A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 31 Autumn Hunting
Ye Ting.

Most of the water flowed into Cangchi Lake, while the rest of the palaces and halls built were the emperor's harem.

Under the bright midsummer sun, the golden rooftops are reflected in the green trees and clear water, creating a tranquil scene that feels like a dream.

As Dong Zhongshu walked into the alleyway in the woods, a palace maid came up and bowed respectfully, saying, "Grand Historian, His Majesty is in Yongchun Palace."

Dong Zhongshu nodded slightly. Yongchun Palace was where Lady Wang resided. Although the Empress was of high rank, Lady Wang was currently the one who enjoyed the Emperor's favor.

As for how favored he was, in the sixth year of Yuanshuo, when Grand Marshal Wei Qing went on an expedition, his general Su Jian's entire army was wiped out, and he escaped alone. Zhao Xin even fled back to the Xiongnu. Wei Qing did not have many military achievements in this battle, so he was not granted any additional titles. In fact, there was nothing to be granted, so he was only rewarded with a thousand gold pieces.

At that moment, "When Lady Wang was favored by the emperor, Ning Cheng said to the general, 'The reason why the general's achievements are not very great, yet he has a fief of ten thousand households and his three sons are all marquises is because he was moved to the position of empress. Now that Lady Wang is favored, his clan is not yet rich and noble. I wish the general to offer the thousand gold pieces he has given as a birthday gift for Lady Wang.' The general then offered five hundred gold pieces as a birthday gift."

A mere woman, confined to the secluded palace, with the slightest movement of her body and a sway of her arm, managed to extract half, or even all, of the merits from the Grand Marshal of the time. On that day, countless soldiers who had fought on the battlefield fell silent, and the people of Chang'an were speechless with astonishment.

Traveling thousands of miles to fight the Xiongnu is nothing but a joke.

Then, "when the emperor heard of this, he asked the Grand General, who told him the truth, and the emperor then appointed Ning Cheng as the Commandant of the Eastern Sea."

The Grand Marshal's five hundred gold pieces benefited Lady Wang and Ning Cheng, but unfortunately had nothing to do with the Wei family, who were related to the imperial family.

In the Han Dynasty, an important aspect of honoring imperial concubines was the promotion of their families. For example, "the emperor summoned his elder brother Wei Changjun and younger brother Wei Qing to serve as attendants." The empress's elder brother, Wei Changjun, was originally an mediocre person, the eldest of several children born to a slave. However, because of his younger sister and brother, he rose to become a prominent maternal relative.

However, it seems that Lady Wang's family did not have any capable brothers or nephews. Even though His Majesty was willing to support them and summoned Lady Wang's brothers to the palace as attendants, none of them were as outstanding as Wei Qing or Huo Qubing.

After the deaths of Empress Dowager Dou and Empress Dowager Wang, Emperor Wu of Han (Liu Che) was quite open-minded in his conduct and daily life. He never required guards or armored soldiers to protect the inner palace, only palace maids. He also abandoned the outdated rule that ministers were not allowed to enter the inner palace. Trusted ministers of the inner court were often summoned to the inner palace to discuss matters, and they could enter without even having to report to the emperor.

The leniency shown towards the inner court officials is evident.

The spacious and luxurious palace, with its unique style and extravagant luxury, possesses a mysterious allure. The most eye-catching feature is a huge bronze mirror, which stands opposite the bed, reflecting all activities taking place there.

To the left of the bed is a towering, gleaming bronze pillar, imposing yet isolated; to the right is a deep, tall, rolled-edge bronze plate, instantly arousing unrealistic desires.

All around were long, colorful gauze curtains that trailed on the ground. The wind blew the curtains, creating a hazy and dreamlike atmosphere that made people feel intoxicated. Through the hazy curtains, one could see Lady Wang, half-naked, nestled against His Majesty... Suddenly, Dong Zhongshu was overwhelmed with shame and grief.

He turned to leave, but someone grabbed his sleeve and laughed, "Teacher, it's been years since we last met. How have you been?"

"Greetings, Grand Master of Ceremonies and Attendant-in-Ordinary," Dong Zhongshu said, bowing deeply without looking to the side.

King Wuqiu Shou remained silent for a moment.

When he was young, he was summoned to court for his chess skills, which were so good that he was summoned five times. The emperor then ordered him to study the Spring and Autumn Annals under Dong Zhongshu.

Years later, he still called Dong Zhongshu his teacher, while Dong Zhongshu addressed him as Grand Master of Ceremonies and Attendant-in-Ordinary.

This world truly can refine people.

"Since you have been summoned, why doesn't the old... Grand Historian come forward?" King Wuqiu Shou asked with a complicated expression.

"The Grand Historian is in charge of astronomy, calendar, and compiling historical records. Now that the world is at peace, auspicious omens are frequently occurring, and calamities are nowhere to be seen, the history is just a record of history. There are no major events, so I am lazy and complacent. When I came to pay my respects, I even forgot to announce my arrival. I should go to the Court of Justice to accept my punishment." Dong Zhongshu replied with a casual excuse, feeling utterly disgusted.

"His Majesty's summons is mostly for joyous occasions. Why does the Grand Astrologer interfere? It's just a few pleasures in life; what does it matter?" Wuqiu Shouwang advised. Compared to those wise and virtuous rulers who squander their time, His Majesty may have more interests, but they are nothing more than hunting, banquets, playing with jewels, fine carriages and horses, luxurious clothes and food, beautiful lakes and mountains, palaces and mansions... beautiful women, and so on. Nothing else.

In His Majesty's inner palace, trusted ministers of the inner court can come and go freely. When they occasionally come to pay their respects at the same time, they can see that His Majesty is still busy and can watch and comment as much as they want. Even if His Majesty hears them, he will just smile.

This is not an insult from Your Majesty to the scholars, but rather Your Majesty's trust in them.

With a man like you, what more could one ask for?

Dong Zhongshu felt his scalp tingle, his throat go dry, and goosebumps rise all over his body. The eloquent discussions and ingenious ideas of his former students made him feel as if he were sitting on pins and needles, as if he had a thorn in his back, and as if he had a fishbone stuck in his throat.

In a short while, Dong Zhongshu was covered in cold sweat and regretted coming to the harem. The physical reaction made him feel embarrassed and ashamed, as if he wanted to vomit.

Fortunately, Dong Zhongshu was resolute. His face was ashen, his lips twitched, and he gritted his teeth as he forced himself to say, "Grand Master of Ceremonies, Your Excellency is wise. I have lived in a remote mountain country for a long time and am ignorant like a villager. I am somewhat ignorant of human nature. Please allow me to go back and slowly savor and understand this."

"The Grand Astrologer has refused to see His Majesty..."

"I will go and accept my punishment."

Dong Zhongshu turned and strode away, almost fleeing in panic, his steps and demeanor completely lacking, making him seem ridiculous even to himself.

King Wuqiu Shou stood there, lost in thought.

When the wind and rain stopped, His Majesty's voice came from within, "King Wuqiu Shou, come in."

Wuqiu Shouwang strode in, his eyes fixed straight ahead, and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty."

Lady Wang was crouching in front of Liu Che when Liu Che gently patted her, and Lady Wang tactfully retreated behind the tall jade screen. "Where is Dong Zhongshu?"

“I am unwell and fear I might disturb the Emperor’s health, so I will take my leave now,” King Wuqiu Shou replied.

Liu Che did not dwell on this attempt to cover up the truth, and was also glad that he had not agreed to Zhuang Zhu's request for Dong Zhongshu to enter the central court. He smiled and said, "I originally wanted to give him the position of Imperial Censor, but if I don't want to see him, then I won't. Let the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Personnel tell him."

"Here."

"Is there anything else happening at the school today?"

"Your Majesty, the Salt and Iron Monopoly policy may need to be drastically changed, as Sang Hongyang, the Commandant of Salt Administration, and Dongguo Xianyang and Kong Jin, the Grand Minister of Agriculture, have encountered difficulties at the Prime Minister's residence."

Why is that?

"The Prime Minister offered several suggestions, firstly regarding the salt and iron officials..."

After listening to what Prince Wuqiu Shou had to say, Liu Che frowned deeply. "It is inevitable that government decrees will not be clearly expressed. Why does the Prime Minister have to nitpick? How much influence will it have on the people? If this continues, when will the deficit in the national treasury be made up?"

King Wuqiu Shou remained silent.

With the salt and iron monopoly progressing slowly, Liu Che felt that the methods of accumulating wealth he had previously devised should not be abandoned, and ordered: "Issue an imperial decree: on the day of Mid-Autumn Festival, there will be an autumn hunt at Shanglin Park!"

(End of this chapter)