Chapter 60: The Ruler Chooses His Minister, and the Minister Also Chooses His Ruler

  Liu Bian still had his eyes closed, but his mind was clear and his senses became extremely sharp.

  He could smell the faint fragrance on Tang Ying's body, he could hear Tang Ying's steady and powerful heartbeat, he could hear the murmurs of the palace maid beside him. But none of this could make him stay.

  He had just made a dream, heard the sound of the piano. In the dream, the cloud was covered with fog, and the figure was vague and unclear. The piano sound was exceptionally clear, and every note entered his ears.

  The sound of the guqin seemed familiar, but he couldn't recall where he had heard it before. He wasn't a connoisseur of music and had only learned a few days' worth of guqin from Cai Yan, but he could never quite get the hang of it. However, he was certain that the piece he had just heard was not one that Cai Yan had taught him. The two styles were completely different - the guqin that Cai Yan had taught him sounded ethereal and calm, like the earth, while this piece was lively and dynamic. As he listened to the music, his heart, which had been dull and sorrowful, suddenly came alive.

  "What's wrong?" Tang Ying opened her blurry eyes and sat up. The corner of the quilt slipped from her shoulders, revealing a patch of white skin.

  "Oh, nothing, just had a dream." Liu Bian thought for a moment, shook his head, and swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth. He knew Tang Ying didn't like Cai Yan, both jealous and disdainful. She was already unhappy about the piano lessons, and now mentioning the sound of the piano would only make her think of Cai Yan again.

  "Who did you dream of?" Tang Ying's eyes were somewhat unkind.

  "I didn't dream of anyone." Liu Bian looked at Tang Ying's red and swollen eyes, feeling apologetic. "Yingzi, just now..."

  "Hmph!" Tang Ying's eyebrows rose, about to get angry, but then seemed to think of something and her expression softened. "It was I who erred first, and the fault is mine to bear. Thank you, Your Majesty, for not abandoning me; I am grateful beyond words."

  Liu Bei smiled contentedly and said: "You knew that Xun Yu was a king-making talent, why didn't you tell me?"

  "What's the use of telling you?"

  "I appoint him as a palace attendant, let him serve by my side and help me devise strategies."

  Tang Ying shook her head and sighed, "It's useless. If he doesn't want to himself, even if you make him a great general, it won't work. I know these famous scholars best. Some are fond of fame, the more you invite them, the less they come. Refusing once increases their reputation by one point. Some are fond of profit, seeking fame is for seeking profit, when not in office, they are upright and honest, but after taking office, they are more shameless than anyone else."

  "Xun Yu... is this kind of person?"

  "He isn't." Tang Ying let out a soft sigh, somewhat helplessly: "He's truly talented, so he doesn't do it for fame or profit. What he wants is just an emperor worthy of his assistance."

  Liu Bian understood. Just like Ma Yuan to Emperor Guangwu of Han Liu Xiu, the monarch chooses his ministers and the ministers also choose their monarch. With Xun Yu's great talent, it is impossible for him not to see that chaotic times are approaching. At this time, what he needs to consider is his future, rather than empty moral principles. If you can't make him feel that you're worth assisting, even if you kneel down and beg him, he won't give you a second glance.

  Liu Bian's mood became even more dismal. A great talent like Xun Yu was right by his side, yet he couldn't even look up to himself, it was clear that he wasn't the material for an emperor. Trash is trash, no matter how hard he tried, he would never become a powerful ruler. If he had to blame someone, he could only blame his own bad luck. If he were born in a peaceful and prosperous era, he might still be able to muddle through life as a guardian of the status quo. But living in this chaotic world, facing countless ambitious people, his meager abilities truly weren't worth mentioning, who knows who would end up playing him to death?

  "I'm really useless." Liu Bian sighed: "Perhaps I should let my brother take the throne."

  "No, you are the real hero." Tang Ying sat up, holding Liu Bian's face in both hands, staring into his eyes: "Your Majesty, you may not be the smartest, nor the strongest, but you have a sense of responsibility, dare to face your own responsibilities, and even dare to face your own mistakes. You are the real hero." Tang Ying said word by word: "I believe that you possess the true heart of an emperor, and will surely revive the great Han dynasty in the future."

  The quilt slipped down from her chest, and the thin blanket couldn't cover her plumpness. Liu Bian was stunned for a moment, his eyes fixed, and his mouth dry.

  "Yingzi, your bosom... isn't small either."

  Tang Ying was taken aback, looked down and suddenly became so shy that her face turned bright red.

  ……

  Nangong, a small temple beside the spirit hall of the empress dowager, Chenliu King Liu Xie wore a small garment, standing quietly behind the door, his eyes peering through the gap in the door, looking towards Cai Yan and her father on the veranda. The small temple was not far from the eastern pavilion's veranda, he could hear Cai Yan's zither sound clearly, and also heard every word of their conversation between the father and daughter.

  He was frightened and didn't dare move for a moment, fearing that any sound would be heard by Cai Yong and his daughter, inviting unnecessary disaster.

  It was clear that he had heard something he shouldn't have. If it hadn't been late at night, if he hadn't felt a special affinity for the Yongle Palace where Empress Dowager Dong had once lived and specifically requested to stay in this secluded little palace, he wouldn't have overheard those words.

  The emperor is an evil dragon and has already awakened?

  The treasure left by the Emperor for himself was a dragon egg, which could hatch into a legendary giant dragon, rather than those yellow dragons that can be seen everywhere.

  Liu Xie was frightened, but he instinctively believed Cai Yong's words. Only in this way can the will of his father be explained. His father had said that the treasure contained a secret, and finding this secret would allow the Han Dynasty to rise again. He had died young precisely because he was searching for this secret.

  Liu Xie was naturally intelligent, inheriting the wisdom of the previous emperor. His talent in music far surpassed that of his imperial brother Liu Bian and even that of Princess Wanping. Cai Yan played it only once, but he remembered it all. From the conversation between Cai Yong and his daughter, he suspected that this might be the real secret: the tune that Cai Yan taught to Imperial Brother Liu Bian was a trap, a plot.

  With this melody, I can enlighten my own destiny.

  Unfortunately, the dragon egg that could hatch a giant dragon was snatched away by Brother A.

  ……

  Liu Bian let out a long sigh, slowly leaning on Tang Ying's body. The depression and irritability that had been pent up for over ten days were finally released with the previous outburst. At this moment, he felt light all over, his whole body relaxed and comfortable.

  "Your Majesty..." Tang Ying felt a bit uneasy and hesitant: "Will the Empress Dowager..."

  "As long as we can destroy the Yuan family and avenge the He family, the Empress Dowager won't mind our slight disrespect." Liu Biancai wasn't as concerned about ghosts and gods as Tang Ying was. Just as he was about to tease her some more, he suddenly had an epiphany.

  "What's wrong?" Seeing Liu Bian motionless, Tang Ying was perplexed.

  "Yingzi, what about 'Huangdi's Twelve Forms'..." Liu Bian slowly raised his head, his eyes gleaming with cunning: "Could it have been tampered with?"

  "Why did you say that?" Tang Ying also became spirited, her eyes shining brightly: "What have you discovered?"