Chapter 659: The Few Who Put the Emperor at Ease

It was the dead of winter, the third period of nine-day cold spells. All things lay withered and sparse, heaven and earth stark and frigid. Waves of cold swept across the north, and no matter how high the spirits of the citizens within the Eastern Capital, they were assailed and extinguished by this bone-piercing chill.

Compared to the inner and outer cities, which still held some breath of common life, the imperial palace of the Han was even more solitary and cold—whether due to the awe of imperial authority, the strictness of its rules, or the vastness of its empty grounds—so cold it nearly chilled the heart. Because of the weather, the palace eunuchs and imperial guards on duty in the palace rotated their shifts more frequently than usual.

Outside the hall, the wind howled bitterly, and guards stood with swords at their sides, enduring the piercing cold, their faces flushed red from the frost. Inside the hall, it was warm as spring—warm curtains, a fragrant bed, a beauty in his arms—Liu Chengyou was so intoxicated he lingered, unwilling to leave.

"Your Majesty, you should rise!" The Worthy Consort, the younger Lady Fu, pressed her skin against Liu Chengyou's, gently nudging him, though her lovely face clearly showed reluctance.

His reaction pleased her. He kept his eyes closed, looking utterly unwilling to move, his hand lightly stroking her waist, which had grown a bit fuller, tickling her heart and making her press even closer.

"What time is it?" Liu Chengyou asked lazily, still seeming drowsy.

"It's about the hour of Mao," the younger Lady Fu replied.

"The hour of Mao? It's not even light out yet... let's stay a while longer..." Liu Chengyou finally opened his eyes. Though indoors, he could clearly sense the dimness outside the hall.

Hearing this, the younger Lady Fu pressed her jade lips to Liu Chengyou's neck and said in a seductive, soft voice: "You asked me to remind you. If you're late and neglect state affairs, don't blame me!"

"The Hanzhong campaign is over, the four borders are at peace, and there's nothing major at hand. The chancellors and ministries handle the mundane affairs—can't I steal a bit of leisure?" Liu Chengyou replied casually.

If it were the elder Lady Fu, the Empress, she would likely have offered remonstrance, but the younger Lady Fu, the Worthy Consort, didn't think so much. Lately, the Emperor had shown signs of doting exclusively on her sister, and he'd even practiced swordplay with the Noble Consort and the Worthy Consort. Since he rarely came to her, she naturally wanted him to stay longer.

Liu Chengyou shifted his body slightly, pulling her into his embrace. The warm, smooth touch was intoxicating. The younger Lady Fu's face flushed crimson—whether from the stuffiness or from not being sufficiently attended to, it was hard to say.

Seeing her delicate, tempting appearance, he reached out and lifted her fine chin, asking with a smile: "Besides, would you bear to see me leave so early?"

There seemed to be a certain heat in Liu Chengyou's appraising gaze. The younger Lady Fu sensed something called desire, and the flush on her pretty face deepened. She buried herself in his chest with a mix of delight and feigned annoyance.

In the end, Liu Chengyou did laze in bed. After a vigorous morning bout with the younger Lady Fu and a shared bath, it was only when the sun was high in the sky that he finally tidied himself up and ambled back to Chongzheng Hall.

In truth, during this period, the whole realm was passing through winter. With the Hanzhong campaign concluded and the Hall of State Affairs staffed by renowned ministers handling national matters, even if Liu Chengyou truly wanted to slack off, no major problems would arise.

However, Liu Chengyou's possessive nature toward power was hard to change. Even trusting that the chancellors could manage state affairs properly, he still relished reviewing all matters arising across the Great Han, even if only as a spectator. As Emperor, seeing the realm through memorials was already quite limited; if he read fewer memorials or none at all, he would sooner or later become detached from the state and from power.

Still, Liu Chengyou did indeed have considerably more leisure now.

Inside the hall, Li Chongju stood in nearly the same position, in the same posture, awaiting the imperial presence.

Behind the imperial desk, Liu Chengyou was flipping through reports on Wang Yan's conduct since arriving at Luoyang. Because Liu Chengyou wanted to review them, Li Chongju had spent some time urgently retrieving the archived files from Luoyang.

Liu Chengyou read with great relish. Wang Yan had been in office at Luoyang for less than two months, yet he had already accomplished quite a lot.

The Luoyang prefectural office had been renovated anew; dozens of backlogged cases in the office had been cleared at the fastest speed, all handled according to law, though the application of punishment was somewhat harsh; and he had spent half a month personally touring every county under Luoyang's jurisdiction.

Upon learning that some of his old followers were swaggering through the streets and bullying the good folk, he summoned them and issued warnings, restraining their conduct. Afterward, those who still refused to listen—Wang Yan ordered them seized and, before the crowd, had their legs broken...

He also secretly gathered evidence to strike at merchants who violated the law and powerful figures who committed crimes. Hou Zhang and Xue Huairang, for instance, had their names on the list. Xue Huairang, for involvement in a case of taking a life, was imprisoned and sentenced to death. Hou Zhang's offenses were somewhat lighter, but he was still heavily punished—his property confiscated and he was exiled to the northwest. Additionally, Guo Rong's biological father, Chai Shouli, for rampaging through the streets and letting his servants harm people, was also seized by Wang Yan and given several strokes of the board.

Among these, the matter of Chai Shouli had the greatest impact, because he was the biological father of the current Commissioner of Military Affairs... It seemed Wang Yan was far more ruthless than Jing Fan had been.

And the Imperial Jade Seal was discovered in the course of handling a lawbreaking merchant.

"This Wang Yan—his methods may be somewhat harsh, but it's understandable. After all, he comes from a military background and has a fiery temperament." Putting away the report, Liu Chengyou murmured, then looked up at Li Chongju: "As for the jade seal, how goes the verification?"

"It is indeed true!"

"Oh!" Liu Chengyou's face showed no surprise; he merely nodded.

"To answer Your Majesty, according to investigation, the merchant who kept the jade seal—his father obtained it back in the Tianfu era, hid it in the household, and passed it down to him. According to his account, he intended to present it to the court, but feared punishment for the crime of secretly withholding it!" Li Chongju continued.

"The merit of presenting it alone would be enough to offset the crime! Moreover, you say this is a jade merchant who was investigated by Wang Yan for his offenses—that proves the man harbored hopes of luck and his words are untrue. In my view, he can indeed be convicted of the crime of secretly withholding it!" Liu Chengyou commented coldly, then looked at Li Chongju: "And what about Wang Yan's situation?"

"According to the latest intelligence, Governor Wang, upon obtaining it, took it very seriously, but could not readily distinguish true from false, fearing it might be a counterfeit seal. He wanted to have it appraised before reporting to the court. These past two days, he has gathered a number of learned men from Luoyang city to examine it!" Li Chongju said.

"Is that so?" Liu Chengyou's expression finally softened somewhat. He muttered: "In that case, it's understandable. If he'd directly sent up a counterfeit seal, that would indeed have been an offense..."

In truth, when he first heard of this matter, Liu Chengyou had harbored some doubts—first, over the authenticity of the jade seal, and second, over Wang Yan's choice. However he thought about it, Wang Yan didn't seem like the sort of fool who would obtain the seal and not present it.

"I beg Your Majesty to punish me!" At this moment, Li Chongju suddenly knelt on one knee.

Seeing this, Liu Chengyou's face showed a hint of surprise: "I was thinking of commending you for your capable handling of affairs—what crime have you committed?"

"Regarding the jade seal, I reported to Your Majesty before verifying the facts, nearly misleading Your Majesty's judgment!" Li Chongju said gravely.

Hearing his words and observing his demeanor, Liu Chengyou couldn't help but feel some emotion. This was the difference between Li Chongju and Wang Jingchong. If it were Wang Jingchong, faced with the same matter, Liu Chengyou could probably guess his approach.

Regardless of whether the jade seal was genuine or fake, he would first define and punish Wang Yan to display his authority; and if the seal were genuine, he would also scheme to claim the merit of presenting it for himself.

With this in mind, Liu Chengyou said very graciously to Li Chongju: "Rise! You were merely doing your duty diligently—how could I be harsh with you!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Only then did Li Chongju rise.

Over the years, Liu Chengyou often felt that his subjects kept their distance from him. In truth, it was because after being Emperor for so long, he had developed a habit of looking down from on high and had grown increasingly suspicious.

By now, the people who made him feel at ease were fewer and fewer—but Li Chongju was an exception. Not only because he was a general who had come from the guards of Liu Chengyou's princely days, but because this man had always remained steady, diligent, and strictly observant of the rites of a subject.

Over the years, many of the Emperor's old associates had been promoted and elevated—either to great generals or Army Commanders. Li Chongju was no exception, but he had one point that drew criticism: he lacked real battlefield merit.

During his command of the Inner Palace Guard, he had consistently played the role of guarding the capital. Even so, in the face of criticism, Li Chongju remained unmoved. He neither rebutted nor sought opportunities for merit from Liu Chengyou. He simply did his work meticulously, in his position, attending to his duties, content in his post, and devoted to his tasks. That was truly rare.

For this reason, in the two years since entrusting the Wude Office to Li Chongju, Liu Chengyou had felt very much at ease.