Chapter 541: An Estate

Northwest of Kaifeng, on the Bian River, a massive official vessel came cutting through the waves, dwarfing the civilian boats and merchant craft around it, which scarcely dared to sail alongside. A ceremonial banner hung from the mast, armored soldiers stood about, and security was tight.

Aboard the ship were naturally Li Shaoyou and Liu Chong's entire family. Heading south from Zezhou to Heyang, then switching to the water route at Mengjin, they sped along the river, making much better time.

Inside the cabin, Li Shaoyou was personally tending to his young widow, watching the Lady of Beauty's frail, delicate appearance, which was truly pitiable, as he indulged his tender care for the fair sex.

"Someone who grew up by the Fen River—how can you not know how to handle water, yet suffer seasickness this badly!" He lightly pressed the back of his hand against her pale face as he spoke.

The beauty clearly lacked strength, but she still forced a smile and said, "Though I grew up by the water, I only played in the shallow shoals and used well water from jars. I've been a burden to you, young lord—please forgive me!"

"It's nothing!" Li Shaoyou said softly and gently to her. "Lie still and rest. We'll soon reach the Eastern Capital, and once we're back at the residence, you can recuperate properly!"

"Yes!" the beauty said timidly.

Li Shaoyou's wife had passed away not long after arriving in the Eastern Capital—she hadn't the fortune to share in his wealth. He never remarried afterward, claiming it was in memory of his late wife, but in truth it was to avoid trouble. By now, his Commandery Duke's residence already housed more than thirty concubines.

But with this new favorite, his feelings were somewhat different. Though she was a young widow, he simply adored her—she wasn't like the ordinary concubines, kept merely to warm the bed, vent lust, and carry on the family line...

Stepping out of the cabin, he summoned an attendant and asked, "How is the Prince of Taiyuan?"

"Reporting to the Commandery Duke, after the physicians treated him, he has improved somewhat!" The man replied, "The Prince of Taiyuan is nearly sixty, and the southward journey was rushed—the fatigue of travel caught up with him. Last night he caught a chill, which is why he faltered."

Li Shaoyou nodded, thinking to himself that the great upheaval he'd suffered was also a cause of illness. He directly ordered, "See to him well. We'll reach the Eastern Capital soon—nothing can go wrong now!"

"Understood, sir!"

In his heart, Li Shaoyou silently muttered—even if he dies, let him not die on the road...

The docks both inside and outside the Eastern Capital were always busy, and with fine weather, official vessels came and went even more densely. One of Governor of Kaifeng Murong Yanchao's achievements was strengthening the management of the various docks, adding extra constables and tax collectors, with Patrol Inspectors coordinating, so that even a thousand sails and a hundred boats moved in perfect order.

Guided by patrol boats, the vessel came to shore. This dock had been specially cleared, with soldiers standing guard, banners flying high, and ceremonial music prepared—Feng Dao and several officials from the Ministry of Rites were waiting.

Under the escort of soldiers, Liu Chong's family of several dozen people walked down the gangplank and set foot on land. Whether from the fatigue of travel or the fear of facing execution upon arrival in the capital, most wore grim expressions, while the women sobbed and wailed.

Still, the festive ceremonial music kept the scene from being too bleak. Li Shaoyou stepped forward to offer his respects, and Feng Dao naturally dared not treat him lightly, returning the greeting with deference: "The Commandery Duke returns from his mission—you've worked hard!"

"What is Chancellor Feng doing here?" Li Shaoyou asked, pointing at the display on the dock.

Stroking his beard lightly, Feng Dao said, "By order of His Majesty, I have come to welcome the Prince of Taiyuan!"

"Oh!" A strange look crossed Li Shaoyou's face as he fell into thought.

Feng Dao's gaze fell on Liu Chong behind them, and he walked over with a face full of smiles. Liu Chong wore plain white silk, his beard and hair unkempt, paying no attention. Gaunt and skeletal, he had long lost the overbearing authority of one who commanded Hedong—he was like an ordinary old man on the brink of death.

"Who are you?" Liu Chong asked, his voice somewhat hoarse, looking at Feng Dao, who seemed to possess an immortal's bearing.

Feng Dao clasped his hands and bowed: "This old man is Feng Dao. I pay my respects to Your Highness!"

"So it's the chancellor himself!" Liu Chong nodded and asked, "Chancellor Feng, have you come in person to throw me into prison?"

"Your Highness jests!" The smile on Feng Dao's aged face did not diminish as he pointed at the display behind him and said, "Would one welcome a criminal with ceremonial music and colored banners? His Majesty, hearing that Your Highness was coming south to the Eastern Capital for an audience, specially ordered this old man to come and greet you, to wash the dust of travel from Your Highness and your family!"

"Truly?" Hearing this, Liu Chong's dim eyes suddenly brightened somewhat, and he unconsciously raised his voice to ask, "This is the Emperor's intent?"

"Would this old man dare to falsely convey the sovereign's command?" Feng Dao laughed heartily.

"The Ministry of Rites has prepared a guest lodge and a banquet, awaiting Your Highness's arrival. Once you've eaten your fill, you may proceed to the palace for an audience with His Majesty!" Feng Dao raised his hand and extended it backward: "Your Highness, please!"

The guest lodge west of the city had been cleaned thoroughly and set aside exclusively for Liu Chong's family. They ate well—all along the journey they'd been fraught with fear, expecting prison treatment upon reaching the capital. But as things stood, the outcome remained undecided, yet the signals the court was sending gave them at least a spark of hope.

In an elegant chamber, a table of modest fare sat untouched, with only Feng Dao, Li Shaoyou, Liu Chong, and Liu Chengjun present. The atmosphere was somewhat oppressive. Liu Chong sat in silence, not responding to Feng Dao's toasts. After a long, numb pause, he looked at Feng Dao: "Chancellor Feng, can you tell me—what does the Emperor truly intend to do with me?"

"This old man is dull-witted—how could I fathom the Son of Heaven's heart?" Feng Dao smiled slightly and raised his cup again: "Your Highness need not worry. Best to follow the Son of Heaven's wishes—feast first, then enter the palace to pay respects to His Majesty!"

Anxious and eating like chewing wax, it was only by the hour of Shen that Liu Chong was led into the palace, alone. The rest of his large family was housed separately.

This wasn't Liu Chong's first time in Kaifeng, but the Han palace, stamped with the marks of the Liu clan, was something he was seeing for the first time. Compared to the Jinyang palace, it was far more grand and imposing—that was Liu Chong's most immediate impression.

To think—six full years since the founding of the dynasty, and as the senior member of the imperial clan and the realm's foremost Military Governor, Liu Chong had never once come to the capital. No matter how one looked at it, it was improper. Even told to common folk, they would think he harbored rebellious intentions.

Guided by palace attendants, he passed through one towering palace gate after another, heading toward Chongzheng Hall, walking slowly on his own two feet, each step more stooped than the last.

When he entered the hall, only Liu Chengyou was inside—the attending officials, palace eunuchs, and maids had all been dismissed. Liu Chengyou studied Liu Chong, a wave of aged, decrepit energy washing over him. Liu Chong's features had grown vague in Liu Chengyou's memory, but he still hadn't expected Liu Chong to appear before him with such an aged, pallid face.

"Your guilty subject, Liu Chong, pays respects to Your Majesty!" With head bowed and voice trembling, for the first time he kowtowed to Liu Chengyou, the second emperor of the Great Han.

With such a wretched, aged appearance, and being his own uncle, anyone else might have softened. But Liu Chengyou remained silent, calmly scrutinizing him.

Before long, Liu Chong could barely endure it—not just psychologically, but his knees as well.

"Imperial Uncle, how is Jinyang these days—tall and majestic, prosperous and bustling?" Finally, Liu Chengyou spoke.

Liu Chong looked up at Liu Chengyou and said in a low voice, "The people of Jinyang have suffered under your subject's misrule—there's no prosperity to speak of!"

"Is that so? Then why, when I repeatedly invited my Imperial Uncle to come south and see the Eastern Capital, to see the prosperity of my Great Han's capital, did you not come?" Liu Chengyou asked softly.

Without waiting for an answer, he continued in a calm tone, counting off slowly: "In the first year of Qianyou, the late Emperor passed and I ascended the throne—my Imperial Uncle declined, citing the need to guard Hedong; in the second year of Qianyou, I toured the north and invited my Imperial Uncle to Tumen—you pleaded illness; in the third year of Qianyou, I wished to enjoy the Mid-Autumn Festival with my Imperial Uncle—you said the Buddhist disturbance kept you busy; in the fourth year of Qianyou, I celebrated the Jiaqing Festival—my Imperial Uncle said you had to guard against the Khitan..."

"Your Majesty, say no more!" Liu Chong could no longer hold himself together. Prostrating himself with his face to the ground, he said, "Your subject knows his sins are grave and regrets them deeply. This body on the brink of death is still at Your Majesty's disposal. All I ask now is that Your Majesty, for the sake of our shared clan blood, spare my sons and grandsons!"

Hearing this, Liu Chengyou smiled faintly: "What does my Imperial Uncle mean? What sins are there to speak of?"

Liu Chong straightened up, furrowed his brow at Liu Chengyou, a flush of red rising to his sickly cheeks, and said with some agitation: "Why must Your Majesty ask what you already know?"

Liu Chengyou waved his hand and said, "I consider that my Imperial Uncle has spent many years guarding Hedong, the land where our dynasty rose, protecting its borders and its people, consolidating the Great Han's foundations—your toils and merits are great. Now that you have returned to the capital in success, I was just worrying over how to reward you!"

Liu Chengyou said this with solemn earnestness, his expression betraying nothing, which left Liu Chong stunned and speechless. Deep in his eyes, amid the confusion, flickered surprise and delight.

His calm gaze resting on him, Liu Chengyou said, "Here's what we'll do: I have prepared an estate in the Western Capital for my Imperial Uncle's family to reside in. From now on, you may play with your grandchildren and enjoy your twilight years in peace. As for those cousins of mine—many of them serve as officials in the provinces and haven't seen my Imperial Uncle in years. I'll transfer them all to the Western Capital so they can fulfill their filial duties to you..."

"Your Majesty, I—I have over a dozen sons!" Liu Chong looked at the Emperor, a note of grievance creeping into his voice.

"Don't worry—the estate I'm giving you is more than enough for your family of several dozen!" Liu Chengyou said with a smile, then added, "Furthermore, I'll order the Luoyang authorities to set aside a plot of land and distribute grain seeds and farming tools. Passing the days with farming and study, cultivating your character—that would be a fine thing indeed!"

"This, this, this..." Hearing this, Liu Chong stammered.

"It's settled then!" Liu Chengyou's eyes didn't even flicker as he added, "Oh, and it's been many years—my Imperial Uncle should also go pay his respects to the Empress Dowager. I imagine the old lady will be very pleased to see you back!"