Chapter 61, Chapter Nine: A Joyful Drink

Upon hearing this, Liu Jun sat up straight and said, "I am at Your Majesty's beck and call."

Sima Ye looked at him cautiously, "I originally intended to record the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel, but..."

He didn't need to finish speaking before Liu Jun understood that such powerful official positions were mostly occupied by Suo Lin or his faction. Even if they remained vacant, Liu Jun's popularity and seniority were far from sufficient.

In the prefectures and counties, it was fine; as long as one had enough military merit and some clan influence, a young general could become famous throughout the land. But once in the imperial court, serving as a minister alongside the officials who sat and discussed matters of state, one had to honestly follow the seniority system.

Liu Jun was not in a hurry. After all, these two things would come sooner or later, but once Chang'an and Luoyang were lost, the hearts of the people in the north would be lost, and they would be difficult to regain.

Therefore, he just smiled and said, "Although I am often praised for being mature beyond my years, I am not a white-haired scholar after all. How can I bear such praise? My cousin was the Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat before he went into mourning. It would be enough for me to go to the Imperial Secretariat and serve as his chief libationer."

Sima Ye's eyes widened, and he blurted out, "You, Mao Tou, also want to compile the national history?"

Realizing that his words had been somewhat rash, he shook his head and smiled wryly, "Although the Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat is a third-rank official, the power he wields is ultimately insufficient. You have made outstanding military achievements and possess the ability to govern the world, yet you spend your days buried in old documents, which is a waste. I'm not teasing you anymore. I fought hard for a long time to secure the position of Attendant-in-Ordinary for you."

The title of Attendant-in-Ordinary, as the name suggests, meant that one was always in the inner palace. It seemed like an official position that served others, but since the reign of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty, it had been an honorary title for important officials. People as favored as Grand Marshal and General Wei Qing and Huo Guang had both held this position. In the present dynasty, Jia Mi, who was a member of the Twenty-Four Friends of Jin Valley, and Xun Xu, the father of the Xun brothers, had both served as Attendant-in-Ordinary.

Liu Jun was somewhat moved. He understood that Sima Ye's statement about "winning a position as a court attendant" was probably not an exaggeration, but rather the result of a hard-fought battle.

Admittedly, Sima Ye was eager to promote him to a high position in order to counterbalance Suo Lin, but Sima Ye was inherently weak. If he did not value Suo Lin's talent and their friendship, he would never have gone to such lengths.

Liu Jun filled his ear cup and bowed respectfully. “Since Your Majesty has gone to such lengths for me, I will not refuse and will do my utmost. However, I am but a humble man, and for the past ten years I have only known how to wield weapons and participate in planning and writing imperial edicts. I am now completely ignorant of such matters. If there are any shortcomings or omissions, please forgive me, Your Majesty.”

"Who doesn't know that Lord Liu is a poet and writer, and his calligraphy and painting are renowned in the world? If you are just a commoner, how are we rough men supposed to behave?" Sima Ye returned the toast with a drink, his cheeks now slightly flushed, clearly five or six parts drunk. He mumbled, "But I suddenly remembered that the 'Qi Zhiyi' records that 'the Han Dynasty Attendant was in charge of the emperor's carriage and clothing, down to the underwear and tiger cubs.' In addition to participating in political affairs, the Attendant also had to do a lot of miscellaneous tasks."

"Oh?" Liu Jun rarely saw him drink, and this was the first time the two of them had drunk together. Although he felt that what he said about tigers was somewhat improper, he wanted to know what he was up to, so he suppressed his intention to take his leave first and continued to listen to his drunken ramblings.

Sima Ye stared blankly into the distance. "It's too humiliating to make you do those servant jobs. If you have time, just come to the palace to talk to me from time to time. Although I am known for my golden words, most of the time, no one listens to me. Even if I shout until I'm hoarse, no one cares. So, I stopped talking."

Liu Jun recalled the desolate state of the palace at that time. Cao Mao was unwilling to accept the fall of the country and tried to win over his ministers. He was willing to befriend all kinds of people, from learned scholars in the Imperial Academy to nameless soldiers in the Imperial Guard. How many people were willing to listen to him back then?

"Your subject respectfully obeys the imperial decree and is willing to share the burdens of the sovereign and father," Liu Jun said gently. "Regardless of the distinction between sovereign and subject, I am also willing to relieve the worries of my old friend."

Sima Ye turned to look at him and smiled, "I've been waiting for so long, and now you've finally arrived."

Liu Jun recalled Sima Ye's previous invitations to Chang'an, but the journey was blocked by billowing smoke, and how many relatives and friends had been reduced to dust and how much of his homeland had been turned to ashes. He also thought that although Liu Cong had been captured, the Xiongnu Liu Yao and Jie Hu Shi Le were still eyeing him covetously, and Sima Rui on the other side of the river was also waiting for an opportunity to make a move. He couldn't help but feel even more worried.

"I want to see His Majesty, get out of my way!" A commotion suddenly broke out outside the door, and a sharp female voice shouted.

Liu Jun didn't know who was outside the door, but he saw Sima Ye frowning deeply, then leaning back and falling onto him, covering his face with his sleeve, looking completely drunk.

Before he could even be shocked, the door swung open, and a woman in elaborate palace attire stood outside, heavily made up and arrogant, looking at Liu Jun with a wary and disgusted gaze.

Knowing that she was Empress Suo, Liu Jun wanted to get up and pay his respects, but Sima Ye was lying on his lap and could not move at all, so he bowed slightly and said: "Your subject Liu Jun greets Your Majesty the Empress and wishes Your Majesty a long and happy life."

Suo glanced at the drunken Sima Ye, a hint of disgust in his eyes, "I have long heard of the Crown Prince's great name, and seeing him today, I can confirm that it is well-deserved."

Liu Jun was quite surprised. Since he took command of the troops on his own, he hadn't heard the title "Crown Prince" for many years. He never expected to hear it from this woman in the deep palace. Coupled with her expression, it sounded very sarcastic.

"Your Highness flatters me. It was an honor to meet Lord Suo today. His refined and magnanimous character is reminiscent of the Duke of Lu (Jia Chong)." Liu Jun glanced at Lord Suo and smiled. "It's quite a coincidence, really. When I was young, I accompanied my father to see Empress Hui. Judging from Your Highness's appearance and demeanor, you bear a striking resemblance to Empress Hui..."

Empress Su frowned slightly, as if trying to recall who the Duke of Lu was, until he mentioned Empress Hui, at which point her expression changed drastically, “Insolence! How can you compare me to that wicked empress?”

It's not surprising that she was angry. After all, Emperor Wu of Jin, Sima Yan, had said that "the Jia family is jealous and has few sons, and they are ugly, short, and dark-skinned." Their reputation was bad and their end was unpleasant. To compare them to a curse was no different from cursing them.

"Your Majesty, I deserve death! It's just that Empress Hui and I are related, and I felt an overwhelming sense of kinship upon seeing Your Highness, which caused me to momentarily lose my composure..." Liu Jun said, feeling Sima Ye trembling slightly on his knees. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so he quietly pressed Sima Ye down with his hand and continued, "However, Your Highness is magnanimous and should not hold a grudge against a commoner like me. But speaking of which, under Empress Hui's rule, the court and the country are peaceful and the realm is tranquil, which is something we can only dream of now."

Although Empress Su was furious, she knew that Liu and his son had a strong army and were admired throughout the country, so she dared not act rashly. She gritted her teeth and said, "Your Majesty is drunk. I have come to invite Your Majesty back to the palace."

Chang'an was dilapidated, the palace was simple, and there were not many palace servants. It was reasonable for husband and wife to live in the same palace. Just as Liu Jun was about to get up to give up his seat, he felt Sima Ye's fingers gripping his robe tightly. He laughed and said, "Your Majesty, your Empress has come to pick you up."

Sima Ye slowly opened his eyes and muttered, "I'm not leaving. I want to sleep side by side with you and talk all night long!"