, and commanders branded with the Wude Office's label were almost all in Li Shaoyou's grasp, but at this moment, to him, they only felt like hot potatoes.

"I must hand them over!" Li Shaoyou sighed softly.

"Hand over what?" His new favorite in his arms asked curiously upon hearing Li Shaoyou's sudden remark.

Coming back to his senses, he turned his head to look at the beauty nestled against him. This was a woman he had found in Jinyang city—a young widow from a respectable family, with a jade-like face and refined features, a full figure, and skilled at serving a man. She suited his tastes well.

A smile slowly spread across the corners of his mouth. Li Shaoyou raised a finger, pressing it against that firm yet soft breast, tracing lightly as if pointing at mountain peaks, causing the young woman's delicate body to tremble.

Li Shaoyou said: "Hand over this undergarment embroidered with roses to me. A brief look tells me it must be the work of a master craftsman—I wish to examine and appreciate it..."

Fame and fortune are but floating clouds to me; fine wine and beautiful women are my greatest loves!

Li Shaoyou had always been a clever man. In earlier years, perhaps he had some lust for power, but people always change. Holding heavy authority, feared by all—he had experienced that in the position of Commissioner of the Wude Office, but it had proven not enough to let him live freely and happily...

Back then, he had voluntarily shared power with Wang Jingchong and strongly urged his father to resign his post and return to retirement. Now it was the same—when he sensed danger, he would never begrudge giving up the power and affairs that could dispel the Emperor's suspicions.