Chapter Ninety-Four: A Marriage Decree for Liu Yao (Please Save and Recommend)

When all the rewards had been bestowed, Liu Yao finally stepped forward.

“Father Emperor, I have a request to make.”

Liu Hong glanced at him and asked with a smile, “And what is it, my son?”

“I ask Father Emperor to grant me a marriage.”

As soon as Liu Yao said this, the hall erupted into confusion. Setting aside his status as a prince, with Huangfusong’s office, Liu Yao could now be said to be one of the most powerful men in all of Great Han beneath Emperor Ling himself. No one knew which noble lady had won his favor. And yet Liu Yao had actually decided his own marriage without consulting anyone. In this age, marriages were supposed to follow the command of one’s parents and the matchmaker’s word; for someone of Liu Yao’s station, propriety mattered all the more. Yet no one noticed that Cai Yong below had already split his mouth wide in delight, grinning so hard he could scarcely contain himself.

“Hahaha! Granted!” Liu Hong laughed heartily. Then he motioned for Zhang Rang to take up the prepared decree and read it aloud.

The assembly, seeing that the imperial edict had been ready all along, instantly understood. So Liu Yao had long ago discussed this with Emperor Ling, and the emperor had already agreed. The father and son were merely acting out a little show in court. Once they thought of it that way, no one found it strange.

“By decree of the Emperor of Great Han: We have heard that the daughter of Gentleman Cai Yong is graceful, modest, gentle, virtuous, and outstanding in both appearance and bearing. The Empress Dowager and We ourselves are greatly pleased by this. The First Prince, Liu Yao, is extraordinary in literary talent and exceptional in martial skill. And now that Cai Yan is of marriageable age and still unwed, she and the First Prince may be said to be joined by Heaven itself, a perfect match made to complete the beauty of a worthy pair. Therefore, Cai Yan is hereby betrothed to the First Prince as his imperial consort. When both have come of age, the wedding shall be held at once. So ordered!”

Zhang Rang roared the proclamation at the top of his lungs.

Hearing it, the ministers below all turned their eyes toward Cai Yong. Seeing the smug, beaming look on his face, his mouth practically stretched to his ears, they naturally understood that he had been informed as well. The envy in everyone’s eyes was plain enough.

For Cai Yong’s daughter to marry Liu Yao meant Cai Yong himself would ascend to greatness in a single step. Some of the lower-ranking officials had already resolved to curry favor with him in earnest. If Cai Yong were to speak a few good words on their behalf beside Liu Yao, they might well rise with the tide.

Before the crowd could even take their eyes away, another voice drew their attention back.

Zhang Rang picked up a second imperial edict and once again raised his voice.

“By decree of the Emperor of Great Han: We have heard that the granddaughter by oath of the Great Han Empress Dowager, Our adopted daughter Diao Chan, is graceful, modest, gentle, virtuous, and outstanding in both appearance and bearing. The Empress Dowager and We ourselves are greatly pleased by this. The First Prince, Liu Yao, is extraordinary in literary talent and exceptional in martial skill. And now that Diao Chan is of marriageable age and still unwed, she and the First Prince may be said to be joined by Heaven itself, a perfect match made to complete the beauty of a worthy pair. Therefore, Diao Chan is hereby betrothed to the First Prince as his imperial consort. When both have come of age, the wedding shall be held at once. So ordered!”

At this decree, the court once again broke into uproar.

Who was this Diao Chan? No one had ever even heard of her. No one had known that Emperor Ling had an adopted daughter, and yet this girl had even been taken as the Empress Dowager Dong’s sworn granddaughter. What extraordinary fortune that was.

Of course, they did not know that Diao Chan, as recently as yesterday, had been nothing more than a palace maid so insignificant she could scarcely be noticed.

As for Liu Hong, when he received word from his mother, the Empress Dowager Dong, the day before, he too had been taken aback. He had never expected another adopted daughter to appear so suddenly, much less one intended for his son Liu Yao. He knew nothing at all about this girl called Diao Chan. But in the end, he still issued the additional decree, because he trusted Liu Yao’s judgment, and he trusted the Empress Dowager’s as well. If a woman pleased them both, how could she fail to be outstanding?

“Thank you, Father Emperor, for fulfilling my wish,” Liu Yao said with visible emotion.

“Hahaha! Gentleman Cai, in a few days I shall send someone to your residence to conduct the betrothal rites!” Liu Hong laughed. To speak thus in the middle of court showed how exuberant he was at that moment.

“Your Majesty,” Cai Yong said with a broad, humble smile, stepping forward, “that the First Prince would favor my daughter is her good fortune.”

At that moment, Huangfusong, seeing that the emperor was in an excellent mood, took the opportunity to ask for the yearlong remission of grain taxes in Ji Province, so the people suffering from famine could be supported. Liu Hong, still in high spirits, agreed without hesitation.

Then Huangfusong requested that Lu Zhi, who was still imprisoned, be released. Hearing this, Liu Hong’s expression changed slightly.

“Father Emperor,” Liu Yao said, also stepping forward, “General Lu Zhi was indeed framed by treacherous men and imprisoned unjustly. I beg Father Emperor to release him.”

Liu Yao did not object to helping Lu Zhi. He had a favorable impression of this man, who had remained loyal to Great Han. Besides, Lu Zhi’s downfall had not been entirely unrelated to him. And now that Lu Zhi had no conflict of interest with him at all, there was no harm in speaking on his behalf.

Hearing Liu Yao’s plea, and with all the civil and military ministers joining in, Emperor Ling, already celebrating the joyous day for father and son alike, agreed. Lu Zhi was released from prison and restored to his former post.

Five days passed in a flash. During those days, Liu Yao was kept constantly busy with the details of the betrothal. He had known that, in ancient times, arranging an engagement was a cumbersome affair, but he had never paid it much mind and had even thought the difficulty exaggerated. Yet once it fell upon him personally, he had no words for the ordeal. Still, once everything had finally been settled, he could only smile with relief. Perhaps this was what it meant to suffer and rejoice at once.

On the day of the engagement, many high-ranking court officials came to offer their congratulations. Most, of course, had really come to cultivate ties with Liu Yao and Cai Yong. Only a few, such as Huangfusong, Lu Zhi, Zhu Jun, Cao Cao, and Sun Jian, had come with genuine sincerity to congratulate Liu Yao. Most of them were seasoned veterans of the battlefield, and Liu Yao had helped them greatly in war; naturally, they knew they ought to come offer their blessings.

What Liu Yao had not expected was that even Yuan Feng, He Jin, and his old rivals Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu would come to attend. Since it was Liu Yao’s great day, and since none of them dared to cause trouble, there was no reason to strike a smiling face. Since they were ostensibly there to offer blessings, Liu Yao could hardly have driven them out. Still, when his gaze fell on Yuan Shu’s eyes, full of venomous hatred, Liu Yao could only sneer inwardly. A fool would remain a fool forever. A man who could not conceal his emotions would never accomplish anything of substance.

That day, several figures appeared on the streets of Luoyang.

One was a handsome, refined young man. One was a roguish, carefree youth. One was an almost unnaturally beautiful and delicate boy. Following behind them were three youths who seemed much like bodyguards.

Those three, of course, were Zhao Yun, Zhang Fei, and Shi A. The refined young man was Liu Yao. The roguish youth was naturally Guo Jia. As for the last, breathtakingly lovely youth...

“Imperial Brother, so Luoyang has this many fun things after all,” the boy said, tugging at Liu Yao’s sleeve.

“I’ve told you already, when we’re outside, you are not to call me Imperial Brother. Call me Elder Brother, understand? If people recognize us, won’t that be troublesome?” Liu Yao said helplessly, rubbing his faintly throbbing temples.

The boy was none other than Liu Yao’s imperial younger sister, Princess Wannian, Liu Xin, only dressed as a man. This little girl had been staying at Cai’s residence for just five days before she could no longer bear it and kept clamoring to go out and play. With no choice, Liu Yao had given in to her wishes. Still, to avoid trouble, he had her dress as a boy.

Fortunately, although Liu Yao’s name was known throughout Luoyang, ordinary commoners hardly recognized his appearance. Otherwise, the moment he stepped out, he would likely have been surrounded and stared at by crowds. That would have been no pleasant experience.

As for Cai Yan and Diao Chan, they were not nearly as restless as Liu Xin. One stayed at home practicing the zither, while the other remained at home practicing dance. Watching the two of them cooperate so beautifully, Liu Yao could not help but feel his heart drift away in admiration.

Hearing him, Liu Xin stuck out her tongue playfully. “I know, Elder Brother.”

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