Chapter 52: Stolen Half-Day Leisure

  Diao Chan, since childhood entered Wang Yun's mansion, learned piano chess calligraphy painting, singing and dancing skills, even learned some superficial swordsmanship, as the years grew older, she had already revealed that stunning beauty, although only a song girl identity, but in the life of the mansion was no different from that of a young lady.

  Wang Yun also attaches great importance to her - although it is not known whether this importance is that the old man wants to wait for two years to ripen and enjoy himself, or as a chip to win over other powerful ministers in the court?

  According to Liu Xuan's speculation, the most likely thing to happen is that Wang Yun uses Diao Chan to win over Lü Bu - Lü Bu is now the most powerful and influential minister in the imperial court. Although Lü Bu does not speak much on the court and does not participate in political affairs, the military power he holds is the strongest force in Chang'an. Wang Yun feels that he has a certain prestige in the court, and if the two join forces, they can become the most powerful force in Chang'an.

  Although Wang Yun never thought of monopolizing power like Dong Zhuo, and he also hoped that the Han dynasty could revive, but he hoped that the Han dynasty would be revived in his own hands, and the emperor just sat high above looking at it, no need to participate too much.

  Liu Xuan also knew how much damage Diao Chan could inflict on Lü Bu - taking advantage of the little girl's current naivety, he directly came over and completely foiled Wang Yun's plan from the root; otherwise, if Diao Chan really met Lü Bu face to face, there would be no good outcome for him.

  Wang Yun naturally did not know that Liu Xuan had asked for Diaochan in order to prevent Wang Yun from colluding with Lü Bu, and he was now wondering how the Emperor knew about the woman in his mansion.

  "Isn't it just a chance encounter on the way to Chang'an?"

  It seems that there is only one possibility, that Diao Chan has been raised by him in the mansion since childhood and has never gone out. In addition, Diao Chan is still young at this time and has not shown her face to guests, except for a few close friends who know that there is such a songstress in his mansion.

  So the only possibility is that the emperor caught a glimpse of her when he came to Chang'an, and then had someone ask around and learned Diao Chan's name.

  Wang Yun came out of the imperial palace with a bitter face, thinking that his efforts over the past decade had been in vain. However, after walking for a while, he began to try to think positively.

  "Diao Chan has won the emperor's favor, which isn't entirely a bad thing."

  He raised the swallow, originally with the intention of winning over a certain person in the imperial court. Thinking that the most powerful person in the current imperial court is none other than the emperor, if he can gain more favor from the emperor because of this, it would not be a waste of his efforts for these past ten or so years.

  As for whether the emperor would be infatuated with beauty, he didn't mind. Without mentioning the private affairs of the Han Dynasty emperors, it's not up to the ministers to interfere, even if the emperor is really infatuated with women, it's not a bad thing.

  The emperor was busy having fun with his concubines, but who would handle the major affairs of the court? The emperor had less time to deal with state affairs, so naturally, the three dukes took over more of the governance.

  At present, among the three dukes, no one has more prestige than myself, and it is not impossible to become the actual prime minister by taking advantage of this.

  After thinking about it this way, the melancholy feelings dissipated a lot, but still felt somewhat unwell. After returning home, couldn't get into a good mood, and even ate less than usual.

  Just then, a good friend came to visit and couldn't help but ask, Wang Yun didn't say much, only simply said: "The emperor heard that there was a song girl in my mansion and asked me for her."

  That person was stunned for a moment, not expecting it to be such a thing. He thought to himself: "To ask for a song girl, why go so far? Could she be the king's favorite concubine?" But this couldn't be said directly, so he just responded with: "How can Your Majesty be so absurd? Actually asking a minister for a woman? Are you trying to emulate Shang Zhou and Xia Jie?"

  Wang Yun couldn't have imagined that his good friend would say something like this as soon as he opened his mouth, and was startled to the point of trembling all over, hastily saying: "Be careful what you say!"

  That person also realized that he had misspoken, so he stopped talking about it. However, the matter somehow got out and Wang Yun was furious, severely scolding the maidservants and slaves in the mansion, even expelling several servants from the Imperial Tutor's residence.

  The people who fled to Wang Yun's mansion that day were so frightened that they couldn't eat for several days, and finally, trembling with fear, they secretly took their families and left Chang'an, not even wanting to be officials anymore.

  But the matter still spread in Chang'an City, and many scholars and officials couldn't help but discuss it privately, some saying that the emperor's actions were too absurd, and others wondering if they should submit a memorial to reprimand the emperor.

  These people are also good, although Han Dynasty officials cannot blame the emperor's private life, that is in ordinary times, when the world is at peace, the emperor can be reckless, as long as major events in the court are not delayed.

  What's the situation now? Although it's not to the point of saying that the dynasty is about to collapse, the trend of great chaos has already been revealed. The vassals in various places are armed and self-reliant. In the east, Dong Zhuo and the Guandong coalition army are fighting fiercely, but there hasn't been any substantial progress.

  The imperial edict can only be circulated around Chang'an City. If it weren't for Lü Bu and Cao Cao's armies occupying the surrounding counties, the so-called imperial edict might not even reach Chang'an. In this situation, the Son of Heaven does not think about rectifying the government, pacifying the localities, weakening the power of the regional lords, but instead indulges in women, at this time not to speak out and reprimand what are you waiting for?

  As for remonstrating with the emperor, the Han Dynasty was not without precedent. In fact, when Han officials wrote to the emperor, they didn't have any taboos and could say whatever they wanted - it's just that if you, as a high-ranking official, spoke out of turn, the emperor could also do as he pleased - if I'm really displeased with you, I can have you beheaded and there's nothing you can say about it.

  Moreover, rebuking the emperor can also gain a reputation. Whether the emperor is enraged or focuses on governance, he will inevitably mention the person who submitted the memorial later. The only worry is the degree of rebuke - it's not good to go too far, after all, everyone just wants to make a name for themselves, and losing their life in the process would be useless even if they gain fame.

  So this group of scholars made a big fuss, but the legendary impeachment document that was supposed to rebuke the emperor never materialized.

  Even Liu Xuan was eagerly waiting for the memorial, wondering what these scholars could come up with. Unfortunately, it was all thunder and no rain, and after a long wait, not only did he not see the memorial, but he couldn't even catch a glimpse of a piece of paper.

  "Your Majesty must still be diligent in governance, after all the current situation is not as it was in the past."

  Maybe it was really crossing that threshold, Cai Yan finally could communicate normally with Liu Xuan, although speaking still stiffly, but at least there was no more awkwardness, after all, a big progress.

  On this day, Liu Xuan left the Golden Flower Temple and wandered around the palace with Cai Yan. Having stayed in Chang'an for nearly two months now, many palaces have been roughly restored and are no longer as desolate as before when only a few places were habitable.

  Nowadays, the Chang'an Imperial City, without mentioning other palaces, this Weiyang Palace has once again revealed the grandeur of the Han Dynasty's imperial palace. Liu Xuan simply called up Cai Yan to accompany him on a stroll around, just to relax his mood.

  Looking back at Cai Yan, Liu Xuan saw that this little girl's face, which still had a bit of childishness, was full of seriousness, seemingly trying to put on a stern expression, but in Liu Xuan's eyes, this expression was somewhat comical.

  "These things, I naturally understand."

  She glanced slightly to the side, and standing next to Cai Yan was a little maid of about thirteen or fourteen years old. Although she was called a little maid, except for her face which still showed that she was not very old, her figure was already no different from Cai Yan's, with everything that should be there and nothing that shouldn't be.

  In addition, this girl seems to have a natural charm, Liu Xuan just took a glance, and with his composure, he also wanted to devour her completely.

  Taking a light breath, calming down, the little girl in front of him was actually the fuse of this incident, Diao Chan, who Liu Xuan had specially brought from Wang Yun's mansion.

  According to the customs of the time, Diao Chan was only fourteen this year. But if according to Liu Xuan's habit, since he hadn't had his birthday yet, Diao Chan would be considered only twelve years old for now, and would turn thirteen after his birthday, an age where one could only look but not eat.

  Now she is just a palace maid, Liu Xuan asked her to come over and used the reason of finding someone for Cai Yan to talk to, so she was arranged to serve by Cai Yan's side.

  This was already an extraordinary treatment for Diao Chan, who was after all just a songstress. Although she had been favored by Wang Yun since childhood, her status was still not high, and in some ways, it was even lower than that of girls from poor families.

  Girls who entered the palace had to be from a good family background, and if they were not of such a background, like Diao Chan, it would have been impossible for them to enter the imperial palace without an imperial edict.

  Moreover, Diao Chan has become Cai Yan's personal maid. Cai Yan is now a noblewoman and may even become the empress of the Han dynasty in the future. At that time, as her personal maid, Diao Chan's status will also rise with the tide. If she were to gain the emperor's favor and give birth to a son or daughter, with the empress's support, it is not impossible for her to become a noblewoman herself.

  They walked to the middle of Yī Shí Tíng and sat down. Liu Xuan first looked around at the scenery, then said to Cai Yan: "After being busy for over a month, I finally have some leisure time. Let's have lunch here today."

  Cai Yan naturally did not object, and directly ordered the maid to bring up the food. The two of them sat there eating their meal while appreciating the early spring scenery, chatting casually at the same time. Afterwards, they strolled around the nearby area for a few more rounds before returning to the Xuan Hall to part ways - Liu Xuan went to his study to attend to government affairs, while Cai Yan took Diao Chan back to the palace to rest. After Liu Xuan finished his work and returned, they retired for the night.

  Sitting down in the study, Liu Xuan felt a refreshing breath of air. Although there hadn't been anything particularly worrisome lately, with one thing after another, he couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed. Today, relaxing for a bit made him feel much more at ease.

  However, such days can only be spent occasionally, and for now there are still many proper things to do. He casually took out the Tianzi Xin Seal from the six seals, then held it with both hands in front of his Dantian, using the dragon energy within the Tianzi Xin Seal to resonate with the dragon energy inside his body, tempering it.

  The Tianzi Xinyin, also known as the Heavenly Son's Seal of Trust, is used by the Emperor when dealing with Heaven, Earth and spirits. In other words, it is often used during sacrificial rituals. If used as a magical artifact to cast spells, its power will be doubled. Therefore, Liu Xuan chose Tianzi Xinyin as his first choice for sacrifice and refinement.

  Since he obtained the Six Seals, it has been half a year, and now he is only one step away from success. At that time, even if the Chi Xiao Sword is destroyed, he will not be without the power to protect himself.

  Just as he was thinking, the Tianzi seal in his hand suddenly flashed, and then a golden dragon about the size of a finger appeared and disappeared. Liu Xuan saw it, holding the jade seal with one hand, and after a moment's thought, the Tianzi seal emitted a faint light, slowly floating above his palm.

  "Success!"