Chapter Thirty-One: The Reaction of the Liu Imperial Clan

At first, Liu Che’s face wore a smile as he read. After all, the early part of the "Chronicles of Emperor Wu" recorded his own life story, which, to the current Liu Che, felt like a nostalgic look back at the glorious years of his past.

However, as he continued to flip through the pages, the Emperor’s smile gradually faded. He encountered a piece of news he found impossible to accept.

"In the ninth month of autumn, in the sixth year of the Yuanshou era, the Grand Marshal and General of Agile Cavalry, Huo Qubing, passed away."

Although he had heard this once before and had braced himself for it, Liu Che still found it difficult to process. *My Champion Marquis,* he thought.

After a moment of silence, Liu Che continued reading and soon came upon news of Wei Qing. "In the fifth year of the Yuanfeng era, the General-in-Chief and Grand Marshal, Wei Qing, passed away."

Recalling how Wei Qing had helped the Great Han defeat the Xiongnu multiple times over the past decade, Liu Che felt a sense of profound loss. He took a deep breath and read on; he wanted to see how well he would govern the Han after the successive passings of Huo Qubing and Wei Qing.

But suddenly, Liu Che’s eyes narrowed, and his expression turned grave. He had spotted two characters he dreaded to see: *Wugu* (Sorcery).

So-called sorcery referred to the use of occult arts to harm enemies, including curses, effigies, and poisonous insects. The reason Liu Che detested the subject was that his former Empress, Empress Chen, had been deposed precisely because of such practices. In the early days, their relationship had been excellent—they were childhood sweethearts. But after he ascended the throne, Empress Chen grew increasingly arrogant and overbearing, causing Liu Che to distance himself from her. She refused to repent, instead using sorcery to curse other concubines and even conspiring to kill Wei Qing, the brother of Wei Zifu. In his fury, he had stripped her of her status and imprisoned her in Changmen Palace.

Now, with the mention of sorcery surfacing again, how could Liu Che not feel alarmed? Within moments, he realized that this "Witchcraft Calamity" was far more severe than the one involving Empress Chen. It was not just the suicide of Empress Wei Zifu, but also the suicide of his own Crown Prince, Liu Ju, following a failed rebellion. Although the *Book of Han* contained only a brief sentence on this, the shock it dealt to Liu Che was far greater than anything else he had read.

*Empress Wei Zifu using sorcery? Was it true, or was it...*

"Impossible," Liu Che shook his head. He knew Wei Zifu’s character; she was not the type to engage in such arts. That meant someone had framed her.

A new question arose: Why would his future self tolerate such a malicious frame-up? Had he truly become senile in his old age?

Liu Che sat up straight, placing the bamboo slips he had been holding onto the low table. He rested his chin on his right hand, tapping the table with his left as he fell into deep contemplation. He could not fathom what his future self had been thinking. He finally understood why his son, Crown Prince Liu Ju, had looked so grave and hesitated to explain when he first saw his own life span.

This was the reason. Dying so young, at thirty-seven. Liu Che sighed softly. He decided he would return to the eatery and ask the owner for his take on the matter.

***

Liu Qi rode his horse away from Xinye. The tearful demeanor he had displayed earlier was gone, replaced by a calm expression. He had learned from Mr. Zhuge exactly what he needed to do to avoid persecution by Lady Cai: follow the example of Duke Wen of Jin, Chong'er, and live abroad, away from the turmoil of Jingzhou.

With Huang Zu recently deceased and Jiangxia left undefended, he could suggest to his father that he be sent to garrison the region. It was likely that Lady Cai and her faction would be happy to see him leave Jingzhou, as it would make their plans easier to execute.

Of course, having resolved the matter of his own survival, Liu Qi could not help but think of the person he had seen at Liu Bei’s residence. That aura of looking down upon the world was not something just anyone possessed. Moreover, he had also seen two others there: Grand Marshal and General-in-Chief Wei Qing, and Grand Marshal and General of Agile Cavalry Huo Qubing.

After much deliberation, Liu Qi decided to inform his father, Liu Biao, of this. After a long journey, he returned to Jingzhou and met his father.

"Qi’er, are you saying you saw someone at Xuande’s place, and Xuande introduced him as Emperor Xiaowu?" Liu Biao’s spirits were much better than they had been in days; he was able to sit on his couch and converse with his son.

"Yes, Father," Liu Qi replied firmly.

Despite the certainty in his son’s voice, Liu Biao remained skeptical. "Qi’er, you also say you saw General-in-Chief Wei Qing and General of Agile Cavalry Huo Qubing there?"

Liu Qi only nodded. Liu Biao fell silent. The matter was too bizarre; unless he saw it with his own eyes, he could not believe it. But alas, his health... "Qi’er, I am aware of this. You may go."

Liu Qi did not move for a long time, and Liu Biao realized his son must have more to say.

"Qi’er, is there something else?"

"Father, I wish to garrison and defend Jiangxia." Seeing his father hesitate, Liu Qi brought up the arguments Mr. Zhuge had prepared for him. "Father, Jiangxia is a critical location. It cannot be left without a defender, and currently, there is no one else suitable for the task. It must be me."

Seeing Liu Qi’s resolve, and knowing the situation in Jiangxia was indeed urgent, Liu Biao finally agreed. "Very well, Qi’er. I shall order you to lead three thousand troops to garrison Jiangxia."

"Yes, Father."

***

In Yizhou, at the residence of Liu Zhang, Zhang Song knelt in his place below the Yizhou Governor. He did not understand why his lord had summoned him today.

"Yongnian, Liu Bei, Liu Xuande, from Xinye in Jingzhou, has sent a sealed bamboo slip."

Liu Bei? To be honest, Zhang Song knew very little about him. He only knew that although Liu Bei had begun building his reputation as early as the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he had spent decades drifting from place to place, only recently being accepted by the Jingzhou Governor, Liu Biao, to station in Xinye. What was the purpose of sending a letter to his lord now?

"My Lord, I do not know what is written in Liu Bei’s letter."

"Liu Xuande says that Emperor Xiaowu is with him."

Emperor Xiaowu? Zhang Song was stunned. *What is wrong with my lord?* he thought. *This is obviously a lie. Emperor Xiaowu has been dead for over three hundred years.*

Could it be that Liu Bei wanted to "hold the Emperor hostage to command the vassals"? Aside from that, Zhang Song could not think of any other reasonable explanation.

"My Lord, there is no need to pay him any mind."

Liu Zhang had originally intended to send someone to Xinye to see for himself, given the earnest tone of Liu Bei's letter, but seeing Zhang Song’s firm stance, he cast the idea aside.

***

Early that morning, Zhang Bo’s farmhouse eatery welcomed an unexpected guest. The visitor was none other than Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che.