Chapter 36: Time Is Running Out

It was impossible to explain, so Liu Bang simply gave up. At the same time, he fully understood the terror of the people from the future and the source of Zhang Liang's anxiety. Zhang Liang's concerns had not been unfounded; once Lu Xuan, a man from the future, offered several useful suggestions for the dynasty, his words would carry the weight of an imperial decree—everyone would believe them. The impact was already visible; no matter how he tried to explain, he could not clear the air. Both men had completely bought into what Lu Xuan had said.

Liu Bang felt a headache coming on and waved for Zhang Liang and Xiao He to leave. The two men left with different thoughts; they felt despair and frustration, but what could they do? If the Emperor wanted them dead, they could only passively accept their fate. As for resistance... how could they resist? Still, they hoped that His Majesty would spare their lives in the future, which would at least mean their half-life of loyal service had not been in vain. In short, although Zhang Liang and Xiao He remained outwardly respectful, it was born of a fear of imperial power. Internally, they were uneasy, and both returned home feeling deeply troubled.

Liu Bang had no heart to visit Lu Xuan; he wanted to return to his bedchamber to find some peace, but he immediately remembered he had promised to move Lu Xuan to the courtyard. With Xiao He and Zhang Liang gone, he had to do the work himself.

"Sigh!" Liu Bang sighed. He ordered all guards and palace servants in the Lin-Hua Hall to withdraw, strictly forbidding anyone from approaching. He then went personally to Lu Xuan’s room. The palace maid posing as a mute bowed upon seeing him, and together, they helped Lu Xuan toward the back courtyard of the Lin-Hua Hall.

This courtyard had not been merely cleaned; it had been newly constructed. Liu Bang had carefully selected and designed its location behind the Lin-Hua Hall, ensuring a direct path to the Changle Palace so that visiting Lu Xuan would be much more convenient. Of course, the layout of the courtyard was modest. It could only be said that it had the bare essentials. After all, it would only be in use for two months; once Lu Xuan was gone, the courtyard would naturally be demolished.

"It was stuffy inside; the air out here feels much fresher..." Supported by the two, Lu Xuan slowly sat down on a rocking chair. Though he could not see the world outside, his mood was quite good.

"Haha, it was truly my lack of consideration. I should have arranged for Master Lu to move into this courtyard much sooner..." Liu Bang expressed his apologies. He was using Lu Xuan and intended to kill him in the end, yet he hadn't even considered the man's living environment during these final three months. He felt deeply guilty.

"Not at all, Uncle Fang, you overthink it. I didn't mean anything by that." Lu Xuan’s expression turned serious as he lay on the rocking chair, saying languidly, "Uncle Fang, it will be less than two months before we enter the capital. When that time comes, I will certainly reward you well. Wherever there is wealth and glory for me, there will be a share for you."

"You saved my life, and I will not forget it. If you have no sons, I will take care of you in your old age."

Listening to Lu Xuan’s words, Liu Bang’s heart grew increasingly complex, his guilt deepening. Time was running out. He chatted with Lu Xuan a bit more, but having no heart to ask other questions, he eventually left. He thought about summoning Zhang Liang and Xiao He again, but decided against it. What a mess this had turned into!

Time slipped away like a shuttle. In the blink of an eye, half a month passed. During this time, many things happened. First, the "Land Handover Decree" issued by Han Xin before his departure for the front lines: many meritorious officials had been unwilling to comply, but they hadn't expected Han Xin to be so ruthless. In the end, they all obediently surrendered large tracts of fertile land. This land was distributed to the people, which was a genuine, tangible benefit.

The result was exactly what Liu Bang had wanted. The people voluntarily contributed a portion of their grain to the imperial court to supply the front lines against the Xiongnu. The early Han Dynasty was indeed poor, but after this round of "land handovers," things began to function more smoothly. Liu Bang could clearly feel that the Han treasury was not as tight as before.

At the same time, the other result Liu Bang had desired also manifested. Because of this, the resentment many officials felt toward Han Xin was no longer hidden. Memorials piled up like a small mountain. Han Xin’s personality had never been popular; to put it kindly, he was talented and arrogant, unlike others. To put it bluntly, he didn't treat others like people. Whenever someone spoke to him, his default response was, "Are you worthy of being my friend? Have I really fallen to the point of discussing military tactics with the likes of you?"

Han Xin’s reputation had been poor from the start, but he did have some friends. Over the years, he had performed great services for the Han, and many generals had followed him through life and death—a bond forged in blood. Some officials, despite his difficult personality, had been willing to stand by him. But when their own interests were at stake, even these people lost their affection for him.

"Bah, what is he? You say my land is to be handed over, so it’s handed over? Do you really think you're the 'King of Equal Rank'?"

"Back then, when people spoke ill of you behind your back, I was furious and even made enemies to defend you! Now it seems my sincerity was fed to the dogs!"

"Haha, people always warned me not to associate with Han Xin, but I refused to believe them. Now it seems I was blind!"

They had worked hard to help the Emperor conquer the empire and had finally received their titles and rewards, only to have them taken away. Even the Emperor hadn't said anything, yet you, a mere 'King of Equal Rank,' really think you're something?

There were too many people harboring resentment against Han Xin, but the more there were, the happier Liu Bang became. The gloom that had clouded his heart regarding Zhang Liang and Xiao He gradually dissipated. At the same time, the death-exemption tokens were distributed.

Han Xin, the 'King of Equal Rank,' received three death-exemption tokens! The remaining meritorious officials, whether they were kings of different surnames or marquises, all received one death-exemption token. These tokens could exempt the holder from death once for any offense other than treason, and could also be used to save the lives of their clansmen. Because of this, many ministers became even more grateful to Liu Bang.

For Liu Bang, everything was moving in a positive direction. He felt much more at ease regarding Han Xin, and reports from the front indicated that Han Xin had gained the upper hand against the Xiongnu forces. Furthermore, the health of Lü Zhi and Liu Ying was improving. Of course, he still did not know how to explain to Xiao He and Zhang Liang that he was destined to kill them in the future, but he was determined that he would never raise his blade against them.

*Tap, tap, tap...*

As Liu Bang pondered these matters in the Changle Palace, he suddenly heard the sound of small, hurried footsteps. Looking up, he saw a young child stumbling toward him, followed by two maids. The child was wiping away tears and snot, looking utterly pitiful. Wasn't this Heng?

"Father, Ruyi is bullying me!" The two-year-old was already walking. Although his running was unsteady, he was safe with the attendants. Liu Heng’s cheeks were chubby and adorable, and he looked aggrieved as he approached. The guards had the sense not to stop him.

Little Liu Heng climbed into Liu Bang’s arms, tugged at his beard, and whimpered, "Father, Ruyi wants to beat me to death!"

"Nonsense!" Liu Bang’s beard twitched, and his eyes widened. "You two are brothers; how could he possibly beat you to death?"

"Ruyi hit me, Father, please make a decision for me!" Liu Heng looked at Liu Bang with pleading eyes. Liu Bang wrapped his large arms around the boy and stood up. "That Ruyi, he never lets me have a moment of peace."

Liu Ruyi was only five, but he had displayed a mischievous nature from a young age. More importantly, he possessed the heroic, knight-errant spirit Liu Bang had in his youth—when he did something wrong, he would admit it directly and would even take the blame for the servants and guards. Liu Bang loved this trait in Ruyi and even harbored intentions of making him the Crown Prince, because it seemed that Ruyi’s temperament would ensure he would never be controlled by a woman. Lady Qi did not have that kind of influence. Although Liu Ying was benevolent, he seemed inadequate when facing the strong-willed Lü Zhi. This was why, even though Liu Ying performed well in all aspects and his character was no less than that of Fusu from the previous dynasty, Liu Bang still considered replacing him.

"Father will decide for you. I’ll go and give Ruyi a good scolding," Liu Bang laughed heartily. He had only walked a short distance while carrying Liu Heng when he suddenly remembered something.

He recalled that Lu Xuan had once said: his third son, Liu Ruyi, would grow up to be quite useless and even kill people indiscriminately. No, he had to ask about this clearly!