In Xiangyang that June, Liu Cheng spent half a day in the spotlight, then dutifully returned to Xi Chao's lodgings to rest and build his strength, waiting for the Northern Expedition.
Over the next few days, the words "Imperial Seal" seemed to hang over all of Xiangyang. Rumors of every description, countless letters, conversations... many people said Huan Wen intended to keep the thing for himself.
There did indeed seem to be signs of that. On the pretext of needing to make a box worthy of it, the General Who Attacks the West had simply placed the thing on his desk. Anyone who came to report to him, or attended a meeting he held, could see it.
Some even pretended to have business to report just to get a look at it.
But others said that since Duke Huan had promised publicly, he would certainly send it away, and this was nothing more than deliberate theater. Viewed on its own, the thing was merely a lifeless piece of jade; its value lay in the process of coming into Duke Huan's hands and being delivered to Jiankang. That being so, everyone first had to know that the Imperial Seal was now in General Huan's possession. Once public opinion had been thoroughly guided, sending it away would display all the more grace and carry all the more value.
Liu Cheng paid no attention to any of this. Every day, he slept until he was fully rested, then spent his waking hours eating and drinking with Luo You, Huan Qian, Yu Qiu, and Wu Fusheng. He also visited Gao Heng at the army camp, but he really did no work at all.
Even Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms temporarily stopped updating.
It could not be helped. Those previous twenty-odd days had truly