Chapter 59

Everyone was shocked, including Liu Yuan.

After a moment, Liu Yuan finally found his voice, his expression darkening. "Don't be willful. This is no matter for games!"

Liu Zhen had never been afraid of her father's stern expressions. "May I ask, Father, who do you plan to leave in Xianyang?"

Liu Yuan: "Fang Yu."

Liu Zhen: "Then that's the issue. Xianyang cannot be left unguarded, but it also cannot have too many troops stationed there. The person left in charge cannot be too important, yet they cannot be completely without weight, otherwise Zhang Han will surely not be deterred. Father, forgive my frankness, but Fang Yu does not carry enough weight to hold Xianyang. Furthermore, he is a former official of Qin. It is not suitable for him to be the master of Xianyang."

Liu Yuan finally frowned. It was not that he found Liu Zhen's words unreasonable, but precisely because they were so reasonable that he had to frown. "Even so, you cannot be the one to stay in Xianyang!"

Liu Zhen said: "Father, please hear me out. I am a woman, not a man. This is a weakness, but precisely because I am a woman, and also hold the status of the King of Yu's daughter, Zhang Han will neither be overly wary of me, nor will he be able to bring himself to make things difficult for a young woman like me. That is why I am the most suitable choice."

No one in the palace chamber spoke.

After a short while, it was Song Xie who first broke the silence. "What Ah Zhen says is not without reason."

Liu Yuan's brows knitted. "Mister Song!"

Although he did not want to give up Xianyang, its importance to him was far from the point where he needed to trade his daughter's life and safety for it. Even if it were Liu Wan or Liu Zhuang speaking now, he would never have agreed, let alone Liu Zhen.

"Your Highness, please hear me out." Song Xie waved his feather fan and made a gesture. "Currently, Zhang Han's relationship with Your Highness is excellent. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, you will not easily become enemies. If Ah Zhen stays in Xianyang, her safety will certainly be assured. With Fang Yu present, she won't need to show her face for every matter, but her status as the King's eldest daughter can pacify the people and bring about unexpected results. Just as Ah Zhen said, she is not a man, so Zhang Han will not find it easy to trouble a young woman. This is killing two birds with one stone."

Liu Yuan remained tight-lipped, saying nothing.

Liu Zhen quietly looked at the low table before her, in no hurry to speak.

If it were possible, she, of course, would also wish to spend her life eating, drinking, and being merry without a care in the world, but that was impossible, regardless of the era.

In the modern era, a person had to toil for their studies, their work, and their family. Parents needed to be supported, careers needed to be developed, and in the future, one would have to bear and raise children and build a family. But in ancient times, especially in an era of war and chaos, even as a woman, Liu Zhen was destined not to be able to live for herself alone. Take Madam Zhang for example. Although she knew nothing of worldly affairs, as Liu Yuan's official wife, while enjoying the corresponding rights, she also had to bear the duties of one. She had to manage Liu Yuan's inner court and accept those concubines and their children whom she disliked. If she did poorly, she could face the fate of being "laid off" at any moment. It was the same for Liu Zhen. Although she was Liu Yuan's daughter and did not have to face those boring inner court trifles, she also needed to contribute her own efforts to Liu Yuan's cause.

If you do not contribute, on what grounds can you ask others to treat you well? If Liu Zhen were as willful and ignorant as Liu Wan, or as meek and submissive as Liu Zhuang, would Liu Yuan still look upon this eldest daughter with special favor? Clearly not. He would probably just be as indifferent and ordinary as he was toward Liu Wan and Liu Zhuang. But Liu Wan and Liu Zhuang still had their birth mother, Madam Zhang, while Liu Zhen did not.

Of course, Liu Zhen's willingness to wholeheartedly plan for her father was not just for these reasons. More importantly, Liu Yuan genuinely doted on this daughter of his. Repay a peach with a plum; a sincere heart for a sincere heart. Liu Zhen certainly did not want her father's enterprise to fail. She knew that if this venture failed, the consequence wasn't unemployment at home, but a direct parting of her head from her shoulders.

Song Xie and the others did not try to persuade him further. Everyone watched Liu Yuan, waiting for his decision.

If Xu Zhongfang were here, he would very likely have spoken up immediately to stop it. During the days when Liu Zhen and the others took refuge in the mountains, they had built up a considerable friendship with Xu Zhongfang. Especially for the siblings Liu Nan and Liu Zhen, because their birth mother had died early, Xu Zhongfang felt an extra measure of pity for them and was willing to help them more.

In comparison, An Zheng's temperament was much more tactful. Of course, it wasn't that he was unconcerned about Liu Zhen's safety, but he believed that Liu Yuan would likewise not stand by and watch Liu Zhen fall into any danger, so he did not speak up.

"...If you stay in Xianyang City, what will you do?" After a long while, Liu Yuan finally spoke.

Liu Zhen heard the yielding in her father's tone. She thought for a moment and said: "A tree that stands out from the forest will be destroyed by the wind. The more one does, the more one errs; the less one does, the fewer the mistakes."

Liu Yuan nodded and said, "You may go back for now. This matter still requires careful consideration."

Liu Zhen bowed to Liu Yuan, Song Xie, and the others, then took her leave.

When she returned to Hanguang Palace, Gui Xiang and Ah Jin were still packing luggage. Liu Zhen estimated there was a ninety percent chance her father would agree to this, so she told Gui Xiang and the others not to be in a rush to pack. Then she called the two over and asked them: "If I don't go with Father and the others, would you still be willing to stay behind?"

Gui Xiang and Ah Jin looked at each other, both a little frightened. "Young Mistress, what has happened?"

Liu Zhen reassured them: "It's nothing. I just volunteered to Father to stay and guard Xianyang. But as you both know, outside of Xianyang is now all Zhang Han's territory. Xianyang is practically surrounded, so it's naturally not as safe as going to Wan County. If you are unwilling to stay behind with me, I can go ask my mother to take you with her now. There is still time."

Upon hearing this, Gui Xiang kowtowed without hesitation. "This servant is willing to follow Young Mistress!"

Ah Jin followed right behind her. "This servant as well! Please, Young Mistress, do not send us away!"

Liu Zhen had more than just these two maids, but among all of them, these two were the most capable and most trusted. Hearing their answers, she felt quite gratified and nodded. "Very well. Go out and ask the others. For those who wish to leave, there is no need to force them."

The two of them acknowledged the order and went out.

Liu Yuan's status was no longer what it once was, and Liu Zhen's treatment had risen accordingly. Including Gui Xiang and Ah Jin, she now had eight maids attending to her daily life, each with clearly defined roles and responsibilities. When Gui Xiang asked, out of the other six, four were willing to stay and continue following Liu Zhen. This result was gratifying enough; it showed that Liu Zhen was not too much of a failure as a mistress.

Because of Liu Zhen's impromptu request, the convoy that was originally scheduled to depart before noon was delayed until evening. Liu Yuan ultimately agreed to the proposal, deciding to let Liu Zhen stay in Xianyang and allocating one thousand soldiers to her, to be under her direct command—this was already a considerable number; besides, having more soldiers was not necessarily safer.

Xianyang City thus became one of the four commanderies Liu Yuan now possessed. Fang Yu immediately took office, going from managing the former Qin treasury to becoming the new Governor. He had the authority to decide on all matters big and small within Xianyang City. As for military power, that was held directly in Liu Zhen's hands.

Fang Yu was very self-aware. He knew he was not one of Liu Yuan's confidants and that Liu Yuan's trust in him was certainly far less than in others, which was why Liu Zhen was needed to keep him in check. However, Fang Yu was still quite satisfied with this outcome.

After all, Liu Zhen was just a young girl of about ten. Leaving aside whether she could manage a troop of one thousand men, a young girl's ability to interfere in major affairs was certainly far inferior to an adult's. Moreover, Fang Yu was a civil official by background and believed he had no intention of turning against Liu Yuan. He just felt that perhaps Liu Yuan was not that fond of this daughter whose mother had died young, otherwise why would he abandon her in Xianyang City to face the strong enemies on all sides alone?

When Liu Yuan had entered and garrisoned Xianyang, in order to consolidate his rule, he had already screened the officials of Xianyang City. With the cooperation of Prince Ziying of Qin, those loyal to the former Qin state who refused to surrender were all weeded out. Liu Yuan also took the opportunity to install a few of his own men. By the time Fang Yu and Liu Zhen took over, although Xianyang could not yet be described as impregnable, at least there were no major potential threats left. If anyone were to jump out and cause trouble now, they would not be able to stir up much of a storm.

What Fang Yu had to do was to manage, in his capacity as Governor, the wreckage left by years of constructing tombs and palaces, which had led to extreme financial scarcity and a destitute populace.

When Prince Ziying of Qin ascended the throne, although he had the will to reinvigorate the state, the court was still controlled by Zhao Gao. A eunuch would not care about problems of dynastic succession; his goal was his own pleasure. Thus, after the massive consumption by the two generations of Ying Zheng and Huhai, the Qin state treasury was already unable to make ends meet. The streets of Xianyang were filled with the bodies of those who starved to death. Many people, to escape hunger, war, and conscripted labor, had no choice but to flee into the great mountains. The more ruthless ones simply became bandits.

As for what Liu Zhen had to do, it was to live in Xianyang City like a mascot or a city-warding treasure. In her capacity as the King of Yu's eldest daughter, she was to tell Zhang Han: Xianyang City still belongs to my Liu family. Don't be envious, it's useless even if you are. My dad is still watching you from Nanjun Commandery, so don't you dare try anything funny!

Because of her gender and age, even assassins lost interest in her. If killing Liu Yuan could at least bring fame and prestige, what was the benefit of killing a ten-year-old girl?

——Assassins of this era had their own code of honor, unlike the terrorists of later generations.

So, to be honest, this new job was really not that dangerous. The safety rate was over ninety percent. Moreover, in the vastness of Xianyang, there was no one who could control Liu Zhen. She could do whatever she wanted. Even if she were to tear down the entire Xianyang Palace... alright, with her personality, she wouldn't do something like that. At most, when Liu Zhen got tired of living in one palace hall, she would just pick another one she liked and move. That was all.

Liu Zhen did not interfere too much with Fang Yu's work. From her observations, this former Minister of the Treasury of Qin was actually a very capable person. The reason he had sided with Liu Yuan was not because Liu Yuan had better prospects, or because following Liu Yuan would bring more glory and wealth, but because he wanted to get things done.

In this world, there were of course many who coveted power and loved wealth, but one could not deny the existence of other kinds of people. In this era, there were still many people like Fang Yu.

Fang Yu felt that under Huhai, he simply could not do his job properly. Similarly, because Prince Ziying of Qin was too weak, he couldn't shoulder the task of revitalizing the great Qin. It could be said that the Mandate of Heaven for the Qin Dynasty was already exhausted; no one could save it. So when Liu Yuan arrived, Fang Yu switched sides without hesitation.

When Liu Yuan placed the entire city of Xianyang into his hands, Fang Yu's first thought was not that he could establish himself as the lord of Xianyang, but that he could finally do what he had always wanted to do.

Such a person naturally did not need Liu Zhen to point fingers. Moreover, Liu Zhen discovered that Fang Yu was very capable in handling concrete matters, so she would often go to consult him.

At first, Fang Yu found Liu Zhen a bit annoying. Not only did she interfere with his work, but he also had to take time out to guide her and explain the reasons behind some of his actions. This wasted a lot of time. Besides, Liu Zhen was not Liu Yuan's son. What was the use of learning so much? Could she inherit Liu Yuan's position? Everyone knew that Liu Yuan had left this eldest daughter in Xianyang only in the hope that her status would make Zhang Han wary and dare not seize Xianyang by force.

But annoying or not, the girl had a thousand soldiers at her command, so Fang Yu didn't dare say anything. Until one day, Fang Yu was discussing matters with the Commandery Assistant in the Governor's office when the Commandery Commandant suddenly burst in with a group of armored soldiers and tied up both Fang Yu and the Commandery Assistant.

Although he was the Commandery Commandant, he had little military authority in his hands. That thousand-man force was under Liu Zhen's control. Unsure who had instigated him, he had actually charged into the Governor's office with a small squad of soldiers, intending to drag Fang Yu and the Commandery Assistant to the city gate to be executed, then hand Xianyang City over to Zhang Han, seizing a high position for himself in the process. In any case, in these chaotic times, you could be king today, and I could be master tomorrow—wasn't this how everyone operated.

But the problem was, he had not factored in the variable that was Liu Zhen. The Commandery Commandant had calculated that a ten-year-old child could not possibly command those one thousand men. When the time came, as long as he used the prestige of having killed Fang Yu, he could easily control the situation.

As a result, the group had just left the Governor's office when they were apprehended by Liu Zhen, who had rushed over upon hearing the news. The instigator of the coup, along with his accomplices, all became prisoners without exception.

A farcical and foolish coup was forced to an end before it had even begun. Although the whole affair was comical from start to finish, Liu Zhen's age and her calm composure and decisive command in the face of crisis left a deep impression on Fang Yu. His opinion of Liu Zhen changed greatly, but what truly made him look at her with new eyes happened shortly after.

To show that he had nothing to do with this matter, Zhang Han sent many gifts, some for Fang Yu and some for Liu Zhen. In fact, Zhang Han was truly wronged. At this stage, there was absolutely no need for him to risk offending Liu Yuan to capture a city whose treasures had already been plundered. So, in addition to writing a letter to Liu Yuan to explain, he also made a special effort to appease Fang Yu and Liu Zhen.

Gifts for men were easy to handle—nothing more than gold and beautiful women. Gifts for Liu Zhen were more troublesome. Zhang Han must have put a lot of thought into it. In any case, when Liu Zhen received the gifts, she felt dark lines forming on her forehead.

The magnificent fabrics were one thing, but what was the meaning of this line-up of comely youths?!

Even Fang Yu couldn't help but laugh out loud when he saw those handsome youths of different styles.

Liu Zhen speechlessly watched Fang Yu, who had collapsed to the ground in laughter, his image almost completely gone. After this period of getting along, the two had become much more familiar and no longer interacted in the stiff and formal way they had at the beginning. Liu Zhen had only just discovered that beneath Fang Yu's practical and shrewd exterior, there was hidden the wild and unrestrained heart of a chuunibyou.

"Since Governor Fang is so delighted, why don't I transfer this batch of comely youths to you? It would be a fine thing to help you fulfill your wish, wouldn't it?"

Fang Yu waved his hand, laughing so hard he couldn't speak. It was a long while before he managed to get a sound out. "Since Zhang Han is so tactful, I advise Young Mistress not to refuse. Even if you don't keep them for your own use, just looking at them every day is pleasing to the eye!"

Liu Zhen calmly let him laugh at her, showing no signs of blushing or covering her face in shame. "Unfortunately, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. I am destined to disappoint the King of Yong's kind intentions!"

Fang Yu's sense of humor was really too easily triggered. Liu Zhen's words made him clutch his stomach and laugh for a long time again, only barely stopping under her speechless gaze.

"Since the King of Yong has shown goodwill, by rights the Young Mistress should also return a gift."

This was getting to business. Liu Zhen gladly accepted the advice. "In your opinion, what would be a good gift to send?"

Fang Yu said: "Zhang Han's sending of gifts this time, besides being a show for the King of Yu, was likely also a probe. The return gift must be something special, lest Zhang Han look down on us."

Who would have thought that Liu Zhen would shake her head. "Governor, I cannot agree with your words. I am currently guarding Xianyang. Because of my father, Zhang Han already does not dare to act rashly. What we need to do now is to be conventional and proper, to make the other party lower their guard, not to make a stunning display. As long as my father sits securely in his three commanderies, Xianyang is safe. There is really no need for us to create extra complications. For the return gift, we should pick something ordinary. The more unremarkable, the better, lest Zhang Han think that Xianyang still has hidden treasures and develops a covetous heart. That would be bad."

Fang Yu, having been refuted by her, was not angry at all. Instead, he thought about it seriously, then stood up and gave Liu Zhen a deep bow.

Liu Zhen quickly said: "Governor, why are you doing this?"

Fang Yu said: "First, to thank the Young Mistress for saving my life earlier. Second, to thank the Young Mistress for her enlightening words. I, presuming on my age, was disrespectful to the Young Mistress before. I hope the Young Mistress will not hold it against me!"

Liu Zhen's performance these past few days had completely overturned his previous assumptions. Liu Yuan did not disrespect this daughter. On the contrary, he believed Liu Zhen had sufficient ability to handle this matter, which was why he had confidently left her here. Thinking about it carefully, if Fang Yu had been left to guard Xianyang alone, Liu Yuan might not have been at ease, and Zhang Han might not have taken him seriously. If it had been Liu Yuan's eldest son, Liu Nan, it would have seemed too formal and important. Therefore, Liu Zhen was indeed the most suitable candidate.

And her composure and calmness fully deserved the high regard Liu Yuan had for her.

After Fang Yu discovered this and realized his mistake, he decisively admitted his fault to Liu Zhen, not feeling that apologizing to a woman was damaging to his dignity.

Liu Zhen personally helped him up. "Governor, there is no need for such ceremony. Guarding Xianyang is not my achievement alone. Without the Governor's assistance, I alone would find it difficult to accomplish anything. Therefore, only when two people work together with one heart can their combined strength break metal. I hope that in the future, the Governor will not disdain my youth and will offer me more guidance!"

Fang Yu smiled. "In that case, Young Mistress need not call me Governor anymore. You can just call me by my style name, Ruohua."

Liu Zhen was forthright and didn't stand on ceremony. "That is what I hoped for!"

With the primary and secondary conflicts resolved, the following days were much more pleasant, but this was relative to Liu Zhen. It was currently the autumn harvest, and Fang Yu was so busy he barely touched the ground. Forget about leisure and amusement, he almost didn't even have time to go home to sleep.

There were actually not many powerful and aristocratic clans in the Guanzhong region. Once the Qin Dynasty was destroyed, those nobles who had been promoted due to military merit under Qin had to keep a low profile. Moreover, land in the Qin Dynasty was allowed to be freely bought and sold. So, as soon as news of Liu Yuan and Xiang Yu's armies approaching arrived, those great clans were scared into selling their lands at low prices and fleeing with their entire families. Coupled with years of warfare and natural disasters, nine out of ten households were empty. Even for the powerful clans, life wasn't much better.

Therefore, for Xianyang City to have any financial income, it first had to restore agricultural production, then relax commercial restrictions, welcome merchants to come and go to do business in Xianyang, and so on. The trivial matters involved in all this need not be mentioned; Fang Yu already wished he could split himself in two to get everything done.

In comparison, Liu Zhen was living a life fit for an immortal. She had a force of one thousand men, which was the life-saving talisman Liu Yuan had given her, and they were under her direct command. An ordinary man with such a force would surely be drilling the troops every now and then, urging everyone not to be lazy, and fostering relationships between the leader and his subordinates. But due to her age and gender, it was not appropriate for her to run around with a thousand soldiers. So, after much thought, she could only substitute games like Cuju, Ji Rang, Jiao Di, and archery. She could watch from the side and, in doing so, observe the soldiers' martial prowess and organizational discipline.

This method received Fang Yu's approval, because the state of Qi in the past had once used Cuju as a method of training soldiers. So now, games or matches of Jiao Di or Cuju were held from time to time in the outskirts of Xianyang City, with the latter being the most popular.

Usually at such times, even the common people of Xianyang City would bring the old and young out of the city to watch. The common folk had very few recreational activities, so watching Cuju became one of their few forms of entertainment and revelry. Then, as the rules of the competition became more formalized, the Cuju match, held once every ten days, became a fixed event. There were even gambling dens set up among the people to place bets before the matches. Of course, Liu Zhen absolutely forbade her soldiers from partaking in this kind of gambling, which interfered with the fairness of the competition and the purpose of training. For every match, she would offer five jin of gold as a reward to the winning team and made the rules even more complete to avoid malicious injuries during the game.

Gradually, spontaneously organized Cuju matches began to appear among the populace as well. Of course, the prizes for these matches were very small, or there were no prizes at all; people just played for fun in their spare time. Anyway, they could plagiarize Liu Zhen's rules, and a leather ball stuffed with shredded cloth didn't cost much money. However, the common folk's games were generally not so particular, and it was impossible for them to adopt those strict rules to bind themselves. The spirit of Qin was fierce and valiant, and everyone played more aggressively. Injuries were endless, and even deaths occurred from time to time.

Of course, for the audience, they definitely preferred this kind of exciting and stimulating match over watching the well-behaved soldiers play Cuju. Ah Jin was no exception. On this day, she heard that a Cuju match was being held outside the city and kept pestering Liu Zhen to go out and see it. Liu Zhen, worn down by her nagging and seeing that the weather outside was perfect, put away her book and took her and Gui Xiang out of the city.

By this time, Liu Zhen already had quite a reputation in Xianyang City. Everyone recognized this gentle and approachable eldest daughter of the King of Yu. As Liu Zhen sat in a four-sided open-air carriage moving slowly forward, people would greet her or bow to her from time to time.

The three of them, escorted by soldiers, arrived outside the city. The Cuju match had just begun. Liu Zhen was a head shorter than everyone else and didn't want to squeeze into the crowd. She didn't get off the carriage but stood on it to watch. The moment she saw the people kicking the leather ball, surrounded by three layers of spectators inside and out, she let out a soft "Yi?"

Although the other person was also wearing coarse cloth clothes, his appearance and temperament were clearly a cut above the people playing with him. Liu Zhen suspected she had seen wrong, blinked her eyes, then blinked again. Seeing the person was still there, she reached out and pinched the back of Ah Jin's hand.

Ah Jin cried out, "Aiyo!"

Liu Zhen: "Does it hurt?"

Ah Jin, with teary eyes: "It hurts!"

Liu Zhen said, "Oh." "Then it's not because I'm not fully awake."

The youth in the crowd seemed to sense her gaze. Taking the opportunity after kicking the ball away, he looked up and met Liu Zhen's line of sight perfectly. The youth broke into a brilliant smile.