Chapter 33, Chapter Seventeen: Heart-to-Heart Understanding
“Even if you become the Crown Prince in the future, or even if His Majesty passes away one day and you ascend the throne, as long as you remain in the North, you may follow in His Majesty's footsteps,” Liu Jun felt the thin shoulders beneath his hand tremble. “If you follow him south, you will most likely enjoy wealth and honor and die a peaceful death. But if that happens, the Prince of Langya has deep roots in Jiangnan. If you stay in the South, you can only be a wealthy prince, and you will have no chance of ascending the throne. The choice is entirely up to you.”
"But do I have a choice?" Sima Ye said, his voice a mix of laughter and tears. "Those who follow me now are all thinking of making a name for themselves by my side. If I retreat south, how many will still stay by my side? The personal guards of the Prince of Qin's mansion are already few in number. With my two legs, I'm afraid I won't even be able to leave this city before I die under the sword. Besides, if I'm completely useless, do these people really still want to keep me around?"
Seeing that he had thought things through, Liu Jun praised him, "Your Highness has come up with this idea, which shows you are a promising young man. Now, please remember, your only way out is to ascend the throne and become emperor."
"Who can be trusted?" Sima Ye couldn't help but tug at his sleeve again, looking as bewildered as a lamb just released from its pen.
Liu Jun pondered for a moment and said, "Trustworthiness and usability are sometimes mutually exclusive. When recommending worthy people, one should not avoid relatives. My cousin is a man of great vision and loyalty to the Jin Dynasty. Your Highness can trust him."
Sima Ye nodded repeatedly, "Tai Zhen has been with me for a long time, and is both my teacher and my friend."
"Furthermore, your uncle and others are all talk and no action. Although they will not betray Your Highness, they will abandon you without hesitation when the situation is critical. They are unreliable."
"I understand."
"Liu Qiao and Jia Pi were both governors of a prefecture. They are skilled in battle and loyal to the people. They are trustworthy and capable. Among them, judging from Jia Pi's military record, he seems to be better. Your Highness can entrust him with important military and national affairs. Liu Qiao is old, but his descendants are very capable. Your Highness can bestow honors and titles upon them."
“As for the feudal lords of the world, the King of Langya is not to be trusted. Even if we send a proclamation to him and elect him as the leader of the alliance, he will never send troops,” Liu Jun said after taking a few quick steps. “The King of Youzhou, Jun, is narrow-minded but has great ambitions and is prone to usurping power.”
"Where are Suo Lin, Qu Yun, Liang Zong, and the others?"
Seeing that Lu Jing was already waving goodbye, Liu Jun knew he couldn't wait any longer and said, "I am not familiar with these three people. When my brother-in-law returns, I ask Your Highness to inquire about them. As for Guo Mo, although he was recommended by my father, I am not familiar with him. I ask Your Highness to use him with caution."
Sima Ye also saw Lu Jing and slowly let go of his hand.
"My father..." Liu Jun hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "Although my father is extremely loyal and sincere, Bingzhou is weak and my father is not capable enough. Moreover, he is often involved in infighting and strife. Taizhen is quite fond of my father, and sometimes he is inevitably biased. Your Highness should be aware of this."
It is unfilial for a son to speak ill of his father, but he still told the truth. Liu Jun rarely opened up to people like this, perhaps because he knew that Sima Ye was in grave danger and felt compassion for him.
Sima Ye was clearly startled, and then lowered his voice and said, "Your father served in the courts of various princes in his early years, and many noble families held prejudices against him."
The Liu brothers had a terrible reputation; otherwise, no one would have told Sima Yue that he was "sour and disgusting, and that getting close to him would only taint people." Sima Ye's specific mention of this matter must have had a deeper meaning.
Liu Jun's gaze deepened as he looked at him.
“I once thought that the brothers Wang Dao and Wang Dun frequented the Golden Valley Garden and had some connection with your father,” Sima Ye said, looking at him with sympathy. “But my uncle said that Wang Dun looked down on your father and wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible. In the future, you must be more careful when you encounter people from the Langya Wang clan.”
His already fair complexion had turned somewhat pale after days of hardship, and tears clung to his long, thick eyelashes, yet his eyes stared fixedly at me, filled with both sorrow and pity.
With just one glance, Liu Jun was deeply shaken. He couldn't help but think of his birth mother, who was not the noble lady he was now, but a lowly concubine in the royal palace.
Cao Lin was cruel and tyrannical, often beating his concubines, even those who bore him children. Later, he became even more ruthless, and would beat and scold his children at the slightest provocation.
As the eldest son born out of wedlock, Cao Mao was the first to be affected.
To avoid being beaten, he had no choice but to study even harder. But later he discovered that no matter how outstanding he was in classical poetry and painting, he was wrong no matter what he did, simply because he was an illegitimate son.
Whenever I gritted my teeth and endured the pain, feeling indignant at the injustice, my mother would watch me with tears in her eyes, filled with pity and compassion, even though she herself was covered in wounds.
"Your Highness, do not be discouraged. I await the day when Your Highness will pacify the land and return to the old capital!" Liu Jun bowed solemnly.
Sima Ye gave a self-deprecating laugh, looking at the whorl of his hair, and said softly, "The last time I saw you, you were still a child eating glutinous rice dumplings. Now you are a stray dog. I don't know if we will ever meet again in this life. Perhaps not long after, I will be nothing but bones in a grave. Even if we meet again, I don't know what a miserable scene it will be. If you ever hear of my death, don't bother to mourn me. I only hope that you will use that Flying View Sword to kill a few more barbarians, which would be enough to avenge me."
“Maotou, call me Munu. My father has passed away, and my uncle has left. I'm afraid no one will call me by this nickname anymore.”
Even with his hardened heart, Liu Jun couldn't help but choke up as he said, "Take care, Mu Nu..."
It was early winter, and the cold wind was biting. Years of drought had left the land barren and the road was covered in dust. Anyone who opened their mouth would inhale a mouthful of sand.
Fortunately, Liu Jun was preoccupied with his own thoughts, worried about the situation in Bingzhou and feeling melancholy at parting. He was not as talkative as usual, and the group just kept their heads down and hurried on their way. The sound of their horses' hooves hitting the yellow earth was like muffled thunder.
After running ten miles, Lu Jing suddenly spoke up, "I suddenly remembered that when you parted ways with the King of Qin, you gave him a piece of jade, and the King of Qin returned the favor with a precious sword..."
“A gentleman gives words of advice, while a commoner gives money. What I just said came from the bottom of my heart. I would not have said it to anyone else or in any other day.” Liu Jun recalled the past and was somewhat dazed. “Therefore, although I have nothing to give you, my intentions this time are far greater than before.”
“Young Master is open and honest, but what if he leaks these words and arouses suspicion in those with ulterior motives?” Lu Jing said boldly. “Although Young Master and Prince Qin are on good terms, their relationship is still very superficial. We must be careful.”
Liu Jun nodded, "It's good that you thought of that. If a similar situation occurs in the future, please be sure to advise me in time."
"I dare not."
“Why wouldn’t I dare? Yi Yin was once a slave, but he later became a prime minister and gave Tai Jia his advice.” Liu Jun smiled at him, then turned to the generals and said, “Most of you are family retainers who have been by my side since I was a child. You know my character best. Sometimes I am too arrogant, and sometimes I am frivolous and reckless. If people like you, my own people, don’t remind me, who else will tell me the truth?”
All the generals were moved and said in unison, "Yes!"
Liu Jun let out a long breath, cracked his whip, and headed north, "The road ahead is long and arduous, everyone, please persevere!"
Volume Three: Political Tu Lie
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