Chapter 118, Chapter Eleven: Rain and Clouds of Sorrow

After returning from Luoshui, Liu Jun first convened the shogunate to discuss how to deal with the Jin court in the south, and then rewarded the generals who had pacified Shi Le one by one. By the time Liu Jun finished his work, the moon and stars were already sparse.

Lu Jing silently followed him, sitting on the carriage shaft.

"Enter the palace." Liu Jun closed his eyes. "It's cool outside, come in too, you can keep me company and talk to me."

Having followed him since childhood, Lu Jing didn't stand on ceremony. He thanked him and sat down to his left.

"Tell me, who helped Sima Ye spread the message?" Liu Jun said coldly. "The palace is heavily guarded, yet he managed to get such an imperial edict to Jiangdong..."

This was a crucial question, and Lu Jing didn't know how to answer it. He could only say, "I don't know. But there's absolutely no way this edict could have been sent out from the Three Departments. I'm afraid someone smuggled it in."

Liu Jun nodded, "Great minds think alike. I never knew there were such people among the soldiers on the front lines, who were able to enter the palace and meet the emperor..."

He smiled, but his tone was incredibly sinister. Lu Jing remained silent, which meant that Liu Jun already knew what was going on.

Liu Jun took a deep breath. "I was originally hoping for a peaceful abdication like that of Yao and Shun, but that beautiful story is impossible now. Of course, back then he wanted to burn Suo Lin to death, so how could he be polite to me? Did he want to become the Duke of Gaogui and make me bear the infamy of regicide? Ha, but I will not be like Sima Zhao."

As they spoke, they arrived outside the palace gates. Usually, Liu Jun would only ride a horse to enter, but now he didn't want to pretend at all. He simply waved his hand, and the entire entourage marched straight in. The heavily armored cavalry beside the carved carriages rode with their heads held high, and the sounds of bells and hooves echoed in the deep palace, creating a quiet that made people uneasy.

Upon arriving at the Taiji Hall, Liu Jun alighted from the carriage and saw a woman in palace attire leading dozens of palace servants anxiously waiting outside the heavily guarded area; she appeared to be Du Lihua.

Liu Jun didn't even look at him and walked straight ahead. Unexpectedly, Du Lihua stepped forward a few steps and tried to stop him. In an instant, the guards around him drew their swords and blocked her several steps away.

"How dare the Grand General imprison the Emperor! What a display of power!" Du Lihua coldly rebuked, "Having given birth to such a traitor, what face does your father have in the afterlife to use the posthumous title of 'Loyal and Kind'!"

Liu Jun glanced at her and said, "His Majesty has already abdicated to the Prince of Langya, and you are no longer the emperor's concubine. If your words are so outrageous that your entire clan is brought to their graves, then you will be remembered for your loyalty and your name will be remembered for eternity. You will have died a worthy death."

Du Lihua had already been cut off from all contact by Liu Jun, and upon hearing this shocking news for the first time, her face turned deathly pale.

Liu Jun ignored him, straightened his clothes, and pushed open the palace gate.

Sima Ye sat on a table in his sleeping quarters, without a hat, his long hair spread out on the floor, with food and tea laid out in front of him, seemingly unused.

“Your Majesty must be tired today. If you don’t eat something, your body might not be able to take it.” Liu Jun bowed and sat down opposite him.

Sima Ye glanced wearily at the dozen or so palace guards beside him, then turned to look at Liu Jun.

Liu Jun met his gaze without flinching or dodging, until Sima Ye chuckled and looked away first.

After a long day of hard work, Liu Jun hadn't eaten or drunk anything and was starving. He gave Lu Jing a look and then started eating on his own.

Lu Jing bowed respectfully to Sima Ye, and then focused on the key points of the oath at Luoshui and Liu Jun's claim to the throne.

“General Lu, I am now a commoner, and may soon be a dead man. What’s the point of knowing these things?” Sima Ye smiled. “Anyway, I’ve done what I needed to do, and there’s nothing left for me to cherish in this mortal world. You don’t need to tell me these things anymore.”

Lu Jing turned to look at Liu Jun, and seeing that Liu Jun had no reaction, he said, "Your Majesty, I am just following orders."

“Even if you abdicate, you will still be the retired emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty, and state affairs should still be reported to you.” Liu Jun had finished his meal and slowly wiped his mouth. “Furthermore, every word I said in Luoshui counts.”

He looked up at Sima Ye, his expression calm. "However, I only mean those members of the Sima clan and important officials of the court who have not committed any wrongdoings. I will not tolerate those who have plotted against me or are planning to do so."

"For example, when my father was killed by Shi Le, besides Wang Dun, did Sima Rui also tacitly approve of it?" Liu Jun said softly. "And for another example, the wealth left behind by Shi Chong that Your Majesty once asked me to search for..."

Sima Ye closed his eyes and remained silent. Liu Jun gave a self-deprecating smile, "I have sent people to search for him for more than ten years, but I did not expect that he had already been sent to Jiankang."

In fact, both of them knew that if the arrows and millet fell into Liu Jun's hands, they would be used as military supplies. Every arrow and every grain of millet purchased would cause the already crumbling Sima family's empire to collapse.

“It is unwise of you to make your move at this time,” Liu Jun frowned. “Your edict has already been sent to Jiangdong. Regardless of the outcome, they will not relinquish this empire. Even if you can kill me, you will not be able to stabilize the country.”

Sima Ye smiled bitterly, “Even the Duke of Gaogui, with his talent and wisdom, failed to succeed. I am far inferior to him, and I estimate that I have at most a 30% chance of winning. If I lose, it would be best if I could die at your hands. Since you have been branded as a regicide, you will surely lose the hearts of the people. Even if I cannot die at your hands, I will commit suicide to atone for my sins and let you lose your reputation after death.”

Liu Jun shook his head and smiled, "You actually hate me this much."

"Even if I were to win by chance, I have no intention of becoming emperor. In any case, I have no heirs. As long as the empire still belongs to the Sima family, what difference does it make whether I become emperor or not?" Sima Ye smiled bitterly. "You deserve the greatest credit for pacifying the Central Plains and driving out the barbarians, and you haven't actually started a rebellion yet. Once the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away. I can't clear myself of the crime of mistreating a meritorious official. Besides... between us, I was the one who wronged you first. My bedmate has become a traitor to the country. How can I have the face to remain in the position of emperor?"

"We've known each other for thirty years, from the seventh to the twentieth year of Jianxing, and for another thirteen years of close friendship," Liu Jun said slowly. "It's just a pity that we both valued this world too much."

Sima Ye looked at him with tears in his eyes, "Your father's lifelong reputation for loyalty has been ruined in an instant, and you have already risen to the rank of one of the Three Dukes, so what more could you want? Are you really so unwilling to be a subject of the Sima family?"

Liu Jun raised his hand, then slowly withdrew it when it was still half an inch from his face. "Some people have said that I am as martial as Emperor Taizu and as literary as Chen Si. Since Heaven has given me such talent, how can I be content to be subservient to others? The Sima family's rise to power was illegitimate. Emperor Wu, Emperor Hui, Emperor Huai... I believe I am no less than any of them. I am also a member of the Han imperial family. Why can't I have lofty ambitions? And speaking of loyalty, may I ask Your Majesty, how many loyal ministers did the Sima family produce? The Duke of Gaogui is buried not far away in Mangshan. Looking at his tomb, do you dare say that Sima Yi, Sima Shi, and Sima Zhao were all loyal ministers? Why should I be expected to be loyal?"

Sima Ye's face turned pale. "Since childhood, I have been puzzled as to why you care so much about the Duke of Gaogui?"

“Heh,” Liu Jun lowered his head, looking at the Flying Scenery Sword at his waist, “When I was young, I read history and felt that he was similar to me. Perhaps, it was some kind of karmic connection from a past life…”