Chapter 49

Falling for Ji Ci was actually a very simple matter.

Liu Zhen had known him since childhood. Although her soul was older than her body, Ji Ci had been a constant presence for most of her years at the end of the Qin era. Their values aligned, their temperaments were compatible, and their hobbies were similar. There was nothing wrong with Ji Ci's character; back when Liu Zhen's family was hiding in the mountains, he had risked coming up to visit them instead of taking the opportunity to draw a clear line. He was a friend who could share both wealth and hardship.

Such a person, what reason was there not to fall for him?

Liu Zhen genuinely liked Ji Ci, even if that fondness wasn't yet love. But that didn't matter, because a person's life wasn't just about romance. Neither Liu Zhen nor Ji Ci were the type to be bogged down by affairs of the heart day in and day out. Between them, there was familial affection, friendship, and mutual fondness and understanding. That was enough.

However, she also understood very well that for all of Ji Ci's good qualities, he had one tie that bound him: the Ji Family.

If there was ever to be an obstacle between them, it would certainly be because of the Ji Family.

She just hadn't expected that, at a time when her father's power was gradually expanding and the issue of family status that stood between them was no longer a problem, she would receive such a reply from the Ji Family.

She wasn't heartbroken, not really. Liu Zhen just didn't understand why the Ji Family would be so fickle. If they were against it, why had they tacitly approved of Ji Ci giving her the jade archer's ring back then?

So she decided to meet with Ji Ci.

It was another bright and clear day.

The sky was a blue as clear as lake water, as if dipping a hand in could stir up ripples.

Light yellow wildflowers whose names Liu Zhen didn't know bloomed all over the mountains, stretching from her feet down to the base of the mountain. A gentle breeze stirred, rustling the delicate petals and mussing the hair at her temples.

Liu Zhen found that she was still in the mood to appreciate the beautiful scenery before her, rather than furiously questioning the person walking toward her.

"Ah Zhen." Ji Ci had grown much thinner, and his brow was etched with weariness. His once somewhat tender and boyish face now looked a bit more mature.

"You're here." Liu Zhen gave a faint smile, just as she had countless times before.

Seeing her smile like this, Ji Ci felt even worse.

The smile was still as gentle, but it lacked its previous intimacy, seeming somewhat distant.

"I heard everything from my mother." Before Ji Ci could think of what to say, Liu Zhen asked him directly, "Did something happen?"

"Yes," Ji Ci lowered his head, his nails digging into his palm, a faint stinging pain spreading from it. After a long moment, he looked up. "I have wronged you. Our engagement... let's call it off, shall we?"

Liu Zhen asked very calmly, "Is this your decision after careful consideration? You don't regret it? We've known each other since we were children, and our temperaments are compatible. In this world, there is perhaps no one more suited to you than me, and no one more suited to me than you. We never had a formal engagement, but I have always remembered what you said to me before. So, are you sure you want to go back on your word?"

For a moment, Ji Ci almost said no, but the word caught on the tip of his tongue and wouldn't come out.

These past few days, he had fought with his family several times to no avail, and the pain and grievance had nearly driven him mad. But that was only "nearly." The gentle, jade-like Ji Ci was incapable of any unrestrained, debauched actions. He could only bury the pain and grievance deep in his heart.

His memory returned to more than ten days ago, when his father had suddenly called him over and announced that the family had already arranged a marriage for him. Next year, when he turned fifteen, he could get married.

At that moment, Ji Ci was completely stunned. A blank look remained on his face for a long time before he finally reacted. "Father, I refuse! You clearly know that Ah Zhen and I already have an agreement!"

Ji Ran's face darkened. "An agreement? An agreement for what? Have you gone through the Three Letters and Six Rites? The command of the parents and the words of the matchmaker—since when was it up to a child to make his own decisions?"

Ji Ci couldn't understand why his father's attitude had changed so drastically. Not long ago, the family had turned a blind eye to his matter with Liu Zhen. Even his grandfather, who had always disapproved, had softened. When Ji Ci learned that Liu Yuan had gained two more commanderies, he had been happy for him for a long time, thinking that with Liu's father's position now secure, his family would surely no longer oppose his marriage to Ah Zhen!

But now, reality had dealt him a heavy blow.

"Father, you clearly gave your tacit approval, why are you going back on your word now!"

Ji Ci, who had been taught since childhood to carry himself with the air of a gentleman in all his actions, was this agitated for the first time.

Ji Ran's face fell, and he had no desire to explain much to him. "In any case, it is for the good of the Ji Family, and it has a hundred benefits and no harm for you. Just obey!"

"If Father is being unreasonable, I will go find Ah Zhen myself!" the normally obedient Ji Ci said stubbornly.

Ji Ran was half-dead with anger. "What do you think of Liu Yuan's current situation?"

Ji Ci didn't know why he had brought this up, but he still said, "Governor Liu controls the lands of Yingchuan, Hengshan, and Nanjun Commanderies. If nothing unexpected happens, he will surely contend for the realm."

This son wasn't completely stupid, at least. Ji Ran said with a cold face, "What qualifications does he have to contend for the realm?"

Ji Ci was taken aback, then said, "Yingchuan, Hengshan..."

Seeing that he was about to repeat himself, Ji Ran immediately cut him off. "Three commanderies are not too big, but not too small either. What confidence do you have that Liu Yuan will be the final victor? Do you know how many other rebel armies there are besides Liu Yuan? Win or lose, what good is it for our Ji Family? In short, this matter between you and the Liu girl is over. If you insist on marrying her, then you can do so only after your grandfather and I are dead!"

Ji Ci was roughly driven out. He couldn't understand why his grandfather and father were so pessimistic about Liu Zhen's father. From his perspective, although Liu Zhen's father came from a humble family, his power was visibly stabilizing and growing. Although he was unwilling to measure his feelings for Liu Zhen in terms of benefits, if he looked at it from his father's and grandfather's perspective, wouldn't marrying Liu Zhen also meet the Ji Family's criteria for profit?

Filled with anger, Ji Ci for the first time cast aside all his considerations for his family, his heart set on running away to find Liu Zhen. But just then, his mother arrived.

His mother, in tears, persuaded Ji Ci not to be so stubborn. She said: "Your grandfather and father are not being unreasonable. It's because your second and third uncles have now gained important positions under Xiang Yu. To show his regard, Xiang Yu even had the Emperor of Chu appoint them as High Ministers. If Zhang Han defeats Xiang Yu, then it goes without saying his next target will be Liu Yuan. The Ji Family cannot let you, our only bloodline, go to your death! If Xiang Yu defeats Zhang Han, he will not tolerate Liu Yuan occupying such a large territory and refusing to obey the Emperor of Chu's commands. And your father has long seen that Liu Yuan is not one to willingly submit to others. So whether they win or lose, it is our Ji Family that will suffer in the end! Your second and third uncles are already committed. They sought wealth through danger, and they got what they asked for—that was their choice, and your father couldn't stop them. But because of this, the Ji Family is left with only you. Can you bear to let the four-hundred-year-old bloodline of the Ji Family end with you! Even if you don't think for yourself, you must consider your parents!"

Ji Ci could argue with his father, but he could not resist his mother's tears and such a reason. He sat numbly for an entire night, scenes of his time with Liu Zhen, from their first meeting onwards, replaying in his mind.

Finally, he decided to compromise.

Not for himself, but for his family.

So, when he heard Liu Zhen ask if he regretted it, he was able to answer calmly, "Yes, I have thought it through. Ah Zhen, I'm sorry."

Liu Zhen actually smiled. "Ah Ci, you once said that you would never fail me."

Ji Ci blinked, blinking away the stinging sensation in his eyes. "I'm sorry. It is I who have failed you."

Liu Zhen nodded and said calmly, "I also said that if you did not fail me, I would certainly not fail you. Since you now regret it, let the promise be nullified. From now on, let's not speak of it again."

She took out the jade archer's ring and handed it to Ji Ci.

"I return this to you. Let's consider it a good end to things."

The two of them parted on good terms, bidding a calm farewell. There wasn't even the imagined scene of tearful embraces and reluctant goodbyes. Liu Zhen even hummed a song all the way back to the Governor's Residence, and when questioned by Liu Yuan and Madam Zhang, she put on a nonchalant face. But as soon as she returned to her own room, she couldn't help but cry her eyes out, then fell into a heavy sleep with an indescribable sense of gloom.

...Alright, she would just consider it a commemoration of her soon-to-be-lost first love.

On Liu Yuan's side, the matter of him declaring himself king was once again brought to the table.

This time, however, even Song Xie approved of Liu Yuan's decision to declare himself king.

Because he felt that there were several advantages for Liu Yuan to declare himself king now:

First, Liu Yuan now possessed more than just the single Yingchuan Commandery, yet he still called himself "Governor of Yingchuan Commandery," which seemed somewhat inappropriate. After declaring himself king, his title would be legitimate, which would help establish his own banner and attract more people to his side.

Second, even if he declared himself king now, Zhang Han, who was busy fighting Xiang Yu, wouldn't have the time to deal with Liu Yuan, so it was the perfect opportunity.

Liu Yuan had long had the idea of declaring himself king, but he had reluctantly suppressed his desire due to the opposition from Song Xie and An Zheng. Now, persuaded by Song Xie and the others, he was starting to feel the itch again.

So he ordered everyone to begin discussing a royal title, preparing to pick the best and most suitable one to use.

Once the news spread, things became very lively.

Leaving aside people like Song Xie and An Zheng, the many others who wanted to curry favor with Liu Yuan all submitted memorials, wishing they could pile up all the praise in the world for him to use. For a royal title that originally only needed one character, someone actually came up with a title of up to six characters, called something like the "Great Accomplished Civil and Martial King of Han," as if the more characters there were, the more it could reflect Liu Yuan's sagacity and martial prowess. Liu Zhen nearly burst her sides laughing.

By then, she had long since recovered from the small blow of her failed romance. Not long after the matter with Ji Ci was over, Madam Zhang had happily told her that several rather reputable families were interested in a marriage alliance with the Liu family and were subtly inquiring about their intentions. Among them was the Guo Family—they wanted to ask for Liu Zhen's hand in marriage for Guo Zhi.

Regardless of whether Guo Zhi was a good man or not, Liu Zhen had no mind for it at the moment. She had agreed to Ji Ci before because they had grown up together and knew each other inside and out. Now that the cooked duck had flown away, what was the rush? So Liu Zhen only told Madam Zhang that she was still young and in no hurry. Madam Zhang assumed she was overly heartbroken. Although it was a pity, after persuading Liu Zhen a few more times and seeing she had no intention, she let the matter drop for the time being. In any case, just as Liu Zhen said, she was still young and there was no need to rush.

Returning to the matter of the royal title, besides the unreliable suggestions, there were of course more reasonable ones. For example, since Yingchuan Commandery was the place where Liu Yuan had raised his army, someone suggested 'King of Yingchuan' for good fortune. Others believed that since Yangdi had been part of the old lands of Han, he could adopt the title 'King of Han,' which would also be beneficial for recruiting talent. Some even looked through ancient texts like the Book of Documents and the Rites of Zhou for classical allusions, arguing that in ancient times there were Nine Provinces, and the land of Yingchuan belonged to the ancient Yu Province, so he could be called 'King of Yu.'

However, before Liu Yuan could pick a favorite from these varied suggestions, a series of shocking news came one after another from Julu.

First, Ying Bu and General Pu, dispatched by Xiang Yu, achieved victory in their initial battle with the Qin army after crossing the Yellow River, greatly boosting morale. Immediately after, Xiang Yu smashed the pots and sank the boats, leading the rest of his army across the river, where he then crushed Wang Li, killed Su Jiao, and forced the Qin general She Jian to die by self-immolation.

Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river. In the past, Wei Jiu was also forced by the Qin army to commit self-immolation when his city fell. Today, the tables had turned, and it was the Qin's turn. It was clear that the tides of battle were ever-changing, and life and death were uncertain. Today's victor could very well become tomorrow's loser in the blink of an eye.

Liu Yuan and his men were quite far from the main battlefield and had not participated in answering the call to support Xiang Yu's army. They had no chance to witness the intensity of the battle, but even from the messenger's brief words, it was not difficult to imagine the ferocity of this war.

At this time, the Qin army was mostly routed. Zhang Han hastily sent Sima Xin to Xianyang to ask for instructions, thinking that even if he couldn't get reinforcements, being able to retreat would at least preserve some of their strength. But as it turned out, Huhai's incompetent teammate Zhao Gao refused to see him. Not only did he refuse, but he also revealed his suspicion of Zhang Han and wanted to detain Sima Xin.

Sima Xin was terrified and quickly fled back to Zhang Han, urging him to stop throwing his life away for the Qin court. He said that it was no longer the ruler of Qin who was in charge, but the eunuch Zhao Gao who controlled the government. Even if he won, he might still be punished upon his return, let alone if he were defeated. It would be better to just surrender to Xiang Yu.

At the same time, people from Xiang Yu's side also came to persuade him to surrender. Seeing that the situation was lost and thinking of the tragic fates of his predecessors like Bai Qi and Meng Tian, Zhang Han finally decided to surrender to Xiang Yu and join the ranks of the rebel armies.

After this battle, the realm was shaken.

Zhang Han's army had been the most elite of the Qin forces. As a result, an army of several hundred thousand men joined Xiang Yu's camp in the blink of an eye. Added to Xiang Yu's original subordinates, he could now dominate all the other rebel armies.

Many people from Xiang Yu's faction participated in the battle; basically, all the nearby rebel armies went. But at first, no one was optimistic about the outcome of this major battle. Coupled with the fact that everyone wanted to preserve their own strength, it was hard to say they were working together. It was only when they saw Xiang Yu gaining the upper hand that the various rebel armies swarmed in to beat the dog while it was down. Of course, it couldn't be said that their role was insignificant, but without Xiang Yu as the backbone, the allied forces would have likely fallen apart long ago. Therefore, after the Battle of Julu, Xiang Yu's status was already above that of the other feudal lords. The others all had to bow their heads before him, and the position of Xiang the Hegemon-King was thus established.

As for Liu Yuan, although he occupied three commanderies and did not participate in the battle to encircle and annihilate the Qin army, which seemed quite advantageous, in reality, not only was most of his military strength currently taken by Xu Zhongfang to attack Nanyang, but even if it weren't, Liu Yuan would have found it difficult to match Xiang Yu's prestige and power. Therefore, as a gesture of goodwill, as soon as the war ended, he immediately sent An Zheng to deliver lavish gifts to the Emperor of Chu and Xiang Yu to show his congratulations.

But what returned with An Zheng was a Chu envoy and an imperial edict.

"Enfeoffed... as king... ceding... land?"

Inside the Governor's Residence, Liu Yuan looked at the bamboo slips in his hand with a blank expression, repeating the words one by one.

An Zheng gave a bitter smile. "I really didn't expect the Emperor of Chu to pull a move like this!"

Great rewards always follow great battles. This was a normal procedure, and also a method for superiors to win the hearts of the people.

After defeating Zhang Han's army of several hundred thousand, the Qin dynasty basically had no decent army left. One could say victory was halfway won. Furthermore, to prevent any complications from arising, Xiang Yu did something similar to what Bai Qi had done back then: he had all two hundred thousand surrendered Qin soldiers buried alive. As a result, the people of Qin were terrified at the news, losing all will to fight. Although Xianyang had not yet been taken, its fall was imminent.

Historically, everyone should have charged into Xianyang together, destroyed the Qin dynasty, and only then started dividing up the territories. But now, the established track had once again taken a turn. The matter of enfeoffing the feudal lords had been moved up. Moreover, with Liu Bang gone, Dong Yi killed, and Yangdi occupied by Liu Yuan, the original eighteen feudal lords were completely reshuffled. The Emperor of Chu, following Xiang Yu's proposal, began a grand giveaway of kingships.

For territories that were already occupied, if your strength was formidable enough and you were loyal to Xiang Yu, fine, he would formally enfeoff you with it. For territories that were ownerless, Xiang Yu would first see if he needed it himself and if he could swallow it. If not, he would grant it to a loyal feudal lord with whom he had a good relationship. For those territories that already had a lord, but the lord was not easily controlled, Xiang Yu would demand he give it up to be distributed to others with slightly weaker power, so as to balance the various forces.

Liu Yuan had seized three commanderies in one go, so of course he couldn't be overlooked. It just so happened that An Zheng went to congratulate the Emperor of Chu, so the Emperor issued an edict and had the Chu envoy return with An Zheng to promulgate it.

The edict was very simple, stating only two things. First, Liu Yuan was to be enfeoffed as the King of Yu. Second, it was hoped that Liu Yuan would cede Yingchuan Commandery to Ying Bu.

The reason conveyed by the Chu envoy was also very high-sounding. He said, "Governor Liu, you now hold three commanderies, and even Nanyang Commandery will soon fall into your grasp. The allied armies rebelled in the first place to overthrow the tyrannical Qin and to let everyone live good lives. You have too much land now and cannot manage it all. It is only right that you let other allies help you share the burden. In the future, when you take Nanyang Commandery, His Majesty will naturally not inquire about it again."

This edict was now in Liu Yuan's hands. Far from being happy, Liu Yuan was about to die of anger!

Liu Yuan had originally planned to declare himself king. If he accepted the Emperor of Chu's enfeoffment now, it would mean accepting the fact that he was a subject of the Emperor of Chu, and of course, he would also have to submit to Xiang Yu. Ceding the land was even more out of the question. It was territory that Liu Yuan had fought so hard to conquer, and now someone wanted him to give it up with a single edict. Liu Yuan was absolutely unwilling, but Xiang Yu had just defeated the Qin army and his power was at its zenith. His strength was also superior to Liu Yuan's. As long as Liu Yuan didn't want to risk being attacked by everyone, he could not openly oppose Xiang Yu.

That's right. The Emperor of Chu was now nominally the head of all the feudal lords, but in reality, who didn't know that he was just a puppet and all orders came from Xiang Yu.

One could imagine that Xiang Yu, in issuing this edict through the Emperor of Chu, intended to test Liu Yuan, to see if he had any rebellious intentions. If he did, then he would be eliminated as soon as possible. If Liu Yuan was willing to accept the enfeoffment and give up Yingchuan Commandery, then his loyalty would not be in doubt.

Based on her established impression of Xiang Yu from the history books, Liu Zhen believed that Xiang Yu himself was absolutely incapable of coming up with such an insidious idea. This meant that there was someone by his side advising him.

But regardless of whether someone was advising him or not, it didn't matter to Liu Yuan now. The difficult problem before him was this: this edict, should he accept it, or not?