Chapter 48

The news that Liu Yuan had occupied the three commanderies of Yingchuan, Hengshan, and Nan Commandery quickly alarmed Zhang Han, and even alarmed Qin Huhai. No one had expected that while their gazes were focused on the eastern front, Liu Yuan had quietly and unknowingly become a huge potential threat to the Qin court.

Of course, there was an element of luck in this. Throughout history, no one who achieved great things could do without some inexplicable luck. If Zhang Han hadn't led his great army to charge Chen Sheng and Xiang Yu first, Liu Yuan wouldn't have had the chance to quietly strengthen his own forces, nor would he have had the opportunity to take advantage of the vacuum to seize two commanderies in succession.

But could anyone deny that Liu Yuan lacked strength? Of course not. Anyone who had been to Yangdi would know how much effort Liu Yuan had put in there: training his troops and resting his horses, building up his strength, amending the laws, winning the hearts of the people, and deliberately enduring in silence, quietly focusing on development so as not to arouse the vigilance of the Qin court and his allies. If someone else were to do all these things, they might not have been able to succeed.

A certain amount of luck, coupled with a certain amount of strength, had created the power Liu Yuan held today.

At this time, Zhang Han was already tied down by Xiang Yu and was completely unable to turn his army back to crusade against Liu Yuan. Logically, dividing his forces to attack Liu Yuan now was definitely not a wise decision. The best course of action would be to first concentrate his forces to defeat Xiang Yu's line, and then deal with Liu Yuan. But Qin Huhai did not do so.

Because he had an incompetent ally like Zhao Gao by his side, many of Huhai's channels for receiving outside information were obscured and blocked. By the time Liu Yuan's name reached his ears, the other party's territory had already expanded from one Yingchuan Commandery to three. The combined military strength of these three commanderies was at least a hundred thousand men. If allowed to continue, they might march directly on Guanzhong.

Even though Huhai was ignorant of military affairs, he now grew wary of this man Liu Yuan. He hastily summoned his close attendant officials to ask for a counter-strategy.

At that time, nine out of ten people around Huhai were sycophants. The only capable one, Zhang Han, was a thousand li away. As soon as Huhai asked, the incompetent ally Zhao Gao came up with a terrible idea: have Zhang Han divide his forces and dispatch Wang Li to attack Liu Yuan.

Wang Li was the grandson of the famous Qin general Wang Jian and the son of Wang Ben. On the strength of his grandfather's and father's names alone, his reputation was already great, regardless of his actual ability. The moment Huhai heard Wang Li's name, he was filled with confidence and immediately agreed to Zhao Gao's proposal.

On Xiang Yu's side, he had already led his troops to the south of Julu County and was preparing for a great battle with Zhang Han. At this moment, Zhang Han was absolutely unwilling to let Wang Li take troops to attack some Liu Yuan, which would senselessly weaken his own forces. So, Zhang Han and Wang Li discussed it and decided, "When a general is in the field, he may not follow his lord's orders." They would win the battle before them first, and then redeem their fault with merit. It would be difficult for Qin Huhai to pursue the matter of their disobedience then. Otherwise, they wouldn't even need to wait for Huhai to hold them accountable; once their forces were split, they would be defeated on both fronts and would not escape death.

Since Zhang Han had no time to deal with him and the Qin court could not dispatch more troops, Liu Yuan decided to have Xu Zhongfang try attacking Nanyang Commandery again. If he could take it, that would be for the best. If not, there would still be enough time to rest and recuperate.

But Nanyang Commandery was not so easy to take.

The Governer of Nanyang Commandery at this time was named Yang Biao. He was originally an official directly under the central government with the rank of Court Counselor, but was demoted to a local post for offending Zhao Gao. The Commandery Commandant of Nanyang was named Han Shan, and he was also very skilled at leading troops into battle. These two men cooperated seamlessly and managed to soundly defeat Xu Zhongfang, forcing him to retreat in failure.

Xu Zhongfang was defeated in his first battle, but Liu Yuan was not angry. Instead, he sent a letter instructing him to rest well and reorganize his troops. There were ever-victorious generals in this world, but no generals who were victorious in every single battle. Liu Yuan had long been prepared to suffer one or two setbacks in Nanyang Commandery. Moreover, his side was now strong in men and horses and could withstand such a loss.

On Madam Zhang's side, she was endlessly troubled by a certain matter.

It was because one of Liu Yuan's concubines was pregnant.

This was not a rare occurrence. Liu Yuan had quite a few concubines now. Including those he brought back from Nan Commandery and the two who were already in the residence, you could probably count them on ten fingers.

But this hadn't earned Liu Yuan a reputation for being lecherous, because he actually didn't spend the night in these concubines' rooms very often—only about half the time in a month. And it wasn't fixed on any one concubine; he would go to a room at his whim. The rest of the time, he was still engrossed in various affairs—Liu Yuan cherished everything he had worked so hard to obtain and would naturally not destroy his own foundation.

Just like that, Liu Yuan had even won a good name for being "skilled in self-restraint." In the eyes of the people of this era, although Liu Yuan came from a humble background and had suddenly become rich and powerful, he had not indulged in beautiful women and fallen into decline like others. Instead, he respected his primary wife as before, treated his children well, and honored worthy men. This was enough!

As for the concubines, they were just accessories. As long as Liu Yuan didn't spend his energy for serious matters on them, neither Song Xie nor An Zheng would interfere.

As it turned out, men and women viewed things from completely different perspectives.

A pregnant concubine was a trivial matter in the eyes of Song Xie and An Zheng, but to Madam Zhang, it was a major event.

Not only did she think it was a major event, but the female relatives who associated with Madam Zhang also felt the matter was not small.

To this end, a female relative on good terms with her reminded her, "You must know that men have always divided the women in their household into only two types: the primary wife and the concubines. But when it comes to children, it's a different matter."

Madam Zhang felt a deep resonance with this statement. Wasn't it true? If a wife was gone, a man could remarry. But children were the propagation of the bloodline, the continuation of the family name. Although there was a distinction between children born of the primary wife and those born of concubines, if a man wanted to dote on a son from a concubine and neglect a son from his primary wife, as long as it didn't cause a major incident, others couldn't say much.

The pregnant concubine's surname was Xie. Liu Yuan's attitude toward her was very ordinary; one couldn't say he liked or disliked her. Originally, Madam Zhang didn't feel she was a threat, but now that she heard this concubine was pregnant, she couldn't help but feel a little strange.

Seeing that she still hadn't caught on, the other party couldn't help but speak more bluntly: "The Governer is still just a Governer for now, so it's not a big deal. The position of Governer will surely be inherited by the eldest son in the future. But what if the Governer is ennobled as a king? A king's throne is not like a governer's position; at that time, everyone will have designs on seizing it. Although Young Master Nan was not born of you, Madam, he is like your own son. If he inherits, he will surely treat you well in the future. But if a son born of a concubine inherits, I'm afraid there will be disaster! The cautionary tale of Duke Xian of Jin from the Spring and Autumn period is not a distant memory, Madam, you must not forget it!"

The affair of Duke Xian of Jin refers to the time in the Spring and Autumn period when Duke Xian of Jin, bewitched by Li Ji, not only deposed Crown Prince Shensheng but replaced him with Xiqi, the son born to Li Ji. It's clear that since ancient times, deposing the legitimate heir in favor of one born of a concubine has not been uncommon, especially in the imperial family. Based on the sovereign's preference alone, such stories were even more numerous.

This female relative had read many books and even knew to use the story of Duke Xian of Jin to admonish Madam Zhang.

Madam Zhang didn't know about any cautionary tale of Duke Xian of Jin, but she understood the woman's words. After hearing them, she finally understood why she was so unhappy to hear that a concubine was pregnant.

In the end, although Madam Zhang herself was not worldly, having lived in Yangdi for a long time, her horizons had inevitably broadened. Through constant exposure, she also knew how much power and status Liu Yuan now possessed. In the past, she would be happy for half a day if even her sister-in-law, Madam Yu, was willing to visit. Now, all day long, countless people crowded around her, flattering her and waiting for her favor. Moreover, as Liu Yuan's power expanded further, it was very likely he would declare himself king, which meant she would very likely become the primary consort. These were things she once dared not even dream of, things that were once unattainable, but were now within her grasp.

Madam Zhang thought to herself, since Liu Yuan would be a king, the son he chose would naturally inherit the throne. If it was Liu Nan, she could accept it. But if a concubine's son were to rise from behind and surpass him...

At this thought, Madam Zhang couldn't help but grit her teeth. She would never be resigned to that!

The female relative's words were like a sharp blow to Madam Zhang. She urgently needed help and advice from others. After thinking it over, she summoned the relatively trusted Madam Han and asked for her opinion.

In her view, Madam Han came from the Han Royal Palace and had seen many such things, so she was certain to have a solution.

After hearing the whole story, Madam Han was silent for a moment, then said: "Since ancient times, when the legitimate heir is deposed for an illegitimate one, there are usually only two situations. One, the master dotes on the concubine, and by extension, wishes to make her son the heir. Two, the son of the concubine is exceptionally intelligent and talented, deeply valued by the master, who thus wishes to establish him. Forgive my bluntness, but neither of these situations exists at present, so Madam is truly worrying too early."

How could Madam Zhang not know she was worrying needlessly? But she was also very clear that although she was the primary wife, Liu Yuan neither respected nor doted on her. All she could rely on were the few children she had borne. As Liu Yuan walked further and climbed higher, the distance between the two of them would inevitably grow wider. Nowadays, Liu Yuan basically never spent the night in her room anymore, and he never consulted her on important matters. Madam Zhang's anxiety grew heavier and heavier, afraid that one day Liu Yuan would abandon her.

"If that day truly comes, I'm afraid it will be too late," Madam Zhang said.

"Madam could find an opportunity to have a long, heart-to-heart talk with the Governer," Madam Han suggested. In her view, Liu Yuan was not an unreasonable person.

Madam Zhang fretted, "It's not that I haven't tried, but it always ends unhappily. We really just can't see eye to eye!"

Madam Han was speechless. As an onlooker, she could see clearly that the chasm between this husband and wife was not something that could be bridged in a day or two.

Madam Zhang understood neither the charms of the boudoir, and she was even more bewildered by military and state affairs. The only things she could talk about were the trivial matters within the Governer's residence. Since it was all just sleeping, why wouldn't Liu Yuan find someone young, beautiful, and interesting?

In this world, it was only natural for a wife to accommodate her husband; where was there a principle of a husband accommodating his wife? What's more, without Liu Yuan, there would be no Liu family of today. Although one couldn't say Madam Zhang was wrong, she lacked the means and ability to control this situation. This was her flaw.

But seeing that Madam Zhang was truly anxious, she thought for a moment and came up with another idea: "The eldest son already has a marriage contract, but Ah Zhen does not yet. The Governer has always valued her highly. Madam, why not spend more effort on Ah Zhen? If you do her a good turn, she will surely return the favor. In the future, if anything happens, Ah Zhen will likely be willing to speak well of you before the Governer."

Reminded by her, Madam Zhang had a sudden realization. That's right, Liu Zhen still had that verbal marriage agreement with the Ji Family! Although it was only a verbal agreement between children, the elders on both sides were aware of it and had tacitly approved. But it wasn't formal yet. Only when it was made official would it be considered a true engagement. Ah Zhen was already ten this year. The engagement could be settled first, and it wouldn't be too late to hold the wedding after her coming-of-age ceremony.

Now that she remembered this matter, Madam Zhang quickly sent someone to the Ji Family to sound them out. The general message was: since the young ones are in love, and our families are now well-matched, when will you come to our house to propose marriage?

Madam Zhang had thought this matter was a sure thing, but the words her servant brought back left her both shocked and furious.

The Ji Family's reply was: "The Liu family now holds the land of three commanderies, while my Ji Family is but a humble and minor household. We truly cannot aspire to such a high connection. My humble son is young and ignorant, his learning is shallow, and he is truly unworthy of the Governer's daughter. The so-called marriage contract of the past was merely a verbal agreement between children and cannot be counted. If Governer Liu is willing to be magnanimous and not hold us to this past matter, the entire Ji Family will be endlessly grateful."

All in all, it meant only one thing: the Ji Family no longer wanted to acknowledge this marriage contract.

Madam Zhang was so furious she took the matter directly to Liu Yuan.

Liu Yuan was equally filled with anger and resentment. He initially wanted to have the old and young of the Ji Family tied up and brought to him, but on second thought, his daughter wasn't married yet. Wouldn't doing so make it seem as if Liu Zhen was desperately clinging to marrying into their family?

So he directly summoned Liu Zhen, told her about the matter, and said, "If you are indignant, your father will order that whelp Ji Ci to be tied up and brought here right now!"

Liu Zhen's reaction was unusually calm. She only said one sentence to Liu Yuan: "I want to see him in person."