After several years, Liu Cheng once again saw the sovereign to whom he had once bid farewell.
By now, calling him the Young Emperor would have been impolite. He had bound up his hair, married, and merely had yet to govern in person.
They still met in the Eastern Studio, but this time neither the gauze curtain nor the Empress Dowager was present. The Prince of Kuaiji, Sima Yu, had also said he felt somewhat unwell and had simply asked the others to bring Liu Cheng over... Thus Wang Shu, General of the Guards and concurrently Yangzhou Governor, led everyone in holding their sabers there, while Liu Cheng still held nothing but air.
Once the greetings were over and everyone had taken their seats, Liu Cheng looked up. The emperor had grown considerably taller, and his spirits had plainly risen just as much. Though he sat there with a solemn expression, he was actually itching to try his hand.
Sure enough, this sovereign of Great Jin soon spoke impatiently. "Minister Liu, I still remember what you said to me when you left this place, and I know that in a mere year, you actually accomplished what you spoke of at our farewell audience. Thus, I was not particularly surprised by this latest victory in Huaibei."
"I am ashamed," Liu Cheng said with a smile. "In the end, I allowed private considerations to override public duty, releasing Murong De in remembrance of his saving my life and giving me a saber."
"No matter." The emperor waved a hand, suddenly displaying a heroic generosity. "Had we not released him, we would instead have seemed as narrow-minded and petty as they are. Besides, I still remember the lingering gleam of that Golden Saber Murong De gave you."
"Your Majesty indeed possesses a heroic