Chapter 32, Chapter Sixteen: Words from the Heart
Liu Jun made up his mind to wait for Wen Qiao to return, meet with him, and then set off again, so that his family retainers, who had been traveling for days, could also rest.
It was rare for him to sleep until late morning, but before Wen Qiao arrived, Liu Chou came to express his gratitude.
Upon seeing him, Liu Chou bowed again and presented him with a gift of thanks—a beautifully decorated huqin (a type of reed pipe).
Just as he was about to decline, Liu Chou brought up the connection, revealing that his father, Liu Ne, was also one of the Twenty-Four Friends of Jingu and had a close friendship with Liu Kun. Upon further inquiry, he was surprised to discover that his ancestor was none other than Liu Han, the former magistrate of Luoyang during the Cao Wei dynasty.
Impressed by Liu Kun's wide circle of friends, Liu Jun agreed to Liu Chou's request to join him in Bingzhou. Only then did Liu Jun fall asleep listlessly, determined to make up for the good sleep he had missed during this period.
In my dream, I was in Luoyang, where there was the shackles and humiliation in the Taiji Hall, the predicament and despair in the Zhaoyang Hall, the twilight and desolation of the Northern Palace, and the dragon blood and black and yellow of the Southern Palace.
He had always been fierce and courageous, and had not been so saddened in a long time. While he was still struggling in the sea of suffering, he suddenly heard demonic voices urging him on, as if three thousand witches were clamoring in his ears.
When he opened his eyes, he saw Sima Ye playing the huqin he had just acquired, his expression both intoxicated and solemn, completely unaware that Liu Jun had suddenly woken up and was covering his ears, his head throbbing with pain.
"Greetings, Your Highness." Liu Jun pretended to have just woken up and greeted him loudly.
Sima Ye wasn't annoyed by the interruption; he smiled and put down the huqin. "Yanshi is awake?"
Liu Jun rubbed his forehead, looked at the sky outside, and realized that the sun was already setting. He did some quick calculations and realized that he had slept for five hours. "I must have been lazy," he thought.
“Guanzhong is indeed crucial, but Chang’an is an isolated city,” Sima Ye suddenly said. “I’m wondering whether I should go there…”
"I've heard that Prefect Jia Pi of Anding plans to curry favor with His Majesty?" Liu Jun sighed. "But he's a descendant of Grand Commandant Jia."
"Indeed, I have heard that he defeated Liu Yao in succession and killed the traitor Peng Dangzhong at Wei Bridge. He is so brave and skilled in battle, and he has not fallen behind his ancestors." Sima Ye praised.
Liu Jun's eyes widened. "When did this happen?"
Having suffered a setback in Chang'an, Liu Yao is highly likely to turn his attention to attacking Bingzhou. Bingzhou has always been short of generals, and it remains to be seen whether Liu Kun is prepared to deal with it.
Thinking of this, Liu Jun could no longer sit still. He stood up and said to Sima Ye, "Bingzhou is in grave danger. I cannot stay any longer. Your Highness, please take care."
Sima Ye was not knowledgeable in military affairs, but he could tell from the severity of the situation that the man was facing. His expression darkened, but he said nothing more. Watching him prepare the troops and supplies, he said softly, "Is there anything you want me to tell Taizhen?"
Liu Jun paused, then gave a self-deprecating laugh, "Compared to the survival of Bingzhou, it's of no importance."
He gazed silently at Sima Ye, who met his gaze for a long time before finally lowering his head in silence. Looking at Sima Ye's smooth forehead, Liu Jun's heart stirred. "The Jia brothers are both talented generals. Please tell my brother-in-law to keep an eye on them."
Sima Ye agreed, but Liu Jun suddenly changed the subject, "I have always found Your Highness's encounter with danger strange. I originally planned to ask my cousin, but the situation is urgent now, and I'm afraid it's too late. I wonder if Your Highness would be willing to enlighten me?"
Sima Ye never expected that he would still have the leisure to inquire about this matter. He didn't want to reveal everything, but he was also afraid that this was Liu Jun's test. He was caught in a dilemma and pondered for a long time.
Seeing his attitude, Liu Jun felt even more disheartened. He cupped his hands in farewell and prepared to take his leave.
Before he had gone a hundred paces, Sima Ye stumbled over and grabbed his sleeve from behind, saying, "Mao Tou, don't run away."
Liu Jun paused, inwardly laughing, but outwardly maintaining an aloof and indignant demeanor.
“Actually, I also know that the Hu people are rampant in the Central Plains and the Di people are rampant in Guanzhong. Liu Yao moved 80,000 households away before, and Chang’an is already an isolated city. Even if I went there, I would just be waiting to die.” Sima Ye lowered his head. “I can understand why my uncle and the others want to stay in Shandong. After all, there are many powerful families in Shandong. Even if you are just a village lord, you may be able to die peacefully in your old age.”
"Moreover, I've noticed that Yan Ding is quite disrespectful to me and bosses around the other officials, seemingly intending to use the emperor to command the other lords. What if he becomes as tyrannical as Wang Jun..." Sima Ye said slowly, "Later, we encountered bandits. Although these bandits weren't barbarians, they were truly formidable, and they were clearly targeting me. Yan Ding was no match for them..."
"But Your Highness should have already arranged for Liu You to provide backup?"
“Indeed, I ordered the young eunuch to seek reinforcements from the vanguard early on. Even if you hadn’t come to my aid, Liu You would have arrived quickly. But I never expected those bandits to be so dishonest, almost causing me to be humiliated,” Sima Ye said in a low voice. “Now, I have nothing to hide from you. Many noble families have fled south, and the Prince of Langya is highly respected in Jiangnan, with the support of the Langya Wang clan. I’ve heard many people recommend him as their leader. No matter what choice Bingzhou makes in the future, I will…”
Liu Jun frowned. "If Your Highness still wants the Jin family's half of the country, you must become the Crown Prince, or even the Emperor! Otherwise, given the temperament of these powerful families, once they have established themselves in the south and exhausted their ambitions in the gentle Jiangdong region, they will probably no longer care about the old capital and their homeland."
Sima Ye originally intended to send a proclamation to the Prince of Langya, inviting him to join in the campaign against the bandits. However, after hearing what he said, he found it reasonable and couldn't help but dejectedly say, "If that's the case, wouldn't we just have to hand over the world to the bandits?"
"Currently, the land south of the Yangtze River still belongs to Jin. Although Ba and Shu have fallen to Cheng Han, the Li brothers are leaders of displaced people. Even if they declare themselves emperors, their reign will not last long," Liu Jun reassured him. "Further north, there are still Bingzhou and Youzhou. Even in the fallen provinces, there are still fortified villages that are ready to welcome the royal army with food and drink. As long as the princes are of one mind and the ministers work together, allowing the people to recuperate and gradually plan our next move, why should we worry about not being able to recover the lost territories?"
His words were so confident that Sima Ye, who had been feeling anxious and uneasy lately and had just encountered danger a few days ago, felt strangely calmed down after hearing them.
"When the Master listened to the Shao music, he did not taste meat for three months. Now that I have heard your words, I am afraid I will not be able to go without meat for a whole year." Sima Ye felt relieved, and the sorrow on his face faded considerably.
"Then, Your Highness, may you release Jun's sleeve?" Liu Jun asked loudly.
Sima Ye then realized that he had been tugging at the other man's sleeve for quite some time. Even more embarrassing, due to his nervousness, he had unconsciously crumpled the sleeve into a ball, stammering, "I..."
Liu Jun then turned around and said with a smile, "I have been in the army for nearly ten years and can be considered a rough man who has spent half his life on the battlefield. I am not as well-dressed as a young master from a noble family, and I have not been able to let Your Highness pull me to my heart's content."
What are you saying?
Sima Ye was only a twelve-year-old boy, and he was usually obedient and gentle, rarely interacting with others. He did not understand the meaning of the joke, but only felt that the words were sarcastic. All the grief, pain, fear and confusion of the past few days rushed into his heart at once, and two lines of tears rolled down his cheeks.
Although it wasn't the first time he'd seen him shed tears, Liu Jun was still flustered. Seeing that Lu Jing and the others hadn't prepared their horses yet and there was still some time, he sighed softly, placed his hands on Lu Jing's shoulders, and said in a deep voice, "I don't have time to comfort you right now. Your Highness, you'd better listen carefully to these words."
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