Chapter 612: Wang Jun's Sudden Death; Officials Enter the Capital

Inside the Autumn Orchid Hall, "Waa, waa" cries rang out without cease. The Son of Heaven, Liu Chengyou, was in a fluster, trying to coax the infant in swaddling clothes. Unfortunately, no matter how he pulled faces and strained his efforts, it was all to no avail—the child in his arms gave him not a shred of face, and instead cried all the more gleefully.

Last month, the younger Lady Fu, his Pure Consort, had given birth, adding a princess to Liu Chengyou's household. Toward this newly born little princess, Liu Chengyou was especially fond; in these recent days, the frequency of his visits to the Pure Consort's chambers had increased. In all the princes born before, he had never been seen so delighted.

"Listen here—I command you, no crying!" Liu Chengyou, at his wit's end, glared with both eyes and said sternly.

But the baby girl in his arms, as if determined to contend with him, only cried louder. Liu Chengyou had no choice but to cast a pleading look at her mother: "I simply cannot manage this little princess. Is she hungry?"

The younger Lady Fu had not yet recovered from childbirth; she still looked somewhat depleted, her complexion lacking luster. However, her figure had grown noticeably fuller, her bosom high and proud, barely restrained by her embroidered robes, swelling and trembling...

"I just fed her—how could she be hungry? Let me take her!" The younger Lady Fu chided softly, taking the child from Liu Chengyou's arms.

The moment she entered her mother's embrace, the crying subsided at once, gradually quieting until she settled, letting out a small burp and pursing her tiny lips. The hall fell suddenly silent, while Liu Chengyou looked slightly embarrassed. He shook his head with a laugh: "I dote on her so, and yet she gives her father not a bit of face!"

Seeing that Liu Chengyou's gaze remained fixed on the little princess, the younger Lady Fu could not help but sigh: "What a pity—she's only a princess!"

"What's wrong with being a princess!" Liu Chengyou's voice rose at the words, and he retorted at once: "She is a princess of the Great Han, a noble daughter of the imperial house, the pearl in my palm!"

Hearing the Emperor speak thus, and seeing how much he cherished the little princess, the younger Lady Fu's jade-like countenance softened somewhat, yet her mood remained glum. After all, among the consorts in the palace who had conceived, all had borne sons—only she had delivered a princess.

Liu Chengyou could hardly reproach her for such thinking. Seeing her state, he stepped forward, drew her into his embrace, teased her belly a few times, and said with a suggestive air: "Once your body has recovered, I'll give you a prince then..."

Feeling Liu Chengyou's touch and tone, the younger Lady Fu's pretty face flushed slightly, but she lifted her head and met his gaze with her limpid eyes: "Then we've agreed!"

"The sovereign's word is his bond!" Liu Chengyou smiled slightly and planted a kiss on his Pure Consort Fu's lovely cheek.

"Your Majesty, Shangzhou memorializes—Prefect Wang Jun is dead!" Academician Zhao Yan of the Chongzheng Hall reported to Liu Chengyou.

"Oh?" Liu Chengyou raised his head and asked: "Wang Jun was not yet fifty, and I've never heard of any illness afflicting him. Why so sudden? How did he die?"

Zhao Yan replied: "According to Shangzhou's report, on the first day of the third month, Wang Jun held a banquet, indulging in wine and meat without restraint. He returned home dead drunk, then drank several more catties of wine. In the middle of the night, he was suddenly struck by abdominal pain like knife-twisting. He urgently sought a physician, and the pain eased somewhat. By dawn the next morning, his servants found him already dead!"

"So you're saying he drank himself to death?" Liu Chengyou murmured.

"That would seem to be the case!"

Wang Jun had been demoted to Shangzhou in the autumn of the fifth year of Qianyou—now barely a year and a half ago. In his post at Shangzhou, he had not changed his temperament, remaining arrogant and overbearing. Of course, more than anything, he was depressed and irritable, for having fallen from serving as a commander-in-chief to a mere Prefect, his heart was deeply unbalanced.

It was rumored that he was negligent in governance, paid no heed to the people's condition, and handed all his affairs over to his subordinates to handle, while he himself gathered a circle of friends for hunting, games, and carousing. At his drinking parties, he often boasted of his achievements, grandly recounting his exploits since the founding of the state, freely discussing his experiences commanding troops in battle, and not stinting on commentary about court affairs...

Though he never said so openly, his series of actions were utterly undisguised in their dissatisfaction with the Emperor and the court for having demoted him. Not only the Wude Office, but censors of all circuits, including local officials in Shangzhou, had all memorialized reports on Wang Jun's conduct.

Liu Chengyou, upon hearing of it, mostly dismissed it with a smile and made no comment, but in his heart, he was certainly displeased. Now, hearing of his sudden death, he felt a faint, gratifying sense of relief, as if a grudge had been settled.

Of course, he showed none of it on his face—nor would it have been appropriate to show such a reaction. After pondering for a moment, Liu Chengyou put on an expression of lament and said with a sigh: "Wang Xiufeng's temperament was indeed hard to tolerate, but for the state, he was ultimately a meritorious minister. When the Han arose, he held the reins of military affairs at the Bureau, and in the campaigns against Shu and the expeditions against Tang, he accumulated repeated merits.

I sent him to Shangzhou in the hope that he might shed some of his aggressive temper, cultivate his character, and devote himself to his duties. Had he done so, he could have been recalled to court in the future for greater use!

Now, to have died so unfortunately in Shangzhou—it is truly a cause for much lament!"

After voicing these reflections, Liu Chengyou gave his orders: "Issue an edict—posthumously confer upon Wang Jun the title of Commandery Duke of Tangyin, and have his wife and children travel to Shangzhou to collect his remains and see to his burial!"

"Yes!"

When Wang Jun had first gone to Shangzhou, he had gone alone, without bringing his family. Though Liu Chengyou's words carried a touch of sorrow, his treatment of Wang Jun's death was rather thin—he appeared to grant a weighty noble title and posthumous honor, but for his wife and children, there was no further gesture.

Zhao Yan had been at Liu Chengyou's side, trembling with caution, for about a year now. Though he dared not presume to fathom the imperial will, he could still perceive the Emperor's attitude. He stole a careful glance at Liu Chengyou, seated at ease, and sighed silently to himself.

"Have the Military Governors and Army Commanders coming to the capital been properly settled?" Liu Chengyou asked.

"To answer Your Majesty—those with residences in the capital have returned to their own homes; the rest have been temporarily lodged at the guest hostel!" Zhao Yan replied.

"They are all generals and ministers of the state, and it is rare for them to come to the capital. Order the guest hostel to attend to them with care—no provision may be lacking!" Liu Chengyou said.

After giving these instructions, Liu Chengyou asked again: "Who has still not arrived in the capital?"

"At present, only the generals of the northern front have yet to arrive; they are still on the road. According to reports, they should reach the capital within two days!" Zhao Yan reported.

Liu Chengyou nodded slightly, glanced at Zhao Yan, and said: "Keep an eye on this matter. When they arrive, go and receive them on my behalf."

"Yes!"

As the Jiaqing Festival drew near, the Military Governors and Army Commanders of the various regions had successively answered the summons to court. Li Hongwei of Qingzhou, Wang Lingwen of Songzhou, Xue Qiong of Bozhou, Yang Chengxin of Binzhou, Liu Ci of Shanzhou, Hu Yanke of Hezhong—all had already arrived in the capital. Only the commanders of the northern defense line remained, for they held crucial frontier posts of great responsibility and needed to coordinate and arrange their military affairs before they could set out.

Outside the walls of Kaifeng, a column of over a hundred riders came slowly along the official road, escorting a carriage in their midst. At the head rode three men, each in brocade robes, their bearing clearly distinct from the rest.

These were He Fujin, Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Front, Sun Fangjian of Dingzhou, and the Army Commanders guarding the various passes and garrisons. This time, Liu Chengyou had recalled all the backbone frontier commanders of the north to the Eastern Capital.

Before coming to the capital, He Fujin had made an overall disposition of the border defenses, which was why the several of them had traveled together, each bringing their own troops. Earlier, the court had issued decrees setting fixed limits on the number of personal attendants each Military Governor, Defense Commissioner, and Army Commander could bring; judging by the size of their retinues, they had not exceeded the regulations.

Given the vastness of Kaifeng, once it came into view, they had been gazing at the city walls all the way in. As they neared the city, Li Yun, Army Commander of Baoding, sitting on his horse, could not help but remark: "This Eastern Capital—how much more magnificent and grand it is than before! If the court has money and grain to build walls, why not use it to reward the frontier troops? The Son of Heaven sits in the splendor of the capital—surely he cannot have forgotten the toils and merits of us border generals?"

"General Li, mind your words!" Luo Yangui, Army Commander of Taizhou, immediately cautioned him.

Seeing his wariness, Li Yun said: "What, is what I said not the truth? Tens of thousands of soldiers, on the northern frontier, braving wind and rain, enduring heat and cold—the hardships they suffer, the court may not know, but do we not?"

"It seems General Li is quite dissatisfied with His Majesty and the court—a heavy load of resentment indeed!" Ma Quanyi, Army Commander of Yongqing, who had been listening nearby, could not help but speak up.

Hearing this, Li Yun immediately turned his head and shot back: "What, Little General Ma, are you seizing this chance to inform on this old man to the Emperor?"

Li Yun's tone was exceedingly rude, filled with contempt for Ma Quanyi. In truth, Li Yun had long resented that Ma Quanyi, so young, could hold a military rank equal to his own and stand on the same footing—it galled him and rankled his pride.

"General Li may be a veteran, but don't presume on your age. Carping on like an old woman—such blathering is beneath contempt!" Ma Quanyi shot back, equally unsparing. Along the journey, he had grown thoroughly tired of Li Yun's arrogance, and seeing it still unchecked even at the Eastern Capital, he found it hard to stomach.

At this response, Li Yun flew into a rage, reining his horse around to face him: "You whelp—how dare you insult me?"

Ma Quanyi answered firmly: "It's only that some people bring humiliation upon themselves!"