Lu Yu arrived at a courtyard pavilion. Princess Wanniang, Liu Xue, was playing the zither.
The familiar melody was "Gong Wu Du He." Its rhythm was strong and fierce. Even Lu Yu's steps faltered at the passionate, intense notes.
As if sensing Lu Yu's arrival, the impassioned zither music abruptly stopped. Liu Xue put away the zither and looked up at Lu Yu.
She watched as her husband slowly walked towards her.
"It seems the Empress told you everything," Lu Yu said softly.
Princess Wanniang, Liu Xue, had a complicated expression on her face. "Does my husband truly intend to help His Majesty?"
This...
Lu Yu's eyes darted. "Doesn't the Princess see that on this matter, His Majesty and I share the same enemy! I help him, and he is helping me, helping Prime Minister Cao!"
"My husband must think carefully," Liu Xue's face grew more melancholic. "The decline of the Han Dynasty is an undeniable fact. As the Son of Heaven, his life's destiny cannot be controlled, and his joys and comforts are but borrowed from others. The Han Dynasty has little left to lose, but..."
She paused at this point.
"My husband has a boundless future. He should not help His Majesty, nor should he get involved in this muddy water... To make enemies of the aristocratic clans might cast a shadow over my husband's future!"
As a princess...
Liu Xue's feelings were complex. On one hand, she understood from Empress Fu her father's hardships and forbearance, and she was furious with those powerful clans. On the other hand, she did not wish for her husband to be drawn into this vortex of contention with the clans!
The Han court had declined to this extent. Contending with the clans, even if they lost, would be no great matter...
As the saying goes, there was nothing left to lose!
But her husband's future was immeasurable... he shouldn't have taken this step!
"I think my wife has misunderstood," Lu Yu reached out and took Liu Xue's hand. Their eyes met, her complex gaze mingling with his gentle one, painting a unique scene within this pavilion.
"Your younger brother is more resilient than we imagined. Indeed, reform requires sacrifice! What my wife worries about, your brother has already considered. And he is willing to bear the hatred of all the clans under heaven. Instead, he is pushing the role of 'good old man' onto me, onto Chancellor Cao!"
Speaking of which...
Lu Yu paused. "I underestimated your brother, this Son of Heaven of the Han Dynasty. In confronting the clans, I saw his fortitude! Perhaps this is also a way of 'opening peace for future generations'!"
This morning...
Lu Yu had spoken at length with Emperor Liu Xie, discussing many topics, including the clans!
Including the origin and development of the clans...
How to reform and change the laws step by step...
And it was crucial to understand that clans could not be eradicated, but the court could not allow them to monopolize resources such as land, money, grain, and slaves.
These resources must be returned to the court, regardless of whether the dynasty was named "Liu" or "Cao"!
Only then could the empire be strong!
Of course, achieving this would be no less difficult than the "Shang Yang Reforms" of the past!
And as everyone knows, any reform requires someone to bleed and sacrifice.
Previously, Lu Yu had not taken this step. The reason was that although Lu Yu considered himself a noble and pure person, his ideological realm had not yet reached the level of dedication of a "great man"!
Simply put, dealing with the clans required a method, and it also required finding someone with sufficient weight and willingness to sacrifice.
Unexpectedly...
This person turned out to be the Son of Heaven of the Han Dynasty.
Liu Xie, well done!
For a moment, Lu Yu recalled that Emperor Xian of Han, Liu Xie, had a legendary birth.
When Consort Wang knew she was pregnant, she naturally knew that if the child were born, it would be the end. Empress He might even turn her into "human swine."
Therefore, she desperately drank abortifacient medicine, can after can.
Who would have thought...
The young prince in Consort Wang's belly, the current Son of Heaven Liu Xie, had an extremely tenacious life force. To use words from "Battle Through the Heavens," it was terrifyingly so!
He treated the "abortifacient medicine" as a tonic. Not only did he not die, but he grew exceptionally robust! It was like he had an invincible cheat code!
Such a prince, born with a bit of legendary color, was not unreasonable. But... Lu Yu never expected him to dare to oppose the clans. What fierce fighting spirit!
"My husband, if His Majesty does this... will it be dangerous?" Princess Wanniang, Liu Xue, asked again...
Lu Yu shook his head. "Don't worry, weakening the clans is not something that can be done overnight. It must be done step by step. I have already taught him the methods. It depends on how your brother performs next!"
Seeing Liu Xue's continued worry, Lu Yu patted her forehead. "Don't worry, madam. Your brother calls me 'brother-in-law' repeatedly. As his brother-in-law, I will naturally help him!"
Speaking of which...
Lu Yu's lips curved, revealing a faint smile.
As if he had everything under control!
...
...
The next day at court, the Son of Heaven did not attend. Minister of Personnel, Xun Yu, presided in his stead.
The agenda for the court meeting held no new surprises... it was the same old routine. Matters concerning military power and decrees were beyond the reach of the Son of Heaven and the officials.
However...
At this time, the Imperial Censor, Lu Yu, mentioned his intention to go north to Ye City to assist Prime Minister Cao in his northern campaign against the Wuhuan, which caused a great uproar.
Even Lu Yu supported Cao Cao's northern expedition against the Wuhuan?
That was thousands of miles away... extremely dangerous!
Meanwhile...
Emperor Liu Xie, Empress Fu Shou, and Princess Wanniang, Liu Xue, appeared in a village by the Ying River on the outskirts of Xuchang city. They had all gone out of the palace in disguise. Apart from some Imperial Guards and Dragon Cavalry soldiers providing covert protection, no one knew of their whereabouts.
In the late autumn, the air was crisp and refreshing. Many people were out strolling by the Ying River. Felt mats were spread on the ground, and people sat in groups. Others practiced calligraphy and poetry by the flowing water. The mountains were gentle, the water warm, and the breeze intoxicating.
Liu Xie, Fu Shou, and Liu Xue stood by the water's edge, a little distance from the others...
Liu Xie stared coldly at the flowing water.
"Brother-in-law said that by following this water, we could find a way to abolish the 'head tax'! But we've walked for so long, where is the method?"
Hoo...
Fu Shou also sighed. She wanted to say something but turned to look at Liu Xue.
"Has the Princess learned anything from Imperial Censor Lu?"
"It's the same as what His Majesty knows," Liu Xue replied truthfully. "My husband only said that if we keep walking along this path... we will see what His Majesty wants to see!"
"Huh? What's that?"
Just then, outside the carriage, an old man carrying two babies in a basket was also walking along a small path by the Ying River.
The cries of infants could be heard from the basket.
It could be heard that they were two baby girls.
"Follow them!"
Emperor Liu Xie, with his keen senses, sensed something. He immediately gestured for them to follow.
The two royal carriages moved again, maintaining a distance from the old man, following them slowly...
Finally, after walking for about fifteen minutes, winding through many small paths, they arrived at a clearing on the outskirts of Xuchang city... outside a village.
"Caw caw!" The sound of crows could be heard from the sky...
Through the carriage window, they could also see eagles soaring in the sky. However, inexplicably, the air carried a faint scent of blood, a smell that was quite nauseating.
"Where is he going?" Liu Xue couldn't help but ask...
"I don't know." Liu Xie's eyes narrowed. He had a vague feeling that the so-called "answer" Lu Yu mentioned was related to this old man carrying two girls!
After another fifteen minutes of travel...
The surroundings became increasingly desolate. It seemed the old man noticed the two carriages, but he paid no mind. Instead, a faint smile of relief appeared on his lips.
He quickened his pace and finally stopped before a stone tower.
"What is this?"
Empress Fu Shou's eyes narrowed. She lowered her brows and carefully examined the stone tower after the old man entered it.
Liu Xie noticed a plaque on the tower that read "Eagle Tower"...
And at the top of the stone tower, there seemed to be a carved stone eagle with its wings spread in flight!
"Eagle Tower?"
Liu Xie's eyes narrowed, his curiosity about the Eagle Tower growing infinitely.
Not long after, the old man emerged from the "Eagle Tower," still carrying his pole. However... there were no longer any girls in his basket!
His eyes held much unwillingness and sorrow, but when his gaze turned towards the carriages, a glimmer of hope seemed to appear.
"Tap tap!"
"Tap tap..."
He strode towards Liu Xie. The moment he reached the carriages, his steps halted.
"Go ahead, kind sir..."
He did not recognize Liu Xie's identity, mistaking him for a noble young man from the city...
Liu Xie could see that the old man's lips were trembling as he spoke, and tears streamed down his cheeks!
After speaking, he turned and walked away, looking back three times.
"Your Majesty..."
Empress Fu Shou spoke...
Liu Xie, with a furrowed brow, immediately ordered, "Dismount and go closer to take a look!"
Saying this, he quickly got out of the carriage and walked to the stone tower. He circled the tower once, but found nothing... not even an entrance!
After turning another half-circle, he discovered a tiny window on the tower, seemingly only large enough for an infant to pass through.
What is this?
Liu Xie, Fu Shou, and Liu Xue were extremely curious.
But at that moment.
"Is this gentleman here to select infant girls?" an aged voice came from behind.
Liu Xie turned his head and saw an even older man.
"Infant girls? What infant girls?" Liu Xie immediately asked...
The old man was slightly surprised, but he quickly waved his hand and said, "Doesn't the gentleman hear the cries of infant girls from the opening?"
Uh... this...
Liu Xie again brought his ear close to the window and listened carefully. He truly heard many cries of infant girls, but... these sounds were very weak. He couldn't tell if it was because the tower was too deep or because the infants had lost their strength, only hearing faint cries like silken threads.
"What place is this?"
Liu Xie hurriedly asked...
The old man did not mind and immediately pointed his walking stick to the plaque on the stone tower.
"This is the Eagle Tower!"
"Eagle Tower?" Liu Xie retorted.
The old man said with a heavy tone, "To be precise, this stone tower should be called the Infant Tower! Its actual purpose is to 'bury' the bodies of female infants. From the pre-Qin era to the present Han Dynasty, for hundreds of years, many young infants, simply because they were girls, were cruelly abandoned by their families in this infant tower built of bricks and stones!"
"Letting these vibrant lives lie among countless... either skeletal remains, or decaying bodies, or newly deceased infant girls! Eaten by insects and ants, left to fend for themselves!"
The old man's voice was low but extremely calm, as if he had introduced the Eagle Tower... no, the Infant Tower to visitors countless times...
These...
Were things that officials and nobles would not know, and that the entire court, the Son of Heaven, and the Empress could not fathom.
But... in this era, it existed so truthfully.
"Why? Why would someone put female infants into this Eagle Tower? Are there such heartless parents?" Liu Xie's pupils were about to burst. For a moment, this patient emperor could not suppress his emotions at all.
"Reasons? Do these require reasons?" The old man shook his head and explained, "Throughout history, how many infants have been drowned by their families simply for being girls, their bodies casually discarded in alleys and streets, left to the sun and rain, to be eaten by beasts! Their bones could not even be preserved!"
At this point, the old man paused. "Didn't Han Feizi's 'Liu Fan' mention that, 'Parents towards their children, when a boy is born, they congratulate each other; when a girl is born, they kill her!'?"
"Just as these literary works record, infanticide of girls is a common evil custom. It exists in the rural communities outside all Han cities and prefectures, and has been recorded since the pre-Qin period! Throughout the dynasties, it is endlessly documented!"
"Compared to drowning or casual abandonment, this infant tower, which seems mad and extremely cruel, is actually the best and most decent resting place for these female infants!"
Hearing this... Liu Xie could no longer control his emotions.
Here, before the Eagle Tower, he felt as if he had seen the darkest side of the Han, no... the most unethical side of the dynasty!
And who was the instigator of all this?
"Why? Why are female infants abandoned? Tell me, why?"
Liu Xie roared hysterically...
The old man's tone was exceptionally calm. He calmly uttered a few words...
"Because of the taxes..."
"Because of the heavy head tax!"
"If a daughter is born, it means an extra bowl and chopsticks, an extra portion of grain, an extra share of taxes. But because she is a girl, she cannot do heavy farm work. If she is too young, she cannot be sold. If she is not married by fifteen, she has to pay five times the head tax. She can only be an additional burden to the family! The common people now cannot even support themselves? How can they raise daughters? If they send them to this Eagle Tower, perhaps the family can still survive. But if they don't, the entire family will starve to death!"
"Otherwise, what parent would have the heart to do it?"
Huo...
Hearing this, Liu Xie's eyes narrowed almost into a slit.
Is this the Han Dynasty? Is this the Han Dynasty under the Son of Heaven?
Eagle Tower... such a monstrous tower exists in the world, yet it has become the last dignity and honor for female infants!
"Then... then what happens to these infant girls in the end?"
Liu Xue hurriedly asked...
This was what she cared about most.
"In the end... in the end..." the old man paused. "If there is a kind gentleman, perhaps he will take away one or two infant girls and raise them as slave girls, or even as maids for his sons, or as replacements for his concubines. This is already the best outcome for these infant girls. As for the rest, they die in this Eagle Tower. Listen, you listen..."
Waa waa waa!
Waa waa!
Waa!
The sounds of countless infant girls came from the window. They had just entered this world, who would have thought they would have to leave again! They didn't even have the strength to resist!
"Gulp..."
Liu Xie subconsciously swallowed.
Empress Fu Shou and Princess Wanniang, Liu Xue, also bit their lips tightly.
At this moment, they finally understood why... why Lu Yu had asked them to come here. Only here could they see the darkest side of the Han Empire under the "heavy head tax"!
"Many places do not have Eagle Towers, so..." the old man's voice continued. "In those desolate fields, or even in garbage heaps, bursts of heart-wrenching cries can be heard from time to time, one after another, ceaseless, making one's heart ache."
"Finally... they can no longer cry and can only lie quietly in the tower, on the corpses of other girls, under these heavy taxes and labor, and finally... scatter into the dust of history!"
"So, sir, if... I mean if, you could be kind enough to take away a few infant girls and raise them, even if it's just as servants in your mansion, as concubines, or as replacement maids, it would be better than... better than them perishing in the darkness of the Han Dynasty before they have even seen the world!"
"Sir... Sir..."
Towards the end, the old man's emotions surged. He grabbed Liu Xie's sleeve. How he wished Liu Xie was a kind person!
At this moment, Liu Xie raised his face to the sky...
He wanted to roar, but his mouth opened, and not a single word came out!
Perhaps... before this, standing opposite the powerful clans, he only sought to avenge his father and vindicate him!
But now... when he heard these cries, when the Eagle Tower so vividly appeared before his eyes, he... he felt that he had to do something for this world!
Not for any other reason...
Just because he... he was still the Son of Heaven at this moment!
The Son of Heaven of the Han Dynasty could not allow such a dark side to exist in the Han Empire...
"Old man, old man..."
Liu Xie's voice was almost hoarse... tears welled up in his eyes, and he gnashed his back teeth. "Gulp," he swallowed again.
"Old man, you... quickly open this Eagle Tower. All the living infant girls, I... I want them all!"
Ah...
The old man had not expected the gentleman before him to be so "generous."
"Good... good..."
The old man quickly took a key from his embrace and opened the stone door...
As the stone door opened, whether it was due to the fresh air or the sunlight shining in, the cries of the infant girls, which had been silent for a moment, resounded again.
"Waa waa waa..."
It was as if... as if they were fighting against fate.
They were too young, and no one should take away their hope of living!
"Your Majesty..."
As the guards went to pick up the infant girls, Empress Fu Shou also held one. Seeing the tiny girl still blinking at her, Fu Shou's eyes were also full of tears.
She looked at Liu Xie.
"Your Majesty..."
After a long while, she could only say "Your Majesty"!
"I... I..."
Emperor Liu Xie raised his fist and pounded it heavily on his chest. "I am an incompetent emperor, I am foolish!"
The intense pain in his chest made Liu Xie's face contort even more!
"I finally understand why, why... Lu Ziyu wanted me to come here."
"There is no method to abolish the 'head tax' here, nor any clever plans for reform, but... but it can temper my firmest heart!"
"Empress..."
Liu Xie's tone became heavy. "Today, the Empress and I attended the funeral of a stranger. This funeral, I believe the Empress will remember it for a lifetime, just like me!"
...
...