Chapter Twenty-Six: The Time Has Not Yet Come; Heaven’s Secrets Must Not Be Revealed

Ah! Those three strikes of the shoe sole from Empress Dowager Liao truly left Prince Liang, Liu Li, completely dazed. He stared blankly, only to see his ever-doting mother now glaring at him with gritted teeth, eyes wide with fury, the shoe sole in her hand raised high, ready to strike again at any moment.

Startled but not daring to respond with anger, he could only bend down, shielding his head with his hands, and asked, aggrieved, "Mother, why are you doing this? Have I done something wrong?"

The Empress Dowager fumed, "Done something wrong?" She rose, grabbed a scroll from the table, and threw it at Prince Liang. "See for yourself!"

Puzzled, Liu Li unrolled the scroll in his arms and found it was a painting of a fierce tiger descending the mountain.

Glancing left and right, Liu Li remarked, "Both tiger and wolf together—how odd. Everyone knows tigers and wolves cannot coexist."

"Look at what you've done! The Emperor sent this painting as a warning to me! Furthermore, yesterday the Emperor was attacked by assassins who mentioned your name! How do you explain this?" the Empress Dowager scolded.

Liu Li replied, "I know about that, Mother, but please don't worry. The assassin is dead, and with the only witness gone, surely my elder brother cannot hold me accountable. Besides, if he wishes to punish me, won't he have to consider the pair of tiger talismans you hold, which command the Imperial Guards?"

"Li'er!" The Empress Dowager called her son's childhood name loudly. "So, you have your eyes on the tiger talismans? How foolish you are! Since the Han dynasty, the harem must not interfere in state affairs. By holding these talismans, I have tied my life and status to them. Once I act in politics, the entire court can impeach me to death! Moreover, the late emperor decreed that these talismans are only for use in times of great peril to the Liu dynasty. Otherwise, they must not be used, and if the dynasty is not in danger, the Imperial Guards will not obey my orders!"

"Mother, my elder brother is weak. As the ruler of the nation, he is constantly suppressed by the Chancellor, unable to raise his head. He has left Father's realm in this state. You haven't seen it—he cowers before the Chancellor like a mouse before a cat. It makes me laugh. He calls the Chancellor 'Father' with such intimacy, it's chilling!" Liu Li sneered.

"But I am different! I have been clever since childhood—Father often praised me when he was alive. If not for my brother's luck as the eldest son, what claim would he have to the throne? If I were to ascend, I would work diligently to fulfill Father's wishes!"

The Empress Dowager did not refute him but instead asked, "If you were Emperor, what would you do?"

"Hmph!" Liu Li snorted coldly. "If I were Emperor, I would kill the Chancellor and seize military power for myself."

"And how would you kill the Chancellor?" the Empress Dowager pressed.

Liu Li lifted his chin and declared, "Since ancient times, when a sovereign orders a minister to die, how can the minister survive? With a single imperial edict, I could take his life!"

The Empress Dowager also snorted and asked, "And then?"

"Then I would lead the army north to punish the traitors, destroy Sun Wu, and unite the Central Plains!" Liu Li spoke with enthusiasm, even changing his form of address to the imperial 'I'.

"Smack! Smack! Smack!" The Empress Dowager raised her shoe sole again and struck Liu Li across the face, exclaiming, "I'll beat you to death, you foolish boy! So clever since childhood? I see only a great fool before me!"

"Mother, stop, please!" Liu Li pleaded for mercy.

The Empress Dowager continued, "Very well, let me ask you: if an imperial edict is so effective, why did Dong Zhuo seize power during the Eastern Han, why did Cao Cao hold the Emperor hostage to control the lords, and why did Cao Pi force the abdication three times?"

"Hmph, my teacher says that sometimes an imperial edict can change the course of history."

"Your teacher?" The Empress Dowager frowned, making a mental note, and continued, "Fine, as you say, seize military power. But how will you lead the army north? Recall the late emperor, who had mighty generals and the unparalleled Zhuge Kongming, yet failed to unite the realm. Why do you think you can succeed? What do you have?"

Prince Liang Liu Li smiled, "I have my teacher, whose talent surpasses Zhuge Liang a hundredfold!"

"Your teacher?" the Empress Dowager queried again; this was the second time she had heard the term.

"Yes. My teacher says I possess the bearing and talent of an emperor, and with his assistance—his abilities to pacify the four corners of the world and vanquish all opposition—I am destined for greatness!" Liu Li boasted.

The Empress Dowager burst out laughing as if she had heard the most amusing tale in the world. "Then tell me, what brilliant strategy does your teacher have to help you ascend the throne and achieve greatness?"

Liu Li answered, "My teacher said this is a secret of heaven and must not be revealed—just like the Chancellor's sealed decree, which cannot be opened except in time of need."

"Very well!" The Empress Dowager said 'well' three times. Of course, she could, as both mother and Empress Dowager, force Prince Liang to give up his ambitions. But clearly, this dangerous seed had already taken root in his heart, and if not removed, even her authority could only suppress it for a time. In the end, disaster would ensue.

No one knows their child like a mother. Prince Liang was only sixteen; if it were just him, she would never believe he could conceive of rebellion alone. All signs pointed to this teacher.

So she said, "Since my son holds his teacher in such esteem, the teacher must be truly talented. Why not introduce him to me so I may witness his brilliance myself?"

"Mother, do you mean it?" Liu Li was overjoyed. With his teacher by his side, surely his mother would support him. "He is waiting just outside the palace gate. I shall summon him at once!"

"Excellent," Empress Dowager Liao nodded.

"What do you think?" After Liu Li left, the Empress Dowager asked Zhang Bao.

Zhang Bao thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Since the chaos of the Eastern Han, every warlord has claimed imperial destiny; it's all a means to deceive the world. Even the Chancellor would not dare claim certain victory in the north, to sweep through the realm. All is left to human effort and fate."

The Empress Dowager nodded thoughtfully.

Liu Li was quick to go and return. With him came a man of about forty, dressed in white, long hair tied high, a goatee in the shape of the character 'eight', his steps light, bearing an air of a transcendent recluse.

"Mother, this is my teacher!" Liu Li said with a bow, then turned and urged, "Teacher, pay respects to my mother!"

The man in white stroked his beard, did not kneel, but bowed and said, "Your servant, Hao Lian Chunshui, pays his respects to the Empress Dowager!"

The Empress Dowager nodded. "My son holds you in high esteem, claiming you can help him ascend to greatness. Is this so?"

"Indeed! His Highness Prince Liang is the late Emperor's son, of royal blood, and most importantly, bears the signs of a true sovereign. He is destined for greatness!" Hao Lian Chunshui stroked his beard again.

"Very well. Let me ask you: within, the Emperor still lives, and Chancellor Zhuge's power is at its zenith, bearing the late Emperor's trust. Should my son ascend, how would this be resolved?"

Hao Lian Chunshui replied, "The Chancellor is indeed powerful, but he is aging and will one day return to dust. That will be His Highness's opportunity. But this is a lesser strategy; there is a superior plan, one of unfathomable subtlety, but as it is a secret of heaven, it cannot be revealed before its time—not even at the cost of my life!"

"Very well. The Chancellor is aging; when the time comes, even if the Emperor survives, it may be an opportunity for my son. But your so-called secret of heaven cannot be revealed, leaving me in the dark! Is it truly so secret?"

"It is indeed so!" Hao Lian Chunshui replied solemnly.

"Then tell me, how will my son achieve greatness?"

Hao Lian answered, "He will destroy Cao Wei, pacify Sun Wu, and sweep across the nine provinces!"

The Empress Dowager pressed, "Cao Wei is wealthy in troops and resources—how do you propose to defeat them?"

Hao Lian replied, "The time is not yet ripe; the secret cannot be revealed."

"Sun Wu holds the Yangtze's natural defenses and boasts General Lu Xun, who once defeated the late Emperor's forces. How will you overcome them?"

Again, Hao Lian replied, "The time is not yet ripe; the secret cannot be revealed."

"Enough!" The Empress Dowager slammed the table in fury. "Do you take me for a three-year-old, so easily deceived? Guards, seize this man, drag him to the courtyard, and beat him to death!"

"Mother, you mustn't!" Liu Li panicked. "Mother, my teacher truly is a great talent; it really is just that the time is not yet right, and the secret cannot be revealed!"

By now, a group of guards had entered the hall, awaiting the Empress Dowager's command.

She wore a grim expression and waved her hand, signaling them to proceed. The guards seized Hao Lian Chunshui and prepared to drag him from the hall.

Liu Li pleaded, "Teacher, let us not dwell on whether the secret can be revealed or not! Please, share a plan or two to ease my mother's doubts!"

Hao Lian Chunshui's face grew solemn, and with the air of a martyr, he laughed aloud, "What fear have I of death? Only, the time is not yet ripe, and the secret cannot be revealed! The time is not yet ripe, and the secret cannot be revealed! What fear have I of death? What fear?"

"Wait!" the Empress Dowager commanded just as the guards were about to drag Hao Lian Chunshui out.

Liu Li rejoiced, exclaiming, "I knew Mother was only testing my teacher. He truly is talented and fearless in the face of death—how admirable!"

As he was turned toward the hall's exit by the guards, Hao Lian Chunshui let a smile slip across his lips.