Chapter 39: Father and Son

Gongsun He left the Chancellor’s residence immediately, hurrying toward the Crown Prince’s palace.

By the time he arrived, he was informed that the Crown Prince had already gone to the Weiyang Palace. Gongsun He then said, "Go inform the Imperial Grandson that Gongsun He requests an audience."

"Please wait a moment, Chancellor."

Before long, Liu Jin entered the main hall of the Crown Prince’s palace, looking puzzled. Gongsun He hurriedly stood up and bowed.

"Uncle-Grandfather, please, no need for such formalities. Why are you in such a rush to see me?"

Gongsun He said with a grave expression, "His Majesty has sent all the maidservants from Princess Yangshi’s residence to the Chancellor’s residence. He issued an imperial decree ordering Gongsun Jingsheng to marry all thirty of these women."

Liu Jin’s expression shifted slightly upon hearing this.

It was not that concubinage was prohibited in the Han Dynasty. As the late years of Emperor Wu’s reign were marked by constant warfare, the population had been halved, dwindling from nearly sixty million during the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing to just over thirty million today. The imperial court encouraged childbirth to bolster the population.

However, taking thirty concubines at once was unheard of. This was a blatant humiliation, intended to make others talk behind their backs. Moreover, this was the Chancellor’s residence; the stench of humiliation was unmistakable, and it was enough to show just how immense the old man’s fury in the Weiyang Palace currently was. Clearly, the old man already knew that Gongsun Jingsheng had laid his hands on the maidservants of Princess Yangshi’s household.

"Does Uncle-Grandfather suspect me?"

Gongsun He quickly replied, "How could that be! We are family. The honor and survival of the Crown Prince’s household are the honor and survival of my Gongsun clan. How could I ever do such a thing?"

"I came to see the Crown Prince only to ask how we should handle this matter."

Liu Jin nodded slightly. The collapse of any group or nation never stems from external factors, but from internal ones. As long as Gongsun He and Gongsun Jingsheng harbored no resentment toward him, that was the situation Liu Jin hoped to see.

"Then just marry them," Liu Jin said. "Uncle-Grandfather, do not worry. I have begun to grasp the Imperial Grandfather’s temperament. If he truly intended to punish my cousin, he would never have bothered sending maidservants to your residence."

He might have simply had him executed instead. To play such mind games? Do you take Emperor Wu of Han for an Emperor like Wen or Jing, playing at schemes and strategies? Your cousin is hardly worthy of such effort from him!

"Uncle-Grandfather, you must ensure my cousin keeps himself in check. Do not let him commit any more illegal or undisciplined acts."

"This is the first time, and it will be the last. Next time, it won't be thirty maidservants—it might cost your Gongsun family thirty lives."

"Do not worry for now; this is a good sign. At the very least, the Imperial Grandfather intends to spare him this once."

Gongsun He nodded in deep agreement, then added, "Please, I ask the Imperial Grandson and the Crown Prince to forgive Gongsun Jingsheng."

He had come to plead guilty. The logic Liu Jin understood, he naturally understood as well; he was merely worried that the Crown Prince and Liu Jin would harbor resentment toward the Gongsun clan.

"Hmm." Liu Jin did not offer any further sentimental words, merely giving a faint grunt of acknowledgement.

A strange thought suddenly occurred to Gongsun He. Why did he feel that Liu Jin’s demeanor and tone just now seemed familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before... it was all rather unfathomable.

***

Xuanshi Hall.

Outside, the sun was high, yet the hall felt cool and chilling.

Guided by a palace eunuch, Liu Ju entered the hall and bowed. Emperor Wu of Han merely glanced up at him before continuing to look down at the memorials on his desk.

"Father, your son has come to present some farming implements."

"To enrich the people, one must make agriculture and sericulture the foundation. The strength of the masses, the power of the army, and the prosperity of the state must all arise from grain..."

Emperor Wu interrupted him, saying coldly, "Is the Crown Prince here to teach me how to govern the country?"

"What kind of farming implements are you presenting?"

Liu Ju arched his hands and said, "A straight plow, which saves human labor."

"What is a straight plow?"

Liu Ju replied calmly, "It allows oxen to replace human labor, making plowing faster."

"It can also increase the amount of cultivated land and tax revenue," he added.

Emperor Wu’s expression darkened instantly, and he said with simmering rage, "So you mean to say these implements will allow me to extract more wealth from the people?"

"Excellent. I appoint the Crown Prince as the Commissioner of Grain; go and promote agriculture and mulberry cultivation."

"With such benevolence and love, the masses will surely revere you. Is there anything else?"

Liu Ju said faintly, "No."

As he prepared to leave, he added, without a shred of emotion, "The farming implements were developed by the Imperial Grandson; your son only came to present them on his behalf."

Even at this moment, Liu Ju did not forget to credit his son.

After he left, Emperor Wu paused for a moment. He hadn't been interested in the so-called implements at first, but upon hearing they were developed by Liu Jin, he couldn't help but feel a spark of interest.

***

Liu Ju left the Weiyang Palace in a fit of indignation, his enthusiasm instantly extinguished by his father, leaving him far less spirited than when he arrived.

His father always enjoyed making him feel miserable!

He was clearly doing this for his father's sake. If farming techniques were promoted and the common people were grateful, wouldn't they be grateful to you, the Emperor?

Was I not considering your interests?

Just as he stepped out of the Weiyang Palace, he ran into the Prince of Changyi, Liu Bo.

Liu Bo saw from afar that the Crown Prince looked displeased, but he smiled as he approached and bowed, "Greetings, eldest brother."

Liu Ju tried to steady his emotions, nodded slightly, and said, "What brings you here, fifth brother?"

"I heard the Emperor did not sleep well last night, so I brought some calming elixirs."

"Oh."

"Your health is not good; do take care to rest," Liu Ju said, before walking away with his hands behind his back.

To an outsider, it would seem as if the brothers were truly in harmony.

Liu Bo sneered, flicking his white robes as he approached the entrance of Xuanshi Hall.

After the eunuch announced his arrival, he entered the hall slowly, holding a wooden box, and whispered, "Father, these past few days I have had a practitioner of the arts refine a calming elixir that can help with sleep."

He knew well that he could not just sit and wait for his demise. If Liu Jin could shamelessly persist in flattering the Emperor, regardless of outside criticism, why couldn't he?

He understood his father better than Liu Jin did. He knew his father’s obsession with the arts of immortality and his special favor for alchemists, so he played to those preferences, deliberately claiming the medicinal herbs were refined by an alchemist. Although Gongsun Qing had been cut in half, how many alchemists had his father not already executed? Yet, he would always believe in them again.

Emperor Wu nodded slightly. "Put it down."

"You have not yet recovered your own health; take care of yourself."

Liu Bo was thrilled and hurriedly bowed. "Thank you, Father. You must also take care of yourself. You are our father, you are the heavens for all of us; there is nothing more important than your health."

Emperor Wu rubbed his temples and said, "I know. I shall rest for a while; you may go back now."

"Your son takes his leave."

After he had gone, Emperor Wu slowly rose, opened the box, and stared at the black pill for a long time. He then picked it up and tossed it away.

"Sleeping early and rising early, with less toil—that is the secret to longevity."

He muttered to himself. His mindset was gradually changing. The alchemist’s pills he had once loved were now discarded like worn-out shoes. In the past, even after being deceived time and again, Emperor Wu would have remained unwaveringly committed to them.